Say the Word: A Lesson from a Centurion’s Faith
Some of the stories and teaching in Luke are mighty familiar. When Jesus speaks about building our house on a rock, that’s a metaphor that sticks. We must all make a decision about Jesus and the decision we make makes all the difference when the creek inevitably rises. In Luke 7:1–10 we come to a less familiar encounter between Jesus and Roman centurion. Actually, we can’t quite speak of this as an encounter at all, but an observation that leads us to a critical message from Jesus concerning how we’re saved. Before we obey Jesus, we call on Jesus to “Say the Word.”
He is Like a Man Building a House
In Luke 6:46–49 we come to the end of Jesus’ sermon the plain. Here Jesus confronts us with a question: will we build our house with a foundation on rock or with no foundation at all? There’s no in-between when the floodwaters of life come. We may have said, “Lord, Lord,” but if we have stopped with words then we will not be safe on that day. Jesus calls his disciples to make a hard break from the world, including the worldly false religion that obeys man and discards Jesus’ words.
You Hypocrite!
Jesus’ disciples are not hypocrites. Neither do we have any regard for them. This is one of Jesus’ main points in one of his first and most famous sermons, what we’ve called, the Sermon on the Plain. In Luke 6:37–45 Jesus helps his disciples not only to understand what hypocrisy is but to see hypocrites for who they are: the blind leading the blind. With Jesus’ help through a few vivid and humorous images, let’s not be among them.
Love Your Enemies
We come to one of the distinctive marks of Jesus’ disciples in Luke 6:27-36: we love our enemies. This is that famous passage where Jesus says, “turn the other cheek,” and “from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either.” Should Christians be easy targets for robbery? Must we really do this? What does Jesus’ call to love our enemies really demand of us? And how does this relate to the way Jesus has responded to some of his enemies? How can we be faithful to be like Jesus in this way? So many questions.
Blessings and Woes
Jesus just called his disciples to follow him. But where is he going? Geographically that’s not clear yet. But best we can tell Jesus is walking into trouble. Jesus has been picking fights with the religious establishment and he just appointed twelve from among his many disciples to be his apostles. Is following Jesus worth the cost? That’s the question we might ask ourselves just the same. Indeed, we have everything to lose for following Jesus and much more to gain. In Luke 6:20–26, Jesus preaches a sermon to his disciples in which he comforts them and calls them to value him above all.
A New Foundation for God’s People
Jesus has been picking fights with the religious establishment. They are infuriated and making plans for what to do with them. Meanwhile, Jesus makes plans for what to do with the religious establishment. In Luke 6:12-19, Jesus emerges from a night of prayer to appoint twelve apostles. The symbolism is clear in the number twelve. Jesus is laying a new foundation for his new people.
Lord of the Sabbath
What could two scuffles in the first century about ancient Sabbath law have to do with us today? Luke organized his gospel account carefully for our certainty, in order to stabilize our faith as Jesus’ disciples. After a series of encounters in which Jesus demonstrates what it means for him to liberate captives and bring good news, he starts running into trouble with local authorities. This week in Luke 6:1-11 we come to the climax of a series of five encounters in which Jesus not only gets in trouble but makes trouble. Over what exactly? For what purpose? We should want to know as those who follow a trouble-making savior in our own day.
The Last Song of Moses
We can hardly get through a book in our Bibles without hearing a song. God’s salvation is a story for singing. We sing it to believe it, to teach it, and to keep it in our hearts. This Sunday we come to Deuteronomy 32–the song that Moses taught Israel with Joseph on the day that Moses died. It’s a love song for a complicated relationship.
He Has Authority to Forgive Sins
Not everyone was happy that Jesus was healing the sick. We meet some of them this Sunday when Jesus draws their ire by doing something even more bold: forgiving sins. In Luke 5:17–26 we come to a passage toward which the last several encounters with Jesus have been leading. Peter confessed his sins and Jesus told him not to fear. A leper begged for cleaning and Jesus healed him and restored him to the community. Now, in this week’s passage Jesus heals to prove that he can heal our relationship with God. In short, Jesus has authority to forgive sins. It’s such a nice thing to do. But why is forgiveness a sin that some just can’t forgive?
