The Ambassador Group

Luke-- Jesus, Our Savior and Friend

00. An Introduction to the Book of Luke

01. Luke: The Coming of Jesus

02. Luke: Baptism and the Temptations

03. Luke: Who Is Jesus Christ?

04. Luke: The Call to Discipleship

05. Luke: Christ as Lord of the Sabbath

06. Luke: Women in the Ministry of Jesus

07. Luke: Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and Prayer

08. Luke: The Mission of Jesus

09. Luke: Jesus, the Master Teacher

10. Luke: Following Jesus in Everyday Life

11. Luke: The Kingdom of God

12. Luke: Jesus in Jerusalem

13. Luke: Crucified and Risen

Welcome to Our Savior and Friend, the Book of Luke by John M.

Fowler, edited for audio by the Ambassador Group.

He said to them, But who do you say that I am?

Peter answered and said, The Christ of God.

Luke chapter 9 verse 20 New Kings James version.

The question is not a philosophical or sociological gimmick.

It gets to the heart of who humans are and even more important what eternity will hold for them.

People can admire the works of Jesus, honor His words, extol His patience, advocate His nonviolence, acclaim His decisiveness, praise His selflessness, and stand speechless at the cruel end of His life.

Many may even be ready to accept Jesus as a good man who tried to set things right, to infuse fairness where there was injustice, to offer healing where there was sickness, and to bring comfort where there was only misery.

Yes, Jesus could well earn the name of the best teacher, a revolutionary, a leader par excellence, and a psychologist who can probe into the depths of one's soul.

None of these things, however, comes near to answering the all-important question that Jesus himself raised.

Luke 9, verse 20, New King James Version.

It is a question that demands an answer, and on that answer the destiny of humanity hinges.

Reactions to Jesus Listen to the Gospels.

All through these books, incredible claims are made about not only what Jesus did, but even more important, about who Jesus was.

Of course, what Jesus did powerfully attested to who he was.

These claims, that he is God, that he is our Redeemer, that he alone is the way to eternal life, These claims demand our attention because they are full of implications that have eternal consequences for every human being.

Let's listen to what Luke 4 verses 16-30 says.

And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up for to read.

And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias.

And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor.

He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering the sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

And he closed the book, and gave it again to the minister, and sat down.

And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.

And he began to say unto them, This day is the scripture fulfilled in your ears.

And all bear him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth.

And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself.

Whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country.

And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country.

Many widows were in Israel in the day of Elias, when the heaven was shut up 3 years and 6 months, when great famine was throughout all the land.

But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow.

And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed saving Naaman the Syrian.

And all they in the synagogue when they had heard these things were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon the city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.

But he, passing through the midst of them, went his way." Question, what caused the people to react as they did?

Let's also consider John chapter 3 verse 19 which says, And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world.

And men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." His hometown audience was at first thrilled to see Jesus, who, after performing many miracles and wonders, returned to Nazareth, and they marveled at the gracious words he spoke.

But their reaction to his rebuke showed what spirit truly animated them.

Luke chapter 7 verses 17-22 tells us that John the Baptist, after hearing a rumor, became very concerned about Jesus as the Messiah.

And this rumor of him went forth throughout all Judea and throughout all the region roundabout.

And the disciples of John showed him all of these things.

And John calling unto him 2 of his disciples sent them to Jesus, saying, Art thou he that should come?

When these men were come unto him, they said, John the Baptist has sent us unto thee, saying, Art thou he that should come, or look we for another?

And in that same hour he cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits, and unto many that were blind he gave sight.

Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way and tell John what things you have seen and 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." What was John's question about Jesus?

Even John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus and the 1 who announced Jesus as the Lamb of God, had doubts creeping into the depths of his soul.

He wanted to know, are you the coming 1 or do we look for another?

Luke chapter 7 verse 19 New Kings James Version.

Notice too that Jesus does not answer John's question directly.

Instead he points to acts that cry out in witness.

The lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, The poor have the gospel preached to them.

1 could argue that Jesus didn't need to answer John's question directly.

His deeds and actions gave ample testimony of who he was.

In a sense, the answer that Jesus gave might have caused John even a little more consternation.

After all, if Jesus has the power to do all these incredible things, why am I languishing here in jail?

Who hasn't amidst their personal tragedies wondered something similar?

If God has all this power, why is this happening to me?

Why is the cross and all it represents and promises our only answer?

Son of Man and Son of God are 2 names used in the Gospels to describe who Jesus is.

The second points to his divinity as the second person of the Godhead.

Together the 2 phrases invite us to ponder the miracle of Jesus Christ, God who is both divine and human.

It's a hard concept to grasp, but that difficulty does not in any way take away from this amazing truth and the great hope that it offers us.

What do these verses tell us about who Jesus really is?

And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.

He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest, and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David.

Verse 35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the highest shall overshadow thee.

Therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

Luke chapter 2 verse 11 says, For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.

In Luke chapter 1 verses 31 and 32 the angel links the name Jesus with the Son of the Highest to whom the Lord God will give the throne of David.

He is also the Christ, the Messiah, who shall restore David's throne, not as an earthly deliverer, but in the eschatological sense that he will ultimately defeat Satan's attempt to usurp the throne of God himself.

To the shepherds, the angel announced that the babe in the manger is the Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

Luke chapter 2 verse 11, New King James Version.

At the same time, the title Son of God not only affirms Christ's position in the Godhead, but also reveals the close and intimate relationship that Jesus had with God the Father while Jesus was on earth.

Yet, the relationship between the Father and the Son is not the same as the relationship that we have with God.

While our relationship is a result of the work of Christ both as Creator and Redeemer, His relationship to the Father as the Son is as 1 of 3 equal, eternal partners.

Through His divinity, Jesus maintained the closest possible ties to the Father.

Sympathizing with them in their sufferings.

By His divinity, He is connected with the throne of the infinite.

The reference for those words is Ellen G.

White's book, The Desire of Ages, page 442.

What does it mean to us that Jesus was, in the fullest sense, God?

Though this truth is filled with many implications, 1 of the most amazing is that, though God, Jesus condescended to not only take upon himself our humanity, but to offer himself as a sacrifice in that humanity for us.

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Luke-- Jesus, Our Savior and Friend

03. Luke: Who Is Jesus Christ?

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Parent Series

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The All-Important Question!

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The Parables of Jesus: When Jesus Finds No Fruit

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