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Luke 9:18-62

Taught on | Topic: Jesus' Identity | Keywords: Jesus Christ, Jesus' ministry, John the Baptist, Elijah, Moses, Messiah, Anointed One, discipleship, evangelism, the transfiguration, the Law, Old Testament, end times, tabernacle, mountaintop, valley, worship, pride

Over the centuries, countless groups and individuals have made claims about the person of Jesus Christ, but that's not enough to know who He really is. Luke presents an accurate picture as he records both Jesus' claims about Himself and what those nearest said about Him. As we continue our study in Luke 9, we consider two different ways to approach life, how to navigate mountaintop and valley experiences, and how worship and evangelism should naturally weave together in our lives.

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10/29/2014
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Luke 9:18-62
Luke 9:18-62
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Over the centuries, countless groups and individuals have made claims about the person of Jesus Christ, but that's not enough to know who He really is. Luke presents an accurate picture as he records both Jesus' claims about Himself and what those nearest said about Him. As we continue our study in Luke 9, we consider two different ways to approach life, how to navigate mountaintop and valley experiences, and how worship and evangelism should naturally weave together in our lives.
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42 Luke - 2014

42 Luke - 2014

As a physician, Luke focused on the humanity of Jesus and presented Him as the Son of Man. In our study of this gospel, Pastor Skip Heitzig takes us through Luke's methodical account of Jesus' life, death,and resurrection so that we may "know the certainty of those things in which [we] were instructed" (Luke 1:4).

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Study Guide

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Luke 9

Twelve Are Sent to Preach—Read Luke 9:1-11

1. Jesus called His disciples together (see v. 1). Who does Romans 8:28-30 describe as the called? (See also Ephesians 4:1, 4; Philippians 3:14; 1 Peter 2:21.)


2. What did Jesus give His disciples (see v. 1)? Why would they need what Jesus gave them?


3. The word apostle comes from the Greek apostolos, which means a sent one. Luke listed what Jesus' apostles were sent to do (see v. 2). What were their two missions? How were their missions similar to Jesus’ missions listed in Matthew 4:23? How were they different? (See also Mark 6:30.)


4. Jesus instructed His apostles not to take anything for the journey (see v. 3). Why? (See also Leviticus 19:13; Deuteronomy 24:15; Luke 10:7.)


5. If the apostles (sent ones) were received in a town, they were to remain in the household that received them until they departed (see v. 4). Why do you think Jesus instructed them to do this? (See also Matthew 10:11; Mark 6:10.)


6. If a town or village would not receive them, what were the apostles to do (see v. 5)? Why? (See also Luke 10:10-11; Acts 13:51; 18:6.)


7. Jesus instructed His apostles to shake off the dust from their feet if a town or city wouldn’t receive them and their message (see v. 5). Shaking off dust was a symbolic act practiced by the Pharisees when they left an unclean Gentile area. Here, Jesus used this act as a warning to those who rejected His apostles’ message. How are we to shake off the dust today? (See Matthew 7:6; Acts 13:51.)


8. A city that rejected the apostles by not receiving them also rejected what and whom (see v. 2)? (See also Matthew 10:40; John 13:20.)


9. The word for gospel in the Greek is the word euangelizo, from which we get the word evangelize, which means to tell the good news. What good news did the disciples tell? Where did they tell it (see vv. 2, 6). How is this a part of the mission you and I are commissioned with? (See Mark 16:15.)


10. A tetrarch was a ruler of a fourth part of a region. When Herod the Great died, his kingdom was divided among his four sons. Herod Antipas ruled over Galilee and Perea. What did Herod hear? How did he respond to what he heard (see v. 7)? (See also Mark 6:14-16.)


11. When Herod heard about Jesus and all He had done, who did he think Jesus might be (see v. 7)? Why? (See also Mark 6:20; Matthew 14:1-2.)



12. What were some of the other rumors circulating about who Jesus might be (see v. 8)? (See also Matthew 16:14.)



13. What had Herod done to John? Because of that, what did he seek (see v. 9)?



14. When the apostles returned, they told Jesus all the things they had done and taught (see v. 10; Mark 6:30). What did Jesus invite them to go and do (see v. 10)? (See also Mark 6:31.)



15. Where specifically did Jesus invite them to go (see v. 10)?



16. As Jesus and His disciples departed to the deserted place, who saw them? What did they do (see v. 11)? (See also Mark 6:32-33.)



17. How did Jesus respond to those who saw them heading to the deserted place (see v. 11)? (See also Mark 6:34.)


18. Although He desired to go privately to a deserted place with His disciples to rest, why do you think Jesus responded in the way He did? (See Matthew 11:28; John 10:11; 2 Peter 3:9.)



Five Thousand Are Fed—Read Luke 9:12-18

19. Jesus spent the day teaching, preaching, and healing the multitudes (see v. 11). When the day began to wear away, the disciples told Him to send the multitude away so they could eat and find lodging (see v. 12). How did Jesus respond to the disciples (see v. 13)?



20. What was the disciples’ response to Jesus (see v. 13)? (See also Mark 6:37.)



21. Do you think the disciples could have obeyed Jesus’ command to give the multitudes something to eat?


22. Approximately how many were in the multitude (see v. 14)? Could there have been more people than estimated? (See also Matthew 14:21.)



23. What did Jesus have the disciples do with the multitudes (see vv. 14-15)? Why do you think He had them do this? (See also 1 Corinthians 14:40; John 6:10-11; Psalm 23:1-2.)



24. What was the end result of Jesus sharing the five loaves and two fish (see v. 17)?



25. How many baskets of fragments were left over (see v. 17)? How many disciples served the multitude? Is there any significance to this? (See Matthew 16:9.)


26. Imagine the twelve disciples—each holding a basketful of leftover bread—and thousands of stuffed people sitting on the grass. What lessons should they have learned from this miracle? (See Matthew 16:9; 14:33.)


27. Jesus told His disciples, “You give them something to eat” (v. 13). How can we as Jesus’ disciples do this in our lives?


Peter’s Confession of Faith—Read Luke 9:19-22

28. Sometimes God asks a question to get a person to think about the question as well as the answer (e.g., Adam and Job). What two critical questions did Jesus ask His disciples (see vv. 18-20)?



29. John the Baptist was known for proclaiming the kingdom of heaven (see Matthew 3:2). Elijah was known for his miraculous works and prophetic statements (see 1 Kings 17-18, 21; 2 Kings 1-2). The prophet Jeremiah was known for his compassion and concern toward God’s people (see Jeremiah and Lamentations). Why might the crowds have said Jesus was one of those men (see v. 19)?



30. Who did Peter proclaim Jesus was (see v. 20)? How did Peter know this? (See Matthew 16:17.)



31. Jesus asked His disciples, “But who do you say that I am?” (v. 20). What is your answer to that question?


32. Jesus strictly warned and commanded the disciples not to reveal what they knew about Him to anyone (see v. 21). Instead, what did He begin to teach them (see v. 22)?



33. The disciples clearly saw who Jesus was (see v. 20; John 6:69). Jesus began to show them what His plan was; however, the disciples didn’t understand that the Christ would come twice. They expected Him to overthrow the oppressive Roman government, set up the kingdom, and reign (see Mark 10:37; Matthew 20:21). What clear plan did Jesus reveal to His disciples (see v. 22)?


True Cost of Discipleship—Read Luke 9:23-26

34. Meditate on the three things Jesus said were to be done by a person who desires to come after Him (see v. 23). What are those three things? What do they mean?


35. When Jesus called His disciples, He said, “Follow Me” (Matthew 4:19; Mark 1:17; Luke 5:27). Jesus said following Him is a requirement of anyone who desires to come after Him (see v. 23). What should the life of a person who follows Him look like?



36. Luke 9:24 is a paradox (a seemingly absurd or self-contradictory statement). The person who wants to save his life must lose it. The person who loses his life for Jesus’ sake will find it. How do you resolve this paradox?



37. Jesus gave an eternal perspective of the value of a man’s soul (the life given to him). What value does He put on a man’s soul (see v. 25)? (See also Psalm 49:6-9; Matthew 16:26; Mark 8:36.)



38. Our souls, our lives, are extremely valuable from God’s perspective; they are worth more than anything and everything in this world (see v. 25). What price did God pay to redeem your soul? (See 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; John 3:16; 1 Peter 1:18-19.)



39. Since our souls are so valuable to God and nothing in this world can be given in exchange for them, what manner of persons ought we to be? (See 1 Peter 2:24; 4:1-6; 2 Peter 3:10-13.)



40. What is the danger of being ashamed of Jesus and His words (see v. 26)? (See also Mark 8:38; 2 Timothy 2:12.)



41. Instead of being ashamed of Jesus and His words, what should we be? (See Romans 1:16; 2 Timothy 1:8-9.)



42. What is the true cost of being a disciple of Jesus Christ and following Him? (See Matthew 19:21; Luke 5:11; 14:25–33; Philippians 3:7-8.)