Outcasts Welcome
“You have Leprosy.” This was a bad news diagnosis for many reasons. In ancient times “leprosy” was a catchall diagnosis for a handful of skin diseases. But more than a diagnosis it was a destination. Lepers were sent outside the community, exiled to live alone or alone with one another. In this study from Luke 5:12-16 we encounter one such leper when he encounters Jesus.
A Fishing Story
Fishermen are known to embellish their fishing stories. There is no need for embellishment in the case of Jesus’ fishing excursion with Peter. What began as a humdrum favor for Jesus who needed a little extra room to teach the crowds ended up in the transformation of Peter’s life. Here we see Peter become a disciple. But more than that, we see Peter called into Jesus’ service as a disciplemaker.
What Is this Word?
The people from his hometown attempted to murder Jesus, to throw him off a cliff. Claiming to be the savior of the world turns out to be dangerous business. At least it is for the demons who ask in this week’s text, “Have you come to destroy us?” Why would they say such a thing? Because Jesus was teaching and preaching with authority. The people of Capernaum were astonished and the demons trembled. All at the word of Jesus. Jesus’ powerful word is at work among us and in us and through us today.
The Angel Gabriel Was Sent from God
Luke begins his story of the gospel in 1:5–38 with the stories of four characters and their visits by an angel named Gabriel. We’ve become familair with these names and encounters but perhaps in a way that takes the shock and awe and even terror out of them. But Luke would have us to ponder the upside down nature of Jesus’ good news by way of these surprising first announcements of its coming arrival.
An Orderly Account for You
This sermon from Luke 1:1–4 begins our journey through the third account of the good news of Jesus Christ. Here is a story of great reversals and great joy for all people—which means this is good news for us. In these opening lines, Luke prepares his original audience to read his book. With these opening lines, we prepare to hear this book preached. How should we listen? What should we listen for? What do we hope to gain? Here is a story of great reversals and great joy for all people—which means this is good news for us. May we be a church easily edified by the Word, a church of expository listeners.
Life in the Lord’s Service
Isaiah’s 55th chapter offered us a feast of rich food without price, forgiveness and fellowship at the cost paid by the Suffering Servant. We might be tempted to think that Isaiah should be done at that point. What more is there to offer? What more is there to give? Apparently at least eleven more chapters. And this is good news, for God sent his Servant to suffer and rise for more than our forgiveness but for our complete transformation. In this final section of Isaiah’s prophecy, chapters 56–66, we see how great a transformation our Lord has in mind, not only of his people but of the entire cosmos.
The Servant’s Invitation
What is the first thing we must do upon hearing and receiving the work of God’s servant? We must sing! Singing is the sound of God’s forgiveness and transforming work breaking into our lives. After each Servant Song, Isaiah has called on us to sing. Now devotes a stretch of two chapters, chapters 54–55, to that very cause. Maybe singing is more important than we thought. Maybe our Lord loves to hear our voices more than we have imagined.
The Servant’s Resurrection
What was Jesus looking forward to on the other side of his cross? The cross was anguish, distressing, and horrifying. He who knew no sin became sin for us. But what was in it for him on the other side? Sharing his life with us. This Sunday’s sermon from Isaiah 53:10–12 brings us to Isaiah’s prophecy of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Here we get a peek into the inner life of our Lord, revealed through the prophet many years before Christ came. Here is where the Lord Jesus’ inner life was nurtured by the Scriptures as he grew and matured on his journey to the cross.
The Servant’s Rejection
Things are not always as they seem. Jesus did not seem to be all that much to those who looked on him in his life. When he was young, he wasn’t that special. Who would expect a boy to be the answer to the world’s problems? His sufferings in life only seemed to confirm the obvious: that this was not our man. Some said he was a blasphemer. Some said he was a common criminal. Others said he was a troublemaker. To some who hoped for more, he was another failed prophet. But his rejection by us turned out to be a rejection for us. Who would have known? None of us apart from the revelation of God concerning his Servant in Isaiah 52:13–53:6.
