Midwest Bible Church

The criminals on the cross crucified along with Jesus represent one who rejects the gospel and one whose heart is softened by His innocent suffering. Just as the believing thief was transferred from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of God, all of us who are saved are sticks snatched from the fire. We are now called to snatch others while never forgetting our own charred past lest we slip into self-righteousness.

The cross of Christ drives us to pick up our own crosses daily and follow Him, to have a heart of compassion in the face of great suffering, and to outrageous forgiveness as we have been forgiven. (Luke 23:26-34)

There's more to the story of Pilate, Jesus, and Barabbas than you may have previously known. In this passage we see an emphasis on the innocence of Jesus, the peculiarity of bloodthirsty Pilate recognizing His innocence, and the deeper meaning of Barabbas' role here in the context of Jesus fulfilling the Passover and Day of Atonement. (Luke 23:13-25)

Are you wise because you're willing to speak up? Or are you wise because you know when to shut up?There are times we need to speak up—this message isn't excusing passivity or the “cover-up” we can fall into when we stay silent about an injustice that is harming others. But in a world that believes whoever screams the loudest wins, the wisdom and virtue of holding your tongue seems almost lost.The strongest response isn't louder words—it's the meek wisdom that trusts God's sovereignty and lets character and Christ speak louder than words. (Luke 23:1–12)

The term "flying blind" comes from the early days of aviation, when pilots couldn't fly safely in fog, clouds, or darkness—they had to see the ground or risk crashing. In our text, we see the Sovereign King of the universe flying blind for us. Blindfolded, mocked, beaten, taunted, Jesus could have drawn on His divine power to see, know, and strike back. But He refused. He entrusted Himself to the Father's plan, laying down His life willingly. When you're flying blind in the fog of evil and injustice, take heart: the Sovereign King sees, reverses, and redeems. (Luke 22:63–71)

Have you ever been deeply disappointed or discouraged by unmet expectations? Have you ever felt shaken to the core when life didn't turn out the way you hoped—when a prayer went unanswered, a breakthrough was delayed, or a door was slammed shut? How you respond to those unmet expectations can have serious implications in your life. It can lead to discouragement, disillusionment, and even spiritual drift from the very One who holds your hope—a drift that often begins with following Him from a safe distance and then slowly progresses into compromise. But Jesus graciously pursues and restores us—so we fully depend on and delight in Him alone, bearing lasting fruit. (Luke 22:54–62)

In our darkest hours, when evil seems strongest, we stand firm not by understanding everything God is doing, but by clinging to what He has already shown us about who He is. We need to be reminded of three truths about Christ's character that we must never forget—three truths that sustain us when darkness seems to be winning: 1. He sees you completely and loves you still, 2. We win only by surrendering, and 3. Even in the darkest night, He reigns sovereign. (Luke 22:47-53)

Have you become distracted from this one thing? Are you anxious? Troubled by many things? Sometimes we can get caught up in doing right things and forget the one thing that really matters--sitting at the feet of Jesus. (Luke 10:38-42)

I want to suggest to you this morning that prayer is the Cinderella in many churches today. It is beautiful, powerful, essential to everything God wants to do among us and through us. But too often, it's unappreciated, neglected, and relegated to the corners while flashier things take center stage. Prayer is not optional or occasional—it is a disciplined lifeline marked by rhythm, raw honesty, resistance to temptation, surrender of will, and renewal in God's strength. (Luke 22:39–46)

Emmanuel left heaven's throne to prepare a place for us at His table—so that broken sons of men could become beloved sons of God, welcomed to know Him, be known by Him, and invite others to the feast. (Matthew 1:18-23)

Jesus doesn't make disciples by shielding them from failure and suffering, but by praying them through it, prophesying it, and patiently forging them in it—until all their confidence is in Him alone. (Luke 22:31–38)

Jesus is in charge; and He proves it on the worst night of His life by turning it into the greatest night of ours. To unfold this theme, we're going to walk through 3 truths that reveal how Jesus' sovereignty was perfectly at work in His darkest hours—and how we can be utterly confident that this same sovereignty is at work in our lives today, bringing about His unstoppable redemptive purposes. (Luke 22:7–30)

Are we following the true Jesus, or following a Jesus that is a product of warped expectations? Let's unpack Judas' betrayal, which was fueled by unbelief and greed, and how God turns what is meant for evil, for good. (Luke 22:1-6)

In Luke 21, Jesus refuses to let His disciples stay comfortable or distracted. He gives them—and He gives us—the exact roadmap for how to live ready every single day. When Jesus returns, the only thing that will matter is whether you were ready to meet Him.

God is not impressed by the quantity of our giving, but by the quality of our hearts—revealed through faith, dependence, and worship. In Luke 21:1-4, we stand in that temple court with a woman who gave everything—not for the clatter of approval, but for God's eyes alone. And her story answers three life-shaping questions:• What does God truly value in our giving?• What does our giving reveal about our trust?• And who, in the end, are we really worshiping?

