The Gospel of Luke

"Joyful Jabs"

Luke 15

Rev. Jeff Thompson

Luke 15 is more than the "Lost and Found" chapter of the Bible. It's an argument. After being found, there is JOY! After joy there is a question, the same question Job had to face. "Why should you be angry at God? Why won't you join in the joyful plan of God to find the lost? Didn't Jesus come to seek and save the lost?" Jesus offers the crowd of worldly sinners, righteous sinners and the Church a three part story time to awaken all to God's joy in finding the lost and bringing them into His family.

"Flowing Mercy"

Luke 13:1-17

Rev. Charlie Phillips

Charles Spurgeon once said, “God’s mercy is so great that you may sooner drain the sea of its water, or deprive the sun of its light, or make space too narrow, than diminish the great mercy of God”. Praise be to Him that His mercy flows so freely and intentionally into the hearts of His people. Join us this Sunday as we dig into Luke 13 and encounter Jesus displaying so perfectly His heart of mercy

"The Slender Nerve of Power"

Luke 11:1-13

Rev. Dr. Stacey M. Cox

We need a nervous system. Without a nervous system muscles don’t move. No walking, no running, no lifting, no standing – no power. A nervous system isn’t optional, and neither is prayer. Where there is a lack of prayer there will be a lack of power. Where prayer is found, there will be displays of God’s power. Charles Spurgeon said, “Prayer is the slender nerve that moveth the muscles of omnipotence.” Sunday, we go to the school of prayer with Jesus in our study of Luke. Join us for “The Slender Nerve of Power.”

"The Great Samaritan"

Luke 10:25-37

Rev. Dr. Stacey M. Cox

It’s probably the best known parable of Jesus. Whether or not one’s a Christian, most are familiar with the parable of The Good Samaritan. Many read this parable and think, ‘That’s what a Christian is!’ It’s not entirely wrong, but the thought seems to leave out quite a lot of things. Loving God and neighbor – helping the classmate, assisting the stranger – is all true but it’s not the full picture. Sunday, we’ll look at the whole passage, so that we might understand the full intent of Jesus’ parable. Join us for “The Great Samaritan”!

"Saved to Go!"

Luke 10:1-24

Rev. Dr. Stacey M. Cox

Jesus came on mission and He sends on mission. The ‘fields’ of some are on the other side of the world, for others, the other side of the street. Whether the assignment is a local neighborhood or a village in Nepal, a follower of Jesus is saved to go! Sunday, we continue our series in Luke’s gospel with an eye at learning from our Lord's sending of the seventy-two and its implications for us today. Join us!

"Intended Interruptions"

Luke 8:26-56

Rev. Charlie Phillips

As we continue our series in the Gospel of Luke this week, we’ll be studying three major miracles of Christ. While all His miracles are noteworthy, these three highlight something special about the heart of Jesus—that He is intentional. He’s intentional in completing His mission and intentional in bestowing mercy on the needy. Join us this Sunday as we learn about our Savior who is gentle and lowly in heart and intentional in love.

"Expecting Jesus"

Luke 7:18-50

Rev. Charlie Phillips

If you were to write Jesus a letter and list for him all of your expectations of him, what would it say? What would it include and how long would it be? And would your expectations of him match up with what is promised in Scripture regarding him? Join us this Sunday as we study the expectations of Jesus’ followers in Luke 7:18-50 as well as examine our own hearts and what we expect from Christ.

"The Life of an Outsider"

Luke 7:1-17

Rev. Alan Foster

Is the Christian life something we do, or is it something we are? Being a follower of Jesus is a life of faith, but faith is not the point of the Christian life; Jesus is. If you try to produce faith, you’ll miss Jesus. If you focus on Jesus, you’ll end up with faith. Sunday’s sermon will help us focus on the beauty of Jesus as the true motivating factor in our Christian life.

"Jesus On Mission"

Luke 6:1-19

Rev. Charlie Phillips

In Jesus’ three years of ministry on Earth He was always on mission. He was determined to continue moving forward with His God-given task, each day the cross coming closer and closer into view. This Sunday we’ll study Christ as He was on the move, clarifying the Sabbath and commissioning His Apostles. This is an especially exciting Sunday as all of our covenant children will join us for the service!

