Session 9: Luke Chapters 17-18 Stories of Faith (Part 2)
Session 9: Luke Chapters 17-18 Stories of Faith
This 12-session study looks at the heart of Jesus for all people, as seen in the book of Luke. It is in Luke’s gospel that we see the breadth of Jesus’ ministry to reach all people, to bring all into his arms and show them his heart for them personally. Since Christ and the Father are one (John 10:30), Luke provides the opportunity to see for ourselves how God interacts with his beloved, how he showers his beloved with goodness and mercy all of our days (Ps 23:6). And the good news is that you are his beloved! He delights in you (Zeph 3:17)!
This post is the second part of session nine of the study, with each session opening with warm-up introductory questions, going on to a reading from Luke and questions related to the passage. Then the study goes to the comparative or referenced Old Testament passages found in the assigned reading with accompanying questions. Each study session ends with considerations for personal application. The study is appropriate for individual or small group application. Feel free to share the response to an application question or just comment on the study itself below.
Old Testament Links
In 2 Kings 5:1-15, Naaman, a foreign soldier, is healed of leprosy. Much of the account is similar to that of the men in Luke 17:11-19. Read Naaman’s story and note the similarities and differences between it and the 10 lepers of Luke 17. What do the accounts demonstrate of God’s healing?
Lot witnesses the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:1-26) and Noah witnesses the destruction of the world (Genesis 6:1-22). What about these two passages explain the scene of the coming kingdom? What did God do to the people and to his people? If you have time, consider the book of Jonah. Compare it to the three accounts already mentioned as well as to today.
Reward to believers is mentioned in Luke 18:29-30. List the rewards for the faithful in these Old Testament passages: Deuteronomy 5:33, Proverbs 22:4, Amos 5:14, Genesis 15:1, and Psalm 127:3. What do the Luke passages add to the rewards listed in the Old Testament?
Application
Share a time when you looked back, as Lot’s wife did or as the Israelites did in the wilderness. How did you push through in the challenging time? What brought you to the point of trusting in God to direct your path?
Peter said to him, “We have left all we had to follow you!” (Luke 18:28) Tell about the things you have left behind to follow Christ. Which characteristic of God have you believed in to help leave these things behind?
