Luke 4

What did I learn about Jesus?

Jesus memorized Scripture to resist temptation.

What did I learn about disciple-making?

Temptation can be used by God to prepare us for deeper ministry.
God’s work is done with or without us, will we be a part of his mission to his world?

Extended thoughts and observations from Pastor Mark:

The Temptation: Notice that the Holy Spirit LEADS Jesus into the desert to be tempted. Right off the bat, Jesus goes to battle with the devil, and he defeats Him simply by quoting scripture to him. Says something about the necessity and power of scripture memory. The devil leaves him “until an opportune time.” The devil is ALWAYS looking for an opportune time to tempt and trip Jesus’ people. We must be prepared. And I wonder how temptation can be used by God to prepare US for our deeper ministry.

The Rejection: Such a sad story. Jesus’ own people, his hometown folk, try to kill him. Why? Because he points out that God ministers to and through Gentiles (the widow of Zarephath and Naaman) when his chosen people reject him. God’s work will be done… with or without us. The question is, do we want to be a part of God’s mission to his world?

The Exhilaration: After temptation and rejection comes the exhilaration of Jesus’ powerful ministry. Capernaum loved and welcomed Jesus unlike his own hometown, and the Holy Spirit worked powerfully through Him. I have been there many times, and it still thrills me to imagine God-in-the-Flesh preaching, exorcising, healing in that very place. I long for Chapel Hill to be Capernaum, a place where people flock in amazement to receive Spirit-filled teaching and experience the power of life over death and demonic darkness.