Northwest Gospel Church - Eastside

Andrew Murch • This week, we come to Luke 18:15-34. While a number of these verses are often quoted and referenced, there is an underlying theme that must not be missed: the kingdom of God. Here, Jesus instructs his disciples on the posture of one who wishes to be a part of that kingdom, the things of this world that blind us to the reality of that kingdom, and what it will cost for that kingdom t...

Andrew Murch · Jesus Christ is risen! This Easter, we continue in The Gospel According to Luke: Kingdom Stories. Luke 18:9-14 contains the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. Through this interesting scene, Jesus instructs his followers on the necessity of humility and the danger of self-righteousness.

This Good Friday, we remember the suffering of Jesus and how it informs our lives as his followers. Christ's suffering leads to our redemption and our suffering is redeemed.

Andrew Murch · At first glance, this text appears to be about prayer. While there are principles about prayer that can be gathered from this parable, the primary point is the vindication of God’s suffering people. The point here is that “God patiently listens to his elect as they pray in their continuing distress, waiting for the proper time to act on their behalf” (The Expositor’s Bible Commentar...

Andrew Murch · In our passage this week the Pharisees finally ask the question that has been a long time coming. When will this kingdom come? Again wanting to test Jesus, these religious leaders ask this question then wait to catch Jesus as they have so many times before. But Jesus doesn’t respond to their question in the heretical way they were hoping. Instead, Jesus describes to them the true re...

Drew Dyck · This week, Luke is tying together temptation, confession to one another, faith, and being faithful servants of God. As Jesus makes his way to Jerusalem, and ultimately his death, he is teaching his disciples how they live out the Kingdom Ethic when he is gone. He provides no room for loner Christianity, but he also doesn’t forget personal accountability. We are responsible for how we l...

Andrew Murch · This week, Luke is tying together temptation, confession to one another, faith, and being faithful servants of God. As Jesus makes his way to Jerusalem, and ultimately his death, he is teaching his disciples how they live out the Kingdom Ethic when he is gone. He provides no room for loner Christianity, but he also doesn’t forget personal accountability. We are responsible for how w...

Gavin Hesse · Covering topics like money, John the Baptist, the Law and the Prophets, and even divorce, this week’s text is Jesus’ response to the questions, attitudes, and heart condition of Israel's religious leaders. As we go through this week’s text, let’s examine our own hearts and make sure that they line up with the words of Jesus and the kingdom of God.

Andrew Murch · The parable of the dishonest manager is rather perplexing at first read. But, when we look closely, there's an important message that Jesus wants to teach his followers. Jesus, speaking to his disciples, urges them to be faithful in all their dealings with wealth. The world is often more intentional with their wealth than believers are (v. 8). While the world’s methods and means are...

Andrew Murch · The story of the Prodigal Son is not only the story of the tax collectors and sinners in Jesus’ day, but of all of us today. We are created to be with God and experience relationship with him, but we have all rebelled and gone our own way (Isaiah 53:6). This story teaches us that despite our rebellion, God is overjoyed to bring us back into relationship with him. Our God is a gracio...

Andrew Murch · It’s no coincidence that last week’s passage ends with Jesus’ words: “He who has ears to hear, let him hear,” and then this week’s passage begins with the religious elites grumbling and complaining about the sinners that are drawing near to Jesus. Jesus answers their complaints, as he often does in Luke’s Gospel, with three stories. These parables all have a similar theme: heaven re...

Andrew Murch · It seems that Jesus is all about the wedding metaphors in this section of the Scriptures. Jesus’s heart is to fill his banquet up with people. So, he sends out the invites to all who will come. And thank Jesus that he did, because that includes you and me! Jesus concludes by advising his disciples to count the cost. At the end of this section we’re left to consider, will we RSVP to...

Andrew Murch · This week, we see Jesus speaking through two parables. His lesson is clear: Those who assume a place of honor will find themselves humbled, but those who humble themselves to care for those who need them will find themselves exalted in the end. So, we ask ourselves, who is invited to sit around our tables?

Jake Gamble · As we jump into a new section of Luke’s gospel account, we are confronted with a scene that is all too familiar. Jesus is journeying toward Jerusalem where he has declared he will suffer, be rejected, and die. On the way, Jesus is stopping in villages and towns to teach and share the good news of God’s kingdom. Jesus instructs those listening that they should “Strive to enter through...

Todd Miles · "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." (Isaiah 7:14b) This week, we look at a passage where God, through his prophet Isaiah, promises that a son will be born miraculously to a virgin. What could more wonderful than the circumstances of this child's birth? The child's name will be Immanuel, which means 'God with us'.

Andrew Murch ·

Andrew Murch · As this season of Advent is quickly coming to its high point, we come to Isaiah 35. In this prophetic Old Testament passage, God reveals to us an amazing truth. God himself is coming to save us! This earth-shattering reality is the driving force behind our celebration of Jesus' birth. The prophet Isaiah's words give us the hope and joy necessary to faithfully proclaim "Joy to the wo...

Andrew Murch · As we continue in The Lord is Our Shepherd, we come to Psalm 23. This Psalm, written by King David, declares truths that we need to understand in order to rightly understand who Jesus is. Our God renews us, assures us, and pursues us. Here, we see that when we know the Lord, we know that all we need is the Lord.

Andrew Murch · This week, we begin our Advent sermon series: The Lord is Our Shepherd. In Genesis 48, Jacob wants Joseph's sons to know and experience the blessing and promise of the God who has been his shepherd all his life, the one who redeemed him. Here, we see that the Shepherd Redeemer never leaves his sheep.

Bill Clem · This week we close out the fourth installment of The Gospel According to Luke. In this section of Luke's account, we read about Jesus healing a woman on the Sabbath and then teaching his followers about the kingdom of God with two comparisons.

Sam Cassese · This week, we read as Jesus continues his discourse by calling the surrounding crowd to turn away from their sins. When listeners in the crowd ask Jesus about a recent event in Galilee, Jesus corrects their thinking and reminds them that Israel needs to repent. Jesus then teaches the crowd about Israel’s need to repent and bear fruit through the Parable of the Barren Fig Tree. Here,...

Jake Gamble · As we continue in Jesus’ address to his disciples and the surrounding crowds, we read of Jesus warning his followers to remain vigilant. There is no question about it... Jesus is coming back soon! So, how will that reality change the way we live now? Jesus exhorts his followers to “stay dressed for action” and “be like men who are waiting for their master.” It is in this season of wa...

Andrew Murch · As Jesus continues his teaching, someone in the crowd asks him to mediate an inheritance issue. This seems reasonable enough; to ask a rabbi to weigh in on moral issues. But Jesus turns the question on its head, instead telling a story about a man who stores up treasure for himself. He follows with a beautiful passage on anxiety, reminding us that God is sovereign and that we have a...

Sam Cassese · It's in Luke 12 where thousands upon thousands of people are gathering to see and hear Jesus. That’s when Jesus turns to his disciples and gives them important instructions about their interactions with the Pharisees and any future persecution as a result of following him. Here, we see that we are to fear the Lord and we will have nothing to fear.

Andrew Murch · Jesus’ ministry continues, more and more people know about him, and he has become more and more polarizing. Like the rest of Scripture, this week’s text puts a mirror in front of us and asks: from whom does your righteousness come from? Is it man-made or is it Christ-transformed?