JLP.church Sermon Podcast

Sometimes, we look around and we don't like where things are headed. Things we're counting on don't look as trustworthy as we'd hoped they'd be. What should we do then? A prostitute living in Canaan a thousand years before Jesus faced that same problem. What can we learn about faith from a prostitute? Pastor Luke looks at Joshua 2:1-13 in "Trading Up," part 2 of his 4-part series, "Who is Christma...

At the beginning of his biography of Jesus, Matthew calls our attention to an awkward story from the Old Testament. Why? Every family has skeletons in its closet: things we know about, but don't talk about. So why does Matthew dredge that stuff up now? Pastor Luke looks at Genesis 38:1-28 in "Skeletons in the Closet," the first message in a new series, "Who is Christmas For."

If you point some of your resources to the church, you get two things: what the church does within its walls, and what it does outside them. We've seen what that looks like on the inside. What does it look like on the outside? Pastor Luke looks at Isaiah 1:11-17 in "Pure Religion," the concluding message in his series, "Stewardship."

Stewardship is about how you manage the portfolio God entrusted to you. Being a good steward requires generosity, but does it require supporting the church? Or, to put it another way, if you support the local church, what do you get for it? Pastor Luke teaches from Hebrews 10:19-25 in "Gimme Shelter," part 2 of his 3-part series, "Stewardship."

"Stewardship" is the idea that everything we have really belongs to God and just manage it for him. Jesus taught that playing it safe is the wrong way to do that. So how can we do it well? What does good stewardship look like? Pastor Luke teaches from Ephesians 3:14-21 in "Generous," the first message in a new series, "Stewardship."

When we pray, we have to ask what we really want -- God, or the things that God can give us? Sometimes, especially when we feel distant from God, we may only want what God can offer us. Moses faced the same choice once, after Israel had sinned, and he picked "God." Why? What made it a good choice? Pastor Luke preaches from Exodus 33:12-23 in "Glory," the concluding message in his series, "Prayers....

You are the last thing Jesus prayed about before his betrayal, arrest, and crucifixion. Was his prayer granted? For that matter, what did he pray? Pastor Luke looks at John 17:20-26 in "Future Disciples," part 5 of his 6-part series, "Prayers."

The early church prayed for boldness and so should we. Why? Why not pray that God would make us safe? Pastor Luke looks at Acts 4:23-31 in "Go Bold (Or Go Home)," part 4 of his 6-part series, "Prayers."

Forgiving someone can be hard, but it's the right thing to do. Jesus said so. Increasingly, science agrees with him. How can prayers help us to be more forgiving? Pastor Luke preaches from Acts 7:51-60 in "Forgive," part 3 of his 6-part series, "Prayers."

How can followers of Jesus relate to people of different faiths, or no faith? Many Christians have friends or family members of different faiths, or no faith, and pray for them. Should they? And if so, what should they pray for? What can we learn from the Scriptures about praying for people who don't believe in God? Pastor Luke preaches from 2 Chronicles 6:33-34 in "Hear from Heaven," part 2 of hi...

The book of Genesis records the prayer of an anonymous man who journed to a distant land in search of a wife. What can we learn about prayer from his example? How can we put what we learn into practice? Pastor Luke teaches from Genesis 24:10-21 in "Matchmaker," the first message in a new series, "Prayers."

Σ ("S"), the final letter in Ichthus, stands for the word that means "Savior". We might not feel saved in our hearts, even if we agree in our heads that Jesus is savior. The Apostle Paul teaches us that when we decide to follow Christ, even if it happens far from the point where it is dictated by a crisis, is still the work of a Savior -- and determines how we should respond. Pastor Luke teaches f...

Υ ("U"), the fourth letter in Ichthus, stands for the word that means "Son". Why is it important that Jesus is the Son of God? Wouldn't his work have been just as effective if he were the Father's twin brother, or second cousin — or something more esoteric, like the relationship of the Holy Spirit to the Father? How does it benefit us that Jesus is God's Son? Pastor Luke preaches from Luke 15:11-3...

