Series: The Gospel of Luke Text: Luke 4:14-30 part 1 February 15, 2015: Gospel Community Study Guide

This Study Guide is based on a sermon by Dr. Joshua Mack. You will find the link to the sermon here. http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?sid=217151550595

Getting Started:

With all the “noise” that’s going on in our world (the television shows, the internet, music, the newspapers, the radio) it is easy for us to lose sight of radical and extraordinary Jesus and the claims He made about Himself really are. In our study today, we want God to bring us face to face with the significance of Jesus. And to do that, perhaps we can begin by just remembering together some of the astounding things the Bible says about Jesus and even some of the astounding things He says about Himself.

Why don’t you see if you as a group can come up with five shocking things the Bible says about Jesus and five shocking things Jesus says about Himself?

Remembering the Message:

On Sunday, we began looking at Luke 4:14-30. This is part of a larger section in Luke that is introducing us to Jesus’ ministry. In other words, Luke is answering the question, what did Jesus come to do?

Can anyone remember the answer we find in this particular passage?

The Big Idea:

Obviously, preaching doesn’t normally get people crucified. As we look at the ministry of Jesus and discover that one of the primary things He came to do was to deliver a message, it forces us to ask the question, what was it about that message that was so revolutionary, it got people angry enough to kill him?

This is part of the purpose of Luke 4:16-30. Here Luke gives us a sample sermon and this sample sermon is intended to help us understand the unique nature of the ministry of Jesus.

Into the Text:

Read Luke 4:14-21 out loud and answer the following questions:

How did Jesus return to Galilee? What do you think that phrase means?

Was this immediately after the temptation? Why or why not?

What happened when he returned to Galilee? What did Jesus do there? What was the response? What does Luke tell us about Nazareth?

What passage did Jesus read from in the synagogue there?

What does he say about this passage in verse 21?

What is Jesus saying about Himself and His relationship with God and with Scripture in saying that?

Thinking Further:

This is just one of many astounding claims Jesus made about Himself. Let’s look at several others. Read the following texts and give a simple summary of what they are saying about Jesus.

John 1:18

John 5:18,19

John 5:24,25

John 6:35-40

John 7:37-39

John 8:12

John 8:42,51,58

And to these few verses, we could add many more. It is important that we appreciate the grand sweeping claims Jesus made about Himself or we will never understand the Christian religion. This world doesn’t mind Jesus very much if we just talk about him as another teacher. But Jesus won’t let you think of him like that. He claims to be much more. He claims to be the sole source of salvation.

To Think About:

Now I know most of us would say we believe all these things. But I just want to take a moment and ask us to think about how believing all of this about Jesus should affect our attitude towards him.

What if Jesus was the fulfillment of Scripture? What if Jesus is the One who reveals God to us? What if Jesus is equal with God the Father? What if believing in Jesus gives a person eternal life? What if the person who believes in Jesus will be raised from the dead on the last day? What if the person who believes in Jesus will receive the Spirit of God? What if a relationship with Jesus explains what’s happening in this world to us and enables us to live in a way that makes sense? What if God the Father sent His own pre-existent Son into the world for our good? What if the person who keeps Jesus word, will never really die? What if Jesus is the Great I Am?

How should we think and feel and relate to Him then?

What are some of the main encouragements or challenges you have taken from what we have studied together today? Is there any specific word of praise you would like to give to God for what you have learned about Jesus today?

How about questions? Do you have any thing you are still wondering from what we have talked about? What are some of the practical differences what you studied makes on your life? What would you like to share with someone else? Is there any specific issue that this study has brought up that you want the members of your gospel community to be praying for you about?