30th Mar 26 | 13:54
Studies by Book
Luke 20 19-26 THE FOOLISHNESS OF THE CRAFTY LEADERS 14 Luke 20 24-25 Render to God the things that are God’s 1
📖 Luke 20:19-26
17Mar2021 - *Render to God the things that are God’s 1* - _Luke 20:19-26_ - THE FOOLISHNESS OF THE CRAFTY LEADERS 14 – Bible reading: _Mark 12:29-31_
We looked at the first part of the answer that Jesus gave, which is to render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s.
To render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, we must be those who are above reproach in all matters of life. We also keep in mind that we must draw the line and refuse to obey when we are being called and forced to acknowledge any other god or rule, in the place of Yahweh, _Exodus 20:3 "You shall have no other gods before Me._
Let us now consider the second half of the answer that our Lord gave to these leaders.
_Luke 20:24-25 Show Me a denarius. Whose image and inscription does it have?" They answered and said, "Caesar's." (25) And He said to them, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and *to God the things that are God's*."_
Render to God the things that are God’s. What does this mean?
This statement opens for us a wide understanding, but let us look at a few of the non-negotiable elements in our walk with God.
The people asked Jesus what the works of God were. _John 6:28-29 Then they said to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?" (29) Jesus answered and said to them, "*This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent*."_
The Lord’s answer was to believe in Him. Belief is about trusting and obeying God, for faith without works is dead. Belief is not just an intellectual understanding of the Divine but a matter of surrendering and submitting to the lordship of Christ over us, completely. We die with Him.
A Scribe asked Jesus, "What is the first commandment?"
_Mark 12:29-31 Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is: 'HEAR, O ISRAEL, THE LORD OUR GOD, THE LORD IS ONE. (30) AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.' This is the first commandment. (31) And the second, like it, is this: 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' There is no other commandment greater than these."_
Our coming to God is a matter of coming into the canopy of God. He is our shelter. All of our fulfilment and joy is in Him. All things consist in Him.
To love God, we must trust Him and obey Him. Without faith/trust in God, we cannot be in a relationship with Him and without obeying Him, we cannot love Him. _John 14:15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments._
Trust and obey for there is no other way to have a relationship with Jesus.
How do we love God with all our heart? The heart is about our intentions and motives. Loving God is to surrender our intentions and motives to Him.
_Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and *is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart*._
Loving God with all our soul is about the surrendering of our will to God. _Mark 3:35 For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother."_
Loving God with all our mind is the surrender of our perceptions, our world-view, our understanding, to God. _Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,_
_Matthew 6:22 “The lamp of the body is the eye_(perception). _If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light._
Loving God with all our strength includes all of our inbuilt capacities, potentials, capabilities, talents, gifts, experiences, our learning and our influence. _Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service._
To love people is to serve people. _Galatians 5:13 For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but *through love serve one another*._
Rendering to God the things that are God’s ought to be the description of each of us.
*Thought to ponder*
```Rendering to God the things that are His, is what sets us apart from the world.```