Katy

Q54. Jesus told the disciples these parables to teach them about being faithful to their Master, and using the talents and gifts He has given them to bring glory to God and benefit those around us. There is also teaching on the punishment for being unfaithful and disobedient, these people will be thrown into darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For a long time I thought I had no gifts but on studying further I realised I did have some, because I am a Christian and so I have been given them by God. My gifts are encouraging, serving and listening. I serve where ever I can in church, and I do voluntarily work which I try to use as a means of sharing God’s love and speaking about Him. I try to be a good listener, I find so many people today are burdened by one thing or another. So many are lonely and just need someone to talk to. I think many do not know the importance of using their talents and gifts for the benefit of others and the glory of God. They don’t realise that they are depriving those around them of the benefits of their gifts. I knew very little about gifts until I studies Dr Ralph’s course on the Holy Spirit. This series was a revelation to me, most of it at least. Other people are selfish and can’t be bothered to use them. God expects more from greatly gifted people because they have been given more to work with. They have the benefit of education, social skills, and possibly finance to further their talents. Their reward will also be great if they are obedient and use their talents to further Gods kingdom and benefit others.

Q53. Jesus uses this time with His disciples to teach them about humility and service to others. He chose to do one of the most menial job, washing His disciples feet to give them and us an example to follow. A parable is about teaching and so is this a very clear teaching which would not be easily forgotten and so this is a parable. This was shocking and embarrassing to the disciples because it was a job done usually by the lowest of servants. It was considered too menial for a Jewish slave, never mind The Master Himself! It was something that totally took them out of their comfort zone. It was strange and disconcerting for them. It is a parable of cleansing because it teaches us that when we accept Jesus as Lord our sins are forgiven. However we do need to regularly come to Jesus and confess any sins we commit , this is shown in the parable by having a bath signifies the total cleansing at conversion and the washing of feet only is the regular confessing to Jesus of sins committed during the day. It is a rebuke of pride and competition because Jesus is gently showing them how He desires them to act. To think of others , to serve in humility. This is the way to become ‘first’ by being a servant to those around us and those that are hurting in this evil world. It is good to be reminded by this parable of what Jesus wants us to do. There are certain people that I come across in my voluntary work that I just don’t like and I find hard to engage in conversation with and I know this must change and it is something I have been working on. Some days I am more gracious than others. 🤦🏼‍♀️

Q45.In practical terms to “eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood”means to believe in Him, to have a close relationship with Him, to honour Him in every way we possibly can, and to obey Him always. To nibble bread rather than making a meal of it means one is not serious about their relationship with Christ. Other things are more important and Christ gets whatever time is left, if there is any left. Eating His flesh and abiding in Him are one and the same thing. Jesus used this “ offensive “ analogy to seperate the true believers and those who were hangers on.

Q44. To abide means to be in a close relationship with Jesus. It is a relationship of closeness moment by moment. Jesus is abiding in me and I in Jesus is mutual in dwelling.To be abiding we must have a personal intimate relationship with Jesus. Without Jesus we are incapable of doing anything worthwhile. We cannot grow Spiritually, or become like Jesus unless we are following Him closely. Anything done apart from Christ has no value in eternity, we need to do things for Christ as only these things bring glory to him and will last.

Q43. Skilful pruning helps the fruitfulness of the vine by preventing it from becoming too overgrown and allowing the sunlight to get through. It prevents disease developing in the vine. It produces better quality grapes. It cuts away all broken and diseased branches so that nutrients are channeled into the right areas of the vines. When we study His word and follow the Lord closely we are shown how to live as Jesus wants us to and as we gradually do this, we are being cleansed and more like Jesus. If we hold to His teachings, we will know the truth and the truth will set us free. That means we will learn about our sins and repent and know that Jesus died on the cross for us. His forgiveness of our sins will set us free. Set us free from being enslaved to sin.

Q42. We tend to excuse, ignore or live in a bubble of denial when it comes to hypocrisy. We can easily detect it in those around us but we think, I’m different! Hypocrisy is talking in one way but acting differently. We are not walking the talk. Usually it is because of lack of humility, or pride! When we are full of pride we are not growing Spiritually because we are focused on me and not on God and the things of God. In the same way we will be disinterested in witnessing, neither will people be interested in what we have to share once they know that we are hypocritical. If our life is full of hypocrisy , we are being disobedient to God and distinctly show our disinterest in being obedient to God. If we want to be followers of Jesus we must get rid of all hypocrisy in our lives, as it goes against all the teachings of God, and we have been warned about it in parables from Jesus himself. Hypocrisy and following Jesus are not compatible.

