Through the Bible - Luke

God bless you. Father God, thank you for the miraculous work that you have done in each of our lives and are doing. Lord, as Your Word is able to transform us, You are able to renew our minds as we study Your Word. So, as we study and get into the Gospel of Luke tonight, I ask that You would give us insight and application, Lord, and help us to be changed, renewed, and challenged. For we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.

Well, the favorite question of our Saturday night service is, how many of you read the Gospel of Luke in the last couple of weeks? A few of you. Good. There you go. You can ask the Lord; He’s the one that grades those things.

Now, the Gospel of Luke is actually a two-part work. Not just the Gospel of Luke, but you'll know that the author of this Gospel, these 24 chapters, is also the author of what New Testament book? The Acts of the Apostles. We are going to be in the Book of Acts in a couple of weeks. The Book of Acts is a powerful book that covers the first 20 or so years, 20-plus years, of the church and shows how the Lord moved His church away from that little city of Jerusalem to the uttermost parts, just as He had told His disciples there in Acts 1, verse 8.

God fulfilled His Word in those first 20-plus years as the Gospel began to spread from the time that Jesus ascended into heaven until the time that the Apostle Paul was beheaded there in Rome. The testimony of the early church was, "These are the men who have turned the world upside down." God did just a powerful and miraculous work through them.

Now, the one who recorded the accounts of the move of the Gospel from Jerusalem to the uttermost parts of the world in the Book of Acts is also the one who recorded the Gospel according to Luke here.

As we're going to be looking at tonight, we read in the very first few verses, the first four verses of the Gospel of Luke, chapter 1: "For as much as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of these things which are most surely believed among us, even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word, it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all the things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, that you might know the certainty of those things wherein you have been instructed."

The author of this Gospel, although he is not named as Luke, is writing to an individual by the name of Theophilus. We read about Theophilus in Acts, chapter 1, verse 1: "The former treatise which I have made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments to the apostles whom he had chosen. To whom also he showed himself alive after his passion, by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God."

You can see how it just picks up right where the Gospel of Luke leaves off. The author of the Gospel of Luke and the author of the Book of Acts are the same individual. However, he is not named; it doesn't say, "I, Luke, write these things" when you read through these texts.

So, how do we know that he was the one who wrote them? The reason we know comes from some internal evidence in the Book of Acts. There are several passages in the Book of Acts where the entire book is basically written in the third person, telling the story of what took place in the early church during the first thirty years. However, there are three or four passages in the Book of Acts where it changes from third person to first person.

The first time this occurs is in Acts, chapter 16, verses 10 through 17, where the author says, "And we traveled from here to there," during Paul's second missionary journey. You will also see this in Acts, chapters 20, 21, and 27. Don't write those down now; we will be looking at the Book of Acts in a couple of weeks.

In total, there are four places in the Book of Acts where the author refers to himself in the first person: "We traveled from this place to this place." As you begin to see the different individuals that are named in those passages, it becomes clearer who the author is.

It can only come to be one person: Luke. Luke was a physician and a Gentile, probably of Greek descent, so he is not a Jew. He is writing primarily to a Greek crowd as he addresses Theophilus, whose name is very Greek.

Does anyone have any idea what Theophilus means? It translates to "friend of God" or "lover of God," because "Theo" refers to God, and "Phileo" relates to loving. Thus, Theophilus can be understood as a lover of God. This Greek man, Luke, is writing to a primarily Greek audience or someone from a Gentile background, and he is presenting Jesus as the Son of Man.

We have discussed the four different Gospels and how they are focused on different crowds of people. Matthew is written primarily to a Jewish audience, presenting Jesus as the King, the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament. Mark presents Him as the servant, the one who came not to be served, but to serve and give His life as a ransom for many. Mark chapter 10, verse 45, serves as the theme verse for this Gospel. Mark was written to a Roman audience, showcasing Christ as the servant.

The Gospel of Luke portrays Christ as the Son of Man, which is the title most often used for Jesus in the Gospels. The theme verse for Luke is found in Luke chapter 19, verse 10, which states, "For the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." Luke aims to show Jesus as the Son of Man who has come to seek and save the lost.

John, on the other hand, writes to just about everybody, with a grand scope that encompasses the whole world. His purpose is articulated in John chapter 20, verse 31, which says, "These things are written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you might have life through His name."

In summary, Matthew focuses on Jesus as the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament, Mark emphasizes Him as the servant who came to serve and give His life as a ransom for many, Luke presents Jesus as the Son of Man who seeks and saves the lost, and John reveals Jesus as the Son of God, through whom we can have life. These are the different focuses of these books, and Luke was written not long after Jesus ascended into heaven.

As you go through the Book of Acts, you see that Acts was the second book written by Luke. The Book of Acts ends before Paul was martyred, before he was beheaded. It seems to speak of events that were taking place right at that time. The Book of Acts concludes with Luke in Rome with Paul, prior to his trial and ultimately his death, which took place around 63 A.D.

I want you to think about that for a moment. Jesus ascended into heaven somewhere in the early 30s A.D., and within 30 years, this gospel was written. There are those who do not believe in the divine authority of the Scriptures; they do not believe that the Scriptures are fully God's word. Consequently, they try to diminish the early date of these writings. However, when you break it down, these books were written very early. The Gospel of Luke was probably written in the late 50s or early 60s A.D.

In the first century, while the church was still growing and while Paul was still alive, he was very likely the primary source of the information that Luke received and wrote down. Paul received from the Lord a revelation of what took place during Jesus' ministry. Luke was a traveling companion of the Apostle Paul, and it is likely that Paul shared these events with him, prompting Luke to sit down and write them down.

