How a Demoniac Became an Evangelist - Nathan Rages

Luke 8:26-39 describes how Jesus delivered and saved a man possessed with a "legion" of demons:

1. The man’s pitiful plight (v27,29-30).

2. The Christ’s saving power (v28,32-33,35).  

3. The people’s surprising rejection (v34-37). 

4. The convert’s new ministry (v38-39).  

Sunday, October 13 Worship Meeting Location

Because most Redeeming Grace Church members will be participating in the Fall Fellowship Camp, October 10-13, the worship service on Sunday the 13th will be held at the chapel of the Turkey Hill Ranch Campground near Freeburg, MO at 10:00am, with lunch served afterwards.  Anyone is welcome to join the meeting at the Campground.  Our regular weekly schedule will resume, Lord willing, after the Camp.

With Jesus in the Storm - Nathan Rages

Luke 8:22-25 recounts the wonderful story of Jesus stilling the storm on the Sea of Galilee.  We work through the details by discussing these seven elements:

1. Guidance: Jesus led them into the crisis (v22).

2. Sleep: Jesus showed His true humanity (v23).  

3. Storm: An unexpected trial came upon them (v23).

4. Prayer: They went to Jesus in the crisis (v24).

5. Faith: The crisis exposed their unbelief (v25).

6. Power: Jesus revealed unprecedented authority (v24).

7. Fear: Desperate panic gave way to reverent awe (v25).

Be Careful How You Listen - Nathan Rages

Luke 8:16-21 contains an expansion and amplification of some truths we covered last week in the parable of the sower and the soils, specifically the importance of how we respond to truth of God's Word.   

The Truth of God’s Word…

1. Should be widely dispersed (v16).

2. Will reveal and judge all secrets (v17).  

3. Must be listened to carefully (v18,21).

4. Has either an expanding or disappearing effect on us (v18).

5. Leads to a privileged family relationship with Christ (v21).

The Sower and the Soils - Nathan Rages

Luke 8:1-15 contains one of Jesus' greatest parables in which He uses the imagery of a farmer sowing seed to picture different categories of people who hear God's Word.  The four kinds of soil:

1. Beside the Road.  Like those who hear the Word but never believe it because the Devil immediately takes it from their hearts (v12).

2. Rocky Soil.  Like those who joyfully receive the Word, believe it briefly, but then fall away during temptation and persecution (v13).

3. Weedy Soil. Like those who receive the Word but have it eventually choked out by the worries, riches and pleasures of life (v14).

4. Good Soil. Like those who hear the Word with an honest and good heart, hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance (v15).

Lessons from the parable:

1. Keep spreading God’s Word. 

2. Don’t let the Devil steal truth from you.  

3. Realize that false conversions are common.

4. Don’t trust emotions to prove one’s salvation.

5. Beware of soul-choking things in this life.

6. All genuine Christians will fruitfully persevere.

Biblical Church Eldership - Nathan Rages

As our church begins the process of considering candidates for future eldership, we discuss Biblical answers to 12 relevant questions, and then we hear from the candidates themselves. 

1. What is an elder?

2. Who are our elder candidates, and why were they chosen?

3. Why consider three candidates at once?

4. Why now?  What events have led to this?

5. What are the anticipated benefits of team leadership?

6. How would adding new elders affect church finances?

7. How would adding new elders affect Sunday preaching?

8. Should all elders be considered equals?

9. Should we be concerned about a lack of deacons?

10. How will the candidate evaluation process work?

11. Who will have a say in the final decisions?

12. What should our attitude be toward this process?

Slaves of Christ - Nathan Rages

As the slaves of Christ...