43. Following Christ has serious eternal consequences and a great cost in this life. We ought to start every day with an eternal perspective. Offer yourself up as a living sacrifice (see Romans 12:1) and imagine yourself at the Bema Seat judgment, appearing before Christ. What will the followers of Christ be judged for? (See Job 34:11; Psalm 62:12; Proverbs 24:12; Jeremiah 17:10; Romans 2:2-11; 1 Corinthians 3:8, 13; 2 Corinthians 5:9-10.)


The Transfiguration—Read Luke 9:27-36

44. The transfiguration was a fulfillment of Jesus’ statement in verse 27. What did Jesus say some standing there would see? (See also Matthew 16:28.)



45. The transfiguration prefigures the kingdom reign of Jesus Christ when we will see Him in all of His glory and will also be transfigured to be like Him, just as Moses and Elijah were like Him. What will our glorified bodies be like? (See Romans 8:29-30; 1 Corinthians 15:49; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Philippians 3:20-21.)



46. The word transfigured is the Greek word metemorphothe, from which we get the word metamorphosis. It means to be changed into another form, not merely a change in outward appearance. We, too, will one day be transfigured to be like Jesus. Until that day, what should we be doing? (See Matthew 6:19-21; 28:18-20; 1 John 3:2-3.)




47. Jesus took Peter, James, and John on a high mountain, probably Mount Hermon, to pray. What about Jesus was transfigured (see v. 29)? (See also Matthew 17:2; Mark 9:3.)




48. Moses and Elijah appeared with Jesus (see v. 30). What did they talk about with Jesus (see v. 31)?




49. Peter, James, and John were heavy with sleep, but once they were fully awake, they saw Jesus in glory and Moses and Elijah (see v. 32). As Moses and Elijah were parting from Jesus, what did Peter suggest (see v. 33)? Did Peter understand what he was suggesting?




50. While Peter was still speaking, what object overshadowed James, John, and him (see v. 34)? How did they respond to this object (see v. 34)? What came out of the object (see v. 35)? Why do you think this particular object overshadowed them? (See Exodus 13:21; 40:34; 1 Kings 8:10; Acts 1:9.)



51. Moses and Elijah’s presence at the transfiguration represented the law and the prophets. Although obeying the law and applying the messages of the prophets is important, what did the voice of the Father say the disciples should hear (see v. 35)? (See also Deuteronomy 18:15, 19; Acts 3:22-23.)



52. What comes as a result of hearing Jesus? (See Romans 10:17.)



53. What must we do in addition to hearing Jesus? (See Matthew 7:24-27; James 1:22-25.)


54. Although Peter, James, and John were eyewitnesses to the transfiguration of Jesus and saw Moses and Elijah speaking with Him, what did they do about seeing this (see v. 36)? Why did they do this? (See Mark 8:29-33; 9:9.)


Demoniac Son Is Healed—Read Luke 9:37-42

55. As Jesus, Peter, James, and John came down the mountain to rejoin the other disciples, whom did they encounter (see v. 37)? (See also Mark 9:14-16.)



56. Describe in detail the condition of the man’s son, who was demon-possessed (see vv. 39). (See also Matthew 17:15; Mark 9:17–18.)



57. The father had brought his son to the disciples, but they couldn’t help him (see v. 40). Jesus then offered a compassionate invitation to the father to bring Him his son (see v. 41). How is this compassionate invitation extended to us, especially when we have an impossible situation like this man did? (See Matthew 11:28; 1 Peter 5:7.)



58. What happened when the demonic spirit saw Jesus (see v. 42)? (See also Mark 9:20.)



59. Jesus offered the man a solution to his son's impossible situation. What was that solution? (See Mark 9:23.)



60. The father was humble and honest and cried out to Jesus, asking for help with his unbelief (see Mark 9:24). How can we make this prayer our own in the midst of impossible situations? (See Luke 17:5.)



61. Mark recorded that there were crowds running to see what was going on with the demoniac boy, so Jesus commanded the deaf and dumb spirit to come out and enter him no more (see Mark 9:25.) Why did Jesus command the spirit to enter him no more? (See Luke 11:24–26.)



62. The disciples privately asked Jesus why they couldn’t cast out the demon (see Mark 9:28). Why couldn’t they cast out the demon from the man’s son (see v. 41)? (See also Matthew 17:20.)



63. What did Jesus do to the boy (see v. 42)?



Christ Prophesies His Coming Death—Read Luke 9:43-45

64. While everyone was amazed and marveling at what Jesus had done (see v. 43), what did Jesus try to make clear to His disciples (see v. 44)?



65. The disciples didn’t understand what Jesus said, and they were afraid to ask Him about what He was teaching them (see v. 45). Why didn’t they understand (see v. 45)? Why might they have been afraid to ask Him? (See Mark 8:31-33.)


True Greatness—Read Luke 9:46-50

66. What were the disciples disputing with one another about (see v. 46)?



67. What did Jesus use as a visual lesson to address the disciples’ dispute (see v. 47)?




68. What was the specific answer Jesus gave to the disciples’ dispute (see v. 48)? (See also Matthew 18:4; Mark 9:35.)




69. What lessons can be learned from what Jesus told the disciples about what it takes to be great in the kingdom of God? (See Matthew 5:19.)



70. Sectarianism can be defined as conflict between groups. John and the other disciples had seen someone casting out demons in Jesus’ name and had forbidden him to do so (see v. 49). What did Jesus tell John about different sects (groups) doing miracles in His name (see v. 50)? (See also Mark 9:39-40.)



Samaria Rejects Christ—Read Luke 9:51-56

71. A specific time had arrived in of Jesus’ ministry. What time was that (see v. 22)? What did Jesus do (see v. 51)?



72. Jesus sent messengers, probably His disciples, to make arrangements for Him in a village of the Samaritans. Why did the Samaritans not receive Him (see v. 53)? (See also John 4:9, 20.)



73. When the brothers James and John, who had seen Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration, saw that the Samaritans had rejected Jesus, what did they ask Jesus if He wanted them to do (see v. 54)?



74. It was likely this question that earned James and John a nickname. What was their nickname? (See Mark 3:17.)



75. James and John were zealous for Jesus and His mission. What did Jesus say about their zeal (see v. 55)?



76. In rebuking James and John’s zeal, what did Jesus say the Son of Man came to do and not do (see v. 56)?



77. Because the village of the Samaritans did not receive Jesus and His disciples, what did they do (see v. 56)? What else might they have done (see v. 5)?



True Cost of Discipleship—Read Luke 9:57-62


78. Someone approached Jesus and said, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go” (v. 57). Who was this person? (See Matthew 8:19.)




79. By his response in verse 58, what do you think Jesus was communicating to this person? (See also Luke 14:25-33.)



80. Jesus said to another, “Follow Me,” but this person responded to Jesus by saying, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father” (v. 59). This saying was common in that culture and referred to taking over the family business and receiving an inheritance when the father passed away. The disciple was essentially saying, “I’ll follow you later—after I receive my inheritance.” What was Jesus’ response to the request to delay discipleship (see v. 60)?




81. A third person said to Jesus, “Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house” (v. 61). Although Elijah permitted Elisha to do this very thing (see 1 Kings 19:20), what did Jesus communicate about the importance of the kingdom of God (see v. 62)?