We know that Luke was a physician, and many Greek physicians were often taken as slaves by the Romans. Wealthy individuals would have their own in-house doctor or physician. There is a good possibility that Luke was one of those in-house physicians who may have been a slave but was later released. Somewhere along the line, he became a believer. Church tradition holds that he lived a very long life, reaching the age of 84, as has been handed down throughout the ages.

Luke had a significant life because God used him to write the Gospel of Luke and also the Book of Acts, which beautifully reveals how God worked and built His church. Remember in Matthew chapter 16 when Jesus was with His disciples in the northernmost area of the nation of Israel, at Caesarea Philippi? He asked His disciples, "Who do men say that I am?" Some said He was Elijah, others said He was one of the prophets. Then Jesus asked, "Who do you say that I am?" Peter spoke up, "You are the Christ."

The Son of the living God. Jesus says there, "Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, Simon, son of Jonah, but my Father who is in heaven has revealed this to you." He continues, "You are Peter, and upon this rock, I will build my church."

When he says, "You are Peter," the word Peter in Greek is "petros," which means a small stone or a small rock. However, the phrase "upon this rock, I will build my church" does not refer to Peter. The Roman Catholic Church believes that God was going to build His church upon Peter, making him the rock and the first pope. That is not what Jesus was saying.

What is the rock that Jesus was referring to? It is his confession: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." But who is going to build the church? Jesus is. We see in the Book of Acts how Jesus builds His church. When the church allows Jesus to build it, the church flourishes.

When man tries to take over and manufacture it, the church may grow numerically, as we see many churches throughout history that have grown when man took control. However, it loses holiness. It becomes very liberal and man-centric, focusing on man rather than God. When God is allowed to build His church, it grows and flourishes.

You can pray for me that I keep my fingers off of it and let Him build it. Amen? The church is not to have our fingerprints on it; it is supposed to be God's church. I often tell the staff here at this church, "I'm not your boss; God is our boss." This is His church, and we seek Him for vision.

Please pray for the leadership of our church that we would receive that vision from the Lord regarding what He wants us to do. We are faced with all kinds of challenges right now, some of which I will be sharing with you in the next several weeks. We need the Lord's direction and vision because this is His church, and He will build it.

The Gospel of Luke shows us the life and ministry of Jesus. It was written early, prior to the Book of Acts, and it was intended to present Jesus to all Gentile people—those who had no Jewish background. Therefore, Luke does not refer much to Old Testament prophecy. There are a few instances where he mentions, "As it was written by the prophet Elijah" or "As it was written by the prophet so-and-so," but not nearly as much as the Gospel of Matthew, which was focused on a Jewish audience. Luke was writing to a group of people who did not have a strong Jewish background.

and Jewish history. He wants to show that Christ is the God-man, the one who has come to seek and to save that which was lost. For a general outline of the book of Luke, we can look to that theme verse in Luke 19:10: "For the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost."

The book of Luke can be broken down into three sections. The first section deals with the Son of Man coming, which is covered in the first three chapters. These chapters include the prophecy of Jesus' birth, as the angel comes and speaks to Mary, telling her that she is going to have a child. She was a virgin, and the Holy Spirit was going to overshadow her. She would bring forth a child, and she was to call his name Jesus. Thus, the first three chapters reveal the coming of the Son of Man.

The next section focuses on the Son of Man seeking. To seek out what? To seek out man, specifically those who are lost. You see the Son of Man seeking the lost in chapters 4 through 19. The Gospel of Luke is the longest of the four Gospels and the most comprehensive, covering a lot of material not found in the other three. In these chapters, Jesus ministers to the multitudes in a powerful way.

So, we have the Son of Man coming in Luke chapters 1 through 3, the Son of Man seeking the lost in chapters 4 through 19, and finally, the Son of Man saving the lost in chapters 19 through 24. These last chapters focus on Jesus' move to Jerusalem. We know what would take place there. As I have mentioned several times while going through Matthew, Mark, and now Luke, the Gospels are passion narratives with extended introductions. There are 19 chapters of extended introductions here, which serve as a casting call, as God tells us about everyone involved in this story.

However, the whole focus of the Gospel is on that last week of Jesus' life. As Jesus goes up to Jerusalem, he looks over the city and weeps for it. They usher him in, crying, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord." But this celebration is very short-lived. Jesus goes in.

And cleanses the temple. After cleansing the temple, we see Jesus ministering there and being examined by the Pharisees, the scribes, the Sadducees, and all the different groups that were leaders in Israel. They are examining the Lamb of God.

On that great Passover day, He was crucified on the cross, ultimately betrayed, arrested, tried, and crucified. He was then buried in the tomb, and three days later, He rose from the dead. The Gospel of Luke shows all this to us in a powerful and beautiful way. There are some passages in this book that I want to take some time to look at tonight, and we're going to begin with the rejection of Jesus at Nazareth in Luke chapter 4.

In Luke chapter 4, verse 16, we read, "And He came to Nazareth where He had been brought up. As His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and He stood up for to read. There was delivered unto Him the book of the prophet Isaiah. When He had opened the book, He found the place wherein it was written, 'The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me because He has anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and the recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, and to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.'"

Now, what was Jesus quoting? Isaiah 61. Here He goes to His hometown, where He grew up and spent a lot of His childhood in Nazareth. He stands up before the people gathered there on the Sabbath day, and they deliver to Him the book of Isaiah, and He reads this passage to them.