Q41. It is our human sinful nature that makes us think we are important and so we push ourselves forward, so people will notice us . This is not God’s way! In these parables we are warned that we need to be humble otherwise we may be humiliated. If we jostle for the best seat nearest the host, we maybe asked to move and give our seat to a more important person. In this way we will be humiliated. Verse 11 of Luke 14 tell us “For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted”. The disciples needed to learn this lesson to enable them to succeed in the task Jesus was leaving them to do. We also need to be humble and realise our desperate need for Jesus’s forgiveness and help every day of our lives, otherwise we may find Jesus wants no part with us because we have been too proud and self assured to be useful to Him. We will have been too busy serving ourselves rather than God.

Q40.To be saved we must come to Jesus like little children, with the humility, and lack of pretension that they have. The disciples were by contrast showing arrogance by trying to send the children away, thinking that Jesus had more important things to do than be interrupted by the children. They were wrong because Jesus was indignant, and rebuked them and took the children in his arms and blessed them. Humility is essential for repentance because if we are not humble we will not see our need for forgiveness or possibly salvation. Our hearts will be full of pride and self sufficiency. Thinking we are different to others and so much better than others. To have a humble heart is also essential for learning and obedience because without humility we will not be able to see how badly we need to learn from God’s word and become obedient to God. Humility helps us to be more aware of others and what they have to offer in any situation, because we are humble we will be eager to listen and learn from others rather than being proud and feeling others have little to offer you. Jesus gave this saying to the disciples that they must come as little children to make them aware that they need to be humble just like the children before they can enter heaven. Children have a lot more worth than they realised.

Q39, The Pharisee thought that by carrying out his religious rituals that he was pleasing to God. He thought highly of himself because he obeyed the law. He also thought he was superior to others because of what he did. He was full of his own importance and sinful pride. The tax collector is the very opposite of the Pharisee, he stands afar off, keeps his head bowed and says a short prayer, which was full of humility and recognition of his need of God’s mercy. We can try to look good in front of others by maybe exaggerating our achievements rather than being humble and wait to be asked about them. We should never think too highly of ourselves, but have a balanced view of ourselves and think well of others. Jesus gave us this parable to teach us the importance of being humble and not to have an air of superiority with others. In God’s eyes we are all equal and that should be our attitude as well.

Q35. To follow Jesus disciples must be wholeheartedly willing to put Jesus first before everything else in their lives and that includes family. If we are not fully committed then we are not fit for service. Jesus has a sense of urgency because time is short. We don’t know the day or the hour that Jesus will come and then it will be too late to do anymore work for the Lord. Jesus was teaching that disciples must be fully committed and not half hearted because otherwise they are not fit for service. Nothing in their lives , is to be more important than being fully committed to following and obeying Jesus.

Q34. Many will be clamouring at the narrow door to try and enter heaven. They will not all get in, many will try to claim allegiance with God but this will be denied. We must be aggressive about getting into Heaven it is not something that we can afford to be casual about. It is our most important mission in life, to follow Jesus closely, obey Him and honour Him in everything we do each day of our lives. If we are complacent about preparing for Heaven then we will miss our opportunity. The narrow gate will be closed and the Lord will shout out “ Go away, I never knew you”. Jesus wanted to make the disciples aware that entering Heaven was not easy only a few will enter. This needed to be part of their teaching to warn people about the narrow gate.

