Podcasts about Gospel of Luke

Read OnlineThe Holy One of GodIn the synagogue there was a man with the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out in a loud voice, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” Jesus rebuked him and said, “Be quiet! Come out of him!” Then the demon threw the man down in front of them and came out of him without doing him any harm. Luke 4:33–35Yesterday, we began reading from the Gospel of Luke in our weekday liturgies, and we will continue to do so until the season of Advent. Luke's Gospel was written especially for Gentile converts—those unfamiliar with Jewish customs—presenting Jesus not only as the fulfillment of Israel's hopes but also as the Savior of all humanity. Unlike Matthew, who highlights Christ's fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy, Luke reveals a broader vision: a universal Savior who brings healing, mercy, and salvation to the poor, the outcast, and the sinner.In today's passage, that universal mission is subtly foreshadowed through Jesus' divine authority. Though the setting is a Jewish synagogue in Capernaum, His actions speak to a power not confined to time, place, or people. With a simple word, Jesus rebukes the demon, silences its protest, and frees the afflicted man. The astonishment of the crowd—“What is there about his word?”—captures the essence of the moment: Here is One whose authority reaches even into the unseen spiritual world and commands it.Though He ministers among His own people, Jesus is not merely a teacher of the Law or a local prophet. His authority is absolute, His identity divine. The demon's cry—“I know who you are, the Holy One of God!”—offers a strange testimony: Even the spiritual forces of darkness recognize and submit to Him. This is not just a healing; it is a confrontation between the kingdom of God and the powers of evil. And it is only the beginning.Luke includes this scene early in his Gospel to show that Jesus' mission is one of liberation—liberation from sin, bondage, and every form of darkness. The fact that this miracle occurs in a synagogue reminds us that no place, however sacred, is immune to the presence of evil. But more importantly, it reminds us that no evil is immune to the authority of Christ.It is also helpful to recall the broader context. This event comes shortly after Jesus' baptism, His forty days in the desert, and His rejection in Nazareth. That rejection led Him to Capernaum, a humble fishing village that would become the center of His Galilean ministry. It is here that He will call Peter, Andrew, James, John, and Matthew—men who will carry His Gospel to the ends of the earth. Thus, what begins in a small synagogue soon echoes to the nations.Reflect today on the universal scope of Luke's Gospel, which we will hear over the coming months. Though Jesus begins within Israel, His mission reaches every soul. By beginning His ministry with a confrontation against evil, Jesus reveals that He has come not only to teach but to conquer—to break the chains of darkness and bring divine healing to the world. His Word still speaks with authority. May we listen, believe, and be set free from the evil one and all his demonic powers, so that we may help proclaim Christ's Kingdom to the ends of the earth in our own unique ways.My Lord and Holy One of God, from the very beginning of Your public ministry, You established Your divine authority over evil, revealing that You came to destroy the kingdom of darkness and to build Your Eternal Kingdom of truth and grace. Please cast out all evil and sin from my heart, so that Your reign may take full possession of my soul. Use me as You will to further Your Kingdom on earth, bringing Your light and truth to the ends of the earth, one soul at a time. Jesus, I trust in You.Image: Jesus Casts Out the Evil Spirit, by Julius Schnorr von CarolsfeldSource: Free RSS feed from catholic-daily-reflections.com — Copyright © 2026 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. This content is provided solely for personal, non-commercial use. Redistribution, republication, or commercial use — including use within apps with advertising — is strictly prohibited without written permission.

Throughout the Gospel of Luke, people heard Jesus teach, watched Him perform miracles, and saw firsthand who He was. But again and again, they were faced with a deeper question: Would they actually follow Him? Pastor Jonathan Laurie looks at how Pilate, Herod, and Barabbas each had very different reactions when they encountered Jesus Christ face-to-face. — Become a Harvest Partner today and join us in knowing God and making Him known through media and large-scale evangelism, our mission of over 30 years. Explore more resources from Pastor Greg Laurie, including daily devotionals and blogs, designed to answer your spiritual questions and equip you to walk closely with Christ.Support the show: https://bit.ly/anbsupportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Throughout the Gospel of Luke, people heard Jesus teach, watched Him perform miracles, and saw firsthand who He was. But again and again, they were faced with a deeper question: Would they actually follow Him? Pastor Jonathan Laurie looks at how Pilate, Herod, and Barabbas each had very different reactions when they encountered Jesus Christ face-to-face. — Become a Harvest Partner today and join us in knowing God and making Him known through media and large-scale evangelism, our mission of over 30 years. Explore more resources from Pastor Greg Laurie, including daily devotionals and blogs, designed to answer your spiritual questions and equip you to walk closely with Christ.Support the show: https://bit.ly/anbsupportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We continue our series in the Gospel of Luke, one of four eyewitness accounts of Jesus' words and works. In them we learn of his life, death, and resurrection to rescue his people from among the neighborhoods of Seattle and the nations of the world. Today, we continue in the final hours of Jesus' life as he moves into conversation with his disciples after the last supper. Here Jesus reorients our expectations by pointing to His future for us, so we stay the course today. Audio | Notes | Luke 22:24-38

You just saw the two lines. Before you call your doctor, before you tell your husband, before you do anything else — I believe there's one thing you're called to do first. In today's episode, I'm walking through the spiritual first step every woman needs after a positive pregnancy test, anchored in the story of Mary's "yes" to the angel Gabriel in the Gospel of Luke. Episode Highlights:Why the very first response to a positive test shouldn't be a phone call or a planThe story of Mary and Gabriel in Luke 1:26–38, and her response of total surrenderWhat "fiat" means, where the word comes from, and why it's central to how I coach women through fertility and pregnancyHow Hannah's story in 1 Samuel shows us what it looks like to give a long-awaited child back to GodWhy your spiritual state directly impacts your physical body, your emotional health, and your babyA caution against seeking answers from Google, "crazy AI searches," or the wisdom of the world before seeking God firstResources & Links:✨Pregnant? Check out the Pregnancy Framework course which walks you through it all: nutrition, lab work, supplementation, what to ask your provider, and the spiritual surrender we talked about today. bekahyawn.com/pregnancyframework ✨ Join Fertility Framework: If you're ready for deeper support, personalized cycle guidance, and faith-filled encouragement, come join me inside Fertility Framework! This is a space where you AND your husband can learn about the science of your cycle while keeping God in the center of your fertility journey and growing towards Him together. Read the testimonies & enroll here: bekahyawn.com/course   ✨If you would like personal support on your journey but are not sure how to get started, book a free 10-minute consult with me here: bekahyawn.com/consult 

This week, Switch Leaders dig into the Gospel of Luke and its bold claim: Jesus is the fulfillment of every promise God has made. Josh and Caitlin unpack Luke's introduction and Jesus' own introduction of Himself in Luke 4, where He reads a Messianic prophecy and declares, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing" — then challenge leaders to set aside their own expectations of who Jesus should be so students can encounter who He really is. Leaders will walk away with a three-step framework for helping students investigate Jesus with confidence, plus a fresh challenge to keep setting the tone and holding the line in small group.

