We are making great strides as we have already completed four weeks of study! Give yourself a pat on the back for sticking with it, even when you are tired or busy! Hopefully, you have experienced that the blessings of faithfulness and the rewards of knowing Jesus more intimately far exceed any effort we have put forth.
Perhaps you have a favorite story from this week’s study from which you can glean personal application. That is one of the things I love about Bible study so much. While the ultimate goal of Bible study is to know God and build relationship with Him, the Holy Spirit also reveals golden nuggets of truth we can apply to our lives to comfort our hearts and to guide our daily choices.
Let’s dig in and summarize what we have learned this week…
Day One
On Day One, we learned what truly impresses Jesus. Wouldn’t you want to know what that is? It’s FAITH! Wouldn’t you want to have Jesus also say in amazement about us that “I have not found such great faith even in Israel?” Without faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). But, when we demonstrate absolute trust in the authority and power of God, regardless of our circumstances, we have truly touched the heart of God!
That was the kind of faith the Roman Centurion had in Jesus. As a man of authority himself, he knew what it was like to give an order and expect it to be done. There was no question about it! He didn’t want to trouble Jesus to have to come all the way to his house and physically touch the patient, but he knew without a doubt that if Jesus merely spoke the word, his servant would be healed. And, that is what happened!
One question that came up is that the centurion also stated that he was not worthy. We came to understand that we could never do enough works to earn God’s favor, and that what we do does not change our worth. We learned that we are truly precious to the heart of God. We are his workmanship and created in His image. However, as creatures clothed in flesh, we are also prone to selfishness, pride, and corruption. We need the grace and the holiness of God if we are ever going to stand a chance. In all of this, we learned what impresses the heart of God…
These are the ones I look on with favor:
those who are humble and contrite in spirit,
and who tremble at my word. Isaiah 66:2b NIV
When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.” Luke 7:9 NIV
Christ’s Word is action. What He commands He also accomplishes. That is a fact. What impresses Christ, however, is when we believe it’s a fact. ~Beth Moore (p. 82)
Please notice that even though the centurion was greatly humbled, he still presented his request! Again, let’s keep a balanced perspective! The “wretched worm that I am” mentality might say, “I can’t even ask such a thing,” then end up having not because he asked not (see Jas. 4:2). Those who are truly humble and discerning know that we can approach Christ with our petitions, not because we deserve to approach, but because He has graciously made Himself approachable! ~Beth Moore (p. 82)
I will go more quickly with the next days; I promise!
Day Two
On Day 2, I was especially touched by the compassion of Jesus. While Jesus had been moved by the request made in faith by the centurion earlier in the chapter, we now see a miracle Jesus performed without any request made at all, and no demonstration of faith. As Jesus witnessed the funeral process of a widow’s only son, his heart went out to her. Her tears gripped his heart!
When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.” Luke 7:13 NIV
I think there may be times we may tell someone not to cry because we simply cannot bear their grief. It can be a mixture of not wanting them to suffer and our not wanting to see it. It is not necessarily selfish, however. We may have a sincere desire to comfort, but if we can’t do anything about the cause of their suffering, there is only so much we can take. Jesus, on the other hand, had the power and authority to turn this woman’s pain into her greatest joy.
He reached over to the boy and touched him. Yes, the crowds must have been horrified as they saw Jesus reach over and potentially defile himself by touching a dead person! However, He spoke the words…
Then he went up and touched the bier they were carrying him on, and the bearers stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother. Luke 7:14-15 NIV
Yes, that is the Jesus we serve! He is moved by our grief, and He has authority even over death!
One more truth I wrestled with in today’s study is trying to understand when God chooses not to heal when we know full we He can. When God acts in a way that is contrary to our desires, even if we have great faith, it is always for a greater purpose. God sees the big picture and He is always good. He may take us through a process of perfecting us, of revealing more of Himself to us, or of tenderizing our hearts in preparation to minister to someone else. He loves us too much to only give us easy instead of great.
God is sovereign and can do anything He wants, but He is also always good. When we go through the fire, we can trust that He will be with us every second, helping us, comforting us, strengthening us, holding us, crying along with us, guiding us, and perfecting our character. He is always working on our behalf, and we can be sure that everything will always work together for our good and for His glory (Romans 8:28)! True faith isn’t about believing hard enough to get what we want, but it is about trusting God regardless of the circumstances.
Day Three
Day Three was especially profound as we tackled the presence of doubt when things just don’t make sense. John the Baptist had been one of the greatest prophets of all time, the precursor to the Messiah! He had been sent to prepare the way for the very Son of God! And now, here he sits in a prison cell when all he had done was speak truth to Herod for his adulterous sin of taking his brother’s wife.
He knew for a fact that Jesus was indeed the Chosen One, but when he had heard all that was going on, it just didn’t make sense to him to be stuck in prison. He experienced what many of us go through when we struggle with the trials of life. We can know the truth in our heads, but grief and confusion can really stir up some muddy doubts in our hearts!
I have been there myself. Even after witnessing bona fide miracles and knowing Jesus intimately as a young girl, I still went through a season of doubting the very existence of God when my life had spiraled completely out of control. It took a season of intense wrestling with God to make sense of it all and to restore my faith. However, it was through those doubts that my faith eventually became more solid and unshakable than ever before!
God’s blessings and manifest presence go powerfully with those who continue to trust and remain steadfast when circumstances seem inconsistent with what you expect or desire. Doubts may cause you to stumble for a season, but you get back up. Don’t let doubts knock you down for good!
