Biblical preaching is the center-piece of corporate worship. We believe that expository preaching best serves God’s purposes and his people. Typically, we work section by section through large portions of Scripture, usually complete books of the Bible.
As Luke draws close to the conclusion of his book, he records Jesus' words as he entrusted his followers with a message and mission. The message is the good news of forgiveness declared in the Scriptures and secured by Christ's death and resurrection. The mission is global in scope, proclamational in nature, and empowered by…
Two unknown disciples hurried to Jerusalem late on Resurrection Day to share with the other believers the truth about Jesus' death. They learned this truth in the Scriptures as taught by Jesus along the road to Emmaus. As they explained these things, Jesus suddenly appeared among them. The account that follows (Luke 24:36-43) describes the…
As we previously studied Luke 24:13-27, we “eavesdropped” on a conversation that took place on the road from Jerusalem to Emmaus on the first Resurrection Day. The conversation occurred between two obscure disciples and the risen Christ, though he walked with them incognito. The disciples were forlorn and agitated because Jesus was crucified. So, Jesus…
Joel Owen will preach the morning message this Lord's Day from Psalm 34. He will use the testimony of David in this psalm to help us develop a “theology of trials.”
On Resurrection Day, two followers of Jesus left Jerusalem and walked to the little town of Emmaus. On the way, they aired their discouragement, frustration, and confusion caused by the death of Jesus. But then, the Lord Jesus, incognito, joined them on their journey. He confronted their lack of faith and proceeded to show them…
It is our privilege to welcome a Baptist Mid-Mission's missionary to our services this Lord's Day. He travels around the world to meet with indigenous pastors who do not have access to adequate training. He and other team members provide teaching in intensive training classes. In the worship service, he will preach from Revelation 2:1-7.…
In our continuing study of the Gospel of Luke, we come to the end of Jesus' Passion Week. His suffering has ended and death gives way to life. Last Lord's Day we contemplated the significance of Jesus' burial. We know that Jesus was really dead—but all of that changed as we will see in Luke…
This Lord's Day is Reformation Sunday, a day that remembers the hard-fought gains achieved by men such as Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Knox, and a host of others. All Protestant churches—even those that are not technically Reformed—owe a debt to these men who suffered, and sometimes laid down their lives, to purify the doctrine…
Luke 23:50-56 has a somber tone. Jesus, now dead, was buried in a borrowed tomb. The Lord's body was prepared with both respect and haste. Luke singled out two groups who participated in this grim act of love. First, a man named Joseph played a cameo role—his only appearance in the gospels. Second, the women…
In Luke 23:39-43, one of the two thieves condemned to die with Jesus joins in the ridicule, blaspheming the crucified Messiah. The other thief challenges and rebukes him for his failure to fear God. He reminded the first thief that, unlike them, Jesus had done nothing wrong. Turning to Jesus, he asked Jesus to remember…
In the sermon text for this Lord's Day (Luke 23:32-38), Jesus is led the place of his execution. The injustice continued as he was crucified between two thieves, scoffed and mocked. Some onlookers thought it amusing that the placard above Jesus' head declared that he was the King of the Jews. But we know that…
In the sermon text for this Lord's Day (Luke 23:26-31), Jesus leaves Pilate's judgment hall and moves toward the cross. The focal point is Jesus' conversation is his interaction with a group of women who followed him through the streets of Jerusalem, weeping as they went. He told them that their tears were misplaced. Instead…
At the conclusion of Luke 22, the Jewish leadership of Israel conducted an illegal trial and determined that Jesus must die. However, they lacked the authority to execute him. They had to convince the civil authority (the Roman governor) that Jesus was a threat and deserved to die. In the sermon text for this Lord's…
Last week, we “watched” as Peter denied his Lord (Luke 22:54-62). The text for this Lord's Day tells us what Jesus was enduring inside while Peter was denying him outside (Luke 22:63-71). It summarizes Jesus' trial before the Jewish leaders and exposes the gross perversion of justice that took place that night. His adversaries pressed…
In the sermon text for this Lord's Day (Luke 22:54-62), Luke shifts the focus of the story from Jesus to Peter. The one disciple who declared his undying allegiance to Jesus and who was ready to defend Jesus with his life now cowers in fear while Jesus is interrogated and sorely abused. As Jesus foretold,…
As Jesus chided the disciples for their failure to pray in Gethsemane, a crowd of armed men made their way into the garden. Judas, one of the Twelve, led the way and betrayed his Master with a kiss of friendship. This moment marked the beginning of what Jesus called the hour of “the power of…
Jesus and the disciples left the upper room in the early hours of Friday morning. They moved across the Kidron Valley and up the slopes of the Mount of Olives just east of Jerusalem. There Jesus instructed his disciples to pray so that Satan would not “sift” them. He withdrew to pray by himself. He…
In Luke 22:35-38 Jesus challenged his disciples to prepare for a change in their ministry. Previously, they were well received by many as they proclaimed the message of Christ and his kingdom. But the King was about to be crucified. Those who despised him would despise his followers, as well. This change in their circumstances…
It is our pleasure to have as our speaker this Lord's Day, missionary Michael Carlyle.
