A few truths from Luke

Thought you might enjoy some nuggets of truths from the Book of Luke.

70% of references to Jerusalem occur if Lukes' writings of Luke and Acts. 

Luke Chapter 1-19 Focus on Israel.

Luke 19-Acts 8 (14 Chapters) Are Jerusalem oriented.

This is the heart of Israel.

But as rejection, doubt and unbelief manifest itself, we see the shift to the Gentile nation of Rome

Acts 8-Acts 28 Focus goes from Jerusalem to Rome the center of Rome thus the Gentiles.

In Luke Chapter 3 the genealogy shows Jesus the Messiah in the lineage of King David.

But in Chapter 4 16-30 Rejection by His own people already begins.

By Luke 7 we see the Gentile are already beginning to accept Jesus while the Jews are already rejecting Him.  In spite of all the scriptures, prophecies, and preaching of the Prophets, they have no clue who Jesus is. Wow!

In Lukes writings of Acts 

     Chapter 8 Samaria is center

     Chapter 9 Damascus is centered

     Chapter 10 Caesarea is the center

     Chapter 11 Antioch is centered

     By Acts 28 the shift is to Rome, the center of the Gentiles.

Basically the Acts story of Luke, begins in Israel, moves to Jerusalem, and then moves to the Gentiles.

Unbelief has it's price to pay.

 

Luke and Jesus

In the book of Luke, go to chapter 3 and you will find Jesus as He begins to start his public ministry.  Jesus has been identified as the rightful king in the Line of David in Chapter 3 and verses 23-38 which define His genealogy through that of His mother, but shows Him from the lineage of David as prophesied. You would think the Jewish people would be anxious to accept this fulfillment of the prophets and scriptures. Sadly in the next chapter 4 and verses 16-30 we already see the rejection of Him and His ministry.  At the very onset of His ministry, rejection is already becoming the normal. As He begins to expose their spiritual conditions, the rejections soon turns to attempts of kill the Messiah.
This rejection is a repeating characteristic of the Jews that He was sent to as the "lost sheep of the House of Israel".

Luke 4:28-30
And all they is the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath

And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.

But he passing through the midst of them went his way.

The early accounts in the book of Luke show the normal for His own people. They reject to the point that they "kill him"
They seal their own fates!  The people of God's Abrahamic Covenant reject their king.

Still Kingdom Gospel....transition....not Grace

Turn to Acts chapter 3 and let us rightly divide the word of Truth.  When you study the Holy Scriptures, if you try to make the scriptures adhere to your religion, your traditions, or your beliefs, you miss the teachings, which is Truth. I will make a few points from this chapter, and indeed, not covering the entire chapter.  Just a few things to think on.
Peter and John,  are two of the 12 that are preaching what they have been taught by the Lord Jesus Christ in His earthly ministry. It is preached they are out on the "great commission".  While that is a whole study in itself, and one that people fight, Jesus preached and taught the disciples to preach only to the Lost sheep of the House of Israel. And they were to teach, the Kingdom of God to come.
This is an extension, better in my thinking a transition of the Scriptures. (Gotta add this note. Acts is a transition from the Old Testament or Covenant, to Pauls writings, and after Pauls writings,  back to where Stephen left off in His sermon before His execution, or better yet, the refusal and I call it the final refusal of Israel to repent and believe The Lord Jesus Christ, was the Son of God, but more on that later)

Here in this teaching, no one has told them of the body of Christ, departure of temple worship, the works of our Lord of Salvation through the Cross of Calvary. They still operate under Kingdom preaching of John the Baptist and The Lord Jesus Christ.  They do know Jesus was crucified, but the "grace message" was not yet given. (Later called the message to the uncircumcised)

Chapter 3 verse 6 states, "In the Name of Jesus...rise up and walk."  What is being taught here? Well it is not the grace message, as it has not yet been revealed. That is brought forth by Paul later in this transition book.
It is an extension of their early ministry. (Learn a term, dispensational)  Believe on the name of Jesus that He is the Messiah and Son of God.
That is clarified in verse 16.  "And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong..."

