Luke 9:46-48

Peace to you my brothers and sisters.

Today’s Bible Verse: [Luke 9:46-48 ESV] 46 An argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest. 47 But Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, took a child and put him by his side 48 and said to them, "Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For he who is least among you all is the one who is great."

Why a child? Because even though born in total depravity, children are innocent. It is this innocence we must return to.

Over the last few months I have been teaching the Calvinist approach of election; that is, God elects whom He will save and reveals Himself to them and they are saved. The words “whoever receives me receives him who sent me” do not contradict this because there is still a choice to be made by us to accept God when He reveals Himself.

[Matthew 22:14 ESV] 14 For many are called, but few are chosen."

God reveals Himself to the world through His creation and through scripture (many are called) but some continue to suppress this revelation (few are chosen). God has known from the beginning who will accept, those He elected.

How do you know? The best answer to that I can give is that you just know. For many, including me, it was like a switch being flipped; one moment I was in the world and the next I was not. Simply put, it is a heart change.

In regard to the least, Jesus is saying that a truly important Kingdom person is going to find the left out, the forgotten, and the neglected to welcome and serve them rather than trying to name-drop and hang around with the "in crowd." Greatness is about serving, not about status!

By bringing His word and His gospel to others we are serving.

We all have a job.

[Matthew 28:18-20 ESV] 18 And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

All of the disciples of Jesus are to spread His word and the gospel.

This is the gospel:

[1 Corinthians 15:1-6 ESV] 1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you--unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.

[Acts 2:22-24 ESV] 22 "Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know-- 23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. 24 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.

[1 John 2:2 ESV] 2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

Propitiation: ἱλασμός hilasmós, hil-as-mos'; atonement, i.e. (concretely) an expiator:—propitiation.

This is penal substitution; that is, our sins were transferred to Jesus and His righteous transferred to us.

Go forth and spread this good news.

I pray that God has revealed Himself to you and that you have salvation.

Remember, God is sovereign. That means that he controls everything.

I hope this has been a blessing to you. May the rest of your day be blessed. Peace.