The Servant’s Obedience
We don’t just need an innocent savior who can take away our sin by taking our punishment. We need a positively obedient savior who can give us his righteousness, who can show us the path of obedience. As Isaiah 50:4-11 teaches, Jesus is such a Servant for us. His obedience is the beginning of ours.
The Servant’s Name
It matters for every Christian if Christ truly is our salvation according to the Scriptures. If the Bible’s story of salvation is not a unified story then Christ is not salvation for us. He’s just another first century man laying claim to the role of messiah. This week brings us to the second of four “Servant Songs” at the heart of Isaiah’s message. The first song dealt with the servant’s mission. This song in Isaiah 49:1–13 deals with the servant’s identity. This servant, “Israel,” is both the nation and an individual who restores the nation and incorporates the nations into the people of God.
The Servant’s Task
There is always more to see of Jesus. In Isaiah 42:1–9, we come to the first of four “Servant Songs” as they are often called. With this passage we begin our journey into the heart of Isaiah’s “good news” story. The story of this servant will unfold in several steps revealing who Jesus is for us and what he has done. But that revelation will not come in one step. In fact, Isaiah, a good preacher, may even trip us up along the way to a clear vision of our savior.
Out of Service
The book of Isaiah is long, expansive in the timeline it covers, and filled with obscure names and places. It’s also the book in our Bible from which we get our most familiar verses. In fact, it is that Old Testament book from which our New Testament authors and even Jesus himself derived their clearest grasp on the person of Christ and the meaning of his death. So it is to Isaiah that we turn, a book that begins with a vision of two cities, one in ruins and one in righteousness. How does the city in ruins become the city of righteousness?
If Anyone Wanders…
James has written his letter with a central driving concern: to see wanderers brought back to God. He has been kind and he has been severe. He has addressed us as beloved brothers and he has called out our spiritual adultery. In all of this he holds out the prospect of God’s forgiveness and grace. James 5:19–20 brings us to the concluding words of James’ letter, a call to come to the rescue, to seek out those who are wandering, and to bring them back. How do we know when someone is wandering? How can we bring them back? These are the questions we will explore together with James’ capable help.
Baptism: A Sign of Obedience
Baptism is an act of obedience. That is true. But what if I told you that baptism is also a sign of a new life of obedience? Would that sound like a contradiction? Didn’t Jesus die because we don’t obey? Yes. But he was raised so that we would walk in newness of life. Obedience has a bad wrap. That Jesus came that we might be obedient to him sounds like a bait and switch. But that is only because we have no idea how great a master Jesus is for us or how great a life he came to give. We go under the water with Jesus in baptism to go on with Jesus in a life of obedience. This message is embedded at the very end of Jesus’ famous great commission in Matthew 28:20. This new life is part of the good news we picture in the sign of baptism.
Let Him Pray
In James 5:13–18 James turns his attention and ours to the matter of prayer. God wants to hear from us in every circumstance of life—when we’re suffering and when we’re cheerful. We need him when we’re suffering, lest we turn against him in bitterness or from him in despair. We need him just the same when we’re cheerful, lest we forget the source of our blessing. This encouragement is to be expected from the Apostle. But then he tells us to call the elders when we’re sick in order that they would pray over us, anoint us with oil, and to pray in faith that we would be healed. This passage will require some work to understand in order to protect us from confusion in our sickness and in order to help us when we are in sin.
Be Patient for the Coming of the Lord
James began by speaking of trials, the need for endurance, and reward that awaits those who wait for the Lord’s coming. Now, in chapter 5:7–12 he returns to these themes as he brings his letter in for a close. James understands full well the difficulties that his readers face for Jesus’ name. He minimizes none of their troubles. But neither does he accommodate their sin. For under such pressures they are tempted in many ways; tempted to grumble against one another, to deceive one another, to give up on the Christian life altogether. For their encouragement, James holds out the coming of the Lord as an answer for every form of impatience.
