You know that moment in a superhero movie where all of a sudden the hero’s true identity is revealed, usually to a close friend? As an audience member, in that moment it’s like you’re in on the secret.   In the Gospel of Luke, we’ve seen Jesus revealing bits and pieces of who He is. Everyone’s asking, “Who is this Jesus?” But today marks a pivotal moment in the story because the hero’s true identity begins to be unveiled.   Jesus is with His closest friends and decides to let them in on...

It's human nature to not hear as well as we think we do. Even though our ears are open, we’re not very good at listening.   In our marriages, parenting, friendships, or with colleagues; If we could just learn to listen well, it would transform our relationships. If that’s true when it comes to our human relationships, just imagine how true it must be when it comes to our relationship with God!   In this passage, Jesus is going to teach us how to listen to the Word of God using parables....

When three people from totally different worlds collide together in one space, you never know what’s going to happen!   Well, something like that is happening at the end of Luke 7. A Pharisee, Jesus, and a Sinner all end up at the same dinner. Who knows what’s going to happen? Whatever it is, it’s going to be crazy.   Throughout this passage, let's look at each of the main characters in turn... The Sinner The Pharisee The Forgiver And together we’ll discover The Grace...

  In these early days of His ministry, Jesus has been disclosing more and more of His authority and power. He’s cast out demons, forgiven sins, and most recently he’s raised the dead.   Everyone is asking the question: Who is this Jesus?   Some consider Him a healer; others think He’s a great prophet. Still, others wonder if He’s the Messiah who would restore the Kingdom and make all things new. And just when it seems like there can be no doubt of who this Jesus is, doubt arises from the...

1,991 years ago, a Galilean carpenter turned Rabbi, who’d been crucified and buried for three days, arose and walked out of his tomb alive! In a moment that changed history forever, Jesus revealed His death-defying life for all the world to see!   Let’s go back 3 years before that Resurrection morning to the early days of Jesus’ ministry. Jesus has performed miraculous signs. Everyone marveled at His authority and power; they’d never seen anything like it!   And now, Jesus is about to...

When comparing Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain in Luke with Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in Matthew, we get the same core message. But in Luke, Jesus is much more efficient and to the point.   This means in Luke, we’re getting the core of Jesus’ central message. There are 3 major elements: The Blessings and Woes What is the good life? The Ethics of Love What is the good way? The Closing Parables What is a good person? Today, our focus is on that middle section - Jesus’...

What is a good person? It’s quite an important question. Have you ever felt like you knew someone who seemed like such a good person and then one day, it all came crashing down?    Have you ever wondered if you are a good person?    Consider these 4 parables that Jesus preaches in the Sermon of the Plain:  The Blind Leading the Blind  The Speck and the Log  The Fruit and the Tree  The House Built on a Rock    In each of these 4 parables, Jesus offers a critique and a calling,...

Jesus has been causing quite a stir up in Galilee. Many are drawing near in astonishment and faith. While others are recoiling back in skepticism and disbelief. Jesus’ own followers are starting to feel the heat. They’ve left everything and followed Him. Now the Pharisees are starting to question where their loyalties lie.   Of course, we know the answer. Because in Luke 6:12-16, we read that Jesus called his disciples to Himself and chose twelve of them to join His inner circle as...

A Personal God The God of History The God of Liberation A Holy God Takeaway: God – not nature – is the ultimate foundation of our existence. And, as he has shown us in history, he is on our side.

“No one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins.”   With those words, recorded here at the heart of Luke 5 & 6, Jesus is setting the stage for what He’s doing as His ministry begins. Like wine ripening in the leather wineskins, Jesus is going to stretch everyone’s confined expectations to make way for the expansive kingdom that is already...

As we come to chapters 5 & 6, we find Dr. Luke brings together two themes like a zipper. Jesus is beginning his ministry, and many are drawn to him and choosing to become one of his followers. Yet on the other side, many are skeptical of him, especially the Scribes and the Pharisees.   Dr. Luke is zippering these two themes together, going back and forth between the Disciples who are drawing near and the Pharisees who are keeping their distance. For today, we will focus our attention on...

One of the best descriptions of Jesus is found in Hebrews 1:3, "He is the radiance of the glory of God, the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power." Jesus is the glory of God up close and personal. If you want to know what God is like look at Jesus! When God speaks and brings all creation into existence, that Word is Jesus. Through Him, all things were made and by Him, all things are sustained. When Jesus speaks stuff happens.   This passage shows...

