Essential Jesus: Do you know who Jesus really was? Why he came? What he taught? What he cared about? Whatever your take on him, one thing is certain, his impact on world history is phenomenal. The Essential Jesus series works through the book of Luke unpacking the diverse attributes that together give us a fascinating indepth understanding of who Jesus was, and is, and what difference he can make to our lives today.

Luke 8:1-15Luke 8:1-15
English: World English Bible - WEB
8 ¹ It happened soon afterwards, that he went about through cities and villages, preaching and bringing the good news of the Kingdom of God. With him were the twelve, ² and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary who was called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out; ³ and Joanna, the wife of Chuzas, Herod’s steward; Susanna; and many others; who ministered to them TR reads “him” instead of “them” from their possessions. ⁴ When a great multitude came together, and people from every city were coming to him, he spoke by a parable. ⁵ “The farmer went out to sow his seed. As he sowed, some fell along the road, and it was trampled under foot, and the birds of the sky devoured it. ⁶ Other seed fell on the rock, and as soon as it grew, it withered away, because it had no moisture. ⁷ Other fell amid the thorns, and the thorns grew with it, and choked it. ⁸ Other fell into the good ground, and grew, and brought forth fruit one hundred times.” As he said these things, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” ⁹ Then his disciples asked him, “What does this parable mean?” ¹⁰ He said, “To you it is given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of God, but to the rest in parables; that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’ ¹¹ Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. ¹² Those along the road are those who hear, then the devil comes, and takes away the word from their heart, that they may not believe and be saved. ¹³ Those on the rock are they who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; but these have no root, who believe for a while, then fall away in time of temptation. ¹⁴ That which fell among the thorns, these are those who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. ¹⁵ That in the good ground, these are such as in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, hold it tightly, and bring forth fruit with patience.

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Essential Jesus: Do you know who Jesus really was? Why he came? What he taught? What he cared about? Whatever your take on him, one thing is certain, his impact on world history is phenomenal. The Essential Jesus series works through the book of Luke unpacking the diverse attributes that together give us a fascinating indepth understanding of who Jesus was, and is, and what difference he can make to our lives today.

Luke 6:17-49Luke 6:17-49
English: World English Bible - WEB
17 He came down with them, and stood on a level place, with a crowd of his disciples, and a great number of the people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; ¹⁸ as well as those who were troubled by unclean spirits, and they were being healed. ¹⁹ All the multitude sought to touch him, for power came out from him and healed them all. ²⁰ He lifted up his eyes to his disciples, and said, “Blessed are you who are poor, For yours is the Kingdom of God. ²¹ Blessed are you who hunger now, For you will be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, For you will laugh. ²² Blessed are you when men shall hate you, and when they shall exclude and mock you, and throw out your name as evil, for the Son of Man’s sake. ²³ Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven, for their fathers did the same thing to the prophets. ²⁴ “But woe to you who are rich! For you have received your consolation. ²⁵ Woe to you, you who are full now! For you will be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now! For you will mourn and weep. ²⁶ Woe, TR adds “to you” when TR adds “all” men speak well of you! For their fathers did the same thing to the false prophets. ²⁷ “But I tell you who hear: love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, ²⁸ bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat you. ²⁹ To him who strikes you on the cheek, offer also the other; and from him who takes away your cloak, don’t withhold your coat also. ³⁰ Give to everyone who asks you, and don’t ask him who takes away your goods to give them back again. ³¹ “As you would like people to do to you, do exactly so to them. ³² If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. ³³ If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. ³⁴ If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive back as much. ³⁵ But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing back; and your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind toward the unthankful and evil. ³⁶ Therefore be merciful, Even as your Father is also merciful. ³⁷ Don’t judge, And you won’t be judged. Don’t condemn, And you won’t be condemned. Set free, And you will be set free. ³⁸ “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be given to you. literally, into your bosom. For with the same measure you measure it will be measured back to you.” ³⁹ He spoke a parable to them. “Can the blind guide the blind? Won’t they both fall into a pit? ⁴⁰ A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher. ⁴¹ Why do you see the speck of chaff that is in your brother’s eye, but don’t consider the beam that is in your own eye? ⁴² Or how can you tell your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove the speck of chaff that is in your eye,’ when you yourself don’t see the beam that is in your own eye? You hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck of chaff that is in your brother’s eye. ⁴³ For there is no good tree that brings forth rotten fruit; nor again a rotten tree that brings forth good fruit. ⁴⁴ For each tree is known by its own fruit. For people don’t gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. ⁴⁵ The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings out that which is good, and the evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings out that which is evil, for out of the abundance of the heart, his mouth speaks. ⁴⁶ “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and don’t do the things which I say? ⁴⁷ Everyone who comes to me, and hears my words, and does them, I will show you who he is like. ⁴⁸ He is like a man building a house, who dug and went deep, and laid a foundation on the rock. When a flood arose, the stream broke against that house, and could not shake it, because it was founded on the rock. ⁴⁹ But he who hears, and doesn’t do, is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream broke, and immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.”

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