Blog Archives

19 Mar 2023 Luke (Program #19)

Luke (Program #19) – The Ministry of the Man-Savior in Galilee (10)

In chapter 4 of Luke as the Lord Jesus was initiating His earthly ministry, He stood as was His habit in the synagogues and read from the Old Testament book of Isaiah, “the Spirit of the Lord is upon Me because He has anointed Me to announce the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to send away in release those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, the year of jubilee.” This was the announcement, the proclamation, the declaration of the acceptable year of the Lord, the year of Jubilee.  When we come to chapter 9 as we are today on our life study from the gospel of Luke, we find that Jubilee not just proclaim and announce but apply and spread.

Play
18 Mar 2023 Luke (Program #18)

Luke (Program #18) – The Ministry of the Man-Savior in Galilee (9)

What does it mean to follow the Lord?  As believers we all should have this desire that day by day even moment by moment, we want to take the way that He is directing.  We probably heard the Christian life is described as a journey.  This is a valid way to look at the Christian life.  But a surprise thing to many of us is that once we finally to give ourselves to follow Him on this journey, the way He often leads us is not what we’d expected or hope for.  This is also the case with the Lord’s disciples in the first century as we see unfolded in the gospel of Luke.

Play
17 Mar 2023 Luke (Program #17)

Luke (Program #17) – The Ministry of the Man-Savior in Galilee (8)

The progression in the gospel of Luke is truly marvelous. Chapter 7 concludes with several very touching stories of sinful people being forgiven and drawn to the Lord Jesus in love. Surely their cases match our own. Then after teaching His follower with parables we come to the most interesting passage in chapter 8, where the Man-Savior instead of acknowledging His flesh mother and brothers, identified His chosen ones, His believers as His real family members and relatives.

Play
16 Mar 2023 Luke (Program #16)

Luke (Program #16) – The Ministry of the Man-Savior in Galilee (7)

Try to picture meal-time in the home of a prominent religious leader.  The guests include Jesus of Nazareth, other religious leaders and followers of Jesus.  And then, an uninvited guest shows up, a woman, well-known in the community because of her sored background and sinful past.   The picture is a vivid one, isn’t it?  And what transpired is so unique and profound as to forever be considered when the gospel of God, love and grace to man is told.

Play
15 Mar 2023 Luke (Program #15)

Luke (Program #15) – The Ministry of the Man-Savior in Galilee (6)

Have you ever noticed that shortly after introducing and baptizing the Lord Jesus, John the Baptist himself was imprisoned and held there until he was beheaded? But during his imprisonment, the Lord Jesus was healing and liberating many oppressed and suffering people. Yet for John the Baptist He offer no such miracle. Even pressed to do so by John and some of His followers. What He did offer to John, was a very unique word that outwardly seem to offer no help. But likely became an inner strengthening to John, even through his martyrdom. We will look at this case and two other interesting cases from Luke chapter 7.

Play
14 Mar 2023 Luke (Program #14)

Luke (Program #14) – The Ministry of the Man-Savior in Galilee (5)

Human history has witnessed many great moral and ethical teachers, Plato, Socrates, Confucius just to name a few. The Bible also contains wonderful teachings of morality and ethical behavior but no one say the Lord Jesus Christ Himself ever claimed as He did in John 6, “that the word that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.” We all need to ask ourselves this fundamental questions, “Is God’s word to us just a book of ethical and moral teachings or is it a book that brings us to spirit and life?”

Play
12 Mar 2023 Luke (Program #12)

Luke (Program #12) – The Ministry of the Man-Savior in Galilee (3)

In Luke’s gospel, we find the account of just how the Lord Jesus called and attracted many of His disciples and followers.  With some He performed mighty miracles, yet with others it was simply His word or His sympathetic care that captivated them and drew them out of whatever held them to follow Him and serve Him absolutely.  What about you?  Are you waiting for a miracle?  Or is the realization of what He has already done or even the promise of His sweet presence enough to cause you to want to give up everything and follow Him?

Play
11 Mar 2023 Luke (Program #11)

Luke (Program #11) – The Ministry of the Man-Savior in Galilee (2)

After passing through a full and thorough preparation, and even an inauguration, the Lord Jesus was ready to begin His earthly ministry.  He does so by quoting from the Old Testament pages of Isaiah, speaking words of grace to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, ushering acceptable year of the Lord, the Jubilee.  Well, these words were amazing to the Jews of Galilee as they are to us today.  But as we will see today and the coming days as we continue on this life study from the gospel of Luke, His living and His ministry became a living portrait of this Jubilee and in Him, all we as the real captives and the real blind ones find our freedom and our sight.

Play
10 Mar 2023 Luke (Program #10)

Luke (Program #10) – The Ministry of the Man-Savior in His Human Virtues with His Divine Attributes in Galilee (1)

The Bible is full of inspiring stories recounting the miracles performed by the Lord Jesus during His earthly ministry.  Surely this demonstrates Christ is none other than the Son of God.  Yet it’s interesting that many of the touching stories are the ones not demonstrate not His divinity but His humanity.  It is His humanity that attracts us and causes us to love Him.  The gospel of Luke is particularly meaningful in this regard for in Luke more than any other book of the Bible, we see Christ as the Man-Savior.

Play
09 Mar 2023 Luke (Program #9)

Luke (Program #9) – The Preparation of the Man-Savior with His Divinity (8)

Here is a story we all know quite well – the story of an angel paying a visit to a humble virgin in a lowly city in a despised region.  “In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth to a virgin engaged to a man named Joseph of the House of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.  And he came to her and said, Rejoice, you who have been graced!  The Lord be with you.” (Luke 1:26-28) “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus.  He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to Him the throne of David His father, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:31-33)  This is the declaration of the arch angel Gabriel in the first chapter of the gospel of Luke.  But it is just one of many pronouncements concerning the preparation of the Man-Savior Jesus as recorded in Luke’s gospel.  We will look at several of these marvelous declarations today.

Play