Life Eternal

Luke 12^1-59

Prayer is receiving Christ through the Word which transforms from an earthly life to a new life in Christ. This New life is discipleship with its gift of God’s Spirit in man,prayer is really action involving Asking, Seeking and Knocking through God’s Word.

Just reading God’s word may not necessarily produce this action.

Below we learn what action is involved in the new life of a disciple – Prayer, involving the following:

1) Asking
2) Seeking
3) Knocking

Knocking – attracting attention. In this case God’s attention to let you through the door,you attract God’s attention through the Word.

1.   Asking – increase in Spiritual life

Life which animates the body is a gift from God. Even with this gift and the presence of Jesus, the disciples felt another need, hence the request for learning how to pray from one of the disciples in Chapter 11: “Lord teaches us to pray”. This prayer Jesus interprets as:- Asking, Seeking and Knocking. This is the correct response of the disciples to their Lord standing before them.

The Word of God is the prayer, it is our asking for a gift of God’s spirit to dwell in our hearts,Jesus teaches us the deep thoughts, action and working of our minds as we meet him in his Word.

If his word is in us we shall then avoid the leaven of the Pharisees – a world divided. One side with lies and death, and the other, God’s truth which is life eternal.

Those not having the Word (Christ) are doomed.

So, asking is receiving Christ: “Be not afraid of them that kill the body”; Verse 5, but him who has power to cast into hell, who is Christ.

Why should we receive the word or Christ: reason – to guard us from the deceit of the world; for in his Word, his power is revealed:

Without such asking to receive Christ, the heart remains that of the world with those who are against the Son of man.

They judge fellow men according to the Law,they blaspheme (reject the Word) the Holy Spirit and their lives are driven by earthly material things, the sign of paganism,their minds are totally ruled by the devil through material things of the world.

They said to Jesus;

(Verse 13) Master speak to my brother – “To divide the inheritance with me”. The love of material things is the covetousness of the spirit of the world,yet “a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth” but in asking and seeking for life eternal.

It is no crime to be rich, even Abraham was a rich man and many rich men have used their riches in seeking (asking) and furthering the Kingdom.

The rich or the worldly who do no asking can only see a great earthly future but they die with their hands crossed on their breasts as do the poor.

The rich man addressed his whole life as dependent on material things as if they constituted his whole life. He never asked for God’s gift of the Spirit. He said to himself: many good years to eat drink and keep being happy. The inner life was foreign territory to him. His entire plan had been laid out for himself.

The foolishness of the man was revealed:

“This very night thy soul, will be demanded of thee”,material possessions are not true possessions though they seem so large and grand.

Only fools store up material treasures for themselves and exclude God. Doomed is a life without asking for the gift of the Spirit – the Word.

2.    Seeking (Looking for the Heavenly treasure)

After having received the gift of the Spirit from asking, the next step would be seeking for the Kingdom, spending time in the Word  

The gift of the Spirit increases by the Word, also God’s love increases in the heart,now with God’s Spirit on the increase in the heart, a disciple is able to seek the Kingdom of God, which is the spiritual love of one another.

First with the spiritual life, worrying is cast out, as an example, worry about what to eat and what to dress; for this spiritual life is more than food and the body more than rainment. This is the real seeking and it is so true. The drive for wealth is replaced by spiritual love for one another and worry is eliminated.

See what seeking dictates:

If the ravens neither sow nor reap, have no storehouses nor barns, yet God feedeth them; our worry is cut out by thirsting the Word. How much more is God’s care for his disciples who confess to the world who God is; self-answering question.

Flesh and blood cannot add a stature one cubic to one’s life. Why then should you worry? Seeking God banishes all ambition for material things.

Spiritual life considers all divine power of God’s creation such as the lilies and how they grow,they toil not, they don’t spin cloth, yet the most powerful man on earth Solomon in all his glory was not arranged like one of these lilies.

Pure logic to remove all disciples’ drive for material things. If God so clothes the grass which is cut day in the field and tomorrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe his disciples.

Disciples are we of little knowledge of God. Little value for future possessions,Seek ye not what ye shall eat or what ye shall dress, neither be ye of doubtful mind.

For these things do the nations of the world seek after and your Father knows that ye need these things. They should be the least of your worry.

But instead seek ye the Kingdom; God’s love and all these things shall be added unto you. Don’t become slaves of money, remain its master.

So when you are seeking the Kingdom, fear not for the Kingdom is yours through the Christ – which is here perfectly defined. Sell all that you have and give alms and exchange them or the love of the neighbour which is the gospel, and this is the love of God, the riches which the world cannot give. This is the imperishable treasure in heaven which “faileth not, and where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth”.

Where your Kingdom is (discipleship) there your treasure is and your heart will be also.

3.   Knocking

After a detailed state of the heart, then the posture of the body’s readiness which is described as the watching and waiting through the night; you can’t settle in this world; instead, act as one who is ready to go back home in heaven at the first knock. Hence buckled up, with loins girded and lights burning throughout the night of this earthly life, waiting for the Lord’s return at the first knock when he cometh and knocketh (that is in death); you open unto him immediately and instantly.

This is the blessedness of the Kingdom of God, the true servant found watching and he will seat at the table of the heavenly feast.

If people knew the hour in which a thief cometh everyone would be watching. Therefore, be ready: stewardship is the idea of being ready at first knock and the door is opened.

Stewardship, this is another term describing the hard work of a disciple, preserving the truth of God’s work,Jesus describes his work as involving dangerous encounters in this world ruled by the devil.

Watching, guarding, knocketh, serving etc. all descriptive words.

Referring to Jesus words:

Peter sensed the importance of the task facing them and asks: “Lord speaketh thou this parable unto us?” i.e concerning of course the work set out for Peter which he was to do in the near future. And these tasks the servant must be found doing: “a ruler over all that he hath” (Verse 44) with warnings in following verses:

“Will cut him in-sunder; and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers”> This was in particular reference to Judas Iscariot. As for Peter it would be stripes.

What the Master experienced, his disciples must experience too; that is to face the world. “I have come to set fire on the earth, a baptism to be baptized with”

Yes, Jesus came to give peace to those who “Ask, Seek and Knock”; but they too must be prepared to face the world as the witnesses of Christ.

Division.

As witnesses, they will set fire on earth. Jesus’ sacrificial death will divide the world into two; the disciples from the rest of the world.

The disciples will be set free from sin and death, which is peace indeed but the world will be divided and so will hate them. Families and houses will be split; two against three, father against son, mother against daughter and daughter against mother etc.

The reason for this fire being set out is because of the deceit or hypocrisy of the world. That is the ability to read and apply the signs of the passing world, to the heavenly treasures. For the blow of southern winds brings a heat wave, while a cloud from the south brings forth a shower – this we can interpret in our natural world.

Many can discern the face of the sky and of the earth but as regards this kingdom; the truth of life; they don’t know, yet act as knowledgeable and this causes conflict and death.

Even your slaves judge not what is right. These will take you to court; they will be your adversaries as thou art in the way. This was the life of many disciples of Christ. To know this conflict with the world and to experience this hatred is the real fire which Jesus set out and we, the disciples, have to be prepared for it in cheerfulness.