7 December – Luke 7: “God Hath Visited His People”

Hey friends, welcome to December 7th. Today we’re in Luke 7, and if you’ve ever wondered what it feels like when heaven actually breaks into earth, this is the chapter.

The whole chapter is one long crescendo of wonder. Everywhere Jesus goes, people are asking the same question in a dozen different ways: “Who IS this?” By the way, in church today, we are beginning a new sermon series entitled, “What Child Is This?” This morning we will give the first answer, “His Name Shall Be Called… Wonderful!” And in the evening service, “His Name Shall Be Called… Counsellor!”

This time of year is a wonderful time to consider what I believe to be the theme of this 7th chapter of Luke, “God Hath Visited Us”

Scene 1 – Just outside Capernaum

A Roman centurion has a servant who is at the point of death. He sends Jewish elders to Jesus with this message: “Lord, trouble not thyself: for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof… but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed” (vv. 6-7).

Jesus marvels out loud—something He almost never does—and says, “I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel” (v. 9). The servant is healed that very same hour.

Scene 2 – The village of Nain (the name means “pleasant” or “beautiful”)

Jesus meets a funeral procession. A widow is burying her only son. Luke says Jesus’ heart “yearned over her” (v. 13 (the Greek is “his bowels were moved with compassion”). He touches the bier and says, “Young man, I say unto thee, Arise” (v. 14). The dead boy sits up and begins to speak. The crowd is seized with holy fear and cries out, “God hath visited his people!” (v. 16). That’s the line of the whole chapter.

Scene 3 – John the Baptist, locked in Herod’s prison

Even John sends two disciples to ask, “Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?” (v. 19). Jesus doesn’t give a long answer. He simply heals multitudes right in front of John’s messengers—blind see, lame walk, lepers cleansed, deaf hear, dead raised, poor have the gospel preached to them—then tells them, “Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard” (v. 22). After they leave, Jesus pays John the highest compliment any human ever received: “Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist” (v. 28).

Scene 4 – Simon the Pharisee’s house

A woman “which was a sinner” crashes the dinner party, weeping, washing Jesus’ feet with her tears, wiping them with her hair, kissing them, and anointing them with precious ointment. Simon sneers inside: “If this man were a prophet, he would know what manner of woman this is” (v. 39). Jesus reads his mind, tells the beautiful parable of the two debtors, and then turns to the woman and says, “Thy sins are forgiven… Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace” (vv. 48, 50). The table is stunned silent: “Who is this that forgiveth sins also?”

Four scenes. Four different groups of people. One growing realisation:

• A Gentile soldier sees Jesus as the ultimate authority.
• A grieving widow sees Jesus as the Lord over death.
• A doubting prophet sees Jesus as the promised Messiah.
• A sinful woman sees Jesus as the Friend of sinners.
• And the only right answer rings out from the lips of ordinary people in Nain: “God hath visited his people!”

Friends, that’s still the right answer today.

When marriages are raised from the dead, when addictions lose their power, when the proud are humbled and the broken are comforted, when sinners like us are forgiven much and therefore love much—God hath visited His people.

Before we read the whole chapter together in a moment, let me close with the hymn that Edward Hayes Plumptre wrote after reading Luke 7. I think it captures the heartbeat of this chapter perfectly:

“Thine arm, O Lord, in days of old was strong to heal and save;

It triumphed o’er disease and death, o’er darkness and the grave.

To Thee they went—the blind, the dumb, the palsied and the lame,

The leper with his tainted life, the sick with fevered frame.

“And lo! Thy touch brought life and health, gave speech, and strength, and sight;

And youth renewed and frenzy calmed owned Thee, the Lord of light.

And now, O Lord, be near to bless, almighty as of yore,

In crowded street, by restless couch, as by Gennesaret’s shore.

“Be Thou our great Deliverer still, Thou Lord of life and death;

Restore and quicken, soothe and bless with Thine almighty breath.

To hands that work and eyes that see give wisdom’s heavenly pow’r,

That whole and sick, and weak and strong, may praise Thee evermore.”