As followers of Christ we are entrusted by God not only with our time, talents, and resources, but with the broader mission of advancing His kingdom. Believers must recognize their lives as a “stewardship” — meaning we are managers of what belongs to God — which challenges us to invest what we've been given in ways that reflect eternal significance rather than temporal gain. (Luke 5:1-11)

God is the unchangeable agent of change; change in us brings us closer to Him, whether that is change through obedience or through suffering. (Hebrews 12:25-29)

In Luke 20, Jesus confronts the scribes, religious leaders who had their image perfected. They wore flowing robes, relished respectful greetings, and sat in the best seats at feasts, projecting spiritual authority. They thought they knew the Messiah—a political king to restore Israel's earthly glory. But their lives told a different story, as they chased human praise while exploiting the vulnerable. Jesus asks a question that cuts through their facade, inviting them, and us, to know Him truly—not just in our heads, but in our hearts—so we live for His eyes alone and love others as He does.To truly know Jesus, we must meet Him through Scripture, the searching of the Spirit, and sincere devotion in secret, letting His truth shape our hearts to serve others humbly.

Blessings don't always come when we want them or in the way we want them to. Sometimes blessings come as trials. In the story of God healing Naaman the leper, we see how obedience and humility are foundational to being ready to receive God's blessings. (2 Kings 5:10-14)

Though we profess the resurrection, we can deny it in practice, but Jesus' truth empowers us to live boldly as those alive in Him, no matter the cost. We'll unpack this passage in three movements: first, the Sadducees' denial of the resurrection, second, Jesus' fearless defense of its reality, and third, our call to demonstrate its power as believers alive in Him. (Luke 20:27-40)

In Luke 20:19-26, Jesus confronts a cunning trap from the religious elite. As dual citizens of earth and heaven, we must navigate the plots that seek to divide us by maintaining a God-centered perspective and engaging in faithful practices that honor both our earthly responsibilities and our ultimate allegiance to King Jesus.

Jesus tells this parable of the tenants right there in the temple courts, with crowds gathered and the religious elite seething with hate. It's a story that cuts straight to the heart of the matter, revealing God's gracious authority, our human tendency to defy it, and His merciful invitation to salvation—along with a sobering reminder of what happens when we persist in rebellion. Jesus calls us to reject rebellion and embrace His redemptive grace as faithful stewards of God's kingdom work. (Luke 20:9-18)

Life is short, and there is an urgency in Psalm 90 about numbering our days. We need to use our time wisely to invest in living out and spreading the gospel.

Those who speak God's truth today—like Jesus in His day—face hostility, not because they're wrong, but because truth challenges control. This search for truth and authentic authority and the resistance it provokes, isn't new—it's as old as the human heart's rebellion against its Creator. Now that's exactly the tension we encounter in today's passage from Luke 20:1-8, set against the backdrop of Passion Week. Spiritual power that effects change in the world for God's kingdom flows from hearts submitted to heaven's authority. 

When churches trade the transformative power of the gospel for flashy entertainment, they risk losing the very presence they claim to seek. Jesus purifies His church by exposing consumerism and elevating prayer, the Word, and welcoming all. (Luke 19:45-48)

Jesus' entrance on a donkey is not only a fulfillment of prophecy, but an event that shows hearts of people worshipping Him as King. Is this where your heart is? What are your "robes" that you can lay down for Him? (Luke 19:28-44)

Making disciples is about life-on-life relationships. It can get messy, it will require vulnerability, and sacrifice. This is the model that Jesus set forth to spread the good news and transform lives. Each one of us are products of the original twelve disciples' obedience to the great commission. We each have the responsibility to continue the work of God's model of discipleship. (Matthew 28:16-20)

In Luke 19:11–27, Jesus tells the Parable of the Minas just before entering Jerusalem, where He will face the cross. The crowd expected an immediate establishment of His kingdom. So, He shared this parable to correct them and demonstrate that the cross comes before the crown—that there's yet work to be done to finish His mission, namely to seek and save the lost. Jesus entrusts us with unique resources to invest in His kingdom, calling us to faithfully steward them as we eagerly await His return and promised reward.

Whether you are a father or not, this message will relate to you because each one of us has been a prodigal son. In this parable, Jesus illustrates the mercy, grace, and love of our Father towards us who have rebelled, wandered, and rejected Him. (Luke 15: 11-32)

Jesus came on a rescue mission to seek and save the lost, and He calls and equips His disciples to join Him by seeing people through His redemptive eyes.Let's walk through this story in Luke 19:1-10 to uncover three qualities that attracted Jesus to Zacchaeus—his godly pursuit, his grace potential, and his genuine penitence—and how we, as His disciples, can join His rescue mission.

