Daily Devotions
Luke
Luke 10 : 25-37 "THE INHERITANCE OF ETERNAL LIFE"
Day 128 – Luke 10
Text: Luke 10 : 25-37
THE INHERITANCE OF ETERNAL LIFE
Supposing the lawyer who came to Jesus had been truly sincere, and he really wanted to know how one might inherit eternal life? How would the Lord Jesus have answered him?
Let us look at how we may reconstruct a full answer to the question, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” from what we have read of the Gospel of Luke thus far.
THE WAY TO ETERNAL LIFE
Let’s try and do a composite picture of the presentation of the Gospel by the Lord Jesus Christ, had the lawyer been truly sincere in his quest for “eternal life”.
1. There would have been a presentation of “The Kingdom of God” (Luke 4:43).
a) Jesus would have described life with God as belonging to His Kingdom.
b) He would have presented the wondrous life that one would have in His Kingdom – for all eternity!
c) He would have told them how they could have their names written in the King’s Register of Life. Luke 10:20
2. Anyone who hears the Lord Jesus speak about belonging to the Kingdom of Heaven would like to respond positively, and appropriately!
a) However, they would have to deal with the problem of feeling sinful and thus unworthy of being included into the kingdom of heaven. Luke 5:8
b) The Lord Jesus would present Himself as One who could deal with their problems of sin. He had come to forgive sins! Luke 5:24
c) All who would repent of their sins, as John the Baptiser had preached, (Luke 3:3) would be received by the Lord Jesus Christ. Their sins would be forgiven, and Son of Man would redeem them and give them eternal life
3. Receiving the Gospel of the Kingdom of God is a life-transforming thing! The believer would desire to know more about what it means to truly believe in God. Mere confession would not suffice!
a) The Lord Jesus would have invited each believer to “Follow Me” as His Disciple (Luke 5:27).
b) He would have taken time to instruct them so that they would be able to have a deep sense of appreciation of what it means to truly have eternal life (Cf. Luke 6:20-49).
c) When ready, the Disciple would be sent with His authority and power to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom (Luke 9:1-2; 10:1-2).
CULTIVATING OTHER ASPECTS OF THE NEW-FOUND LIFE
The new-believer would of course find that he still has lots to learn about what it means to have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
1. He has many personal problems that he must iron out. Problems in one’s personal life do not mean that there has been no salvation. It simply means that he has a long way to go, before he can speak confidently of his salvation and life in the Lord Jesus Christ.
2. The Disciples of the Lord Jesus were excellent examples of how the Lord Jesus would deal with the problems in the life of genuine believers. The early NT Disciples had many problems that we would easily identify with.
a) There was much ignorance concerning the Word of God (Luke 8:1-15)
b) They had to learn how to defend themselves from the attacks of wicked people (Luke 6:1-11)
c) They would also have to yield pet prejudices and sinful attitudes to the Lord for cleansing. Anger, a spiteful attitude, would have to go (Luke 9:53-56).
3. Let us distinguish between inheritance of eternal life and the cultivation of a personal life.
a) There is distinction between having eternal life and a disciplined personal life.
b) The former involves the writing of our names in the Register of heaven. The latter involves growth in our knowledge of what it means to believe in the Lord.
c) The believer will find himself exulting in the knowledge that his name is written in heaven (Luke 10:20). He will also find himself very determined to deny himself, carry the Cross of the Lord Jesus daily, and follow the Master (Luke 9:23).
LEARNING TO LOVE GOD WITH EVERYTHING WE HAVE
What is God really like? What does it really mean to speak of believing in Him? How does the Lord Jesus Christ fit in?
The new believer would discover ALL there is to know about God through seeing the life of the Lord Jesus Christ. Through a growing relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, he would be able to speak of loving God with all the heart, with all the soul, with all strength, and with all the mind, and one’s neighbour as he loves himself (Luke 10:27).
The lives of the Disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ were totally transformed. The tax-collector Matthew would be an excellent example of how a person’s life can be wondrously changed.
Matthew would never return to his old ways. He had found new meaning and purpose in his life. His heart had been touched by the compassion and love of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Master had seen his wicked heart, but had forgiven him of all his sins! He had even invited him to be a Disciple!
He had seen the power and authority of the Lord Jesus Christ, when he and his fellow-disciples were sent out on a Mission! There was no denying the reality of the awesome power and authority of the Lord Jesus Christ!
Matthew and others had proven for themselves that the “eternal life” that Jesus offered was real and precious. Do you have eternal life in Christ? Is your name written in heaven? Check out your salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ. Take nothing for granted!