This was not abnormal; it was a normal occurrence on the Sabbath day. You may remember that Jewish tradition or culture dictated that a man would stand and read the Scriptures. As he stood, the people would always stand when the Word of God was read, and then he would sit. When he was seated, that was when he would teach. You see this throughout the Gospels; when Jesus would sit down, His disciples would come to Him, and He would begin to teach them.

Notice what happens in Luke chapter 4, verse 20. He closed the book, gave it again to the minister, and sat down. What do you think the people are expecting now that He has sat down? They are expecting Him to say something. They are waiting for Him to speak, and the eyes of all of them that were in the synagogue were fastened on Him.

They're waiting. What does this rabbi have to say? This one who grew up in their midst. He began to say unto them, "This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears." Now, that's powerful because they all knew and understood Isaiah chapter 61. Isaiah 61 spoke of the coming of the Messiah, that the Messiah would come with the Spirit of the Lord upon him, anointed to preach the gospel.

I want you to note that and underline it in verse 18 of Luke chapter 4. Over and over again, Luke repeats that Jesus, in his ministry, taught people. You see it probably a half dozen times in the Gospel of Luke that he would sit down and teach. He came to preach the gospel. We saw this in Mark chapter 2 a couple of weeks ago. You also see it in the Gospel of Luke when Jesus went to Capernaum, healed Peter's mother-in-law, and then multitudes came to him to be healed, including demon-possessed people. The demons were being cast out.

Early in the morning, Jesus went out into the wilderness and prayed. His disciples came to him and said, "Everybody's looking for you." He replied, "Well, let's go on to other towns because I have come to preach the gospel." He came primarily to preach the gospel.

He says here, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, the recovering of sight to the blind, liberty to them that are bruised, and to preach the acceptable year of the Lord." They knew this to be a messianic passage.

Then Jesus sits down, and they are all waiting for the rabbi to speak, for him to give some sort of teaching on that passage. He says, "Today this passage is fulfilled in your ears. Right here, it's fulfilled."

Now, do you think they jumped up, rejoiced, praised God, and wanted to exalt the Lord and worship him there? No. They all bore witness and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. They said, "Is this not Joseph's son?"

He said unto them, "You shall surely say unto me this proverb, 'Physician, heal thyself. Whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country.'" They had heard some messages, some rumors about how he was healing people and casting demons out of people down in the region of the Sea of Galilee. Nazareth is a ways away from the Sea of Galilee, up in the hill country, and they were saying, "We've heard reports about you, so come and heal our country as well."

He said, "Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country." He goes on to speak to them a little bit, and at the end of it, in verse 28, all they that were in the synagogue, when they had heard...

These things were filled not with joy and rejoicing, but with wrath. They were filled with wrath, and they rose up and thrust Him out of the city. They led Him to the brow of the hill on which the city was built, intending to cast Him down headlong. They wanted to kill Him. Here He comes and reads the prophecy of Isaiah about the coming Messiah, saying, "This is fulfilled in your ears," and they respond, "Nuh-uh, buddy. We're going to kill you."

So, they take Him out to kill Him, but He, passing through the midst of them, went His way. I think that's so awesome. Many times, we see a crowd rise up to try and stone Jesus or cast Him out and kill Him, and it's like the people just part like the Red Sea, allowing Him to walk through the middle of them. In another passage of Scripture, it almost seems to indicate that He just disappeared, and they didn't see Him anymore. It's pretty amazing that He walked right through the middle of them.

Notice what happens in verse 31. He came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and He taught them on the Sabbath days. That phrase is repeated in the Gospel of Luke: He taught them. He taught the people, and they were astonished at His doctrine, for His word was with power. The word "power" there is "exousia" in the Greek language, and it speaks of authority. He taught as one who had authority.

We see this at the end of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapter 7, where Jesus taught as one who had authority. All the people were astonished because He did not teach like the scribes and the Pharisees. The scribes would constantly quote other rabbis, saying, "Rabbi so-and-so said this," and "Rabbi so-and-so said that." But Jesus would come and say, "You have heard that it has been said of old time, 'You shall not kill,' but I say unto you." He spoke as one who had authority, and they were blown away by it.

We see the rejection of Jesus at Nazareth, but then in chapter 5, verse 16, we find an interesting passage of Scripture. As Jesus goes back to the region of Galilee, look at what it says there in verse 16 of chapter 5: He withdrew Himself to the wilderness, and He prayed. This is another phrase that's repeated several times in the Gospel of Luke. When He was in the midst of the multitudes, He would preach the Gospel, but when He was by Himself, what did He always do? He always fellowshipped with the Father when He was alone.

I think that gives us an interesting model for the life of Christ and for our own lives as well. How do we spend our time alone? What are we doing when we're just by ourselves? Do we recognize that we have communion and fellowship?

With the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, we have the opportunity to be in the presence of the Lord, whatever we're doing. When He was with the multitudes, He was always preaching the Gospel. When He was by Himself, He was always sitting at the Father's feet in prayer. He withdrew Himself; He made a determined point to take time away from everything that was going on to pray. This is a model that we need to practice as well.

We need to recognize that. We're going to look at that in a moment when we get to Luke chapter 11. He withdrew and prayed, and it came to pass on a certain day that He was teaching. So there He is, by Himself, praying. When He was in the multitudes, He was teaching. He was teaching, and there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which came out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. The power of the Lord was present to heal. I think I underlined that in my Bible when I was reading through this the other day because I just thought that was so awesome. The power of the Lord was present to heal. The Lord was there and ready.

