Heritage Bible Church

From billboards to web banners, most of the "calls to action" we receive are enticements with fine print. All we have to do is swipe the card or sign on the dotted line. Jesus was not coy about the conditions for discipleship. There are no hidden costs in Jesus' call to renounce all that we have. This is quite different from many approaches to evangelism that sound so much like the next sales pitch. In Luke 14:25–35 Jesus makes his way to Jerusalem with a message about what it takes to follow him there.

"May I please be excused?" This is what parents teach their children to say when they'd like to leave the dinner table. It's a polite expression. In Luke 14:1–24 we find a similar expression but the motive is more sinister. Some who are invited to a great banquet will at first accept the initiation but then at the last moment offer some reason they need to decline after all. But the host of this feast is determined to fill his house with eating and fellowship and laughter. Which is why Christ invites us to the table. How have you responded? Who will you bring?

We pick up right where we left off last week with a warning to Jesus that there are those out there seeking to kill him. Jesus in response appears unfazed as he has been given a task and he will not be deterred. He finishes his discourse with a song of grief over a city that marks the end of his course. But is there more behind Jesus' words than just a mere response to a petty king accompanied by words of sadness? What is Jesus' purpose behind the words he gives to the political powers of the day and the city associated with the people covenanted with God? Is there hope behind such language?

This week we come to a passage that begins by Luke reminding us that Jesus is "journeying towards Jerusalem." His time is getting short. The cross is almost here and it's time to answer some important questions. Jesus is asked such a question, a question he chooses not to answer. Instead, he tells a parable of a master's house and the people wanting in that will not be allowed entry. This group is unknown to the master, and they are many. Jesus does not leave the audience without hope, providing a better answer to the question that was asked of him in how someone will be known to the master.

There's a window of opportunity and it is closing. Jesus spoke plainly: "unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." But in Luke 12:54–13:12 Jesus said more than this. He offers an outline of why some never respond to that call. It has to do with storms and fig trees, with healings and hypocrisy, with mustard seeds and with bread. Listen and ponder repentance and the time we have left.

It's hard to stay awake. We all know the feeling. Our bodies run out of energy and soon we're fast asleep. It's natural, even if we wish we could stay up. But we know how to stay awake when it counts. No one takes a nap when company is expected at the door. No one falls asleep to the sound of a stranger playing with the lock on your front door. We know how to stay awake when it counts. In Luke 12:35–53, Jesus calls us to wakefulness for his coming and makes the case that it counts. No one enters the kingdom of God asleep.

Covetousness is the subject of the tenth commandment, a command against an inner desire and a real problem for us all. In Luke 12:13–34, Jesus addresses this sin with the medicine of barns and birds, God's kingdom and God's pleasure. God's kingdom is better than ours. Which one are you seeking?

Jesus has been inviting two opposite responses. Some are enraged, plotting his destruction. Alternatively, crowds of raving fans are growing to the point that they are dangerous. This combination of polarization and popularity presents Jesus' disciples with a subtle temptation common to us all: to be less than candid about our identification with Jesus. What we do in response to this hesitation may well decide whether we deny Jesus before men. In Luke 12:1–12, Jesus breaks down the process of apostasy and points the way forward—literally: final judgment keeps us faithful to Jesus.

What gets you riled up? That will tell us something about you. What gets Jesus riled up? That will tell us something about him—what he cares about, what concerns him, and what it means to hear and keep his Word. In Luke 11:37–54 we find ourselves around the dinner table with Jesus. He rants and raves against his hosts and teaches us all a lesson about the danger and hypocrisy of legalism.

Second of three talks on discipleship at the 2025 Women's Retreat, Discipling: Walking the Road to Heaven Together.

Third of three talks on discipleship at the 2025 Women's Retreat, Discipling: Walking the Road to Heaven Together.

First of three talks on discipleship at the 2025 Women's Retreat, Discipling: Walking the Road to Heaven Together.

Light attracts, it gives life, and it brightens. That's what the message of resurrected Jesus does for all who receive him. But not all will, for light also repels. Some in Jesus' own day were on an endless pursuit of signs to validate his claims. Even the resurrection would not do. He knew as much, which is why in Luke 11:29–36, Jesus responded to their demand tersely, "No sign will be given to [them] except the sign of Jonah," that is, the sign of life from the dead. What we do with the risen Christ decides what's inside us, whether darkness or light.

