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Jesus Rebukes the Storm

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The previous two sermons demonstrated that disciples of Jesus are expected to listen to His Words, obey His Words, and keep His words to the end. In the Parable of the Sower (Lk 8:1–15), it was only the last soil that produced any fruit because the seed, the word of God, was able to take root. All the other soils were not fit. Any other heart than that which carefully listens to word of God will not have a life that produces fruit. The Parable of the Lamp demonstrated the power of the word (Lk 8:16–18). The word of God is able to expose our heart and label our deeds are right or wrong. The word is intended to be an instruction for us to follow. Lastly it was noted by Jesus that those who truly belong into the family of God are those who hear the word and obey the word of God (Lk 8:19–21).  I believe that in the next three pericopes that we get an answer as to why we should listen and obey to the words of Jesus. He has authority. His words demonstrate His power over all creation. Hi...

Luke 7:24–28 | Jesus Explains John the Baptist

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Sermon on Luke 7:24–28 for the morning of Sept. 11, 2016.  Last week, we encountered an episode where the disciples of John the Baptist came and asked Jesus a very pointed question on his behalf. They asked him, “Are you the coming one, or do we look for another?” (Lk 7:19–20). This seemed to us to be a very odd question to be coming from John the Baptist. He faithfully preached of the coming of the kingdom of God. He faithfully called the nation of Israel to repentance (Lk 3:3–18). He birth was even announced to his father, Zacharias, by the angel Gabriel (Lk 1:13–17). John even witnessed the Holy Spirit coming down from heaven alighting on Jesus confirming that Jesus is the Messiah (Jn 1:32–34). However, when John the Baptist was in prison and began to doubt the ministry and identity of Jesus, Jesus did call the mind any of these events. He did remind him of how he witnessed the Holy Spirit descending as a dove upon Jesus. Jesus instead points to the fact that the words ...

Luke 7:18–23 | Are You the Coming One?

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A sermon on Luke 7:18–23 for the morning service on Sept. 4, 2016.

Luke 7:11–17 | Jesus Raises the Widow's Son

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Jesus has an interchange of discourse between three individuals that share one thing in common. They were not a part of the socially accepted crowd. In Lk 7:1–10 Jesus speaks with a centurion—a gentile. In these Lk 7:11–17, Jesus encounters a widow. Then in the closing of the chapter (Lk 7:36–50), probably the most powerful encounter, Jesus speaks with another woman that is labeled as a “sinner.” These three encounters tell us that Jesus is not afraid to deal with the rejects of society. Jesus reaches out to those outside the race of Jews, to the woman that is weeping, and to the woman that is called a “sinner.” I pray that we never prideful enough that we never are willing to help those that are in need. Even the individuals that are rejected by the rest of society. Bock elaborates, “In the last two pericopes, the major subjects are women, showing that Jesus' work has no gender gap. And in the first pericope of the section, a Gentile has faith, showing that there is no racial g...