Pastor Mike Impact Ministries

Luke 8:1-3 begins with Luke giving a short summary of the ministry of Christ. “ Now it came to pass, afterward ”. He seems to refer back to what had already taken place in chapters 6 and 7 with Jesus and His disciples leaving Capernaum and going to Nain and raising the dead man and upon returning to Capernaum He has the dinner with Simon the Pharisee where the sinner woman of the street washed His...

One of the major themes in Luke 8 is how to get faith and use it in the everyday experiences of life. In the first section of verses 1-21, Jesus laid the foundation by teaching His disciples that faith comes through receiving the Word of God into an understanding heart. In the second part, verses 22-56, Jesus put them through a series of "examinations" to see how much they had really learned. Most...

In Luke 7 we have the story of Simon the Pharisee who invited Jesus to his house for a dinner and how it was interrupted by a sinful woman of the street who came in and washed the feet of Jesus with her tears and then anointed them with a very expensive fragrant oil. After Simon inwardly criticized Jesus allowing this sinful woman to touch Him, Jesus told the story of a creditor who forgave two de...

Right after Jesus commended John the Baptist and Luke comments that the Pharisees rejected the will of God by not repenting and accepting the baptism of John, he tells us about a Pharisee who invited Jesus to come eat with him. This incident is only recorded in the Gospel of Luke and not found in the other Gospels. We should not confuse this event with a similar one involving Mary of Bethany in Jo...

In Luke 7, John the Baptist was having some doubts about who Jesus was as he was sitting in prison, but Jesus, instead of criticizing John, responds by commending him! What we think of ourselves, or what others think of us, is not as important as what God thinks. Jesus waited until the messengers had departed and then He publicly commended John for his ministry.   John the Baptist was not a compro...

In Luke 7, Luke takes us from the “great faith” of a Gentile Roman centurion to King Herod’s prison where a great prophet is having doubts about who Jesus is. We believe that this takes place about a year and a half from the time that John the Baptist baptized Jesus and presented Him to Israel as the Savior and Messiah.   John had been in prison some months (Luke 3:19-20), but he knew what Jesus w...

Luke 7 begins with Jesus in the city of Capernaum located on the north side of the Sea of Galilee. It was there He was approached by a group of elders asking him to come with them to heal the servant of Roman centurion. Jesus responded to their request and went with them but on the way there the centurion sent word through his friends that he felt unworthy for Jesus to enter his house but knew if...

7 Therefore I did not even think myself worthy to come to You. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. 8 For I also am a man placed under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." 9 When Jesus heard these things, He marveled at him, and turned around and said to the crowd t...

I love how Luke begins this new chapter connecting it to the previous message Jesus had just preached to the people in Luke 6. In that message Jesus told the people to love their enemies, do good to those who mistreated them, and to treat others the way they would want to be treated. Jesus basically finished that message with a reminder that the way we give to others will be the way they give to u...

In these final verses of Luke 6, Jesus concludes His message to the newly called disciples and the multitude.  He has been speaking on what it really means to be a true disciple, a genuine follower of His. You can and will be blessed or happy despite your circumstances (vv.20-26), and despite how people treat you (vv. 27-38). This will take place because you are like your Teacher, the Lord Jesus C...

39 And He spoke a parable to them: "Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch? 40 A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher.   Luke 6:20-49, is the first recorded message of Jesus in the Gospel of Luke. Jesus is preaching to the multitude and teaching His disciples at the same time. So far, we have noticed that Je...

Jesus concludes this passage on our attitude toward people with a powerful principle of Scripture that ties all the above verse together. He began by saying that we should love our enemies, do good to them, to bless them, to pray for them, and don’t fight back when they physically attack us. Then in verse 37, Jesus tells us to forgive others if we want to be forgiven. Next, in verse 38, Jesus ties...

Jesus is telling them to love their enemies, do good to those who hate them, bless those who curse them, and pray for those who spitefully use them. When someone hits them on the face, don’t hit back but turn their cheek and allow them to hit them again. When someone demands their coat, give them their shirt also, give to anyone who asks, and when things are taken away from them, don’t fight or su...

We can’t always prevent what happens to us in life, but we can determine and choose how we respond to it. Our response will determine if we will become bitter, or if we will become better.   Our natural response to people and how they treat us, is to treat them the way they treated us. If they hurt us, we want to hurt them. If they are critical of us, we want to be critical of them. If they reject...

Today we want to take a moment to recognize the military veterans of our great country who have served us and our nation for the sake of freedom. Thank you for giving up a portion of your life, whether it was by career service or a few years. You were willing to fight and sacrifice your life if called upon, so that we might continue to enjoy the liberty that is so dear to us in America. We also th...

In this message in Luke 6, Jesus is emphasizing the four essentials for true happiness. First, He deals with our attitude toward circumstances (vv. 20-26). We should respond to whatever circumstances that we encounter with faith in God’s love for us and His sovereignty over them and our lives. Next, in the verses before us today Jesus is addressing our attitude toward people and how we should alwa...

27 "But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. 29 To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. 30 Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. 31 And...

The beatitudes in verses 20-23 are followed by woes. These woes are not kindly received in the ears of so many affluent, successful, and worldly believers today. Just as we are encouraged by the Lord to have faith in God and enjoy His blessings and happiness, we are also warned by Jesus of the danger of seeking or coveting these things with a wrong attitude. The Lord's woes are aimed at things tha...

We finished out chat yesterday talking about what Jesus said about our attitude toward circumstances (Luke 6:20-26), our attitude toward people (Luke 6:27-38), our attitude toward ourselves (Luke 6:39-45), and our attitude toward God (Luke 6:46-49). In doing this, Jesus emphasized four essentials for true happiness: faith in God, love toward others, honesty with ourselves, and obedience toward God...

This sermon is very similar to what we call "The Sermon on the Mount" that we find recorded in Matthew 5-7. Some fine evangelical scholars believe these were two different events while others think that they are the same message just recorded in a shorter version here in Luke’s Gospel. Jesus went "into the hill country" with His disciples. After a night of prayer, He came down to a level place, or...

Today is a very special day as the American people go to the polls to vote on who our next president will be. I trust you have been praying, have educated yourself on the issues and the candidates, and you have voted or will vote today! This election will definitely determine the course of our country for years to come. But as important as it is, what is really needed for our great country is not...

In Luke 6:12, Jesus spent the whole night in prayer, for He was about to call His 12 Apostles from among the many disciples who were following Him. You might ask what is the difference between a disciple of Jesus and an Apostle? A disciple is a learner, one who “disciplines” him or herself to follow Jesus as an apprentice. In the New Testament an Apostle is a chosen messenger sent with a special c...

So far in Luke 6 Jesus is dealing with the criticism and questions from the Pharisees. They were convinced that He had allowed His disciples to “work” on the Sabbath when the rubbed some grains of wheat together in their hand and eat it (vs. 1-5). Secondly, they were enraged and sought to do Him harm after He healed the man with the withered hand. Jesus threatened their control over the people by...

When we come to Luke 6, we believe that Jesus is finishing His first year of ministry. At this time, He has a small group of disciples with Him, He is teaching in the synagogues and also ministering to large crowds as He travels throughout the region preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom. He is healing the sick, causing the lame to walk, and casting out demons.   But the Pharisees and religious lead...

The Pharisees were quick to find fault and criticize Jesus and His disciples as they minister to both the physical and spiritual needs of the people. First, they couldn’t believe that Jesus and His disciples would hang out with sinners. Next, they questioned their spirituality because instead of fasting like John’s disciples, they were feasting. Now in Luke 6, they are accusing Jesus and His disci...