Looks can be deceiving! Jesus says that just because you appear to be a Christian, doesn’t mean you are one. You can be a fake follower of Jesus. Jesus gets us to go beyond the externals and into our hearts through explaining the danger of hypocrisy and the deliverance of sincerity.

How we handle the truth about Jesus – who He is, what He said and what He did – has eternal consequences. Thus, Jesus takes us through two tests to see how we’ve handled the truth: the reflex or ‘response’ test and the eye or ‘reception’ test. 

As Jesus is confronted by sceptics, He teaches that in His arrival the kingdom of God has come. Jesus is the strong man who came to plunder Satan's kingdom and deliver our souls. We are forced to asked the question: what kingdom do we belong to? Whose side are we on?

Jesus encourages us to boldly make our requests to God, being assured that He is a Father that is ready, willing and able to provide for the needs of His children. We can also be assured that as a good Father, He always answers our prayers to His own glory which is for our good.

Prayer was a regular pattern of Jesus' life that caught the attention of His disciples. His communion with His Father was a joy they also desired. Thus, Jesus teaches them - and us - how to pray. In the Lord's Prayer, we learn to call God our Father, hallow His name and ask Him for daily provision, pardon and protection.

We live in a busy world and our own lives can often be hectic. With endless to-do lists and booked up calendars, Jesus reminds us that there is one thing necessary: to sit at His feet and listen to His Word.

Jesus' parable of the Good Samaritan reminds us who our neighbour is, while also calling us to worship the One who supremely showed neighbourly compassion by rescuing sinners from their sin.

The foundation of joy is our salvation by the God who delights to save. Whatever the season – the ebbs, flows, valleys and mountains of our walk with God – this is one joy that will never disappear and never disappoint. 

Being on mission, proclaiming the kingdom of God's arrival in Jesus and calling people to peace with God in Him - this is labour. Yet, we have the assurance that the harvest is plentiful and God is in the business of raising up workers and redeeming souls. The fallout of people's response to our witness will either be judgement or salvation.

Jesus puts a cost on living. Previously, he had taught His disciples that to lose one’s life for His sake is to save it. To truly live, Jesus says, is to deny yourself and follow Him. Jesus explains that this will cost you your reputation, rest and relationships. The only way we will pay this price is if we've fixed our gaze on the One who first set His face toward us. 

To follow Jesus means that He is in control; our life plays out on His terms. Like Jesus’ first disciples, we find this a difficult reality to accept. So, what exactly does it look like to follow Jesus on His terms? Jesus explains that it looks like faith and humility.  

The Transfiguration was an assurance to Jesus of His glory, mission and identity. It was through this event like that Jesus was prepared to suffer for our salvation. The Transfiguration also reminds us of the importance of hearing Jesus and hoping in Jesus. It’s because of Him that we’re assured and destined for glory; destined to step from the foyer of this world into the spectacular, all-consuming, indescribable beauty of God’s glory in the face of Jesus Christ.

In a culture that believes self-denial is a morally wrong and lives by the creed ‘our chief purpose is to glorify and enjoy ourselves for all the time we have,’ Jesus' call in this passage is a hard sell. What exactly, then, does being Jesus' disciple look like? Jesus explains that to follow Him, our life will look like daily dying and unashamed living.

Our entire destiny - heaven and hell - hinges on how we answer the question Jesus asks: who do you say that I am? Jesus is both the Son of Man and the Suffering Servant; the One who brings salvation through suffering, dying and rising for His people. 

What are your defaults in finding satisfaction? To find satisfaction in Jesus alone will look like remembering His power and provision, asking Him to supply what we need without presuming we know best and resting in His ability to satisfy us with more of Himself.

We've all experienced on-the-job training. Jesus' apostles are no different. After a period of watching and listening to Jesus, they are sent out to preach, cast out demons and heal. As followers of Jesus, we are also on a mission to proclaim the arrival of God's kingdom in the Person and work of Jesus. This mission has a particular message (the gospel), means (God's Word and Spirit) and effect (accept or reject).

Who can you depend on to come through for you when you’re faced with difficulty? Whoever or whatever we lean on, things like disease and death leave us helpless and hopeless. In Luke's account of the bleeding woman and the bereaved man, we learn that when circumstances are overwhelming, when the situation goes from bad to worse and when all hope is lost, only those who put their faith in Jesus will never be let down.

The most dangerous men are those who have power with no restraint. In Luke 8, Jesus comes face to face with the demonic powers of darkness that have possessed a man. We see that all powers bend their knees to Jesus and Jesus uses His authority to save.