The details of death on a cross are deeply unsettling. The pain endured by Jesus is almost unfathomable. Yet, at this point in our journey through Luke's gospel, Jesus is willingly and knowingly headed straight there. As he works yet another miracle, healing a demon possessed man, he has deeply unsettling news for us: "Whoever is not with me is against me." There is no middle ground, no neutral or disinterested position. Which side are you on? And what gets us on his side? Listen as we look with confidence to Jesus, the stronger man, who came to rescue us into his kingdom and sends us out to gather more unto him.

Jesus could have sat his disciples down and said, "You need to pray. Here's how." That would have been true and useful enough. But he is wiser than that. Instead, Jesus prayed in view of his disciples over and again so that eventually they asked, "Lord, teach us to pray." Which Jesus simply, memorably, and gladly did as recorded for us in Luke 11:1–13. There we find not only a pattern for our own prayers but a way of approaching our Father in heaven that is as reassuring as it is counterintuitive. Listen as we sit at Jesus' feet and learn to pray.

Hospitality and service are of great importance. They are precious to Jesus. But our service is not more precious than Jesus himself. To sit at Jesus' feet and listen to Jesus' Word is always the priority on the road of discipleship. Or, as Jesus calls it, "the good portion." We learn this lesson in Luke 10:38–42 from a visit to the loving home of two sisters, Mary and Martha, on a difficult day.

What is the meaning of the parable of the Good Samaritan found in Luke 10:25–37? The answer to that question might seem obvious. The Good Samaritan is an example of love for neighbor. True enough. But why did Jesus tell this parable? To help us know what neighbor-love looks like? To answer the question, "who is my neighbor?" In a sense, yes and yes. And emphatically, no. Read and ponder why.

We know the end of the story: Jesus wins and he's not alone. He has with him a company of sinners made saints, a plentiful harvest for heaven. To labor in his fields and see sinners saved is a very great joy for those whom Jesus sends out. But Luke 10:1–24 points to a greater joy still, an unstoppable joy that powers our unstoppable mission.

Jesus appeared on the mountain, transfigured in glory. That's what the Lord Jesus looks forward to. It's what we look forward to as well. But that glory will not come without the grief of the cross. In 9:51, Luke marks a shift in his gospel and Jesus' mission. Now Jesus stares down the cross. There is no way up but through, no way to the crown but by the cross. There is no negotiating with this plan and no avoiding it—not for Jesus and not for us.

Jesus sent his disciples out to minister in his name. When they return, the disciples quarrel for the top spot on Jesus' ministry team. Pride is an ancient problem and the church's mission requires that we win this internal battle. In Luke 9:46–50 we learn with the disciples as Jesus deals a blow to their pride and ours that we might put down this ancient sin for the sake of his name. As we learn, the success of our mission from Jesus requires solidarity with one another.

Before Jesus makes his turn toward the cross, he prepares his disciples for the road ahead. Up to this point, life with Jesus seemed to get better and more miraculous with each passing day. Now Jesus says there is trouble coming, for him and his disciples. Shouldn't life be easier for this conquering king? Does suffering mean he isn't the messiah, or is suffering at the very heart of his mission? Luke 9:18-45 shows us how the Lord prepares his disciples and us for a life of following him.

Paid or not, every church member is involved in ministry. We may start our Christian life mostly on the receiving end, but in due time we devote ourselves to one another's spiritual good. Discouragement and disillusionment can set in when we consider all the needs before us, even in one life or household. Who is sufficient for these things? In Luke 9:10–17 Jesus answers this question and teaches us the first lesson for our life in ministry: Jesus is enough for his people.

So far Luke has taken us on a journey with Jesus. We've been riding along with the disciples to witness Jesus preaching and healing, getting on his knees and getting in trouble. In Luke 9:1–9 Jesus gives his disciples something to do. He sends them out with his gospel to preach and his empowerment to preach it to great effect, with all of the risks and rewards that come with this labor. This is a remarkable truth, that God would get his Word out through us. There were some peculiarities to the specific way the first apostles conducted their ministry. But there are points of overlap with our role as Jesus' witnesses today.

"Daughter." It's a term of relationship, affection, and endearment. It's also how Jesus addresses one timid woman who came to him for healing. Yet even her story is part of a larger lesson in faith that Jesus is teaching to one dad whose daughter is on her deathbed. In Luke 8:40–56, Jesus takes the scenic route and leads Jairus on a painful and powerful journey of faith.

