Luke 6: Part 1 (3)

Pray Psalm 119.147, 148.
I rise before the dawning of the morning,
And cry for help;
I hope in Your word.
My eyes are awake through the night watches,
That I may meditate on Your word.

Sing Psalm 119.147, 148.
(Festal Song: Rise Up, O Men of God)
Before the dawn I rise; Lord, hear me when I cry.
I hope in Your unfailing Word and will until I die.

I seek You through the night to contemplate Your Word.
Bring my poor soul into the light; teach me Your Law, O Lord!

Read Luke 6.1-16; meditate on verses 12-16.

Preparation
1. Where did Jesus go? What did He go there to do?

2. What followed when it was day?

Meditation
Some decisions are more significant than others. Of course, we should pray about everything, giving thanks to the Lord and being anxious for nothing (Phil. 4.6, 7). But some things just require a bit more focus and time. Jesus knew that He was about to choose the generation of men through whom the Kingdom of God would begin coming on earth as it is in heaven. I’m sure He knew who they were before He began to pray. He would have spent the entire night praying for each one, that God would ready them for the work He had appointed for them to do.

And that would include Judas Iscariot. Jesus knew from the beginning that Judas would betray Him. God had already foretold that (cf. Pss. 55.12-14; 109.1-20). The wicked work of betrayal he would do in just a few short years was entirely under the Lord’s control (cf. Acts 2.22, 23). That Judas was set apart for apostleship only made his betrayal that much worse, and thus how treacherous, dangerous, and vile sin is, and how great our need is of grace for salvation.

The disciples were called apostles; the learners were appointed as the sent ones. They would spend three years learning Jesus, followed by a lifetime of being sent to the world to live and proclaim Him. Their charge is our charge as well. All believers are disciples who have come after Jesus to learn of Him (Matt. 11.28-30; Eph. 4.17-24), not just for three years, but for every day of our lives. And all disciples of Jesus are apostles, sent to the world like Jesus was to bring near the Kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Jn. 20.21; Rom. 14.17, 18), not just through programs or special events, but as we are going in every aspect of our lives. All disciples are sent to a Personal Mission Field, just as the apostles were, for the purpose of seeking and advancing the Kingdom of God there.

And Jesus ever lives to intercede for us (Heb. 7.25), just as He did for those first disciples through the night watches on that Galilean mountain.

Treasures Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
Jesus prayed all night about the apostles He was going to choose, and “that God would ready them for the work He had appointed them to do.”

Sometimes we are confused when things appear to turn out badly when we have prayed about them. For example, we prayed about taking two jobs, felt God leading us in that direction, moved and took the jobs and were summarily relieved of those jobs after years of working them. The question might arise, “Did we misstep by taking those jobs?”

Looking at this example from Jesus’ life, I would have to answer, “no”. We did not make a mistake by doing what we felt led of God to do. We cannot ever judge His leading by the outcome. That is someone else’s problem. Jesus prayed all night for the men He would choose for the work of starting His Church. And one was a total miscreant. Was it a mistake to choose Judas? Absolutely not. Jesus is perfection in every way.
He was doing the will of His Father, and every jot and tittle of His life was fulfilling the Scriptures written about Him. Judas was perfectly chosen, by the perfect Jesus, directed by the perfect heavenly Father. Enough said.

We can never control what happens. We can only seek the will of God and do it.
“Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6.10).
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord’, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven” (Matt. 7.21).
“For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me” (Jn. 6.38).
“My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work” (Jn. 4.34).
“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Rom. 12.2).

As we are looking to Jesus, we see that prayer is important, and seeking God’s will is paramount. And we learn that just because circumstances look like they didn’t turn out does not necessarily mean that they didn’t. The most important thing in all our lives is that we are growing to be more like Jesus. “For this is the will of God, your sanctification…”  (1 Thess. 4.3).

“The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime,
and in the night His song shall be with me—
a prayer to the God of my life” (Ps. 42.8).

How it all turns out is His business.

For reflection
1. How does it comfort or encourage you to know that God is completely in control of your life and all the decisions you will make today?

2. Why do we say that all Christians are both disciples and apostles?

3. Jesus is interceding for you at the right hand of God. What do you most want Him to say to the Father at this time?

[He] did not pray to the Father in the ordinary manner, but spent the whole night in prayer. But if he, who was full of the Holy Spirit, (John 3:34,) implored the Father, with such ardor and earnestness…how much greater need have we to do so? John Calvin (1506-1564), Commentary on Luke 6.12

Pray Psalm 119.149-152.
As the Lord sends you, His disciple, into your Personal Mission Field, call on Him to revive you, to keep you from all harm, to guide you in His righteous path, and to give you a ready testimony for Him.

Sing Psalm 119.149-152.
(Festal Song: Rise Up, O Men of God)
Lord, hear my plaintive voice, revive me by Your grace;
in justice let my soul rejoice before Your holy face.

Those who forsake Your Word draw near in wickedness;
yet You are near, O God my Lord! Your truth will save and bless!

Your Word has been from old, established by decree.
More precious than the finest gold, Your Word gives life to me!

T. M. and Susie Moore

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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (Williston: Waxed Tablet Publications, 2006), available by clicking here.