1. We gain freedom from other masters (John 8:34, 2Tim. 2:26, Rom. 7:6, Gal. 1:10, Heb. 2:15, Matt. 6:24).

2. We are owned completely by Christ (Exodus 21:5-6, 1Cor. 6:19-20,7:22-23, Rev. 5:9, Phil. 3:12, Eph. 1:13).

3. We must obey Christ’s will in everything (Matt. 11:28-30, Luke 17:9-10, 2Cor. 5:9,15, Rom. 14:7-8). 

4. We enjoy great privileges in Christ’s service (Phil. 2:5-7, John 5:30,8:29,15:15, Matt. 11:28-30,25:21 Luke 12:37, Joshua 24:15).

The Joy of the Lord is Your Strength - Nathan Rages

Neh. 8:10 Then he said to them, “Go, eat of the fat, drink of the sweet, and send portions to him who has nothing prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

Lessons:

1. Our grief must give way to joy. 

2. Our joy must be God-centered. 

3. Our joy comes from understanding Scripture.

4. Our joy makes us spiritually strong.

5. Our joy should be shared. 

The Debtors and the Moneylender - James Voon

Luke 7:36-50 describes the prostitute who anointed Jesus' feet with ointment and the parable which Jesus gave in response.  The passage can be broken-down using this outline: 

1. The Setting (v36).

2. The Sinner (v37).

3. The Scene (v38).

4. The Simon (v39).

5. The Sermon (v40-48).

6. The Scoff (v49).

7. The Salvation (v50).

Lessons From a Great Man's Doubts - Nathan Rages

Luke 7:18-35 describes Jesus' response to John the Baptist's unexpected question for Him: "Are You the Expected One, of do we look for someone else?".  This surprising passage yields six lessons for us:

1. Realize great men have surprising weaknesses (v19-20,28).

2. Answer your doubts by focusing on Jesus and Scripture (v21-22).

3. Don’t be offended at Jesus (v23).

4. Expect Jesus to defend His friends (v24-28).

5. Appreciate our spiritual benefits in the New Covenant (v28).

6. Don’t make excuses for rejecting the truth (v29-35).

Young Man, I Say to You Arise! - Nathan Rages

Luke 7:11-17 describes the first time Jesus raised someone from the dead, the widow's son at the city of Nain.  This rich account includes these five themes:

1. Timely Providence (v11-12).

2. Bitter Misery (v12).

3. Tender Compassion (v13).

4. Fearful Power (v14-16).

5. Great Hope (v16-17). 

How to Amaze Jesus - Nathan Rages

Luke 7:1-10 records the fascinating account of Jesus healing the centurion's slave.  We focus first on the centurion himself and his surprising character qualities:  

1. His compassion (v2-3)

2. His generosity (v4-5)

3. His humility (v6-7)

4. His faith (v7-9).

Applications:

1. God works in the most unlikely people. 

2. To have authority, we must submit to authority.

3. Jesus delights to see our faith and eagerly rewards it.

4. Jesus gives grace to the undeserving ones.

Who's Your Teacher? - Nathan Rages

In Luke 6:39-49 Jesus concludes His sermon by discussing spiritual teachers and their impact on a person's life:

1. The great influence of teachers (v40).

2. The danger of following blind teachers (v39).

3. The security of a life grounded on the perfect Teacher (v47-48).

4. The disaster of merely hearing Him without obeying (v46,49).

Judge Not, Lest You Be Judged - Nathan Rages

In Luke 6:37-45 Jesus addresses the subject of judging.  His teaching on this topic is frequently misinterpreted and misapplied, but it can accurately be summarized in these four statements:

1. We must make judgments about others (v39,42-45).

2. We must make these judgments with a gracious spirit (v37).

3. We must first judge ourselves before addressing others’ faults (v41-42).

4. We will be judged in the same way we judge others (v37-38).

Radical Christian Love - Nathan Rages

In Luke 6:27-36 Jesus describes the radical, extreme, shocking kind of love to which He calls all His people: 

1. The scope of Christian love (v27-28).

2. The reactions of Christian love (v29-30).

3. The rule of Christian love (v31).

4. The superiority of Christian love (v32-34).

5. The results of Christian love (v35-36).

Which Category Are You: Blessed or Woeful? - Nathan Rages

In Luke 6:20-26 Jesus declares that some people are "blessed" while others are under God's curse or "woe".  What's surprising is that these categories are completely opposite from what most people would assume:

Blessed are you:

1. Who are poor (v20).

2. Who are hungry (v21).

3. Who weep (v21).

4. Who are hated (v22).

Woe to you:

1. Who are rich (v24).

2. Who are well-fed (v25).

3. Who laugh (v25).

4. Who are popular (v26).

 

Applications:

1. Become a Christian today.

2. Expect to suffer as a believer. 

3. Don’t compromise truth for popularity.

4. Be careful about your wealth.

5. Keep your heart in heaven. 

Twelve Ordinary Men - Nathan Rages

NOTE: We apologize for the odd camera angle, but the audio recording is good.

Luke 6:12-15 describes Jesus calling His apostles and makes these observations about those He selected:   

1. There were twelve of them. 

2. They were prayerfully considered.

3. They were sovereignly called.

4. They had real differences.

5. They were unimpressive.

6. They were flawed.

7. They were greatly used by God.

Jesus: Lord of the Sabbath - Nathan Rages

Luke 6:1-11 has two stories both involving Jesus disputing with the Pharisees regarding the Sabbath Day.   

Q1: Why did Jesus encourage Sabbath-related conflicts?

1. To show the proper way of applying God’s Law (v3-4).

2. To expose the wickedness of His enemies (v8-11).

3. To reveal Himself as “Lord of the Sabbath” (v5).

Q2: How should we “keep the Sabbath” today?

1. Realize that it is not required in the New Covenant (Col. 2:16-17).

2. Appreciate God’s wisdom in a 1-day-in-7 rest pattern (Mark 2:27).  

3. Rejoice in Christ’s Gospel as the ultimate Sabbath rest (Heb. 4:1-10).

New Wine, New Wineskins, and the New Covenant - Richard Hamilton

In Luke 5:33-39, Jesus uses several illustrations to portray His spiritual kingdom.  Jesus is like a bridegroom at His wedding, and His Gospel is like new wine which must go into new wineskins.  His message of salvation by grace alone differed radically from Pharisaic traditions.

A Surprising Calling and Conversion - Nathan Rages

Luke 5:27-32 describes Levi (also called Matthew) the tax collector being called by Jesus and becoming a Christian.  This account provides these five important Gospel lessons:  

1. Following Jesus is the essence of the Christian life (v27).

2. God’s calling can compel a surprising response (v28).

3. Evangelists must personally interact with bad people (v29-32).

4. Jesus rejects the self-righteous (v31-32).

5. Jesus transforms repentant sinners (v32).

Friend, Your Sins are Forgiven! - Nathan Rages

Luke 5:17-26 describes Jesus' healing of a paralyzed man, who had a problem worse than paralysis.  We focus on these five parts:

1. The problem (v18).

2. The friends (v18-20).

3. The forgiveness (v20-21).

4. The healing (v22-25).

5. The rejoicing (v25-26).

The Leper and the Healer - James Voon

Luke 5:12-16 describes Jesus' healing of a leper which then led to undesired publicity.  This message analyzes the event in these five parts:

1. The leper.

2. The healer.

3. The command.

4. The sin.

5. The prayer.

Catching Fish and Catching Men - Nathan Rages

Luke 5:1-11 describes Simon Peter's experience with Jesus, including first a miraculous catch of fish and then a lifetime calling to catch men.  We study the story in these seven parts, from Simon's perspective, each with a personal application question:

1. His loan (v1-3).  Are you being faithful in the little things? 

2. His skepticism (v4-5).  Do you speak honestly with God? 

3. His obedience (v5).  Do you still obey when things don’t make sense? 

4. His amazement (v6-8).  Are you often amazed at the Lord’s works?

5. His confession (v8).  Do you feel your guiltiness before the Lord?

6. His calling (v10).  Are you trying to “catch men”?

7. His commitment (v11).  Have you “left everything” to follow Jesus?

Jesus' Authority Over Demons and Disease - Nathan Rages

Luke 4:31-44 describes one amazing day of the Lord Jesus' ministry in Capernaum.  The account highlights His complete authority over demons and disease.