Θ ("th"), the third letter in Ichthus, stands for the word that means "God's". It represents the claim that there are things that belong to God: God has actions and motivations for doing them. What can we understand about God' acts and motivations? Pastor Luke teaches from 1 Peter 2:4-10 in "God's Own," part 3 of his 5-part series, "Ichthus."

Χ, the second letter in Ichthus ("Ch"), stands for the word Christ. Chris isn't Jesus' last name; it's a translation of a word that means "king". Do we want Jesus to be our king? Can't he just be our savior? Pastor Luke preaches from Matthew 16:13-23 in "Anointed," part 2 of his 5-part series, "Ichthus."

Ι, the first letter in Ichthus ("I"), stands for the name of Jesus. What does it mean? And does it matter? Shakespeare wondered about the significance of names: "Would not a rose by any other name smell as sweet?" How does Jesus' name matter to us today? Pastor Luke teaches from Acts 4:1-12 in "Ichthus," the first message in a new series, "Ichthus."

We had time for two mini-sermons in our occasional series of "extreme preaching". The first was on one of the petitions of the Lord's Prayer, and the other was on the statement in Genesis that the man and the woman were "naked and unafraid." Pastor Luke looks at Genesis 2:25 in "EXTREME Preaching."

Raising children can be incredibly rewarding, but it isn't always easy. People don't always succeed as parents, but most people would like to do a good job. Looking at the Bible, it's clear that even great great men of faith were sometimes really poor fathers. But Scripture actually tells men how to be better dads, and it isn't even hard. Pastor Luke teaches from Colossians 3:17-4:1 in "Father's D...

Why do we celebrate Pentecost? Some holidays are easy to understand: Christmas is when Jesus came to save us and Easter is how we know he succeeded. But what about Pentecost? How does it affect us? Pastor Luke looks at Acts 2:1-42 in "The Gift of the Spirit."

If you attend a church, it's not hard to imagine what sort of problems would crop up if a huge crowd showed up next Sunday. Some of the problems are very practical concerns like parking, musicians, Sunday School teachers. Others go deeper. But Jesus is concerned about something else, that church people can lose sight of. Pastor Luke preaches from Matthew 9:35-38 in "Into His Harvest," the concludi...

Jesus gave sight to the blind and made the mute speak, and not only as a kindness to the blind and mute people he helped. Part of the reason Jesus performed miracles during his earthly ministry was to teach us about God -- and especially, to show how he continues to miracles today by the power of his Spirit. What kind of miracles are those? How can we see them? Pastor Luke looks at Matthew 9:27-34...

Which part of Jesus' earthly ministry is more important: his miracles or his teaching? In chapter 9 of Matthew's gospel, the answer seems to be his teaching...until suddenly, it looks like the miracles. What's going on there? Pastor Luke looks at Matthew 9:18-26 in "Take Heart," part 4 of his 6-part series, "Notorious."

Have you ever felt that your spiritual life didn't measure up to other people's? Some people can pray for hours, or fast for days. Does God favor people like that? Would we be blessed if we fasted and prayed more? Some people asked Jesus that question one day. His answer might surprise you. Pastor Luke looks at Matthew 9:14-17 in "New Wine," part 3 of his 6-part series, "Notorious."

Jesus has the authority to make promises about what God can and will do for someone. But who does he make those promises to? Put another way, are there people that Jesus can't help? Are there people that Jesus has to give up on? Pastor Luke looks at Matthew 9:9-13 in "Matthew's Party," part 2 of his 6-part series, "Notorious."

Easter is our celebration of Jesus' work, becoming our intermediary to connect us back to God. But what kind of intermediary is he? What are the limits of his authority, or his competencies? Pastor Luke teaches from Matthew 9:1-8 in "So You May Know," the first message in a new series, "Notorious."