Luke: Jesus Came to Save
Behold My Hands • Sermon • Submitted
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Introduction
Introduction
Brief Series Introduction
“Behold My Hands” comes from the final chapter of Luke, and the phrase is a good summation of Jesus’ ministry as presented in Luke (Luke 24:39). Jesus is truly the Son of Man.
39 Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.
Here is how I have divided up the book: Luke 1-3; 4:1-9:51; 9:51-13:22; 13:22-19:28; 19:28-24:12; 24:13-53.
Focus in Luke this week is Luke 1-3.
Unique aspects of Luke 1-3.
Four hymns of praise to God in Luke.
Mary’s, Zacharias’s, Simeon’s, and possibly the angels to the shepherds.
The only story of Jesus’ youth.
1 Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, 2 Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; 3 It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, 4 That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.
Outline story of Luke 1-3?
Announcement to Zechariah (1:5–25)
Announcement to Mary (1:26–38)
Meeting of Mary and Elizabeth (1:39–45)
Mary’s praise: the Magnificat (1:46–56)
Birth of John (1:57–66)
Zechariah’s praise: the Benedictus (1:67–80)
Birth of Jesus (2:1–7)
Reaction to the birth (2:8–21)
Witness of the Simeon and Anna at the temple (2:22–40)
Search for Jesus (2:41-52)
The ministry of John the Baptist. The one who goes before (3:1-20)
Jesus’ Baptism (3:21-22)
Jesus’ genealogy. Son of Adam, Son of God (3:23-38)
Opening text:
30 For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, 31 Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; 32 A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
The message of Luke 1-3…
God entered human history to bring salvation to all people.
1. Jesus came to a world of people.
1. Jesus came to a world of people.
Jesus came to a world of people.
2:31 - “Which thou has prepared before the face of all people;”
3:16 - “…but one mightier than I cometh…”
In many ways in these opening chapters, Luke was answering the question…
Was Jesus a real person?
Was Jesus a real person?
And Luke’s emphatic answer is, “Absolutely!”
Luke places Jesus inside world history.
Chapter 1, 2, and 3 all begin with clear historical signals about the events of Jesus’ life.
When the angel came to Zacharias.
5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.
Herod was king.
But we also know the week. According to 1 Chron 24:10, the course of Abia would serve two one-week periods each year. He was eighth in the list (but all priests were present for feasts).
When Mary gave birth…
1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. 2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
Written on the walls of a temple in Ankara is an autobiographical account of the public life of Augustus written in Latin and Greek.
On this Caesar Augustus wrote…
“The whole people of Rome honored me in a empire-wide census in the thirteenth year of my rule.”
[Res gestae divi Augusti on the Monumentum Ancyranum at Ankara.]
When Jesus’ ministry began...
Very few places in all of ancient documents provide this many historical and chronological signals as Luke 3:1-2.
1 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene, 2 Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.
23 And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli,
Tiberius Caesar was in his fifteenth year as emperor.
Pontius Pilate was prefect over Judea.
Herod Antipas was ruling over Galilee.
Philip, the Tetrarch was ruling over Ituraea.
Lysanias, the Tetrarch was ruling over Abilene.
Annas and Caiaphas were both High Priests.
Jesus is about 30 years old.
What was Luke doing?
Luke was telling us that
Jesus Christ, God the Son, is a real person
who came to the world
during real events of human history.
Matthew frames Jesus inside Jewish history. Line of David.
John frames Jesus inside divine history. Jesus is God.
Luke frames Jesus inside human history. Jesus is man.
Was Jesus a real person?
The Bible says, Absolutely!
In the 60s to 90s it was pretty common for liberal scholars to deny that Jesus was a historical figure.
That is, that Jesus really did live on earth as a human person.
Many of you have probably heard of the Jesus Seminar in which scholars debated the truth of every story in the Gospels about Jesus and concluded that most of it was fabricated myth.
On the contrary…
For almost 2,000 years, the Gospel written by Luke has been declaring...
Jesus came inside human history.
Jesus came to a world of people.
But even more than that, Luke wants us to understand that…
Jesus came to a world of lost people.
Jesus came to a world of lost people.
Jesus came to a world of lost people.
Yes, Jesus came inside world history.
But, It was a dark history.
It was a painful story.
It was a world wrecked by sin.
Our world was a world lost in sin.
Our history was a history that needed to be redeemed.
We needed to be helped.
We needed to be saved.
Some people think that we can fix our problems and bring meaning to our lives with better technology.
But the Romans Empire was one the most technologically advanced societies in 3000 years.
And the Bible stilled wrote that that era was lost in darkness.
In fact, thousands of years of human history has taught us that we cannot help ourselves.
Jesus came to a world of lost people who needed to be saved.
In 2:32, we needed “A light to lighten the Gentiles...”
