Sermons on Lent (Page 3)
Lord of the Cast-Off
Jesus is Lord and King; He is Messiah and Savior…but His kingdom is unexpectedly filled with the least likely people: the cast offs. Until we realize who we are and who we are not we will never enter into the Lord’s kingdom. SERMON OUTLINE “Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?” (Luke 7:42) Measuring the Insignificant (Luke 21:1-4) Giving much out of…
The New Moses
Building from Jesus’ great Sermon on the Plain (Luke 6:17-49) we begin to understand that Jesus comes in the tradition of the great teachers of Israel, even becoming a new Moses. He answers the questions of the religious leaders and pushes them into territory they do not understand from Luke 20. SERMON OUTLINE He said to them, “Then give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” (Luke 20:25) Pharisees vs. Jesus Showdown (Luke 20:20-26) Pharisees…
The Sent Son
Jesus comes as the anticipated Son of God. This causes quite a stir, but why is it important? We will explore two passages to get our minds around this: Luke 20:1-8 (the authority of Jesus questioned) and Luke 20:9-19 (parable of the tenants). SERMON OUTLINE Then the owner of the vineyard said, “What should I do? I will send my son, whom I love; perhaps they will respect him.” (Luke 20:13) The Sent Son and the Rejection of Authority (Luke…
The New Temple
Jesus offers strong words against the temple once He has entered into Jerusalem. Let’s try to grasp what it means that there is a new temple arriving as Jesus comes to Jerusalem as king, from Luke 19:45-48. SERMON OUTLINE “It is written,” Jesus said to them, “’My house will be a house of prayer’; but you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’” (Luke 19:46) The Final King (Luke 19:28-38) Mount of Olives and the end of the age The…
Lord of the Sabbath
Why is it significant that Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath and what does that tell us about His crossroads journey? Pastor Matt brings the message from the Gospel of Luke as we start a new series, “Crossroads.” Together, we look at two significant episodes on this: Luke 6:1-11 (Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath) and Luke 13:10-17 (Jesus heals a crippled woman on the Sabbath). SERMON OUTLINE Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” (Luke…
Glorify
John’s account (John 17:1-26) of Jesus’ final hours is crowned with prayer. The prayer is perhaps one of the most beautiful views into Jesus’ interior life with the Father and is even more powerful in light of the pending suffering to come. Jesus asks His Father that glory would stream from His suffering path to the Cross, through His disciples, and through His future followers in ages to come. SERMON OUTLINE After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and…
Overcome
Jesus’ trials threaten to overcome Him, but they actually become a way of life and victory as Jesus overcomes death and sin. Jesus tells His followers that they will suffer like He suffered, but that He will turn their grief to joy and fill their trials with peace. What does it all mean? What are we to do with these particularly unpleasant – even painful – portions of Scripture? (John 15:18-25; 16:16-33) SERMON OUTLINE “In this world you will have…
Abide
Perhaps the most-quoted words from Jesus’ final teaching are found in John 15:1-17, this passage about abiding in the vine as branches that bear fruit. But what does that really mean? What was Jesus trying to tell us about our life hidden in God? SERMON OUTLINE “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5) Jesus as the…
The Spirit
In John 14:1-31 and John 15:26-16:15, Jesus comforts His disciples by providing them insight into His life with the Father and the promise of the Holy Spirit; highlighting the Trinity as a community of love that we are invited into. (John 14:1-31) SERMON OUTLINE “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever – the Spirit of truth.” (John 14:16-17) Friend: The Holy Spirit as Continuing Presence (John 14:16-17) •…
Trouble
Jesus’ journey through trouble leads to salvation and a future place of peace for His followers. The disciples’ betrayal (Judas), forthcoming denials (Peter), and fear gather around them but Jesus offers hope. (John 13:18-14:4) SERMON OUTLINE “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.” (John 14:1) The Trouble of Betrayal (John 13:18-30) Judas and divided loyalties Judas and spiritual conflict The Trouble of Failure (John 13:31-38) Peter and confusion Peter and brash declarations…
Servant
In John 13:1-17, Jesus washes His disciples’ feet as an example of servant love. Jesus says love serves and calls them to serve one another; Jesus calls His followers friends. SERMON OUTLINE “After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet.” (John 13:5) Servant Identity (John 13:1-3) Jesus knew the hour (13:1a) Jesus loved His own (13:1b) Jesus knew His power (13:3) Servant Action (John 13:4-11) Foot washing as a foretelling of the Cross (13:4-6)…
The Neighbor
(Exodus 20:16-17; Mark 12:31) SERMON OUTLINE “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. You shall not covet…anything that belongs to your neighbor.” (Exodus 20:16-17) Lying and our Neighbor (Exodus 20:16; Ephesians 4:15) What is ‘false testimony’? (Exodus 20:16) The triangle of truth assessment: what we take in, what we think, what we speak out What lying does to us and our neighbor The remedy: “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15) Envy and our Neighbor (Exodus 20:17; 1…