The King’s Reception
Jesus is heaven’s greatest treasure for the world. He is also the greatest threat to this world’s kings and kingdoms. No surprise, then, that “king Herod” and kings today plot against God’s anointed and those who take refuge in him. In Matthew 2:1–2 we witness how Jesus’ birth was received. No one had a better birth announcement than Jesus. No one had a more conflicted reception.
The King’s Line
This sermon begins a four-part preaching series through Matthew 1–2, The Birth of Jesus Christ. The story of Jesus’ birth begins with his backstory, his genealogy. Genealogies are important for a variety of reasons. In the case of the Messiah, genealogies give us confidence that he really is the One. Specifically, that he is the great son of David, the one promised who would save his people from their sins. But, more than that, that we can be one of his.
Baptism: A Sign of Safe Passage
The sign of baptism pictures our union with Christ in his death and in his resurrection to newness of life. This is the heart of the Bible’s story and our story as Christains. But it is not the beginning of the story, nor is it the end. When Peter wrote to first century churches concerning the sign of baptism in 1 Peter 3:18–22, he said baptism corresponds to the waters in the story of Noah. How exactly does baptism correspond to the waters of Noah’s flood? This question will guide into the deeper things of the Bible’s story so that we might go deeper into the heart of God for sinners deserving judgment.
The Cries that Reach the Ears of the Lord
James 5:1–6 brings us to James’ sharp condemnation of the worldly rich who oppress the poor. He is not writing as to be heard by them but, rather, to be heard by the church, thereby to comfort the church and warn believers against envying the rich. The rich unbelievers who harm the church have made a grave miscalculation, investing in this world’s riches at the expense of eternal life.
If the Lord Wills…
This week we come to an especially memorable passage in James’ letter, 4:13–17. Here James offers us a memorable line to speak as we make our plans: “If the Lord wills…” It’s a misused phrase, sometimes to bless our own plans and at other times as a mindless mantra. But far worse, we neglect to acknowledge the Lord in our plans for the future. According to James, one of the most evil things we can do is to make careful plans for tomorrow without accounting for the Lord who holds all of our days. This is a convicting truth. But equally as comforting.
Who Are You to Judge Your Neighbor
We have all heard the expression, “who are you to judge your neighbor?” But perhaps not in the right context or from the right motive. This week we come to a short passage in James’ letter that addresses a very great problem: the problem of defaming speech. James has helped us with our speech by showing us the destructive reach of our words through the metaphor of a fire. This week he returns to this subject to show us the reach of our speech in a different direction; the direction of heaven. By our evil words against our brothers we seek to put ourselves in the very place of God. This week in James 4:11–12, we find out how good it is that God is not like us, for the church is a people brought forth by a word of grace and truth, rather than grievance and judgment.
He Gives Grace to The Humble
James has addressed his readers as “brothers” and “dear brothers.” Now, in James 4:4–10, we come to the heart of the book with this dramatic accusation: “You adulteress people!” The division between believers is owing to a division within the members themselves, and this division is rooted in a division between the people and their Lord captured in this imagery of marital infidelity. This is a wake up call to repentance, to humbly return to the God who yearns jealously over his people. This is also a word concerning our God’s jealousy for a loving, warm, and faithful relationship with his people, a relationship that begins with humility. What does that humility look like? James does more than tell us to humble ourselves, but he shows us what this humility looks like.
Those Who Make Peace
James picked up his pen to write because of his great concern for the churches in his day. Jesus is the Prince of Peace, but you would not know it by looking at some of these churches. But James is not without encouragement. He writes in 3:13–4:3 to commend the peacemakers among us, to show us where peace comes, and how we may help it along in our church today.
The Tongue
Now it’s time for James to talk to us about our tongues. The tongue, of course, is just a figure of speech for speech itself. As we’ve said, James is intensely practical, but that doesn’t always feel good. Here in James 3:1–12, Jesus’ brother applies Jesus’ words about the words that come from our mouths. These words are the overflow of the heart. James reveals our problem, but he also tells us it doesn’t have to be this way. In fact, it should not be this way. And God has grace and more grace to make it so if we will only humble ourselves and receive his perfect and implanted Word.