Now here is one of the greatest things you have to see in this study, Go to verse 19 and you will see the offer, and one of the last offers, for Israel to repent of their rejection of Christ, and be what God intended from the Abrahamic Covenant and to be the people to bring the Gentiles into the Kingdom. One of which they flat rejected.

Read verse 19.  "Repent ye therefore and be converted that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord"

Their national repentance will come when?  "When the times f refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord".

Look on to verst 21. When? "Until the  times of restitution of all things which God hath spoken by the mouth of His Holy Prophets since the world began."
You just do not hear that preached very often. When is the time you have heard that preached?

If they would repent, they could see the Kingdom of God which is what they wanted all through Matthew, Luke, Mark, and John.  Give us the kingdom was their cry time after time.  And the Kingdom was in their midst!
They even ask in Acts 1, "when will you restore the Kingdom?".

This is one of the last offers of the Kingdom. What did they do? Rejected it. The stoning of Stephen settled the issue and as usual more on that later.  Just a few precepts upon precepts.

Study to show thyself approved unto God a workman that needed not to be ashamed......
More later.

Part 2 of Luke 19:41-44

What did Christ declare?  "They are hid."  Peace could have come, but instead, it is hidden.  And as a result of the hiding, Judgement is set.
Enemies will surround Jerusalem and destroy the city.  All of this is the direct result their failure to recognize the time of their visitation.  The visitation was the appearance of the Messiah, their Messiah and the Kingdom He was presenting and offering to them.
What does Israel do? Reject, and refuse the offer being made.

It is hard to get people to understand, that this refusal affects the entirety of the world.

Jesus wept over the city. "If thou hadst known, even thou at least in this thy day." It was available for them. They refused. Now they are blinded....it was hid.

Matthew 11:20-24
20 Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not:
21 Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
22 But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you.
23 And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.
24 But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.

What an indictment against this people.
Jesus list these cities as those that had not repented.  I think you can begin to see, this whole people was rebellious and rejecting the Kingdom and the Messiah.

When you look to Matthew 12:24 you can see where this rebellious people, the religious leaders, again rejected Jesus a King, by attributing His miracles to Satan.  The refusal of Israel, to repent and believe in Jesus completely stops the Kingdom being established at this time.

Now the sorrow should be clear. It will even come to the place that he begins to speak in parables, so they will walk in hidden status, and not even know how He wanted to gather them and give unto them the kingdom, promised all through the Bible.

Yep, He cried. He declares no more signs. The signs which would prove He was who He said He was.
It is all hidden.

More later.

Jesus declared peace, instead it is hidden

I will begin a few studies from the book of Luke 19:41-44.  This is part one.  More will come.

Luke 19:41 And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, 
42 Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. 
43 For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, 
44 And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.

Jesus comes into this area and His heart is broken. His own received Him not.....He declares they can have peace in verse 42. The kingdom of God was before them, provided by He Himself, if His covenant people would accept Him as the Messiah. 
Instead of peace, instead of the Kingdom of God, judgement is ahead. All of it because of the unbelief of this covenant people.

Verse 43 the declaration is one that "thine enemies shall cast a trench  about thee and compass them, and keep them on every side."  Enemies will surround Jerusalem and destroy the city.

Verse 44, they didn't not know the time of thy visitation.  No recognition of the appearance of the Messiah and the Kingdom he was presenting to them. Their response was improper, and unacceptable to Jesus' offer.  Salvation and restoration was available.   They could have had peace, they could have had the Kingdom, it was there in front of them, but Israel refused. The kingdom blessings promised in the Old Testament, peace, spiritual salvation, and prosperity for Jerusalem. She refused. It is settled. 

The offer was for them all to repent which would bring them peace, but get it in your mind, also unbelief would lead to the judgement of each one.....national peace or national judgement. 

The blessing is linked to the acceptance of Jesus as the Messiah, and His kingdom come. So now we understand why Jesus wept over these......their unbelief is on a national level and separated them from the kingdom and blessings of the Kingdom. They will be held accountable for their unbelief. 
They knew not the time of their visitation.