JLP.church Sermon Podcast

The angel who spoke to the women at the tomb reminded them that Jesus had predicted every part of his death and, now, his resurrection? Why? Was it just gloating? Or did it have a deeper significance? Pastor Luke preaches from Matthew 28:1-10 in "Come and See," the concluding message in his series, "Holy Week."

Good Friday services are somber, dark, even dismal. How could it be otherwise, with Jesus hanging there, dying on the cross in a gruesome public execution? And yet even on Good Friday, we catch a faint glint of Easter breaking through. Pastor Luke teaches from Matthew 27:1-61 in "Torn in Two," part 2 of his 3-part series, "Holy Week."

Have you ever been disappointed with God? If so, Palm Sunday is a holiday just for you. It reminds us of the time everyone was sure of what God was doing, and everyone was wrong. What can we learn from the events of Palm Sunday? Pastor Luke preaches from Luke 19:29-44 in "Palms," the first message in a new series, "Holy Week."

Have you ever wondered why people in the Bible -- or even more recently -- did the things they did? Why did God need to send prophets to warn people to stop child sacrifice or idolatry? Or, more recently, to end segregation? Was it because people in the past were just uniquely sinful -- or something else? Pastor Luke teaches from Matthew 23:29-39 in "Nobody Likes a Prophet," the concluding message...

Jesus hung out with all kinds of people, including some pretty questionable characters like tax collectors and thieves. He didn't endorse what they did, but he seemed to like them, and to be liked by them. But religious hypocrites were a different story. Why? What's so bad about being a hypocrite? Pastor Luke preaches from Matthew 23:25-28 in "Whitewash," part 3 of his 4-part series, "What Sorrow...

Jesus told some people they had their priorities wrong and it caused them to neglect the "weightier" matters of the Law. What are they? Is there some way to know how to set our priorities? Pastor Luke preaches from Matthew 23:16-24 in "Quality Control," part 2 of his 4-part series, "What Sorrow Awaits."

Some people seem to think they were appointed heaven's gatekeepers. (Maybe you've been to that church.) When Jesus got going, they were the first people Jesus talked about. What was there mistake, and how can we avoid making it ourselves? Pastor Luke teaches from Matthew 23:13-15 in "Locking the Kingdom," the first message in a new series, "What Sorrow Awaits."

Have you ever wished God would speak with you? To give you direction, perhaps, or to reassure you about something that worried you? When we read the Bible, we see God speaking, often with earthquakes and fire thrown in. But who experiences that? So how do we hear from God? The Transfiguration of Jesus gives us a key insight about how to hear God, and how to understand what God is saying. Pastor Lu...

God wants us to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with him. Why? Why is it so important to God that we relate to him in humble fashion? It might seem like God was insecure or prideful. But the real problem becomes clear when you look at the reverse\: if you look at someone who doesn't walk humbly with God. Pastor Luke teaches from Luke 18:9-14 in "Humility," the concluding message in his...

We've seen that justice is difficult, and not very loveable. Kindness is simpler, because the Golden Rule tells us what we need to do, and it makes us feel good when we see it. Why, then, is kindness so rare? Jesus says it's because we misunderstand what kindness does, and miss out on the blessing God offers with it. What did he mean? Pastor Luke teaches from Luke 6:30-38 in "Kindness," part 3 of...

Justice is hard. Things that seem clear and sharply defined turn out to have murky areas and fuzzy edges. Yet God requires his people to "do justice." How can we do that? What does God teach us to help us be just in how we do justice? In all the teaching in the Bible about justice, one idea comes through over and over again: the principle of non-partiality. What is it, and how can we apply it? Pas...

Someone considering whether to become a follower of Jesus naturally ask the question, "How much?" Are there limits to what Jesus can demand of his followers? What is someone's potential exposure? The prophet Micah described a courtroom drama where God and Israel debate whether they've lived up to the terms of their relationship. What are those and what do they tell us today when we're thinking abo...