Behold, men brought in a bed a man who was taken with palsy, a paralyzed man. They sought means to bring him in and lay him down before Him. When they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude that was there, they went up on top of the housetop and let him down through the tiling that was on the ceiling, on his couch, in the midst where Jesus was. When He saw their faith—underline that in your Bibles—when He saw their faith. How do you see somebody's faith? What is it? No, how do you see it? You see their actions, their faith displayed in their actions. Remember what James says: faith without works is dead. Our faith is pretty much unseen unless it begins to be acted out. We need to step out in faith.

So He saw their faith and said unto them, "Son, your sins are forgiven." Now, here is this paralyzed man lowered down to Him in the midst of a message. I can't even imagine what kind of distraction this may have been, but He says, "Son, your sins are forgiven." Now, what was it that the man needed? He primarily needed physical healing, but that wasn't the root problem. Had Jesus merely healed him, he would still have a heart problem that would eternally condemn him to hell. So Jesus deals with the primary problem first.

Every time I sit down to counsel with people for marriage counseling, I always ask both of them, "What's the root cause and what's the root reason?"

Are you here today? I will ask the husband and then the wife, and they will go through about ten or fifteen minutes explaining to me what the root causes are. However, it's not really the root causes; it's a bunch of symptoms. After a while, we finally get down to what the root cause is. Yes, this man was sick; this man was paralyzed. Why is there sickness in the world today? Sin. The root cause of all sickness and all death in this world is sin.

Jesus focuses on the root of this issue. He says, "Son, your sins are forgiven." Now, the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason among themselves, saying, "Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God?" Their question was right, but their understanding was wrong. When Jesus perceived their thoughts, this was an indication that He is God. He knew exactly what they were thinking.

He answered them, saying, "Why do you reason in your hearts?" They were questioning which is easier: to say, "Your sins are forgiven you," or to say, "Rise, take up your bed and walk"? But that you might know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins, He said to the man sick with palsy, "I say unto you, arise, take up your couch, and go to your house."

Now, Jesus asks these people a very interesting question. We need to remember that Jesus' miracles were always given as a witness. They were given to validate the message. The miracles were not performed just for the sake of performing miracles; they were meant to validate the message. Jesus was trying to preach a message when He said, "Son, your sins are forgiven." These people were thinking, "Wait a minute, only God can forgive sins. Who does this guy think he is?"

Jesus said, "So that you might know that the Son of Man," there’s that title again, "has power on earth to forgive sins," He said to him, "Rise, take up your bed and walk." So, what was the man rising, taking up his bed, and walking a proof of? Not only that He is the Son of God, but that He has the power to forgive sins. He has the authority to forgive sins. Notice what He says: "What is easier to say, 'Your sins be forgiven you,' or to say, 'Rise, take up your bed and walk'?"

I have had this discussion with many different people, especially in our school of discipleship, because this is one of the passages that we discuss, and there are always people...

Who says no? It's easier to say this. No, it's easier, and it starts a fight in our group sometimes. But Jesus answers His own question, and we need to recognize that He answers His own question: Which is easier to say, "Son, your sins are forgiven," or "Rise, take up your bed and walk"?

Well, if I said to someone, "Your sins are forgiven," what proof is there that their sins have been forgiven? I have no way of validating that. I have no way of showing that I have the power to forgive sins. But if I said to a person who is sick, lying there paralyzed on the ground, "Rise, take up your bed and walk," what proof has to come? He better rise, take up his bed, and walk, or you might take me outside and gather some stones because, obviously, I don't have any power or authority.

So, it is much more difficult to say, "Rise, take up your bed and walk," because there has to be instant proof—visual proof—right there, right then, that what I just said has power. The miracle of this man being able to rise, take up his bed, and walk was to validate the fact that Jesus had the power and authority to forgive sins.

Again, Luke is showing us the Son of Man, that He has power upon earth. The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. Here was a man who was lost, and Jesus says to him, "Son, your sins are forgiven you." Then He says, "Arise, take up your bed and walk." Immediately, in verse 25, he rose up before them, took up the bed upon which he was laying, and departed out of the house glorifying God. They were all amazed; they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, "We have never seen such strange things. We haven't seen this before. This has never happened in our midst."

There we see Jesus, the Son of Man, who has the authority to forgive sins, which is the ability to take a lost man and bring him back to redeem him. The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which is lost. The primary focus of the miracles was to validate the message. Read Mark chapter 16. Why do miracles follow those who go and preach the gospel? They are there to validate the message, to show that the message is real and true. When someone sees a powerful miracle right in front of them, they can't deny it.

Even though we have doctors who see miracles regularly and try to just pass it away, writing it down on charts and saying that it was a spontaneous resolution, we don't have an answer for it, but it just kind of fixed itself. It was pretty miraculous, and they just don't understand it.

You have a lot of people saying, "Oh, it was just the power of faith," or "just the power of prayer," or "just the power." No, it's the power of God. Yes, we reach God by our faith and by prayer, but ultimately, it's the power of God.

"Son, your sins are forgiven. Rise, take up your bed and walk." We see another man come to Jesus with great faith in chapter 7. As I was reading through the Gospel of Luke again just this last week, this passage jumped out to me in a way that I hadn't seen it before. I've obviously been reading it wrong or understood it wrong until now.

In Luke chapter 7, verse 1, it says, "Now when he had ended all his sayings in the audience of the people, he entered into Capernaum. A certain centurion's servant, who was dear unto him, was sick and ready to die. When he heard of Jesus, he sent unto him elders of the Jews, beseeching him that he would come and heal his servant."

