5 Practical Applications from Luke

Luke's stories are rich and full of detail. Yet they are not just for entertainment. In them, we see a complex and beautiful Savior who desires us to follow Him and be changed by Him.

• Peter and the others fished all night without results. When Jesus told them to try something new, he simply obeyed. Don’t miss out on Jesus’ blessings because you are stuck doing things the way you’ve always done them.

• Jesus told the disciples they were going to be fishers of men. How many people have you caught with the good news of the Gospel? If it's not very many, perhaps you need to change up your strategy.

• The leper’s prayer to Jesus should be the same as our prayer. “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” The good news is that Jesus will! He always desires to make us clean.

• By healing the paralyzed man AND forgiving his sins, Jesus demonstrated that He has power over spiritual and physical evil. Nothing in the universe is more powerful than Him.

• People who think they are spiritually healthy will never seek the assistance of God. Jesus came for those who know they are sick. Repentance is the recognition that we need His help, it is our act of preparation to receive His spiritual healing.

5 Sermon Starters from Luke 4

Adam was tempted in the garden and succumbed, and so sin entered the world, and death passed to all men. Jesus was tempted in the wilderness and triumphed, and so righteousness entered the picture, and life was passed to all who would accept it.

• The temptations brought by Satan are similar to John’s description of the love of the world (1 John 2:16). Beware of the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life.

• Jesus defeated temptation by quoting Scripture. The more time you spend with God’s Word, and the more God’s Word gets into your heart and mind, the more effectively you will be able to fight against temptation.

• Verses 18-19 are a reminder that Jesus’ mission was two-fold. He came to REDEEM SINNERS and he also came to RELIEVE SUFFERING.

• The people of Jesus’ hometown never experienced what Jesus could have offered because they refused to accept Him as Lord. Once we believe in Jesus, we open ourselves to receive the abundant life He offers.

• Jesus always wanted more people to hear the good news of the Kingdom. He kept moving from village to village so that more people could receive His salvation.

5 Observations from Luke 2

Luke 2 is more than just a Christmas story. There is much there for us to apply to our own lives all year long.

• According to the angels, Jesus came to bring peace. He makes it possible for us to be at peace with God and He makes it possible for us to live at peace with one another.

• Even though Simeon had lived a long and full life, the one thing that completed his life was meeting Jesus. You will never be content if you choose the wrong people or objects from which to seek completion. (Jerry Maguire had this wrong)

• Joseph and Mary brought Jesus to the temple according to the law of Moses. Good parents teach their children to know, love and obey God’s Word.

• In Luke 2:47-48, Jesus’ interaction with the religious leaders AMAZED everyone, and when His parents found Him, they were ASTONISHED. If your interactions with Jesus don't shock you sometimes, you may not be paying close enough attention.

• When Mary and Joseph were separated they finally found Him in the temple, and Jesus told them they should have known He was there. If you ever feel like you are having a hard time finding Jesus, you’ll find Him in His Father’s house.

On Russia, Ukraine, Gog, Magog, and The End of The World

In December, we made the decision to read through the New Testament as a church this year. Rather than planning out several sermon series, I selected passages from each week's reading. Since the Olivet Discours appears in three Gospels, I knew I wanted to cover it at least once. 

When I chose February 27 to preach on Mark 13, I had no idea that would be the week Russia would invade Ukraine. By the time we arrived at church on Sunday, many people were on edge. The largest land war in Europe since World War II was under way and a great deal of uncertainty hung in the air. How was this going to affect us? Would we be at war soon? Was this the beginning of the end? 

I decided that I couldn't possibly answer everyone's questions, give a comprehensive perspective of end times, and be faithful to the message I had prepared on Mark 13. So I told my congregation I would do a Facebook Live Stream on Wednesday, in which I would give a much more detailed perspective of the Bible's teaching about end times.

I probably bit off more than I could chew, but 75 slides and almost 2 hours later, I had walked our church through a birds eye view of the "end of all things". You can watch the end times presentation here:

   

You can watch the sermon on Mark 13 here:

   

  If you want the notes from my presentation, you can download them here

10 Application Principles from Matthew 18

Matthew 18 is an oft-quoted chapter. Ironically, it is a chapter, more than others that should lead to introspection rather than blaming or accusations.

1. Human tendency is to pursue greatness, but the way of Jesus is one of humility and dependence.
2. Every time Jesus talks about children, He elevates them and prioritizes their protection.
3. Temptation is a part of life, but you can choose to not make it worse.
4. In your struggle against sin, you have not really given all until you have made painful sacrifices.
5. God cares deeply about children who are lost or invisible.
6. Conflict resolution should always begin in private.
7. As long as you can and as much as you can, avoid bringing more people into your disagreements.
8. Forgiveness never goes out of style.
9. You may not forgive that person, but God in Christ would.
10. Accusations of others don’t fit well on those whom God chooses not to accuse.

5 Sermon Sound Bites from Matthew 17

 It is interesting, that Matthew's gospel devotes very little ink to the most glorious moment of Christ's life (the transfiguration), while spilling much to demonstrate His compassion and the point towards His coming suffering.

• The mountaintop is a great place to visit, but a bad place to live.

• Overshadowed by the Spirit, listening to the Father, and communing with the Son is the best way to live.

• The way of Jesus must include suffering.

• The more closely aligned your purposes are with God’s purposes, the more He will be able to do through you.

• Children of God obey earthly authority, not out of obligation, but to demonstrate loving submission.

5 Sermon Sound Bites from Matthew 16

Often, when I preach, I try to have several sound-bite-type statements sprinkled throughout my sermon. These statements are usually the last piece of my sermon to develop as they are in many ways the transitions and summations of the key points of the sermon. 

Read more about "sound bite sermons" here.

1. Increased understanding of nature should lead to increased understanding of God, but the more humanity learns about creation, the less they seem to appreciate the creator.
2. Left unchecked, legalism always grows, infects, divides, and destroys.
3. If your answer to the question, “Who is Jesus?” doesn’t include the word “GOD”, you still don’t have it right.
4. Jesus lived to die. Nothing could get between Him and the cross.
5. We must die to live. Nothing should get between us and His cross.