Luke 9:18-50

The cross of Christ is the most revolutionary thing ever to appear among men.

The cross of the Roman times knew no compromise; it never made concessions. It won all its arguments by killing its opponent and silencing him for good. It spared not Christ, by slew Him the same as the rest. He was alive when they hung Him on that cross and completely dead when they took him down six hours later. That was the cross the first time it appeared in Christian history.

After Christ...

For Reading and Meditation:     Luke 9:18-27

Suppose a tiny seed had a will of its own and decided to save itself by refusing to be buried. It would abide alone. It would save itself but would not save others. When it decided to be buried and die, then the result would be a golden harvest. Take a mother: she goes down into the valley of the shadow of death to bring...

At first this seems to flatly contradict our previous verse, but there is no contradiction. There the Savior was speaking to the unbelieving Pharisees and saying, "If you aren't for Me, you're against Me." But here it is a different matter. The disciples had just restrained a man who was casting out demons in Jesus' Name. They had no better reason than that he didn't associate with them. Jesus said, "Forbid him not: for he that is not against us is for us."

When it comes to salvation,...

Sometimes I think we talk and sing too glibly about the Lordship of Christ, about total commitment, and about absolute surrender. We parrot neat little cliches like, "If He's not Lord of all, then He's not Lord at all." We sing, "All to Jesus I surrender, all to Him I freely give." We act as if total commitment involved little more than attending church every Sunday.

It isn't that we are insincere; it's just that we don't realize all that's involved. If we acknowledge the Lordship of...

If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. § Whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple. § Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness.Everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and...

By honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report. § All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. § The offense of the cross.If I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you … But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in...

Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we for- bade him because he does not follow with us.” But Jesus said to him, “Do not forbid him, for he who is not against us is on our side.” … “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?” But He … rebuked them, and said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of.”“Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” So Joshua the son of Nun … answered and said,...

And He said to them all, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me" (Luke 9:23)

True spiritual experience will result from our standing immovable in our position "in Christ." All too often believers allow certain "experiences" to move...

He said to them all, If any man will come after Me, let him. . . take up his Cross daily" (Luke 9:23).

We go all the way to Calvary in faith and there find ourselves identified with the Lord Jesus in His death and resurrection. And Calvary comes all the way to us in experience as the Holy...