When they came to Jesus, they besought him instantly, saying that he was worthy for whom he should do this, for he loves our nation and he has built a synagogue. Well, then Jesus went with them, and when he was now far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying unto him, "Lord, trouble not thyself, for I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof. Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come to thee, but say it in a word, and my servant shall be healed. For I also am a man set under authority, having under me soldiers. I say unto one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."

When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him and turned about and said unto the people that followed him, "I say unto you, I have not found so great a faith in all of Israel." Now they that were sent, returning to the house, found the servant whole that had been sick.

Now, how have I been misreading this, or how have I misunderstood this? In my mind, somehow along the way, I've come to think that the centurion came to Jesus and spoke to him, but he didn't. He sent first. Notice this: first, he sent rulers, elders of the Jews. This is in Capernaum; Jesus is in Capernaum. They say, "This man, this centurion, this Roman soldier who has authority over people, he has been a good man. He has helped us build this synagogue; he's been good to us."

So first, this Jewish man came to Jesus on behalf of the centurion, and then after that, as Jesus was coming to the man's house, he was met with...

The friends of the centurion never interacted with him one-on-one, face to face. They said to Jesus, "Hey, he knows that you are a man of authority, and he recognizes that he is not worthy for you to come into his house. He is not even worthy to see you." Jesus responded, "Man, this is great faith! This man has sent friends to ask for help on behalf of one of his servants who is near unto death."

What I see in this is that the centurion understood the culture of the Jews. It would not have been a good thing in Jewish culture, not biblically speaking, but culturally, for Jesus to interact with this Gentile or even to come into his house. Why? Because he was unclean; he was a Gentile in Jewish culture. Now, not in God's eyes, but just in Jewish culture, this was the case.

This was a culturally sensitive Roman centurion. He said to Jesus, "Listen, I am not worthy that you would even come into my house. I am not worthy that you would interact with me, but I understand that you have authority." Jesus acknowledged this as great faith.

We may be pulling a little more from the passage than we should, but I think we need to recognize this and also be culturally sensitive. If we went to Russia, the Philippines, or Africa, we would spend time discussing culture and how to interact in these settings. For example, if you went to India and introduced yourself by simply extending your hand for a handshake, what would be their reaction? They would be offended. They do not greet each other like we do.

In India, they greet each other by putting their hands together and bowing. They do not reach out and touch each other because, to them, that is an invasion and also unclean. We would talk about culture and the importance of being culturally sensitive. One thing we often forget is that we are surrounded by different cultures here, and we should seek the Lord on how to minister to them.

This centurion understood culture, which is what I see in this passage. It is a very interesting passage, but we also see that Jesus looked upon this man, who was a Gentile, a Roman, and a man of authority. He was someone that most of the people in the nation of Israel would not like, simply because of who he was.

But also, he was a man who loved the people of Israel. He loved the Jewish people; he loves our nation, and he has built a synagogue. Remember Genesis chapter 12? What does God say to Abraham? "I will bless him who blesses you." Here, we specifically see, I believe, a fulfillment of Genesis chapter 12: God blessing a man who blessed Israel. He healed this man's servant because this man had great faith.

Now, when Jesus, in Mark chapter 6, went to his hometown there in Nazareth, he was grieved because of the unbelief of his people. However, there are two times in the Gospels where we see Jesus amazed at the faith of Gentiles: the Syrophoenician woman in the Gospel of Mark, who comes to Jesus, and this man, the centurion from Rome, who also sends people to Jesus on behalf of his servant. This is a great passage that isn't found in the other Gospels—the centurion's servant being healed.

Another passage that stands out to me in the same chapter, Luke chapter 7, is in verse 17. It reads, "And this rumor of him went forth throughout all Judea and throughout all the region round about." The disciples of John showed him all of these things. Now, where was John the Baptist at this time? He was in prison. He had been thrown in prison because of some words that he said that were not politically correct.

We are quickly moving into that stage in our own nation where, by saying things that are politically incorrect, you might be thrown in prison. It's not there yet, but someday it may be. John said something that was politically incorrect in his day, and so he was thrown in prison by Herod. His disciples still had people following him. They came to him and told him about the things that had been going on with Jesus.

John, calling unto his two disciples, sent them to Jesus, saying, "Are you he that should come? Are you the Messiah?" This is basically what is being asked: "Or should we look for another?" When the men came unto him, they said, "John the Baptist has sent us unto thee, saying, 'Are you he that should come, or should we look for another?'"

In the same hour, he cured many of their infirmities and plagues and evil spirits, and unto many that were blinded, he gave sight. Then Jesus, answering, said unto them, "Go your way and tell John what things you have seen."

And he heard how the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and to the poor the gospel is preached. Blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended with me. This is a very interesting passage of Scripture. John the Baptist is in prison, and he had seen, as Jesus was baptized, the Spirit descend upon Jesus. He had heard the voice from heaven saying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

Now, he's in prison, and he sends a couple of his disciples to Jesus to ask him, "Are you the Messiah, or should we be seeking somebody else?" While they're there, they see Jesus casting demons out of people and healing the sick. Then Jesus comes and says, "Listen, go tell John what you've seen and heard. The gospel is preached to the poor, the blind are given sight, the dead are raised to life, the lame are healed, demons are being cast out of people. Go tell him what you've seen and heard."