Detailed Notes

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  1. Introduction
    1. The gospel of Luke is the longest narrative in the New Testament
      1. Luke and Acts combined make up 28 percent of the New Testament
      2. Luke offered more in terms of literary real estate than anyone else, even Paul
    2. The single most important question that you will ever answer is "Who is Jesus Christ?"
      1. If you make a decision about who Jesus is based on the polling available, you will be in hot water
      2. You must first discover what He said about Himself, as well as what those closest to Him said
    3. There are a variety of opinions about Jesus
      1. He was an Essene, a member of the Qumran community by the Dead Sea
      2. He was a member of the Pharisees; His teaching is similar to that of Hillel
      3. He was a Galilean hasid, a strict adherent to Old Testament traditional law
      4. The Jesus Seminar is still trying to figure out who Jesus is
      5. Parts of the Talmud say that Jesus was the illegitimate son of a woman named Mary and learned the magical arts of Egypt
    4. Jesus had been with His disciples for almost three years; now it was time for the test
  2. Luke 9:18-22
    1. John 6:15
    2. After this, Jesus and His disciples went to Caesarea Philippi
      1. Matthew 16:13
      2. Caesarea Philippi was at the headwaters of the Jordan River, which gave life to the land
      3. At the very source of life for the nation, Jesus posed this question
      4. Caesarea Philippi was also an ancient worship center
        1. In the Old Testament, it was one of the centers of Baal worship
        2. Included a temple, Paneas, to the Greek god Pan
        3. Included a temple built by one of the Herods to Caesar Augustus
      5. It was as if Jesus contrasted all of that to Himself
    3. John the Baptist
      1. Matthew 14:1-2; there were similarities between Jesus and John
      2. John was fiery and no-nonsense: Luke 3:7; Matthew 3:7
      3. Jesus was too: Matthew 23
    4. Elijah
      1. Malachi 4:5-6 predicts that Elijah will come again
      2. There were also similarities between Elijah and Jesus
      3. Elijah was a miracle worker: he raised a woman's son from the dead (see 1 Kings 17:17-24); Jesus raised people from the dead
      4. Elijah stopped the rain for three and a half years (see 1 Kings 17:1; 18:1); Jesus had incredible power over natural forces
    5. The ultimate question: "Who do you say that I am?"
      1. It's foolish to make a decision based upon what the popular beliefs are
      2. It's best to discover for yourself
    6. If you're an atheist, here's a challenge
      1. Read one chapter of the gospel of John a day
      2. Then answer this: "Who is Jesus Christ? Who did John believe Jesus Christ to be? Who did Jesus claim He was?"
    7. Matthew 16:16
    8. The word Christ comes from the Greek Christos, which means anointed
      1. Hebrew word mashiach, which means the anointed one; literally, to smear
      2. A person would be smeared with oil as an indication of special service or anointing, like a king
    9. Verses 21-22: this wasn't the time for Jesus to wear a crown; this was the time for Him to bear a cross
      1. But this did not fit into the apostles' preconception of the Messiah
      2. By this time, there was a standard belief system as to who the Messiah would be—a messianic eschatology, or a belief concerning end-time events
      3. Before the coming of the Messiah
        1. There would be great turmoil
        2. An Elijah-like forerunner would come (see Matthew 11:14)
        3. Then the Messiah Himself would come rule and reign from Jerusalem
        4. Scattered Jews would return to Zion, and there would be peace
      4. The apostles believed they were somewhere between stages one and three
      5. They also hoped to reign with the Messiah
  3. Luke 9:23-36
    1. Two approaches to life
      1. Deny yourself or live for self
      2. Take up your cross or repudiate the cross
      3. Follow Jesus Christ or follow your own schemes and agenda
      4. Lose your life for Him or save your life for the world's sake
    2. This is discipleship
      1. Matthew 5:45
      2. Evangelism is just the beginning; we ought to be focused on growing up new believers
      3. Jesus didn't say go into the world and make converts; He said go and make disciples (see Matthew 28:19)
      4. All of us are called to this role in discipleship
    3. "Deny himself" (v. 23)
      1. Jesus did not say, "You must deny things for yourself"
      2. He said don't make it about you; don't live your life for you
      3. "True humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less" —C.S. Lewis
      4. Get off the throne; let Him sit on the throne of your life
    4. "Take up his cross" (v. 23)
      1. Have you heard people talk about the trials in their lives as the cross they have to bear? That's not what it means
      2. The cross is an implement of death
      3. It's not an inconvenience or a trial; it means death to the old way
    5. Verse 28: Luke said eight days later while Matthew and Mark said six days later
      1. Luke was aware of what Matthew and Mark wrote
      2. "About eight days after": Luke was rounding out the number
      3. Luke was probably including two events along with the six days
        1. Jesus asking His disciples who He was
        2. The day of the transfiguration
    6. Why Moses and Elijah at the transfiguration?
      1. Moses represented the Law
      2. Elijah was considered the greatest of the Old Testament prophets to the Jewish nation; he represented the prophets
      3. The Law and the prophets endorsed the Messiah
      4. In the New Testament, the Old Testament is often called "the Law and the Prophets"
      5. Luke 24:27
      6. Moses and Elijah also both experienced a glorious appearing from God on a mountaintop and were rejected by Israel nationally
      7. Both had interesting endings
        1. Moses
          1. Jude 9
          2. Perhaps God has a purpose for his body in the future
        2. Elijah; 2 Kings 2:11
      8. Could it be that in the end of days before the second coming, Moses and Elijah will come again?
        1. Revelation 11:6: the two witnesses sound a lot like Moses and Elijah
        2. According to Peter, what he saw on this mountain was a preview of the second coming; 2 Peter 1:16-18
    7. You shouldn't be waiting on the mountain; you need to be working in the valley
    8. This was about six months before Christ's crucifixion
      1. This happened around October, the Jewish month of Tishri, during the Feast of Tabernacles
      2. Peter said they should make three tabernacles
      3. Tabernacles look back to the past and ahead to the future
        1. Back to when God provided for them in the wilderness when they lived in tents
        2. Ahead to the messianic age when the land will enjoy peace
        3. It was as if Peter said, "You're setting up the messianic age right here; let's get ahead of the game and build the first three tabernacles"
    9. "A cloud came and overshadowed them" (v. 34)
      1. Moses was used to this
      2. Exodus 13:21-22; 40:34-38; the shekinah glory, the presence and glory of God
    10. Peter didn't know what he was saying in verse 33, but he essentially placed Jesus, Moses, and Elijah on the same level
      1. In return, God exalted His Son (see v. 35) and took away the Law and the Prophets (see v. 36)
      2. This is very significant
  4. Luke 9:37-62
    1. After such a glorious, heavenly scene, they were confronted with such a hellish situation!
    2. With every blessing God gives you, the Enemy will be there to try to take it away from you, to challenge your faith
    3. Why did Jesus react this way? (see v. 41) He gave the disciples the power and authority (see v. 1)
    4. Peter, John, and James saw the greatness of God on that mountaintop, but now the other nine disciples as well as the crowd saw the greatness of God down in the valley
    5. We need constant reminders of the greatness, majesty, and power of God to keep our faith going
    6. Your life should have a worship and an evangelism component
      1. When we worship, it's like the mountaintop: Jesus is shining and we see His glory
      2. When we do evangelism, we bring the shekinah glory of God into the valley
      3. We need both; we need to wait on the mountain and witness in the valley
    7. Verse 46: we come to Jesus, and after a while, we start thinking we're something special
      1. We begin like dogs: "He's the Master!"
      2. Then this feline theology creeps into our personal walk and we start thinking we're special and in a position of greatness
    8. The Jewish Talmud said that any time spent with a child was a waste of time
    9. Jesus was saying that your greatness is determined by how you treat the weakest or most insignificant among you
    10. The story of the little child and the story of the itinerant Jewish exorcist: the same root problem with the disciples was pride
      1. Romans 12:3
      2. Numbers 11:26-29
      3. Philippians 1:15-18
      4. The message has the power, not the messenger
    11. Verse 51: the rest of the book from here on out is Jesus on the road to Jerusalem
    12. 2 Kings 1; Jesus didn't come to burn, but to bless
    13. Verses 57-59 show us that Jesus deals individually with each person; He has an individual plan for your life

Figures referenced: Jesus Seminar, C.S. Lewis

Greek/Hebrew words: Christos, mashiach, Tishri, shekinah

Cross references: Exodus 13:21-22; 40:34-38; Numbers 11:26-29; 1 Kings 17:1, 17-24; 18:1; 2 Kings 1; 2:11; Malachi 4:5-6; Matthew 3:7; 5:45; 11:14; 14:1-2; 16:13, 16; 23; 28:19; Luke 3:7; 9:1, 18-62; 24:27; John 6:15; Acts; Romans 12:3; Philippians 1:15-18; 2 Peter 1:16-18; Jude 9; Revelation 11:6


Transcript

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Introduction: Welcome to Expound our verse-by-verse study of God's Word. Our goal is to expand your knowledge of the truth of God by explaining the Word of God in a way that is interactive, enjoyable, and congregational.

Skip Heitzig: Father, in this place and at this time we confront you, our Father, the living God on the pages of the living Word. We call it that because the writer of Hebrews said, "The Word of God is living and powerful; it is sharper than any two-edged sword." And, Father, we fall under its might, we submit under its authority, because we believe that by so doing we are submitting ourselves to you. You are the one we believe superintended the text, so that what the authors wrote with their own personalities and individual style represented exactly what you wanted to convey to the human race.

As, Lord, we look at Luke's account and we consider his perspective, we also want to weigh our own lives in the light of what we read and what we hear and what we can see with our mind's eye going on in the original setting. We pray, Father, that not only will you search us and test our hearts, but that you will reveal to us the ways in which we can be most pleasing to you according to the gifts and callings you have given to us, in Jesus' name, amen.

