LUKE 18 (PART 2): THE FAITH RACE

The parables found
in Luke 18
are great metaphors
for Hebrews 12.

My heart jumped
when I heard Jesus start
talk about the widow
who had persistent faith.

Justice was served
not because of her,
but because of
the Holy Spirit,
who lived inside of her,
would not give up!

Then there’s the Parable
of the Pharisee
and the Tax Collector.

In my opinion,
this is the beginning
of the faith journey
that represents the image
of the mustard seed.

It's speaks about
a religious man
who is spiritually dead,
and compares him
to a sinner
who falls on his face,
overwhelmed by the disgrace
of acknowledging
who he actually is.

He becomes spiritually aware,
that he is just a man  -
who lives inside
a world of sin.
 
And he understands
that only following Jesus 
can save him.

He takes an honest reflection
of who he is -
and sees that he is simply a man
collecting a fee
for a worldly kingdom,
knowing full well
the money
will not be used
to take care of the citizens.

Instead it will fill
the pockets
of rich men,
who use power
and control
to rule over them.

I believe
that the tax collectors
who followed Jesus
had to be
the greatest servants.

They had an awareness
of the price
that Jesus’s sacrifice
was worth.

They represent the children of God -
the ones who fall on their face,
fully submitted to Him.
They do not dare to exalt themselves;
and they know full well
that their faith
far outweighs their doubt.

And after learning
about the Tax Collector,
Jesus tells them
“Let the children come to me.
Don’t stop them!
For the Kingdom of God
belongs to those
who are like these children.
I tell you the truth,
anyone who doesn’t receive
the Kingdom of God like a child
will never enter it.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭18:16-17‬ ‭

Did you notice,
that Jesus said
“LIKE these children?”

We must be able
to read between the lines
to fully understand
that He is not only talking
about the young,
but instead
He is declaring
that those who desire
to come to Him,
should never be stopped.

Then there’s the rich man
who declares,
“Jesus I want to follow you.
Tell me, what should I do
to inherit eternal life?”

First let me just say
that the key word here
is “should!”

"Should"
implies
no heart change.
"Must" 
would be
the proper word
spoken by a person
who has actually chosen
to follow God.

And instead
of answering the rich man's question,
Jesus asks him
if he has followed
the Law of Moses.


And as you can assume,
the man replies,
“I’ve obeyed
all these commandments
since I was young.”

When Jesus heard this,
He said,
“There is still one thing
you haven’t done.
Sell all your possessions
and give the money to the poor,
and you will have treasure in heaven.
Then come and follow me.”

"But when the man heard this
he became very sad,
for he was very rich."

When Jesus saw this,
He said,
“How hard it is for the rich
to enter the Kingdom of God!
In fact, it is easier for a camel
to go through the eye of a needle
than for a rich person to enter
the Kingdom of God!”

And those who heard this said,
“Then who in the world can be saved?”

He replied,
“What is impossible for people
is possible with God.”

And this, my friend,
is the moral of the story!

A mustard seed of faith
is all that it takes
to begin the journey
of Holy Spirit intervention -
a process known as
sanctification.

Jesus came
with the end in mind.
He is not like us,
who takes Heaven for granted.

He knows that
every human
will experience
eternal life, or eternal death
depending on whether
they choose the blessing
or the curse.

His desire is 
that no one should perish,
not even one.
That is why He came
with a plan
and a three-fold purpose

First,
He came to be
our final sacrifice
because He knew that we
could never be perfect.
His blood was shed
for all humans,
on the table of God;
where anyone who chooses
to eat of Him can. 
His flesh is the bread of life,
and his blood is the wine
that washes away sin.

Second,
His blood purifies us,
and this permits
Holy Spirit to live inside us.

The Seed of Abraham
is miraculous!
It reverses the curse
declared against
the Seed of Adam.
Holy Spirit
brings dead bones
back to life,
and He guides us back
to the Tree of Life.
He is in charge
of sanctification, 
and He prepares our hearts
and our minds
to face the Judge.

Third,
humanity will continue
to live in the world,
until the appointed time;
and we must be prepared
to leave at any time.
We must always have oil in our lamp,
because when the time comes
there will be no time to ask.
This is the race
that has been set before us,
and though we walk
through the valley
of the shadow of death,
we shall fear no evil
for the Lord, our God, is with us.

Hebrews 12:1-3 says
“Therefore, since we are surrounded
by such a great cloud of witnesses,
let us throw off everything
that hinders
and the sin that so easily entangles.
And let us run with perseverance
the race marked out for us,
fixing our eyes on Jesus,
the pioneer and perfecter of faith.
For the joy set before him
he endured the cross,
scorning its shame, and sat down
at the right hand of the throne of God.
Consider him who endured
such opposition from sinners,
so that you will not grow weary
and lose heart.”

That's it folks!
That's the moral to the story.
We must begin with the end in mind,
in order to finish the race
that leads to the Kingdom of Heaven.
The journey of sanctification
leads to the Just Judge
and the King of Righteousness
who has required
a persistent faith,
humility and kindness.

If you are not prepared,
you will fall with
the shifting of the sands,
and the exhaustion of the world
will overtake you
and make up give up.

You must look ahead
to see
the "FINISH" sign,
and believe
that Jesus
is holding it up.

And you must submit
to the fire
that is deep inside,
Holy Spirit
is the One
who does not give up.

In your own power,
it is not possible,
But with God,
all things are possible.

Luke 18 ends
with the Parable
of the Blind Beggar,
right after Jesus predicts
His own death.

It's about a poor man
who is also blind, 
who is spiritually hungry
and wants to have sight.

The man discerns
Jesus coming close to Him,
and He shouts,
“Son of David,
have mercy on me!”

When Jesus heard him,
He stopped
and ordered
that the man
be brought to him.
As the man came near,
Jesus asked him,
“What do you want
me to do for you?”
“Lord,”
he said,
“I want to see!”
And Jesus said,
“All right,
receive your sight!
Your faith has healed you.
Instantly
the man could see,
and he followed Jesus,
and praised God
for giving sight to him."

And the interesting this
is that "all who saw it 
praised God, too.”
In that moment
they could see
what only God could do.

It's amazing to me,
this journey we call Faith.

Matthew 18
holds the perfect Parables
for my life verse,
which is Hebrews 12.

Faith
it is a choice,
and it is a gift.
If you draw in close,
God will give you it.
And when you ask for seconds,
He will give you even more of it.
Taste, and see that I am good.
Milk and Honey goes down so easily.