A Harvest for God’s People
Speaking for myself, I don’t spend too much time thinking of where food comes from. If you’re like me, we are the exception. Amos’ vision of a new creation is one of incredible bounty and beauty, flowing and overflowing with food and drink. The best part? We get to enjoy this as recipients of God’s grace, for he will include some from every nation in this blessed feast. None of us deserve it. That’s the point of most of the book of Amos leading up to chapter 9:11–15.
Faith Apart from Works is Dead
James 2:14–26 is the most theological section of James’ letter. Perhaps no surprise it is also the most controversial. James, at one point, appears to directly contract the Apostle Paul on the heart of the gospel? I’ll say the quiet part out loud: does James even understand the gospel? A faithful reading of this passage will put that question right back to us.
Show No Partiality
It is a contradiction with Jesus’ kingdom and God’s very nature for God’s people to show partiality. What is partiality? Partiality is making value judgments about one another based on appearances, based on worldly advantage. This sin plagued the churches to whom James wrote. We do well to study his rebuke and his reasoning in James 2:1–13 to protect our own church from this soul-dividing sin.
Our Father’s Kind of Religion
It runs in the family. We all know that phrase. And we all know what it means. It’s true that children display characteristics and traits that reflect their parents. This is true of God’s children as well. They know and reflect the Word and ways and love of their Father in heaven. That simple truth will go a long way to helping the churches to whom James writes with great concern. There are plenty who are faithful, but these churches are dangerously lax on the whole. Many care about looking religious more than looking like the Father. With God’s help in this short passage, James 1:26–27, we will not only know ourselves better but the God who brought us forth by the Word of truth.
Slow to Speak, Slow to Anger
Anger is a real problem. It looks different for each of us. Some of us are venters burning off our anger with many words while others are volcanos that erupt after a long period of build up. There are many other unproductive ways to handle our anger. In the moment we feel justified and righteous in our anger, but with some reflection we’re often willing to admit that anger is indeed a problem for us. Our justice antennas are broken and biased. We are provoked by many wrongs, yes, but we also commit many wrongs ourselves. What help does God’s Word offer us in our anger? This is the subject that James turns to next in James 1:19–25.
Do Not Be Deceived
Each of us has a love/hate relationship with temptation. On the one hand, we have been down this road before, reaping the consequences of the sins we willingly commit. On the other hand, we are going down this road again because somehow we actually believe the promise of sin over the reality of sin’s consequences. This is no way to stability, to completeness, to wholeness. Sin is inherently destabilizing and disintegrating. Where do we begin in our fight against temptation? We begin with God. Not because he is the tempter, but because temptation gets its power by lying to us about him in order that we might believe lies about everything else. Are you a sinner? You need this sermon.
Count It All Joy
James’ first chapter is itself an introduction to the whole book. We might preach it in one sermon. But his language is so careful, his imagery so vivid, and his logic so subtle, that we do well to linger even on his introduction. He begins into the body of his letter with a direct attack on conventional wisdom: “Count it all joy when you meet trials of various kinds”? How can James say this and, more importantly, how can we say this? That’s what we explore together in this sermon from James 1:2–11.
Meet James
The book of James is well known and loved for its practical words on a variety of topics, from trials to the tongue, from money to mercy. You can read the book in short of ten minutes and immediately appreciate James’ direct style. But does James have a central overarching concern? Did he set out to write a brief summary of Christian ethics or is there a particular problem he means to address that brings unity to his book? If so, we should want to know what that is so we might hear God’s voice to us in this ancient letter.
Bear With My Word of Exhortation
What is a sermon? What is preaching? What should we expect from our preachers and, just as important, from ourselves as hearers? Are we left to ourselves with these questions or we have an example of preaching in the Scriptures to inform our answers? Yes, we do. The book of Hebrews is a written sermon, the only example we have in the New Testament of a sermon for a local congregation. In fact, the author intentionally shapes our perspective on the act of preaching when he writes, “I appeal to you, brothers, bear with my word of exhortation, for I have written to you briefly” (Heb. 13:22). In doing so, he helps us listen well and receive what we hear. Let’s be a churc known for expository preaching but also expository listening, in order that we might be a church strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus who speaks to us through the Word.