In 1:79, we were those who “sit in darkness and in the shadow of death...”
So Jesus came to give us light for our darkness.
Jesus came to give us peace for our pain.
The Repeatedly Lost Sheep
In a YouTube video, a young boy comes across a small sheep stuck headfirst in a long narrow trench which has been dug beside a road. The boy uses his hands and a belt around the leg of the sheep to rescue the trapped sheep.
Immediately on being set free, the sheep takes a few stumbling steps, and then a couple of joyful leaps … only to land headfirst back in the same trench further along the road. The audio then records then sheep baaing helplessly after finding itself right back in the same condition.
Some of the comments that accompany the video make the application very easy:
Duarte Santo – “The story of my life”
Browill9 – “That’s why Jesus called us sheep”
Tim Walker – “Me and Jesus on a regular basis!”
Keefe Ulmschneider – “This is a great representation of what believers do after Christ Jesus drags us out of the ditch, we fall/ jump right back in and need to be saved again. Wretched sinners we are ...”
You can watch the 29 second video here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_4S5yBkSpU
Source: Geerow, “Sheep Gets Stuck And Jumps Back In Ditch,” YouTube (4-18-21)
Would you avoid helping that sheep in the future?
How often do you avoid people that you know need help?
Not everyone does.
Nor do all people avoid helpless people all the time.
But chances are that each of us has at some point avoided someone because we knew we didn’t have the time or resources to help them.
I’m glad that Jesus didn’t do this.
We were lost.
We were helpless.
And God didn’t avoid humanity.
Jesus came to a world of lost people!
Pivot toward “Jesus came to save a world of people.”
Not only was Luke answering the question of the humanity of Jesus, but he was also answering this question…
Was Jesus really God?
Was Jesus really God?
So many aspects of this account establish that Jesus was a human person.
At the same time, so many aspects of this account show that Jesus was God.
The angel Gabriel’s message to Mary.
The declaration of Elisabeth to Mary.
The proclamation of the angels to the shepherds at Jesus’ birth.
The prophecy of Simeon.
The praise of Anna.
Jesus’ understanding of the OT at 12 years old.
The dove descending on Jesus at his baptism.
The divine statement from heaven at Jesus’ baptism. “I am well pleased”
The 64 OT allusions or quotations support this.
What makes a god God?
The ability to deliver.
From God’s perspective, false gods are not gods at all because they cannot save people.
God delivered King Amaziah from the army of the Edomites.
Then after Edom’s defeat,
Amaziah collected up the false Edomite gods,
brought them back to Jerusalem,
and began worshipping them.
15 Wherefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against Amaziah, and he sent unto him a prophet, which said unto him, Why hast thou sought after the gods of the people, which could not deliver their own people out of thine hand?
From God’s perspective, the litmus test for divinity is the ability to save or deliver people.
God: “Why are you worshipping gods that cannot deliver you?”
When God took Israel out of Egypt, he was basically saying that…
the Egyptian gods were not gods…
since they could not deliver the Egyptians from the LORD God.
There have been a lot of doctors who have wanted to help someone, but they are unable to do so.
The science or the medicine were insufficient to alleviate the problem.
So with sorrow of heart, at some point, the doctor had to say, there is nothing more I can do.
I’ve been in many rooms when a doctor has made that statement.
“There is nothing more I can do to help.”
Do you know that this has never been something that God has had to say?
God has never had to say, “Sorry, I am unable to deliver you.”
Now, he might say,
Child, it is far better for you that I go.
Child, it is better for you to go through this valley.
Child, it is far better for you to suffer this loss.
Child, I have brought this grief into your life.
But God has never had to say,
I don’t know what to do about your problem.
I don’t know what to do about your health.
I don’t know what to do about your disease.
He is the Great Physician and the Master Surgeon.
But God also knows that…
our greatest problem is not our health.
It is not our meager finances.
It is not our broken families.
God knows that our greatest problem is
the self-inflicted pain
that comes from living in a world fallen into sin
which separates us from his household and from his family.
And in our isolated and vulnerable plight of sin, Jesus came to save!
Jesus came to a world of people.
2. Jesus came to save a world of people.
2. Jesus came to save a world of people.
2. Jesus came to save a world of people.
30 For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, 31 Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; 32 A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
When Simeon looked at Jesus,
he declared that…
he was looking at salvation.
The first thing that the angel wanted Mary to know about her baby was his name.
It would be Jesus. (Luke 1:31).
Jesus is a name that means: The LORD saves.
The very first thing that the angels declared about Jesus to the shepherds after stating he was born was to say that he was the Savior (Luke 2:11).
Basically God was saying,
I’m introducing the Messiah to you.
And here is the first thing I want you to know about him:
He is your Savior.
What is God saying to the Shepherds?