Many people have something they'd like to change in their life. For some people, it's a job, or their location. For some, it's a new skill they'd like to learn. For others, it's a habit or a relationship they'd like to change. Or it might be habit they'd like to start -- or stop. Imagine if we could have a coach who knew us and knew our capabilities, but, even better, knew what our destiny was, an...

"As I go through the twists and turns of life, it's comforting to know that Jesus is right behind me." That sounds very good, but it's exactly backwards. People who trust Jesus are supposed to follow him. What does it look like to follow Christ? If you you look at Christians, you might imagine all sorts of things, but the picture in the Bible may surprise you. Pastor Luke teaches from John 1:29-42...

In the church year, the season after Christmas begins with a celebration of Jesus' baptism. What does that event tell us about new seasons in our own lives? For example, this is the time of year that people decide to go to the gym more often, or change their diet, or undertake some other initiative. If that's our situation, what can we learn from Jesus' baptism that we can apply to those other thi...

Epiphany is the celebration in the church calendar that remembers when wise men from the east came to visit Jesus. It's interesting that people came so far to see him, but when they were done, they went back home. Does their visit still have any significance today? What does it tell us now? Pastor Luke looks at Ephesians 3:1-12 in "Epiphany."

According to the song, "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel," Jesus is a "dayspring." That's an obsolete word that means "dawn." But why would you call Jesus that? Pastor Luke looks at Luke 1:67-79 in "Dayspring," the concluding message in his series, "O Come, Emmanuel."

The song "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" prays for the "Desire of Nations" to come. Is that Jesus or someone else? What does it even mean? The answer may surprise you. Pastor Luke preaches from Haggai 2:1-9 in "Desire of Nations," part 3 of his 4-part series, "O Come, Emmanuel."

The song "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" asks Emmanuel, who we learned about last week, to come and ransom captive Israel. Who is captive Israel, and why does he (or they?) need to be ransomed? The song goes on to say that Israel "mourns in lonely exile" here. Why is Israel mourning, and what does all this have to do with Christmas, anyway? Pastor Luke preaches from Isaiah 35:1-10 in "Ransom Captive Is...

The song "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" gets its name from one of the many titles for Jesus: "Emmanuel," a word that mean "God is with us," that God is on our side, that God has our back, that God is able and willing to do whatever's required to get us through our circumstances. When things are going well, that's a pleasant thought, but it can be hard to hang onto in the midst of bad circumstances. Ho...

If God is all-knowing, God knows better than any of us what the rules ought to be. And if God is all-powerful, we should obey them. Except, sometimes, we shouldn't. Sometimes, the Scriptures tell us about people who disobey the rules -- people who, like Jesus, don't perform the rituals in the prescribed way. People who hang out with the wrong kind of people. And yet God approves of them. How can t...

When we study the life of great people like Joseph, it's easy to shrug our shoulders and say, "They're saints. I'm not like them." It's true. Joseph truly was a great man of faith, and maybe we're not like him. He saved Egypt and Israel, and if that wasn't enough, he was helpful and forgiving besides. But that's not the best lesson about Joseph. The best lesson is the one that tells us what made J...

Joseph proposed a plan to Pharaoh, who choose Joseph to carry it out. Sometimes it works out that way for our plans, too. But sometimes, our plans don't work out, and we have to scramble to adapt when things go sideways. What does it mean when God overturns our carefully-laid plans (or permits them to be overturned by circumstances)? Joseph's story suggests how we might interpret the times in our...

Joseph is able to interpret the dreams of Pharaoh, when God warned the Egyptian about a coming famine. When there is so much misery in the world, we might ask, why doesn't God warn our leaders? Or us: why doesn't God send us dreams, so we can alleviate suffering and make the world a better place? Pastor Luke teaches from Genesis 41:1-36 in "Dreamer," part 4 of his 6-part series, "Joseph the Patria...

We can't stand to wait. Waiting in lines, waiting in traffic, waiting for our internet connection: we don't like doing any of those things. We don't like waiting on God either, even though sometimes we have to. The scriptures tell us to wait on God, but they don't say how. Or do they? What can we learn about waiting on God from the story of Joseph the Patriarch? Pastor Luke looks at Genesis 40:1-2...