Genesis 1 should be a wonderful reminder of God’s greatness and goodness, and our need for gratitude and dependence. But we’ve all heard it so many times, that it quickly loses its significance, and our gratitude and dependence become entitlement and independence. But God IS great, and God IS good, so let’s give Him the glory He deserves.
Genesis 1:1 - "In The Beginning, God"
Without God, life is meaningless. Since all of reality is rooted in the Person of God, we must look to Him for meaning. The first line of Scripture introduces God as being above all, before all, and behind all.
Luke 24:50-53 - "A Blessed Beginning"
Christianity began with the blessing of Christ, and we must continue to abide in His blessing in order to worship, rejoice and praise as we should. Today’s passage reminds us of Christ’s blessing, out of which the Church is born.
Luke 24:36-49 - "Peace, Purpose + Power"
God has given us all that we need for life and godliness, so that “in Christ” we can live peacefully, purposefully, and powerfully for His glory. But all of this is contingent upon the reality of the Resurrection. In today’s passage, we are going to see how Jesus provides proof of life, which leads to purpose and power for living.
Luke 24:13-35 - "The Road to Emmaus"
If it were up to us, we’d fall into relational passivity in our relationship with God. But, thankfully, God pursues us and reveals Himself so that we can have a relationship with Him. And we see this vividly in the post-Resurrection appearances of Jesus. The Risen Lord pursues people, and calls us to respond in faith. In our passage, we see how Jesus engages two of His followers, and how He elicits a response of faith from them.
Luke 23:55--24:12 - "The Resurrection"
Christians and non-Christians alike struggle to understand the significance of the Resurrection. To put it simply, if it really happened, then we can really have hope in this life. In today’s passage, we see how the Resurrection confirms our beliefs and confronts our unbelief.
Luke 23:44-56 - "The Sacrificial Lamb"
When we fail to think about Jesus’ birth in light of His death, our Christmas celebration begins to lose some of the richest truths of the Christian faith. Together, the birth and death of Jesus paint a vivid portrait of God’s purposeful plan to save us from sin and death, and the extent to which we embrace these truths is the extent to which we will experience God’s grace and peace in Christ.
Luke 23:32-43 - "The Cross"
When we wonder what God is like, all we have to do is look to the Cross of Christ. It teaches us that God forgives, if we will simply turn to Jesus in faith. Today’s passage shows us God’s forgiving heart, and how we can turn to Jesus for forgiveness.
Luke 23:26-31 - "The Way to the Cross"
In this life, suffering is inevitable, so the issue isn’t whether we will suffer, but rather HOW we will choose to suffer. In our passage, we see two very different options: we can choose to suffer with Jesus, or we can suffer without Him.
Luke 22:63--23:25 - "The Trials of Jesus"
In today’s passage, we see two of the effects of human injustice: the innocent being abused and accused, and the guilty being excused. But in the midst of these grave injustices, God is working out His plan of redemption so that the very effects of human injustice would become the foundation stones of divine grace and mercy.
Luke 22:47-62 - "Rejecting Jesus"
We all have sinful natures, so we all have selfish tendencies. Most of the time, we just don’t understand how destructive these can be to our Christian calling. In today’s passage, Luke highlights the fact that selfish motives will lead us to reject Jesus, and so we must prayerfully consider our motives.
Luke 22:31-46 - "Difficulty + Dependence"
Today’s passage addresses the issue of our dependence on God. All too often, we think we can depend on ourselves. That’s why circumstances that reveal our weakness can actually become wonderful opportunities to experience God’s strength.
Luke 21:5-38 - "Clarity + Certainty in Christ"
Looking at the world without a Christian worldview leads to confusion and uncertainty. We begin to place our hope in earthly things, and run the risk of walking away from the faith when the going gets tough. But listening to Christ leads to clarity and certainty, so we should always look at life through a Christ-centered lens.
Luke 20:45--21:4 - "Keeping Up Appearances"
Today’s passage is a great reminder that the “glittery” external of our spiritual lives can mask over sin. Sometimes we cover over things like pride or greed by simply trying to look and act more spiritual. And this issue of spiritual integrity affects all of us in some way. But keeping up spiritual appearances keeps us from spiritual growth, so we need to abandon pretense and embrace the Spirit-enabled process of becoming like Christ. In today’s passage, we see Jesus heavily criticizing the mere appearance of spirituality and sacrifice.
Luke 20:19-44 - "Questions + Answers"
In today’s passage, the religious leaders go toe-to-toe with Jesus for three rounds. Each round centers on one of three questions, which, together, illuminate Who Jesus is and what He taught concerning the legitimacy of Roman rule, the reality of the resurrection, and the identity of Messiah.
Luke 19:45--20:19 - "The Authority of Jesus"
At the end of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus says that He has been given “all authority in Heaven and on earth.” And since Christ has absolute authority in all things, then we must learn to submit to His authority in every area of our lives. In today’s passage, Jesus demonstrates and defends His authority, but the religious leaders dismiss Him because they’re too stubborn and prideful to submit to His will.
Luke 19:28-44 - "The Triumphal Entry"
Christ modeled bold obedience, and we will, too, as we grow in Christ-likeness. In today’s passage, we see how an understanding of His identity and purpose played a role in Jesus’ bold obedience.
"Our Core Values"
The better we understand our core values, the better we can live out our unique church identity with clarity and resolve, for the glory of God.
Luke 19:11-27 - "The Return of the King"
When we lose the hope of Jesus returning tomorrow, we tend to lose sight of His purpose for us today. But Scripture is clear that our King is coming back, and so we must remain faithful in the meantime. Today’s passage first focuses on the recognition of the returning King, and then turns to what will happen when He returns.
Luke 19:1-10 - "Greediness Healed"
We often fail to see ourselves and others in light of Christ’s purpose and power. So today’s passage is a wonderful reminder of His purpose, which is also our purpose, which He empowers us for. Jesus came to seek and save the lost, and He does it through us.
