In Luke 17:1-10, we see Jesus teaching several principles about what it means to live and function properly in the kingdom of God. He addresses issues dealing with sinfulness and accountability, as well as our responsibility to rebuke and forgive one another. Realizing the difficulty of these responsibilities, the apostles asked the Lord to increase…
In Luke 17:1-10, we see Jesus teaching several principles about what it means to live and function properly in the kingdom of God. He addresses issues dealing with sinfulness and accountability, as well as our responsibility to rebuke and forgive one another. Realizing the difficulty of these responsibilities, the apostles asked the Lord to increase…
In the last of this series of parables (Luke 16:19-31), Jesus tells the stories of two men—one who lived lavishly on earth and one who was a poor, sick beggar. The story chronicles the eternal destinies of each of these men. The rich man went to hell, a place of eternal agony and torment, while…
Growing up in the 90s, a lot of our high school preparation for future was based on trying to figure out “what makes us happy” or “what brings us fulfillment.” As we look to God’s will for our lives, we often place too much emphasis on us and not enough emphasis on doing the Will…
As we continue to think about becoming a faithful steward, this next portion of Scripture addresses several kingdom principles of stewardship. As Jesus continues to instruct His disciples, we discover that there are also Pharisees nearby who were listening to this teaching. Taking a moment to address them, Jesus reprimands them for the condition of…
In Luke 15, Jesus told parables about things that were lost—a lost sheep, a lost coin and two lost brothers. Here in Luke 16, Jesus continues His parabolic teachings focusing on the idea of stewardship. This first parable is arguably one of the most difficult parables in all of Scripture to understand. Darrell Bock argues…
The parable in this passage—Luke 15:11-32—is one of the most well-known teachings in all the Bible. While this parable is often referred to as the Parable of the Prodigal Son, it is really more about the reactions to the prodigal son than it is the son himself. The primary reaction to the prodigal’s return that…
Jesus reveals the heart of God in this series of three parables—the first two are short parables (15:1-10) and the last one is long (15:11-32). We will consider the two short parables in this message and the longer one in the next. In these parables, we learn that God is committed to finding those who…
In our text today in Luke 14, we find Jesus being followed by a large group of people—many of whom were probably there to see Him perform miracles and provide them with free food. In John 6:26, Jesus said to another crowd of people: “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not…
As Jesus is still on His way to Jerusalem, we see Him at a dinner party in the home of one of the leaders of the Pharisees. We don’t know exactly why He is here, or how He got an invitation, but the text tells us that the Pharisees were “watching him carefully” to catch…