In Luke 22:31-34 Jesus foretold Peter's failure. Despite his bold assertion that he, of all people, would never fail to follow Jesus before the night was finished he would deny Jesus three times. The text reveals that Satan attempted to undermine the entire band of followers by causing Peter to fall away. But Jesus interceded…
The scene is still the upper room where Jesus ate the Passover meal with his disciples (Luke 22:24-30). The blessings of hindsight deepen the offensiveness of what we see: the disciples bickered with a spirit of contentious rivalry, vying for position in the Kingdom. Ironically, they had missed the example of their Leader who presented…
Luke 22:14-23 contains an account of the Passover meal Jesus shared with his disciples on the night before he died. Though it was a meal designed to remember God's deliverance of Israel from slavery, Jesus used it as an analogy of the deliverance from sin he would secure on the cross. Thus, it marked a…
In the sermon text for this Lord's Day (Luke 22:7-13), Jesus oversees the preparation for his Passover meal with the disciples. Jesus embraces the imagery of the Passover to describe what he will accomplish the next day. He is the Lamb of God delivered up in sacrifice for our sins.
This Lord's Day, our sermon series comes to Luke 22:1-6. It includes the first details of the plot to kill Jesus. Judas, the betrayer, will make his agreement with the religious leaders who hated our Lord. It is unthinkable that one of the disciples would plot to bring about Jesus' death. Luke includes an important…
Luke 21:5-38 contains Luke's account of Jesus' Olivet Discourse. The theme of the passage is the Second Coming of Christ, both the circumstances of the current age leading up to his return and the event itself. In the final paragraph of the text (Luke 21:34-38), Jesus challenged his hearers to live with constant expectation of…
In Luke 21:29-33, Jesus told a parable about a fig tree. Just as the appearance of leaves on the tree signals the imminent approach of summer, so the events Jesus described in the previous paragraph (Luke 21:25-28) will signal his imminent return to the earth. He finished the parable with an explanation that makes his…
The idea of the local church has suffered much criticism. Many seem to think they can improve on God's design. However, a fresh look at the institution of the local church as revealed in the Word will serve to increase our appreciation for the plan of God. There are five areas in which the local…
In the sermon text for this Lord's Day, we come to Jesus' description of his Second Coming. It will be a day of joy for his followers, but a day of dread, distress, and death for his enemies. It concludes with a message to Christians alive at that time, yet significant to believers in every…
In Luke 21:20-24, Jesus continued his description of the global events that would come to pass because Israel rejected him. This text uses language that could apply to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 A.D. However, a closer look reveals that Jesus looked beyond the first century to the years immediately preceding…
This Lord's Day we continue our study of Luke's account of the Olivet Discourse. Jesus explained that the current age that climaxes with his Second Coming will be characterized by persecution. It is not easy to follow Jesus. But the seasons of persecution bring opportunity to bear witness for the Name of Jesus.
This Lord's Day we welcome Dr. Gerald Priest as our guest speaker. He the retired professor of homiletics (preaching) and church history at Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary. He will deliver a message based on the life of Daniel contained in Daniel chapters 1, 6, and 9.
