JLP.church Sermon Podcast

Jesus says his followers are to be perfect, like their Father in Heaven. That doesn't sound easy. Jesus teaches us it's not just hard, it's almost unimaginable. Why would we do that? Why would we even try to do it? Pastor Luke preaches from Matthew 5:38-48 in "Rain or Shine," the first message in a new series, "Being Perfect."

When the boy Jesus astounded the teachers in the Temple, it wasn't to show us what it would be like if God came to earth. It showed what it's like when humanity is restored to God's intention. It showed us what it's like when we receive eternal life. What is stopping us from enjoying that kind of life ourselves? Pastor Luke looks at Colossians 3:12-17 in "The Message of Christ."

Christmas cards and songs tell us about "Peace on Earth." What if Christmas just stresses us out? How can we believe there's peace on earth if we're stressed out? Pastor Luke teaches from Luke 2:1-20 in "Heavenly Peace."

Advent reminds us that God means what he says, whether it's warning about coming judgment, or promising relief from hard circumstances. But what about when God is silent? Or was silent, when we longed to hear from him? What then? Pastor Luke looks at Luke 1:65-80 in "Dawn From On High," the concluding message in his series, "Promise Keeper."

Want to know how can you have a great Christmas this year? Some people have a certain ornament or food or tradition that makes Christmas special. People have worryied about the holidays since before there was a Christmas, but there's an easy way to make sure Christmas will be special. Pastor Luke looks at Ezra 1:1-4,3:1-3,10-13 in "Building a Temple," part 3 of his 4-part series, "Promise Keeper."

Prophets often delivered bad news that things would get worse. But depending on your circumstances--like, when things are really bad, and each day's news seems worse than yesterday's --a prophet has a harder job: to proclaim hope. Pastor Luke teaches from Isaiah 40:1-10 in "Real Help for Real Problems," part 2 of his 4-part series, "Promise Keeper."

What does it mean that God is a promise keeper? What if we don't like the promises? When he set out to repair the Temple, King Josiah, one of the rulers of God's people, learned what it meant to serve a God who keeps promises. Pastor Luke preaches from 2 Kings 22:1-23:3 in "Promise Keeper," the first message in a new series, "Promise Keeper."

When has an opportunity presented itself and you didn't know whether to take it or let it pass by? Matthew's biography of Jesus describes a time when one disciple took an opportunity that eleven let go by. What does that story teach us today? Pastor Luke looks at Matthew 14:20-32 in "Stepping Out," the concluding message in his series, "House Money."

Part of being good managers or stewards of the things that God has entrusted to us means using them in ways that align with God's values. Jesus taught a parable that showed how generosity is at the center of God's personality. Pastor Luke preaches from Matthew 20:1-16 in "Cornelius," part 2 of his 3-part series, "House Money."

How can we be good managers of what God has entrusted to us? Jesus pointed to a dishonest manager and said his followers could learn a lot from people like him. Wait, what? Pastor Luke preaches from Luke 16:1-9 in "House Money," the first message in a new series, "House Money."

The best part of the good news about Jesus is that he rose from the dead. That means we can go to heaven when we die. But it means so much more: it means that heaven comes to us, and comes not when we die, but right now. It means we are God's new creation. Pastor Luke teaches from 2 Corinthians 5:14-6:2 in "New Creation," the concluding message in his series, "News, Not Advice."

According to the early church, the death of Jesus is at the very core of the Good News. Why? How can one more death -- even the death of Jesus -- be good news in a world filled with too much death and violence already? Pastor Luke looks at Romans 5:1-11 in "Reconciliation," part 4 of his 5-part series, "News, Not Advice."

We've seen that the story of what Jesus did isn't advice telling us what to do, it's news. But information about an event is just information unless it relates to us somehow. Before we can discuss what it means to us, first we have to see how it relates to us. Pastor Luke looks at Gen 1:1-5 in "Agenda," part 3 of his 5-part series, "News, Not Advice."