Today we continue our series in the Gospel of Luke, one of four eyewitness accounts of Jesus' words and works. In them we learn of his life, death, and resurrection to rescue his people from among the neighborhoods of Seattle and the nations of the world. Today, we move into the final hours of Jesus' life, beginning with a famous meal now known as the “Last Supper.” Here we discover that Jesus is the ultimate passover lamb given so that we might belong to God together, forever. Audio | Notes

In today's message “Why Jesus Came,” Pastor Jack Graham speaks to the fame of the Lord Jesus, the claim of the Lord Jesus, and the aim of the Lord Jesus. Continuing the series “Tell Me the Story of Jesus,” Pastor Graham looks to the Gospel of Luke to lead us in studying a message from Jesus Himself, delivering His identity and His mission on earth. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/395/29?v=20251111

This morning we continue our series in the Gospel of Luke, one of four eyewitness accounts of Jesus' words and works. In them we learn of his life, death, and resurrection to rescue his people from among the neighborhoods of Seattle and the nations of the world. Today, we pick up the latter half of Jesus' famous Olivet discourse. In this important passage, Jesus calls us to live awake for his certain return amidst the difficulties of these last days. Audio | Notes | Luke 21: 25 - 38

Listen as teaching elder Adam Vinson continues our study through the Gospel of Luke. Notes from today's sermon can be found at the link below. https://drive.google.com/file/d/16WuFzz5xSoWvGDLbKCRC6QNVsvzJSkYy/view

On today's episode of Back Porch Theology, Lisa and Allison explore the Gospel of Luke, focusing on Jesus' heart for the misfits, the marginalized, and those often overlooked. Luke reveals a Savior who consistently moves toward the overlooked, the broken, and the unlikely with compassion, mercy, and grace. If you've ever felt unseen, like you don't quite fit in, or questioned whether God could really delight in you, this conversation will remind you that Jesus has always made room for people just like us. So come hang out with us on the porch—we've saved you a seat. SCRIPTURE REFERENCES: Luke 8:1-3 Luke 16:19-24 Luke 18:9-14 Luke 7:11-17 Luke 13:10-17 Psalm 139:1-18 Luke 15:11-32

Today we continue our series in the Gospel of Luke, one of four eyewitness accounts of Jesus' words and works. In them we learn of his life, death, and resurrection to rescue his people from among the neighborhoods of Seattle and the nations of the world. Today, Jesus speaks with his disciples about the coming destruction of Jerusalem. It’s amidst this unusual scene that we are given confidence. Audio | Notes | Luke 21:5-24

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Monday morning, the 10th of August, 2026, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.We start in the Book of Joshua 5:12:”Then the manna ceased on the day after they had eaten the produce of the land; and the children of Israel no longer had manna, but they ate the food of the land of Canaan that year.”Then we go straight to the Gospel of Luke 10:1: ”After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go” He sent them out. What had happened was Jesus called the disciples. They walked with Jesus, and then afterwards Jesus walked with them to see if they were able, and then thirdly, He sent them out to do the work of the Lord, two by two. The manna from Heaven stopped the very day the children of Israel started to eat food in the promised land. Isn't that amazing? The next morning there was no manna. It's incredible.There comes a time in your life and my life when we have to be weaned from mother's milk. I'm a farmer - when a young ox or a young heifer comes of age, six months old, we wean the calf from its mother. It performs, but it's time because mother is now pregnant with another baby.You must understand something, the most we can do for our children is to do our best. What is our best? Well, if you can give them an education and if you can grow them up to age, then they must go out and find work for themselves, just like Jesus sent out the disciples.I had a cup of tea the other day with an old gentleman. He's lost his wife, she's already gone home to be with the Lord, and he has beautiful children. I know all his children. He got very tearful and I said, ”What is wrong?” He said, ”You know, I haven't left anything, no legacy, no inheritance for my children.” I corrected him very abruptly. I said, ”Of course you have. You brought them up, you gave them a good education, you gave them every opportunity you could afford, and then they must go out.” And I saw a peace come over his heart.Do not spoil your children. We have an obligation to people, not to make them dependant on us but to make them hearers from Heaven, is what C H Spurgeon said. Today, if you have to, wean your children, they need to stand on their own two feet and glorify God.Jesus bless you.Goodbye.

Highland Christian Church - Asheville, NCCommunicator - Jason GarrisLuke 6:24-36 - What sorrow awaits you, but not if you do good to those who hate you - as you are compassionate like the Father is compassionate. The Kingdom reverses everything – even how we treat those who hurt us. The Kingdom of God changes what we value so that we begin reflecting who our Father is. 

Highland Christian Church - Asheville, NCCommunicator - Tim BryantLuke 6:20-23 - "Jesus turned to his disciples and said, WHAT A BLESSING..." In Jesus' Kingdom, the overlooked ones are the ones who are fulfilled… not based on what we have, but how we see our need. 

Pastor Paul Irminger. This series takes us through the Gospel of Luke, looking at the stories Jesus told and the way they still speak to our lives today. Jesus was a master storyteller, using everyday moments to reveal the heart of God, challenge our assumptions, and invite us deeper into His Kingdom. Each week, we'll look at one of these powerful stories and discover what it means to follow Jesus with faith, courage, and hope.

Pastor Paul Irminger. This series takes us through the Gospel of Luke, looking at the stories Jesus told and the way they still speak to our lives today. Jesus was a master storyteller, using everyday moments to reveal the heart of God, challenge our assumptions, and invite us deeper into His Kingdom. Each week, we'll look at one of these powerful stories and discover what it means to follow Jesus with faith, courage, and hope.

Stop Making Excuses for Not Following Jesus and Follow Him Without Reservations MESSAGE SUMMARY: From the Gospel of Luke (9:51-60): “Following Jesus” Christians are not just believers in Jesus; Christians are followers of Jesus. Jesus asks us to follow Him, but it's not like He is physically here on earth with us to show us the way. We must discern His intended way for us by listening to His voice and reading His Word and by aligning ourselves with the Holy Spirit who is leading us. Part of what Jesus is teaching us in Luke 9:51-60 is to stop making excuses and reasons for not following Him. Jesus calls us to follow Him now and without reservations. In Matthew 10:37-39, Jesus significantly refines the context and implications of His call to us as His followers: “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.". Our calls from Jesus to follow Him may, often, be moment by moment. As Jesus said to the First Century Christians: follow me today! Is Jesus the Lord, or is Jesus your Lord? You must consciously make the decision to follow Jesus because He will call you. Jesus said: “Follow me.”. Who and what are you following?   TODAY'S PRAYER: Keeping the Sabbath, Lord, will require a lot of changes in the way I am living life. Teach me, Lord, how to take the next step with this in a way that fits my unique personality and situation. Help me to trust you with all that will remain unfinished and to enjoy my humble place in your very large world. In Jesus' name, amen.    Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 129). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM A CHILD OF GOD. Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God-- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. John 1:12f SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Luke 9:51-60; Matthew 10:34-42; Psalms 18d:31-40. SCRIPTURE REFERENCE SEARCH: www.AWFTL.org/bible-search/ A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH'S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “At Jesus' Crucifixion and Death, the “Temple Veil” Was Torn; After Jesus Easter Resurrection, You Now Pray Directly with God”: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

A sermon by Pastor Ryan Proudfoot. Listen along as Commission Church continues our series in the Gospel of Luke.

In this passage Jesus grabs our attention with three creative illustrations of the life of a Christ follower that help us understand how we can best extend God's Grace to others. (Luke 6:37-49)

This message was given by Pastor DJ Ritchey on Sunday, August 2, 2026 at Memorial Heights Baptist Church.

