Lead Pastor
Sermons by Wade Allen (Page 11)
One of our Christian brothers in Ukraine related a story that a Russian tank approached the point there where they were helping people. The Russian soldiers got out of the tank and said, ‘We’re out of gas, but we’re also out of food and water, and we’re freezing.’ And so the Ukrainian believers that these Russian soldiers are fighting against gave them water, food, hot tea, and even let them use their cell phones to call their families back in Russia.” The prayer request of one of our leaders in Ukraine was: “Pray for us. Pray for our people. But pray that we will have opportunities to reach the Russian soldiers with the gospel.” There is no way to explain their attitudes and actions except to point to the work of God in their hearts! The sign that you follow Jesus Christ is that you love one another. What an amazing display of love by these Ukrainian believers!
As we continue our study through Luke—“In the Steps of the Savior”—I do not want us to forget the context in which Jesus is saying all these things. Anytime we seek to understand the meaning of a text, we must first examine its context, then its next larger context, and eventually in light of the overall teaching of Scripture. The Old Covenants pointed out our need for a Savior, and the New Covenant shows us all about that Savior. It is my prayer that we will come to an understanding of this new covenant and the promises of God that are found therein.
Unseen forces… invisible sources of power… Whether we’re talking about the gravitational force of the earth or the ultraviolet rays of the sun, we may not be able to see them, but we can definitely see their effect in our lives! As we continue our study through the Gospel of Luke, we will consider a passage today where Jesus’ power and authority came into question. Let’s study this passage to see what happened and to hopefully see the effects of the unseen power that courses through Jesus’ being.
In our text today from Luke 5, we encounter a situation that I’m almost certain none of you have ever experienced. Sometimes it can be difficult for us to understand something if we do not have any personal experience that can connect us to that thing or event. In our passage today, we are introduced to a man who is suffering from a highly contagious skin disease—referred to as leprosy in Scripture. When we think about lepers—and the pain and suffering that they must have undergone as a result of their disease—we probably feel sorry for them. But that was not how they were treated in the first century A.D. Let’s look at how Jesus broke the cultural norms to reach out with compassion to the dregs of the society.
As we continue our series—“In the Steps of the Savior”—we have come to the fifth chapter of the Gospel of Luke. Jesus is just getting started with His earthly ministry and His fame is growing. Already, He is known for His unmatched power and authority—power to heal those with diseases, authority to cast out demons, and the aptitude to teach like no one else in His day. We have come to the place in His-story where He is ready to call some of His followers to a greater level of commitment. In our passage today, we’ll be observing not only the actions and attitudes of some of these men who were candidates for becoming Jesus’ apostles, but we will also consider the high price of following Him.
There is nothing quite like the build up and anticipation for a winter storm in the South. A week ago today, the local meteorologists were telling us to get ready because a winter storm was on its way. Well, we’ve heard that before when it was much ado about nothing. But nonetheless, we prepare. Many would argue that the raids on the grocery stores and closing of schools and businesses are not only needed, they are essential. I wouldn’t disagree, but I do think we might take it a little overboard when we start hoarding 14 gallons of milk for a storm that’s supposed to last two days. Today, as we continue our study through the Gospel of Luke—In the Steps of the Savior—we’re going to spend a little time focusing on some things that Jesus considered essential. Then we will attempt to apply these principles in our own lives to see how we might emulate Jesus’ actions today.
We find in Luke 4:1 that Jesus was “led by the Spirit” of God to go out into the wilderness. We want to focus our attention this morning on what did and did not happen while Jesus was out there. We also want to analyze Jesus’ behavior to see how we might imitate Him in order to conquer the power of the sinful urges we all experience in our lives. Temptations surround us everywhere we turn. How will we overcome these things to honor God with our lives? Let’s look at Jesus’ example for conquering the power of temptation
If you’ve been keeping up with our study in the Gospel of Luke, you know that we have made our way through the nativity narrative and Jesus’ childhood adventures. Last week, John the Baptist declared, “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.” And so now we are about to encounter Jesus for the first time as an adult—He is being presented to the world out in the middle of nowhere by “Creepy John.” This presentation was spectacular—but I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s see what happens in Luke 3:21-22.
As we jump into the third chapter of Luke this morning, we are re-introduced to Zechariah’s son, John, who became known as John the Baptizer (or John the Baptist). John’s ministry was eccentric and unconventional. He did not teach in the synagogues like the other rabbis (or teachers) of his day. He did not dress like them or even eat the same kinds of food. He was definitely different! The message that John proclaimed was also different. It’s not that it had never been preached before, but no one at that time was preaching it. In fact, it had been centuries since any of the Lord’s prophets or leaders had focused on the truth of this message. John’s message was a message of repentance. He focused his teaching on an individual’s need for repentance and personal, spiritual transformation.
Every year, we have an opportunity to reevaluate our walk with the Lord—to make adjustments to our daily routines and recommit our lives to Him. I want to encourage you to make a plan for your daily disciplines with the Lord. If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail. How will you invest time with the Lord in 2022? The final section of this second chapter of Luke focuses in on an event that happened when Jesus was twelve years old. As was their custom, Mary and Joseph went to Jerusalem during the feast of Passover. But as they left, Jesus did not leave with them. Let’s take a look at Luke 2:41-52 to discover just what He was doing and why He was doing it. From His example, we will learn what our priorities should be when it comes to spiritual growth.