April 14, 2019
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Luke 19:28-44
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palm Sunday
When Jesus visited Jerusalem on that day, it was the first day of Passover Week. Great numbers of Jews had traveled from all over the Roman Empire to celebrate this annual Jewish festival. A great crowd greeted Jesus as he entered Jerusalem responding to him with chanting, throwing their cloaks on the ground before him and waving of palm branches. They greeted him in a manner befitting a king, but before the week was out, the crowd would curse him as a criminal.
Jesus called his visit to Jerusalem that day a “visitation.” In the Greek, it has the sense of a formal visit or inspection by a dignitary. In English, the word “visitation” has the same meaning. On Palm Sunday we remember the visitation of the Son of God to Jerusalem.
In the gospel according to Luke, Jesus expressed His desire that the people of Jerusalem would have recognized His visitation to them as the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of God. We can recognize Christ’s visitation to us.
April 13, 2019
People are often heard saying, “If I had more, I’d start giving, but I’m just too broke to give right now.” Yet, Jesus taught that faithfulness in large things begins with faithfulness in little things. Stop waiting for a better job, more money, a bigger house, or a nicer car before you start being faithful
April 7, 2019
HOW DO YOU MEASURE LIFE? How do you measure life? Jesus warned the man who asked him to act as judge in settling his father’s estate that such things were not so important. Too many families have been divided over the disposition of their parents belongings. How sad that a time of mourning is further
April 3, 2019
HAVE YOU ACCEPTED OR REJECTED JESUS? Jesus sent out 72 disciples two by two to preach the gospel in every town and place he was about to go. He prepared them to understand that some people would accept their message and some would reject it. The main thing was to know that ultimately they were
March 31, 2019
WHEN IS THE KINGDOM OF GOD TO BE SEEN? The Kingdom of God is a mystery. For Jesus described it as both present and future. Perhaps the best explanation for this mystery was offered by George Ladd, who called it “fulfillment without consummation.” Fulfillment of the kingdom is here now since the first coming of
March 29, 2019
HAVE YOU TURNED JESUS AWAY? The people in the region of the Gerasenes, on the Eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, begged Jesus to leave. Jesus had only just arrived when he encountered a demon possessed man who lived in the tombs. Running towards Jesus and shrieking at the top of his lungs,
March 26, 2019
SEEING THE GOOD NEWS SPREAD THROUGHOUT After Jesus interrupted a funeral procession to raise a widow’s son from the dead, the news of his miracles and teachings “spread throughout Judea and the surrounding countryside.” This illustrates a truth easily discovered anywhere humans dwell, namely, news spreads. Whether it’s good or bad news, people love to
March 18, 2019
HOW IS YOUR VOICE KNOWN? The coming of John, son of Zechariah, had not only been announced by the angel Gabriel, it had been predicted by the prophet Isaiah. John the Baptist was the Messianic Forerunner, coming in the spirit of Elijah, he was the Preparer of the Way. Every king must have a herald
March 17, 2019
FOUR AREAS OF HEALTHY CHRISTIAN GROWTH Luke is the only gospel that describes how Jesus grew up. The story of twelve year old Jesus talking with the teachers in the Temple, while His family was looking for Him, is a very interesting glimpse into His youth. And it begs the question, “What did it look
December 23, 2018
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Luke 2:1-20
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christmas
Have you unwrapped the story? Have you joined the shepherds by seeing and hearing it for yourselves, believing the good news about Jesus? A gift isn’t really yours until you unwrap it. In the gospel of Luke, he recorded the story of the good news of Jesus’ birth which an angel of the Lord announced, revealing the true identity of Jesus to the shepherds. We can unwrap the story of Jesus’ birth that reveals the good news of His true identity.