Jewel Lake Parish Sermon Podcast

Have you ever felt that your spiritual life didn't measure up to other people's? Some people can pray for hours, or fast for days. Does God favor people like that? Would we be blessed if we fasted and prayed more? Some people asked Jesus that question one day. His answer might surprise you. Pastor Luke looks at Matthew 9:14-17 in "New Wine," part 3 of his 6-part series, "Notorious."

Jesus has the authority to make promises about what God can and will do for someone. But who does he make those promises to? Put another way, are there people that Jesus can't help? Are there people that Jesus has to give up on? Pastor Luke preaches from Matthew 9:9-13 in "Matthew's Party," part 2 of his 6-part series, "Notorious."

Easter is our celebration of Jesus' work, becoming our intermediary to connect us back to God. But what kind of intermediary is he? What are the limits of his authority, or his competencies? Pastor Luke looks at Matthew 9:1-8 in "So You May Know," the first message in a new series, "Notorious."

The angel who spoke to the women at the tomb reminded them that Jesus had predicted every part of his death and, now, his resurrection? Why? Was it just gloating? Or did it have a deeper significance? Pastor Luke looks at Matthew 28:1-10 in "Come and See," the concluding message in his series, "Holy Week."

Good Friday services are somber, dark, even dismal. How could it be otherwise, with Jesus hanging there, dying on the cross in a gruesome public execution? And yet even on Good Friday, we catch a faint glint of Easter breaking through. Pastor Luke looks at Matthew 27:1-61 in "Torn in Two," part 2 of his 3-part series, "Holy Week."

Have you ever been disappointed with God? If so, Palm Sunday is a holiday just for you. It reminds us of the time everyone was sure of what God was doing, and everyone was wrong. What can we learn from the events of Palm Sunday? Pastor Luke looks at Luke 19:29-44 in "Palms," the first message in a new series, "Holy Week."

Have you ever wondered why people in the Bible -- or even more recently -- did the things they did? Why did God need to send prophets to warn people to stop child sacrifice or idolatry? Or, more recently, to end segregation? Was it because people in the past were just uniquely sinful -- or something else? Pastor Luke looks at Matthew 23:29-39 in "Nobody Likes a Prophet," the concluding message in his series, "What Sorrow Awaits."

Jesus hung out with all kinds of people, including some pretty questionable characters like tax collectors and thieves. He didn't endorse what they did, but he seemed to like them, and to be liked by them. But religious hypocrites were a different story. Why? What's so bad about being a hypocrite? Pastor Luke preaches from Matthew 23:25-28 in "Whitewash," part 3 of his 4-part series, "What Sorrow Awaits."

Jesus told some people they had their priorities wrong and it caused them to neglect the "weightier" matters of the Law. What are they? Is there some way to know how to set our priorities? Pastor Luke looks at Matthew 23:16-24 in "Quality Control," part 2 of his 4-part series, "What Sorrow Awaits."

Some people seem to think they were appointed heaven's gatekeepers. (Maybe you've been to that church.) When Jesus got going, they were the first people Jesus talked about. What was there mistake, and how can we avoid making it ourselves? Pastor Luke looks at Matthew 23:13-15 in "Locking the Kingdom," the first message in a new series, "What Sorrow Awaits."

Have you ever wished God would speak with you? To give you direction, perhaps, or to reassure you about something that worried you? When we read the Bible, we see God speaking, often with earthquakes and fire thrown in. But who experiences that? So how do we hear from God? The Transfiguration of Jesus gives us a key insight about how to hear God, and how to understand what God is saying. Pastor Luke preaches from Matthew 17:1-9 in "The Third Mountaintop."

God wants us to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with him. Why? Why is it so important to God that we relate to him in humble fashion? It might seem like God was insecure or prideful. But the real problem becomes clear when you look at the reverse\: if you look at someone who doesn't walk humbly with God. Pastor Luke teaches from Luke 18:9-14 in "Humility," the concluding message in his series, "What's Good."

We've seen that justice is difficult, and not very loveable. Kindness is simpler, because the Golden Rule tells us what we need to do, and it makes us feel good when we see it. Why, then, is kindness so rare? Jesus says it's because we misunderstand what kindness does, and miss out on the blessing God offers with it. What did he mean? Pastor Luke looks at Luke 6:30-38 in "Kindness," part 3 of his 4-part series, "What's Good."

Justice is hard. Things that seem clear and sharply defined turn out to have murky areas and fuzzy edges. Yet God requires his people to "do justice." How can we do that? What does God teach us to help us be just in how we do justice? In all the teaching in the Bible about justice, one idea comes through over and over again: the principle of non-partiality. What is it, and how can we apply it? Pastor Luke looks at 2 Samuel 12:1-7 in "Justice," part 2 of his 4-part series, "What's Good."

Someone considering whether to become a follower of Jesus naturally ask the question, "How much?" Are there limits to what Jesus can demand of his followers? What is someone's potential exposure? The prophet Micah described a courtroom drama where God and Israel debate whether they've lived up to the terms of their relationship. What are those and what do they tell us today when we're thinking about following Jesus? Pastor Luke preaches from Micah 6:1-8 in "What's Good," the first message in a new series, "What's Good."

Many people have something they'd like to change in their life. For some people, it's a job, or their location. For some, it's a new skill they'd like to learn. For others, it's a habit or a relationship they'd like to change. Or it might be habit they'd like to start -- or stop. Imagine if we could have a coach who knew us and knew our capabilities, but, even better, knew what our destiny was, and could guide us into that future. What would that look like? Pastor Luke teaches from Matthew 4:12-22 in "Follow Me," the concluding message in his series, "Follower."

"As I go through the twists and turns of life, it's comforting to know that Jesus is right behind me." That sounds very good, but it's exactly backwards. People who trust Jesus are supposed to follow him. What does it look like to follow Christ? If you you look at Christians, you might imagine all sorts of things, but the picture in the Bible may surprise you. Pastor Luke looks at John 1:29-42 in "Follower," the first message in a new series, "Follower."

In the church year, the season after Christmas begins with a celebration of Jesus' baptism. What does that event tell us about new seasons in our own lives? For example, this is the time of year that people decide to go to the gym more often, or change their diet, or undertake some other initiative. If that's our situation, what can we learn from Jesus' baptism that we can apply to those other things in our lives. Pastor Luke teaches from Matthew 3:13-17 in "Start Me Up."

Epiphany is the celebration in the church calendar that remembers when wise men from the east came to visit Jesus. It's interesting that people came so far to see him, but when they were done, they went back home. Does their visit still have any significance today? What does it tell us now? Pastor Luke teaches from Ephesians 3:1-12 in "Epiphany."

According to the song, "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel," Jesus is a "dayspring." That's an obsolete word that means "dawn." But why would you call Jesus that? Pastor Luke looks at Luke 1:67-79 in "Dayspring," the concluding message in his series, "O Come, Emmanuel."