“THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS LIKE…” LUKE 13:18-21 I. Introduction Throw a stone into a pond, see it splash, and then watch as the ripples fan out in every direction until they have rolled through the whole pond. That’s an image you can see very clearly in your mind’s eye, isn’t it? Keep that image […]
“THE HEALER AND THE HYPOCRITES” LUKE 13:10-17 I. Introduction When I came to saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ I wanted to tell someone about it. Well, I was a new believer but I was also naïve. I assumed that one of the people who would be the happiest about my conversion would be […]
“SIN, SUFFERING, AND SALVATION” LUKE 13:1-9 I. Introduction “Why do bad things happen to good people?” That is one of the most difficult questions anyone will ever ask. Yet it is a question that cuts right to the core of Christianity. If we are ever going to answer the question, “Why do bad things happen […]
“A CALL FOR CHRISTIAN DISCERNMENT” LUKE 12:54-59 I. Introduction “Discernment” is a word few of us use every day. But that doesn’t mean we don’t exer-cise discernment all the time. We do! Every time we determine that one thing is differ-ent than another, every time we separate one thing from another, every time we make […]
“I DID NOT COME TO BRING PEACE…” LUKE 12:49-53 I. Introduction We’ve all experienced something that has changed our lives, haven’t we? I believe that the answer to that question is an unqualified, “Yes.” If you’re very young such a life-changing event may not have happened yet, but it will. If you’re well along in […]
“THE SECOND COMING – ARE WE READY?” LUKE 12:35-48 I. Introduction We are an impatient people. We want what we want and we want it now. Few of us enjoy waiting in a line regardless of whether it’s in a fast-food restaurant or at an airport security checkpoint. Waiting for anything can be frustrating, can’t […]
“THE SIN OF WORRY” LUKE 12:22-34 I. Introduction Does the name Alfred E. Neuman ring a bell? Alfred is a fictional character who was created in 1952 with the birth of Mad Magazine. It’s a humor magazine that specializes in satire and parody. It uses wit, sarcasm, irony, and outright foolishness to make light of […]
“THE RICH FOOL” LUKE 12:13-21 I. Introduction Are you rich? How would you answer that question? I suspect virtually all of you would so, “No, I’m not rich.” But wait a minute. You, of course, realize that the question, “Are you rich?” can only be answered in a meaningful way if both of us agree […]
“HYPOCRISY DEFEATED” LUKE 12:1-12 I. Introduction Have you ever seen or heard a person reprimanded for something they said or did and thought to yourself, “Good, he deserved it”? You probably have. Whenever my brother Randy was punished or lost privileges for something he said or did, I always thought to myself, “Good, he had […]
“HYPOCRISY CONDEMNED” LUKE 11:45-54 I. Introduction Hypocrisy! Legalism! Personal pride! Last Sunday we saw Jesus hit these sins hard while He was having lunch in the home of a Pharisee. The one thing that came through loud and clear was that the Lord hates hypocrisy, legalism, and personal pride. Sadly, even tragically, while these things […]