In this episode we take a close look at the Gospel of Luke. He is the only writer of the gospels that is a Gentile and as a result he includes many stories that are not included in the other gospel accounts. Evidentially they are still rather racist in their perspective and so it becomes the role of Matthew to include all these other stories that would otherwise have been lost had it not been for the Gospel of Luke. As a Gentile he wants the Gentiles to know that Jesus was including them in the kingdom as well. It also speaks well of God to use the other writers inspire of their prejudice to also write their accounts of the life and death of Jesus. The PDF document is available at www.rediscoveringgod.ca#Ian Hartley#Warren Kay#Sascha Steenbergen#rediscoveringgod

Paul's letter to the church at Colossae concludes with admonition to speak with God regularly in prayer, and to speak graciously with others, acting wisely toward outsiders who do not yet know the mystery of Christ revealed through his gospel. After this, he includes a summary about the ministry of the gospel being performed through other faithful men. These include Tychicus and Onesimus who are delivering the letter, Aristarchus, who is also in prison with Paul, as well as Mark, Barnabas, Justus, Epaphras, Luke the physician who wrote the gospel of Luke and Acts. On a technical note, we'll actually be picking up at verse 2 since chapter 4:1 was covered in our last episode. :::Christian Standard Bible translation.All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.Co-produced by the Christian Standard Biblefacebook.com/commuterbibleinstagram.com/commuter_bibletwitter.com/CommuterPodpatreon.com/commuterbibleadmin@commuterbible.org

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Friday morning, the 7th of August, 2026, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. We start in the Book of Joshua 1:11. This is Joshua speaking: “Pass through the camp and command the people, saying, ‘Prepare provisions for yourselves, for within three days you will cross over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land which the Lord your God is giving you to possess.' ” It is time to cross over, my dear friend. You're getting comfortable. Don't get comfortable. We are passing through. This is not our home, our home is in heaven! Remember the Israelites lived in tents. They never built any houses. They lived in tents until they crossed over the Jordan River. Then we go to the Gospel of Luke 4:43. This is Jesus speaking: ”…but He said to them, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent.” Remember, they wanted Jesus to stay with them. They didn't want Him to go, ”Lord, stay, please.” ”No! I have got an obligation to My Father. I have to go out and preach the gospel to the ends of the world.” We need to take new ground for Jesus. It's time for you and me to walk on the water, but the good news is, we do not go alone. He is going with us, and He is leading the way. All we have to do is follow. Remember, if we are not going forward, we are actually going backward. In the Kingdom of God, there is no such thing as standing still, either we are going up the ladder or we are going down the ladder. Now, I'm speaking figuratively because for some of us maybe God wants us to write that book. Some of you must open that new business. “But we don't have enough money. Times are hard.” Sometimes that's the best time to do it. You look at many men and women who have succeeded in life, they do not wait for the right opportunity. They wait for a word from God. Many times, the Lord has told me, “step out”, and that is the time that He does great and mighty things. You know, a ship tied up in harbour is going nowhere. When that ship sets out to sea, even if the wind is contrary, even if the wind is blowing the wrong way, a good captain knows how to work that ship with the sails, and he tacks against the wind and still gets to his destination. Today, let's cross over. Jesus bless you and have an exciting, wonderful dayGoodbye.

Pastor Ben preaches on Luke 7:18-23

This message was given by Pastor DJ Ritchey on Sunday, July 19, 2026 at Memorial Heights Baptist Church.

This message was given by Pastor DJ Ritchey on Sunday, July 26, 2026 at Memorial Heights Baptist Church.

August 6 is the annual commemoration of the Transfiguration. where Jesus reveals his divine glory to Peter, James, and John on a high mountain. His face and clothes shine with radiant light as he converses with Moses and Elijah, representing the Law and Prophets. A divine voice declares him the "Son" and instructs the disciples to listen to him. Readings from the Gospel of Mark 1:9-15 and the Gospel of Luke 4:1-15 and the Gospel of Matthew 4:1-11. Breathe Bible Audio CD available at https://amzn.to/3CPRa4x Gospel of Mark available at https://amzn.to/3X3m9Ba Gospel of Luke available at https://amzn.to/3M6sTId Gospel of Matthew available at https://amzn.to/3LEeP8F Historical Jesus books available at https://amzn.to/43rnYbq ENJOY Ad-Free content, Bonus episodes, and Extra materials when joining our growing community on https://patreon.com/markvinet SUPPORT this channel by purchasing any product on Amazon using this FREE entry LINK https://amzn.to/3POlrUD (Amazon gives us credit at NO extra charge to you). Mark Vinet's TIMELINE video channel: https://youtube.com/c/TIMELINE_MarkVinet Mark's History of North America podcast: www.parthenonpodcast.com/history-of-north-america Website: https://markvinet.com/podcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mark.vinet.9 Twitter: https://twitter.com/HistoricalJesu Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/denarynovels Mark's books: https://amzn.to/3k8qrGM Audio credits: Bible Audio narration (WordProject, International Biblical Association); Chapter-A-Day Audio Bible podcast with John Stange (LifeAudio Podcast Network, Salem Web Network). Audio excerpts reproduced under the Fair Use (Fair Dealings) Legal Doctrine for purposes such as criticism, comment, teaching, education, scholarship, research and news reporting.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Unchanging Word Bible Broadcast continues in the Gospel of Luke which he wrote to the most excellent Theophilus for both him and us to know the certainty of the words of truth concerning our Lord Jesus Christ.We are in Lk.11: 32 as Dr. Mitchell continues the exposition of this Gospel. In this passage he will speak of the light which enters the eye and shines into the whole body. We are to shine the light of the Lord Jesus through us to others.Next, Jesus confronts the religious leaders and scholars of his day, e.g. the Pharisees and the lawyers in the Scriptures. One thing that stands out in vs.42 is that they were majoring on the minors and minoring on the majors. Their priorities were totally switched to the point of their neglect of the more important Biblical priorities.Here, on the Unchanging Word Bible Broadcast is Dr. Mitchell, Lk. 11:32.

Acts 1 stands at a crucial turning point in the biblical story. It gathers together the resurrection of Jesus, the expectation of the kingdom of God, the promise of the Holy Spirit, the ascension of Christ, and the calling of the apostles to bear witness to the ends of the earth. The chapter is not merely a historical bridge between the Gospel of Luke and the birth of the Church at Pentecost; it is a theological foundation for Christian mission, hope, leadership, prayer, and dependence on the Spirit.Luke presents the risen Jesus as the continuing Lord of the story. The work of Jesus did not end with his death, resurrection, or ascension. Acts begins by reminding us that the Gospel was only the account of what Jesus “began” to do and teach. The implication is profound: in Acts, Jesus continues his work from heaven through the Holy Spirit, through his apostles, and through the witnessing community he sends into the world - His church.

The following sermon was chosen as a 'staff-pick' on SermonAudio: Title: The Temptation of Jesus Christ (Part1) Subtitle: The Gospel of Luke Speaker: Pastor Rodney Hole Broadcaster: Village Church Inc. Event: Sunday Service Date: 7/26/2026 Bible: Luke 4:1-4 Length: 59 min.