The single most important question that you will ever answer is: Who is Jesus Christ? Who was he? Who is he? In asking the question I'm well aware of the variety of answers that I would receive if I asked a group of ten or twenty people. I'd get ten or twenty different opinions. One of the things we're going to see in the first few verses where we are reading tonight is that if you make a decision about who Jesus is based on the polling available, you will be in hot water. You cannot go, necessarily, by what somebody else says about him. You first must discover what he himself said about himself, his own claims, as well as those who were the closest to him and saw him and heard him and wrote about him. You have to consider the source material before you answer the question: Who is Jesus to me?

Now, I say that there's a lot of opinions. Over the years many have offered a variety of identities. Some believe that Jesus was an Essene. Some of you have never heard of that term. An Essene was a member of a community that lived down by the Dead Sea. And there was a community called the Qumran community where we got the Dead Sea scrolls. And Essenes were strict Essenic. They lived out by themselves in very harsh climates. And some believed that Jesus was one of them. That doesn't appear to be according to evidence of the New Testament. Others have tried to identify Jesus as a member of the Pharisee group, because they say his teaching is very similar to a very famous, more ancient rabbi named Hillel. Hillel was very direct when it came to his interpretation of the text of the Old Testament and very refreshing to people, a master teacher.

And so some believed that Jesus must have roots in that kind of Judaism. Still others have said that Jesus was a Galilean hasid, H-A-S-I-D; that is, someone who was a strict adherent to Old Testament traditional law, but one who lived in Galilee. See, you have three different opinions already. If you were to further inquire to the group that calls themselves the Jesus Seminar---ever heard of them? The Jesus Seminar is still to this day trying to figure out who Jesus is based upon what they think is a New Testament text or a spurious text, and they're sifting through them all the time. According to Jesus Seminar latest ideas, however, is that Jesus was an illiterate carpenter from the lowest cast of artisans in Galilee.

If you were to check the Talmud, some of the ancient Jewish writings, they say that Jesus was the illegitimate son of a woman named Mary, whom they fancy was a hairdresser. Where they get that I'm not quite sure, [laughter] but that's their opinion: Mary was a hairdresser. I don't know if she had her own salon in Nazareth or what they think, [laughter] but they say Jesus was the illegitimate son of Mary. And some go so far as to say that she was impregnated by a Roman soldier by the name of Panthera. After she became pregnant, she moved down to Egypt, which the Bible says that Jesus was raised for part of his early childhood in Egypt along with Joseph and Mary, and that he was exposed and learned the magical arts of Egypt. So basically they're saying he was the illegitimate son of a hairdresser and basically was a con man, not the real deal.

It is important to answer the question: Who is Jesus Christ? Who did he say he was? Who were the closest associates to him? What was their testimony? Before I answer the question, and I must answer it, who I say he is. Now this is in the forefront of Jesus' thinking, I believe, at the time we are entering into the text that we're, believe it or not, about to enter into. I know it's a lengthy introduction, but I want to set it up for you. You see, Jesus has been with his disciples for almost three years and he has revealed himself to them. And now it's time for the final, so to speak. He's going to give them a test and it's a fairly straightforward test. I wish all my tests had only two questions, but this has only two questions. "What do others say about me?" and "What do you say about me?" are the basic lines of questioning.

Okay, if you remember, last time where we left off was the feeding of the five thousand. And we don't get it in Luke's account, we don't get it in Matthew's account, we don't get it in Mark's account, but in John's account of the same miracle, the feeding of the five thousand, immediately after the miracle we are told that some of the people who saw and experienced that miracle tried to take Jesus by force and make him a---what?---a king. They wanted to crown him as their king, so Jesus immediately stole away from the crowd, went away from the crowd, because he knew this was dangerous. He knew they had an agenda. They wanted to use him as a political pawn, and so he takes his disciples and he goes twenty-five miles north. Now when I say that, they didn't get in a car and drive twenty-five miles, like from here to Belen.

That's about the distance. Imagine walking twenty-five miles. So they walked twenty-five miles to a very verdant, green, beautiful area, the northern part of Israel, one of my favorite places to go. It's hill country. It's green. It's the headwaters of the Jordan River. And up in that place where the highest mountain is, Mount Hermon in the north, in an area known as Caesarea Philippi, Jesus takes them and asks these questions. In verse 18, "It happened, as he was alone praying, that his disciples joined him, and he asked them, saying, 'Who do the crowds say that I am?' And so they answered and they said,' "---and notice the variety of answers. Just like all the ones I listed off, here's a few more.

"So they answered and said, 'John the Baptist, but some say Elijah; and others say one of the old prophets has risen again.' He said to them, 'But who do you say that I am?' Peter answered and said, 'The Christ of God.' And he strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one." We are not told here where they are. Matthew does give us the precise location. It was in the area of Caesarea Philippi. That's an ancient city. It's a landmark city. Caesarea Philippi was built at the headwaters of the Jordan River. The Jordan River is the river that gives life to that land. The river flowed and any water that flows in Judaism is known as "living water." It's not stagnant. It's not in a pool. It's moving. So at the very source of life for the nation, at the very source of living water, something that would be very significant in Judaism, he poses this question to them.

But that's not all, Caesarea Philippi in that area they have found archaeologically the remains of fourteen different temples. It was a worship center in ancient times. For example, in the Old Testament it was one of the centers of Baal worship in the north. Remember Baal or Ba'al, B-A-A-L? It was one of the centers of pagan Baal worship, nature worship, essentially. It comes all the way back from the Babylonians. That was in Caesarea Philippi. There were other temples, including one to the Greek god Paneus. Ever heard of the god Pan, P-A-N? It is believed by the Greek that Paneus was born in a cave nearby. And if you go there today, I could show you some of the niches in the rock where once altars and places where icons were kept to worship the god of Pan, Paneus the Greek god.

Also, it was a place where a temple was built by one of the Herods to Caesar Augustus who was deified and worshiped in the Roman Empire. So it's as though Jesus uses this backdrop---significant to the Jews, the wellspring of their nation with the Jordan River headwaters and once a place of pagan worship---to contrast all of that to himself. So it's a significant place and he asked the question and he gets the answer: "Some say you're John the Baptist." It is interesting how rumors spread, you know. I know they didn't have social media. They couldn't Instagram a picture of, you know, J. the B., you know, down at the Jordan River with his hand up baptizing people. And, you know, we get news so quickly. Back in those days anything that happened was spread sometimes rather slowly by whatever travelers happened to be taking the trade routes.

So this idea that Jesus was somehow John the Baptist was a prevalent one. Even Herod had heard that John the Baptist, whom he beheaded, had risen from the dead. But I've often wondered why is it that people thought that Jesus could have been John the Baptist risen from the dead, and I can suppose because there were similarities between Jesus and John. John was pretty fiery. John was no nonsense. John, you know, said, "You brood of slimy snakes! Who's warned you to flee from the wrath to come?" It's like, "Okay, um, is that your sermon for the day, John?" [laughter] I mean, he was, like, in your grill. But then there were times where Jesus could be very salty, and in Matthew 23 seven times, "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites!" You know that litany from that chapter.

"Some say you're John the Baptist." But then they said, "Some say you're Elijah." Now wait a minute, wait a minute, Elijah's been dead by this time nine hundred years. How on earth could they think that Jesus was Elijah? Well, Malachi, the last book in the Bible, second to the last chapter---excuse me, the last chapter predicts that John the Baptist will come. Okay, pardon me, the last two verses of the Old Testament, which is chapter 4 of Malachi. The last two verses of the Old Testament predict that the prophet "Elijah will be sent before the great and dreadful day of the Lord." Elijah is coming, so they anticipated Elijah is coming before the coming of Messiah. "Elijah is coming." To this day if you've ever been to a Jewish Passover, there's an empty chair for . . . Elijah the prophet just in case he might show up at your house.

You want to keep the door open, you want to keep a chair for good old Elijah. But also there were similarities between Elijah and Jesus. Elijah was a miracle worker, he raised a woman's son from the dead; Jesus raised people from the dead. Elijah was able to stop the rain for three and a half years; Jesus had incredible power over natural forces. So, "'some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, or one of the old prophets risen again.' He said to them, 'But who do you say that I am?' "Now herein is the ultimate question. It's a question that everybody needs to answer. Not only what do people think about Jesus? What does your Bible as literature professor think about Jesus? What do you think? What say ye? How do you answer that? And can you see by just looking at this that it's foolish to make a decision based upon what the popular beliefs are or what the polls are saying?

It's best to discover for yourself. Now, if you're here tonight and you happen to be an atheist, first of all, I'm so glad you are here. You are welcome here. But let me give you a challenge. Or if you're, like, not really sure, let me just give you a challenge---I'm not gonna---I'm going to cut through all of the deep defense for the faith on textual evidence and all that stuff, but I'm just go to ask you to do a challenge, a twenty-one-day challenge. It'll take you ten minutes a day, twenty-one days. Here's my challenge: read one chapter of the gospel of John a day. Take you about ten minutes. If it gets a little, like, you have questions about this or that, you don't understand it, don't worry, just keep reading. And then answer the question, simple question: Who is Jesus Christ? Who does John believe Jesus Christ to be?

