Believers and Skeptics
The Gospel of Luke
Luke Chapter 23
Scripture= Luke chapter 23:39-42, 36-37, 47
39 One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you’re at it!” 40 But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? 41 We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” 42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.”
36 The soldiers mocked him, too, by offering him a drink of sour wine. 37 They called out to him, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!”
47 When the Roman officer (centurion) overseeing the execution saw what had happened, he worshiped God and said, “Surely this man was innocent (righteous).”
Observations and Applications=
Faith is sometimes so hard to figure out. I am not talking about the concept of faith but why certain people can see something and believe and someone else can see the same thing and deny everything. What makes you a believer and what makes you a skeptic?
In Luke Chapter 23, we see that one of the two thieves who were crucified beside Jesus taunts him and the other believes in him. We also see a group of Roman soldiers mock Jesus during the crucifixion and then at the end of Jesus’ life a Roman Centurion praises God and states that Jesus was a righteous man. It is hard to understand how one person sees a Savior while the other sees nothing at all. All of them were seemingly given the same opportunity but there were definitely different results!
I know that our salvation is a gift from God. I also know that our salvation is the work of the Holy Spirit as he reveals to us our need and our Savior. But it is a mystery why one believes and one denies. Does this change the way that we present the Gospel? Romans chapter 10:14-15, asks: How anyone can call on Jesus if they have never believed in him? And how can anyone believe in someone that they have never heard about? And how can anyone hear about Jesus if no one preaches to them? And how can anyone go preach to someone unless they are sent to do so?
I might not be able to figure out the inner workings of someone’s faith but I still have the responsibility to respond to the Holy Spirit and obediently share my life and my story with someone. Sometimes my testimony will be my actions and sometimes it will be my words. The important point is to just be available and obedient. The results we will just have to leave with God.
Prayer= Lord Jesus, thank you for dying for our sins and giving us your life. I want to be a willing testimony of your grace. I ask that the opportunities that you give me to share your love with others will bear fruit, fruit that will last!
Luke Chapter 23
Scripture= Luke chapter 23:39-42, 36-37, 47
39 One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you’re at it!” 40 But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? 41 We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” 42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.”
36 The soldiers mocked him, too, by offering him a drink of sour wine. 37 They called out to him, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!”
47 When the Roman officer (centurion) overseeing the execution saw what had happened, he worshiped God and said, “Surely this man was innocent (righteous).”
Observations and Applications=
Faith is sometimes so hard to figure out. I am not talking about the concept of faith but why certain people can see something and believe and someone else can see the same thing and deny everything. What makes you a believer and what makes you a skeptic?
In Luke Chapter 23, we see that one of the two thieves who were crucified beside Jesus taunts him and the other believes in him. We also see a group of Roman soldiers mock Jesus during the crucifixion and then at the end of Jesus’ life a Roman Centurion praises God and states that Jesus was a righteous man. It is hard to understand how one person sees a Savior while the other sees nothing at all. All of them were seemingly given the same opportunity but there were definitely different results!
I know that our salvation is a gift from God. I also know that our salvation is the work of the Holy Spirit as he reveals to us our need and our Savior. But it is a mystery why one believes and one denies. Does this change the way that we present the Gospel? Romans chapter 10:14-15, asks: How anyone can call on Jesus if they have never believed in him? And how can anyone believe in someone that they have never heard about? And how can anyone hear about Jesus if no one preaches to them? And how can anyone go preach to someone unless they are sent to do so?
I might not be able to figure out the inner workings of someone’s faith but I still have the responsibility to respond to the Holy Spirit and obediently share my life and my story with someone. Sometimes my testimony will be my actions and sometimes it will be my words. The important point is to just be available and obedient. The results we will just have to leave with God.
Prayer= Lord Jesus, thank you for dying for our sins and giving us your life. I want to be a willing testimony of your grace. I ask that the opportunities that you give me to share your love with others will bear fruit, fruit that will last!
