Luke 4

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KNOWING ABOUT JESUS IS NOT ENOUGH

March 21, 2024

‘And demons also came out of many, crying, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ.’ (Luke 4:41 ESV). At Simon’s mother-in-law’s house in Capernaum, Jesus healed and cast out demons from a multitude of people who lined

LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION

March 20, 2024

“And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time” (Luke 4:13 ESV). The devil departed from tempting Jesus after three failed attempts. It might be noted that these are the same three temptations to which Adam succumbed. Yet, Jesus overcame them all.  The temptation of Adam and Eve

HAS JESUS COME TO YOUR TOWN?

March 21, 2023

“Then Jesus went to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and taught there in the synagogue every Sabbath day. There, too, the people were amazed at his teaching, for he spoke with authority” (Luke 4:31-32 NLT). The people in the town of Capernaum embraced the ministry of Jesus. So, he made this fishing and marketplace crossroads,

“How can this be?” they asked. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” (Luke 4:21 NLT).

March 20, 2022

FAMILIARITY IS NOT FAITH In the town of Nazareth, where Jesus had grown up, he returned from his forty days in the wilderness to begin his public ministry. He attended the local synagogue and chose the passage from the Isaiah scroll that spoke of the anointed one or Messiah who would come. Having read this

‘He began by saying to them, “Today as you listen, this Scripture has been fulfilled.”’ (Luke 4:21 HCSB).

March 20, 2021

FAMILIARITY IS NOT FAITH In the town of Nazareth, where Jesus had grown up, he returned from his forty days in the wilderness to begin his public ministry. He attended the local synagogue and chose the passage from the Isaiah scroll that spoke of the Anointed One who would come. The word “anointed” is where

‘Many were possessed by demons; and the demons came out at his command, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But because they knew he was the Messiah, he rebuked them and refused to let them speak.’ (Luke 4:41 NLT).

March 21, 2018

KNOWING ABOUT JESUS IS NOT ENOUGH
At Simon’s mother-in-law’s house in Capernaum, Jesus healed and cast out demons from a multitude of people who lined up to see Him. Many of the demons tried to speak, rightly recognizing Jesus as the “Son of God,” but He commanded their silence and cast them out. Of course they knew who Jesus was, they had seen Him in glory before their rebellion. They were fully aware of His Sonship, but they had rejected His Lordship.

Many of us are like them. We know a lot about Jesus. We may even give mental assent to His Sonship, but this is not the same as bowing the knee to Him as Lord. Knowledge about Jesus is not saving faith in Jesus. Right doctrine is not right relationship. As the apostle James wrote, “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder” (James 2:19).

“Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where he was tempted by the devil for forty days” (Luke 4:1-2 NLT).

March 20, 2018

LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION
Jesus taught His disciples to pray that the Lord would not lead them into temptation, but deliver them from evil (Matt. 6:13). Yet, the Spirit “led” Christ into the wilderness “where He was tempted.” How can this seeming contradiction be explained? Perhaps by understanding the two ways the word “temptation” might be understood in Scripture. First, from the human point of view, a trip through the wilderness is a temptation to sin, to lose faith. But from the second point of view, which is the Lord’s, the wilderness experience is a test–– a test of one’s faith. Remember, the Lord does not tempt, nor is He tempted, but He does bless those who “patiently endure” temptation (James 1:12-15). So, we might understand the Lord’s Prayer like this, “Lead us not into temptation, but if You do, please help us endure it and overcome it by delivering us from evil.”

“Then He went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbaths. And they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority” (Luke 4:31-32 NKJV).

March 21, 2017

The city of Capernaum embraced the ministry of Jesus. He made this fishing and marketplace crossroads, located on the northern end of the Sea of Galilee, His base of operations. The ruins of the synagogue in Capernaum still remain to this day, a testimony to the Word of Jesus which went out from there, and across the world. Those who heard His teaching were “astonished,” or as literally stated in the Greek, “thunderstruck.” Today, we might say, “blown away.”

There are still people groups and cities today that are ready to receive the Word of Christ and be astonished by it. All that is needed is for someone to go in the authority of Christ and preach there (Matt. 28:18-20).

‘And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing”‘ (Luke 4:21 ESV)

March 20, 2016

In the town of Nazareth, where Jesus had grown up, he returned from his 40 days in the wilderness to begin his public ministry. He attended the local synagogue and chose the passage from the Isaiah scroll that spoke of the Anointed One who would come. The word “anointed” is where the Hebrews get the word “Messiah,” and where the Greeks get the word “Christos.” Having read this passage, he lifted his eyes from the Scripture and instead of offering the usual commentary, he claimed to be the “fulfillment” of Isaiah’s prophecy. He claimed to be the Christ. This created quite a stir in the small synagogue. His hometown people rejected his claim saying, “Is not this Joseph’s son?” Their familiarity with Jesus actually caused them to doubt him. Is this happening in America, where everyone is familiar with Jesus the man, but not many believe in him as Lord?

“Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time” (Luke 4:13 NKJV)

March 20, 2015

The devil departed from tempting Jesus after three failed attempts. These are the same three temptations to which Adam succumbed. Yet, Jesus overcame them all. The temptation of Adam and Eve began with Satan’s question, “Did God really say?” (Gen.3:1). And so, he introduced the doubt of God’s Word into their minds, making them susceptible to his wiles. So Eve was deceived, deciding that the forbidden fruit “was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and desirable to make one wise” (Gen.3:6). The apostle John described these three temptations as targeting “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16). Satan tempted Jesus and Adam with the same three tests: 1) The flesh (Adam: fruit; Jesus: bread), 2) the eyes (Adam: pleasant; Jesus: glory), 3) the pride (Adam: wisdom like God’s; Jesus: prove you’re the Son of God). While Adam doubted God’s Word, Jesus answered all three of Satan’s tests with quotations from God’s Word. Satan still uses the same bag of tricks today, but we can learn from Christ’s example and depend on His power to overcome temptation as He did. As the psalmist said, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart that I might not sin against Thee” (Psalm 119:11). In Christ, we are overcomers.