Luke records the first major parable of Jesus. The Parable of the Sower is a parable about heart conditions. This sermon sets up the passage and seeks to show the true purpose of Jesus' parables. Implied in this parable is a call to be busy casting seed. Fruitfulness is commanded in the New Testament, but this parable reveals that true fruit is always a function of faithfulness. It is a freeing parable in many ways because there is zero focus on the sower or the seed. Rather, the central emphasis shows how true salvation and receptivity of the Gospel is an issue of the heart.

In an age of innovation, entertainment and social retooling the Church is to stand aloof as to its core activities. Established on the person of Jesus Christ through faith in the gospel and by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the Church is then called to be a light and witness to the world. However, the activities of the Church are clearly delineated in the Scripture. And one of the simplest and clearest examples of this is in Acts 2.

In this transition passage of Luke's Gospel we learn four simple principles that guided the life and ministry of Jesus. It provides a helpful model for any who desire to bear fruit for the cause of the Kingdom. We learn that God's ways for the Kingdom are utterly backwards to conventional wisdom. Jesus launched a global and eternal movement that continues today, yet He did it through seemingly backward ways. This is the way of the Kingdom, and the Church would do well to learn from His method.

There is a war on our children. And the battlefield is for their hearts and minds. And the enemy is Satan using many different entities to wage this war. But the methods are always the same if only we will have eyes to see and ears to hear. The Christian faith is to be passed on to our children and it is expected, and even commanded, that Christian parents do so.

In the debate regarding baptism too often there is not enough time spent considering the contexts of the many passages that make reference to it. But upon a closer examination it readily becomes apparent that there are more than one type of baptism in the New-Testament. In this sermon we are able to see the various types of baptisms and how, if we confuse them, it creates ample opportunity for doctrinal strife and error.

Jesus gives a parable to describe the difference between those who believe and those who reject Him in self-righteousness. It is a helpful illustration describing what is taking place in the heart of those who rejected Jesus in His generation. However, the parable is still applicable in our day. Those who reject Christ are like childish brats who refuse Jesus because He does not offer what they want on their own terms.

Jesus turns His attention toward the crowd and confronts them with the questions of Who He is. He wants to induce a response within them. There is a mixed crowd and therefore mixed reaction. The passage reveals there are only two types of people in the world-- those who will be great because they accept Jesus as the Christ, and those who will not because they reject Jesus as the Christ. Luke pens this record to confront us with the same question-- Who is Jesus- Our answer will determine our greatness in the age to come.

In the world of the Church there are various views for baptism. In this sermon we explore the key reasons and positions in preparation to considering the many passages used to explain and teach baptism.

The prophet Amos delivers yet another oracle of judgment against the Northern Kingdom, turning the facet of God's judgment to reveal three signs of misplaced faith. In each instance, Amos strips back the defenses of a people caught in the throes of deception. Though the Northern Kingdom's judgment is secure and will not be pulled back, yet a glimmer of hope remains for individual repentance. If they are to escape the wrath to come, they must become a people known by their continual abundance of justice and righteousness.

Luke reintroduces us to John the Baptist who is now in prison. John hears the report of Jesus, but wonders if Jesus is the Messiah. This is a shockingly different attitude from the confident John we see in chapter 3. It is a section in which we see a genuine believer begin to doubt, but also what he does to remedy that doubt. There are important lessons for the Christain, but it's also another passage clearly revealing the truthfulness of Jesus' identity-- that He is God's true Messiah of salvation-