Great Shepherd of the Sheep
The book of Hebrews is a letter crafted from start to finish with the utmost care. Now, we arrive at the finish, this week and next. Our author has leveraged poetry, Old Testament quotations and figures and stories, itricate argumentation, repeated and searing warnings, and stunning encouragement. Now, at the end, we come to the benediction. But what is a benediction exactly? What more is there to say after all that we have read? What more is there to do for our sake? Quite a lot actually and in just two verses. In this sermon on Hebrews 13:20–21, we explore these questions in order to hear and receive all that God means to grant us for the journey home.
Church Life
Much of our journey through Hebrews has been a journey into the clouds, metaphorically and spiritually. Our high priest has passed through the heavens in order to take us there with him before the Father’s throne of grace. But this heavenly mindedness is not without earthly good. In fact, in chapter 13, the author gets into our relationships, our budgets, and even our marriage beds. Now, in verses 7–16 he gets into our kitchen, the church kitchen to be more metaphorically specific. Here we are directed concerning our life as a church—from leadership to what we’re feeding on to our worship and fellowship. All the topics we find in those church growth books. Here is teaching for our church’s growth in maturity on the journey to our heavenly city.
Marriage, Money, and What Man Can’t Do to Us
Sex and money are two of the most painful subjects on the planet. Humans are universally bad with these. But these powerful threats to our happiness are also the source of great happiness—happiness that multiplies in the lives of others when we get it right. It’s why these topics are paired in the Ten Commandments and it’s why the author of Hebrews takes them up for our sake in Hebrews 13:4–6. God’s unshakable kingdom includes these gifts and the church is the place where we know how to use them.
Let Brotherly Love Continue
The book of Hebrews has taken us to the heights of our theology, the truth we believe about Christ, and even the very place he takes us, to the throne of God in heaven. Now, in Hebrews 13:1–3 we come down from the clouds not to leave that glorious truth behind, but to show it off. What does it look like to show off the truth that we have received an unshakable kingdom? It looks like the love of the saints for one another in local churches, love for Christian strangers traveling through, even love for those who are locked up somewhere else, for they belong to us.
A Final Warning
Have you ever ignored a warning and come to regret it? On every page of Scripture and in every Sunday sermon we are being wooed by God into his worship. That is true. His kindness leads us to repentance. He is a God of steadfast love and mercy. But we are equally being warned. For if we refuse the voice of the God who promises us a heavenly country, an unshakable kingdom, we will not only miss out but we will receive the earth and heaven shaking wrath of God. Let that not be you.
We Run Together
You understand that the Christian life is a race that requires endurance. Check. You read and hear the Scriptures preached each week. Check. You seek the Lord in prayer for help. Check. But you remain weak, exhausted, and dangerously close to falling out of the race. What are you missing? What more could we need for this race we are in? That’s the question that our author addresses in Hebrews 12:12–17.
A Father’s Discipline
Fatherhood is no small calling and discipline is no small part of fatherhood. We might even say that discipline is the uniquely distinguishing characteristic of a father to a son. Are you discouraged in your struggle against sin? Alternatively, are you despondent, even dangerously so? Perhaps you’re forgetting something: that you are a son of the father and that your hardships are his love for you.
Looking to Jesus on the Throne
How did Jesus endure the cross? How did any of the saints of old endure their various sufferings? Thankfully, the Lord gives us more than a call to endure for Christ but a vision of Christ to help us endure. Thankfully, he gives us more than Jesus on a cross to behold as an example, but Jesus enduring for the joy set before him: the throne and all that comes with it, including forever fellowship with the Father and with us.
Faith that Finishes Well
Does God praise only the faith of a few famous Old Testament characters? What about us? What are we to make of God’s posture toward us when the costs for faith seem steep and unrelenting? We come now to the end of the list, that list of Old Testament characters who lived and died by faith recorded for us in Hebrews 11. But this is no soft landing. Hebrews 11:32–40 bursts names, spectacular feats through faith, and cruel deaths, also in faith.
Faith That Looks Forward to a Homeland