In the messages on chapter eleven we saw that when we pray ourselves into God and receive His rich supply, which is the bountiful supply of the all-inclusive Spirit, we are filled with this supply and occupied by it so that there is no room in us for demons, evil spirits. Because we are filled with the riches of the divine supply, we are full of light and we can illumine others. This light then brings us into Christ as the One who passed through death and entered into resurrection. Now we can experience Him as the real Jonah and the real Solomon. In Him as the real Solomon we know the wisdom of God, the eternal purpose of God, and the economy of God. In this economy we enjoy the mystery of God. This mystery is Christ as the expression of God and the church as the expression of Christ. This is the real jubilee.
By praying ourselves into God to enjoy the riches of His supply, we experience the divinity and humanity of Christ. We enjoy His divine attributes and human virtues. Then we live a life which is of the highest standard of morality, and this standard of morality enables us to enjoy the New Testament jubilee.
Chapters eleven, twelve, thirteen, and fourteen of Luke are difficult to understand. As we consider these chapters, we need to realize that our natural understanding of the holy Word is altogether not reliable. In order to understand any book of the Bible, we need to know the principles and elements according to which that book was written. We need to discover the governing principles and the basic elements of the writing of a particular book. Many readers of the New Testament have not seen the governing principles and the basic and intrinsic elements according to which the Gospel of Luke was written. We thank the Lord that, in His mercy, He has shown us these things. Based upon what we have seen of the governing principles and the basic elements of the Gospel of Luke, we have the proper perspective to see the meaning and significance of chapters eleven through fourteen.
It is difficult to enter into the depths of chapter eleven and see its significance. It is even more difficult to enter into the depths of chapter twelve and grasp the significance of this chapter.
Luke 12:1-48 contains three warnings: the warning concerning religious hypocrisy (vv. 1-12), the warning concerning covetousness (vv. 13-34), and the warning to be watchful and faithful (vv. 35-48). We need to receive these three warnings, warnings that are actually a continuation of the Lord’s word in chapter eleven. In this message we shall seek to understand the significance of the warnings given here by the Man-Savior.
According to chapter eleven, we need to pray ourselves into God so that we may remain in Him and be filled with His riches, filled with the all-inclusive life-giving Spirit, that we may live a life in the highest standard of morality for the enjoyment and participation in the New Testament jubilee. We need to remember that the Lord’s words recorded in chapter eleven were spoken as He was approaching Jerusalem. This means that while He was teaching the disciples concerning spiritual things, He was approaching Jerusalem.