Reading through the Gospel of Luke in December

Lisa Edwards • November 30, 2022

For Christians, the season of Advent is all about looking back and looking forward at the same time. We look back to remember what Christ accomplished for us through His miraculous incarnation, and we also join with all the saints from the early Church until now in anticipation of His promised Second Coming.


If you’re looking for a focused way to prepare your heart this Advent season, try reading through the book of Luke, 1 chapter per day. If you start with chapter 1 on December 1st, you will finish the final chapter on December 24th, Christmas Eve, at which point you will have recounted through the entire life of Jesus—His birth, death and resurrection, and will hopefully be reminded of exactly why we celebrate this special time.


You can use the following devotional questions to help guide your study through the Gospel of Luke this month.


Chapter 1

How does Zacharias’ response differ from Mary’s? How do we respond when God’s answer to our prayers or His timing is different than we want?


Chapter 2

How do we see God working to bring about the fulfillment of prophecies regarding the Messiah’s birth in this chapter?


Chapter 3

Why does Luke take the time to trace Jesus’ genealogy all the way back to the beginning of time? Compare this to how both Matthew and John open their gospel accounts.


Chapter 4

Why did the crowd in the synagogue respond to Jesus’ words to them with violence?


Chapter 5

What response do we see from the disciples whom Jesus called to follow Him? What would motivate them to respond this way?


Chapter 6

How did/do the things Jesus taught contrast with what the world teaches?


Chapter 7

What different responses to Jesus’ ministry do we see in this chapter? What does Jesus’ parable reveal about the reason for these varied responses?


Chapter 8

Why does Luke spend so much time recounting miracles of physical healing that Jesus performed? What do these miracles illustrate about the Kingdom of Heaven?


Chapter 9

In what ways do we see people misunderstanding the purpose and priorities for which Jesus had come in this chapter?


Chapter 10

Jesus praised the Father for revealing the truth about Him “to infants” rather than “the wise and intelligent.” How do we see that play out in this chapter? Why does God choose to work this way?


Chapter 11

What appears to be the main concern of the Pharisees and lawyers here? Does this priority lead them to follow Jesus or to be against Him?


Chapter 12

What does this chapter teach us about how we as believers are to live on Earth until Christ’s return?


Chapter 13

How is Jesus’ heart for the lost illustrated in this chapter?


Chapter 14

What are the costs of following Jesus (v. 25-34)? What are the rewards (v.1-24)?


Chapter 15

How does God feel about repentance?


Chapter 16

What is the significance of the end of the parable Jesus tells about Lazarus and the rich man (v. 31)?


Chapter 17

What can the stories of Noah (Gen. 6-8) and Lot (Gen. 19) teach us in relation to Christ’s second coming (v. 26-33)?


Chapter 18

How is God’s value system different from that of the world (v. 9-30)?


Chapter 19

What is Jesus’ attitude when He arrives in Jerusalem (v. 41-46)?


Chapter 20

How does Jesus respond to insincere questioning in this chapter?


Chapter 21

How did Jesus teach that His followers should respond to persecution (v. 12-19)? Note how this compares to His response to His own persecution in the following chapters.


Chapter 22

Why was Jesus’ response to the Sanhedrin’s questioning so enraging to them (v. 70-71)?


Chapter 23

Similar to the events of His birth, what fulfillment of Messianic prophecies do we see in this account of Jesus’ death?


Chapter 24

How does the story of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection give us hope today?

