LUKE-In the Steps of the Savior (Page 4)
As we continue our series—“In the Steps of the Savior”—we have come to the fifth chapter of the Gospel of Luke. Jesus is just getting started with His earthly ministry and His fame is growing. Already, He is known for His unmatched power and authority—power to heal those with diseases, authority to cast out demons, and the aptitude to teach like no one else in His day. We have come to the place in His-story where He is ready to call some of His followers to a greater level of commitment. In our passage today, we’ll be observing not only the actions and attitudes of some of these men who were candidates for becoming Jesus’ apostles, but we will also consider the high price of following Him.
There is nothing quite like the build up and anticipation for a winter storm in the South. A week ago today, the local meteorologists were telling us to get ready because a winter storm was on its way. Well, we’ve heard that before when it was much ado about nothing. But nonetheless, we prepare. Many would argue that the raids on the grocery stores and closing of schools and businesses are not only needed, they are essential. I wouldn’t disagree, but I do think we might take it a little overboard when we start hoarding 14 gallons of milk for a storm that’s supposed to last two days. Today, as we continue our study through the Gospel of Luke—In the Steps of the Savior—we’re going to spend a little time focusing on some things that Jesus considered essential. Then we will attempt to apply these principles in our own lives to see how we might emulate Jesus’ actions today.
When Jesus visited his hometown of Nazareth, he was invited to speak in the synagogue. What he had to say was life-changing and profound but the people failed to accept his message. What kept the people from fully embracing Jesus? What did it cost them and what will it cost us if we fail to believe on Jesus?
We find in Luke 4:1 that Jesus was “led by the Spirit” of God to go out into the wilderness. We want to focus our attention this morning on what did and did not happen while Jesus was out there. We also want to analyze Jesus’ behavior to see how we might imitate Him in order to conquer the power of the sinful urges we all experience in our lives. Temptations surround us everywhere we turn. How will we overcome these things to honor God with our lives? Let’s look at Jesus’ example for conquering the power of temptation
If you’ve been keeping up with our study in the Gospel of Luke, you know that we have made our way through the nativity narrative and Jesus’ childhood adventures. Last week, John the Baptist declared, “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.” And so now we are about to encounter Jesus for the first time as an adult—He is being presented to the world out in the middle of nowhere by “Creepy John.” This presentation was spectacular—but I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s see what happens in Luke 3:21-22.
As we jump into the third chapter of Luke this morning, we are re-introduced to Zechariah’s son, John, who became known as John the Baptizer (or John the Baptist). John’s ministry was eccentric and unconventional. He did not teach in the synagogues like the other rabbis (or teachers) of his day. He did not dress like them or even eat the same kinds of food. He was definitely different! The message that John proclaimed was also different. It’s not that it had never been preached before, but no one at that time was preaching it. In fact, it had been centuries since any of the Lord’s prophets or leaders had focused on the truth of this message. John’s message was a message of repentance. He focused his teaching on an individual’s need for repentance and personal, spiritual transformation.
Every year, we have an opportunity to reevaluate our walk with the Lord—to make adjustments to our daily routines and recommit our lives to Him. I want to encourage you to make a plan for your daily disciplines with the Lord. If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail. How will you invest time with the Lord in 2022? The final section of this second chapter of Luke focuses in on an event that happened when Jesus was twelve years old. As was their custom, Mary and Joseph went to Jerusalem during the feast of Passover. But as they left, Jesus did not leave with them. Let’s take a look at Luke 2:41-52 to discover just what He was doing and why He was doing it. From His example, we will learn what our priorities should be when it comes to spiritual growth.
One of the things that I hope to go see one day is the world’s most famous geyser, Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park. This geyser faithfully erupts about 20 times a day. As we think about the concept of faithfulness, I want us to think about how that no matter what is going on in your life, if we want to truly be faithful to the Lord then we need to be faithful in every situation. In Luke 2:22-40, we will spend some time looking at each of the characters in this story to see how they demonstrated their faithfulness to God.
Luke 2:1-21 is probably the most popular book of the Bible during December because it is the story of Jesus being born. It also mentions another authority, an earthly authority named Caesar Augustus. Through conflict and struggle, Augustus ascended to the title of Emperor, while offering the world his version of peace and joy. God sent His only son Jesus to the world as a baby, bringing true joy and true peace.
After the return of the Jewish people to Judah from captivity in Babylon, there was a period of almost 400 years where God did not speak to His people through His prophets. This is known as the “Silent Period” between the Old and New Testaments. This “Silent Period” continued until sometime around 7-6 BC when the Lord sent an angel to proclaim the coming of the Messiah and His forerunner–these are the stories of Zechariah and Elizabeth and Mary.