Text: Luke 5:27-39 | Listen to Message Holy, Joyful Compassion Conservative Christians are generally pretty good at demanding that sinners repent and get right with God, but they’re often short on compassion. As a result, the sin-sick often don’t feel welcome in conservative churches – because the message they’re hearing is, “You need to clean up your life first, and then you can come.” At the opposite end of the spectrum, liberal Christians are generally pretty good at displaying some kind of compassion for sinners, but they’re often short on leading them to a place of repentance. As a result, sinners […]
Gutsy Faith
Text: Luke 5:12-26 | Listen to Message Just Get To Jesus Luke 5 tells the story of two men united by a peculiar faith. The first man was a leper. Physically, his body was being eaten by a disease that infected every part of him and made it so he couldn’t feel properly. Socially, he was an outcast, an untouchable. Spiritually, he was unclean. The second man was lame. Physically, his body was paralyzed. Socially, he was stigmatized, yet dependent on others. Spiritually, he too was unclean. These men are pictures of what sin does to all of us. Sin is […]
Go Fish!
Text: Luke 5:1-11 | Listen to Message Where Are You Putting Your “But”? How do you like it when people who have no idea what they’re talking about tell you how to do your job? Don’t you just love getting unsolicited advice? In Luke 5, Jesus the carpenter tells Peter the fisherman how to do his job: “Put out into the deep and led down your nets in the middle of the day.” This is absurd, and Peter knows it! You can’t fish with big, heavy nets in broad daylight! These fish that spook easily will see the nets and simply […]
Power Encounters
Text: Luke 4:31-44 | Listen to Message The Power of Jesus’ Words When Jesus spoke, sinners heard THE Good News. When Jesus spoke, the demon-possessed were liberated. When Jesus spoke, the sick and diseased were healed. When Jesus spoke, the dead were raised. When Jesus spoke, countless people found purpose for their lives. You see, when Jesus spoke, power came out. Everyone saw it. Both his words and the manner in which he spoke them were authoritative. They were like dynamite – except the explosions they touched off were explosions of truth, hope, and grace. These words – the words of […]
Believing Is Seeing
Text: Luke 4:14-30 | Listen to Message Faith First, Then Sight When Jesus returned to his hometown as an adult, he had some explaining to do! If he was really the Messiah – as he was beginning to claim – then why did he have such an ordinary upbringing? Where’d he been hiding his powers for the past 30 years? What proof was he willing to give to convince people that he was who he said he was? Those who questioned Jesus like this were good, law-keeping Jews. They believed the Bible. They faithfully worshiped God at the local synagogue. They […]
Paradise Regained
Text: Luke 3:21—4:13 | Listen to Message More Than A Model Christians are often quick to assume that the temptation of Christ – like everything else in the Bible – is all about us: “Jesus overcame temptation in order to show you how to overcome the temptations in your life.” Not so fast. It’s fair to say that, in Luke 4, Jesus fought temptation with the Word of God, in the power of the Spirit of God, leaning on his confidence in the will of God. Jesus’ actions were always exemplary, so – yes – wise people will try to walk […]
Real Repentance, Part II
Text: Luke 3:1-22 | Listen to Message Phony Repentance In Part I, we saw that real repentance requires a reorientation of mind and a renovation of actions. Changed thoughts produce changed fruits. But so often we substitute some cheap alternative for actual change. For example… Punishment avoidance: Children and adults alike often protest how sorry and penitent they are … the moment they know they’ve just been caught. So long as they think they’ve gotten away with their sin, they don’t feel an ounce of remorse; but once the instant they know they’re in trouble, they rush to avoid any and […]
Real Repentance, Part I
Text: Luke 3:1-22 | Listen to Message Repentance Bears Fruit When caught red-handed in sin, anyone can say, “I’m sorry.” Anyone can feel guilty and even remorseful. Anyone can promise to change. But many – perhaps even most – will not actually repent. The New Testament uses a compound word for repentance that literally means “to change your mind.” True repentance is the complete reorientation of your thoughts, attitudes, and desires, which ultimately drive your behaviors. So how do you know if you’ve done that? And how do you know if you really meant it? John the Baptist answers in Luke […]
The Confounding Jesus
Text: Luke 2:41-52 | Listen to Message Is Jesus Confusing To You? If something confounds you, it amazes and astonishes you, but it also puzzles and perplexes you. It leaves you awestruck, bewildered and confused, all at the same time. This is the effect Jesus has on people. Picture this scene. Jesus is 12 years old and he’s gone up to Jerusalem with his family for the Passover. After a week, his parents return home to Nazareth with a caravan of family and friends. Unbeknownst to them, Jesus hangs back in Jerusalem. When his absence is discovered, his parents race […]
Salvation Is Here!
Text: Luke 2:22-40 | Listen to Message Salvation Is A Person In some form or another, every religion claims to offer some kind of salvation. Maybe it’s eternal life. Maybe it’s heaven. Maybe it’s reincarnation. Maybe it’s higher consciousness. Maybe it’s your best life now. But every religion claims, “I can save you from this, to this.” How you get that salvation is another question altogether. And there’s no question virtually every religion offers its version of salvation as a reward for good behavior: Obey these rules. Be a nice person. Walk this path. Go to these religious services. Read […]
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