Freed to Serve

April 28, 2025
Notes from Scott Sutton's sermon on Sunday, April 27, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 2:11-17 This is the beginning of a section addressing how God's people now function in this world. It begins with aliens and exiles and continues with servants, wives, husbands, and finally, all of you. 1.) Our identity defines our actions. We are sojourners and exiles (temporary, passing through, not at home) We have a heavenly citizenship Actions We abstain from the passions of the flesh Keep conduct among the Gentiles honorable (our conduct is for the benefit of other people) Honorable conduct wins souls… sojourners, exiles, and soul winners “Peter’s point is that believers’ behavior creates a context in which people will listen to God’s word. He is not teaching that ‘good deeds’ in themselves convert unbelievers, but they establish an environment for the Gospel-word to do so.” -Barnett 2.) Our identity defines our expectations (Unbelievers will respond to honorable conduct in 1 of 2 ways) Some will speak evil against us as though we are evildoers Some will see our good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation 3.) Our identity defines our view of authority (Does anyone here ever just want to do whatever you want to do, whenever you want to do it? That’s why laws exist) Be subject to every human institution (for the Lord's sake) This includes governors and emperors (no distinction between good/bad) The will of God... by doing good, we silence the ignorance of foolish people 4.) Our identity defines our view of freedom Don't use freedom as a cover-up for evil We are freed to serve God Honor, Love, and Fear Discipleship Questions: 1.)Why is it so important to understand our identity before talking about our behavior? 2.) How might this reality impact your parenting? For real, what are 3 ways that you can apply that this week? 3.) How is good conduct a form of evangelism? 4.) What do these verses say that we can expect from others? 5.) How can we honor a government that isn't always honorable? Seriously, what are 5 things we should immediately stop doing and 5 things we should immediately start doing? 6.) What are some tangible ways to honor others? Love the brotherhood? Fear God? Honor the Emperor? 7.) Should we fear the Emperor?

Cornerstone

April 22, 2025
Notes from Ky Martin's sermon on Sunday, April 20, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 2:4-10 Everyone must accept or reject Jesus. He is the cornerstone. We choose to accept Him as the foundation of our lives or toss the truth aside. When we come to Jesus… We become part of His People 1 Pe 2:4-5 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. The cornerstone is The New Temple. From this we learn that following Christ entails joining his community, the church…The freelance Christian, who follows Jesus but is too good, too busy, or too self-sufficient for the church, is a walking contradiction. -Daniel M. Doriani We join a royal, holy, priesthood 1 Pet. 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Because of who Jesus makes us. We receive God’s mercy Fallen man is not simply an imperfect creature who needs improvement: he is a rebel who must lay down his arms….Now repentance is no fun at all. It is something much harder than merely eating humble pie. It means unlearning all the self-conceit and self-will that we have been training ourselves into for thousands of years. It means undergoing a kind of death. Acts 17:30-31 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” Discipleship Questions: Why is it impossible to be neutral about Jesus? Why do you believe that Jesus truly is the Son of God? Do you ever have doubts about this? If yes, what are they? According to 1 Peter 2:9, who are we after we come to Christ? Why does Paul say (in 1 Corinthians) that if Christ is not risen, our faith is in vain?

Born Again

April 16, 2025
Notes from Scott Sutton's sermon on Sunday, April 13, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 2:2-3 Why do our souls ache for certainty? We are so eager for certainty that we will look for it in all the wrong places. - Certainty in our Finances [show slide from news] - Certainty in our Jobs [Acts 17:24-27] - Certainty in our Health [Covid] - Certainty in our Abilities [Ecclesiastes 3:11 “God has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.”] “Things that have never happened before are happening every day.” -Morgan Housel In these verses, God gives us what our souls ache for! 1.) You must be born again of imperishable seed - We have all been born of perishable seed o Impure souls o Disobedient to truth o Unloving insincerity toward others o Lack of loving effort o Impure hearts - We are withering grass and falling flowers - The imperishable seed is the living and abiding Word of God o Does not wither o Does not fall o Does not let us down o It remains forever o It MUST BE PREACHED! But still, how can we be certain that we have been born again? 2.) If you are born again, hope will be seen in your relationships When your relationship with God changes, God changes your relationships! - Sincere brotherly love - Love earnestly - Put away… o Malice o Deceit o Hypocrisy o Envy o All Slander 3.) If you are born again, hope will be seen in your appetite for God’s Word - Like newborn infants - Long for the pure spiritual milk Discipleship Questions: 1.) Where are some unhealthy places where you look for certainty? 2.) Why do you do that? 3.) What were some evidences of your perishable seed before you came to Christ? Any of that still lingering that needs to be repented from? 4.) Why does Peter call the Word of God the imperishable seed? 5.) In light of the text, how would you describe being "born again" to a 5-year-old? 6.) How has imperishable hope proven itself in your relationships? OR How might it if you lean into loving others earnestly? 7.) Why does Peter tell us that hope will be seen in our appetite for God's Word?
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