People You Should Know: Jesus (August 30)

Read Luke 7:1-10 several times this week. It takes approximately 2 minutes to read. Read it slowly, carefully, and prayerfully. Then, answer these two questions: “What does this story reveal about Jesus? How should I respond to what I've learned about Jesus?”

People You Should Know: Jesus (August 23)

Hey guys, my last sermon was from Luke 6:12-19. In that sermon we learned that Jesus works through people. Jesus intended to carry on his work through each and every believer. Unfortunately, most people in church never get involved in the work. How do you suppose that affects a local church? What steps need to be taken to get involved in the work of Christ? Why should each of us be willing to take those steps? Come this Sunday and I’ll do my best to answer those questions. If you missed the sermon on August 2^nd or just need a refresher, you can find the sermon on our website or listen to it on our podcast. Oh yeah, spend some time this week reading and reflecting on Ephesians 4:11-16.

People You Should Know: Jesus (July 26)

Read: Luke 6:12-19

You may also want to read Matthew 9:35-38; Matthew 10:1-42; Mark 3:13-19. These are parallel passages to Luke 6, and may help you understand what you’re reading. Read these verses prayerfully, and read them often. Then answer these questions:

1. What are these verses revealing to me about Jesus?

2. In light of what I’ve learned, what should I do?

People You Should Know: Jesus (July 19)

Read: Luke 5:27-32

Explore:

1. Read verse 27. Israel was operating under Roman rule. The powers that be in Rome hired Israelites to collect taxes from other Israelites and these taxes were forwarded to Rome. Each tax collector was required to collect a certain amount of taxes, and they were allowed to keep for themselves everything they collected over that amount. This promoted rampant dishonesty among tax collectors. They were notorious for collecting exorbitant amounts of taxes to promote their own prosperity and were typically very wealthy. Tax collectors abused their authority and used people. For these reasons, tax collectors were despised. They were considered to be the worst of sinners. Levi (Matthew) was a tax collector. Yet, Jesus chose and called him to be one of his disciples. Why do you suppose he did that?

2. Read verse 28. Note how Levi responded to Jesus’ call. He left everything to follow Jesus. In Levi’s case, that had to mean leaving behind a lucrative job.

3. Read verse 29. What does the phrase “guest of honor” mean? Lots of other tax collectors (sinners) came to Levi’s party. The party was certainly held to honor Jesus. What else do you think Levi was hoping to accomplish through this party?

4. Read verse 30. In addition to the tax collectors and other sinners who came to the party, Jesus’ disciples were there. A group of ultra religious people complained to Jesus’ disciples about the company they were keeping. Why do you suppose they didn’t complain directly to Jesus?

5. Read verse 31. Even though the complaint was registered to the disciples, Jesus chose to respond to the complaint. Read his response carefully. In your own words, what did Jesus say to these religious leaders?


Reflect:

6. Now that you have read these verses and explored them, what have you learned about Jesus? In particular, did you notice the difference between the religious leaders and Jesus? In your opinion, how is Jesus different from religion? In addition to the lessons you learned about Jesus, what practical lessons did you learn in this brief story?


Apply:

7. In light of what you’ve learned, what step or steps of action do you feel you need to take?

People You Should Know: Jesus (July 12)

Read: Luke 5:17-26.

Explore:

1. Read verse 17. The Pharisees were a group of people who were very serious about their religion. They were the unofficial religious leaders of their day and had great influence with the common people. The Pharisees were known for their extensive list of do’s and don’ts, which included God’s rules, as well as their own rules. They were notorious for not practicing what they preached and placing unbearable burdens on people. A group of scholars who specialized in teaching the Mosaic Law accompanied the Pharisees to listen to Jesus teach. They came from everywhere, not because they wanted to learn, but rather, they came out of concern. The religious leaders saw Jesus as a threat and were hoping to identify something they could use to ruin him. 

2. Read verses 18 and 19. These men were determined to get their friend to Jesus. Where do you suppose this determination came from?

3. Read verse 20. Jesus saw the faith of these men. How do you see faith? I’m assuming these men brought their friend to Jesus so Jesus could heal him, but first, Jesus forgave him. Why do you suppose he did this?

4. Read verse 21. Jesus’ statement enraged the religious leaders. Why?

5. Read verse 22. Jesus knew what these men were thinking. He knew what was in their hearts and minds. What should this have told them about Jesus?

6. Read verse 23- 25. Jesus forgave the paralyzed man first. Then he healed him. Why do you suppose Jesus performed the miracle of healing after he forgave him?