Before you learn his name. In Luke, the public doesn’t find out that his name is Jesus until 8 days after he is born (Luke 2:21).
Before you see his miracles.
Before the 12 disciples walk with him.
Before the sermon on the mount.
Before any of that, what I want you to know is Jesus saves.
Before the feeding of the 5000.
Before his compassion on the multitude.
Before healing the man born blind.
What I want you to know is Jesus saves!
When Mary praised God for what He was doing in the world, the very first descriptor she used to describe God was that He was her Savior.
47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
Zacharias was overjoyed that God…
69 And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us In the house of his servant David;
77 To give knowledge of salvation unto his people By the remission of their sins,
When Simeon looked on the baby Jesus, all he could say was…
30 For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,
This was the message John the Baptist preached to the Jewish people (he was quoting Isaiah):
6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.
What did God want us to know?
He wanted us to know that…
Jesus came to save a world of people!
Luke used verbs or nouns for salvation…
almost two times more often than Mark or Matthew.
And three times more often than John.
One salvation theme in Luke is that…
salvation is for all people.
(and this certainly would be of interest to Theophilus)
The incarnation is the single greatest missionary effort in human history.
What was Jesus saying to the world?
Jesus said, behold my hands.
These are the hands of a man.
These are hands you can see.
These are hands you can hold.
These are hands you can touch.
These are hands that you can feel.
Jesus said, behold my hands.
These are the hands of God.
These are hands busy about the Father’s business.
These are hands that can heal lepers.
These are hands that can carry you.
39 Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.
Jesus is announced as the Savior of the world by John the Baptist (3:15-18).
Jesus is anointed to save the world by the Holy Spirit following His baptism. (3:21-22).
In the NT, good/glory/blessing are related terms.
3:15 - “…the people were in expectation...”
People: “We hope this is going to be good.”
3:22 - “Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.”
God: “This is good. “
This is very good.
This is very glorious.
This is very glorifying.
What was the Father saying?
God the Father was saying,
My Son came to save a world of people.
This pleases me.
This is very good.
Our section concludes with a genealogy.
Jesus’ genealogy is traced to Adam instead of just to Abraham.
Eleven groups of seven.
The son of God became part of the family of humanity so that he could invite humanity to become part of the family of God.
God entered human history to bring salvation to all people.
Summary
Summary
In Luke 1-3…
God told Zacharias that his son John would announce that salvation has come to the world.
What do we find in these first three chapters of Luke?
Jesus came into human history.
Jesus came into a world of people.
But even more...
Jesus came to save a world of people.
At every juncture, great effort is made to help us see that Jesus is the Son of God.
At the same time, great care is taken to help us see that Jesus became the Son of Man.
Therefore, Jesus is authorized to be the Savior of the World.
In one statement here is the message of Luke 1-3.
God entered human history to bring salvation to all people.
If you believe this truth, it leaves you with one of two assignments.
One, you must come to terms with the fact that…
Invitation: Jesus came to save you.
Invitation: Jesus came to save you.
Jesus came to save you.
There are 110 people mentioned by name in these three chapters.
And Jesus came to save everyone of them.
If Jesus came to save everyone, you can’t deny that Jesus came to save you.
It doesn’t matter how broken or wrecked you believe your life is.
It doesn’t matter how dark your life is.
God wants you to be a part of his family. (adoption)
You might feel like no one wants you.
But God does.
He is willing to add you to His family tree.
But he’s not going to force you to allow Him to save you.
Sometimes, we’re like three year olds trying to tie their shoes before they have to rush out of the house. Or put the buckles on in their seat. They don’t want anyone to help them.
But here’s the thing, you’re trying tying spiritual shoes that you will never accomplish unless you turn it over to Jesus.
The only doubter in the first three chapters of Luke is Zacharias.
And before you’re too hard on him, there had been no new special revelation from God for about 400 years to the people of Israel.
And he is the first.
Nevertheless, everyone else in this text believes God.
Elisabeth believes and names her son John.
Mary immediately believes the angel.
The shepherds immediately believe the angels.
Simeon and Anna immediately believe that the baby before them is the newborn Messiah.
John the Baptist preaches that the Messiah is on the way, and
The people immediately believe and ask how they should live.
Will you believe?
Would you trust Jesus as your Savior?
Invitation: Jesus came to save everyone else
Invitation: Jesus came to save everyone else
Jesus came to save everyone else.
This means we should join the angels in proclaiming that the Savior has come!
There is no one that God is not willing to save if they will trust Jesus as their Savior.
Will you tell another person that Jesus is your Savior?
Perhaps you work with someone who you would count as a friend.
But you’ve never told them about following Jesus.
Will you tell them how Jesus came to be your Savior?
30 For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, 31 Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; 32 A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
God entered human history to bring salvation to all people.