Pastor Mike Impact Ministries

Todaywe are moving on to a new chapter, Luke 23. This chapter tells us about thetrial of Jesus and His crucifixion and death on the cross. We believe this isone of the great chapters of the Bible, along with the other Gospel accounts ofJesus giving His life on the cross for you and me. This is the climax of humanhistory where God Himself literally goes to a cross and pays the payment forour sins....

Today I want to focus on how Jesus suffered and how He faced that suffering andwhat we can learn from His example. Peter 2:19-24 tells us: For to this you were called, because Christalso suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:  "Who committed no sin, Nor was deceitfound in His mouth"; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return;when He suffered, H...

Welcometo Pastor's Chat today. It's hard to smile as we begin this chat, thinkingabout what took place this past Friday in Texas with the death of so manychildren and others as those devastating floods hit that state. First, let mejust say I was raised in Texas. I was born in Dallas and lived my first tenyears of life in Texas. All my cousins, aunts, and uncles on both my mother'sand f...

Thequestion I have today is, what will it take for the Lord to bring you torepentance, to call you back to Himself, for you to recognize your failure justas Peter did? Well, God used a rooster to get Peter's attention after he haddenied the Lord three times. You might remember in the Old Testament, God useda donkey to talk to Balaam to get his attention and remind him he was going inthe wrong...

Todaywe're looking at Luke chapter 22:54-62. Here we see Peter's steps to failure. Wecan look at what he did and how he got to where he would deny the Lord and evencurse and swear. And then we can apply these things to our lives and learn howwe can stand strong in the face of temptation by looking at his steps tofailure. Remember, a couple days ago we said Peter’s first step was pride. Pet...

Happy Fourth of July. I pray today that you'll have theopportunity to celebrate America with millions of other people. We have been soblessed to be able to live in the greatest nation in the course of humanhistory besides the nation of Israel. An America that was founded on Bibleprinciples. An America that believed, as it was being founded by ourforefathers, that we were created by God.   InGo...

Today we're continuing in Luke 22:54-62. In verse 54 it says, "Having arrested Him, they led Him, Jesus, and brought Him into thehigh priest's house, but Peter followed at a distance." So, we'regoing to look at this passage of Scripture over the next several days and talkabout how Peter fell into the temptation of denying the Lord at a time whenJesus crucially needed him to s...

Jesushas been praying with His disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane when Judasshows up with a “multitude” of the temple guards to arrest Jesus. To get thefull picture of this event, I highly recommend that you read all four Gospelaccounts. John tells us that Jesus “went forth” to meet Judas and those withhim and asked, “Whom are you seeking?” They answered, “Jesus of Nazareth” andJesus said, “I a...

Welcometo Pastor's Chat. Today we continue to look at Luke chapter 22. At this point,we're with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. He's been praying with three ofHis disciples—Peter, James, and John. They've been sleeping while He's beenpraying. Interestingly,one version says that Jesus said, “Then cometh he to his disciples, andsaith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest...

The Garden of Gethsemane is a beautiful, awe-inspiringplace, a place of holy ground, we believe. There, our tour group will gatheraround an old olive tree that I'm sure does not date back to the time of Christ2,000 years ago. The Romans probably destroyed the Garden when they destroyedJerusalem in AD 70 when Titus invaded the city and no doubt destroyed all thetrees around it. But this tree co...

Today,we're continuing to look at the mysteries of Gethsemane in Luke 22:40-46. Jesus is preparing for that hour, the hour that He willlay down His life on the cross for the sins of the world. Literally, when Satandoes everything he can to keep Him from the cross. But what the devil means for badand evil, the Bible tells us, God often means for good.   The first Adam, who should never have sin...

Today,we're continuing to meditate and look atthe scene of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane with His disciples. Remember, Heleft eight of them somewhere—we're not sure where—but took three of them,Peter, James, and John, a little further. Then immediately He told them inverse 40, “Pray that you enter not into temptation.” Now Matthew’sGospel tells us that He also said to them at that time...

Jesus kneels to pray, saying, "Father, if it is Yourwill, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, bedone."   Thenan angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. And being in agony, Heprayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood fallingdown to the ground. When He rose up from prayer and had come to His disciples,He found them sl...