Thought to share? Send me a text...Can you really trust God's Word when your circumstances make His promises feel uncertain?In a world filled with competing voices, shifting emotions, and constant uncertainty, it's easy to wonder whether the Bible is truly reliable for everyday decisions. In this episode, Betsy Marvin begins a new journey through the Gospel of Luke, revealing why Luke carefully investigated the life of Jesus so believers could have confidence—not just in what they believe, but in Who they trust. Discover how God's Word becomes a steady foundation for parenting, relationships, fears, and every uncertain season of life. Discover the four powerful truths in Luke 1:1–4 that reveal why God's Word is trustworthy.  Learn how biblical certainty differs from emotional certainty—and why that changes everything.  Gain practical encouragement to anchor your daily life in Scripture instead of your changing circumstances. Press play to discover how Luke's carefully investigated account of Jesus can give you lasting confidence to stand firmly on God's truth, no matter what life brings.New episodes every Tuesday and Thursday mornings.To connect with Betsy for speaking, resources, or curriculum head to https://betsymarvin.com/contact-me/For access to past podcasts and transcripts, head tohttps://betsymarvin.com/podcasts/A Christian podcast centered on Jesus, the Bible, and God explores faith through the Old Testament and New Testament, sharing Bible stories and Bible explained insights to help women of faith and Jesus followers grow in faith, strengthen their relationship with God, and know God more deeply through Bible study, women Bible study, and practical Christianity, all while encouraging spiritual growth, understanding identity in Christ, and learning to understand Bible teachings to become closer to God.

Pastor John Knapp teaching out of the Gospel of Luke chapter 9.

Christians in the Church Must Become Christians in the Marketplace of Unbelievers MESSAGE SUMMARY: From the Gospel of Luke (10:1-20): Life Laborers Are Few This “Life Lesson from Luke” focuses upon the Apostle Luke in the context of “Luke the Evangelist” – telling the good news of Jesus the Christ. Introduction:  Jesus, in Luke 11:11-13, compares asking God versus an earthly father being asked by his son: “What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”. God desires to give to us before we even ask Him but ask, we must. Since we must ask for the Holy Spirit, it is good to begin our daily prayers with: “Lord, fill me with the Holy Spirit.”. From Luke 11:1-13, we have a Life Lesson on Prayer. Life Laborers Are Few:  As Jesus sends the Seventy-two out on a mission trip (Luke 10:1-20), He tells them, in Luke 10:2: “And he said to them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.'". As in the First Century, today we can make the same observation as Jesus: “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few” – where are the laborers for His Kingdom today? People all around us are in need. This passage from Luke 10:1-20 reveals God's plan and model for evangelism – the ministry of the Gospel. Further, Jesus instructs us to: “pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” – God's harvest. This model for the ministry of the Gospel is not just for Clergy, this model is for all followers of Jesus. To meet the needs of today's plentiful harvest, the Christians in the Church must become the Christian in the marketplace pf unbelievers. To be effective in this plentiful marketplace, we must be ourselves and a willing vessel for God's will and for God to fill us with the Holy Spirit. Additionally, we must be a willing laborer for the ministry of the Gospel – the harvest is plentiful. Be God's hand!   TODAY'S PRAYER: Keeping the Sabbath, Lord, will require a lot of changes in the way I am living life. Teach me, Lord, how to take the next step with this in a way that fits my unique personality and situation. Help me to trust you with all that will remain unfinished and to enjoy my humble place in your very large world. In Jesus' name, amen.    Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 129). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM RIGHTEOUS IN GOD'S EYES. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21 SCRIPTURE REFERENCE SEARCH: www.AWFTL.org/bible-search/ A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH'S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “At Jesus' Crucifixion and Death, the “Temple Veil” Was Torn; After Jesus Easter Resurrection, You Now Pray Directly with God”: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Pastor Ben preaches on Luke 7: 11-17

July 29 is the annual siblings combined feast day of Saints Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Luke’s Gospel 10:38-42 tells the tale of Jesus visiting the home of an unnamed village where Martha welcomes him, while her sister Mary sits at Jesus' feet to listen to his teaching. Martha complains about doing all the work alone, and Jesus gently corrects her, stating that Mary has chosen the better part. Mary and Martha are mentioned in the Gospel of Luke, but their brother Lazarus is not. HJSe29. Gospel of Luke available at https://amzn.to/3M6sTId Historical Jesus books available at https://amzn.to/43rnYbq ENJOY Ad-Free content, Bonus episodes, and Extra materials when joining our growing community on https://patreon.com/markvinet SUPPORT this channel by purchasing any product on Amazon using this FREE entry LINK https://amzn.to/3POlrUD (Amazon gives us credit at NO extra charge to you). Mark's video channel: https://youtube.com/c/TIMELINE_MarkVinet Website: https://markvinet.com/podcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mark.vinet.9 X (twitter): https://twitter.com/HistoricalJesu Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/denarynovels Mark's books: https://amzn.to/3k8qrGM Bible Audio narration: Chapter-A-Day Audio Bible podcast with John Stange (LifeAudio Podcast Network, Salem Web Network). Audio excerpts reproduced under the Fair Use (Fair Dealings) Legal Doctrine for purposes such as criticism, comment, teaching, education, scholarship, research and news reporting.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Highland Christian Church - Asheville, NCCommunicator - Jason GarrisLuke 6:12-19 - "When they came down from the mountain." After Jesus calls his disciples, they are not set up high and mighty, but they must get down into real life with hurting people. The “calling out” didn't set the disciples up as high and mighty – it led them to be close to the people. Even a list of names tells us what kind of King Jesus is. 

Pastor Paul Irminger. This series takes us through the Gospel of Luke, looking at the stories Jesus told and the way they still speak to our lives today. Jesus was a master storyteller, using everyday moments to reveal the heart of God, challenge our assumptions, and invite us deeper into His Kingdom. Each week, we'll look at one of these powerful stories and discover what it means to follow Jesus with faith, courage, and hope.