He is still the same Jesus.

May every one of us, in whatever condition we find ourselves today, hear Him speak the words that woman heard:

“Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.”

Hey friends, happy December 6th! 

David Skinner is reading chapter 6 in the video. Let us know if you’d like to read.

But first, please do us a favour. If you let these videos play to the end, the YouTube algorithms are much more likely to recommend them to others. If people click a video and then stop watching quickly, it doesn’t get shown to others. Of course you could also push like or even subscribe if you want to see each day’s devotion.

Tomorrow in church we begin a new sermon series entitled, “What Child Is This?” We sang that carol in the city centre today. Thank you to those who joined us! One of my favourites we sang was “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen.” And as we think about the Sabbath in Luke 2, consider the rest that Christ can give. On the very first Sabbath in the Bible, God rested from His work of CREATION on the seventh day. But then, after man sinned, a new work began – the work of REDEMPTION. And that was the work Christ came to do. He would not rest from that work, and when challenged about it, He replied, “My Father worth hitherto, and I work.” But on the cross He would say, “It is finished,” and we now can rest in the work He has accomplished. So, He is Lord of the Sabbath, and He is Lord of everything else. 

In Luke 6, this is a great chapter if you’ve ever wondered what it looks like to follow a Master who is who completely upside-down from the world.

The chapter opens on a couple of Sabbath days that set the religious leaders on edge.

First Sabbath scene: The disciples are walking through a cornfield, rubbing grain in their hands to eat because they’re hungry. The Pharisees pounce: “Why do ye that which is not lawful on the sabbath days?” (v. 2). Jesus answers, “The Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath” (v. 5).

Second Sabbath scene: Jesus is teaching in the synagogue, and there’s a man with a withered right hand. The scribes and Pharisees are watching like hawks, waiting to see if He’ll heal on the Sabbath so they can accuse Him. Jesus knows their thoughts, calls the man forward, and asks one devastating question: “Is it lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it?” (v. 9)?” Then He says, “Stretch forth thy hand.” The man does, and it’s restored whole. The religious leaders are filled with madness and start plotting what they might do to Jesus.

Right after this, Jesus spends all night in prayer on a mountain, comes down at daybreak, chooses the Twelve apostles, and then—here’s the beautiful detail Luke gives us—He descends with them and stands “in the plain” (or “on a level place,” v. 17) with a massive crowd pressing in from Judea, Jerusalem, even the Gentile coast of Tyre and Sidon. They’ve all come to hear Him and to be healed, and verse 19 says, “the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue out of him, and healed them all.”

And right there, in the chaos, with thousands of desperate, sick, demon-possessed people pushing in, power flowing out of Him; but then, most importantly, Jesus turns to His disciples and starts teaching the Sermon on the Plain:

• Love your enemies
• Bless them that curse you
• Give to every man that asketh, even if he takes your coat, let him have your cloak also
• Do unto others as you would have them do unto you
• Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful
• Judge not… condemn not… forgive
• Give, and it shall be given unto you
• Every tree is known by his own fruit
• And the climax: “Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” (v. 46)

Then He tells the story of the two house-builders, one on the rock, one on the sand, and says the difference shows up when the storm hits.

So what’s going on here? Why teach the hardest sermon ever in the middle of possibly the loudest, messiest crowd imaginable?

I think Jesus is doing exactly what He’s telling.

He’s showing His disciples, in real time, what the words look like with skin on.

• He’s Lord of the Sabbath → so mercy triumphs over man-made rules.
• He’s healing Gentiles and Jews alike on a level place → because His kingdom levels every social peak or valley.
• He’s letting the broken and demonised touch Him → because He came for the poor, the prisoner, the mourning, the hated (vv. 20-22).
• He’s loving the unlovely, giving without expecting return, refusing to curse those who will soon crucify Him → because that’s what citizens of His kingdom do.

And He delivers the whole sermon surrounded by people who are literally being made whole the moment they touch Him, so nobody can say, “That’s impossible.” It’s happening right in front of them.

