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Once these soldiers and religious leaders escort Jesus Christ across town from the Garden of Gethsemane to Caiaphas the High Priest’s house further wickedness explodes. We are studying in Luke Chapter 22 and we read of what happened at verse 63. Luke 22 is a long chapter. For Jesus Christ it had been a long day and it was going to be a long night.

Inside Caiaphas’s house those whose job it was to guard Jesus mock Jesus. We are reading now of terrible behaviour, and during the Passover, and led by the religious leaders in the house of the High Priest. They mock and…  ( Click for more )

We have been reading of Jesus Christ being betrayed in the Garden of Gethsemane following a time of intense prayer. Sometimes painful experiences can result following a time of real prayer. We have to come to terms with that possibility because there is an enemy of God who detests our fellowshipping and communing with the Father through Jesus Christ the Son.

Jesus is led away, by some 200 soldiers and leaders of the religious establishment.

We are studying in Luke Chapter 22.

Peter follows, but keeping a safe distance. That is always a dangerous place to be; trying to…  ( Click for more )

We have taken a longish time look in detail at this last day in the physical life of Jesus Christ as Dr Luke relates it in Chapter 22, but it is important that we do not hurry over the crucial issues raised in this passage. It is also helpful too to read the parallel passages in Matthew Chapter 26 and Mark Chapter 14. These accounts are given to us for a very real purpose.

In verse 54Jesus is led away, humbly but with dignity, and Peter follows, afar off and at a safe distance.

There is no safe distance when you are distancing yourself from Jesus. Peter is watching, trailing…  ( Click for more )

We are studying the detail in Luke Chapter 22 at verse 47 where Judas and that gang approach Jesus Christ to have Him arrested.

It is possible to be physically close to Jesus Christ and have rebellion in your heart. Jesus makes no attempt to frustrate Judas's hellish scheme. Jesus is calm and poised and in control.

Jesus knows what has to happen, that we might be saved, rescued, washed, forgiven, justified, sanctified, and anointed with the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus shows no fear as he faces the enemy. Jesus is Master of the whole situation.

Judas had started well,…  ( Click for more )

In Luke Chapter 22 at verse 45, we read of Jesus being in anguish in prayer and we also read of the disciples asleep. What a warning to us all. What a warning to each of us.

These disciples do not realise what is going on in the world, this spiritual battle. They couldn't at that point, of course. Sin had blinded them. Arguing and squabbling had opened the door to the evil one. We have seen that.

But we also see that Jesus has to do this work on His own. Prayer is hard work.

In so many places around the country the poorest attended meetings in The Church of Jesus Christ…  ( Click for more )

We have slowly reached, and deliberately so, Luke Chapter 22 and verse 39, where Jesus Christ leaves the Upper Room where they had celebrated The Passover, and He makes His way to that place to which He resorted when He wanted peace and quiet and space, to pray.

There would be a full moon, giving sufficient light to see where you are going. It was Passover.

Jesus tells His disciples to pray so that they would not fall into temptation. They did not pray, and soon fell.

First they fell asleep, then they fled, and to flee is to fall.

It pays to pay attention to what Jesus…  ( Click for more )

We have been ‘lingering’ around these verses 31 to 33 in Luke Chapter 22, where Jesus Christ tells Peter that he is going to be sifted. Why have I ‘lingered’? We all go through the most awful experiences at times, but Jesus prays that our faith may not fail, and Jesus sees and soothes.

Peter's self-confidence is dealt with drastically. Peter's physical failings and failures are known publicly, as well as the powerful ministry he later was to exercise following the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the Temple. We read of that in Acts Chapter 2.

And Jesus…  ( Click for more )

In Luke Chapter 22, we read of that scenario in verses 31,32, where Jesus is informing Peter that he is about to be sifted, but Jesus also reassures this man who is to lead the early church that he is being prayed for. We need to know this too in these challenging and peculiar days when so much of what we have been used to is being undermined and shaken just as the Scriptures depict.

