Luke - HAMPTON ROADS CHURCH

Zacchaeus was a picture of shame and an object of scorn as he perched from the tree to see Jesus. But he was able to come down from that tree in acceptance and honor. Why? Because Jesus was on his way to go up the tree for Zacchaeus. Jesus went up the tree to bear his (and our) scorn, shame, sin and rejection. He likewise leaves us with honor, dignity, purpose, and peace.

This final installment of Luke-Acts celebrates the clarity and security of Grace. Jesus offers a double cure: freedom from slavery to sin (repentance) and freedom from guilt & punishment of sin (forgiveness). Moreover, we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit and fellowship.

During the harvest festival of Pentecost, God brings in His harvest through the work of the Holy Spirit and through Spirit-filled men. They're not drunk, they're just uninhibited because they're living by the Spirit rather than by the constraints of the flesh.

Acts 1 and 2 are tightly tied to Luke's Gospel. Here we find the epilogue to Luke's Gospel.

Despite an open tomb, open Scriptures, open eyes, open professions and open minds, the disciples wrestle with unbelief before Jesus. Ultimately, they will finally experience true mind change, true Metanoia, true faith.

Jesus reverses the curse as he hits rewind the entire human race on the Road to Emmaus

Contemplate the depth of this truth: "He is not here. He has risen!" Now ask yourself "So What?" and "What Now?"

A special family time midweek service to focused on the death of Jesus and what that sacrifice means to us.

Which side of line are you?

This is the horrid hour — when darkness reigns. In preparation, Jesus prays to endure the defilement of sin so that we might become the righteousness of God.

During this sermon and communion message, Ed Anton considers the significance of the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Passover in light of Jesus' establishment of the New Covenant as He prepares for His own sacrifice for us.

As Jesus's disciples marvel at the grand stones and works of wonder — especially the Temple itself with heavy gold plates that reflected the morning sun and 40 foot tall monolithic marble pillars — He reframes the sights with a godly perspective. In less than one generation, Israel will experience a foretaste of the Day of the Lord with desolation wrought by Rome. And sure enough, all that Jesus predicted in 33AD and all that Luke wrote in 64AD came to pass with uncanny accuracy in 70AD.

Bill Throne preached through Jesus' teaching on the hypocrisy of the respected and religious scribes in direct contrast to the sincerity of the poor widow who offered two small copper coins out of her poverty.

Through His brilliant commentary on Psalm 110, Jesus schools the religious leaders on the magnitude of the Messiah. He is both the Son of the David and David's Lord. And His Throne will be the seat of ultimate authority.

The religious leaders try to punch back at Jesus as He continues to confound them on the Temple Mount during the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Passover). Seeking to skewer Him on the horns of a dilemma, they ask Jesus whether the tribute tax should be paid to Caesar or not. He easily and masterfully sidesteps their craftiness with composure and brilliance. Give It Up For Jesus! And then after marveling at our Lord, Give It Up To Jesus as "give to God what is God's."

After entering the Temple, Jesus confronts the religious leaders head on with a parable about a vineyard that will be given over to others. The leaders understood that the parable was leveled against them. In response to losing God's blessings and losing God's commission, they cried out "God Forbid!" We can learn a lesson from their poor stewardship of God's provisions: Walk In Hopeful Anticipation of Christ's Return Work the Harvest Welcome a Prophet or 2 (or 3)

Jesus enters the Temple for a series of tension filled conflicts with the leading elders, teachers of the law, and Pharisees who actively seek to assassinate Him. Encounter Jesus at His finest as He exposes religious leaders who hide behind manmade authority while they reject God's real authority. This same authority is now bestowed on us who follow Jesus. Follow our Boss … Like a Boss!

Jesus Comes to Conquer; He comes to Cleanse; He will come again! Join the crowds in raucous celebration of the arrival of Jesus, our victorious Messiah.

The beauty of the mullet is you can have it both ways, business in front and party in the back. There is only one way to make it into the Kingdom. To gain that citizenship into the Kingdom of heaven we need to start living like a citizen of heaven now, not later.

Steve Stevenson takes the pulpit in Hampton Roads Church to preach on the Kingdom and the Coming of Jesus.

Tanner Versage returns to Hampton Roads Church to preach on the blindness that Jesus cures.

Here's a midweek lesson on one of the most helpful and valuable of parables from Jesus on prayer. Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’ ” And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:1–8, NIV)

This most difficult of parables of Jesus nevertheless provides a lesson to put our focus and our investment in heaven rather than on earth. This short address during a midweek meeting offers a helpful insight into this parable and a useful perspective on our possessions.

In Legoland, church looks good and is all in order, but this is not real life. Jesus tells us that in real life we will sin against one another. What we do and how we respond says a lot about our faith and our mindset as a servant. This sermon challenges us where we live, in real life. What do we do when someone sins against us, and how do we handle sin in each others lives? Jesus challenges our hearts and actions so that we can have real, Godly relationships with each other. Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come. 2 It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble. 3 So watch yourselves. “If your brother or sister[a] sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them.4 Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.”5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”6 He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.7 “Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? 8 Won’t he rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? 9 Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? 10 So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’” 

We're Gonna Get It! We'll all get judged. We'll all see God's justice clearly. We'll all have perfect understanding of the Gospel - but some will "get it" too late. Pursue repentance now, and grab those whom you can to make sure they get what you've got.

We end up in dark, dirty, shameful places when we choose sin over Jesus. In this parable of the coin, Jesus reassures sinners that: It's Where We Are, But It's no Who We Are God Won't Back Off Until We're Back

On May 24th, Pentecost, Ed Anton preached about God's brilliant fulfillment of the Old Testament feasts — especially the Feast of Harvest or Feast of Weeks or Pentecost. Not only is this day His Church's "birthday", it's also His Nation Israel's "birthday" as this is the day in Exodus 19 when God makes His covenant with Moses and Israel from atop a blazing Mt. Sinai. As God harvested His people from bondage (NO MORE CHAINS), He also has harvested His people from sin (NO MORE STAINS), and will eventually harvest us on His final Day of the Lord into a new Earth and new Heaven with new bodies (NO MORE PAINS).

Jesus issues an Epic Invitation which requires both a Monumental Consideration and an Unconditional Resignation for every follower. He offers neither comfort nor ease. He offers only persecution, battles, hunger, and God! Let all who love Him sincerely and not merely with lip service count the costs and follow!

It's God's will to gather us close to Him, but it's also His lament that it is not our will to be gathered to Him.

It's shocking to hear from Jesus that only a few with find eternal life. Thus, Luke 13:22-30 proves to be one of the most sobering sections of the Gospels for anyone — especially for those of us who think that we're already counted among the "few."

"Who will be saved?" The real question cloaked underneath, "Will I be saved?"

Using two very interesting parables, Jesus describes the Kingdom as fast spreading yet completely repulsive. Gain insight into Jesus' metaphors and resolve to never compromise the Kingdom message — no matter how revolting your hearers may consider it.

Organized systems are better than disorganization. But systems never trump Jesus, and for Jesus systems never trump people. Here He heals a woman severely disabled for eighteen years to make His point.

Jesus affirms that we've got the discernment to realize that we need to repent — and to do so quickly. Moreover, He also lets us know that He's done all that He can to exhort us to repent (which of course will include dying on a cross for our sinful indulgences, providing us the Word, and arranging time and space for us to prompted to seek Him). He's emphatic about repentance because it is our deliverance from slavery to sin AND because it's better than the alternative: perishing.

““I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed! Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”” (Luke 12:49–53, NIV)