Luke Part 2 Week 28

Day 1 

RECEIVE 

Luke 14:28-30 

²⁸ “But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? ²⁹ Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. ³⁰ They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’” 

Jesus had told the crowd they needed to take up the cross and follow Him if they wanted to be His disciple. Then He told them not even to begin until they counted the cost. Such an invitation to follow Him was to be taken seriously. It was not just trusting Him for salvation and not doing anything afterwards. 

REFLECT 

What was the message like when you were encouraged to place your faith in Christ? Did you assume it would be easy after that or hard? 

RESPOND 

The unbeliever has little conflict in his life because he does not have the struggle between doing what is good or following his sinful desires. See what Paul said about this in Galatians 5:16-18 and the struggle between the flesh and the Spirit. Then read verses 19-23 to see the results of your choice.  

Day 2 

RECEIVE 

Luke 14:31-33 

³¹ “Or what king would go to war against another king without first sitting down with his counselors to discuss whether his army of 10,000 could defeat the 20,000 soldiers marching against him? ³² And if he can’t, he will send a delegation to discuss terms of peace while the enemy is still far away. ³³ So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own.” 

Jesus continued to emphasize the need to count the cost before choosing to follow Him. Note the total cost He presented: “So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own.” Some of those following Jesus had done that; now He tells others they must do that. Those who trust in Jesus for salvation are believers; those who honor Him in daily living and tell others about Him are disciples.  

REFLECT 

Be careful indicating in your testimony what you’ve given up for Jesus. What you have by trusting Him as Savior is more important than anything you’ve given up. 

RESPOND 

Visit with a friend about the life of the apostle Paul. He had a rich heritage in his Jewish faith, but read Philippians 3:3-9 to see how he looked at his Jewish heritage after he trusted in Jesus as his Savior. 

Day 3 

RECEIVE 

Luke 14:34-35 

³⁴ “Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again? ³⁵ Flavorless salt is good neither for the soil nor for the manure pile. It is thrown away. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!” 

Why was Jesus telling prospective disciples about salt losing its flavor? To be the kind of disciple a believer should be there needs to be some sacrifice in his life. A disciple that was not living out his faith would be like salt with no flavor.  

REFLECT 

Do others view your life to be like salt with flavor? If so, it can cause your friends to desire to know the same Savior you know.  

RESPOND 

Join with a friend in reading Matthew 5:13 about Jesus reminding His followers they were the salt of the earth. Discuss this verse and determine to be the kind of disciples Jesus wants you to be. 

Day 4 

RECEIVE 

Luke 15:1-2 

¹Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. ² This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people—even eating with them! 

Opposition often came to Jesus from religious leaders. They did not counter His teaching but that He was associating with the wrong kind of people—“even eating with them.” Jesus seemed to be drawn to those who knew they were sinners and needed help. The Jewish religious leaders would not think of associating with such people, and especially not eating with them. 

REFLECT 

To reach the lost, someone has to be associating with those who know they are in need of salvation. Believers can only sow spiritual seed and leave it to the Holy Spirit to convict the heart of the unbeliever. 

RESPOND 

Talk with a friend about unsaved loved ones you have. Ask God to soften their hearts and use you as a witness to them. Ask the Lord to prepare and open their hearts even as He did with Lydia in Acts 16:14. Perhaps you can do this with spoken word or a letter that gives them something to think about. Do what you can to plant spiritual seed and ask the Lord to bless it. 

Day 5 

RECEIVE 

Luke 15:3-5 

³ So Jesus told them this story: ⁴ “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? ⁵ And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders.” 

Jesus tells three stories in Luke 15. They seem to all be directed at the religious leaders who were criticizing Jesus for associating with tax collectors and other notorious sinners. He told these three stories to emphasize the joy when something is found after being lost. The first story is about the lost sheep that was found and the joy that resulted when it was found. 

REFLECT 

Have you experienced looking for a child or something precious that has been lost? How did you feel when the child or the item was found? 

RESPOND 

The lost sheep was significant to the Jewish leadership. Read Matthew 10:5-7 where Jesus referred to Israel as God’s lost sheep. Notice in Luke 15:5 how the shepherd “will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders,” which emphasizes love and security.