We're a Gospel-centered church fellowship in Columbia, Missouri, proclaiming salvation through Jesus Christ and following Him together as a community of believers. Our emphases are sound Bible teaching, joyful worship, hearty fellowship, and ongoing evangelism.
This difficult and unusual teaching was given in connection with our church applying New Testament church discipline instructions to the case of an individual church member. This covers both removing the person from the church fellowship and also the person's hopeful future restoration to fellowship.
Luke 23:13-25 describes how Jesus was condemned for crucifixion while Barabbas was released. The three characters in Jesus' condemnation were: 1. Pontius Pilate Fearing man. Compromising with known sin. 2. Jewish Crowd
Hating the light. Rejecting their king. Calling for their own judgment. 3. Barabbas
Luke 22:63-23:12 describes the convoluted legal trial process that Jesus was subjected to. The trial included six phases: 1. Annas (former high priest) 2. Caiaphas (current high priest) 3. Sanhedrin (Jewish ruling council) 4. Pontius Pilate (Roman governor of Judea) 5. Herod Antipas (tetrarch over Galilee) 6. Pontius Pilate (Roman governor of Judea)
Things we observe in these sinful people: 1. Their irrational hatred of Christ (22:63-65,23:11). 2. Their unconcern for truth or justice (22:67,68,71,23:2). 3. Their bad reasons for being interested in Jesus (23:8). 4. Their unity in opposing Christ (23:12).
Things we observe in the Lord Jesus: 1. His silence before His accusers (22:67-68,23:9). 2. His repeatedly acknowledged innocence (23:4,14-15). 3. His title as “King of the Jews” (23:3). 4. His glorious reign as the Son of God (22:69-70).
Luke 22:31-34,54-64 tells Simon Peter's denial of the Lord Jesus. The story can be broken down into five parts: 1. Satan’s demand (v31). 2. Jesus’ intercession (v32). 3. Peter’s overconfidence (v33-34). 4. Peter’s failure (v54-60). 5. Peter’s recovery (v32,34,61-62).
This message examines Jesus' great prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane as recorded in Luke 22:39-46, examining these nine characteristics: 1. Its customary location (v39). 2. Its power over temptation (v40,46). 3. Its humble posture (v41). 4. Its bold honesty (v42). 5. Its intense fervor (v44). 6. Its complete submission (v42). 7. Its repeated petitions (Matthew 26, Mark 14). 8. Its sleepy companions (v40,45,46). 9. Its strengthening effect (v43).
In Luke 22:24-38 as Jesus and His apostles shared their Last Supper, our Lord discussed several topics of practical importance for His apostles and for us: 1. Attaining true greatness Reject shameful rivalries (v24). Pursue Christ-like service (v25-27). 2. Anticipating future rewards Christ’s commendation (v28). Heavenly benefits (v29-30). 3. Arming for battle Use available means (v35-36). Look to Christ’s prophecy-fulfilling death (v37).
As a follow-up to last week's sermon on the "Last Supper" from Luke 22, we focus on Jesus initiating a new symbolic meal, usually called the Lord's Supper, the Lord's Table, the Breaking of Bread or Communion. We discuss five aspects of it: 1. It began with a thankful prayer (v19). 2. It included two symbols (v19-20). 3. It was to remember Jesus’ substitutionary death (v19-20). 4. It should be repeated perpetually (v19). 5. It points to the New Covenant (v20).
Luke 22:7-20 records Jesus' "Last Supper" with His twelve disciples. It was a very special meal that began with the Old Covenant Passover which was then transformed into the New Covenant "Lord's Supper".
This message is focused on five aspects of the Last Passover: 1. Its historical background (v1,7). 2. Its providential preparation (v8-13). 3. Its emotional importance (v14-15). 4. Its optimistic ending (v16-18). 5. Its Christ-centered fulfillment (v16).
This message from Luke 22:1-6,21-23 is about the downfall of Judas Iscariot, the disciple who sold out Jesus Christ in exchange for thirty pieces of silver -- the world's worst bargain. We highlight six elements in the story:
1. His desperate partners (v2,4-5). 2. His Satanic possession (v3). 3. His privileged position (v3,47). 4. His shocking betrayal (v21-23,47-48). 5. His terrible bargain (v4-6). 6. His fulfillment of prophecy (v21-22, Ps. 41:9,55:12-14, Zech. 11:12-13).
In this Second Part of our teaching from Luke 21:5-36, we focus on practical application. How can we apply Christ's prophetic message in our own lives? Here are seven ways: 1. Trust Jesus’ reliable words. (v32-33). 2. Realize the Old Covenant era is totally finished (v5-6,20-24). 3. Don’t be misled by “end-times” teachers (v8). 4. Expect persecution to result in Gospel opportunities (v12-15). 5. Take comfort that Christ’s suffering people will triumph (v16-19,28). 6. Know that all God’s threatened punishments will happen (v22-23). 7. Stay spiritually alert and ready to face Jesus (v34-36).