The good news about Jesus begins with "Christ," or King, according to the Apostle Paul's summary in 1 Corinthians 15. But kings are authorities who tell you what to do. If giving advice is bad, how can an authority be better? Pastor Luke preaches from Mark 10:35-45 in "The Power of Love," part 2 of his 5-part series, "News, Not Advice."

Christianity is not a system of religious teaching, or a set of rules and advice about keeping them. The Gospel means "good news," and if Christianity is good news, then it is news: information about an event that has already occurred. Pastor Luke teaches from Mark 1:1,9-15 in "News, Not Advice," the first message in a new series, "News, Not Advice."

We had time for two mini-sermons in our occasional series of "extreme preaching". The first was on the divisions between (and within) Christian traditions. The second was a summary of the time when Israel was ruled by Judges. Pastor Luke teaches from Judges 2:11-22 in "Extreme Preaching."

Israel lost the Ark when they were conquered by Babylon. It has never been recovered, in twenty-six centuries. Why not? If it was so important for Israel to have the Ark in the first place, why has God allowed it to be lost? Why does God sometimes allow us to lose what is dear to us? Pastor Luke preaches from 2 Kings 25:8-17 in "Lost and Found," the concluding message in his series, "The Saga of t...

King David's life was filled with highs and lows. During one of the lowest points in his life, David was given the opportunity to try to force God to help him. He chose not to. Why? What can we learn from him? Pastor Luke preaches from 2 Samuel 15:13-30 in "Uprising," part 6 of his 7-part series, "The Saga of the Lost Ark."

How do you get square with God? The Philistines took the Ark of God from Israel, until God persuaded them to give it back. But is giving it back enough? We all know about things we did that can't be fixed. If we can't fix things here on earth, what chance do we have to get square with God? Pastor Luke teaches from 1 Samuel 6:1-12 in "Guilt Offering," part 5 of his 7-part series, "The Saga of the L...

How big is God, if he's too big to fit in a box? Christians confess a big God - "maker of heaven and earth." But sometimes we still imagine limits to how big God is, and especially, how wide God's mercy extends. Pastor Luke teaches from 1 Samuel 5:1-12 in "Hot Potato," part 4 of his 7-part series, "The Saga of the Lost Ark."

We can't put God in a box. We can't get God out of the box when we need some God, and stuff him back when we don't. But suppose we could. Would we want that? What if we lost the box? Pastor Luke preaches from 1 Samuel 4:12-22 in "Ichabod," part 3 of his 7-part series, "The Saga of the Lost Ark."

Sometimes God doesn't show up when we want him to. We'd like a God we could stuff in a box and get out when we need him. But that's not the God we read about in Scripture. Why do we need a God who won't go into a box? And if we can't control what God does, and when, how do we know we can trust him? Pastor Luke teaches from 1 Samuel 4:1-11 in "God in a Box," part 2 of his 7-part series, "The Saga o...

The Old Testament is filled with stories about how God used to do amazing miracles and wonders for the people of Israel. We may wonder why God doesn't seem to do things like that today. But what if when we're waiting for God to do wonders, it's actually God who's waiting for us? Pastor Luke looks at Joshua 3:1-17 in "Tomorrow the Lord Will Do Wonders," the first message in a new series, "The Saga...

Thanksgiving is recognizing what God has done. Will God continue to bless people who don't give thanks? If he will, why should we bother to do so? Is there a reason? Pastor Luke looks at Psalm 40:1-10 in "Gratitude," part 5 of his 6-part series, "Planted by Water (The Psalms)."

(The audio recording quality of this message is substandard. We are working to improve the situation.) Lamentation is the process of giving our troubles to God. Trust is the process of not taking them back. Pastor Luke teaches from Psalm 27:1-6 in "Trust," part 4 of his 6-part series, "Planted by Water (The Psalms)."