Just get Jesus 100 percent, you know, undiminished, unfiltered, you know, straight up, and answer the question: Who is Jesus Christ? Who does John say that he is? Who does Jesus claim that he is? " 'Who do you say that I am?' Peter"---I love it---" 'You are the Christ of God.' "In Matthew it's a little fuller answer, remember?"You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Same basic answer. Luke shortens it a little bit. "You are the Christ." In other words, "You are the Messiah." The word "Christ" in English comes from the Greek Christos which means anointed. And it's the translation of the Hebrew word mashiach, which means the Anointed One. But do you know where the word mashiach comes from? Do you know what it means? It literally means to smear, to smear. And the idea is that a person would be smeared with oil, an indication of special service or anointing.

Kings were smeared, anointed with oil. So the idea of the smeared one, the Anointed One, the one who was set apart, one anticipated long before this that would be the deliverer of Israel---you're that one. " 'You are the Christ [the Anointed One of God]. And he strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one"---and we've already talked about why he said that---"saying this, 'The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.' " They were not ready for this. They made the discovery: "You are the anointed one. You are the mashiach. You're the Messiah. You're the one that the Jewish people have been waiting and longing for. You're the one the prophets wrote about. You're that one."

Jesus says, "Don't tell anyone." And here's why: because they already tried to make him a king by force. And he will be the King one day, but this wasn't the time for him to wear a crown, this was the time for him to bear a cross. And so he says, "The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day." I can just see a couple of the apostles going, "Like, uh, no." They're, you know---sometimes people "amen" a sermon, they were going like, "Uh-uh, I disagree with that." Because here's why: this did not fit in with their preconception of Messiah. You know, by this time---and we have talked about this. By this time there was a standard belief system as to who the Messiah would be, right? There was even an eschatology, a messianic eschatology or a belief concerning end-time events.

And they believed that they were in the end times when the Messiah would come. And here's their little four-plan scenario: number one, they believed that before the coming of the Messiah there would be great turmoil, a great political, national upheaval. And they thought that was fulfilled now that Rome had completely taken over the Holy Land. They were under the taxation and the oppression of the Roman government, so, check, number one has happened. Number two, during that turmoil an Elijah-like forerunner will come, if not Elijah himself. No wonder they were interested in John the Baptist. And Jesus said, "This is Elijah, if you can receive it," but then he said, "Elijah still is yet to come." So it's like---what?! No. I hope you're asking that. I want you to hold onto that thought.

Number three, after the Elijah-like forerunner, the Messiah himself will come, and the Messiah will rule and reign from Jerusalem. Number four, scattered Jews from around the world will return to Zion and there will be peace in the world. The apostles believed they were somewhere between stage one and stage three. They thought that the Messiah had come, and if the Messiah had come---"And this is you. This is this guy right here. Jesus, you're the Messiah"---he's going to conquer the Romans soon, the scattered Jews will return home, and the kingdom age will start. That is what they were thinking. So for them to hear this: "Don't tell anybody that I'm the Messiah, because I'm not here the wear the crown, I'm really here to bear to cross right now. I'll be back to wear the crown, but right now it's to bear the cross."

"The Son of Man must suffer many things . . . by the elders, chief priests, scribes, and be killed"---here's the most important part---"and be raised the third day." He predicts his own death and his own resurrection. Now, I'm saying all this to you because I want you to understand that after Jesus dies on the cross this is the reason these apostles are so devastated and disoriented. "He's dead! It's over! There's nothing left. Let's go back home. Let's go fishing. Let's forget this dream that we've been living. It's a dream." They're devastated. They did not expect this. Jesus is trying to tell them this. "Then he said to them all, 'If anyone desires to come after me' "---oh, I didn't tell you this: once the Messiah rules and reigns and the scattered Jews come back home and now there's peace on earth, they're hoping to reign with him as well.

That's important to the story. They're hoping to reign with him as well. They want a position in the "Cabinet." They want to be in the messianic "White House." They're hoping for that, and you're going to see a little argument later on in this chapter about that. So, "Not only am I going to die, but if you're going to follow me, guess what?" And here's the rest of story: "If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? For whoever is ashamed of me and my words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when he comes in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels.' "

Two approaches to life are seen in these verses: you can deny yourself, you can live for self; you can take up your cross, you can repudiate the cross; you can follow Jesus Christ, you can follow your own schemes and agenda; you can lose your life for him, or you can save your life for the world's sake. These are two different approached to life. This is discipleship he's talking about. "If you're going to follow me, let me just map it out for you. This is what is included in following me." "Oh, wait a minute, they told me at church that if I raised my hand and come forward, I'll have peace and joy and everything will be perfect." We never tell people that, by the way, when they come forward. "It's all going to be rosy. Life's just all of a sudden now in Technicolor, and, yes, you can see clearer than ever before."

And, yes, I felt the day I got saved like a burden was lifted and I knew where I was going, but life is life and it's tough. "The rain falls on the good and the bad, the just and the unjust. The sun shines on the just and the unjust," the words of Jesus himself. We love evangelism, do we not? We love to see people come forward. We love it, but that is just the beginning. I really think as much as we clap and get excited and we say, "Ah, it's the best part of the service when people receive Christ," we ought to be as much impressed, focused on growing them up. Jesus never said, "Go into all the world and make converts." He said, "Go and make disciples," followers, those who are growing. And all of us are called in some capacity to this role in discipleship. So he says, "If you want to-you want to follow me"---just look at these steps---"deny himself."

Now please, please see that. He's not-he's not saying---he doesn't say, "You must deny things for yourself. You want to buy that; don't buy it. You want to eat that; don't eat it. Deny things for yourself." That's not---he's not saying, "Give something up for Lent." He's saying, "Deny you, deny yourself, not things for yourself, but don't make it about you. Don't live your life for you. Don't be selfish. Don't be self-centered. Deny yourself." C. S. Lewis used to say, "Humility isn't thinking less about yourself or thinking poorly about yourself; it's really just not thinking of yourself at all." Repudiate yourself. Get off the throne. Let him sit on the throne of your life. Deny yourself. Then he says, "Take up his cross." Now, have you heard people talk about the trials of their lives? And they'll say something like this, have you heard it, "Well, it's just my cross to bear"? [laughter]

And they almost say it, well, pridefully. Like, "I'm going to really get something good because I'm married to him. [laughter] And I'm still with him, but he's my cross to bear." [laughter] "That's my cross. I'm taking up my cross." Or at some mean boss, or pushy, bossy mother-in-law: "My cross to bear." [laughter] Listen, that's not what it means. Every Jew, every citizen of that land hearing these words knew exactly what Jesus was talking about. The cross was an implement of death. To this hour in that part of the world men and women are being crucified. Christians are being crucified like they were in Roman times. Brothers and sisters of ours today are being put on crosses in the Middle East because they believe in Jesus. If you were to say, "Take up your cross," it doesn't mean a little trial you'll go through, it means death. So it's not an inconvenience. It's not a little trial.

It means death to the old way. Now "death" implies a new life, but you can't have the new life and live in the graveyard. You get rid of the old, you deny yourself, you take up your cross, and then you follow him. "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world"---talk about maximum hyperbole. I've never met somebody who's gained the whole world, but imagine somebody who is in control of the whole world, but lost his own soul. Or Jesus says here in Luke---"is himself destroyed or lost?" Interesting story: in the year 1000 AD, 180 years after the death of Charlemagne, you've heard of him, Charlemagne the king of the Franks. He died and 160, 180 years afterwards in 1000 AD, Otto the third, the German ruler ordered the tomb of Charlemagne to be opened.

And they found, among other things, immense treasure buried with him. And still on his---just his skeletal remains. On his skull, his cranium was his crown, and in his lap a Bible, and his bony finger, the distal phalange, to be exact, pointing to a verse of Scripture. It happened to be this verse. So just get the picture, the king with the crown, now dead, pointing to this: "What profit it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?" I just imagine finding that. I think I'd be converted on the spot. That'd be enough for me. That'd be a sign. " 'But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.' " Now we wouldn't know what that meant. They didn't know what I meant until we have the follow-up story.

"Now it came to pass, about eight days after these sayings, that he took Peter, John, and James"---most of the writers say, "Peter, James, and John." Luke says, "Peter, John, and James." He must have been reading the Old Testament about "the older will serve the younger." "And he went up on a mountaintop to pray. As he prayed, the appearance of his face was altered, and his robe became white and glistening." I want to just make a quick note, because there may be a question about this. And if there isn't a question, fine. But sometimes people have questions and they're not answered and they don't even ask them, and so they may go away going, "You know, there's problems with the Bible." So I want to address it. Luke says it came to pass eight days later. Matthew and Mark say six days later. They both agree on the timing of six days. Luke says eight days.

