Sermons from 2017 (Page 4)
The Cost of Discipleship
In light of the resurrection, there is greater meaning to the pathway of discipleship and its cost for us. We look at two passages from earlier in Luke’s Gospel to get a sense of the life of discipleship: 13:22-30 (teaching on the narrow door) and 14:25-35 (teaching on the cost of being a disciple). SERMON OUTLINE “In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.” (Luke 14:33) The Costly Doorway…
Confusion to Understanding
Two disciples encounter Jesus on the road to Emmaus and their lives are turned upside down. That is what the kingdom does to us, after all. Pastor Matt brings a message from Luke 24:13-35. SERMON OUTLINE “Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight.” (Luke 24:31) Jesus’ Questions (Luke 24:13-24) Jesus’ Explanation (Luke 24:25-27) Recognition (Luke 24:28-35) Living with Burning Hearts DISCUSSION QUESTIONS When did you have a spiritual breakthrough in your life of…
A King and His Kingdom
Resurrection is here! On Easter Sunday, Pastor Matt kicks off our new series, “The Kingdom Life,” with a message from Luke 24:1-12. SERMON OUTLINE “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!” (Luke 24:5-6) Four Views of the Empty Tomb The women The angels The disciples Peter Three Stage of Faith From grief to belief: “it has happened!” [the women] From no hope to nonsense: “it can’t happen.” [the disciples] From doubt…
The Final Move
The triumphal entry actually speaks to the end of all things that is to come. We are drawn into the end game with Jesus as Pastor Matt brings the message from Luke 12:54-59; 21:5-38. SERMON OUTLINE “Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near.” (Luke 21:31) The Time and the End (Luke 21:5-11) The time of destruction The end of all things Persecution and Perseverance (Luke 21:12-19) Persecution Testimony Perseverance Two…
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…
Rebuking
There are not many who receive harsh words from Jesus in direct interaction, but those who universally receive such harsh words are the religious leaders. In this week we will explore the rationale for Jesus’ harsh words in Luke 11 and 12. SERMON OUTLINE Luke 11:37-54 Jesus’ testing of the leaders / ceremony and tradition -vs- the Word of God The leaders’ hypocrisy / we all have a realm of influence—what example are we living before others Luke 12:1-12 Warnings…
Transfigured
The transfiguration in Luke 9:28-36 is one of the most fascinating moments of Jesus’ life and ministry. Why now and why here? What does this show us about the mission of God? SERMON OUTLINE “As he was praying the appearance of his face changed.” (Luke 9:29) The Glorious Unveiling (Luke 9:28-31) Jesus’ glory Jesus’ companions Jesus’ exodus The Glorious Overwhelming (Luke 9:32-33) Shocked awake Peter’s desire to build shelters The Glorious Voice (Luke 9:34-35) The cloud The voice The Glorious…
Messiah
Peter’s bold declaration of Jesus’ identity in Luke 9:18-27 leads us into the revelation of Jesus’ purpose and His intent to die for the cosmos. He is not just a great teacher or a prophet. He is the Messiah of God. SERMON OUTLINE “‘But what about you?’ Jesus asked. ‘Who do you say I am?’” (Luke 9:20) Seeing Jesus through the Eyes of the Crowds (Luke 9:18-19) Jesus the Prophet: like John the Baptist like Elijah like a prophet of…