And he added, “God blesses those who do not fall away because of me.” Luke 7:23 NLT
For though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again.,, Proverbs 24:16a NIV
Day Four
This is my very favorite story! I just love the heart of Jesus toward sinners who humble themselves before Him, and what a perfect demonstration of His love and compassion!
Jesus was dining at a Pharisee’s house. I get the picture of sitting at a table with all the “holier than thous” who are trying to get in good with the new preacher at a spiritually dead church. I can imagine all the stories as they gossiped about the sinners in the community and the low lifes who hung around the synagogue hoping for a hand out. Have you ever witnessed something like this? It can be nauseating!
But then walks in a “wicked city woman.” What was SHE doing in a place like this? At a Pharisee’s house of all places! I can imagine all the jeers and ugly faces as she made her way to where Jesus was. It was obvious that a woman of her caliber was not welcome here. Didn’t Jesus know how dirty she was?
What is she doing? She just broke open a very expensive jar of perfume and is pouring it out all over the feet of Jesus! What a waste! She could have sold it and used it to feed the poor if she really wanted to do a good thing. But, look at her now! She is sobbing like a big baby and getting tears all over the Teacher’s feet! Yuck, she is wiping his feet with her hair! And, is she really KISSING his feet? Oh my! They scolded her for this extravagance, and this embarrassing display of emotion, but Jesus praised her.
He spoke a short parable that explained what she was really doing.
“Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?” Luke 7:41-42 NIV
You see, she had been forgiven much, and she was very grateful! Jesus changed her life! May we learn from her act of worship to not hold back or be worried about what others think. God has done so much for us, so let us offer Him only our highest and most extravagant worship!
Time for a quick break before we continue. This song is such a beautiful telling of this wonderful story…
Day Five
Finally, we observed some interesting family dynamics as we see Jesus’ mother and brothers not even being able to get close to Jesus because of the crowds. When someone delivered the news to Jesus that his mother and brothers were waiting outside for him, instead of getting up and going to them, he made the most peculiar statement that introduced the concept of “the family of God.” From now on, instead of being cast out, we are all included! You and I are all part of the family! Praise the Lord!
He replied, “My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice.” Luke 8:21 NIV
I found it so interesting that Jesus’ brothers did not even believe in him at first. Eventually, his brother James would become one of the major pillars of the early church, but in Jesus’ early ministry, his brothers actually mocked him.
After this, Jesus went around in Galilee. He did not want to go about in Judea because the Jewish leaders there were looking for a way to kill him. But when the Jewish Festival of Tabernacles was near, Jesus’ brothers said to him, “Leave Galilee and go to Judea, so that your disciples there may see the works you do. No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.” For even his own brothers did not believe in him. John 7:1-5 NIV
Finally, we concluded with the Parable of the Sower. We explored each of the types of sowing that demonstrate the various ways that we either reject or miss God’s Word because of life’s distractions. However, when we receive and apply His Word, the seed has been planted in good soil and will yield a bountiful crop!
“The rain and snow come down from the heavens
and stay on the ground to water the earth.
They cause the grain to grow,
producing seed for the farmer
and bread for the hungry.
It is the same with my word.
I send it out, and it always produces fruit.
It will accomplish all I want it to,
and it will prosper everywhere I send it. Isaiah 55:10-12 NLT
I know, that is a long summary, but I want to make sure you glean powerful truths from each day of study. There is so much I want you to know about Jesus! I want each of us to be able to say, as Beth has said numerous times during this study, “Oh, how I love Him!” My prayer is that each one of us will fall in love with Jesus fresh and new through this study!
Week Four Discussion Questions
ICE BREAKER: Who are some of your favorite musical artists and what are some of your favorite songs?
QUESTION 1: On Day One, the Centurion expresses great faith in Jesus, and an understanding of his authority, when he asks Jesus to merely say the word, and his servant would be healed. How did the centurion’s occupation lend him insight into Christ’s ability? While the centurion was humble and felt unworthy to have Jesus enter his home, let’s talk about our worth in his sight. How can you accurately conclude that you are precious?
QUESTION 2: On Day 2, we read of Jesus’ compassion on the widow who was grieving the death of her only son. Jesus raised him from the dead! What is one major difference between the two miracles in Luke 7:1-17 (The centurion’s servant and the widow’s son)? What do we fellow humans usually mean when we say, “Don’t cry”? How is that different than what Jesus meant?
QUESTION 3: On Day 3, we observed John’s doubts while he was in prison. While he knew from prophecy and first-hand experience that Jesus truly is the Messiah, with all that he had been through, his grief still raised questions of doubt. Jesus’ answer may have lifted his faith to a point as he awaited his fate. Has God ever taken you through your doubts to a place of greater faith?
QUESTION 4: What does the woman’s willingness to go to the Pharisee’s house with her alabaster jar say about her? What does her story mean to you?
QUESTION 5: What can you imagine Mary felt when Jesus’ “own brothers did not believe in him” (John 7:5)? How do you think she felt when she and Jesus’ brothers could not get through the crowds to get close to Jesus, but rather, when someone told Jesus they were waiting for him, instead of welcoming them, Jesus expressed a new family dynamic?
QUESTION 6: What is something you learned this week that you can personally apply to your life?
Homework for the Week
- Please work on the five days of homework in Week 5: “The Christ of God,” pp. 101 – 123.
- (Optional) View Beth Moore’s video. (This is not required because of the cost. The study can be completed without the videos.) Here is a link to the viewer guides with the answers if you are unable to view the videos.
- Attend a small group meeting in our Heart to Heart Facebook group.
- Scripture of the week:
And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.” Luke 8:48 ESV
Have a blessed week!
