How to Really Know Jesus

Sunday, November 3, 2024

Start with Application Testimony

[Give people an opportunity to share how they applied what we learned last week]

Last week’s question: What promise has God given you, that you need to anchor yourself in this week?

INTRO

Paul has finally made it to Rome after two years in Roman custody in Caesarea, a several month journey, and a ship wreck

He has been wanting to come to Rome since before he wrote his letter to the Romans (a.k.a. the book of Romans) during his stay in Greece in Acts 20:3 (1)

Rome was obviously the heart of the Empire and western civilization at the time, and there was a strong church community already there that he had never visited (Romans 1:8-15)

The book of Acts ends here with Paul in house arrest in Rome

What happened to Paul after Acts 28? (A.D. 62)

During his two year house arrest in Rome (A.D. 60-62) he wrote Ephesians, Colossians, Philemon, and Philippians

Paul was set free in A.D. 62 and embarked on a fourth missionary journey that lasted between 2-5 years (dates are not clear)

He revisits regions from previous missionary journeys and travels on to Spain in the far west of the Roman Empire (Romans 15:23-28)

During this time he writes 1 Timothy and Titus

Paul is arrested again sometime between A.D. 64 - 67 (dates are not clear)

He writes his last letter, 2 Timothy, during this time

He is beheaded by the Roman Emperor Nero - the same Caesar who had set him free in A.D. 62 - after Nero launched his persecution of Christians

READ

Question to consider as we read:

Which culture are we most like, in the book of Acts?

Acts 28:16–31 CSB

16 When we entered Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself with the soldier who guarded him. 17 After three days he called together the leaders of the Jews. When they had gathered he said to them, “Brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or the customs of our ancestors, I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans. 18 After they examined me, they wanted to release me, since there was no reason for the death penalty in my case. 19 Because the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar; even though I had no charge to bring against my people. 20 For this reason I’ve asked to see you and speak to you. In fact, it is for the hope of Israel that I’m wearing this chain.” 21 Then they said to him, “We haven’t received any letters about you from Judea. None of the brothers has come and reported or spoken anything evil about you. 22 But we want to hear what your views are, since we know that people everywhere are speaking against this sect.” 23 After arranging a day with him, many came to him at his lodging. From dawn to dusk he expounded and testified about the kingdom of God. He tried to persuade them about Jesus from both the Law of Moses and the Prophets. 24 Some were persuaded by what he said, but others did not believe. 25 Disagreeing among themselves, they began to leave after Paul made one statement: “The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your ancestors through the prophet Isaiah 26 when he said, Go to these people and say: You will always be listening, but never understanding; and you will always be looking, but never perceiving. 27 For the hearts of these people have grown callous, their ears are hard of hearing, and they have shut their eyes; otherwise they might see with their eyes and hear with their ears, understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them. 28 Therefore, let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen.” 30 Paul stayed two whole years in his own rented house. And he welcomed all who visited him, 31 proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.

EXAMINE

What are the key points in this passage?

#1 | The Jews can’t see their own Messiah

They were actively looking for Jesus, but couldn’t see Him when He showed up

Acts 28:26 “...Go to these people and say: You will always be listening, but never understanding; and you will always be looking, but never perceiving.”

They blinded themselves by deciding ahead of time, what their Messiah had to look like

Romans 9:32–33 ...They stumbled over the stumbling stone. 33 As it is written, “Look, I am putting a stone in Zion to stumble over and a rock to trip over, and the one who believes on him will not be put to shame.”

Other passages call Jesus the “stone of offense” and the “stone the builders rejected” - in other words, He was the opposite of what they were looking for

They were so in love with their own path to God, that they rejected the one God was opening to them

Romans 10:2–3 “I can testify about them that they have zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 Since they are ignorant of the righteousness of God and attempted to establish their own righteousness, they have not submitted to God’s righteousness.”

Earlier in Romans, Paul defines “God’ righteousness” as the message about Jesus, a.k.a. the Gospel (Romans 1:16-17)

#2 | The Gentiles can see the Jewish Messiah

The Gentiles are not looking for Jesus - as a result they don’t have preconceived notions about what Jesus ought to look like

Romans 10:19–21 “But I ask, ‘Did Israel not understand?’ First, Moses said, ‘I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation; I will make you angry by a nation that lacks understanding.’ 20 And Isaiah says boldly, ‘I was found by those who were not looking for me; I revealed myself to those who were not asking for me.’ 21 But to Israel he says, ‘All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and defiant people.’”

The Gentiles don’t have their own way of relating to the God of Israel, so they are coming to him fresh - like a child

Luke 18:17 [Jesus said] “Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

Acts 28:28 “Therefore, let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen.”

#3 | We actually have more in common with the Jews in the book of Acts, than the Gentiles

Like the Jews, those of us living in historically Christian cultures often have our own preconceived versions of Jesus and ways of relating to God

We think we know what Jesus is like and what He wants without really digging into the scriptures and reading His own words

We live by inspirational quotes, Christian slogans, popular scriptures, and whatever our favorite preacher or author says

As a result, we may be living a personal Christianity that we have created from a collection of ideas that appeal to us

So consider Paul’s final warnings and instruction to Timothy, in what was probably the last thing he wrote to him

2 Timothy 4:2–5 “Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and encourage with great patience and teaching. 3 For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, will multiply teachers for themselves because they have an itch to hear what they want to hear. 4 They will turn away from hearing the truth and will turn aside to myths. 5 But as for you, exercise self-control in everything, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”

We will come to know Jesus and what it means to follow Him only by actually devoting ourselves to the work of the Gospel

1 John 2:3 “This is how we know that we know him: if we keep his commands.”

Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.”

APPLY

Explore and apply the passage with these questions:

[Allow the conversation to go where people take it - we want people to feel the liberty to explore the topics of the passage that stand out to them. Select the questions from below that you think are right for the conversation, or add your own. Questions should be focused, yet open-ended. Wherever the conversation goes, help your group “land the plane” on the core idea of the lesson when you wrap up.]

What are some common ways we try to be a Christian, without actually following Christ?

How can we get rid of our wrong ideas about Jesus, without getting rid of the good things we have been taught?

What does it look like to “devote ourselves” to the “work of the Gospel”?

Where we want to “land the plane”

Like the Jews, we can genuinely believe we are serving God, but in reality we are just serving a version of Him that we have created out of our own desires. So in order to know Jesus, we have to humble ourselves and come to Him like children who know nothing. We will never know Jesus by remaining in comfort, or trying to pull Him into our own plans and dreams. We only come to know Jesus as we live out His call on our lives, endure through suffering, and walk in obedience to His Spirit and His Word.

Application question for the Week

[Encourage people to provide an answer now, if they are able - to provide an opportunity for accountability and praise reports the following week.]

This week, how will you do the work of the Gospel?

REFLECT

Prayer Points for Today

Ask Jesus to reveal Himself to us, and to rebuke our own creations of Him in our mind

FOOTNOTES

The book of Romans. Though Paul never named the city, it is obvious that he wrote this letter from Corinth, Cenchrea (16:1) being its eastern harbor. The letter was written at the close of Paul’s third missionary journey during the “three months” he was in Greece (Acts 20:3) just before his return to Jerusalem with the offering from the churches of Macedonia and Achaia for the poor believers there (Rom. 15:26). After leaving Corinth, Paul was in Philippi during the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Acts 20:6) and desired to reach Jerusalem by Pentecost (Acts 20:16). The letter was written, therefore, in the late winter or early spring of A.D. 57 or 58. John A. Witmer, “Romans,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 436.