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We focus on the power of faith (in God and his Word). The insight gained from this simple passage has the potential to bring great breakthroughs for those of us who "hear" it....
Most people assume their biggest problem with God is their past—what they've done, what they regret, how far they've wandered.But what if the thing that actually keeps you from God… is something else entirely?In this message, we talk honestly about the one thing Jesus says He can't overlook—not because He's harsh, but because He's good. It's not your mistakes. It's not your doubts. It's something far deeper—and far more common.If you've ever wondered, “Am I really good with God?” or “Why can't I hear God's voice?”—this conversation is for you.
The Face of God | Luke 8:26–39 What do we see when we look into the face of Jesus? In a world that reads faces to judge character, status, and identity, Christ reveals something far deeper: the very heart of God. In this week's Gospel, we encounter Jesus as He heals a man possessed by demons—showing His divine authority, compassion, and the unshakable peace He alone can give. Through this act and through His journey to the cross, Jesus shows us not only His power, but His purpose: to set His face toward Jerusalem for our salvation.
The Face of God | Luke 8:26–39 What do we see when we look into the face of Jesus? In a world that reads faces to judge character, status, and identity, Christ reveals something far deeper: the very heart of God. In this week's Gospel, we encounter Jesus as He heals a man possessed by demons—showing His divine authority, compassion, and the unshakable peace He alone can give. Through this act and through His journey to the cross, Jesus shows us not only His power, but His purpose: to set His face toward Jerusalem for our salvation.
The Face of God | Luke 8:26–39 What do we see when we look into the face of Jesus? In a world that reads faces to judge character, status, and identity, Christ reveals something far deeper: the very heart of God. In this week's Gospel, we encounter Jesus as He heals a man possessed by demons—showing His divine authority, compassion, and the unshakable peace He alone can give. Through this act and through His journey to the cross, Jesus shows us not only His power, but His purpose: to set His face toward Jerusalem for our salvation.
Sometime in eternity past, God the Father sent God the Son into the world to fulfill a divine mission. God's Word tells us, “The Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world” (1 John 4:14). This was the great mission: to bring salvation to everyone. This act of God was done in love, as it is written, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16), and “He loved us and sent His Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 4:10). The Son agreed with the Father, saying, “I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me” (John 6:38), and “The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). When God the Son came into the world and took upon Himself humanity, He executed His mission flawlessly. The divine mission began in time and space nearly two thousand years ago when God the Son took upon Himself humanity. The writer to the Hebrews cites the words of God the Son as He was about to enter the world, saying, “Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says [to God the Father], ‘Sacrifice and offering You have not desired, but a body You have prepared for Me'” (Heb 10:5). The third Person of the Trinity, God the Holy Spirit, facilitated the mission by bringing about the hypostatic union within the womb of the virgin Mary (Isa 7:14; Luke 1:30-35; Gal 4:4). The angel Gabriel told Mary, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35). At the moment of conception in the womb of the virgin Mary, undiminished deity was combined forever with perfect humanity. Eventually, Jesus was born, and God “became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). The apostle Paul tells us, “For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form” (Col 2:9). God's Word informs us that Jesus was a Jew, born a son of Abraham, in the line of David (Matt 1:1), the promised Messiah (Matt 1:17). Jesus grew in wisdom (Luke 2:40, 52) and lived a perfectly righteous life before God and man. The record of Scripture is that Jesus “knew no sin” (2 Cor 5:21), was “without sin” (Heb 4:15), “committed no sin” (1 Pet 2:22), and “in Him there is no sin” (1 John 3:5). In His humanity, Jesus walked in perfect conformity to God the Father's holy character and divine revelation. This is important, for Jesus' sinless life qualified Him to go to the cross and pay the ransom price for our sins (Mark 10:45). When the divinely appointed time came for Jesus to go to the cross (John 12:23; 13:1), He went willingly (Isa 53:10; John 10:18). Just hours before the crucifixion, Jesus said to His Father, “I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do” (John 17:4). Then He went to the cross and “offered Himself without blemish to God” (Heb 9:14), giving “His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). Jesus paid our sin debt by means of His “precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ” (1 Pet 1:19). While on the cross, “Christ died for our sins” (1 Cor 15:3), and He died in our place, “the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God” (1 Pet 3:18; cf. Rom 5:8). Jesus' death on the cross was a one-time event, as He “offered one sacrifice for sins for all time” (Heb 10:12). After Jesus paid for all our sins, “He said, ‘It is finished!' And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit” (John 19:30). Jesus' death on the cross satisfied every righteous demand of God the Father concerning the payment for our sins (Rom 3:25), for “He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2). Jesus paid the price for all our sins. There's nothing more to pay. After Jesus died, He was placed in a grave and was resurrected to life on the third day (Acts 2:23-24; 4:10; 10:40; 1 Cor 15:3-4), never to die again (Rom 6:9). Because Christ died for everyone (John 3:16; Heb 2:9; 1 John 2:2), everyone is savable. The Bible tells us that God has brought “salvation to all men” (Tit 2:11), that He “desires all men to be saved” (1 Tim 2:4), and is “not wishing for any to perish” (2 Pet 3:9). Once we understand who Jesus is, as God in the flesh (John 1:1, 14), and what He has accomplished for us on the cross—having died for our sins, was buried, and raised again on the third day (1 Cor 15:3-4)—we can then exercise our faith by trusting in Him as our Savior (John 3:16; 20:31). This is the Jesus of Scripture and history, and not a fake Jesus like those taught by Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, or one we create in our imagination. To receive salvation, the unbeliever is told to “believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31a). Jesus is the object of our faith. To believe in Christ as our Savior means we trust Him to accomplish for us what we cannot accomplish ourselves: eternal salvation from the lake of fire. Faith in Christ is the only condition for salvation. Faith does not save; Christ saves. Faith is merely the instrument by which we receive the free gift of God, which is eternal life. Though the gift was very expensive for the Lord, it is offered totally free to us, for “the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 6:23). And it is “by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph 2:8-9). Only the empty hand of faith accepts the gift. It offers nothing but is open to receive that which is offered by another. God's gift is available to everyone, for “whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16), and “he who believes has eternal life” (John 6:47). No payment is required from us to receive it (Rom 4:4-5), and no precondition of good works is necessary before, during, or after salvation. The only sin that keeps a person out of heaven is the sin of unbelief, the individual choice NOT to trust in Jesus as one's Savior. The one who rejects Jesus as Savior is judged by God on the sole ground that “he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:18). These are the ones who “are always resisting the Holy Spirit” (Acts 7:51; cf. John 16:8), who “do not believe” in Jesus as their Savior (John 16:9), and “are unwilling to come” to Him so that they “may have life” (John 5:40). Those who willingly reject Christ as Savior will, after death, experience eternal separation and punishment away from God for all eternity, for “if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire” (Rev 20:15). This need not happen. Hell is avoidable for the one who trusts in Christ as Savior, for “whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Salvation is a free gift from God (Rom 3:24; 6:23), offered by grace alone (Eph 2:8-9), through faith alone (Rom 3:28; Gal 2:16; 3:26; 2 Tim 3:15), in Christ alone (John 14:6; Acts 4:12), totally apart from human works (Rom 4:5; Eph 2:8-9; Tit 3:5). For lost sinners, the matter is simple: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). Once we have trusted in Christ for salvation, we receive forgiveness of sins (Acts 10:43; Eph 1:7), the gift of righteousness (Rom 5:17; Phil 3:9), eternal life (John 3:16; 10:28), and many other blessings (Eph 1:3). And having entered into a relationship with God through Christ (John 1:12; Gal 3:26), we are then called to a life of holiness and righteousness (1 Pet 1:15-16), as we learn His Word (2 Tim 2:15; 3:16-17; 1 Pet 2:2; 2 Pet 3:18), walk by faith (2 Cor 5:7; Heb 10:38), and advance to spiritual maturity (Heb 6:1). This new walk with God will honor Him and edify others (Eph 4:1-2; 5:1-2). Our forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and many wonderful blessings from God are all made possible because God the Son came down to us and accomplished what we cannot: our salvation. For this, we praise God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit for their work of salvation, for “having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom 5:1). Amen. Steven R. Cook, D.Min., M.Div., B.Sc.