There are times when we are sifted like flour, and put through the mill and pummelled as the dough is prepared. And after all that it is the fire to bake the bread! Read how the showbread was prepared…  ( Click for more )

Peter was going to have a wild 24 hours, and be in tremendous turmoil over these next three or four days, but Jesus had prayed for him that his faith would not fail.

We are reading and studying in Luke Chapter 22 and we move on from verse 31.

Jesus knows that Peter is going to have a very difficult few days ahead of him and Jesus reassures Peter that He has prayed for him. It is so good to know that Jesus Christ intercedes and prays for us and it is particularly reassuring to have that confidence when we are going through a challenging season.

Peter is to be sifted and…  ( Click for more )

We are in Luke Chapter 22, and this week from verse 31. Jesus Christ is spending His last night on earth with His chosen men. That is significant.

Final words are always highly significant. They have been remembering the Passover, and Jesus has given new meaning and significance to the bread and the wine.

Then there arises that dispute. They squabble as they become so interested in what their place and position might be in the coming Kingdom, and Jesus has to tell them not to be like the world. Verse 26. Don't be like everybody else. Be different. That has its cost too. Being…  ( Click for more )

In Luke Chapter 22, we are reading of Jesus and His disciples in the Upper Room and they have been celebrating the Passover, but there are other things going on, and one of the lessons we have been learning is how to serve humbly and with humility. There is a reward. Those who serve as Jesus served, and those who serve in the Name of Jesus in The Kingdom of God, are transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light.

Now, it may not feel like that at times. I am sure Peter and John did not feel as though they were in some new glorious Kingdom of Light as they were…  ( Click for more )

We are in the Upper Room, and reading from Luke Chapter 22. It is the night before Jesus Christ is crucified on Calvary’s Cross, and He and His disciples are celebrating the Passover. Jesus has just given new profound meaning to the bread and the wine.

A dispute breaks out among the disciples as to who is the greatest. It is almost unbelievable that that should occur at this moment. These disciples of Jesus, this group of proud men are arguing and squabbling among themselves as to which of them was to be considered the greatest. They are jockeying for position.

They…  ( Click for more )

We are reading and studying in Luke 22 and we come to verse 24. What is the setting? Jesus and His disciples are in the process of observing The Passover Meal, and Jesus has taken the bread, and one of the Passover Cups which would have been on the table, and, Jesus gives them this new meaning and significance, for the Church, for believers, for His disciples.

The Passover is celebrated to remember that night in Egypt when the doors of the Hebrew slaves were marked with the blood of the lamb and they were inside the houses eating the lamb. They were in the lamb and the lamb was…  ( Click for more )

In Luke Chapter 22 at verse 7, Jesus asks Peter and John to go and prepare the Passover Meal. Jesus is aware of all that is going on, and the meeting place is to be kept as secret as possible. Jesus has to have one last evening with His disciples, and until the teaching has been given, nothing and no-one will be allowed to interfere.

Judas was not going to be informed; not too soon, just in case.

Peter and John are such a contrast to Judas. They are in the right place going the right way, in the right direction, in the right company, doing the right thing, and most importantly,…  ( Click for more )

We are in Luke Chapter 22. It is the Passover, a most holy and sacred time for every Jew, for every Israeli, and we read that Satan entered Judas Iscariot. He was one of the twelve, one of Jesus men; yet, his heart is open to evil. The enemy of our souls needs only a very narrow gap through which to squeeze, and once he gets in, havoc follows.

Unsurrendered sin takes over. Judas was the man who would never call Jesus LORD. He would call Him, Master and Teacher, but Lord, NO. You can question a man who is only a master. You can disagree with a teacher, but you never argue with…  ( Click for more )

We move onto Luke Chapter 22. We have been reading of the last and final week of the physical life of Jesus Christ upon this earth, the things He said, the acts He did, the people who challenged Him, and the various profound lessons He taught His disciples. We have been reading of how we must be careful that we are not deceived, nor terrified by the events of the last days.