He also adds something very interesting at the end: "Blessed is he whosoever is not offended with me." There are two different ways that this passage of Scripture is commonly viewed. One of them is that John the Baptist wanted his disciples to stop following him and to start following Jesus. That may be true, and I can see that in this passage. However, that last little reference in verse 23 makes me think that the other interpretation might be a better one.

The other view that is commonly held is that John the Baptist was having a very great testing of his faith. Like many Jews of his day, he believed that the Messiah would come to deliver Israel and get rid of the wicked rulers, like King Herod, who had thrown him in jail. He expected the establishment of a righteous kingdom. So, John the Baptist may have been a little disillusioned here, as he is in prison, and he knows that his death is very near. He is going to have his head severed from his body, which is not a good situation.

He knows that this isn't a good situation, and perhaps he is really hoping that this guy, the Messiah—his own cousin—might come and resolve the whole problem with Herod. He is not really fulfilling what John maybe expected him to fulfill. Remember, even Jesus' disciples didn't fully understand Jesus' primary mission when he first came, and they didn't get it.

Jesus says to John's disciples, "Go back and tell him the things you've seen and heard, and tell him, 'Blessed are you if you're not offended with me.'" You see, sometimes God doesn't work the way that we expect or think He should. I don't know if you've noticed, but the laughter indicates that you know what I'm talking about. There are times when God does not meet our expectations; He does not work the way that we think or expect Him to. I think this may be one of those situations. John the Baptist had a certain expectation of the Messiah that wasn't really coming to pass. Jesus says to him, "Blessed are you if you're not offended with me."

I believe that this can be spoken to every single one of us because God sometimes doesn't work the way that we want Him to or think He should. God says, "Blessed are you if you're not offended with me." I have met some people who are offended at God, upset because He has not worked in the way that they thought He should or would. I've met people who have told me that they believe in God, but they're mad at Him because He didn't heal their brother, sister, uncle, or maybe their father who had cancer. They prayed, and He didn't do it, and they are upset.

I think that this passage could rightly be spoken to such a person: "Blessed are you if you're not offended with Him." We need to recognize that He is the potter, and we are the clay. We have a perfect living example of this in a few weeks when Mike and Pam come to teach us on the 5th of November. Can the pot say to the potter, "Why have you made me thus?" The Lord has a plan, a purpose, and a reason for the things that He is doing. The trying of our faith is part of His allowance of the things that come into our lives for a reason, and oftentimes we do not understand why He is doing what He is doing.

Job did not have the opportunity to know what happened in Job chapters 1 and 2. He didn't get to hear what God said about him in heaven when God said, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is nobody like him in all the earth, an upright and righteous man." All Job knew was that all of his possessions and everything he had, including his children, were gone in one day. The next thing he knew, all of his health was gone in one day, and all he had left was a wife telling him to curse God and die. Then he had his three friends who showed up and were silent for seven days, just sitting there with him. But then they started accusing him, saying that if he hadn't sinned, this wouldn't have happened.

What have happened to Job? But that's not the case, is it? We don't always understand what's going on and why God is doing what He is doing. What we do need to recognize is that He is on the throne and knows what He is doing. It's very hard for us to understand that and live it when we're going through trials. We sing that song, "Blessed Be the Name of the Lord." He gives and takes away; that comes right out of Job. I will choose to say, "Blessed be the Lord."

Job was a great example to us of that, but even he had some trying days, as you read through the Book of Job. John the Baptist is another example. Jesus says something about him that I want to read to you. Jesus' account of John the Baptist is a blessing because He knows our frailties. He knows our frame; that we are dust. He knew that John the Baptist was just a man like any other man, although God had given him great power and filled him with the Spirit from birth. Yet, he had a crisis of faith, it seems. I could be wrong on this; maybe when I get to heaven, John will scold me about it, but we'll see.

In verse 24, when the messengers of John had departed, Jesus began to speak to the people concerning John. I want you to look at Jesus' testimony of John. He asked, "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken in the wind? What went you out to see? A man clothed in soft clothing? Behold, they which are gorgeously appareled and live delicately are in king's courts."

But what did you go out to see? He was talking to a group of people who went out to see John the Baptist in the wilderness. Many of them were baptized, and He asked them what it was that they went out there to see. Did you just go to watch the wind blow and the reeds in the river? No, I don't think that's what you went to see. Did you go to see someone really famous? If you wanted to see someone famous, you'd go to the red carpets to see that.

What did you go out there and travel to the middle of nowhere to see? He said, "You went to see a prophet. Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written: 'Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare the way of the Lord.'" This is from Malachi chapter 3, verse 1, and also Isaiah chapter 40.

For I say unto you, look at this powerful verse 28: "Among those that are born of women, there is not risen one greater than John the Baptist." But he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he. God doesn't play favorites; He is not a respecter of persons. He doesn't say, "I like John best because he did this." No, that's not the way it is.

This is the testimony of God as it relates to John. God did speak something of a small reproof to John, saying, "Blessed are you if you're not offended by me." However, John's disciples left, and they probably didn't hear this part where Jesus says, "What was it that you went out to see? You went to see a prophet? Yes, more than a prophet. Among those born of women, there is not a risen one greater than John the Baptist." God's testimony of John is a powerful testimony, and I think it's quite awesome to read there.

You and I go through those times where we are tempted to lose faith, but blessed are you if you're not offended. In chapter 9, verse 18, it came to pass as Jesus was alone—what was he doing? He was always praying when he was alone. It came to pass as Jesus was alone praying, his disciples were with him, and he asked them, "Whom do people say that I am?" They answered, "John the Baptist," but some say, "Elijah," and others say that you're one of the prophets risen again. He said, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered, "You're the Christ, the Son of God."

