The greatest question you will ever answer in your lifetime is not “who are you?” It’s not “Will you marry me?” And it’s not “Does this dress make me look fat?” The greatest question you will ever answer is one from the lips of Jesus himself: “Who do you say that I am?”
A "summons" is an authoritative call to action. You can be summoned by a judge, by a school principal, or by your mother when it's time for dinner! But Jesus is about to give his disciples a summons. Three scenes in Luke 9 illustrate this call to action.
Faith or Fear Luke 8:22-56 For the past couple of weeks, we’ve been exploring this thing called FAITH as we look at the ministry of Jesus. This began back in…
Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17). Jesus explains in Luke 8 that the way you know you're hearing is when you put what you hear into action.
Jesus and the Twelve continue to move from town to town as Jesus proclaims the good news of the kingdom, but that traveling entourage might not look the way you think. There are women with them – possibly more women than men, and they have very important roles.
As the people of Galilee continue to come into contact with Jesus, they know something is different, but they can't all put their fingers on it. Is he a prophet? The Messiah? One woman who was a known sinner made a bold move, putting her faith in action.
Can faith and doubt exist in the same person? Am I unsaved if I have doubts? Do I have to have perfect faith in order to be saved? John the Baptist shows us it's okay to have questions about Jesus.
Jesus follows up the Sermon on the Mount with two encounters with people that were very much different and yet very much alike. The end result? Jesus breaks social and religious boundaries in order to show mercy, and prove that he has the power to overcome death.
Jesus said that people who come to him, hear his words, and act on them, are like a person who built their house along a hurricane coast fully equipped to handle "the Big One."