Scripture: Luke 8:1-4 [p. 666] December 7, 2025

This morning I’d like for us to consider:

Sermon: “The Scope of Jesus’ Ministry” Pastor John Young

Today we hit a milestone! It was one year ago, we began our study in the book of Luke (hard to believe, but it’s been a whole year and we’ve only made it to chapter eight)!!! I hope you have found it as rich in content as I have. In fact, I’m excited about the opportunity to dig deeper in this fertile spiritual soil! To this part in his narrative, Luke has given us specific accounts of Jesus’ work of healing and preaching (Last week, Gator and I were talking about the detail in which Luke approaches each of these stories). It’s been fascinating to examine each of these different, yet related accounts, but when we reach the first four verses in this chapter, Luke dispenses with the details for a moment and uncharacteristically, gives us the scope of Jesus’ ministry with just a general summary statement (absent the details). Notice it in v. 1 – “…he [Jesus] went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom…” Now, there are several things about this summary statement that are noteworthy, as it relates to the scope of Jesus’ ministry. Notice first of all, the scope of His ministry with regard to its:I. Independence – 7:36 cf/w 8:1.A. What do you suppose provoked Jesus to move from the Pharisees house in chapter seven to “And it came to pass afterward…?”1. It was not to give people what they wanted.2. It was not to fulfill a personal ambition.3. It was not to appeal to a select group of people. No! Jesus’ ministry was independent of all these things!B. Jesus was motivated by one thing – that was, to fulfill the Father’s will on His life! 1. Though it is not explicitly stated in this first verse, it is implied. After the encounter with Simon, the Pharisee, and the sinful woman, Jesus, we’re told in v. 1, – “went throughout ever city and village.” I.E. He went about to do the ‘next thing!’2. Now, it’s clear, the ‘next thing’ wasn’t His choice, but the choice of His Father.a. Look at John 5:30 [p 688 – read].b. The scope of Jesus’ ministry was determined by God, Himself! If you’re still there in John. Turn over with me to chapter 4:34 [p. 687 – read].c. Jesus didn’t stick His wet index finger in the air to determine the direction of the wind! He was NOT self-willed. He followed the will of His Father![Notice secondly, the scope of His ministry with regard to its:]II. Immediacy – v. 1 “…every city and village…”A. If you’ve ever examined a Bible map of the region in which Jesus’ ministry took place, you would notice how small the area is.1. In our text, Jesus is in the region of Galilee (which is a rather obscure geographical location). Certainly not a populous metropolitan center like Jerusalem or Judea! a. And the point I’m making is not insignificant! Do you remember what Nathanael said to Philip, as Jesus began His public ministry (John 1:46)? “Can December 7, 2025 Pg. 2 of 4there any good thing come out of Nazareth?” Nazareth is located in the region of Galilee!B. The point I’m trying to make, is this: if you and I were putting a plan together to get the maximum exposure for our Messiah (to introduce Him to the world), we would not start in an obscure area like Galilee! But this is what He did!1. Jesus never went outside His own country and He spent His very brief time (only three years), just going around and around the little towns and the little villages, talking to the most ordinary people. 2. This is not how we would have introduced the Messiah to the world. In fact, if someone suggested it, we’d say, ‘That would be a disaster!’, but this was the place God called Him to go.3. And so, Jesus is limited in accomplishing His ministry by the determined plan of God (independent of His own will) and the place in which God placed Him (the immediacy of the obscure region of Galilee).4. This almost seems counterintuitive to accomplishing anything of significance![Notice thirdly, the scope of His ministry with regard to its:]III. Ideology – v. 1 “…preaching the glad tidings of the kingdom…” A. Jesus only had one sermon!! This was the narrowness, if you would, of Jesus’ ministry! He didn’t talk about anything else! That was it! Every parable, Synagogue sermon and hilltop discourse was about the Kingdom!1. Notice Matthew 3:[Notice fourthly, the scope of His ministry with regard to its:]IV. Identity – v. 1 “…and the twelve were with him.”A. This statement in very telling given their commission in Matthew 10:1 & 5-7 [p. 625 – read].1. Jesus’ message was not only the same sermon; His message was only given to a small localized group of people!a. We have prophetic glimpses of a broader ministry, like John Baptist’s exclamation, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world,” but ‘on the ground,’ so to speak, Jesus’ message was limited to only Jewish people in a small regional area, which [v. 2] included women too.b. And even as we read in v. 3, “much people were gathered together,” it still was a very small regional group of people.[Lastly, consider the scope of His ministry with regard to its:]V. Intent – v. 1 Notice again, “…the twelve were with him.”A. Now, while it’s true, crowds surrounded Him as Jesus taught and performed miracles of healing, His primary ministry was to the disciples. Rather than a broad ‘world-wide’ ministry, centered in a metropolitan area like Jerusalem, Jesus chose a deep ministry, investing His time and attention into a small group of men in a remote area of Galilee! December 7, 2025 Pg. 3 of 41. To most people, these imposed ministry restrictions I’ve highlighted today would only limit the effectiveness of Jesus’ ministry!a. I.E. Jesus couldn’t make His own choices. He could only minister in a small obscure area. He could only preach one sermon. He could only preach to Jewish people and He could only entrust His mission to a handful of disciples.b. It almost seems like the plan was purposefully designed to fail! And yet, we have learned, after examining the work of Jesus, ‘Little is much, when God is in it!” Amen?c. Turn over with me to Acts 4:13 [p. 706]. Not long after Jesus’ death and resurrection, we see the mark of His life on His disciple’s [read]!d. By the time we introduce the apostle Paul into the equation [who by the way was also a disciple of Jesus – 1 Corinthians 15:8], notice what the enemies of God say in Acts 17:6 [p. 717 – read – “the world”]. Conclusion: It’s important to note, God reached the world, by investing in a few people’s lives! This was the scope of His ministry. It has been the scope of my ministry too. In the world’s view, my ministry has been rather unsuccessful. I’m in my ‘retirement years’ and ministering in a small church in a rather remote and small city. But over the past 50 years, I too have invested in a few men through individual bible studies. Like some of you here this morning, they only made it through a few studies before they became distracted or lost interest, but a few of them allowed me to mentor them for a couple of years. They are scattered all over the globe today as pastors and missionaries! Although I’ve never attempted to count them and their congregations, conservatively speaking, there are roughly 27,000 people meeting under their ministries today, while we meet here in Sidney Ohio. Last year I received a text from one of them (a pastor in Ohio) who said, “I finished the bible study with another young family a couple weeks ago. We are ordaining him today in our morning service. He’s the second one we have ordained and are sending out to pastor a church.” Last week, one of these men (a pastor in West Virginia) texted me, “This next Thursday I will begin phase two of the bible study with a young family. I pray they will embrace the call to ministry as I did with you, so many years ago!” This was God’s way of reaching the world! He ministered deeply in people’s lives, so they could minister broadly throughout the world. It was the prophet, Isaiah, in the Old Testament who said [Isaiah 6:8 – p. 458], “…I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.” Who among us this morning will hear this same voice and reply the way Isaiah did. “Here am I; send me.” Let’s pray (continue) December 7, 2025 Pg. 4 of 4