It was on the night when Jesus was betrayed that he celebrated the Passover with his disciples. This meal was a memorial of the time when God had “passed over” the blood-covered houses of Israel, sparing their firstborn, and delivered them from Egypt. Yet while the inhabitants of Jerusalem were remembering the redemption of Israel […]
Today, it is often suggested that Christians are to move past the gospel and on to the so-called “deeper things” of the Christian life. But is this really what Scripture teaches? For Paul, you should not—indeed, you cannot—move past the gospel to deeper things. For what could be deeper than the Father’s love towards us, […]
The Christian life is to be a life characterized by good works. These good works are anything done in faith for the good of others and the glory of God. Paul reminded Titus of this fact when he wrote that God’s grace had appeared in the person and work of Jesus Christ, “who gave himself […]
In contrast to the false doctrine of the legalists, which was only leading to ungodliness and worldly passions, Paul commands Titus to “teach what accords with sound doctrine” (Titus 2:1). Only healthy, gospel teaching will produce true godliness in the lives of its hearers. Then Paul describes for Titus what a godly life of good […]
What should leadership in the local church look like? For many, this question is answered with modern business principles and leadership strategies; God’s word is deemed irrelevant and outdated. But how are God’s people to grow in their knowledge of the truth and godliness? How is the church protected from the dangers of false teaching […]
Jesus told the parable of the ten minas to the crowds, Luke explains, “because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately” (Luke 19:11). As we have seen throughout the Gospel of Luke, the person and work of Jesus himself was the sign that the […]
After Jesus’ encounter with the Rich Young Ruler—a man who couldn’t bear to consider the cost of discipleship—he made a profound exclamation: “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” This prompted his disciples to ask who then could be saved, to which Jesus responded: “What is impossible with […]
The story of the blind beggar in Luke 18:31-43 is most often considered as being just another miracle story: Jesus gives a blind man physical sight. However, in our sermon series through Luke’s gospel we have seen over and over again how there’s more to Jesus’ miracle-working ministry than just physical healing. What we see […]
“And a ruler asked him, ‘Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?'” (Luke 18:18). This rich, young man could not have asked Jesus a more important question. However, he was unprepared to hear the answer, for when he heard it, “he became very sad” (Luke 18:23), and ” went away sorrowful” (Mark […]
The puritan preacher, John Flavel, once remarked: “Every man loves the mercies of God, but a saint loves the God of mercies.” In times of trial, suffering, and need, anyone will gladly receive blessings from God; it doesn’t take the new birth to appreciate his mercies. In fact, anyone can perform religious duties and portray […]
As Christians, we often (and rightly so) focus our attention on the cross of Christ and his atoning death on our behalf. In fact, the cross has even become a symbol for Christianity worldwide. But the gospel is not simply that Jesus died for our sins and was buried, but also “that he was raised […]
The story of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem is one of contrasts. It is the story of the King who came as a lowly servant, on a donkey rather than a prancing steed, not to conquer nations by force but to conquer hearts by love. Yet this is also a tragic story: though his very […]
In Luke 16, Jesus addresses material wealth and kingdom priorities, subtly illustrating for us the true heart condition of the unrepentant. After telling the parable of the dishonest manager, Jesus speaks to the Pharisees—”who were lovers of money” (Luke 16:14)—in order to tell them another parable. While this story, the parable of the rich man […]
One of the major themes of Jesus’ teaching, as well as the rest of Scripture, is the sharp distinction between the kingdom of this world and the kingdom of God. You either belong to the kingdom of light or the kingdom of darkness. Your values are informed either by the world or by the truths of […]
At the end of chapter 14, Luke records Jesus proclaiming: “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Luke 14:35). Then, as chapter 15 begins, we read that “tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him,” but “the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled” (Luke 15:1-2). This is the context for the […]
