DO YOU KNOW MY JESUS
Luke 1:1-4
Introduction:
A. The author of the third Gospel never uses his own name, but through careful comparison of Scripture with Scripture we find that he was "Luke, the beloved physician" (Col. 4:14).
B. He was a close traveling companion of Paul from his second missionary journey on. (Acts 16:10, "we")
C. He was a man of culture and high academic training as a doctor, and faithfully ministered to Paul’s physical needs (II Tim. 4:9-16).
D. He was a historian of great intellect, writing in exquisite style and finished form in both his account of the Life of the LORD JESUS (The Gospel), and his account of the Apostle’s ministry (The Acts).
E. Though he was not an eyewitness to the events recorded in his Gospel, under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he drew from eyewitness written and verbal accounts of JESUS’ life (1:12).
F. Through careful investigation he determined to write an orderly account of the life JESUS in order to provide a firm foundation for the faith of his friend Theophilus (whose name means "Friend of God"), a Roman official recently converted to Christ (1:4).
G. Though he covers essentially the same events as both Matthew and Mark, he does so from a different perspective:
+ Matthew presents JESUS as King of the Jews
+ Mark presents JESUS as the Servant of Jehovah
+ Luke presents JESUS as the Perfect Man.
+ Matthew emphasizes what JESUS said
+ Mark emphasizes what JESUS did
+ Luke emphasizes who JESUS is.
H. Luke presents the perfect humanity of Christ’s nature in both the teachings and activity of JESUS. Among the aspects of this perfect humanity are:
+ Christ’s human dependence of prayer
+ Christ’s human need for the Holy Spirit
+ Christ’s universal concern for humanity
+ Christ’s human poverty
+ Christ’s human sympathies
I. Just as Luke wanted to introduce his friend to JESUS, I want to do the same for you today. DO YOU KNOW HIM?
- I want you to meet JESUS the King;
+ JESUS is King of Jews,
+ King of Israel,
+ King of the Ages,
+ King of Heaven,
+ King of Glory,
+ King of Kings, & Lord of Lords.
- The heavens declare His glory, and the firmament showeth His handiwork.
- He is the first and the Last; the Alpha & Omega, A & Z, He is the Firstfruit of them that slept; The I AM THAT I AM! The voice of the burning bush. The Captain of the Lord’s host. The conqueror of Jericho.
- By Him were all things made that were made, and without Him was nothing made. And by Him all things are held together. In Him was the fullness of the Godhead bodily.
- He is the Very God of Very God; our Kinsman Redeemer; our Avenger of blood; our City of refuge, our performing High Priest, our personal Prophet, and our reigning King.
- He is enduringly strong, entirely sincere, eternally steadfast, immortally graceful, imperially powerfully, impartially mercifully.
- He stands alone in Himself, He is August, He is Preeminent Supreme, and Unparralled.
- He is the loftiest Idea in Literature; the Highest personality in Philosophy; the Fundamental doctrine in Theology; and the Supreme problem in Higher Criticism.
- He is the only one capable of supplying all our needs simultaneously, no barriers can hinder Him from pouring out a blessing.
- He is available to the tempted & tried, He blesses the young, He cleanses the leper, He defends the feeble, He discharges the debtors, He delivers the captives, He forgives the sinners, He guards the besieged, He heals the sick, He provides strength for the weak, He regards the aged, He rewards the diligent, He serves the unfortunate, He sympathizes, and He SAVES.
- His offices are manifold, His reign is righteous, His promises are sure, His goodness is limitless, His light is matchless, His grace is sufficient, His love never changes, His mercy is everlasting, His Word is enough, His yolk is easy, and His burden is light.
- He is indescribable, irresistible, and indispensable.
- The heaven of heaven cannot contain Him, man cannot explain Him, the Pharisees couldn’t stand Him but learned they could not stop Him, Pilate couldn’t find fault with Him, and the witnesses couldn’t agree against Him, Herod couldn’t kill Him, death couldn’t handle Him, and the grave couldn’t hold Him.
- He has always been, and will always be; He had no predecessor, and will have no successor; You can’t impeach Him, and He ain’t going to resign.
- His is the KINGDOM and the POWER and the GLORY forever.
- I ask you again: DO YOU KNOW HIM?