The sermon passage for this Lord's Day (Luke 21:5-11) introduces Luke's account of Jesus' extended teaching about his Second Coming. It is known as the Olivet Discourse. It extends through 21:36. We will work our way through this important passage in a series of six messages. Each of our hymns was selected because it anticipates…
The sermon text for this Lord's Day is Luke 20:41-21:4. At first glance, it seems to contain three unrelated mini-stories of the events that occurred during Christ's Passion Week. Upon closer examination, they are related. The religious leaders had been questioning Jesus, attempting to entrap him so that they could condemn him. In Luke 20:41-44,…
This Lord's Day we will observe the Lord's Table by rehearsing the story line of the Bible. The story begins with God's purpose in Creation. This sets the overarching theme of the Bible: the glory of God. However, soon afterward came the Fall, when we rebelled and marred the glory of God seen in his…
Few people in our Western culture understand the powerful biblical metaphor of a shepherd and his sheep. In ancient times, the shepherd symbolized a ruler who wielded authority by divine right. The ideal ruler would also care for his people. Jesus came to fulfill the ancient prophecies that God would raise up a Shepherd-King who…
This Lord's Day is traditionally known as “Palm Sunday,”—the day Jesus entered Jerusalem at the beginning of his Passion Week. It is fitting that our sermon text describes an encounter Jesus had with his opponents near the end of that week. They approached Jesus with a question about the resurrection. It was an attempt to…
In the sermon text for this Lord's Day (Luke 20:20-26), Jesus' enemies plot to trick him into saying something they could use to condemn him. Jesus did not take the bait. Instead, he replied with the famous words, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” This…
Our speaker this Lord's Day is Mark Buhr. He will continue his sermon series through Galatians.
Our speaker this Lord's Day is Mark Buhr. He will continue his sermon series through Galatians.
In the sermon text for this Lord's Day, Jesus tells an extended parable that describes the plot made by tenants of a man's vineyard to get rid of their master's son and take ownership of the land. Their treacherous plot ends up in the murder of the master's beloved son and the master, as expected,…
Luke 20:1-8 begins Luke's account of the third day of Jesus' passion week. It also begins his account of a series of challenges Israel's rulers made to Jesus' authority. They sought to trap him by goading him into saying something they could us to condemn him. In this exchange, Jesus turns the tables, catching them…
The morning after Jesus' so-called “Triumphal Entry,” Jesus returned to the temple. He angrily expelled those who irreverently used the holy place for common and shameful deeds. Jesus' opponents were all the more determined to do away with him, but they couldn't find the right time.
In the sermon text this Lord's Day (Luke 19:28-44), Jesus' journey to Jerusalem reaches its climactic end. He will ride into the city on the colt of a donkey (an intentional connection with Zechariah 9:9) as the crowds cry “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!”
Just before Jesus entered Jerusalem as Israel's King, he told a parable that made it clear to his listeners that his kingdom will begin when he returns following a long absence. In the meantime, his true followers must serve him faithfully. The parable ends with an ominous declaration of the ruin that awaits those who…
On the eve of Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, he sought out a man in Jericho and invited himself into the man's home! Luke includes Jesus' encounter with Zacchaeus to teach us about Jesus' ministry: the nature of his mission, the beneficiaries of his message, and the evidence of his salvation.
This Lord's Day is our annual Prayer Emphasis Sunday. Our guest speaker, Dr. Mark Snoeberger, will present a message on the Lord's Prayer from Matthew 6:9:13.
Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem for his rendezvous with the cross. As he approached Jericho, a blind beggar cried out for mercy (Luke 18:35-43). Because of the man's faith, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Light of the world, gave him his sight.
Jesus had set his face toward Jerusalem (Luke 9:51) and was resolved to traverse that path to the bitter end. He explained to the Twelve disciples multiple times that a rendezvous with death awaited him in that city. In the sermon text for this Lord's Day (Luke 18:31-34), Jesus explained this once again, but this…
Luke chapter 18 began with a parable that taught the disciples to pray for the coming kingdom (Luke 1-8). The sermon text for this Lord's Day adds a second parable about prayer. This parable explains what God requires of those who enter the kingdom. We must humble ourselves before him and seek his mercy.
This Lord's Day we will remember the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We will explore the significance of Isaiah's prophecy that the Son given by God is Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6)
At the end of Luke 17, Jesus described his future return as a fulfillment of the hope of his followers and as a day of dreadful judgment poured out on those who oppose him. The text for this Lord's Day (Luke 18:1-8) continues the theme of the Lord's return. In it, Jesus tells a parable…
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