Now, somebody goes, "See, there's a contradiction in the Bible." Okay, I have so much to say about this and so little time. Luke was aware of what Matthew and Mark wrote at this time. So he was no idiot, right? So, first of all, he says it was "about eight days," so he's rounding it out, number one. Number two, he's probably simply including two events along with the six days; that is, the day that Jesus asked his disciples in Caesarea Philippi, "Who do men say that I am?" and extracted that confession from Peter, as well as the day of the transfiguration itself, bookending the six days, making it eight days. Either way you slice it, really not a big deal. And he was aware of what Matthew and Mark had written. So we can push that aside. It says, "Behold," verse 30, "there were two men that talked with him, who were Moses and Elijah."

So I know we've read this, but please be impressed that two dead guys are appearing with Jesus. And he's shiny, right? He's glowing. He's like glow-in-the-dark Jesus with Moses and Elijah. I mean, it's like, what!? Why Moses and Elijah of all of the people that could come from the Old Testament? Why not Abraham? I mean he's the father of the nation and father of faith. Why not David, since the Messiah is going to be the lineage of King David? That's the promised Messiah. Why Moses and Elijah? Well, Moses represents the Law; Elijah was considered the great prophet, the greatest of the Old Testament prophets to the Jewish nation, and Elijah was representative of the prophets. So we have the Law and the Prophets endorsing the Messiah. And often times---have you read in the New Testament when they talk about the Old Testament, they call it "the Law and the Prophets."

And so Luke will tell us in Luke 24 after the resurrection the two on the road to Emmaus that Jesus "Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, expounded to them in all of those Scriptures the things pertaining himself." So the great lawgiver Moses, the great prophet Elijah. Moses and Elijah also had a glorious appearing from God on a mountaintop. Moses and Elijah were also at some point in their ministry rejected by Israel nationally. So it's only fitting that Moses and Elijah show up. Now remember Malachi says that Elijah is coming, right? Oh, oh something else: Moses and Elijah have interesting endings. First of all, Moses, he died. The Bible tells us he died, but the New Testament tells us that Satan and Michael the archangel were having an argument over Moses' body, which is just to me, well, weird, fascinating. I'll say it's fascinating.

Why are these two guys duking it out over a dead guy's body? Why could they care, unless perhaps God has purpose for that body in the future. Let's just throw that out there. Then there was Elijah, according to Scripture he didn't die, he was taken up into heaven. So Moses and Elijah are talking with Jesus about the future, especially his death and the meaning of that. The Bible says that "Elijah will come before the great coming of the day of the Lord." And could it be that in the end of days, before the second coming, Moses and Elijah, like here, will come again to this earth? Could it be possible that in Revelation, chapter 11, where it describes two witnesses that come to the earth and one has the power to turn the waters into blood, and the description of that person's work sounds an awful lot like Moses and Elijah as well.

And so it's a thought that perhaps the two witnesses are indeed Moses and Elijah and they're just showing up before, because according to Peter---and I'm trying to put a lot of thoughts together in your mind---according to Peter, what he saw on that mountain was a preview of the second coming. We read that this last Sunday. He said, "We did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known unto you the power and the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We were eyewitness of his majesty . . . when we heard that voice come from the heavens [from God himself] on the holy mountain." He was referring to this. So Moses and Elijah are there, "Who appeared in glory and spoke of his decease [or his departure] which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. But Peter and those with him were heavy with sleep." I'm not going to knock that.

"And when they were fully awake"---so, you know, you're sleeping and you wake up to this, right? And when you wake up to this, you think, "That's the weirdest dream I've ever had," but you're awake now. "When they were fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. And it happen, as they were parting from him, that Peter said to Jesus, 'Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three tabernacles: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah,' " notice what Luke says, "---not knowing what he said." There's sometimes you just start moving the mouth for really no good reason. You just talk, you just---you're processing it out loud, you're talking out loud. He didn't know what to say, so he said this. However, I kind of get what Peter's saying.

I mean, if I saw this, if I saw Jesus in glory and I saw Moses and Elijah appear, I don't want to leave that. This is as good as it gets. I understand this whole idea of "Let's just stay right here. Let's just live up in the mountaintop." Ever gone to a retreat and it's just so good? You're up in the mountains, you're at Glorieta, the Lord speaks to your heart, changes your outlook and you go, "Oh, I don't want to go back to work. [laughter] I just want to live right here at this camp." And here they are in the mountain, waiting on the mountain, but they need to be working in the valley. And it's wonderful to be up there, but there comes a time where it's done, you gotta go back. Something else: according to chronographers, chronology tells us that this was about six months before the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

So we can reasonably state that the times that Jesus appeared on this mountain---Mount Hermon, I believe, that tall mountain up north in Israel----was around October, or the Jewish month of Tishri, or during the Feast of Tabernacles. Now, that's important, because he says, "Let's just make three tabernacles: one for you, Moses, and Elijah." Now, what's significant about tabernacles? Well, tabernacles look back to the past as well as ahead to the future. Looked back to the past when God kept their forefathers in the wilderness provide for, and the they'd live in these tents, these tabernacles for one week. But it would also look ahead to the messianic age when the land would enjoy peace. And it's as if Peter is saying, "Look, let's just, you know, we're---you're setting up the messianic age right here right now.

"We're kind of getting that. Let's just kind of get ahead of the game, build the first three tabernacles to celebrate ushering the coming of Messiah." "While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were fearful as they entered the cloud." Ooh, it's getting a little spooky now. [laughter] They turn the haze machines on, on the mountain. There's a cloud. Now Moses and Elijah were up there. Moses, in seeing the cloud come down---was he used to that? Yes, he was, wasn't he? When Moses went up to meet with the Lord, first of all, when he was just in the tent of meeting, remember it says, "the cloud of the glory of God," the Shekinah, the Shekinah, if you're from Texas, the Shekinah [laughter] came down and hovered over the cloud. And it was that cloud that led them through the wilderness. Moses was very familiar with this cloud.

It was a cloud that represented the presence and glory of God. But these disciples, they were afraid. "And a voice came out of the cloud saying, 'This is my beloved Son. Hear him!' When the voice ceased, Jesus was found alone. But they kept quiet," nice, "and told no one in those days of any of the things that they had seen." Peter didn't know what he was saying, and in saying what he said, he was in reality saying, "Let's build three tabernacles: one for you, Moses, and Elijah," as if to say, "I am placing you all on the same level, all on the same level." The absence of Moses and Elijah and only Jesus after God saying "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. Listen to him!" he's exalting his Son and taking away the Prophets and the Law.

It's very, very significant and a whole night could be spent on that. I will spare you that. "Now it happened on the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, that a great multitude met him." Now do you think that Peter, James, and John coming down from that mountain were like stoked? They were pumped up. They had seen what the other nine did not see. They had something special to talk about that they couldn't say anything, except to each other. But you know they were just like smiling. It's like, "Wow!" And then the other guys said, "What? What happened?" "Nothing. [laughter] I can't tell you. I can't tell you." [laughter] But they were just---they're just on cloud nine, right?

But watch: "Suddenly a man from the multitude cried out, saying, 'Teacher, I implore you, look on my son, for he is my only child. And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out; and it convulses him so that he foams at the mouth; and it departs with him with great difficulty, bruising him. So I implored your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.' "After such a glorious, heavenly scene, to be confronted with such a hellish situation." I knew we should have stayed on the mountain!" "I knew I shouldn't go back to work on Monday!" [laughter] You come back from that and all of a sudden you're challenged. And you will discover with every blessing God gives you, the enemy will be there to try to take it away from you and to rattle your cage and to shake you up and to challenge your faith.

"And then Jesus answered"---I mean, if that's not bad enough, listen to Jesus' answer to this father who comes speaking about, I believe, his disciples. " 'O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.' " Why would Jesus react this way? Well, go back to verse 1 very quickly and you will get the answer. "[Jesus] called his twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases." He gave them the power. He gave them the authority. There was some glitch in the transmission of that. Jesus responds, " 'O faithless and perverse generation . . . Bring your son here.' And as he was still coming, the demon threw him down and convulsed him. And Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the child, and gave him back to his father. They were all amazed at the majesty of God."

Please notice this. "But while everyone marveled---while everyone marveled at all the things which Jesus did, he said to his disciples, 'Let these words sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men.' But they did not understand this saying, and it was hidden from them so that they did not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask him about this saying." Did you notice how that is described? "They were all amazed at the majesty of God." You see, those three, Peter, James, and John, or Peter, John, and James, they saw the greatness of God on that mountaintop. But now the other nine, as well as the crowd, are seeing the greatness of God down in the valley. I believe that we need constant reminders of the greatness, majesty, and power of God. I think we need that to keep our faith going.