Audio Transcript Beautiful singing. So I've not met you. My name is Aaron, and I'm the preaching pastor here and glad that you're with us today, this last Sunday of July. And so if you have a bow with you, if you'd open up to the book of Exodus today, our texture study is going to come from Exodus 12, verses 21 through 28. Although we're going to be spending our time in all of Exodus 12, this will be our primary spot is 2128. And if you don't have a Bible with you, if you're not, there are Bibles scattered throughout the pews. If you want to find your way to Exodus, essentially on page 31, our text, if you want to open there, and then as you open your Bibles, please do keep them open. And so if you're visiting with us, so we do a style of preaching called expository preaching. And so we're going to spend a lot of our time just in the text and kind of throughout the sermon. I'm going to be pointing us back to the text. And so I want us all to see what comes from the text. And so please do keep the Bible open. So Exodus 12:21 through 28. So please hear the words of our God. And then I'm going to pray and then we'll get to work. So the Bible says that Moses called all the elders of Israel and said to them, go and select lambs for yourselves according to your clans and kill the Passover lamb. Take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood that is in the basin. Touch the lentil and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. None of you shall go out of the door of the house until the morning, for Lord will pass through to strike the Egyptians. And we seize the blood on the lintel and on two doorposts. Lord will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to enter into your home and your houses to strike you. You shall observe this right as a statute for you and for your sons forever. And when you come into the land that the Lord will give you as he has promised, you shall keep this service. And when your children say to you, what do you mean by this service? You shall say, is the sacrifice of the Lord's Passover. For he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt when he struck the Egyptians, but spared our houses when people bowed their heads and worshiped, then the people of Israel went and did so as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron. So they did. That's God's word for us this morning. Would you please pray with me? Lord, we're here because we want to hear from your word. Lord, we know that your word tells us that through the folly of preaching that you indeed do speak. You speak through your word, through the power of your holy spirit. And so God, in this time, that is our desire, that is our ask, that is our request indeed, that you would speak. God, please keep me from error. Please keep me from stumbling. Help me to speak only that which is true. Please help the congregation just have good listening ears to hear what your spirit is saying to us today. Pray this out in Jesus name. Amen. So this morning, as we gather together, we do so. It's a slight detour what we had planned at the start of our summer preaching schedule. So at the start of our summer, the original plan was to have this sermon series that we've had been working through in Exodus. The sermon is the beginning part of the life of Moses. And we're up to the plan was to the start of chapter seven, which is where we were last week, as Moses and his brother Aaron approached Pharaoh for the second time to tell Pharaoh to let God's people go, as Pharaoh was holding God's people in bondage as slaves. From there, then the original plan, starting this week, and to go back into our study of the Gospel of Luke, which is a study that we've been working through for some time. However, today, and actually the next few weeks, there's going to be a little bit of a detour from that plan, which the detour has actually been on my mind for, I guess, a few weeks now, particularly when I was away on vacation, where I thought it'd be good for us as a church just to spend a little bit more time in the life of Moses, doing so in ways that relate to our church pillars, which you can see in the banners behind me. Worship, connect, grow and go. And I thought it'd be good for us to do this again just for a few reasons. So, first, we haven't done this in a while. So it's been actually well over a year since the last time we took time to, like, intentionally think through our church pillars in a sermon context. So we're probably due to do this again. Second, the fall approaching typically brings a little bit busier time in church life. So I actually thought it might be good for us to maybe refocus a bit as a church before things get busier. Third, as a church, it's actually really easy to detour on the things that God would have us to do. So we know this, the busyness of life, the challenges of life, the disappointments in life, the frustrations in life, the false hope of life, even sometimes like the successes of life, which we'll be talking about more just a bit. These things all have a way of, like, detouring us from the things that God would have us to do. So I thought it'd be good for us just to refocus a bit, to hopefully stay focused on the things that God would have us to do. Which, by the way, the reality of losing focus, being distracted, forgetting the things that God has done, things that God would have us to do. This is actually very present in our passage today where we see in the text today, God instituted things within, like the calendar, as a means to help his people actively remember, to help them to not, like, detour away from him, the things that he would have them to do and not do. So starting today and over the next couple weeks, what we're gonna do is continue to look at Exodus stories about Moses. I think give maybe some fleshing out of our four church pillars that hopefully we can learn from and apply to our own lives. So today, from our text, the primary pillar we're going to focus on is that of worship, which for us not only is our first pillar, but this is the most important and most Central of the 4. This is the pillar that actually meant to be like, the fuel, the motivation that leads into the other three pillars. Now, before we get into the heart of our passage today, just for a few moments, let me just remind us where we left off last week in chapter seven. And after that, I was going to give you some, like, flyby details in Exodus and what happened from that passage where we left last week in chapter seven to our text in our today in chapter 12. So just where we left off last week, we started that first. So as mentioned for a second time, Moses and his brother Aaron, who was like a prophet to Moses, went before Pharaoh to tell Pharaoh yet again, for a second time to let God's people go, where they also performed a miracle before Pharaoh, turning a staff into a great serpent. Whereas when last week, as Moses and Aaron approached Pharaoh, God hardened the heart of Pharaoh. So for a second time, Pharaoh refused to listen to Moses and refused to let God's people go, which we talked about a lot last week. This had to be, at least in some ways, if not a lot of ways, hard for Moses to grasp and accept. I mean, God already had promised to free his people God even told Moses that he was going to be the deliverer. Moses is now doing the very thing God would have him to do. However, at least not yet. In chapter seven, freedom did not come. So one of the things we talked about a lot last week, for Moses, this had to be hard for him to grasp and accept. In this reality. This actually is true for much of his life, where often Moses would do the very thing God would have him to do, instruct him to do, only for the things to not work out in ways that Moses necessarily would want him to do, where over and over again, at least in the moment, things did not work out the way Moses hoped. And for us, this actually is part of the reality of our faith. Yes, we can do the right things, the very things that we know God would have us to do, but according to his secret will, things might not work out, at least not according to the timeline that we might have. That's where we were beginning of chapter seven last week. And then from there, over the next few chapters, which maybe you can read through this week, we see almost like this cyclical pattern on display where the Lord would continue to send Moses, his brother Aaron before Pharaoh, where Moses would continue to tell Pharaoh to let God's people go, where that message would be accompanied by signs and wonders. Yet God would continue to harden the heart of Pharaoh as Pharaoh refused to let God's people go. He even though in the cycle, even though there's these great signs and wonders, even though God did all these things, Pharaoh would still refuse to let God's people go. Now, if you've read through Exodus before, you remember that these series of signs and wonders were found in a series of plagues of judgment on Egypt. Was there a series of plagues that not only testified to God's power and God's glory, but it does seem, although this is debatable, it does seem that with each of these plagues, which were 10, that each of these God was like systematically defeating the many gods of Egypt. Let me just give you a few examples on this. So the first plague, you may remember, this is the Nile river turning to blood. And this seemed to be the Lord taking an attack on the Egyptian God who, like, watched over the Nile. Then the second plague involved, like frogs, like, overfilling the land of Egypt. And it seemed like this is the Lord, like, attacking Egyptian fertility God, who was resented as a frog dropping down, like to the ninth plague, which involved darkness over the land. This seemed to be the Lord attacking, defeating Ra, the Egyptian sun God, and the 10th plague, which we'll be talking about in part in our text today, involved the death of the firstborn of the land, which included the death of the son of. Of Pharaoh, with Pharaoh himself being revered like a godlike figure. As mentioned, there's a little bit of debate on this if this is actually what's happening, but it does seem that if you look at the 10 plagues, it does seem to be a direct correlation between the plagues and one of the many gods of the land. Okay, now just a couple of quick things I want to mention before we get to our text. So if we go back in as it relates to worship, this pillar that we're focused on this morning. So worship was really always at the heart of God. In the Exodus, he would free his people from the bondage of slavery so that they might worship him. And we don't have time to work through all the places that we see this, but really from Exodus 3, where God came to Moses and revealed himself to Moses in the burning bush of the great I am, where at that scene, the Lord also commissioned Moses to be the deliverer of the people. At that scene, worship was at the heart of God so that through his deliverance, through the freedom of his people, they might worship him. And this continues on from like the first time Moses and Aaron approached Pharaoh, they commanded Pharaoh to let God's people go. Why? So that they might worship the Lord. Then each of the plagues in this sickle event that continued to happen over and over again, Moses and Aaron continued to approach Pharaoh to tell them the same basic message. The purpose is why? So God's people might be free to go and worship him. So worship is at the heart of Exodus, including at the heart of our text today, as worship is always at the heart of our God. Thus, if we're going to follow our God, worship will be on our hearts as well. Okay, so that is an introduction. Maybe fill in some of the gaps for us. Let's look back at the passage. Our passage day involves, like, what took place right before this 10th plague and the death of the firstborn of the land. Well, our text today details some really important information, not only for the book of Exodus, but really for all of scripture. Because our text today involves the Passover. Our primary text today starts in verse 21, but just give maybe just a little bit more context if you want to look up to some of the details in verses 1 through 20 of chapter 12. In those verses, we see God came to Moses to let Moses, let the people know that they were to get ready. Because the long wait of waiting upon the Lord to free them from slavery, the long wait was about to be realized. Freedom was about to come. The Lord's patient timing had now arrived. In the preceding verses, the Lord let Moses know that this freedom from bondage was going to change really everything for his his people, including their calendar, where from the day that they were freed, it was gonna be such a monumental work of God that salvation. So going forward, that day of deliverance would be the first day of the first month of their new calendars. Making this new calendar centered on this salvation from slavery, which would be a marker that they were to never forget, but to always remember the salvation of their God. Furthermore, starting the start of chapter 12, the Lord gave to Moses some instructions on how this freeing would take place, which I'm guessing is not maybe a way that Moses would have expected, particularly as he witnessed the power of