30th Mar 26 | 13:54
Studies by Book
Luke 14 1-6 The evil of hypocrisy 07 Living compartmentalized lives
📖 Luke 14:1-6
18thNov19 – Living compartmentalized lives - _Luke 14:1-6_ - Bible reading: _Matthew 28:19-20_
_Luke 14:2-6 And behold, there was a certain man before Him who had dropsy. (3) And Jesus, answering, spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?" (4) But they kept silent. And He took him and healed him, and let him go. (5) Then He answered them, saying, "Which of you, having a donkey or an ox that has fallen into a pit, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?" (6) And they could not answer Him regarding these things._
We understood that the problem of the religious leaders of Jesus’ time, was the problem of hypocrisy. The Lord made it clear that hypocrites will go to hell. We therefore began to look into the problem of hypocrisy and its symptoms in our own lives. The symptoms that we have seen thus far are,
1. Our heart is seeking after its own gain.
2. Giving importance to outward rituals, traditions, rules and formats and not giving importance to love God, be loved by Him and to love people.
3. Seeking glory from men.
4a. Appearances before men.
4b. Outwardly appearing righteous before people.
5. Seeking for signs and wonders.
6. Testing God
We will see another symptom today of hypocrisy. This is the symptom of living compartmentalized lives. The religious leaders were involved in missions. They went to far off places to win people to Judaism. _Matthew 23:15 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves._ They did win people but their life was not changed and so the persons, whom they had one also turned out to be those, who lived compartmentalized lives and destined for hell.
As a disciple of Jesus Christ, we do not live compartmentalized lives. Our life is lived in just one zone and that domain is that of being His witnesses. We do not live one compartment as sacred, where we conduct our, ‘spiritual activities’ and another compartment or more compartments, where we conduct our other activities of life. _Act 1:6-8 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, "Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" (7) And He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. (8) But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and *you shall be witnesses to Me* in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."_
We are His kingdom people here on earth. _Mark 8:35 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but *whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it*._ We have no option of trying to save our lives, which is what the majority of us are trying to do, and we even want God’s blessing on all our activities involved in saving our lives. How can God bless us, since if we are trying to save our lives, we will lose it but if we lose our lives for the Gospel, we will save it. This then is the basis for us. We live for His Gospel. Our life has only one compartment and that is the sacred.
When we live our lives, exclusively for the Gospel then the world will trouble us, since this world is in the control of another ruler, who is against God and His rule. _Luke 6:22-23 Blessed are you when men hate you, And when they exclude you, And revile you, and cast out your name as evil, For the Son of Man's sake. (23) Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven, For in like manner their fathers did to the prophets._
Our mandate has been given to us. _Matthew 28:19-20 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (20) *teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you*;_ Teaching people to observe how we have obeyed what He has commanded us. Our life is a witness. Witnessing is not an activity. Witnessing is about being, God’s people all the time. _and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen._
_Luk 24:45-49 And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. (46) Then He said to them, "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, (47) and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. (48) *And you are witnesses of these things*. (49) Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high."_
*Thought to ponder*
The end will come, when the church has understood and begins to be His witnesses. _Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come._