7. Read verse 26. When people in attendance saw the miracle they praised God, exclaiming, “We have seen amazing things today!” What do you think the religious leaders had to say when they witnessed this miracle?

Reflect:

8. Now that you have explored these verses, reflect for a few moments on these questions. What have you learned about Jesus in this story? What practical lessons have you learned in this story?

Apply:

9. In light of what you’ve learned, what step of action do you need to take?

People You Should Know: Jesus (June 14)

Read: Luke 5:12-16.

Explore:

1. To identify with the man in this story, you must have some understanding of his disease, leprosy. Leprosy is a skin disease. It starts with lesions forming on the skin, and in its advanced stages it was extremely painful, led to gross disfigurement, loss of limbs, and eventually death. There was no cure for leprosy. Therefore, the medical community offered no hope to this man. Because leprosy was highly contagious, everyone feared this disease. For that reason, those with leprosy were banned from their community. They lost their families, homes, jobs, and their entire future. The psychological pain of this disease was, perhaps, greater than the physical pain. Put yourself in this man’s place for a few moments. What do you think his typical day was like? What thoughts do you suppose ran through his mind before he went to sleep at night? What do you think his emotional state was like? 

2. Now that you have identified with this man, read verse 12 again. When he saw Jesus, he bowed before him, putting his face on the ground and begged Jesus to heal him. What, if anything, does this tell you about this man? 

3. This man knew Jesus could heal him. His only question was whether or not Jesus would heal him. Jesus could heal him, and this man was asking to be healed. So, can you think of any reasons why Jesus wouldn’t be willing to heal this man?

4. This man asked Jesus to heal him and make him clean. Those are two different things. Lepers were ostracized, not only because they were contagious, but also, according to Jewish law they were considered ceremonially unclean. Lepers were seen as a source of defilement. For this reason, they were only allowed to come in contact with other lepers. But, this man took a chance and approached Jesus and asked to not only be healed, he asked Jesus to restore his life.

5. Read verse 13. Jesus was willing! What do you think this man felt when he heard Jesus say, “I am willing”? Is there anyway this man could have known that Jesus was willing if he hadn’t asked?

6. Jesus healed this man even though his leprosy was in an advanced state. The lesions disappeared. His skin returned to its normal shade. Any limbs he might have lost were completely, immediately restored. His appearance was altered. He looked like himself again. His pain was gone! His nightmare was over!

7. Look at verse 14. Why do think Jesus told this man not to tell anyone what had happened? 

8. Jesus told this man to visit the priest. In Leviticus 14:1-32 the Bible explains the process lepers must go through to prove they have been healed and, therefore should be allowed to reenter society. Jesus instructed this man to start this process immediately. To this man, it meant that he was about 8 days away from get his life back. How do you think that made him feel?

9. Read verse 15. In spite of Jesus instructions, this man (Mark 1:45) told people what had happened. Why do you suppose he did that?

10. Read verse 16. Why do you think that verse was included in this story?

Reflect:

11. Now that you have read and explored this story, what have you learned about Jesus, and what practical lessons have you learned?

Apply:

12. In light of what you’ve learned, what step of action do you feel you must take?

People You Should Know: Jesus (June 7)

Read: Luke 5:1-11.

Explore:

1.    So, Peter and a group of professional fishermen fished hard all night and didn’t catch a fish. Then a carpenter turned preacher told them to try again. They did as he said and experienced incredible results. These men were awestruck and amazed. In your opinion, what was so amazing about that fishing trip?
2. Verse 8 says, “When Simon Peter realized what had happened…” What do you think Peter realized?
3. Look at verse 8 again. In your own words, what did Peter say to Jesus? Why do you think he would he say that?
4. In verse 10 Jesus said to Peter, “Don’t be afraid!” What do you think Peter was afraid of?
5. In verse 10 Jesus said to Peter, “From now on you’ll be fishing for people!” What do you think Jesus meant by that?
6. When the fishermen stepped back onto land, they started following Jesus. What does “following Jesus” mean? In what ways is "following Jesus" different from "accepting Jesus"?
7. To follow Jesus, these men left everything. That’s a high price to pay. In your opinion, what happened on this fishing trip that motivated these men to pay such a price?

Reflect:

8. Now, pause and think carefully about this story. What did you learn about Jesus in these verses? Here’s a hint. What do you think these fishermen learned about Jesus on this fishing trip?
9. Are there any practical lessons that can be applied to life today? Here’s a hint. What practical lessons do you think these fishermen learned on this fishing trip?

Apply:

10. In light of what you’ve learned, is there a step of action you need to take? If so, what is the action step and how and when do you plan to take it?