The Claims of Jesus

1. Life of Christ The Claims of Jesus © John Stevenson, 2011

2. All four Gospel Accounts begin with a Statement of the True Identity of Jesus Matthew The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham (1:1) Mark The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God (1:1). Luke …the holy Child shall be called the Son of God (1:35). John …and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (1:1).

3. Luke 4:16 And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read.

4. Luke 4:17-19 And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written, 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.”

5. Luke 4:20-22 And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. 21 And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” 22 And all were speaking well of Him, and wondering at the gracious words which were falling from His lips; and they were saying, “Is this not Joseph's son?”

6. Luke 4:23 And He said to them, “No doubt you will quote this proverb to Me, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we heard was done at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.’”

7. Luke 4:24-26 And He said, “Truly I say to you, no prophet is welcome in his hometown. 25 But I say to you in truth, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up for three years and six months, when a great famine came over all the land; 26 and yet Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.”

8. Luke 4:27 “And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.”

9. Luke 4:28-30 And all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things; 29 and they got up and drove Him out of the city, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city had been built, in order to throw Him down the cliff. 30 But passing through their midst, He went His way.

10. He began to teach again by the sea. And such a very large crowd gathered to Him that He got into a boat in the sea and sat down; and the whole crowd was by the sea on the land. (Mark 4:1).

11. On that day, when evening came, He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side.” (Mark 4:35). Leaving the crowd, they took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him. (Mark 4:36).

12. And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up. (Mark 4:37). Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” (Mark 4:38).

13. And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. (Mark 4:39).

14. They became very much afraid and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?” (Mark 4:41).

15. Mark 6:45-52 Mark 4:35-41 Walking on the water Fierce gale of wind The wind was against them Stilling of the storm Jesus had been sleeping in the boat Jesus had remained behind to pray Jesus rebuked the wind and it became calm The wind stopped when Jesus entered the boat

16. Mark 2:1-2 When He had come back to Capernaum several days afterward, it was heard that He was at home. 2 And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room, not even near the door; and He was speaking the word to them.

17. Mark 2:3-4 And they came, bringing to Him a paralytic, carried by four men. 4 Being unable to get to Him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Him; and when they had dug an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic was lying.

18. Mark 2:5-7 And Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” 6 But some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, 7 “Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming; who can forgive sins but God alone?”

19. Mark 2:8-9 Immediately Jesus, aware in His spirit that they were reasoning that way within themselves, said to them, “Why are you reasoning about these things in your hearts? 9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven'; or to say, 'Get up, and pick up your pallet and walk’?”

20. Mark 2:10-11 “But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” -- He said to the paralytic, 11 “I say to you, get up, pick up your pallet and go home.”

21. Mark 2:12 And he got up and immediately picked up the pallet and went out in the sight of everyone, so that they were all amazed and were glorifying God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.”

22. Luke 6:1 Now it happened that He was passing through some grainfields on a Sabbath; and His disciples were picking the heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands, and eating the grain.

23. Luke 6:2 But some of the Pharisees said, “Why do you do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?”

24. Luke 6:3-4 And Jesus answering them said, “Have you not even read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him, 4 how he entered the house of God, and took and ate the consecrated bread which is not lawful for any to eat except the priests alone, and gave it to his companions?”

25. Luke 6:5 And He was saying to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

26. "I am" Statements • I am the bread of life (6:35). • Before Abraham was, I am (8:58) • I am the light of the world (9:5) • I am the door (10:7) • I am the good shepherd (10:11) • I am the resurrection and the life (11:25) • I am the way, and the truth, and the life (14:6)

27. Luke 7:18-19 The disciples of John reported to him about all these things. 19 Summoning two of his disciples, John sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are You the Expected One, or do we look for someone else?”

28. Luke 7:20 When the men came to Him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to You, to ask, ‘Are You the Expected One, or do we look for someone else?’”

29. Luke 7:21 At that very time He cured many people of diseases and afflictions and evil spirits; and He gave sight to many who were blind.

30. Luke 7:22-23 And He answered and said to them, “Go and report to John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have the gospel preached to them. 23 Blessed is he who does not take offense at Me.”

31. Say to those with anxious heart, “Take courage, fear not. Behold, your God will come with vengeance; The recompense of God will come, But He will save you.” (Isaiah 35:4).

32. Then the eyes of the blind will be opened And the ears of the deaf will be unstopped. 6 Then the lame will leap like a deer, And the tongue of the mute will shout for joy. For waters will break forth in the wilderness And streams in the Arabah. (Isaiah 35:5-6).

33. The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, Because the LORD has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives And freedom to prisoners (Isaiah 61:1).