I don't know if you think that or not, but I do. And when I hear and see---and I see a steady stream of things like this, true stories. A man who walks forward at an altar call and his wife afterward comes up in tears and said, "For years I've been praying for that man. He is so hardhearted. Tonight he gave his life to Jesus," I see the majesty of God. When I see a couple who's financially strained, praying, trusting in God, and God from out of nowhere, seemingly, blessing them, sustaining them financially, I see the majesty of God. And story after story I could recount. They, those three, saw something on the mountain, but the rest saw something wonderful down in the valley. So, here's the deal: when we worship---let me back up. Your life should have a worship component (you're interfacing with God), and should have an evangelism component (you're interfacing with the world).

Do you believe that? Okay, so when we worship, it's like the mountaintop. We're up high in the mountain. Jesus is shining in worship. When we worship personally, privately, as well as corporately, Jesus is shining. We see his glory. It's like, "Ah, yeah! It's so good." But when we do evangelism, we're bringing the Shekinah glory of God into the valley, into the world, into the place where Satan is messing with people's lives. And we need both, we need both: we need to wait on the mountain; we need to witness in the valley. "Then a dispute arose among them as to which of them would be the greatest." They're still thinking of "This is it, end-time eschatology. We're about to go in the kingdom. I want to be in the White House, Messiah's White House."

"And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a little child and set him by him, and said to them, 'Whoever receives this little child in my name receives me; and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For he who is least among you will be great.' " What happens to us where we come to Jesus Christ, we're just so broken and we're just so humble and God is so big and we're so unworthy, but then after a while we get a little fat and sassy. And we start thinking, "You know, I'm something special. I'm really-I'm really amazing." Consider the difference between dogs and cats. The master comes home and pets his dog. And the dog wags its tail and looks up and thinks, "He must be God." But then the master pets the cat. And the cat purrs and falls asleep thinking, "I must be God." [laughter] That is the difference between dogs and cats, by the way.

Cats really do not care about you; they don't. [laughter] We begin like dogs. "He's the Master. He's great. He's awesome. Wow! Wow." But then this feline theology creeps into our own personal walk and we start thinking, "I'm special. I need a position of greatness." So Jesus puts a little child in front of them. And the idea of a little child was very important, because the Jewish Talmud regarded any time---especially if you were in theological studies---any time spent with a child is a waste of time. Can you imagine that? And what Jesus was showing is like, "You guys think you're so great, but your greatness is determined by how you treat the weakest among you or what you would call the most insignificant among you. If you're really great, those are the people that will concern you."

"And John answered and said, 'Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name' "---that's good---" 'And we forbade him' "---that's bad---" 'because he doesn't follow with us.' Jesus said to him, 'Do not forbid him, for he who is not against us is on our side.' " Evidently, there's this itinerant Jewish exorcist who is somehow attached or related to Jesus, has power, it is working. And I can't explain how that all---because we're not given the information. But the apostles are bummed out: "Well, he doesn't go to our church." [laughter] And it's very similar to the story we just read. The stories are put together by Luke for this purpose: the same root problem is pride. In Romans 12, Paul says, "I write to all of you that you ought to not think of yourself more highly than you ought to think." Don't think of yourself more highly than you ought to think.

"Jesus says, 'Don't forbid him, for he who is not against us is on our side.' " I love the way Moses answered Joshua when Joshua said, "Moses, there's a couple of dudes around here named Eldad and Medad and they're prophesying in the camp. You need stop them." This is in Numbers 11. We read that, I don't know, forty years ago when we were in Numbers. [laughter] Remember what Moses said? He said, "Joshua, are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all God's people would prophesy and the Holy Spirit would be on all of them." This isn't a competition here. Or how about Paul the apostle? He's in jail, he's in prison, and he writes the Philippians. And he understands that some people are seeing Paul's imprisonment as an opportunity for them (preachers) to exalt themselves and their own ministry in Paul's incarceration.

And Paul says, "What do I care? I rejoice that Christ is preached, whether it's for a good motivation or a bad motivation." Do you know what he's saying? "The message has the power, not the messenger. It's the message. And if the message is being preached, don't care who the messenger is, don't care what the motivation is." That's the idea here. "Now, it came to pass, when the time had come for him to be received up, that he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem." Now is the change in the gospel of Luke, this verse. The rest of the book is Jesus on the road toward Jerusalem. "And he sent messengers before his face. As they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, to prepare for him. But they did not receive him, because his face was set for the journey to Jerusalem.

And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, 'Uh, Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, as Elijah did?' " [laughter] Now, they're not joking. Second Kings, chapter 1, is the reference. Don't have to turn there. Here's the story: Ahaziah the king tells fifty of his men to arrest Elijah "the man of God." And so they come to him, to his house, they go, "Man of God, we've come here to arrest you and take you to the King Ahaziah." And Elijah said, "If I am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven and destroy you all." And it did. So the king sent out another group of fellas to do to same thing, and---"Man of God, we're here to get you." I think they should have maybe said it a little slower. He said, "If I'm a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and destroy you."

And the third group begged him, "Please, we don't want to be Post Toasties, just please come with us. [laughter] We'll be really nice to you." That's the reference. "But he turned and rebuked them, and said, 'You do not know what manner of spirit you are. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them.' "He didn't come to burn, but to bless. "And they went to another village. Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to him, 'Lord, I will follow you wherever you go.' And Jesus said to him, 'Well, foxes have holes, birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.' "Now Jesus is on the road. He's going to Jerusalem. Somebody says, "I want to follow you." "Okay, understand that if you are actually, literally going to follow me, that I'm going toward Jerusalem and I'm going to be camping out.



"I don't have a place to lay my head, so count the cost. If you're going to follow me, it's going to be hard. I'm on the way to the cross. I can't provide you a pillow with a mint." "And he said to another, 'Follow me.' But he said, 'Lord, let me first go and bury my father.' " Interesting how one person says, "I'll follow you," and Jesus says, "Now, wait a minute," and then he goes to another person and he says, "Now you, you, I want you to follow me." All this does is show us that Jesus deals individually with each person. He has an individual plan for your life. "Jesus said, 'Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.' "You never want to use that as a funeral text, by the way."And another also said, 'Lord, I will follow you, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.'

"But Jesus said to him, 'No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.' " And we'll have to bear explanation on all that next time we're together, because our time is up. Thank you, Father, for your Word. Thank you for faithful people who desire to learn and grasp and dig through and be reminded of your truth.

Father, one thing that we see here is the sweetness of Jesus not wanting to destroy, but wanting to bless, to save people's lives, not to destroy them. I pray, Lord, if anybody here is not a saved person, they're feeling the weight of condemnation, maybe rightly so, because they're under the condemnation that the law says they are under because they're not right with God. And, yet, Jesus came to fulfill the law and give a gift to each one of salvation. If people trust in Jesus, he'll do that for them. I pray if anyone is here who's in that situation, that they would call upon you and be saved, in Jesus' name, amen. Let's stand to our feet and close in worship.

Closing: If you've missed any of our Expound studies, all of our services and resources are available at expoundabq.org.