Sunday Morning 06/08/25 - We are continuing our verse by verse study through the book of Luke with a message titled "There Is No Seed Like The Word Of God" - Luke 8:1-15 - Pastor James Eakins
Scripture: Genesis 11:1–9 Key Takeaways: Genesis 9:1 + Pride seeks to construct a life apart from God - Do I consistently spend time seeking God in his word and in prayer? - Do I often spontaneously voice to God my admiration of Him, gratitude to Him, and need for Him? - Do I often lose arguments with God? - Do I pray and seek wisdom in God's word and from God's people before I make a major decision? - Do I arrange my life around God's priorities? - Am I generous toward God? Psalm 4:6-8 + Pride is always resisted by God Luke 14:11 + Jesus is the Anti-Babel Philippians 2:5-11 + Jesus reverses Babel Acts 2:4-11
Wednesday, May 28, 2025
Tuesday, May 27, 2025
Friday, May 16, 2025
Thursday, May 15, 2025
Gregg DeMey, Lead Pastor
Kyle Olson, Technical Director
Rachel Klooster & Billy Heschl
05/11/2025 - Taylor Worley
Jesusbegan this chapter (vv. 1-8), by telling a parable about prayer, speaking aboutthe necessity of prayer, that we ought always to pray and not to faint, and thefrequency of prayer, that we are to pray without ceasing, continuously,believing that the presence of the Lord is in our lives, knowing that He'sthere, and we have open communication with Him through Jesus Christ. Oh, howwonderful that is. Thenin verses 9-14, Jesus is talking about the failure of prayer as He tellsanother parable. Jesus spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselvesthat they were righteous and despised others. Now, how should we pray, and whatshould our attitude be when we come to pray? First, we see this Pharisee whowas deceived. He was deceived about himself; he trusted in himself and prayedthus with himself because he wasn't praying to God, and God wasn't listening tothis kind of prayer from a proud heart. He was deceived about his pride; hethought he was better than others. He despised the sinners around him insteadof loving and caring for them. Hethought that he could please God by his works. He fasted twice a week. Jewishlaw required fasting maybe once a year, but this man fasted twice a week. Hegave tithes down to the smallest detail of whatever he might have brought in,even from the field. Oh, he thought he was so good. That'sjust like so many of us who think we can please God and can gain His favor byour service, when God just wants a humble heart coming to Him, totallydependent upon Him for our salvation and everything in our lives, acknowledgingthat we are sinners and deserve nothing. That's why the Bible says in Ephesians2:8-9, "For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourworks, lest any man should boast." This Pharisee was boasting. ThroughoutHis public ministry, Jesus exposed the self-righteousness and unbelief of thePharisees (see Luke 11:39-54). He pictured them as debtors too bankrupt to paywhat they owed God (Luke 7:40-50), guests fighting for the best seats (Luke14:7-14), and sons proud of their obedience but unconcerned about the needs ofothers (Luke 15:25-32). The sad thing is that the Pharisees were completely deceivedand thought they were right, and Jesus was wrong. This is illustrated in this parable.That's what Jesus is doing here, exposing the hypocrisy of a man who thinkshe's religious enough to merit favor with God rather than humbling himself andcoming like a sinner. That'swhy Jesus said this publican, this tax collector, went home justified. To bejustified means to have a right standing with God, to stand righteous beforeHim without sin, without any guilt. Romans 5:1 says, "Therefore beingjustified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ”. We are justified by faith not by our works.Only the blood of Jesus can wash away our sins. This publican came with ahumble heart; the Pharisee came with a proud heart. God wants us to come humblybefore Him in prayer and not “pray with ourselves” to be seen publicly,like Matthew 6:5 says about the hypocrite, so others will see him. I'mafraid many prayers, even in our churches today, by good, well-meaning people,are just flowery words that mean nothing to God because the person is prayingout of a motive to make sure everybody knows how religious, how special, howgood he is by all his deeds and works of service. God, help us, forgive us,cleanse us from that kind of attitude. May we come before Him with a humbleheart, trusting in the Lord for His grace and mercy today. We need to come likethis publican. He smote his breast; he knew his heart was dirty, not clean, andonly God could clean it. "Be merciful to me, a sinner"! What agreat prayer. Itrust we will learn how to pray with frequency, with necessity, and with ahumble heart.
Erin Pacheco, Director of Worship
Anchored in the Word Morning Reflection: Season 4 Episode 90: Looking Up to God: Luke 24:44-53 #morningreflections #cross #resurrection #redemption #missions
The Lord Jesus once said, "one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions" (Luke 12:18)--and yet, our sinful hearts so often guide our eyes to longingly gaze with Greed, Covetousness, and Envy upon the things of the earth which we think will make us complete... but "what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?" (Mark 8:36). Rather, the man who lays up treasures for himself on this earth "is not rich toward God" (Luke 12:21).As we dive into these three sins in this episode, how do we define and differentiate them... or should we? What are some characteristic ways that we see them in the lives of men and women of the faith, and how does Christ's atoning work and saving grace give us the strength to fight these temptations? Join us in our second-to-last topic this episode, and don't forget to voice your comments and questions!Be sure to come back every Tuesday for new episodes and Thursday for bonus content, and find us on the following platforms as well:Find us on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/oneanotherpodcast?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==Find us on YouTube:https://youtube.com/@oneanotherpodcast?si=7-JJ9raR9Fr0cQ9bFind us on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/4RGIMhed26LZsl9TI56yPN?si=2924a1be839549b9Find us on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/one-another/id1797190030
You can give to this ministry via(1) cashapp: $GregChacon(2) PayPal: @Holistic235You can follow me on (1) Instagram: prophetic_discipleship_94(2) YouTube: @ProphetGreg94(3) TikTok: greg.david.chacon
Gregg DeMey, Lead Pastor
Kyle Olson, Technical Director
She Thought She Was Safe Until This Happened
David Wood Debates Alex O'Connor You Won't Believe How It Went