Sermons About Luke
Preparing the Way for Jesus
In Luke chapter 3, John the Baptist begins his ministry of preparing the way for Jesus' ministry. John's baptisms were for repentance, and he preached a message of "repent or else." He didn't tell people to go through rituals, but he told people that they needed to change to show their repentance. Real repentance produces fruit that comes from a changed heart.
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Confusion
40 And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him. 41Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. 42And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom. 43And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, 44but supposing him to be in the group they went a day’s journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances, 45and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him. 46After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48And when his parents saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress." 49And he said to them, "Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?" 50And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them. 51And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart. 52And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.
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How To Make A Difference In An Indifferent World
Brad Zinn concludes the Pursuing the Peace of Philadelphia series by examining Jesus' teaching on going out into the world and trying to make a difference.
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A Profile in Hope
22And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23(as it is written in the Law of the Lord, "Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord") 24and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, "a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons." 25Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, 28he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, 29"Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; 30for my eyes have seen your salvation 31 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel." 33And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. 34And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, "Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed 35(and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed." 36And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, 37and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. 38And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. 39And when they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. 40 And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.
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Jesus - A Very Special Child
Have you ever wondered what Jesus was like as a baby or a small child? Most of us have. Although there isn't a lot of information for us to go by, God gave us what He wanted us to know, and that is Jesus was a very special child. In Luke 2, Jesus was shown to be a child of promise and salvation for all people, as Simeon prophesied. He was also shown to be a child of division and pain and a child of wisdom and grace. Most importantly, he was a child of God in a very unique way. He called God, "My Father." No one up until that point called God, "Father." Jesus knew who he was and who his Father was.
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The Glory Struggle
1In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. 8And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. 10And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." 13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!" 15When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us." 16And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. 21And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
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Saved by Grace
Acts 15:1-35 People are saved by God's grace - not by their works. No other apostle stated this more clearly than the apostle Paul. In his letter to the church at Ephesus (Ephesians 2:8-9) Paul says "For by grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." (NKJ) The belief that salvation is in some way dependent on human works is the most damning heresy that has ever been in the church. It started with the Judaizers in the church at Antioch, and it continues to this day. The heresy and false doctrine practiced and promoted by the false teachers in the church at Antioch was addressed by a select group of men who were appointed as the Council of Jerusalem. The council sought the answer to the most important question of all time: What must a person do to be saved? From Luke's account in Acts 15, we witness one of the most critical moments in the life of the church and see how God used courageous men who were concerned with the unity of the church to correct the heresy that was being promoted in the church at Antioch. Luke's account of the Jerusalem Council can be divided into five segments that affirm for all time that salvation is by grace through faith alone apart from works: 1. The Disputation (vv. 1-4) 2. The Discussion (vv. 5-12) 3. The Decision (vv. 13-21) 4. The Declaration (vv. 22-29) 5. The Distribution (vv. 30-35) The moment that men decree that they must do something in order to merit salvation, they have denied God's free gift of grace. We must always remember what it means to receive grace. Grace is God's unearned and undeserved kindness toward helpless and hopeless sinners. Grace is getting what you can never earn and what you never deserve. But you can have grace - if you reach out in repentant faith to the one sent by God to administer His grace. It is the only means of salvation given to us by God - it is by grace through faith in the finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ. What are you trusting for in your salvation?
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