Jesus did not come into the world to be a good moral teacher. His stated mission in life was to seek and to save that which was lost. He does that in our text with Zacchaeus, and He'll do it today for all who trust Him for salvation.
The ability to perceive who Jesus truly is is not something we can do on our own. It is something that is granted to us by the Holy Spirit. This truth is illustrated in our text today - the disciples, which could see, were spiritually blind while a blind man could see who Jesus was.
One day, a rich young ruler approached Jesus and asked Him the most important question anyone can ask - "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" The correct answer is not in keeping the Law or some other good work. It is believing on the Lord Jesus for salvation.
In this touching scene, Jesus welcomes little children to Himself.
In His continued teaching on prayer, Jesus does not focus on the fact that we need to pray. Rather, He teaches us that we should have the proper attitude when we do pray.
In another surprising parable, Jesus uses the story of a wicked, unrighteous man to teach us about the character of God and His willingness to answer our prayers.
The Kingdom of God is an already/not-yet reality. Jesus ushered it in during His first Advent, but it has not been consummated. That will happen at His second Advent. In this passage, Jesus warns about the impending destruction of Jerusalem with an eye towards His return in glory.
Ingratitude is a perpetual issue that plagues humanity. We received good from the hand of God, but few bother to return thanks to Him. It is true today and it was true of those in today's passage - 10 lepers who were cleansed and made well.
We live in a broken and fallen world. Thus, temptation to sin is inevitable. It is all around us. That does not mean, though, that God winks at it or takes temptation or sin lightly. Nor does He let us off the hook easily when others sin against us. If we are sinned against, it is our responsibility as a Christian to forgive that person.
The peril of trusting in riches is very real. The rich man in today's text fleshes that out. Riches and a lavish lifestyle will one day fail you. Far better to trust in the only One Who can save you - Jesus Christ.
God doesn't look on the outside, as people do. He sees our innermost being. He looks on the heart. While we, like the Pharisees of Jesus' day, may fool people with our outward appearance and actions, God knows if we truly seek to follow Him.
When you think about the parables of Jesus, you don't typically think of the "hero" of the story being a dishonest, cheating, scoundrel. But that's exactly what we have in today's text. Join us as we look at The Parable of the Unjust Steward.
The story of the prodigal son is a favorite parable of many people. It is a powerful picture of the love, compassion, and forgiveness of God. Like the father in the story, God stands ready to forgive the penitent sinner who comes to Him.
Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost. In today's passage, He pictures that in two word pictures - a shepherd seeking a lost sheep and a woman seeking a lost coin. When that which is lost has been found, there is great rejoicing.
The popular message today is that Jesus offers you everything and demands virtually nothing. However, Jesus said something very different. He demands that we love Him more than anyone or anything - including ourselves. It we would be His disciple, we must put Him first, take up our cross, and follow Him.
Once again, Jesus calls us to make sure we are in the Kingdom of God, and if we are not, to respond to His gracious invitation. If you are not in the Kingdom of God, come. There is still room.
Jesus used every opportunity to teach that He could. This even included things like being at a party, which is the case in our text today. On the surface, it appears that Jesus is simply giving advice on having good manners in society. However, He is using it as an illustration to teach us about humility.
Jesus often ran afoul of religious leaders. Today's text is not exception. In it, He heals a man on the Sabbath.
The world tells us that success is wrapped up in big bank accounts, big houses, and expensive cars. But that is not remotely close to the way God defines success. In our text today, God tells Joshua, and us, the way to be a success in His eyes.
Despite Jesus' frequent words of warning to the Jews and the Jewish nation, by and large, He was rejected as the Messiah. That rejection was not without consequences. So it is today. Final rejection of Jesus as Messiah will result in eternal condemnation.
Someone once asked Jesus if just a few people were being saved. Rather than answer that directly, Jesus told the person that he should rather be making sure he, the questioner, was entering the Kingdom. That is the lesson for each of us - we need to strive to enter the Kingdom of God through faith in Christ.
What is the Kingdom of God like? It is like mustard seed and leaven... While those may not be the word pictures we would use to describe the Kingdom of God, they are the ones that Jesus uses in our text today. Join in today as we see some characteristics of the Kingdom.
Jesus performed many miracles of mercy. While one may expect everyone to rejoice when they saw others helped, not everyone did. In fact, these miracles made some hate Jesus all the more. Such is the case in today's text. Jesus frees a woman from demonic bondage, but rather than glorify God for His work, a synagogue official became indignant.
Jesus performed many miracles of mercy. While one may expect everyone to rejoice when they saw others helped, not everyone did. In fact, these miracles made some hate Jesus all the more. Such is the case in today's text. Jesus frees a woman from demonic bondage, but rather than glorify God for His work, a synagogue official became indignant.
Tragedies have something to teach us, and it is not that the ones who suffer them are worse sinners than everyone else. Rather, they teach us that life is short and fragile, and that it could have just as easily been us instead of them. Therefore, we should repent - get right with God - while we still can.
Knowing the Will of God is a critical element in following Christ. Yet, many Christians are paralyzed with fear that they will mess miss His Will and mess up God's plan for themselves and maybe even the world. This message examines how to know the Will of God for our daily lives.
The resurrection of Christ from the dead is the central tenet of the Christian faith. Without it, death is victorious, the grave is the end, and God is defeated. On top of that, if Jesus is not raised, each of us is still in our sin. But thanks be to God that Jesus did rise again! Listen in as we see why we should believe the resurrection.
Christ's entrance into Jerusalem was incredibly significant. The King of the Jews was presenting Himself to the nation. Israel's history had been building to this point. Sadly, they rejected their king. Don't do the same today.
Christ calls each of us to be ready for His return. It is a timely word, both for the believer and unbeliever as well. For the believer, it is a call to be faithful to the activities to which He has called us. For the unbeliever, it is a call to prepare to meet God because each of us will do that one day; either when Christ returns or we breathe our last.
Greed is a secret sin of the heart. But while it may be a secret to others, it's not a secret to God. It causes us to focus on the temporal instead of the eternal, and it shows a fundamental lack of trust in God's provision for us.