Additional Messages in this Series

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6/25/2014
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Luke 1:1-25
Luke 1:1-25
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Luke gave a methodical account of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection that painted just one perspective of the full portrait of Christ. In this study, we recount the 400 years between the Old and New Testaments and see how God closed the Old Testament with both a promise and a curse. In a natural segue, Luke picked up on that promise with the story of Zacharias and Elizabeth, and we see how God turned the curse into grace when Jesus entered the picture.
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7/9/2014
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Luke 1:26-80
Luke 1:26-80
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Two thousand years ago, an angel announced to the young virgin Mary that she would give birth to the Son of God. Her response of faith and song of praise demonstrated a deep love for the Lord. As we close out the first chapter of Luke, we are also introduced to the man who would announce Jesus the Messiah, and we are exhorted to reevaluate our own concept of greatness in light of God's view.
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7/16/2014
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Luke 2
Luke 2
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As we study the birth of Jesus in Luke 2, we learn about the events surrounding this special occasion, including the days leading up to Jesus' birth, Joseph and Mary's journey to Bethlehem, the angel's proclamation to the shepherds, and blessings from two people present at Jesus' dedication in the temple. Through these events recorded in Luke's gospel, we are reminded about God's sovereignty, Jesus' humility, and our salvation.
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7/30/2014
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Luke 3
Luke 3
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In Luke 3, we are introduced to John, the forerunner of Jesus. Although John seemed to be an unusual man and shocked many people by what he said and did, his dedication to follow the Lord is what made his life count. Jesus even said that there hasn't been anyone greater than John. As we get a glimpse into his life and character, we are directed to the message he wished to proclaim: Jesus Christ the Messiah.
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8/6/2014
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The Genealogy of Jesus Christ
Luke 3:23-38
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When studying the Scriptures, genealogies can often be overlooked, mistakenly seen as an unimportant list of names. But as we consider the genealogy of Christ found in Luke 3, we find that the lineage of Mary, Jesus' mother, shows us four important things about Christ and solves one of the biggest problems of the Old Testament.
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8/13/2014
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Luke 4:1-29
Luke 4:1-29
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After Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River and filled with the Holy Spirit, He was led into the wilderness, where He experienced a season of oppression and conflict. In this study, we see the tempting offers the Devil extended to Jesus and how Jesus handled them, and we learn how to overcome our own temptations.
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9/3/2014
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Luke 4:16-5:26
Luke 4:16-5:26
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As we wrap up Luke 4 and begin our study in Luke 5, we continue to explore the public ministry of Jesus, examining aspects of His character as the promised Messiah, our compassionate healer, our great teacher, and the Son of Man who forgives sins. In this passage of Scripture, we learn what it means to serve the Lord and follow Him with uncompromised obedience.
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9/10/2014
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Luke 5:27-6:19
Luke 5:27-6:19
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God uses a variety of people to build His kingdom; in fact, the men Jesus chose as His disciples might even go on a list of "Most Unlikely to Succeed." In this study, we see how Jesus' interactions with His disciples, the Pharisees, and the multitudes were infused with a deep compassion. We are also reminded that God chooses to use the foolish things of the world, and we can take comfort knowing that He sees us for who we will become.
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9/17/2014
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Luke 6:17-7:23
Luke 6:17-7:23
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Jesus' public ministry of preaching to the multitudes and performing miracles went against the flow of the world—especially since He reached out to the downtrodden with love and grace. As we continue our study through Luke 6-7, we examine a different take on the Beatitudes, observe an extraordinary encounter with a Roman centurion that even left Jesus amazed, and learn what it means to live with Jesus as our Lord.
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9/24/2014
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Luke 7:19-8:3
Luke 7:19-8:3
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As we finish our study of Luke 7, John the Baptist comes back into the picture, this time imprisoned and doubting who Jesus is. But Jesus comforted John through the message He sent, and we consider why Jesus called this final Old Testament prophet great. Then, in a passage of Scripture found only in Luke's gospel, we observe the great mercy Jesus extended to the outcasts of society He often spent time with—in this case, women.
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10/1/2014
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Luke 8:1-39
Luke 8:1-39
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Jesus displayed a great measure of compassion throughout His ministry on earth, whether He was performing miraculous works or revealing deep spiritual truths. In this study of Luke 8, we consider Jesus' power to save and heal us, and we learn from His actions and parables about what it means to grow spiritually and place our faith in Him.
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10/8/2014
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Luke 8:40-9:17
Luke 8:40-9:17
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The miracles Jesus performed show that He is sovereign, compassionate, and powerful. Throughout His ministry on earth, a number of people approached Him by faith to ask for healing. As we study Luke 8-9, we see how Jesus met these people where they were and how He challenged His own disciples to trust in God's provision. We are reminded that God cares deeply for us and that He will use us in big ways if we offer Him what we have.
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11/5/2014
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Luke 10
Luke 10
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The service we give to the Lord is important, but it's equally important to sit before Him in adoration. In Luke 10, we read that Jesus sent out a group of His followers to share His message of peace, told the parable of the good Samaritan, and encountered sisters Mary and Martha. As we study these stories, we are reminded to keep our focus on Christ.
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11/19/2014
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Luke 11:1-28
Luke 11:1-28
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As the disciples listened to Jesus' teachings and watched Him perform miraculous works, they also saw His dynamic prayer life with God the Father. In this study of Luke 11, we learn that praising and pouting are difficult to do at the same time, see Jesus' great power as he encountered an unclean spirit, and break down the prayer that He gave to the disciples.
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1/7/2015
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Luke 11:29-12:21
Luke 11:29-12:21
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As the antagonism toward Jesus began to grow, the focus of Luke's gospel transitions from the works of Jesus to the words of Jesus. In this study, we see that the Pharisees were unwilling to accept Jesus, focusing only on outward acts. We are cautioned to watch out for hypocrisy in our lives and focus on our relationship with God rather than material satisfaction.
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1/14/2015
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Luke 12:22-13:9
Luke 12:22-13:9
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As Jesus began His private ministry to His disciples, He explained what the attitude of His followers should be. In this study, we are reminded that we can rest in God's care because of our new relationship with Him, even when we're tempted to worry. We are also challenged to let our faith become action by living differently than the world and working to bring others into God's kingdom while we still can.
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1/28/2015
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Luke 13:10-14:24
Luke 13:10-14:24
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Jesus often searched out those who were overlooked by society. He wanted to heal them and love them so He could showcase His work in them to the world. Unfortunately, His acts of love weren't always accepted. In this study, we see the response of His religious adversaries who strictly adhered to the Law of the Old Testament. We also learn that tradition can cause us to miss the most important thing: a relationship with the Lord.
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2/4/2015
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Luke 14:15-15:32
Luke 14:15-15:32
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Jesus was a master storyteller, and He shared stories that shed light on some important truths. In this study, we examine five different parables of Jesus about things that had been lost. We learn what our highest priority should be, what it really means to be a disciple, and what the Lord is all about—rescuing those who were once lost and redeeming them for His glory.
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2/11/2015
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Luke 16:1-18
Luke 16:1-18
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After Jesus addressed several religious leaders in Luke 15, He turned His attention to the disciples to teach about stewardship. Jesus essentially asked them what they were investing their lives in—the temporal or the eternal? In this study, we learn that we must answer this same question and that our response will reveal who we truly serve.
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2/18/2015
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Luke 16:19-17:37
Luke 16:19-17:37
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As Jesus continued to talk to His disciples and the nearby Pharisees, He told them stories about the kingdom of heaven and warned those listening about their eternal fate. He also shared four basic things expected of those who follow Him. In this message, we're challenged to forgive freely, serve faithfully, live thankfully, and be prepared for Jesus' second coming.
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3/11/2015
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Luke 18
Luke 18
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In Luke 18, Jesus continued to share parables with those He encountered, explaining that humility and persistence in prayer are pleasing to the Lord. We also see Him tenderly bless children and call out a rich young ruler's obsession with wealth before we wrap up the chapter by looking at the faith of a blind man Jesus healed.
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3/25/2015
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Luke 19
Luke 19
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In Luke 19, Jesus Christ entered Jerusalem as the Messiah and the Passover Lamb, beginning the grand finale of His life: death on the cross. As we look at the story of Zacchaeus, we learn that all of us are short in stature, spiritually speaking. We're also challenged to faithfully serve the Lord, and we study one of the Bible's most intricate prophecies about the end times.
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4/1/2015
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Luke 20
Luke 20
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Luke 20 is all about confrontation: in the middle of the crowded temple court, Jesus addressed the Pharisees and Sadducees' pointed questions with sharp wisdom and divine discernment. Mere days before His crucifixion, we also see Jesus expose the sin of His chosen people and discuss the topics of baptism, taxes, and the resurrection of the dead.
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4/8/2015
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Luke 21
Luke 21
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As Jesus continued to teach in the temple just days before His death, He noted the generosity of a poor widow and then launched into the Olivet Discourse, in which He gave an overview of what the end times will look like. This chapter of Luke is extremely relevant for believers today as we watch and wait for Jesus to come back and establish His kingdom on earth.
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4/15/2015
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Luke 22:1-46
Luke 22:1-46
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In Luke 22, Jesus and His disciples celebrated the Passover, which was—and is—of monumental importance to the Jewish nation. As we get into the details of the Passover meal itself, we examine how Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross would soon transform the meal's meaning, and we are reminded of the coming kingdom and Jesus' love for all people.
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4/22/2015
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Luke 22:39-23:1
Luke 22:39-23:1
Skip Heitzig
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Message Summary
Human life—including human failure—began in the garden of Eden, but new life began in the garden of Gethsemane. In the second half of Luke 22, we see how Jesus fought the battle for our eternal fate, and we learn about Judas' betrayal and Peter's denial, both of which demonstrate God's sovereignty and control.
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4/29/2015
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Luke 23
Luke 23
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Luke 23 details the sentencing, beating, crucifixion, and death of Jesus Christ, the Anointed One. In our study of this chapter, we explore the significance of where Jesus was crucified and ponder the great truth that the cross had to come before the empty tomb.
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5/6/2015
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Luke 24
Luke 24
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Message Summary
As we wrap up our study in the book of Luke, we zero in on the event that sets Christianity apart from every other religion: the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In this message, we dive into the details surrounding the resurrection, including the women's visit to the tomb, the disciples' conversation on the road to Emmaus, and Jesus' ascension.
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There are 28 additional messages in this series.
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