Q33. “Thorns” in our lives can included: Cares and Worries, Deceitfulness of wealth, a desire for other things in life, and the pursuit of pleasure. If our lives are consumed by our cares and worries, we are not fully trusting God. We all have worries but we need to hand them over to God and trust Him to bring us through them. If we allow worry to take over in our lives we become spiritually blunt, and our faith is unable to grow as it should. Deceitfulness of Wealth: There is no problem in being wealthy so long as we are not consumed by it. That we don’t become lovers of money, spending all our time and efforts in making money should be our goal. If God has blessed us with wealth we must spend it appropriately, thinking of all the opportunities to help those who are poor, and do this wisely with God’s guidance. Desire for other things in life: we must be content with what God has given to us. We must not be trying to do the same as other people around us. If you socialise in a group that make you dissatisfied, maybe it is time to change friends! Anything that makes us dissatisfied needs to be stopped and more focus put on God and all His wonderful promises. Desire for pleasure: A desire for pleasure takes us away from time with God. Of course we can have relaxing and fun times but it must not become a constant desire to the exclusion of time in God’s word and the things of God. We must be strong about things in our lives, for instance The Lord’s day must be kept holy and we must not allow sport or retail therapy to happen on a Sunday. Someone who is a nominal Christian is someone who does not follow Jesus every day, but may go to Church on Sundays, Christmas and Easter. They may not know the need to be truly repentant for their sins and may not be sensitive to committing sin. They may know that Jesus died on the cross but don’t really dwell on it very much. They may be very much part of the world and all that goes on and possibly see nothing wrong in that. They do not know that as Christian’s we are chosen and set apart to be Holy and to preach the gospel.

Q32. Some people hear the word but are unreceptive, their hearts are hard. The word just doesn’t make any impression on them. Then there are people who receive the word of God with great joy but in times of testing they turn away and give it all up. Then there are others who receive the words of the gospel but as they go on in life they get distracted by worldly things and the gospel gets blocked out.

Q28. The Lord intended the disciples to learn from these parables that a small seed, or a small amount of yeast can grow into something very big. The disciples might be disappointed when the beginnings are small, without realising that we are called to be faithful and to cover all our efforts to share the gospel with much prayer. God will answer our faithfulness but His timing is not the same as ours so great faith and patience is needed. It is easy to become discouraged when we try to share the gospel and don’t see any results or if we feel someone is close to making a decision for Christ and then walks away for no apparent reason. Patience and faith are needed by all followers of Jesus because winning souls for Jesus can take time patience and requires great faith in God. People can take a lot of time to accept the gospel and give their lives to Jesus. Sometimes they never come to that place of surrender, which can be disappointing when you have spent a lot of time, effort and prayer in trying to win someone for Christ. We must also remember that conversion is the work of the Holy Spirit. When we have shared the gospel with people that is the extent of our duty apart from the very important work of praying for the Holy Spirit to work in the life of the person we are trying to share with.

Q26. The bread that we take at the Lord’s Table represents the broken pierced body of Jesus, as He was tortured and crucified for us. He did this so that we could have forgiveness for our sins and the opportunity to spend eternity in His presence. The wine/ juice we take represents the precious blood of Christ shed for us as Jesus was brutalised and nailed to the cross. He allowed this to happen to him so we could have forgiveness of sin and eternity in heaven. Jesus was being obedient to His Father’s wishes, as He was the only one good enough, and without sin to be able to redeem us. Every time we partake in the Lord’s table we are demonstrating our belief in the Lord Jesus and all He has done for us. We will continue to do this as we wait in hopeful anticipation of the Lord’s return.

Q25. Jesus was the only person who could save us. He was the only one righteous enough to pay the great debt of all our sins. He was the only one who could pacify the wrath of God on our behalf. If we believe in good works helping us to get to heaven we are trying to subtract from Jesus saving work, and it is dishonouring to Him. I think people do not like to accept the fact that some things are impossible for man to do , and that only God can do them. It takes away from the self sufficiency that people believe in today. Rich people often do not see the need to have time for God, and consequently spend their time and money on material things that they think will bring them happiness. God has set eternity in the hearts of man so that no amount of money or things will bring the contentment and joy that comes from knowing and following Jesus.

Q24. Flowing or living water means not just life but continuous, everlasting and eternal life given to us by the Holy Spirit. When we begin to feel the need for God in our lives and we start searching for Him, The Holy Spirit has given us these feelings and desires and we must keep seeking and searching until we find the “ Living Water”. When we are walking with the Lord we are privileged to have the Holy Spirit in dwelling us. He is our counsellor, guide , teacher, and our conscience. As a result of this we should be becoming more and more like Jesus every day, as long as we keep drinking from the Living Water.

Q23. When a baby is born they leave the mother’s body and have a new beginning living independently of their mother. When we are born again it is a new beginning for us. The old ways of life become unattractive and desires for new and different ways begin. This comes from having the Holy Spirit living within us and leading us into a new life of fellowship with God. The wind cannot be seen, but we can experience it blowing and we can hear it. We don’t know where it comes from or where it is going. We have no control over it at all. The Holy Spirit comes , nothing to do with us , but by the will of God. We cannot see Him, but we can experience Him in our lives.