When we respond to the light of Jesus' revelation, God opens our eyes to see Him more clearly, but rejecting that light leads to deeper darkness. (Luke 18:31–43)

We'll see from Luke 18:18–30 that eternal life is not earned by good works and it's more than an eternal dwelling; it's being brought back into a right relationship with God through faith in Christ, which restores us to the intimacy of Eden by His Spirit.

In a world that often overlooks or exploits children, our text this morning shows us Jesus' heart for children—and His call to us. Parents were bringing their infants to Jesus for His blessing, but the disciples tried to turn them away, seeing kids as unimportant. Jesus stops them cold: “Let the children come to me.” Not only does He welcome kids, but He says they're our example for entering God's kingdom. The kingdom belongs to those who come to God with childlike humility and trust. (Luke 18:15-17)

Pastor Mike Weber visits MBC to share a message on Psalm 51.

Humble followers of Christ avoid the traps of self-righteousness--pretending and performing. They take an honest look at their sinful hearts and find themselves overwhelmed by God's mercy. (Luke 18:9-14)

In the Parable of the Persistent Widow (Luke 18:1–8), Jesus shows us how to stay faithful in the tension of waiting through persistent prayer that refuses to faint. Waiting on the Lord isn't passive and sitting on your hands--it's active, rooted in prayer. Waiting isn't just about asking God to act; it's where God works in us, and we can work for Him too.

Fathers lead their families to Christ's freedom, leaving no one behind, by refusing compromise, guarding their homes, and trusting God as priestly intercessors.

Christ's faithful servants experience the Kingdom's hope now through the Holy Spirit and live ready for its fullness by yielding to God's authority. (Luke 17:20–37)

Roy Patterson, longtime friend of MBC, blesses us with a message on areas that we need to submit and allow the Lord to continually change and renew our minds. (Mark 6:34-44)

Do we take God's grace for granted or does deep gratitude fuel our faith to live with humble devotion? As we will see, gratitude isn't just a polite thank you—it's the cure for entitlement, the spark that turns our faith into worship, touching the lives of others to the glory of Jesus. (Luke 17:11-19)

The Extraordinarily Ordinary Christian Life captures a paradox. The marks of a devoted follower of Jesus are ordinary because every believer is called to them, not just the elite. But they're extraordinary because they require Jesus' mighty power and have eternal implications, (Luke 17:1-10)

Three eternal realities—the great reversal of fortunes, the great chasm, and the great Savior—call us to live for God's kingdom, decide with urgency, and trust in Christ alone. (Luke 16:19-31)

In the Parable of the Unjust Steward, Jesus challenges us to manage God's gifts with eternal focus and He's calling us to wisely use our resources not just for today, but for eternity. (Luke 16:1–18)

God's grace seeks, restores, and celebrates the lost. Even when they don't deserve it, because God's grace is freely given. It is never earned.

Esther's story is a powerful picture of God's ability to reverse what seems hopeless and redeem what's utterly broken. And that's what the empty tomb is all about. 

Being called “salty” can carry a different connotation. It can refer to a person who is bitter, whose words are often harsh, and whose attitude repels others. But Jesus calls us to something different: a saltiness that preserves, purifies, and draws others to Him.  Jesus calls us to be distinctive in influence, refined through trials, and gracious in speech so that we preserve peace and reflect His grace. (Luke 14:34-35)

Where there's a will, especially one shaped by love, there's a way. If we really care about something and sense the urgency, if we don't know how, we'll learn how. If you care about souls being saved, you'll seek to be equipped to do your part to reach them for Christ. We may never be a Billy Graham, but we're all called to do the work of an evangelist. We may not reach thousands, but even one soul matters. (Luke 14:25-35)

In this passage, Jesus shows the Pharisees that this is the greater righteousness than the law; to love your neighbor on the Sabbath. At His table, God seats the outcast and brings them to the highest position of honor, He saves the outsiders and brings them into the light, and judges His opposition, bringing justice. (Luke 14:1-24)

If you are enduring suffering, it is no shame. Listen to this sermon for an encouraging word from friend of MBC, Mike Weber, about how suffering will happen in this life, but we have a Savior who is acquainted with grief, and a future to look forward to where every tear will be wiped away.

Jesus speaks of the narrow door that is the way of salvation in Him, which although it is a free gift of His grace, living it out in this life will come with a price. The heart of a Spirit-filled evangelist mirrors Christ's own—perceiving the urgency of the narrow door, proclaiming its exclusive truth, and pouring out compassion for the lost to enter. (Luke 13:22-35)

True freedom isn't a license to self-destruct; it's a meaningful life under God's gracious reign. Freedom is found when we live under the gracious, powerful reign of Christ the King. (Luke 13:10-21)