My favourite verse today is verse 19 (KJV):

“And the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue out of him, and healed them all.”

Every single person who came to Jesus in Luke 6 walked away healed. Every one.

Friends, the same Jesus is still Lord of the Sabbath, still Lord of the storm, still the same virtue still flows out of Him today. And He’s still looking for disciples who will show the same mercy, sacrificial, giving love, and actually build our lives on the Rock of His words (not just admiring them)

Because the disciple is not above his Master. If they hated Him, they’ll hate us. If He loved anyway, so must we.

So let me leave you with the question Jesus asked on that level place:

“Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?”

May the answer, by His grace, be different for us today than it was for the Pharisees back then. Rest in His power today.

5th December – Luke 5: “His Powerful Presence”

Hey friends, welcome to Day 5! It’s December 5th, and we’re diving into Luke chapter 5. We’ll read it at the end together, and by the way, David Skinner will be reading the chapter for us tomorrow, and if you’d like to read a chapter of Luke for the video podcast this month, send us an audio recording of you reading and we’ll edit the KJV words into the video. But today is chapter 5 —

And the whole chapter is built around one blazing truth: wherever Jesus goes, His power shows up; and it demands a response. If yesterday was Jesus throwing the first punches and in His victorious battle with the devil, today is Him walking through Galilee and leaving everyone stunned by the sheer power of His presence.

Luke gives us five rapid-fire scenes, five different locations, and in every single one the power of the Lord is present to heal, to save, and to change everything.

1. Christ’s Power by the Lake (vv. 1-11) The crowd is pressing on Jesus by Lake Gennesaret just “to hear the word of God” (v. 1). He climbs into Peter’s boat, teaches, then tells these exhausted fishermen, “Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught” (v. 4). Peter says, “Master, we’ve toiled all night and took nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net” (v. 5). One net later, both boats are sinking with fish. Peter falls down at Jesus’ knees: “Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord” (v. 8). Jesus answers, “Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men” (v. 10). Result? They forsook all and followed Him, right there by the lake.
2. Christ’s Power in the City (vv. 12-16) Next we see Him in a city, and a man full of leprosy falls at His feet: “Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean” (v. 12). Jesus touches the untouchable and says, “I will: be thou clean” (v. 13). Immediate healing. The news explodes so much that great multitudes come “to hear him, and to be healed of their infirmities” (v. 15).
3. Christ’s Power in a House (vv. 17-26) Now Jesus is teaching in a packed house. Pharisees and doctors of the law are there from every village. Verse 17 says, “And the power of the Lord was present to heal them.” Four friends rip open the roof and lower a paralysed man right in front of Jesus. Jesus looks at him and declares, “Man, thy sins are forgiven thee” (v. 20). The critics mutter, “Who can forgive sins but God alone?” Jesus answers, “That ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins… Arise, take up thy couch, and go” (v. 24). The man leaps up, whole.
4. Christ’s Power on the Street (vv. 27-28) Jesus walks down a street, sees Levi (Matthew) at the tax booth, and says two words: “Follow me” (v. 27). Levi “left all, rose up, and followed him” (v. 28). Boom. Life changed on an ordinary street.
5. Christ’s Power at a Table (vv. 29-39) That night Levi throws a huge feast for Jesus, full of tax collectors and sinners. The Pharisees sneer, “Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners?” Jesus answers, “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (v. 31-32). Then He gives them the parables of the new garment and new wine: My kingdom doesn’t patch up the old system; it’s explosive, joyful, brand-new life.

Five different locations. Five displays of undeniable power. And every time, people have to decide what they’ll do with Jesus.

• By the lake, fishermen fall at His feet and follow.
• In the city, a leper is made clean.
• In the house, a paralytic walks out forgiven.
• On the street, a tax collector leaves everything.
• At the table, religious experts walk away grumbling.

Same Jesus. Same power. Totally different responses.