He straightly charged them and commanded them that they tell no one this thing, saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be slain and risen the third day." He said to them, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it, but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. For what is a man advantaged if he gains the whole world and loses himself or is cast away? For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and my words, of him shall the Son of Man be ashamed when he shall come in his own glory and in his Father's and of the holy angels. But I tell you the truth, there are some standing here that shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God."

Now, Jesus says to his disciples that the Son of Man must suffer many things and that he is going to be delivered over to the chief priests. He begins to proclaim to them, just as we saw in Matthew chapter 16, that he is getting ready to go to Jerusalem and go to the cross. We know from Matthew chapter 16 that Peter would rebuke him, saying, "No, that's not going to happen to you." But notice what else he says in line with this: "If any man desires to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me." There is a cost to discipleship.

Discipleship comes with a cost when following the Lord. John the Baptist understood this clearly. He was someone who stood out, stood up, and preached boldly the truth, which ultimately cost him his life. Jesus says, "If you are going to come after me, you must deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me."

There are many who seek to save their lives, trying to build up their existence here on earth. However, we know that if you store up your treasures here, you will be very disappointed. Jesus instructs us to store our treasures in heaven, where moths do not destroy, rust does not come in, and thieves do not steal. He warns that those who seek to save their lives will lose them, but whoever loses his life for His sake will save it. This is a promise given to those who count the cost of discipleship and are willing to follow Him.

Following the Lord involves denying ourselves, which is not an easy task. In my opinion, it is completely impossible without the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. I thank the Lord for giving us His Spirit. Jesus calls us to follow Him, and throughout the Gospel of Luke, we see several instances where He invites people like Peter, James, John, and Matthew (Levi) to follow Him. This call to follow involves the denial of self and laying down our own lives, thoughts, plans, and ambitions.

In my own life, I have found that as I follow the Lord and lay down my own thoughts and plans, His plan for me is far greater than anything I had ever envisioned for myself. Many people are trying to build their lives here on earth, holding on to everything they have, but they are investing in the wrong kingdom, which will ultimately come to nothing. Recently, we have witnessed many people's kingdoms fall apart in America. Perhaps you have been affected by it.

However, let not your heart be troubled. Jesus said, "You believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions. Were it not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you." His place is far better than this one, and there is no way that Wall Street can buy you that kingdom. Therefore, if anyone desires to follow the Lord, they must deny themselves and follow Him.

Before we close tonight, I want to share one last passage from chapter 11.

I mentioned the Holy Spirit just a moment ago, saying that there's no way we could possibly do the things that God has called us to do apart from the work of His Holy Spirit in our lives.

In Matthew chapter 11, Jesus again illustrates this point. It came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, that when He ceased, one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples." He said unto them, "When you pray, say: Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so on earth. Give us day by day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, as we also forgive everyone that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."

He then continued with a parable: "Which of you shall have a friend and shall go unto him at midnight and say unto him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine in his journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him'? And he from within shall answer and say, 'Trouble me not; the door is now shut, and my children are in bed with me. I cannot rise to give thee.' I say unto you, though he will not rise and give him because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity, his persistence, his repetition, he will rise and give him as many as he needs."

Jesus further emphasizes, "I say unto you, ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For everyone that asks receives, and he that seeks finds, and to him that knocks it shall be opened. If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is his father, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?"

In this parable, Jesus describes a man sleeping in bed at night. He has tucked everyone in, and his door is all closed up. Just as he is about to fall asleep, he hears someone knocking on his door in the middle of the night. This person is asking for bread, explaining that a friend has come from a far country and he needs to set something before him. The urgency of the request reflects the cultural importance of hospitality in the Middle Eastern context, which we may not fully understand today.

Says you, laying in bed, when someone comes knocking on your door, you're going to say, "No, go away! I'm not going to help you." Probably all of us would do that. We're nice and warm, snug in bed, just wanting to be left alone. But if the guy kept knocking and knocking and knocking, finally, you'd get up. Why? To shut him up. "Okay, fine, whatever you want."

He says he's not going to rise and give to him just because he's his friend, but because of his importunity, because of his persistence. He keeps knocking; he won't let you go to sleep. So, just to shut him up, you come and give to him.

Now, who are we to be in this parable? We are to be the persistent one. Jesus answers that question in the very next verse, where he says, "Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." This is the Lord speaking to us.

The picture is not that God is laying in bed and saying, "No, I don't have time for you. Leave me alone." That's not what it is. The picture is for us: we need to keep knocking, keep seeking. Sometimes we think He’s not listening, but He’s just saying, "I want you to keep asking. Seek, ask, seek, and knock." For everyone that asks receives, and he that seeks finds, and to him that knocks, it shall be opened to you.

One of the things I've found as I've talked with different people is that they come and share with me their financial problems or the difficulties they're going through physically, or whatever it may be. I often ask them, "Have you prayed about it?" I'm surprised by how many Christians say that they haven't prayed about it. They come to ask me to pray for them, which is great, but they haven't prayed about it.

I am quite sure that when you're alone, the Lord wants you to pray. He wants you to ask Him. Remember the centurion? He had great faith, but he had people go to Jesus on his behalf. Jesus tells us in the Gospel of John that now is the time when you no longer have to come through some other priest to get to God; you can go directly to the Father.

So, we need to go before the Father, ask, seek, and knock. Then He speaks to us as if we are His children, which we know we are. If a son asks his father for bread, will he give him a stone? Absolutely not. We know that’s not the case. A loving father would never give a stone for bread.

