The Parable of the widow reminds us to persistently pray. But . . . what prayer are we to be persistent in? Join us as we see how this small parable fits in its context and what it says about the end times. Sermon originally preached on September 19, 2010.
Tag Archives: Parables
“The Law of Unintended Consequences” – Luke 16:19-31
The Parable of the rich man and Lazarus is filled with knowledge about the afterlife. But . . . is that really what the main message of the parable is? Join us as we try to discover what Jesus wants to teach us through the lives of these two men! Sermon originally preached on September 12, 2010.
“Forward Thinking” – Luke 16:1-13
The Parable of the Unjust Steward is a strange one. What did Jesus mean when he said that we need to use our money now to make friends so that later we would be welcome into eternal dwellings? Join us as we answer this question and more. Sermon originally preached on September 5, 2010.
“Lost and Found” – Luke 15:1-10
Have you ev
er lost a kid in the store. Your heart starts pounding and you begin to break out in cold sweats, right? How do you feel though when you find them around the next corner? Relief? Happiness? Joy? That is how God feels when one sinner repents! Join us as we look at the parable of the lost coin and find out how God feels about the lost, and then see if we can learn about how we should feel about them too. Sermon originally preached on August 15, 2010.
“Zero Tolerance” – Luke 14:15-24
Blessed is the one
who will eat at the feast of God. This is a great beattitude that we find in this section of Scripture. BUT . . . who is invited to this feast? Why do the people who are invited not come? Who are the poor, the lame, and the blind that end up filling the seats? Join us as we try to identify these groups and see what we can learn from them. Sermon originally preached on August 8, 2010.
“The Few and the Proud” – Luke 14:1-14
What is humility? How do humble people look? Do they tilt their head to the side? Do they avoid self-satisfied grins? How does one look humble? In the parable of the chairs Jesus points out three symptoms of the proud, and by looking at their opposite we can find three symptoms of the humble. Join us as we explore the insidious nature of pride and how God views the proud, and also see how much God loves and exalts the humble. Sermon originally preached on July 18, 2010.
“The Sheep and the Goats” – Matthew 25:31-46
Is there a more perp
lexing parable than the parable of the sheep and the goats? I don’t think so! Some use it to push that salvation is earned through social justice. Others look at it as a works based judgment for tribulation saints. Still others hold a variety of views in between. Which one is correct? Are there things we can agree on despite our differences? Join us as we try to talk through this difficult parable and find out what it should mean to us. Sermon originally preached on June 27, 2010.
“The Inequality of Equality” – Matthew 20:1-16
Why is it that talking about salaries is a touchy subject? Isn’t it because it engenders envy, indignation, and pride. Join us as we see that the scandal of grace causes Legalists to be envious, indignant, and prideful. Sermon originally preached on June 20, 2010.
Wheelchair Olympics
I thought I 
was watching a wheelchair Olympic event Monday, but unfortunately it was someone accidentally rolling their wheelchair down into a ditch! He toppled off the side of the road end over end, like something out of a cheezy 80’s movie. I couldn’t believe my eyes. First of all, why would a guy in a wheelchair be rolling along the side of a road with a 12 inch shoulder anyway? Anybody could see that that wouldn’t end well! And, why wasn’t the guy with him trying to help him back up? That was the even bigger question. He just stood there like there was nothing more boring in the world than his handicapped friend sliding into a ditch.
When I saw this happen two things went through my mind at the same time. First, pull over and help this guy out of the ditch. And second, hurry up and get out of here. You are on the clock and what help could you possibly be anyway. They were conflicting thoughts. Which impulse should I feed, the impulse to help or the impulse to run. Ironically, that very morning I had been studying the parable of the Good Samaritan. A story about how the “religious” folk pass by the man because they had better things to do, while the enemy “Samaritan” stopped and helped in every way he could. I thought to myself, “I better practice what I preach!” I pulled over my car and jumped out and ran to the side of the ditch. Two other “Good Samaritans” had also stopped and the three of us drug his purple roto-scooter out of the ditch. When we went back down to get the handicapped man we found we didn’t have to. He walked right out of the ditch himself! I thought for a second that I had healed him with my very presence. Then the truth hit me; this guy wasn’t even really handicapped at all!
That focused me on the great truth behind the Parable of the Good Samaritan. Jesus is teaching us that we shouldn’t just help those that we think are worthy of the help. We shouldn’t just love those who love us. We shouldn’t just be neighborly to those we have already vetted. We should help anyone in need. Everyone is our neighbor, even the fake handicapped man rolling into the ditch.
“Talent on Loan From God” – Matthew 25:14-30
What doe
s it mean to be a good steward? What kinds of assets do we have to invest for the Lord? Join us as we take a look at the parable of the talents and the truth that we all have talent, treasure, and time to invest for our king! Sermon originally preached on June 13, 2010.