Friends, the power of the Lord is still present today. It is present to help, present to forgive, present to call you out of whatever boat, city, house, street, or table you’re stuck at.

So here’s the question Luke 5 is asking every one of us:

When Christ’s powerful presence shows up in your life today, what will your response be?

I pray it’s the one Peter gave: “At Thy word, Lord… I’m all in.”

See you tomorrow for Luke 6. Grace and peace! 🙏

Hey friends, welcome back! It’s December 4th, and we’re walking straight into Luke chapter 4 today. Buckle up… this is the chapter where the battle lines are drawn and Jesus starts throwing punches in the spiritual war we’re all born into.

The chapter opens with Jesus full of the Holy Spirit, led out into the Judean wilderness to be tempted by the devil for forty days. Luke 4:1-13 is the heavyweight fight of the ages. Satan comes with the exact same three-punch combo he used on Adam and Eve in the Garden, the same three the Bible later calls “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16).

• Lust of the flesh → You’re starving, Jesus; just turn these stones into bread.
• Lust of the eyes → Look at all the kingdoms of the world—I’ll give You the shortcut if You just bow to me.
• Pride of life → Jump off the temple. Force God’s hand. Make a spectacle so everyone has to believe.

Where the first Adam crumpled in a perfect garden, the Second Adam stands tall in a wilderness, hungry, tired, alone; and every single time He answers with Scripture: “It is written… It is written… It is written…” Boom. Victory. The devil leaves him… for now.

Jesus then returns to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and the news about Him is spreading like wildfire. He’s teaching in synagogues, everyone’s praising Him—until He walks into His hometown synagogue in Nazareth. They hand Him the scroll of Isaiah, and He unrolls it to the exact spot we know as Isaiah 61: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.” He rolls the scroll back up, hands it to the attendant, sits down, and drops the bombshell of the ages: “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

At first they’re impressed: “Is not this Joseph’s son?” But Jesus knows their hearts. He basically says, You want Me to do here what you heard I did in Capernaum? Sorry, prophets aren’t accepted in their hometown. Then He reminds them that God once sent Elijah to a Gentile widow and Elisha to a Syrian leper while Israel went hungry. And just like that, the mood flips. The same crowd that was marvelling now drags Him out of town to throw Him off a cliff. But Luke says Jesus, “passing through the midst of them went his way.” His time had not yet come.

From there He heads to Capernaum, His new ministry base, and the victories keep coming. A man with an unclean spirit screams, “Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us?” Jesus tells him to be silent, and the demon obeys instantly. The whole town is freaking out that a man can command unclean spirits with such authority and power, and they come out!

That evening at sunset, the entire town shows up at Simon Peter’s door. Sick people, demon-possessed people, Jesus heals them all, and the demons keep shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But He shuts them up. He won’t take testimony from hell.

Early the next morning He slips away to pray, and when the crowds come looking, He says, “I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent.”

So here’s the big picture of Luke 4: Jesus has come to enemy-occupied territory, and the conquest has begun.

• He defeats Satan in the wilderness.
• He defeats unbelief and murderous rage in Nazareth.
• He defeats demons and disease in Capernaum.
• And He will not be rushed, diverted, or applauded into the wrong kind of Messiahship.

My favourite verse today has to be verse 18-19 (the Isaiah quote Jesus reads): “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.”

Friends, that mission statement is still in effect. Jesus came the first time to rescue, to heal, to forgive, to set prisoners free, and He’s still doing it right now through His Word and His Spirit. But Luke 4 also ends with a quiet, haunting question that hangs in the air: When He came to His own hometown, they tried to kill Him because He didn’t fit their expectations.

So let me ask you the question this chapter leaves ringing in my heart: When Jesus shows up in your life, speaking through His Word, moving by His Spirit, calling you to faith and your need of Him, will He find the faith and welcome He’s looking for… or will He have to pass through the crowd and go on to someone else?

He’s still the victorious King on a rescue mission. Let’s make sure our hearts are wide open when He walks into the room.

See you tomorrow for Luke 5. Grace and peace! 🙏