If his son comes and says, "I'm hungry; I want some bread," the father gives him bread. The kid comes back, still hungry, and says, "I'm hungry; I want some fish." "Okay, here’s a fish." He comes back a third time and says, "I'm hungry; I want an egg." Will he give him a scorpion? No, he wouldn’t do that.

That, but if you being evil—now some people have a hard time with that. They go, "I'm not evil." Well, the Bible says the heart of man is desperately wicked. So, okay, if us being evil know how to give good gifts to our children, how much more our Father, who is not at all evil? We know that there's no wickedness in Him at all. How much more will our heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask?

A lot of times, people think, "Well, I need strength. I need power. I need mercy. I need whatever it may be." All of those things are found in Christ, in God, by His Holy Spirit. The Lord says if you're lacking those things, what do we need to ask for? "Lord, I need Your Holy Spirit." I find that I need to ask probably a hundred times a day, especially if I'm driving on the 15. "Lord, I need Your Spirit." The Lord says if you ask, you'll receive, and we receive by faith when we pray, "Lord, I need Your Holy Spirit." If you being evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Spirit to him that asks?

I lied to you; one last passage. Chapter 24 of Luke—yeah, Luke 24. Very quickly, the last chapter of the book of Luke, the primary focus of this last chapter deals with two of Jesus's disciples on the third day after Jesus had been buried. They're leaving Jerusalem, and we find in verse 13 that two of them went the same day to the village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about three score furlongs, about seven miles. They walked and talked together of all the things which had happened.

It came to pass that while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. Their eyes were holding that they should know Him; they didn't know that it was Him. He said unto them, "What manner of communication are these that you talk with one another as you walk? Why are you sad?" This is basically what the Lord asks them. One of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered and said, "Are you only a stranger in Jerusalem? Hast thou not known the things that are come to pass in these days?" He said, "Man, have you not been reading up on the news? Have you not checked the Jerusalem Post today and know what's going on? Don't you know what's been happening?" Jesus said...

Unto them, concerning Jesus of Nazareth, they said, "He was a prophet." Underline that in your Bibles. He was mighty indeed and in word before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death and crucified Him. But we trusted, in the past tense, that He had been the one who should have redeemed Israel. Besides all this, today is the third day since these things were done.

Certain women of our company astonished us. They were early at the sepulcher, at the tomb, when they found not His body. They came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said that He is alive. Certain of them which were with us went to the sepulcher and found it even as the women had said, but Him they saw not. It seems they had a hard time accepting the testimony of the women that day. They were leaving Jerusalem sad, going toward Emmaus.

He said to them, "O fools and slow of heart, believe all that the prophets have spoken. Ought not Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?" Beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning Himself.

As they drew near to the village where they went, He made as though He would go further. I love that He wanted to keep walking with them. They constrained Him, saying, "Abide with us, for it is toward evening and the day is far spent." He went in to tarry with them.

It came to pass, as He sat at a meal with them, that He took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them. Their eyes were opened, and they knew Him, and He vanished out of their sight. They said one to another, "Did not our hearts burn within us while He talked with us by the way and while He opened unto us the scriptures?"

They arose the same hour and returned to Jerusalem. They found the eleven gathered together and those who were with them, saying, "The Lord is risen indeed, and He has appeared unto Simon." They told the things which were done in the way and how He was known to them in the breaking of bread.

I think it's interesting that all day long they walked slowly and sadly from Jerusalem to Emmaus. Jesus was revealed to them close to evening, and that same hour they jumped up and ran back to Jerusalem, so excited about what they had seen. They had been troubled in their faith, saying, "We had trusted that He was the Messiah. We thought that He was the one who should redeem Israel, but I guess not. We heard some stories about how maybe He has risen from the dead, but we don't know about that." But He says to them...

Oh, fools, slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! From Moses all the way through the prophets, He expounds how that Christ must suffer. Boy, we wish we had that on MP3, don't we? But He made as though He would go further with them, and then He broke bread. He was revealed to them; He was known to them in the breaking of bread. That's why I think it's so important that we break bread together and have that time of communion, because the Lord reveals Himself. He makes Himself known through the breaking of bread.

A powerful scripture here is that Jesus ministers to those who are down, those who need comfort. They were mourning; they were grieving, and Jesus came alongside them. He made as though He would go further with them. I find it interesting that the name Emmaus means "warm baths." The Lord doesn't want us to tarry just in the warm baths; He doesn't want us to be lukewarm. He wants us to continue and go on with Him, but He also wants us to recognize Him and see Him. These guys saw Him, and when they realized who it was, they said, "Did not our hearts burn within us while He opened to us the scriptures?"

Every time I sit down and begin to read through the scriptures, I find that I start to connect the dots and see what it is that the Lord is speaking. It's like your heart begins to burn within you. I'm not talking about a burning in the bosom, but I am talking about the Lord giving us that passion to dig deep into His Word. I hope that as we go through these books of the Bible, as we have for the last year, it increases your passion and your desire to look into His Word and dig deep. Just under the surface are a lot of great gold nuggets of God's Word.

Amen. Let's stand and pray. God, thank You for this passage of scripture, the Gospel of Luke. I ask that You would just give us a hunger and a thirst for Your Word and for Your righteousness. Lord, we know that as we hunger and thirst after You, we will be filled. I pray that You would bring my brothers and sisters this week to that place repeatedly, every day, where they're hungry and come knocking on Your door, saying, "Lord, I need You to fill me up." I pray that they would find that filling in Your Word.

Your feet, for we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.