Sin and selfishness must be dealt with before you can enjoy a conversation with your heavenly Father. Jesus mentioned two other factors that can determine whether or not your prayers have a prayer (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
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The title, Left Behind, is a warning to be ready when Jesus returns to Rapture the Church. If you’re not ready, you’ll be left behind to endure the awful tribulation that is coming upon planet earth. You definitely do not want to be left behind at the Rapture. But there is a time when believers will want to be left behind. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
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Even though Jesus told them to Go, it’s clear He wanted them to stop and return to Him. It’s confusing, unless you factor in a romantic element. This is a kind of language only lovers understand. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
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Parents and siblings will go to great lengths to protect their children and younger brothers and sisters. Woe to the person or people who try to harm your children! Jesus taps into this universal feeling, but He applies it to your spiritual family, to your brothers and sisters in the Church. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
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Jesus gave His listeners a guided tour of Hades. Call it the Gulf Tour if you want, because He mentioned the great gulf, or chasm, that separates paradise from punishment. He showed them, and us, two possible destinations after death so that you can choose where you want to go. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
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Jesus and His disciples had their own words for money. The words they used do not seem as playful. For example: You’re warned five times in the New Testament letters to watch out for the dangers of money, but it’s called filthy lucre. Whatever that means – it can’t be good! (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
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The Parable of the Prodigal Son is not really about the prodigal son. Neither is it about his pouting brother. I suggest to you that it is about their father. He is the central character around which the story revolves and upon whom it focuses. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
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Maybe we should designate the preaching of the Gospel as Spiritual Search and Rescue! Men and women are lost, all over the planet, in every geography and cultural condition. Some realize they are lost, and will reach out for the lifeline. Others do not sense the danger they are in, but need rescuing just the same. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
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Salt was once one of the most valuable commodities on earth – traded ounce-for-ounce with gold. For one thing, salt was one of the few preservatives available. It preserved fish, meat, olives, cheese, and pickled vegetables throughout the year everywhere in the world. There are, in fact, some 14,000 known uses for salt. Salt meant something far different, and far greater, than it does to us in our technologically advanced age of electricity and refrigeration. There is a lot more we could say about salt; but this should be enough for you to better appreciate what Jesus had to say in our text. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
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Jesus told a parable about a wedding supper to which all the invited guests offered various excuses. In their case, they would not simply miss out on supper; they would miss out on salvation! The supper represented an invitation to receive eternal life, enter the kingdom of God on earth, and then spend eternity with the Lord in heaven. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
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Jesus was the poster boy for heaven’s rules of social and spiritual manners. In our story, the Pharisees were shocked that Jesus did not mind their manners. Jesus turned the table on them, exhorting them to find His manners. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
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Jesus compared Himself to a hen. Given the number of animals available, it is curious that Jesus chose a hen. What about the mighty eagle of Exodus, soaring over danger? What about the proud lion of Judah, mowing down his enemies with a roar? Compared to either of those, a mother hen does not inspire much confidence. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
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