I. DO YOU KNOW HIS NAME?
A. We consider our name to be among our most prized possessions. "A GOOD NAME is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver and gold." (Proverbs 22:1)
B. And, JESUS is the most precious Name of all.
* He has a Name given Him that is above all names.
* There are at least 171 Names and Titles given to Him in The Bible.
* He is first mentioned in Genesis 3 as "the Seed of the Woman";
and last mentioned in Revelation 22 as "the LORD JESUS".
* The prophet Isaiah called Him the "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting
Father, Prince of Peace". And said that He would be called "Immanuel" =
"God with us".
* In his Gospel, Luke uses at least 32 different Names and Titles of our LORD.
Among those he uses are:
+ JESUS (1:31) - used by Luke 100 times
+ Son of the Most High (1:32)
+ Son of God (1:35)
+ my LORD (1:43) - used by Luke 102 times
+ my Savior (1:46)
+ Horn of Salvation (1:69)
+ Most High (1: 76)
+ the LORD (1:76)
+ Rising Sun (1:78)
+ Saviour, Christ the LORD (2:11)
+ Consolation of Israel (2:25)
+ The LORD’s Christ (2:26) - used by Luke 14 times
+ Son of David (3:23)
+ Physician (4:23)
+ JESUS of Nazareth (4:34)
+ Holy one of God (4:34)
+ Master (5:5)
+ Lord (5:8)
+ God (5:21)
+ Son of Man (5:24)
+ Bridegroom (5:34)
+ Lord of the Sabbath (6:5)
+ JESUS, Son of the Most High God (8:28)
+ The Christ of God (9:20)
+ Teacher (9:38)
+ Good Teacher (18:18)
+ The King (19:38)
+ The Stone (20:17)
+ The Capstone (20:17)
+ King of the Jews (23:3)
+ The Chosen One (23:35)
C. At His Name every knee will ultimately bow, whether in heaven, on earth, or under the earth, and all will confess that JESUS CHRIST is LORD. (Philippians 2:10-11)
D. The religious leaders of His day called Him "Rabbi", the political leaders called Him "King", His disciples called Him "Master", the angel called Him "JESUS", but I call Him "LORD".
E. The mention of His Name brings peace to the troubled, comfort to the sorrowful, rest to the weary, health to the sick, hope to the hopeless, joy to the sad, and forgiveness to the sinner.
F. His is the only Name given under heaven whereby we may be saved. And all who call on His Name are saved.
G. His Name has inspired the sweetest songs, motivated the noblest service, promoted the loftiest ideas in human history.
H. The poets have expressed the beauty of His Name:
"JESUS is the sweetest Name I know,
And He’s just the same as His lovely name,
And that’s the reason why I love Him so,
O, JESUS is the sweetest name I know."
"There have been Names that I have loved to hear,
But never has there been a Name so dear,
To this heart of mine, as that Name Divine,
The precious, precious Name of JESUS."
II. DO YOU KNOW HIS CHARACTER?
A. Only of JESUS can it be said that He is "holy, harmless,
undefiled, and separate from sinners".
B. Only of JESUS can it be said that "He went around doing good".
C. Some one described the character of JESUS as follows:
To the artist He is the One altogether lovely.
To the architect He is the Chief Cornerstone.
To the astronomer He is the Son of Righteousness.
To the baker He is the Living Bread.
To the banker He is the Hidden Treasurer.
To the biologist He is the Life.
To the builder He is the True Cornerstone.
To the carpenter He is the Sure Foundation.
To the doctor He is the Great Physician.
To the editor He is the Good Tidings of Great Joy.
To the educator He is the Great Teacher.
To the farmer He is the Sower & Lord of the Harvest.
To the florist He is the Rose of Sharon & Lily of the Valley.
To the geologist He is the Rock of Ages.
To the horticulturist He is the True Vine.
To the judge He is the Righteous Judge.
To the juror He is the True Witness.
To the jeweler He is the Pearl of Great Price.
To the oculist He is the Light of the Eyes.
To the philosopher He is the Wisdom of God.
To the printer He is the True Type.
To the servant He is the Good Master.
To the student He is the Incarnate Truth.
To the toiler He is the Giver of Rest.
To the sinner He is the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.
To the Christian He is the Son of the Living God, the Saviour, the Redeemer and Lord.
D. A beautiful description of His character is given Sherwood Eddy in his
PORTRAIT OF JESUS.
