Luke
What’s the Age Again?
When Jesus came, he ushered in a whole new age. In Luke 12:49-59, we see that we live in the days of Jesus’ judgment. We know this because he’s no longer constrained, because even families are no longer united, and because you can no longer delay.
Ready When He Is
If you’ve ever played baseball, you know the experience of waiting for a ball to be hit to you. You don’t know when the next one will come your way, but you need to be ready! That’s the message we’ll hear from Luke 12:35-48: stay ready for Jesus’ coming. Jesus gives us gives us three reasons to do so in this passage: The goodness of the reward, the uncertainty of the time, and the justice of the judgment.
Build Your Hopes on Things Eternal
Many people use the image of climbing a ladder as a metaphor for working towards your dreams. But what if your ladder is set up on the wrong wall? Jesus challenges us in Luke 12:13-34 not to set up your hopes on money, but to set your heart on the kingdom of God. Specifically, he says to set your heart on the kingdom of God rather than material wealth, rather than material needs, but with the material you have.
Say What You Mean, Mean What You Say
Last week, we heard Jesus’ strong words against hypocritical religious leaders. But hypocrisy is also a danger for those professing to follow Jesus. We can be tempted to claim him privately but deny him publicly. In Luke 1:12, we’re encouraged to speak of Jesus as those who will be judged by Jesus, and the passage gives us three reasons to do so: Your words will be judged, your fears can be defeated, and your profession will be reciprocated.
Judge of Judges
Court judges have power to make decisions that affect the course of people’s lives, yet they can only make their judgments based on limited and observable evidence. Not to mention, courts are composed of fallible human beings. With so much opportunity for error, who judges the judges? In Luke 11:37-54, we see that man looks on the outward appearance, but Jesus judges the heart. To understand that we’ll look at the contrast between outward and inward righteousness, then at the characteristics of outward righteousness, and finally at the comeback of the outwardly righteous.
Response Required
Be careful how you respond to Jesus. Luke 11:14-36 gives us 5 reasons why: If you’re not for him, you’re against him; if you don’t have him, evil will have you; if you’re only near him, you haven’t received him; if he doesn’t seem like enough, God won’t send you anything more; and if you would see him rightly, you need open eyes.
How to Connect with God
There are many different answers today to the question, “how can I connect with God?”. Does it come through nature, through meditation, or maybe through tradition? Jesus’ answer in Luke 11:1-13 is to pray boldly for the things Jesus taught us to pray for. So we’ll look first at the things Jesus taught us to pray for, and then we’ll talk about praying boldly.
The One Non-Negotiable
Life is full of important things that can keep us from the words of Jesus. Not to mention our devices that are literally designed to hold our attention! But we read in Luke 10:38-42 that only one thing is necessary, so don’t let anything distract you from the words of Jesus. We’ll see that distractions are many, but only one thing is necessary.
Go Do
You likely already know that the expression “good Samaritan” refers to someone who helps a stranger in a time of distress, and you may also know that it comes from a story Jesus tells in the Bible. But did you know that Jesus tells that story in response to a question: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” In this sermon, Pastor Mike shows us that to inherit eternal life, you must live a life of love. First we’ll talk about how you already know this, and then we’ll talk about how it’s more demanding than you might think.
Learning Joy from Jesus
Does your joy depend on your acceptance or rejection by others? Pastor Mike shows us from Luke 10:1-24 that on Jesus’ mission, you can rejoice through both acceptance and rejection. How? Prepare for both, rejoice in your salvation more than your success, rejoice in God’s plan, and remember your privileges.
Course Correction
The first 9 chapters of Luke answer the question, “who is Jesus?”: the Christ of God. Now, the focus shifts to the question, “what does it mean to follow him?”. Jesus said that anyone who would come after him, then, must deny themselves, take up their cross daily, and follow him. But what does that mean on the ground level? Pastor Mike shows us from Luke 9:51-62 that following Jesus means rejection without retaliation, and renunciation without regret. So first we’ll talk about rejection without retaliation, then renunciation without regret.
His Majesty
Often, seeing a great business leader or athlete makes us want to pursue our own greatness the same way they did, by following their example. But seeing Jesus is different. Pastor Mike teaches from Luke 9:37-50 that the more clearly you see the greatness of Jesus, the more humbly you’ll pursue your own.