When Jesus gets to the garden, He takes three of the inner circledisciples—Peter, James, and John—and goes a little further.   Jesusleft eight of the other disciples somewhere else in the garden, and He takesthese three a little further. What's interesting is that this is the third timethat Jesus has shared a special occasion with these three men. The first waswhen Jesus raised Jairus's da...

On Thursday evening that we're looking at here in Luke chapter 22,Jesus has the Passover meal with His disciples, and there He institutes theLord's Supper. Somewhere between the Passover meal and the institution of the Lord’sSupper, Judas leaves to go gather the soldiers that will arrest Jesus. It is aroundthis same time, Jesus told Peter, "You're going to betray Me threetimes.&qu...

Today,we will go back to Luke 22:17-20. It was when the Passover meal was drawing toa close (Matthew 26:25; Luke 22:20) that Jesus instituted the ordinance thatthe church calls "The Communion" (1 Cor. 10:16), or "The Lord'sSupper" (1 Cor. 11:20), or "The Eucharist," from the Greek wordwhich means "to give thanks."   ThePassover feast opened with a prayer...

Welcometo Pastor's Chat. Today, we're continuing in Luke chapter 22, looking at verses35 through 38. Jesus is with the disciples in the upper room, or in the processof leaving for the Garden of Gethsemane. Judas has already gone to gather Romansoldiers to arrest Jesus and take Him to trial. It’s Thursday evening, but inthe Jewish calendar, it’s Friday, and Jesus knows He will be crucified....

Welcometo Pastor's Chat. Today, we're continuing in Luke chapter 22. The Lord has beenin the upper room with His disciples, sharing the Passover supper. As we'll seetomorrow, He also instituted the Lord's Supper for future generations like youand me. Now, the Lord is leaving the upper room with His disciples and headingto Gethsemane. Judas has already left, as Jesus had just told t...

Today,we're looking at Luke chapter 22:24-30. Jesus has just revealed that Judas isHis betrayer, who went out to gather men to arrest Him and take Him to the highpriest to be crucified. Now, Jesus is still at the table with His disciples,and an astonishing thing happens next. In verse 24, a dispute arises among themabout which of them should be considered the greatest.   Thiswas not the first...

Today,we're continuing to look at Luke 22. We are now in the upper room on Thursdayevening with our Lord Jesus Christ and His twelve disciples. In verses 14–16, theyhave sat down at the table to eat the Passover meal with Jesus the night beforeHe will be crucified. According to John’s Gospel (John 13), Jesus had risenfrom the table and washed all the disciple’s feet which would have includedJu...

Lukedoesn’t go into detail about the different aspects of the Passover lamb beingeaten, or the different cups that they drink representing certain aspects ofthe Exodus and redemption, but we know several things took place at this time. The Gospel of John tells us in John 13, before the feast of the Passover, whenJesus knew that His hour had come—remember, in verse 14 of Luke 22, alsomentions when...

Today,we're focusing on verses 14–16, which say, "When the hour had come, He,Jesus, sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him. Then He said to them, 'Withfervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in thekingdom of God.'" Most Bible scholars believe that the following verses17...

Today, we're looking at Luke chapter 22. This chapterdescribes the events that took place on Thursday of Passion Week. Remember, onThursday evening, when the sun went down, it was actually the beginning of theJewish day, Friday. This is the day the Passover lamb would be killed.   Twothings stand out in this passage to me that I've noticed over the years, and hascaught my attention. I'...

Today,as we look at Luke chapter 22, we need to remember the setting behind thischapter, focusing on what was happening in Jerusalem during the week ofPassover, what we call Passion Week. Therewas tremendous excitement this week in Jerusalem as the Passover was takingplace. Over 100,000, perhaps 300,000 or more, Jewish pilgrims had come to thecity. They had been looking for the Messiah for centuri...

Todaywe're looking at Luke chapter 22. We believe this chapter describes the eventsthat took place on Thursday of Passover Week and what we also call PassionWeek. This is the day that Jesus would prepare for the Passover with Hisdisciples because He knew He was the Passover Lamb. Remember the story of theExodus when the Passover lamb was killed, the blood was sprinkled on thedoorpost and linte...