In the face of hard things in our lives, and especially compared to what appears to be the prospering of godless people, we can be tempted to wonder if God sees and cares. But Psalm 73 reminds us that when we place ourselves under God's instruction we see a bigger picture which helps us remember that when we have the nearness of God we have everything we will ever need.

There's a man named Enoch near the beginning of the Bible's story. Moses records this beautiful summary of his life, "Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him" (Gen. 5:24). More than a beautiful summary of his life, this simple description instructs us in Genesis 5:21–32.

Some people can't stop talking about Jesus. They're so annoying. But not to our Lord. Yes, there are ways that we can offend and bother needlessly. But it's never needless to talk about all that Jesus has done for us. That's one lesson we learn from Luke 8:22–39, about a windstorm and wicked spirits. Jesus overpowers both and one man can't stop talking about it.

Sometimes we'll hear or even say, "Jesus preached in pictures so that anyone could understand." Not true. Jesus often preached in pictures to hide his meaning. In Luke 8:1–21 we continue getting to know the Lord Jesus better than we have known him. In this text we come to the familiar parable of the soils, a test for how we hear the Word. But more, an encouragement to know the word is at work even when it seems to fail.

As humans, we take so many things in our life for granted. We go about our day and don't consider the gravity of so many of the things we've been given. This tendency can easily translate to God and the word that he has given to us. Psalm 19 is a song of praise to our God for his gracious revelation to mankind and his people. We'll follow the psalmist as he walks us through creation and the law in an attempt to show us who God is and what he has done for us in speaking to us. King David considers all these things and leads us to respond with humility and confidence.

This sermon is the last in a series of encounters between Jesus and his friends, interactions with those friendly to Jesus that teach us about our salvation. Jesus eats with the Pharisees, and all appears well until a woman shows up. Simon, the host, determines that she has no business interacting with Jesus. In reply, the Lord turns the dining facility into a classroom. Jesus uses a parable and the woman's response of love for him to teach about his immense grace in forgiving sins. Luke 7:36-50 helps us investigate just what kind of grace Jesus offers and the love we see displayed in response to his undeserved favor.

What should we do with our doubts about Jesus? Even that question assumes we might have some. Take comfort that in Luke 7:18–35 we find doubts on the lips of none other than John the Baptist, Jesus' forerunner, God's messenger to the world that the Christ has come. What did John do with his doubts about Jesus' identity? What does Jesus do with doubters like John? What will you do with Jesus?

A centurion's servant was healed by a mere word and news is spreading fast. A crowd follows Jesus, and the party stumbles across a funeral. A mother has lost everything. In the midst of all these people, will Jesus even notice this hopeless woman? Should he see her, what might move him to act? On her most devastating of days, the widow's tears draw our gaze toward the Savior's heart. Listen as we draw a lesson from the widow's tears in Luke 7:11-17, that we might have hope in all of life's circumstances.

Some of the stories and teaching in Luke are mighty familiar. When Jesus speaks about building our house on a rock, that's a metaphor that sticks. We must all make a decision about Jesus and the decision we make makes all the difference when the creek inevitably rises. In Luke 7:1–10 we come to a less familiar encounter between Jesus and Roman centurion. Actually, we can't quite speak of this as an encounter at all, but an observation that leads us to a critical message from Jesus concerning how we're saved. Before we obey Jesus, we call on Jesus to "Say the Word."

In Luke 6:46–49 we come to the end of Jesus' sermon the plain. Here Jesus confronts us with a question: will we build our house with a foundation on rock or with no foundation at all? There's no in-between when the floodwaters of life come. We may have said, "Lord, Lord," but if we have stopped with words then we will not be safe on that day. Jesus calls his disciples to make a hard break from the world, including the worldly false religion that obeys man and discards Jesus' words.

Jesus' disciples are not hypocrites. Neither do we have any regard for them. This is one of Jesus' main points in one of his first and most famous sermons, what we've called, the Sermon on the Plain. In Luke 6:37–45 Jesus helps his disciples not only to understand what hypocrisy is but to see hypocrites for who they are: the blind leading the blind. With Jesus' help through a few vivid and humorous images, let's not be among them.

We come to one of the distinctive marks of Jesus' disciples in Luke 6:27-36: we love our enemies. This is that famous passage where Jesus says, "turn the other cheek," and "from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either." Should Christians be easy targets for robbery? Must we really do this? What does Jesus' call to love our enemies really demand of us? And how does this relate to the way Jesus has responded to some of his enemies? How can we be faithful to be like Jesus in this way? So many questions.