"More than 1900 years ago there was a man born contrary to the laws of life. This Man lived in poverty and was reared in obscurity...
Only once did He did He cross the boundary of the country in which He lived: that was during His exile in childhood..
In infancy He startled a king: in childhood He puzzled the doctors: in manhood He ruled the course of nature, walked upon the billows as if on pavement, and hushed the sea to sleep.
He never wrote a book, yet all the libraries in the country could not hold the books that have been written about Him.
He never wrote a song, and yet He has furnished the theme for more songs than all the song writers combined.
He never founded a college, but all the schools put together cannot boast of having as many students.
The names of the past proved statesmen of Greece and Rome have come and gone. The names of the past scientists, philosophers, and theologians have come and gone; but the Name of this Man abounds more and more.
Though time has spread 1994 years between the people of this generation and the scene of His crucifixion, yet He still lives. Herod could not destroy Him, and the grave could not hold Him.
He stands forth upon the highest pinnacle of Heavenly glory, proclaimed of God, acknowledged by angels, adored by saints, and feared by devils, as the living personal Christ, our Lord, our Saviour and God."
III. DO YOU KNOW HIS MESSAGE?
A. Although He had little formal education or training, He spoke powerfully from His heart to the hearts of men.
B. He spoke in the common language of the people to enormous crowds, sometimes to small groups, more often to His band of disciples, and on occasion to certain individuals, but His message was always characterized by simplicity of expression and depth of thought.
C. To those who heard Him it was obvious that He was "a teacher come from God" (John 3:2). They were amazed because He spoke as one who had "authority", not like their scribes (Matt. 7:29); and they exclaimed, "No one ever spoke like this Man does" (John 7:46).
D. His style of teaching was unique, different than that of the professional teachers of His day
or ours:
+ He taught without classroom or credentials.
+ He taught anyone, anywhere, anytime.
+ He taught without pretense, without hypocrisy, and without fear.
+ He taught with simple words, picturesque speech, vivid illustrations, and Divine authority.
+ He taught the learned Doctor of the Law, the sinful woman at the well, the rich young ruler, and the poor beggar.
E. And, of Him it was said, "the common people heard Him gladly" (Mark 12:37).
F. His message was clear:
+ He demanded repentance
+ He promised forgiveness
+ He proclaimed freedom
+ He pronounced blessings
+ He set a new standard of righteousness
+ He declared the Kingdom
+ He taught how to pray
+ He called for obedience
+ He warned of judgment, and
+ He extended the invitation for all to come to Him.
G. What a MASTER TEACHER was He!!!
IV. DO YOU KNOW HIS WORK?
A. From His early childhood days, Luke records that He understood that His work was "to be about His Father’s business".
B. Beginning at age thirty, His work for 3 years of public ministry was that of an intenerate preacher, teacher, and healer.
C. He taught the true meaning, and application of God’s Word.
D. He preached righteousness, repentance, and regeneration.
E. He healed the sick, opened the eyes of the blind, cleansed the leper, made the lame walk, calmed the distressed, made the dumb talk and the deft hear, and raised the dead.
F. But His greatest work was that of REDEMPTION.
G. He willing went to the cross, endured the shame, suffered the agony, poured out His blood, and died for sinful man.
H. He continues His work today as the resurrected, exhaled CHRIST, ever living to make intercession for us.
CONCLUSION: The most beautiful, wonderful, loving person ever to live is JESUS. The most important thing you can ever do is to get to know HIM. You can know HIM intellectually through a study of the Gospels. That is good, and important to do. BUT, what is more important is to know HIM personally and intimately through faith. Intellectual knowledge is to know facts about HIM, while intimate knowledge is to know HIM. One is faith of the HEAD, the other is faith of the HEART.
{SONG}
DO YOU KNOW MY JESUS
(1) Have you a heart that’s weary,
Tending a load of care;
Are you a soul that’s seeking
Rest from the burden you bear?
CHORUS
Do you know my JESUS,
Do you know my Friend
Have you herd He loves you,
And that He will abide till the end?
(2) Where is your heart, oh, pilgrim,
What does your light reveal;
Who hears your call for comfort
When naught but sorrow you feel?
(3) Who knows your disappointments,
Who hears each time you cry;
Who understands your heartaches,
Who dries the tears from your eyes?