"Knowing Jesus"

Luke 5:1-16

Rev. Charlie Phillips

John Newton said “to know Jesus is the shortest description of true grace; to know Him better is the surest mark of growth in grace; to know Him perfectly is eternal life.” What is it about Jesus that makes your heart burn for Him? What is it about Him that causes you to desire Him above all else? To truly “know” Jesus takes a lifetime of learning and growth in grace. And it is such a worthy endeavor! Join us this Sunday as we get to know Him by unpacking two of His miracles.

"Uncomfortable Moments, Unstoppable Good; The Ongoing Mission of Jesus"

Luke 4:16-44

Rev. Ben Phillips

Daily we’re confronted with the realities of life in a fallen world. We long for the Lord to dramatically intervene. Oftentimes this is envisioned as either a widespread revival or the Second Coming. We should long and pray for both. However, Luke 4 reminds us that even in the worst moments of cultural decline, the Lord is steadily advancing his good plans. While this frequently creates uncomfortable situations for us, we can nevertheless be encouraged that Christ’s unstoppable mission is ultimately moving us towards a glorious outcome. Join us Sunday as we consider “Uncomfortable Moments, Unstoppable Good: The Ongoing Mission of Jesus.”

"Jesus Tempted and Triumphant"

Luke 4:1-15

Rev. Charlie Phillips

One thing is for sure, Christians face temptation every single day. Some days we face more than others with more intensity and concentration. Other days we face less. But the reality is that until the day we unite with the Lord in heaven, we will face temptations of various kinds every single day of our lives. The question every Christian ought to ask is: How should we deal with temptation? What should be our strategy in fighting? Do we have a weapon in battling sin on a day-to-day basis? In Luke 4, we encounter Jesus in a series of intense temptations, and what we find is a Savior that triumphs and teaches us the way of battle. Join us this Sunday as we wade into the ultimate trial of temptation.

"The Cost of Discipleship"

Luke 3:1-38

Rev. Charlie Phillips

We talk a lot about discipleship in the church, but we don’t always talk about what it costs. Grace isn’t cheap and following Christ isn’t easy. So what is the cost of discipleship? What do we have to give up in order to follow Christ? What does Christ bid us to lay down when He calls us to Himself? And most importantly, what is the reward for discipleship? Join us this Sunday as we talk about the cost and reward of following Jesus.

"Seeing and Savoring"

Luke 2:22-52

Rev. Charlie Phillips

Have you made any New Year’s resolutions yet?! It’s that time of year when we re-evaluate our lives, make changes, and create habits to reinforce them. One resolution that would benefit the entire body of believers is that we would daily seek to see and savor Christ. This Sunday we will be encountering Jesus both as an infant and a little boy, and we will learn just how special this one-of-a kind child was. Join us as we begin the New Year by seeing and savoring Christ.

"Jesus In Line"

Luke 2:21

Rev. Dr. Stacey M. Cox

Compared to its context, with the manger scene before it, and the story of his temple presentation following it, Luke 2:21 may not seem all that significant. How quickly we read over it! Yet, it is very important to the truth of who Jesus is and what he came to do. Circumcision announced Jesus’ solidarity with us. He had to get in line with those he came to rescue. On the eighth day of life, he would shed his blood by drops. Thirty-three years later, his blood would pour. Join us Sunday for “Jesus in Line.”

"God's Tender Mercy"

Luke 1:57-80

Rev. Dr. Stacey M. Cox

How many times has God ‘mercied’ you? The Bible says, ‘God’s mercies are new every morning’ (Lam. 3:23). The Hebrew here means never before experienced. Today's mercy is different from yesterday or the day before or the day before the day before. We’ll talk about why that is Sunday, but figure out how old you are in days, not in years but days. Do the math. If you are at retirement age, God has mercied you at least 23,725 times. Zechariah was so familiar with God’s tender mercies that he sings about them at the birth of his son John. Join us Sunday for “God’s Tender Mercy”!

"Our Mighty and Merciful Savior"

Luke 1:39-56

Rev. Dr. Stacey M. Cox

Luke begins his gospel record with the story of two miracle mothers. One is old, married for many years, childless and barren. The other is young, having never been married and a virgin. Interestingly enough, they are related. God had been silent for over 400 years, and then this! Trying to absorb the wonder of it all, Mary goes to visit Elizabeth and breaks out in song about her mighty and merciful Savior. It’s the oldest of all Christmas carols. Sunday, we come along with her. Join us!