So the people asked him, saying, “What shall we do then?” He answered and said to them, “He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise.” Luke 3:10-11 That one response from John the Baptist was so insightful for this week’s lesson … Continue reading –>
Luke and Matthew reverse the order of the second and third temptations. The reason is not clear, but that need not detain us. The crucial point is the ultimate victory of Jesus over Satan, proclaimed by both Gospels. The significant factor that emerges from study of the temptations is that Jesus Christ is a real … Continue reading –>
1. The luminaries. What important personalities seemed to create a circle of history around the death and resurrection of Jesus? Why was it important for Luke to include the names or these people such as Tiberius Caesar, Annas and Caiaphas in his introduction (first verses of Luke 3) at the start of his account of … Continue reading –>
Way back in the late 1990’s, before android devices, I was working for a delivery company, and would sometimes find myself in someone’s office waiting for them to get a package ready. To kill time I would play a little game on my cell phone. I remember thinking to myself, If they can put a game … Continue reading –>
Read Luke 4:5-8. Why would Satan want Jesus to worship him? What crucial issue was at stake here? Worship is the sole prerogative of God. It is the one factor that forever separates the creature from the Creator. One of the issues in Lucifer’s rebellion against God in heaven is that of worship. Lucifer’s ambition … Continue reading –>
Key Thought : By idle talk, evilspeaking, or neglect of prayer, we can lost the Savior’s presence, and it may take many days of sorrowful search to find Him. [Lesson plan for Baptism and Temptations April 6, 2015] 1. Have a volunteer read Luke 3:11-14. a. Ask class members to share a thought on what the … Continue reading –>
Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, . . . was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil (Luke 4:1-2, NKJV). Born for a God-ordained mission, commissioned to the task at His baptism, equipped with the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus the Christ retreated into the … Continue reading –>
In Luke 2:41-50, we read the famous story of Joseph and Mary losing sight of Jesus in Jerusalem. What’s especially fascinating is Jesus’ response to Mary when she rebukes Him (Luke 2:48). Jesus’ answer is an affirmation of His divine self-consciousness, that He is the Son of God. Why did you seek Me? Did you … Continue reading –>
Mary has slept and eaten little for the last 48 hours or so. Friday was a blur. Her best Friend, her Teacher, her Lord was crucified as a common criminal that day. Her thoughts tumble one over another in wild disarray. He had hinted at his death. That’s why she had bought that expensive alabaster … Continue reading –>
In Luke 3:1-38, John appears in his unique and crucial role in salvation history. Whatever else one could say about John’s preaching, he was not sugarcoating his words in order to please the crowd. Read Luke 3:1-14. His words are filled with important truths, not just for those within earshot but for all of us. … Continue reading –>
Read for This Week’s Study: Luke 3:1-14; Rom. 6:1-6; Luke 3:21-22; Luke 4:5-8; Isa. 14:13-14; Luke 4:9-13. Memory Text: And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said,You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased (Luke 3:22, NKJV). As we … Continue reading –>
Where was the pomp and ceremony? Where were the billboards and flashing lights? Where were the parades full of colorfully dressed marchers and floats full of VIPs? Surely, the most anticipated event of the nation would not go unnoticed and uncelebrated. “And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and … Continue reading –>