1. Christ’s authority over demons (v33-37,41).

    Demons are real.

    Demons can possess people.

    Demons have accurate knowledge.

    Demons must obey Jesus.

2. Christ’s authority over disease (v38-40).

    Characteristics of His healing: 

    (1) willingness, 

    (2) speediness,  

    (3) completeness, 

    (4) variety, and 

    (5) individuality.

The Messiah Revealed and Rejected - Nathan Rages

Luke 4:14-30 describes Jesus' return to His hometown synagogue at Nazareth.  This remarkable story can be broken down into these five parts:

1. His shocking declaration (v18-21).

2. His initial popularity (v15,22,23).

3. His controversial comparisons (v23-28).

4. His violent persecution (v28-29).

5. His sovereign power (v30).

9 Lessons from Jesus' Temptations - Nathan Rages

Luke 4:1-13 describes Jesus' wilderness temptation.  This message first describes the events and then makes a series of practical applications, following this outline:

1. The setting (v1-2).

2. The temptations

    Turning stone into bread (v3-4).

    Gaining worldly power via false worship (v5-8).

    Leaping off the Temple (v9-12).

3. The outcome (v13).

Applications:

1. The same Devil also tempts us to destroy us.   

2. The Devil takes advantage of our difficult circumstances.

3. Jesus understands our temptations by personal experience.

4. We must have absolute confidence in Scripture’s authority.

5. We need to know the Bible well in order to use it effectively.

6. Beware of escaping from trials in an unrighteous way.

7. Beware of pragmatic compromises to gain worldly influence.

8. Beware of presumptuously testing God.

9. Relief from temptations comes from steadfastly resisting them.

Confidence in the Christian Life - Jon Beary

Lessons are drawn from a crisis in the life of King Hezekiah and connected with Isaiah 40:9-11.  This reveals four things about God's character:

1. God is near.

2. God is able.

3. God is just.

4. God is caring.

Daniel, How Should I Pray? - James Voon

This message analyzes Daniel's famous prayer in Daniel 9:1-19 to obtain these principles to apply to our own prayer life:

1. Pray in response to the Word (v.2).

2. Pray with a confessing heart (vv. 3-9).

3. Pray depending on God's character (vv. 4,7,9)

4. Pray with God's glory as the goal (vv. 16-19).

From the First Adam to the Last Adam - Nathan Rages

We draw valuable lessons from our Lord's genealogy as recorded in Luke 3:23-38, following this outline:

General observations:

1. It differs from the one in Matthew’s Gospel. 

2. Many of these people are unknown to us. 

Notable ancestors:

1. David

2. Judah

3. Abraham

4. Adam

5 Things that Happened at Our Lord's Baptism - Nathan Rages

This message examines five major things that happened when Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist (based on Luke 3:21-22, John 1:32-34, and Matt. 3:13-17):

1. Jesus honored the rite of water baptism.

2. Jesus identified Himself with sinful people.

3. The Spirit anointed Jesus for future ministry.

4. The Father lovingly commended Jesus.

5. The Holy Trinity was uniquely revealed.

What is True Repentance? - Nathan Rages

The central theme of John the Baptist's message in Luke 3:1-20 is repentance, revealing these five important aspects of genuine repentance: 

1. It is necessary for salvation (v3,18).

2. It is motivated by God’s judgment (v7,9,17).

3. It is needed regardless of spiritual heritage (v8).

4. It produces a changed life (v8,10-14).

5. It looks quickly to Christ (v15-16).

The Voice Crying in the Wilderness - Nathan Rages

Luke 3:1-20 describes the ministry of John the Baptist, one of the most fascinating and underappreciated people in the Bible.  We discuss these seven aspects of the man and his ministry:

1. His calling (v2).

2. His fulfillment of prophecy (v4-6).

3. His popularity (v7).

4. His boldness (v7,19-20).

5. His baptism (v3,7,12,16).

6. His humility (v4,15-16).

7. His suffering (v19-20).

The Boy Among the Teachers - Nathan Rages

Luke 2:39-52 describes Jesus at age twelve conversing with the teachers in the Temple.  The passage reveals five important things about our Lord:

1. Jesus’ devout family (v39,41,43,51).

2. Jesus' desire to learn God’s truth (v46-47).

3. Jesus’ unique relationship with the Father (v48-49).

4. Jesus’ submission to His parents (v51).

5. Jesus’ natural human growth (v40,52).

Out of Egypt I Have Called My Son - Nathan Rages

[We apologize for the echo-y audio in this recording, but we believe the content is still worth posting.]

Matthew 2:13-23 contains the dramatic account of infant Jesus' escape to Egypt and safe return to Nazareth.  This message focuses on these four characters in the story: 

1. King Herod: his cruelty (v13,16) and his death (v19-20).

2. The baby boys: their murder (v16-18) and God’s sovereignty (v17).

3. Joseph: his leadership (v13,20,22) and obedience (v14,21,22-23).

4. Jesus: His protection (v15) and His humiliation (v22-23).

Simeon and Anna Meet Their Savior - Nathan Rages

Luke 2:21-38 records an impromptu encounter between Joseph, Mary, Jesus, Simeon and Anna in the Temple.  Our teaching focuses on these five key elements in the story: 

1. God’s faithful remnant (v25,36-37).

2. Jesus’ relationship to the Law (v21-27).

3. Jesus dividing and exposing people (v34-35).

4. Two suffering women (v35,36).

5. A man ready to die (v26,29).

Angels and Shepherds: The First Gospel Message - Richard Hamilton

Luke 2:8-20 records the angelic announcement of Jesus' birth to some shepherds outside Bethlehem.    

1. The angel's announcement (v8-12).

2. The angels' praise (v13-14).

3. The shepherds' response (v15-20).

Applications:

1. For unbelievers.

2. For Christians.

The King's Birthday - Nathan Rages

Luke 2:1-7 records the familiar account of Jesus' birth.  This message focuses on these six details:  

1. The historicity of the Gospel (v1-2).

2. The significance of Bethlehem (v3-4).

3. The sovereign providence of God (v1,6).

4. The obedience to civil government (v3-5).

5. The strangeness of the manger scene (v7).

6. The instructive symbolism. 

Appreciating Joseph - Nathan Rages

Matt. 1:18-25 describes the announcement of Jesus' conception from the perspective of Joseph, Mary's underappreciated fiance:

1. His difficult dilemma (v18-19).

2. His angelic visitor (v20).

3. His royal heritage (v20).

4. His shocking revelation (v20-23).

5. His risky obedience (v20,24).

6. His unusual marriage (v24-25).

7. His valuable fatherhood (v25).

Zechariah's Song - James Voon

[NOTE: We apologize for the imperfect audio quality, but we think the excellent content is still worth posting.]

Luke 1:57-80 describes the birth of John the Baptist and the song of his father Zechariah:

1. The birth (v57-66),

2. The three covenants: Davidic, Abrahamic, and New Covenant (v67-75).

3. John as forerunner and Jesus the Sun of Righteousness (v76-80). 

The Magnificent Magnificat - Nathan Rages

Luke 1:46-56 contains Mary's famous song, traditionally called the Magnificat.  It's a hymn of praise that reveals two things about Mary and six things about Mary's glorious God.  

About Mary:

1. Her knowledge of Scripture.

2. Her worshipful heart.

About God:

1. His salvation (v47).

2. His power (v49,51).

3. His holiness (v49).

4. His mercy (v50,54).

5. His judgment (v51,52,53).

6. His faithfulness (v50,54,55).