God on display all throughout Exodus. Because the Lord let Moses know that this freeing that he was about to do to bring salvation for his people would actually come through a Passover lamb. With the lamb being like one of the most gentle creatures in all creation, yet all powerful God would bring about his glorious salvation. How through a lamb. And how the Lord would do this would be on the night of freedom, the night that all this things is about to take place. Yes. God would send a destroyer who would come to bring judgment, which is destroyed here mostly as like a death angel. The death angel, yes, would come into the land, would take the life of all the firstborn from the greatest of the land, including Pharaoh's own son, to the least of the land, to even the firstborn of all the cattle. That is, unless the home had a Passover lamb who provides salvation of death and judgment. So in this dialogue between the Lord and Moses, Moses informed on the night that the death angel was to come, the people of God were to enjoy like a meal of fellowship together. A meal that they were to eat in haste, even instruction how they eat this meal, and they eat this in haste because of how quickly salvation was about to come for them. And this meal was centered on this, on this Passover lamb, which was a lamb that was to be a lamb without spot and blemish. This guy's people fellowshipped around this lamb. They were to take the blood from the lamb and cover the sides of the front door with the blood. So on the night that the death angel came, as they saw the death angel saw the blood of the lamb, death would pass over the home. So God's people not only could be saved from judgment, but through the blood they would be set free to eternal or to a land that is to come, which we'll talk about more in just a bit. By the way, let me also mention the yearly calendars not only were to mark this night of the passover lambs, the calendar to mark the start of the calendar, mark this night, but in the beginning of chapter 12, going forward each year, God's people, from generation to generation were to continue to celebrate this Passover meal together so that they would actively remember that which the Lord had done for them and how salvation was found through the blood of the lamb. So in a very real way, on that night, the Passover lamb died so that they could live being set free. And the theme of our sermon today, be set free to worship the Lord. So with those instructions in the preceding verses given to Moses and the Lord, now in Our text, verse 21, if you're going to take your Isaiah, we see that Moses took that which is given from the Lord. So now he can convey that information to the people. So in text we read that Moses called all the elders of God's people together to tell them, hey, this is what is about to take place. This is how the Lord was finally going to free us. Through this blood of the lamb, Moses instructed the elders to go select lambs from the midst of their flocks. In doing so, according to the clan that you are from, as you go to the flocks to select a lamb, this Passover lamb that you're. The Lord then instructed in the text that this lamb that was slain, that they do next is take a bunch of hyssop. Hyssop is kind of like a. Like a bushy shrub. And this hyssop is to act almost like a sponge or a brush by which they would take the hyssop and dip it into the blood of the lamb that was just spilled, that was collected in a basin, our text tells us. And with the blood of the lamb now on the hyssop, they're then to touch the lintel, which is the top beam of the door, to put blood there. And they're also to put blood up and down on the two sides of the door. So in a very real sense, the home would be covered by the blood. And on that night when the death angel came, because of the blood, they were safe. Verse 22, because they were safe in the blood of the lamb, we read that none were to go out of the house until the morning, which for me is probably not instruction. I would need. Right. Death angels, come in. I'm going to stay safely behind closed doors, behind the blood. No interest nor curiosity was taking place outside. But obviously for some, maybe more curious in nature than me, might be tempted to see what was happening, maybe in a real sense, wanted to see death. This is a real instruction for them. Yes, you might be curious, intrigued, what was taking place that night. But you must fight against temptation. You must stay covered by the blood until the morning. Because if not, if you give in to your temptation, you will perish. But in verse 23 of our text, in this last and most terrifying of plagues, for the Lord himself will pass through to strike the Egyptians, those not covered by the blood, but where the Lord sees the blood on the lentil on the two doorposts, the Lord himself will pass over the door. And he will not let the destroyer, the death angel, enter into your house to strike you. Meaning as real and as powerful as death is, this death angel was even death was under the authority of the Lord, where, under the authority of the Lord, death would strike only those who, according to the will of God, were being judged that night, where death would pass over according to the will of the Lord, those who would live as life and death ultimately are in the Lord's hands. Now for us, let's just hit pause here just for a second, just to consider what an incredible and awesome, albeit terrifying night this must have been for God's people. So let's just try to put ourselves in their shoes and just kind of think through some of what has already taken place. So for a very long time, God's people, the shoes they were in were the shoes of slavery, doing hard labor, doing many things that were just not pleasant at all in life, where for years and years they're praying, pleading to the Lord to come and set them free, only for Moses to show up. But as he shows up, he basically tells us, hey guys, I am the answer to your prayers. I am indeed the long awaited deliverer who God would use to free you from slavery. Yet as we remember in our study, as he showed up, chapter five. For God's people, things actually went from bad to worse as Moses approached Pharaoh for the first time. Pharaoh became so annoyed at Moses that he ended up punishing the people by demanding that not only we continue to make bricks as slaves, but going forward, they'd also now have to start to like, collect the straw for their brick making work. And from there, all these terrible, terrifying plagues fell upon the land, which some of these actually affected God's people as well. These terrifying plagues came, and at different points, they actually kind of looked for God's people, that Pharaoh was going to finally let them go, only for Pharaoh to change his mind as the Lord continued to harden his heart to keep God's people in slavery. So from chapter five, when Moses showed up until our text today, which just covers a lot of time here for God's people, this is an absolute roller coaster of emotions, ups and downs, twists and turns, hopes, disappointments, and all of it is leading to this, this one big, awesome, terrifying night where Moses had just let them know through the elders, death is going to enter into the land. However, even through death that is about to come, their salvation would also come. And it would come from all things through a blood of a lamb, as through the lamb, salvation would come through judgment. Now for us to put ourselves in their shoes. Imagine knowing all this history and now getting this message from Moses, from the elders of the clans that salvation was coming through the blood of a lamb. Well, keep going to text verse 24, if you want to take your eyes there. As he got this message of salvation through judgment by the blood of the lamb, we see they also get some more instructions and how it passed down the Passover. And because they get more instructions again here, I think this stresses just how important this passing down was to the Lord. Verse 24, God's people will continue to celebrate this meal each year as a rite, as a statue for you and your sons forever. Meaning this is not just something they were to celebrate on the day they were set free, on that night as they celebrate the meal together. This is something that God's people from generation to generation would continue to celebrate, to continue to remember all of their days. By the way, if you read through the Old Testament over and over again, Scripture actually is pointing God's people back to this very night, this salvation from the Lord as a means to draw them back to worship. Verse 25. On that day when you come into the land that the Lord will give you, which the land that they're being saved too. So not only were they being saved from the judgment, saved from slavery, but God's people are also being saved to a land, a land in the text, a land that God promised to give to them, which we know is a land flowing with milk and honey. And as he entered into that promised land, even then the salvation of God found in the blood of the land, even then this right was to be on their minds, which only continues to stress the importance of this salvation. Where Even then, this rite in the text, this statue, this service, even then is one you are to keep and observe. Now, this here, the Lord telling his people that to keep this service even as they enter into the promised land, this incredible land flowing with milk and honey. I think this is actually the Lord like, maybe already addressing a real challenge that would be before them, which is the challenge of, like, things working out. We're in this challenge. There's a real temptation. When things like work out for us. Do you think that we actually no longer need the Lord or temptation maybe to put the Lord on the back burner of our life? And I do think for us, we know this challenge in our own lives, where, when things are kind of going well, how quickly it is to lose track of dependency, depend upon God. Where, when things are going well, whatever that well thing is, that can quickly become like our priority, where we maybe try to fit the Lord around that priority rather than making him the priority, keeping him the priority for us. Yes, no doubt there are challenges our faith when things do not work out the way that we hope, which say it earlier, this is true for much of Moses's life. But at least for me, from my own experience, there are often more challenges to my faith, more challenges to my dependency upon the Lord. When things are going well, keep going. Verse 26. When the children, the next generation, who are not present on this night, when they say to you, as you remember this Passover, what do you mean by this service? Why is it that we're celebrating this meal over and over again? What's the big deal? What's its purpose? Why the lamb? Why the blood? Verse 27. As they come with you with those questions, you are to say to them, it is the sacrifice of the Lord's Passover. You are to teach them that we do this, to remember, to never forget the night that the Lord passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt, where on that night he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses. Just a couple quick thoughts on this here. First, the question the children ask. What do you mean by the service? This is actually an obvious and legitimate question here. The generation that came after, they weren't there on that night, they did not have firsthand experience of how God redeemed his people. So it's not like, just like innately, they would have known all this. They would have needed someone to tell them, to explain to them the why, the what, the how that they were doing. They would need someone to come to them with, like, beautiful feet to pass on the Story of salvation through a lamb, which in the context here specifically was their parents. And for us just explaining to the children, this actually is the heart of like evangelism, discipleship. None of us just innately know all these things as you're saying earlier. We're all like on this hell bound race. So we need someone to have to explain things to us, just like someone had explained things to us. So as we learn about the things of Jesus Christ, now in turn we pass down that which we received. And with beautiful feet we explain things to others. We explain all the things that we know that is true and believe about our God and ultimately the redemption found in Lord Jesus Christ. Something kind of tied to this. So there's a phrase, but there's a time actually use, times we actually use here. Basically it says like one generation like believes the Gospel, which is the good news found in the redemption of Jesus Christ. But without like proper evangelism and discipleship, what can happen is the next generation then starts to like basically assume the gospel and then inevitably the following generation forgets the gospel. And this is such a true statement, not only because what we see this in church history proves to be true, but even in the Old Testament people of God, where over and over again one generation would believe, but the next generation would kind of assume before the following generation would just kind of forget about things all together. Only for the Lord to have