In The Lord of The Rings, when Frodo, Sam, Pippen, and Mary return to the Shire, they come home changed. When they left, they were a ragtag bunch of mischievous friends, but now they’re heroes. However, the other hobbits of The Shire don’t know about their adventures. So, as these four friends arrive home in all their regalia, their old neighbors are left staring.   In Luke 4, at His own homecoming, something a bit like that happens to Jesus. He comes back to Nazareth and He’s changed. The...

When being interviewed for a job, people are always asking about the same things: your background, your credentials, your qualifications, and your experience. They’re trying to see if there’s a fit between the job and what you have to offer. You’ve got to get the right person in the right assignment if you want to have the right outcomes.   In 1st century Israel, there was one position in particular that so many longed to see filled, the Messiah. Then one day, Jesus of Nazareth stepped out...

Dr. Luke has been weaving together the stories of these two remarkable boys—John and Jesus—born six months apart, both of whom will be integral in this new chapter of redemption that God is writing in salvation history. God is clearly on the move, and these two boys will be central to His saving work as it breaks through!   The last we heard of John was in Luke 1:80, “And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to...

Imagine Dr. Luke sitting down to interview Mary about her son, Jesus. Of all the key witnesses he’d interviewed, his conversation with Mary must have been the most precious. She may have said, “Let me tell you when I first realized that He knew exactly who He was. He was 12 years old, just a boy, and we accidentally lost Jesus. We left him behind for 3 whole days in Jerusalem.”   When Mary and Joseph finally found him, Jesus responded, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I...

What kind of story are we living in? Is life a comedic story? Or is it a tragic story? We call those who see life as a comedy, optimists. Their cheery outlook drives innovation, entertainment, and hopefulness. As for those who see life as a tragic story, we call them pessimists. They are honest about the pain and struggle life has to offer.    But there’s a third kind of story… a redemptive story. Redemptive stories see the brokenness of the world for what it is, but the light always breaks...

Two gifts from the Lord that are available to every follower of Jesus no matter what they are going through. These two gifts are essential in helping us face the pain of living in a broken and fallen world and fight the temptations that it brings. And without them, we are far weaker and more vulnerable than we should be.   Those two gifts are FREEDOM and JOY.   Joy is a choice; it’s a state of being more than an emotion. The foundation of joy is the promise or assurance of future...

In the business world, most of the time companies are competing in an established market, each trying to marginally outdo the others. But every so often, a market disruptor breaks in.   Instead of competing in the existing market space, disruptors redefine the space altogether. Disruptors break in and upend everything, changing the world as we know it forever.   2,000 years ago, the ultimate disruptor broke in and upended the world forever. The Son of God entered into space and time as a...

What do you do when God sets you aside for a season? When you can’t do normal, but have to learn to wait on Him? There’s lots of circumstances God can use to set us aside: career interruptions; health challenges; romantic breakups; job searches; and family crises.   In today’s passage, Zechariah’s season of being set aside finally ends. God enables him to speak again, and we realize, now that he’s back in the game, that he made good use of his time on the bench.   We’ll see three ways...

Sometimes in a movie, the scenes cut back and forth between two different characters in what appears to be two distinct plotlines…only for their storylines to suddenly merge unexpectedly.   Something like that is happening in our text this morning. We’ve met Zechariah and Elizabeth, and rejoiced with them when the angel Gabriel told them God had answered their prayer, and they would conceive a child in their old age.   We watched as Elizabeth withdrew from public eye, keeping her...

Dr. Luke is documenting for us the life and times of Jesus. But it’s interesting that he doesn’t start with Jesus. Instead, his gospel begins with a scene in the Temple, as an aged priest lights the incense, and an angel named Gabriel appears to him announcing that he and his wife of many childless years are miraculously about to become parents.   It was a moment that would change Zechariah’s and Elizabeth’s lives forever, as they were chosen to bring this little boy John into the world....

In the Gospel of Luke, we encounter a King like no other. Most kings make it about themselves. They wield power, authority, and strength for their own benefit. But not Jesus.   Jesus is the King who came to serve.  He laid down all His rights and privileges in love to rescue us.  From His place of glory, He came all the way down to the fringes of this broken world to redeem the very people everyone else had given up on.   You see, Jesus knew the secret to the upside-down kingdom: that in...

The troubles of this world can be heavy to bear. The future is uncertain, and the present is filled with difficulty and pain. How are we supposed to navigate this all by ourselves?   In this sermon from John 14, Pastor McCarthy shares with us a simple message: Stop It!   Stop running on the treadmill of life to nowhere and trust in Jesus to be the way, the truth, and the light.   The key verse in this passage is verse 1: “Let not your heart be troubled.”   Why shouldn’t we be...