Luke 21:5-36 contains Luke's version of Jesus' longest prophecy discourse in the Bible. This message first walks through an outline interpreting the meaning of the passage and then describes how Jesus' prophecies were amazingly fulfilled in history just as He had predicted. 1. Initial prediction of Temple’s destruction (v5-6). 2. Disciples’ questions about the timing and the sign (v7). 3. Jesus’ answer: Preliminary upheavals in politics and nature (v8-11). Persecution of Christians (v12-19). The sign that destruction is now imminent (v20). Actions for believers when destruction is imminent (v21-23). Jerusalem’s great suffering (v23-24). Signs in the heavens and fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy (v25-28). Parable about trees (v29-31). How soon all these things will happen (v32-33). Exhortation to obedient alertness (v34-36).
Historical fulfillments of Jesus' prophecies 1. Temple destroyed without one stone on another (v6). 2. False messiahs misleading people (v8). 3. Wars, revolts, and political disturbances (v9-10). 4. Earthquakes (v11). 5. Famines (v11). 6. “Great signs from heaven” (v11). 7. Christians persecuted by Jews, including martyrdom (v12,16). 8. Persecution leading to witnessing opportunities in which believers had on-the-spot eloquence (v13-15). 9. Jerusalem surrounded by armies (v20). 10. Christians fleeing from the city to safety (v21). 11. Extreme suffering within Jerusalem (v22-23). 12. Jews dying by the sword (v24). 13. Jews sent into captivity throughout the nations (v24). 14. City “trampled underfoot by Gentiles” (v24). 15. Catastrophic political changes (v25-26). 16. All happening while members of “this generation” were alive (v32).
In Luke 20:41-21:4, Jesus completes His ministry at the Temple in three brief incidents in which He: 1. Asserts His own deity (20:41-44). David’s son. David’s Lord. 2. Attacks false teachers (20:45-47). Their proud hypocrisy. Their coming condemnation. 3. Applauds sacrificial giving (21:1-4). Observing the gifts. Evaluating the true cost.
Applications for our own giving: 1. Jesus observes what we give. 2. Jesus values our giving in light of our overall situation. 3. The poor are often the greatest givers. 4. Our giving demonstrates the reality of our faith. 5. New Covenant giving is radical.
In Luke 20:27-40, Jesus is tested by the Sadducees regarding the doctrine of the resurrection, which our Lord defends by correcting their false assumptions and pointing them to the Scriptures. This message focuses on five aspects of the account: 1. The unbelief of prominent religious people (v27). 2. The false assumptions made about future things (v28-33). 3. The differentness of the age to come (v34-36,38). 4. The authority of Bible details (v37-38). 5. The ones worthy to attain resurrection life (v35).
In Luke 20:19-26, Jesus' enemies try to trap Him with an impossible-to- answer question about our obligation to pay taxes. Jesus' answer is among His most famous sayings and provides us with these practical applications: 1. Beware of fake religious devotion (v19-23). 2. Worship Christ’s divine wisdom (v24-26). 3. Fulfill your obligations to the government (v25). 4. Fulfill your obligations to God (v25).
Jesus' "Parable of the Vine-growers" as found in Luke 20:9-19 is unique among our Lord's parables in that it gives a summary of the spiritual history of Israel along with predictions of major future events. It also teaches five great Biblical themes, each of which can be applied to ourselves: 1. The evilness of humanity (v10-16). 2. The patience of God (v11-13). 3. The exaltation of Christ (v17). 4. The destruction of Christ-rejectors (v15-16,18). 5. The new people of God (v16).
Can Christians enjoy sustained inner peace, even in today's crazy stressful world? This sermon examines three Bible promises about peace: Isa 26:2-4 “Open the gates, that the righteous nation may enter, The one that remains faithful. “The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, Because he trusts in You. “Trust in the LORD forever, For in GOD the LORD, we have an everlasting Rock. John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. Phil 4:6-7 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
The peace that God promises: 1. Is complete, covering every situation. 2. Is available to all believers. 3. Is different than the world’s. 4. Is given directly by God. 5. Is experienced as we: Resist anxiety. Trust steadily in God. Pray about everything.
How much joy should Christians normally have? The Bible describes the joy Christians experience as being "full" or "complete": John 3:29, 15:11, 16:24, 17:13, Rom. 15:13, 1Pet. 1:8, 1John 1:3-4, and 2John v12.
So how can we increase our joy to the level described in these verses? 1. Be filled with the Holy Spirit (Rom. 14:17, Gal. 5:22). 2. Meditate on Bible truth (Ps. 1:2, John 15:11). 3. Celebrate God’s answers to our prayers (John 16:24). 4. Praise God frequently (Phil. 4:4, Acts 16:25). 5. Gratefully relish God’s gifts (Ps. 103:2, Jam. 1:17, 1Tim. 6:17). 6. Work gladly for the Lord (Ps. 100:2, Col. 3:23-24). 7. Pursue Christian fellowship (2Tim. 1:4, 2John 1:12). 8. Strive to make others happy (Acts 20:35). 9. View your hardships rightly (Rom. 14:17, Gal. 5:22). 10. Handle sin issues Biblically (Ps. 51:12). 11. Look forward to heaven (Ps. 16:11, Luke 10:20).