to do some type of gracious work or maybe some type of work of judgment to bring his people back to himself. So this here in the text of needing to answer the question to the next generation to teach them about the salvation from our God church, this actually is really important. This is something that ought to be a real high priority for us as a church. For us, this is something we can't get detoured away from doing. Back to the text, the end of verse 27, after the Lord gave to Moses all this information from the Passover meal, this discipleship command to teach the next generation. We see the hearts of the people were soft before the Lord. And in the text the people like bowed their heads and they worshiped him, which hold on to this, we'll come back to this at the end. Verse 28. As the people had their hearts soft, soft before the Lord worshiping the Lord, then the people of Israel went and did so as the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron. So they did. Which here just kind of notice how basically the same thing is said twice in the text. Went and did so, and then at the end, so they did. I think this is emphasis on the obedience of God's people, whose hearts were soft, whose hearts were stoked to worship, where they were joyfully willing to do the things that God would have them to do. Now, this is where we ended our text today. But I do want to finish off the story this in chapter 12, starting at verse 29, if you want to keep going or keep looking there. So according to what God said, at midnight that night the death angel came and indeed struck down the firstborn of the land from the son of Pharaoh to the firstborn of the cattle, where, according to his word, only those who were saved on that night were the ones who were covered by the blood of the lamb. And after this final plague hit, finally, at least in the moment, the heart of Pharaoh softened to the point that he would let God's people go. The text tells us that 600,000 men, not counting women, children, were set free that night, bound for the promised land, where they left actually by plundering Egypt on their way. And as the people of God headed out, they did so still with soft hearts, still with hearts of worship. At the end of Exodus 12 tells us that they desired to obey God to keep the Passover from generation to generation. We're in verse 50, similar to verse 28, to further emphasize the soft heart to follow and obey God. We see in verse 50 all the people of Israel did just as the Lord had commanded. Moses and Aaron is on that very day the Lord brought the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their host. And that's actually we're going to end in our text today. But before I end, I do want to give you some organized thoughts from this text as it relates to worship and how I wanted to do this. Just maybe try to answer a few questions on like the why, the how and the what of worship. Okay, so some thoughts here. So let's start out with the why. And I do think it's always most important for us to get the why right before we move on to the what and the how. This is really important as a church. We must get the why right of worship. So some of the whys of worship, as I start to answer some of the whys, I do want to mention again, worship was at the center of why God desired to free his people from slavery in Egypt. Now, yes, the desire of God is also one that was tied to, like God's love, where in his love he would do this for his people. This desire of God to free his people also is one that's tied to his promises, where in his word, God promised indeed he would free his people. And we know God is a God who makes and keeps promise. But even those realities are ultimately tied to worship. We're to say it again, throughout the story of Moses that we've been looking at this summer. God would free his people. Why? So that they could worship Him. So for us, why? This is why. This is why we exist, to worship God and why we should worship God. Well, we see throughout Exodus, throughout Scripture, because our God is the one who is worthy of our worship. Because our God is the one who is glorious in all who he is, as the great I am, which is Exodus 3 in all that he does, including his great salvation. And so for his glory, the Lord is calling us to worship. That's a real why of worship. Why? Worship is always at the heart of our God. Why? Because he's worthy of it. Because his glory actually demands us to worship Him. Very much tied to this why worship? This also is our design. So God created mankind to worship him, to keep him at the center, at the priority of our life, where all that we are to do in life, even the roller coaster relied in life. Big things, little things, even little things like eating and drinking, they all are to be done in worship of him, to bring glory to our God friends. That's actually why we exist. This is part of the why of worship. This is where we find joy, we find meaning, we find purpose is in worshiping our God for us as church. This is why worship is not only a pillar, but the pillar, the most important pillar. Where our desire as a church is to joyfully pour out our lives in the worship of our God, knowing that is where our meaning, that is where our purpose is found. However, unfortunately, tragically, sinfully, we know this as individuals, even as a church as a whole. This is something that we can easily detour from where there's so many other things that can get us sidetracked. So many other things like pull at our hearts in worship. We start to worship other things other than God. And if we do that, if we detour from our worship of the Lord, we must be quick to repent, to get this right, to put and keep God at the center. Because if we miss worship, the why of worship, everything else is a house of cards that will not stand so for us. Even this morning, if you know, like the worship of the Lord, if it's not at the center of your life, where any like somehow you detoured and you're trying to put your hope in other Things repent come back to him. Which actually leads the next question relates to a how question. And the how question, I'm not referring to like, you know, some type of posture. Like, this is how we do it. This is how we worship. By this posture, rather the how here, I'm actually referring to, like, how is it even possible for us to come to God in worship? And this actually is a pretty important question for us to know and understand. Because we actually all are sinners. And like Pharaoh, even by birth, by choice, we actually all have hard hearts. And because we are sinners with hard hearts before God, we can't approach Him. We can't come to God on our own because God is like, perfect in all that. He is perfect in his holiness, perfect in his glory. So we can't, like, just like waltz in and try to approach the Lord in worship, like, just kind of on our own. And likewise, it's not like we somehow can, like, worship our way to God. So this is actually important question of how that we must know. So, like, how is it that we can actually worship God as sinners? Well, in the text today, we need the Lord to act on our behalf. Our text today, the Lord acted through the blood of the Lamb, so that his people would be saved from judgment, that the Lord would pass over so they'd be set free, that they might worship him without the blood of the Lamb. They'd been bound in judgment as sinners, rightfully. And for us, as real as the blood of the Lamb was in Exodus 12, as real as it was the salvation of God bringing his people out of slavery, the blood of that Lamb. That salvation in Exodus 12 is ultimately a pointer to a better, more spotless lamb that was to come, an even better salvation. The Lord provided for his people a better Lamb, the Lamb of God, as God himself came to us in the person of the great God man, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, who came to take away the sins of the world, which Jesus did by willingly, joyfully laying down his life for his people, which he did on a cross where the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, spilled His blood for us, where he died in our place, so that through him, through Jesus, him alone, we'd be saved from judgment. We'd be set free, bound for eternal promised land that is to come. So that through Jesus, friends, that's how we can worship God. It's only through him, through us putting our faith in him, trusting in him, in the blood of his eternal covenant. It's us calling upon the name of Jesus as our Lord, as the One who died for us, only to rise again from the dead on the third day. Which, by the way, is why, as a church, why we say the wooden cross and empty tomb mean everything to us. Because without it, without Jesus being our true Lamb, we would still be in the bondage of sin and there would be no possibility for us to worship God. We can only come to God the Father and worship through him, by the way, because Jesus Christ not only died as the Lamb of God, but because he rose again on the third day, which was a Sunday. Now, our entire calendar is actually marked with Sunday being the first day of the week, which is actually a unique and special day by which we were to gather together as a church body and worship, where we gather together not only to worship the Lord, but we do so in ways that we're sitting under his word, where we sing his praises, where over and over again, we celebrate the new Passover meal, the Lord's Supper, to help us to remember, to never forget what Jesus has done for us actually leads to the what of worship. So what should our lives look like if we're going to spend worshiping God? Well, in the text, the heart of worship, our lives will look like having soft hearts before God. Soft hearts that are like, joyfully obeying all the things that God would have us to do, doing all the things that God has to do, and not doing the things that he would not want us to do. And these things change from being burdens or maybe even options. But when we're worshiping the Lord of soft hearts, all these things now become like the desire of our heart, where we want to do the things that God would have us to do, which is true of God's people in the text. So for us as a church, some of the things it looks like all includes not forsaking, meeting together on Sundays, which is a habit that's easy to get into. But like God's people, we're to celebrate the Passover each year. Now, as God's people, we are to celebrate Jesus death and resurrection. Each Sunday we set our hearts to serve him, to serve others, not out of duty, but out of delight, because our hearts are soft to worship. And I know for various reasons it can be challenging at times, but at the heart of worship, these are challenges we seek to overcome. In our language, this is very much tied to the pillars of connect and grow, to come to be around God's people week after week after. Furthermore, what. What are we going to do if we're Going to worship God tied to our pillar. To go in the text, what we will do say we're going to pass down the message of our faith from generation to generation. This is, this is part of our worship. We're engaging our lives in evangelism and discipleship. Word of a heart of worship. We're explaining to others the tenets of our faith. Centering on the salvation of God found in Jesus Christ is one not only we celebrate today and hopefully every day, but the one that we'll celebrate and worship even as we enter into the eternal promised land that is to come, where forever and ever our worship will be to the Lamb who was slain, the one who is worthy. So yes, today a little bit of a detour of what was originally planned. But my hope is that this detour actually keep us on track on that which is most important to us as a church family, which always starts, always ends with worship. Through Jesus we are set free, forgiven of our sins, bound for the promised land so that we might worship him all of our days and all the way throughout eternity. As I close, if you know, for a host of different reasons, maybe you've detoured in your own life from this worship of Christ. So may the chorus of the song that was actually popular a few years back when I first made Christian, may this song, by the grace of God, be a true of you today. Just simply says I'm coming back to the heart of worship and it's all about you. It's all about you, Jesus. Let's pray. Lord, thank you for Jesus who is the true lamb of God, who came to take away the sin sins of the world. And Lord, this morning we confess again that without Jesus there's no way we could come to you in worship because of our hard hearts, because of our sin. Lord, thank you for your grace and your kindness, your mercy on us to help us to trust and to believe. And Lord, I do pray that today all of us that have hearts to worship Jesus. And Lord, I pray for those here maybe have yet to trust in Jesus, who've yet to have their lives covered by the blood, that today that you would do that in their life, that you would take out a heart of stone, but put in a heart of flesh that is now soft towards you. And Lord, I do pray that you'd help us to keep the worship of you always at the center of all that we do. Pray us on Jesus name, Amen. The post The Passover – Exodus 12: 21-28 appeared first on Red Village Church.

