Luke 9:43-56

I want to pick up where we left off two weeks ago. There were several significant events that we looked at… the disciples were arguing over which one of them is the greatest, (that in and of itself is bad, but for them to be arguing about which one of them is the greatest immediately after Jesus informed them of His upcoming death magnifies the selfishness of the human heart)… we saw John was upset because someone other than the Twelve was doing the Lord’s work… we saw James and John wanting to call down some fire from Heaven on some Samaritans because they didn’t honor Jesus as they should have. And we saw there was a common thread running through all these events… do you remember what it was? It was pride.

C. J. Mahaney describes pride this way, “Contending for supremacy with God, and lifting up our hearts against Him.”

Luke 2:8-14

Luke 2:8-14 – Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.
10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.
11 “For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
12 “And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
14 “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

I want to focus today on one verse… verse 14… “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

Luke 9:43-56

Last week we studied the account of Jesus healing the little boy who had been tormented unmercifully by an unclean spirit… this was the little boy whose father cried out, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief.”  Who of us can’t identify with the struggle that was taking place in this father’s heart?  He did believe, but at the same time his hopes had been dashed so many times (and most recently by the disciples’ inability to help) that he was afraid to get his hopes up again.  It is not that the Lord expects us to have 100% pure virgin faith and 0% unbelief… no, not at all.  What the Lord does require of us is to make sure our faith overrules our doubts.

Luke 9:37-42

Last week we studied the Transfiguration of the Lord Jesus… what an impression that must have made on Peter, James, and John… and what motivation that must have given these men in their hour of need (as you might recall, Peter and James were martyred for their faith and John was exiled on the Isle of Patmos).

We also saw that God’s plan for every believer is to emulate that Transfiguration… not in the physical sense… but in the process we call progressive sanctification.