Nor are we to be asleep, or careless, or confused, but alert, awake, and prayerful.

We now near the end. We are reading the final day, and Jesus has many very important things to say to His men. At the…  ( Click for more )

Luke Chapter 21 can be a difficult Chapter to read and study. What is Jesus actually talking about and what does He really mean when He speaks these words to His disciples? This Chapter also deals with the place of Israel, and the significance of Israel, in the plans and purposes and economy of God. Our understanding of Israel is crucially important. This is a longer study because there is no way this passage can be divided. Read it most carefully and understand what Jesus is revealing.

After speaking about the danger of deception, wars and revolutions, natural disasters and increased…  ( Click for more )

We are studying in Luke Chapter 21 and let’s be honest and admit that it is not an easy Chapter. We have been reading verses about the overthrow of Jerusalem and the Coming Again of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have looked at some of these signs which Jesus gives us, in great detail. Jesus tells us what the situation will be like, and what is going to happen as the time of His Coming Again draws near.

We must not allow ourselves to be deceived. We must not become frightened, confused, or over-excited. Jesus would have His disciples be as balanced as possible. If you are a speaker…  ( Click for more )

We are reading and studying these words of Jesus Christ in Luke Chapter 21, where Jesus is warning His disciples about what will happen one day so that they are not deceived, and so that they do not become frightened.

He explains that there will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places. There will appear what could be fearful events, and great signs from heaven.

There will be happenings in our world which could very easily make even disciples afraid. So often Jesus says, “Don't be afraid and fear not”.

Understand what He is teaching His…  ( Click for more )

Following the digression over these past five weeks when I gave some attention to Debt, Adultery, the facts surrounding the birth of Jesus, pausing to reflect at new Year and the urgent desperate need for Revival, we return to Luke Chapter 21, where Jesus begins to speak about two things; the destruction of the Temple, and His Coming Again.

His first word regarding what is going to happen is, “Watch out and do not allow yourself to be deceived. Beware of false Christs and false prophets.” They do much harm. They mislead and confuse and upset and cause distress, in…  ( Click for more )

A few years ago, on the first Saturday of January, around 80 of us met in an Inverness Hotel to consider the whole matter of 'Revival' in the Church of Jesus Christ.

Led by Dr Paul Tan, a mature Chinese Christian from Singapore, three questions guided our thinking and praying. What is Revival? Is there a need for Revival? How can we help towards Revival? For a number of years many people have been meeting regularly with the specific intention of calling upon God in prayer for revival.

Revival is frequently mentioned amongst committed disciples of Jesus Christ. We know that…  ( Click for more )

At this season of the year many make time and take time to pause and reflect. It can be good to stop and think and kneel and pray. What kind of year has it been? How have you grown spiritually? Have you accomplished and achieved what you planned to do away back in January? Has the Word of God fed you and led you?

When King David reflected, he was able to see the guiding hand of God in all his experiences.

For me one real highlight, which came as a sudden and unexpected surprise, was the invitation to return to Kenya to speak and teach at Pastors and Leaders Seminars in Kisumu…  ( Click for more )

It is because I know some of you use these studies and notes for your own preaching and teaching that I am digressing again from the on-going exposition of Luke’s Gospel, to take time to deal with various relevant and topical matters. As we are in December I am taking time to write again from Luke Chapter 2.

We need to teach our people and share with those outside the Church of Jesus Christ the truth, and give men an insight into what actually happened.

The facts surrounding the birth of Jesus Christ are stupendous and astounding. So often they are clouded over by nostalgia…  ( Click for more )

In our last study I dealt with the serious issue of debt, which can suddenly become a very real issue facing many in December, but another danger is that of ‘adultery’.

December witnesses more instances of adultery that any other single month, and the ‘office party’ or ‘works outing’ is so often the scene of the sin.

If you are a Pastor or Teacher or Bible Class Leader be prepared to speak about these practical matters which our people face almost daily.

This Commandment, “You shall not commit adultery” may just prevent someone…  ( Click for more )