The Bryce Crawford Podcast - Luke Series Chapter 18 (EP72)

Episode Date: December 18, 2024

In this episode, Bryce breaks down Luke 18.

What's going on, guys. Welcome back to another episode of the Bryce Crawford podcast. I'm Bryce. And today we are all in Luke chapter 18 of the 24-day Luke series. We're getting close to the end. We're going to power through it. Keep going. We've got a lot of good stuff in chapter 18.

Before we get into it, guys, go to Jesusathustre.org slash tickets right now, sprint there right now and get your tickets to our first ever live podcast show here in Los Angeles, California. Look, if this one goes well, we might do them across the country, but we might not. So I want you guys to be a part of the first one. So come out of Los Angeles. January 19, 6 p.m. It's going to be awesome.

For some reason, the website says 21 and up, but all ages are welcome. I even had a lady message me the other day. She's bringing her baby. All ages are welcome. This lady's bringing her baby. All ages are welcome. Come on Jesus.org slash tickets. But let's get into Luke chapter 18 and see what Jesus is talking about.

And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. So Jesus is giving us a parable here so that we don't lose heart in prayer. He says in a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. So he sets a scene. There's an ungodly judge, someone that doesn't care for God's law or anything. And then there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, give me justice against my adversary. For a while he refused.

But afterwards, he said to himself, though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice so that she will not beat me down by her continuing. coming. And the Lord said, hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night?

Will he delay long over them? I tell you he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the son of man comes, will he find faith on earth? Don't lose heart in prayer. Persistently pursue Christ in prayer. He says, look, I will serve justice through your faithful prayers.

Whether it be in this lifetime or when Christ returns on judgment day, he will serve justice in your faithful prayers. Powerful. Now the Pharisee and the tax collector. Now we're going to look at humility here. We're learning about prayer and humility now. Now humility.

He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and treated others with contempt. Two men went up into the temple to pray. One a Pharisee and the other tax collector, a.k.a. one who claimed to be holy with their lips with their heart was far from God. And the other one that society wrote off as a sinner and someone that they didn't want to associate with,

a tax collector. The Pharisee, who is relying on their own power here, standing by himself, prayed thus, God, I thank you that I'm not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. Point at the guy with him. I fast twice a week. I give ties of all that I get. But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven. Couldn't even look up to God.

But beat his chest, saying, God. be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other. The tax collector was justified. For everyone who exhausts himself will be humble, but the one who hummels himself will be exhausted. That term, when the tax collector beat his breast, it's there saying that the tax collector was so aware of his heart condition

that he beat his heart to punish himself, to punish his heart of his heart condition. Yeah, it's such a humbling thing. Like, to think that man, like the low blow that the Pharisee goes, yeah, I'm glad I'm not like this guy. But the tax letter goes, I'm not even worthy of you. I know you still love me. Verse 15. Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them.

So this shows that kids love Jesus, that Jesus wasn't a sour, scary man. And when the disciples saw it, they rebuked him. but Jesus called to them to him saying let the children come to me and do not hinder them for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it. What does it mean to receive the kingdom of God like a child? You don't have to convince a child that the Easter bunny is real. If you tell a child that the Easter bunny is real, they're going to hold on to that truth

and believe it wholeheartedly in the same way. We need to believe in Jesus wholeheartedly and come to him wholeheartedly. And I love this because they also receive his blessing without truth. trying to make themselves worthy of it. And oftentimes we're like, I've got to clean myself up before I come to God and receive his grace and forgiveness. But no, his grace and forgiveness is free on the table for you and you come and receive it.

It's already there. You don't got to clean yourself up for it. And then a ruler asked him, good teacher, what must I do to inherit internal life? Now that phrase, good teacher is implying, no one ever used that term on a rabbi. If you got called good teacher, no one ever did that. So when this guy says, good teacher, he's implying that Jesus is without sin. He says, what must I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said to him, why do you call me good?

No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments. Do not commit adultery. Do not murder. Do not steal. Do not bear false witness. Honor your father and mother. And he said, all these things I've kept from my youth.

When Jesus heard this, he said to him, now listen carefully. We're going to have a talk about money again. Money again. There's another talk about it. But he's not challenging his ability to uphold the law here. I mean, in Deuteronomy 6, we see that. the primary commandment is loving the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. And Jesus summarizes all 613 laws and 10 commandments under this commandment in Deuteronomy 6 verse 5.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. He's not challenging him to uphold the law. He says, one thing you still lack. So all that you have and distribute it to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and come follow me. Just give up your possessions. Love God more than you love your money. That's what he says to the man. Verse 23, but when he heard these things, he became very sad.

Uh-oh. for he was extremely rich. Jesus seeing that he had become sad, said, how difficult is it for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God? For 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. Materialism has plagued this country

because if you have all the money you want, then you don't need God. And it fills your pride, it fills your selfishness, it fills every hole in your heart, and you don't need God. Materialism is plaguing this country. He's challenging us to love God more than we love our money.

Those who heard it said, then who can be saved, but he said, what is impossible with man is possible with God. So he's not saying that it's impossible for someone who loves money, who has a love for money, a sinful love for money. It's not impossible for them to get saved. What seems impossible for man is possible with God. Excuse me.

I'm still sick in recovering from a sickness right now. Oh, I sneezed again. Oh, and Peter said, Peter said, see, we have left our homes and followed you. And he said to them, truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God who will not receive many times more in this time and in the age to come in eternal life. There are blessings when we give up the things of this earth, not only in this lifetime, but in eternity.

Jesus foretells his death the third time. And taking the 12, he said to them, see, we are going up to Jerusalem. And everything that is written about the son of man by the prophets will be a common son of man. Again, that title comes from Daniel 7. He's saying, look, this has been prophesied. For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and he will be mocked. shamefully treated and spit upon, and after flogging him, they will kill him. And on the third day, he will rise again.

He just said, I'm going to die and rise from the dead three days later. But they understood none of these things, thus saying, this saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said. We're closing out, chapter 18, where Jesus heals a blind beggar. As he drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. This story here is pretty practical, pretty simple. And hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what this meant. They told him Jesus of Nazareth is passing.

And he cried out, Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me. And those who were in front of him rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out one more, all the more. Son of David, have mercy on me. Jesus stopped and commanded him to be brought to him. And when he came near, he asked him, what do you want me to do for you? And he said, Lord, let me recover my sight. And Jesus said to him, recover your sight, your faith has made you well.

And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him glorifying God and all the people when they saw it gave praise to God. God seems to be that faith seems to be a core believing factor in a lot of this stuff. Man, we just have faith in Christ and he's going to come through and we know this to be true. If God so freely feeds the birds of the year and closes the lozies of the field, then how much more will he take care of his children? Man, we can have faith in God that he will provide for his children. He doesn't always give us what we want, but he always gives us what we need to sustain us in this lifetime and for eternity.

Guys, I pray that Luke chapter 18 was a blessing to you guys. Can't wait for Luke chapter 19 tomorrow. I love your guys. Go to Jesus in the street.org slash tickets. Get your tickets to the live podcast show. I love you guys. See you guys tomorrow for Luke chapter 19.