Grace in Louisville

In some of the last moments before his crucifixion, Jesus calls us to love one another for the glory of God by giving an example of self-sacrificial love. He shows us that his every act is an act of love towards his disciples.

In Daniel 2, we watch a young man trust fully in a sovereign God. Daniel is an example of faith and courage, and we are also reminded that God is the King over all the earth, who will one day bring all earthly kingdoms to nothings.

Since chapter 9, Luke has been pushing us towards Jesus entrance into Jerusalem, and here in 19:28-44, we watch as Jesus enters into the city as King. Yet there is still opposition, and he weeps the rejection he knows is coming. In all this, we are called to bow the knee to this glorious Lord and King.

As they get closer and closer to Jerusalem, Jesus tells a parable that calls us to faithfulness and submission to him as King while we await his return. Our response to Jesus' absence is rooted in what we think about him.

In this passage, we meet Zacchaeus, a tax collector who was seeking for Jesus and for who Jesus was seeking. We see the rejoicing and the repentance that come into our lives when Jesus enters in.

As Jesus again tells of his coming arrest, mistreatment, death, and resurrection in Jerusalem, the disciples are completely blind to these things. They then meet a blind man who seems to understand who Jesus is better than they. In all of this, we see ways that we can be blind and how faith is the key to sight.

Jesus continues to reveal that the people we expect to be in the kingdom of God may not be, and those we would never expect to are the ones who enter in. Here we learn that it is those who come with childlike faith that are saved, not those who trust in themselves or their riches.

In a parable of comparison, Jesus speaks a word to all of us who often trust in ourselves and treat others with contempt.

John the Baptist helps us see that for the Christian, Jesus must always be increasing and we must always be decreasing.

Paul calls us to stand firm in the truth of the gospel as we fight against the spiritual forces that would drag us away from faith in Christ. We also focus on the place of prayer in the advance of the gospel.

On this Sanctity of Human Life Sunday we look to see how Psalm 10 can help us rightly pray through this difficult issue.

Prayer is an act of faith - it pleases God because it affirms that he is and that he is a rewarder of those who seek after him. The hope of this sermon is to stir us our hearts to pray.

Jesus gives us a parable about an unjust judge and a persistent widow intended to spur us on to pray always and not lose heart. We learn that prayer is an act of faith, and what we believe about God will determine how consistently and persistently we pray.

Jesus teaches us that the kingdom is here and the kingdom is coming. As he describes what the kingdom is like now and how it will come in the future, we are called to faithfulness while we wait.

On this Christmas Sunday, we considered 5 ways to meditate on the coming of Jesus at Christmas time: - Take time to ponder the beauty of the incarnation. - Stare into the darkness of the world Jesus enters. – Be reminded that nothing is impossible with God. – Let Christmas be unsatisfying. - Let Christmas be a call to worship and praise.

In Luke 17, 11-19, Jesus heals 10 lepers, but only one returns to thank him. The return of the one, a Samaritan, and the failure of the other nine to give thanks helps us not only see the nature of true gratitude, but also of saving faith.

Jesus describes what it looks like to live with one another as members of his kingdom - how our our holiness has to do with the entire community, our forgiveness is a reflection of him, our power comes from faith, and our status is that of an unworthy servant.

In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, Jesus helps us to see that death reveals true riches and the truly rich - it reveals the coming great reversal, the necessity of compassion in the now, and the hardness of the unbelieving heart.

If we are in children of God and part of his Kingdom, then he lays claim on all that we have and calls us to faithfulness, devotion, and integrity with all that we have been given.

In the parable of the dishonest manager, Jesus encourages us to be shrewd with our money - to invest it in something that will last forever, namely friends.

While the elder brother seems so different from his younger brother, Jesus helps us see how similar they are, and how even the apparently righteous older brother needed a Savior. This closing scene exposes the Pharisee in us all and the greatness of God's grace.

The Prodigal Son, Part 1. A long look at how far the prodigal son fell into sin reveals how lost we really are apart from Christ. And in light of that lostness, the welcome of the father reveals how extravagant the love of God is.

God invites us to join him in rejoicing over the rescuing of the lost. These two parables tell us something about how God accomplishes salvation, what God rejoices in, and they offer us an invitation to join him in rejoicing and in causing him to rejoice.

Jesus makes it clear that the call to follow him is a call to complete commitment. He then answers two questions for us: what does that complete commitment look like? and is following Jesus worth the cost?

Jesus describes the banquet of the Kingdom of God and reveals that some who have been invited will choose to not attend, while others who we would assume are excluded are welcomed in.