Jewel Lake Parish Sermon Podcast

How can we get Jesus to help us with our problems? Assuming they're good problems, is there some way to ensure that God will help us with them? Is there a certain spiritual discipline, or any other way, to be sure we can have God's help? Pastor Luke looks at Luke 7:1-17 in "Levers," the concluding message in his series, "Good News."

"What does God want from you? What do you have to do to get God off your back? The New Testament tells about a time when someone was minding their own business, and Jesus asked them to do something. What did Jesus want from him? And does it fit a pattern that shows what God wants from us?" Pastor Luke looks at Luke 5:1-11 in "Deep Water," the concluding message in his series, "Good News."

"Jesus' first sermon, as Luke records it, was a flop. No, worse than a flop, it was a disaster that infuriated the people who heard it so much they nearly killed Jesus. But to our ears, it sounds pretty innocuous. What about his message made people so angry?" Pastor Luke teaches from Luke 4:14-30 in "Throughout the Land," part 2 of his 3-part series, "Good News."

In 2016 we had troubles at home and abroad. There was war and chaos, violence, terror -- and an election that nobody expected. But every year is like that. Some are better than others, but they all come with their share of troubles. One night two thousand years ago, shepherds were the first to hear what God was doing about it. Pastor Luke teaches from Luke 2:1-20 in "Emmanuel."

In the prologue to his biography of Jesus, John engages the most popular philosophical and religious viewpoints of his day. But then, instead of telling us what he believes, John takes the conversation is an unexpected direction, one that can still surprise us 2000 years later. Pastor Luke looks at John 1:1-18 in "The Word Became Flesh," the concluding message in his series, "The Enlightenment."

The problem with a religious viewpoint is that believing there are gods does't tell you which gods you should believe in. If there are gods, who are they? If there is a God, what does he want? How can a human find out anything about a supernatural God? Pastor Luke teaches from John 1:1-9 in "Life and Light," part 3 of his 4-part series, "The Enlightenment."

If the universe really does make sense, why is that? Is it just dumb luck, or did it have a creator? Could it be possible that there's a middle ground somewhere between atheism on the one hand and religious belief on the other? Pastor Luke teaches from John 1:1-5 in "With and Was," part 2 of his 4-part series, "The Enlightenment."

Is there a formula for success? Is there a path to achieve happiness? Questions like those assume that there are rules that govern the universe. Is that true? The bumper sticker says, "Stuff happens, then you die." Is that what's right? Is everything just random? Pastor Luke preaches from John 1:1-5 in "LOGOS," the first message in a new series, "The Enlightenment."

How should Christians vote in the upcoming election? What should they do after they've voted? If their candidate or cause doesn't win, what should they do next? Pastor Luke preaches from 1 Samuel 8:4-22 in "Game of Thrones."

We had time for three mini-sermons in our occasional series of "EXTREME Preaching". We talked about forgiveness for very bad sins; why Christians, who are free from the law, ought not act lawlessly; and the way that much of the sin we do is systemic sin common to the world. Pastor Luke preaches from John 21:1-19 in "EXTREME Preaching."

A big reason we lack big faith is the demoralizers who surround us. Well meaning friends, family, and coworkers, who are concerned and only want us to see reason, chip away at our hope until finally we lack any hope at all. When that happens, we need a Hezekiah. Pastor Luke teaches from Isaiah 36 in "Dealing with Demoralizers," the concluding message in his series, "Daring Faith."

Waiting for God to act is always hard, but it's especially hard when we're depending on God for really big things. How can we have the kind of faith that will wait as long as God takes? Pastor Luke looks at Joshua 6:1-14 in "Don't Stop Believin'," part 5 of his 6-part series, "Daring Faith."

How do we know if our faith will see us through life's storms? One way is to wait for the storm and find out. But another way is to lean on our faith right now, before the storm, to get a feel for how well it will hold us up, someday, when we need it. Pastor Luke preaches from Matthew 14:22-33 in "Depend On It," part 4 of his 6-part series, "Daring Faith."

Size works against daring faith. Really big things overwhelm us. We know that they don't overwelm God, but it's easy lose sight of that. How can we not be intimidated by sheer magnitude? How can we have faith that's big and bold? Pastor Luke preaches from Mark 8:1-10 in "Add a Zero," part 3 of his 6-part series, "Daring Faith."

Sometimes people seize the initiative. They don't wait for God to act until they've finished taking whatever action they can do themselves. Then they wait on God. Isn't that kind of pushy? How did Jesus respond that kind of "faith?" Pastor Luke teaches from Mark 2:1-12 in "Carpe Deum," part 2 of his 6-part series, "Daring Faith."

God wants us to have big faith so we won't be afraid, but the arena where faith is tested and develops is risk. Are we risk-takers? Where in our lives do we give God a place to do what only God can do? Pastor Luke teaches from Matthew 8:5-13 in "Daring Faith," the first message in a new series, "Daring Faith."

We live in an age of Terror. 9/11 wasn't an isolated event. There could be another horrific act like it tomorrow. If it does, people of faith will have two questions: does God care about our suffering? Is there someplace we can we find the strength to carry on? Pastor Luke looks at Matthew 10:24-33 in "In an Age of Terror, Hope."

Christians are better together. But unity is hard--so hard, that praying for unity was one of the last things Jesus did before he went to the cross. How can we do unity well? And maybe more important, how can we do dis-unity well? Pastor Luke looks at Acts 15:22-41 in "Better Together," the concluding message in his series, "Signs of Life."

We've seen that Christ-followers are all called to serve in the church. But where? How can we find the right place to serve? Pastor Luke teaches from Romans 12:1-8 in "Where Do I Go?," part 6 of his 7-part series, "Signs of Life."

If you devote your life to the disciplines that make us like Christ, what is the reward? Do you get a corner office, or a key to the executive washroom? No, Jesus says, success for Christians is measured by service. What? How can that make any sense? Pastor Luke looks at Ephesians 4:7-16 in "Ministry Loves Company," part 5 of his 7-part series, "Signs of Life."