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…
As Jesus continued on His way toward Jerusalem to be crucified, He made His way into some small towns and villages. In one of those villages, someone asked Him a striking question. They asked, “Lord, will only a few people be saved?” Jesus utilized this question as a springboard to discuss every individual’s need for…
The Lord established His church during His ministry here on earth to bring glory to Him by making disciples from those who have not yet trusted in Him as Savior. The first step in the process of making disciples is evangelism. Evangelism is “telling the story of Jesus’s life, death, resurrection, and second coming with…
We are returning to our study in the Gospel of Luke today. Last time we looked at Luke, we were considering the teachings of Christ about how to live from Luke 12:35-48. In today’s message, we are going to move forward in this idea of how we are to live each day for the Lord.…
We will begin our study today when Jesus gathered His disciples together in the upper room of a home in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover Seder meal. This was the time when Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper, which we observed as a church body last Sunday evening. During this meal, Jesus shared some important teachings…
In John 12, we see Jesus as the King God intended Him to be—not like other kings who came and conquered by military might, but as the Ruler of a Kingdom that is not of this world. He was like no other king before or since—a king who preached love for our enemies, forgiveness for…
In the second half of Psalm 101, David lays out the kind of leader that he aspires to become—a leader with integrity. Just like last week, we see in these verses, five issues of integrity that are important when it comes to life in general and in leadership more specifically. David had a front row…
After a psalm of praise (Psalm 100), we now have a psalm of practice (Psalm 101). Knowing and understanding God’s call on his life to be the king of God’s chosen people, David resolves to become a king that models himself after the One who has called him. Psalm 101 describes a man of integrity…
Last week, we started a short series studying through Isaiah 55. In this chapter, God is reminding His exiled people of who He is and what He promised to do for them. In those first six verses of Isaiah 55, we saw God’s invitation to have life more abundantly! Then the prophet explained the requirement…
Paul David Tripp said: “The book of Isaiah is really about people who have forgotten. Because of their forgetting, they are sent into exile, and [then] are restored again. This passage… is written to people who are in exile who are now called to remember as they are going to be restore, called to remember…
One of the more well-known verses in the Bible is found in 2 Corinthians 5:7, which says, “for we walk by faith, not by sight.” In Numbers 13-14, we find a group of people who abandoned this biblical concept for a different philosophy. You see, they decided to walk by sight, and not by faith!…
In this morning’s message we will be looking at some of Moses’ experiences with the presence of God, specifically the burning bush incident and the encounters with God in the tent of meeting. From these passages, we will notice three essentials for experiencing intimacy with God—connection, commitment and communication. And then we will consider God’s…
Today, we will be considering what you may consider an unusual topic in the area of pursuing God. Today, we will be thinking about embracing our weaknesses for God’s purpose in my life. Many people that God chose to use throughout Scripture were plagued by flaws and deficiencies, but God does not call people because…
When the people of Israel came to the edge of the Promised Land, God instructed Moses to re-state the Law and the terms of the Mosaic Covenant before the people entered into the land. As Moses is nearing the end of his instruction, he tells the people that God will bless them if they are careful to obey all that God had commanded but also warns them what will happen if they choose to ignore God's commandments and turn away from Him. In today's study, we'll examine whether God responds to our obe...
This morning, we take a break from our sermon series to hear from Bro. Bryan Risner, one of our BMA Global missionaries to Romania. Bro. Bryan and his family have been on the field for seven years now and in that time, they've built relationships, shared the Gospel, planted multiple churches and continue to see God do amazing things among the people of Romania. Listen as Bro. Bryan shares of God's continued faithfulness in their ministry and reminds us of the need to keep praying, keep trusting ...
Many of us know Moses as the leader of the people of Israel but his story doesn't begin there. God was at work in Moses' life long before He was raised up to deliver the people of Israel and usher them into the Promised Land. God was at work in his life at his birth, He was at work in His life when Moses was in the home of Pharaoh and He was at work when Moses fled to the land of Midian. In today's study, Bro. Ron Fields shares how God was working out His purpose for Moses every step of the way ...
Each one of us has a spiritual malady. We all suffer from the effects of being "in the flesh" and subject to the "fleshly" desires that draw us away from God and away from His plan for our lives. By His grace, He transforms us through the power of His Holy Spirit as we daily spend time with Him in His Word. But what if we neglect this practice? What if we turn aside and fall into sin again? How will it affect your relationship with God? How will affect your daily tasks? Find out the answers to t...
In the Old Testament, the people of Israel were divided into twelve tribes. God gave each tribe a portion of the Promised Land to live in and be their own, save one--the tribe of Levi. This tribe was set apart to minister before the Lord in the tabernacle and on behalf of the people. Each person within the tribe had a role to fill. No job was the same but each one was essential. In a similar way, God impacts the world today through His children and has appointed each one with a specific task--a ...
For our new sermon series, we’re going to be looking at some lessons from the life of Moses. Unlike an expository sermon series which would begin at the beginning of the Book of Exodus and work its way through the text, we will be looking at Moses’ life from a topical point of view. The…
As we continue our series today—Behold the Lamb of God—we’re going to be looking at one section of prophecy in the Book of Isaiah concerning the coming king of Israel. But this king that Isaiah prophesied about was not a king “full of power with a sword in his fist,” he was a king that…
For the next several weeks, we’re going to be focused on the redemptive story of Scripture that was fulfilled through the incarnation of God the Son in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, who was born into this world as a baby and grew to be a man who would die on the cross to…
For the past several weeks, we have been looking at the teachings of Christ on various topics—from prayer to spiritual warfare to hypocrisy to personal property. In each of these areas, Jesus taught His disciples how they were to think, act and speak. In this last section of teachings, Jesus is seeking to motivate His…
So, as we dive into the twelfth chapter of Luke again today, we’re going to spend some time thinking about Jesus’ teachings concerning the areas of greed, jealousy, drunkenness, gluttony, laziness and pride. Doesn’t that sound like fun? In all seriousness, some of the issues that Jesus brings up in our text today may not…
