In Luke 14:1-14, Jesus attended a Sabbath feast at the home of a prominent Pharisee. As soon as Jesus arrived, he performed a miracle to the consternation of the host and his friends. He then proceeded to tell two stories set against the backdrop of a feast, each aimed at the pride of the Pharisees.…
In the sermon text for the Lord’s Day (Luke 13:31-35), the opposition to Jesus intensifies. Jesus continues toward the cross with unwavering resolve, but grieved, he laments Israel’s squandered opportunity to repent and believe.
This Lord’s Day our guest speaker is Ryan Martin, pastor of First Baptist Church, Granite Falls, MN. He will preach from Exodus 18, a text that tells a story of Moses’ interaction with his father-in-law, Jethro. Of this passage, Dr. Martin says: The story of Jethro is primarily given to us to make this important…
This Lord’s Day, we will consider Jesus’ warning, “Strive to enter [the kingdom] through the narrow door” (sermon text: Luke 13:22-30). He explained with several declarations that would have shocked his audience. A question launched the discussion in the passage, but it turns out that the question was the wrong one. By the end of…
This Lord’s Day the sermon text of the worship service (Luke 13:10-17) describes an event that displayed the great mercy of the Lord. Jesus performed a miraculous healing on the Sabbath, sparking criticism from the self-righteous religious leaders. Jesus rebuked them for their hypocrisy and failure of mercy. The message of Jesus is a message…
Luke 13:1-9 is a passage that expands the final thought of chapter 12: “Settle accounts with God before it is too late” (Luke 12:57-59). The crowd asked Jesus a question about the problem of evil; his reply is startling (Luke 13:1-5). And to make sure no one failed to understand his point, Jesus followed it up…
The sermon text for this Lord’s Day (Luke 12:49-59) includes three paragraphs that, at first glance, seem unrelated, but closer evaluation suggests that they combine to create a powerful challenge. Jesus begins with a description of his mission that includes judgment and conflict. Next, he derides the crown for their unwillingness to see the signs…
This Lord’s Day the worship service sermon text weaves together a series of brief parables that call the followers of Jesus to eagerly anticipate his return. This expectation serves as the motivation for faithful service. The passage climaxes with a clear declaration: the greater the privilege, the greater the responsibility.
In Luke 12:13-21 (the sermon text for last Sunday), Jesus challenged his followers to resist covetousness because those who covet value the creation above the Creator. Rather than working to amass treasure for self, the follower of Jesus must be “rich toward God” (Luke 12:21). The following passage (for this Lord’s Day sermon) explains that…
In Luke 12:13-21, Jesus tells the famous parable of the rich fool who tore down his barns to build bigger barns to stash his hoard for the future. The problem the rich man had was not his riches, but his worldview. He hoarded for himself and left God out of the picture, resulting in greed…