Sermons on Luke
Luke
Nothing in my hand I bring
Luke 18:9-14 We all can be tempted to believe that our spiritual high achieving might make us acceptable to God. But Jesus’ parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector reminds us that only those who come to God empty-handed are accepted by him.
Recognising the ‘Christ’ of Christmas
Luke 2:1-20Despite the medical variables of childbirth, most babies make fairly unspectacular entries into the world. In many parts of the world they are still not born in a hospital. Nor was Jesus. Yet despite His humble birth, He has divided history! As we consider the people mentioned in the Christmas story, we can’t help noticing a variety of different responses to this newborn baby – the innkeeper, the shepherds, King Herod and the wise men. Still today people struggle…
The Hope of Christmas
Luke 2:21-40With all the hype of a traditional Christmas it’s easy to overlook the small yet profound details of the original event. Two people who picked up on these details were Simeon and Anna, who had a very personal ‘chance’ encounter with Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus in the temple. This simple story has much to teach us about God, and how He still brings hope and joy to people like us today.
God’s great invitation!
Luke 14:15-24 It’s always good to receive an invitation to a special event … a wedding, a party and graduation etc. In today’s message Jesus tells a story about an even greater invitation to a lavish banquet. In fact, it’s the best invitation anyone could ever hope to receive. The tragedy is that many people refuse to accept it because they’re too busy or too distracted doing other things. God is the host of this banquet, and it is sinners…
Peace be with you
Luke 24:36-49 Try to imagine how the disciples were feeling by Sunday morning after the crucifixion of Jesus. Without doubt they would have been scared, confused, and exhausted mentally and emotionally. It’s no wonder they were behind locked doors trying make sense of everything that had been happening. Then all of a sudden Jesus appeared before,speaking these words: “Peace be with you … why are you troubled?”. There’s nothing like a good resurrection to restore peace to a troubled life!…
Not my will but yours
Luke 22:39-46 Listen in on Jesus praying in the Garden. The pain of his prayer reminds us of what was about to happen at the cross, and it challenges us to think about our own sin and where we stand with God.
An unshakeable foundation (baptism service)
We build our lives on a firm foundation by putting into practice the words of Jesus.
Joy for a discouraged world
As we read the Christmas story in the gospels of Matthew and Luke, it is impossible to not see the note of joy that pervades the coming of Jesus into the world. The birth of any baby is a good reason for joy, but there were even greater reasons in the case of Jesus. That’s why angels announced His arrival and choirs of angels sang. That’s why shepherds became so excited and magi travelled 100s of kilometres following a new star. A Saviour-Messiah-King had been born who would take away sin and transform the lives of people throughout the world. As we reflect back on that day, what better reason for us to be joyful today? Don’t miss out on the joy of Christmas. Jesus came for us, too!
Peace for a troubled world
“Peace, peace… perfect peace” is one of the most elusive longings of our age. Whether we’re talking about the world stage, the workplace, the family or the inner thoughts of the human mind, there is a longing for peace. But is it possible? In the Old Testament the word “shalom” was used to describe this deep contentment of heart and mind, and God wanted to give this to His people. Where could it be found? At the coming of Jesus, the Prince of Peace, the angels announced “peace on earth to those on whom His favour rests”. Jesus came to make peace possible… firstly between God and us, secondly between us and others, and thirdly within ourselves. Jesus truly is the peace-maker. Have you found peace in Jesus this Christmas?
Is eternal life possible?
(Baptismal service) Sometimes you can’t help asking the big questions of life. Is there a God? … What’s the meaning of life? … Is there life after death? One day a young man asked Jesus one of these questions: What must I do to inherit eternal life? It’s obvious from the story that he was a decent chap with good morals and a social conscience. But still he had nagging doubts about whether he was doing enough to get into heaven. What Jesus said to him that day was devastating. Jesus made him realise that for all his supposed goodness, he really wasn’t even close to being good enough to get there. Only a miracle of God could make it possible! And that’s why we all need to be saved by faith in Jesus Christ. It’s not about what we do, but all about what He has done.
Andrew Prince: God owes you no favours
Christians are to obey everything God has commanded in Scripture, and yet when they do they are simply doing their duty rather than something particularly commendable or worthy of reward.