As we were recording last weeks episode, I felt prompted by the Holy Spirit to recording a specific episode regarding women in the church. Specifically because in Acts 5:12-16 this is the first time Luke mentions the salvation of women and men and not just mentioning the total of  men being saved.  Both in Acts and the Gospel of Luke, Luke has a lot to say about women and their relationship to Jesus Christ and His Church.    Again, as always, Scripture is our foundation and context matters. So we are tackling the hot button topic of Women in Ministry and Church Leadership. We look at the context of Scripture in both the Old and New Testament. We look at historical context and also translation choices of the original Greek words to get a full picture of God's heart and intention towards women in church. We ask that you join us for this powerful conversation with an open heart and open mind as we search for God's truth.   You can connect with Amie on her website: https://rawandrealministries.com/   You can connect with me or order my books on my website here: https://debbiekitterman.com/ click on the store tab and choose the book(s) you would like to view under the book tab.   OR on Amazon here using my affiliate links:  Check out my Amazon Store front here:https://a.co/d/0fSFMjq0 D2h Podcast Books  https://amzn.to/4wnk96D Podcast Equipment https://amzn.to/4u8PloC  I even have other categories for my sourdough, chickens, my favorite things, and more…. check my entire storefront out here: https://a.co/d/0fSFMjq0   For Specific Individual Books:   Legacy: The Lost Art of Blessing  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BNJNNHKY/ref=nosim?tag=da2he-20   Releasing God's Heart through Hearing His Voice:  http://www.amazon.com/dp/0615316220/ref=nosim?tag=da2he-20   The Gift of Prophetic Encouragement: Hearing the Word of God for Others:  http://www.amazon.com/dp/0800798864/ref=nosim?tag=da2he-20   The Gift of Prophetic Encouragement Bible Study: Living a Lifestyle of Encouragement  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B083J3RCYP/ref=nosim?tag=da2he-20   Symbolism Reference Guide & Dream Journal: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0984012346/ref=nosim?tag=da2he-20  

(A meditation based on a reading from the Gospel of Luke 10:38-42)Today's meditation examines the recounting of Jesus' visit to the home of Martha and Mary in the town of Bethany.  We will recognize the ways we are like Martha in our daily lives, and how we can learn to be more like Mary.