Q18. This parable teaches us that God’s generosity knows no bounds. Those who are Christian’s know this to be true, because we have experienced God’s bottomless generosity towards us. All God’s generosity is full of grace because we are sinners and don’t deserve anything but punishment from God but because of his love, grace and generosity He came to earth and died on the cross, He who had no sin, so that our sins would be forgiven. In this parable The Landowner (God) shows both grace and generosity to the men who did not work a full day. He gave them a full day’s wages. If we feel we are being overlooked or taken for granted we often feel annoyed, insulted, unfairness and our pride is hurt. These feelings are generally negative and ungodly! Our reaction should be “ Well I am working for my Lord and Saviour, He knows what I have done ,and that is all that matters “!

Q17. The Parable of the Weeds and the Parable of the Nets are similar because they both speak about good and bad being together, but in the end the good and the bad are separated and sent to the places they deserve. They both tell us that the Final Judgment is coming in God’s time. We now have a period of grace in which to follow Jesus wholeheartedly and to work to help others but it will come to an end. We know that this world is only temporary and Jesus has already won the victory over satan. No matter how hard this life is, the next life is worth waiting for . 1Corinthians 2v9.tells us :What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived … the things that God has prepared for those who love Him.

Q16. The sheep were placed on the right, which is the place of highest honour. The goats were separated from the sheep because they fought with the sheep at night when the shepherd was asleep. It is not Salvation by works. These are the kind of things we are motivated to do as a result of being saved and having the Holy Spirit dwelling in us. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God… not by works so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2v 8-9. Jesus tell us that whatever we do to help the poor and the needy or anyone in any kind of distress, it is as though we were doing it for Him. Jesus told this parable to His disciples to instruct them in how Jesus expected them to look after people in need but it was also telling them about what was going to happen at the end of time. The sheep and goats represent all people living both good and bad but at judgement day the goats ( representing those who did not follow Jesus) will be separated from the sheep ( who represent followers of Jesus) will be separated and taken to heaven while the goats will be sent to hell. We must all play our part in helping those who need practical help as well as spiritual help.

Q15. The rich man’s sheer greed and absence of mercy for those who are poor, especially Lazarus are the reason he went to hell. His excessive banqueting and costly garments and neglect of Lazarus who was in dire straits, tell of a man full of himself and living to satisfy every desire he had. He had no concern even for a beggar right outside his door! I think his sins were greed, lack of mercy and selfishness. In hell he still thinks of Lazarus as inferior to him. He asks Father Abraham to ‘send’ Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool his tongue. V24. Than in verse 27. The rich man is begging Abraham to ‘send’ Lazarus to his family. The point of the parable is that we get the opportunity on earth to do what we can to help those less well off than ourselves. If we ignore these opportunities and think only of gratifying ourselves, then we will be punished. We must do all within our power to advocate for those who cannot speak out for themselves and to serve and give what we can to the poor. Within our church we do very little for those around us who are poor. I volunteer at our local food bank and work in a charity shop which serves those unable to afford normal shop prices. Our church supports a number of missionaries who serve the poor. We also support organisations like ‘Asia Link’, Open Doors, and their humanitarian efforts.

Q12. Without seeking we will not find the narrow gate. It takes time, effort and commitment to seek God and His ways. It is not for the half hearted people who are not really interested in God. When we are called by God we must play our part and seek Him with all our heart. Jeremiah 29v 13. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jesus warns us that only a few will find the narrow gate because most people are not interested and just follow the crowd, who take the broad easy way of life. It is a warning to us to make sure we are on the right road, or the narrow way. May we be among the few who find it and walk it with diligence and commitment. This parable explains to us the pitfalls and encourages us to be among the few who walk the narrow way. And warns us about how easy it is to find ourselves on the broad road and going with the flow, unless we make a conscious effort to seek out our Saviour and start our journey on the narrow road.

Q11. Many people hear a preacher and believe and are enthusiastic about God. But so often their enthusiasm wains. They find it too much effort to actually obey, it may be too uncomfortable or inconvenient. mothers think that if they believe in Jesus that is sufficient, they do not realise that we are called to hear and obey. One without the other is not what Jesus desires. The need to obey God needs to be explained to young Christians so that they understand fully about what is required to be a follower of Jesus. Hearing and obeying must be linked together at all times. As Christians we must also play our part by showing by the way we live what hearing and obeying are an integral part of our everyday life.