Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart Luke 18:1 (read vv. 1-14)

INTRO: When I was first starting out in the ministry and trying to teach others how to pray,

I would make statements, like, “Prayer does not need to be fancy,” and “You don’t have to say anything holy, just talk to God”
– that statement is deceptively simple
– how do we know if we are talking to God or to the air? or to ourselves? Continue reading →

The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, “Look, here it is! or, “There it is!” For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst. Luke 17:20-1 (read verses 20-37)

INTRO: I have frequently been asked why I think my dad’s church grew so rapidly

Among the other lame answers I give, I explain that most of the rapid growth occurred during what was an apocalyptic era
– the revolutionary 1960’s that ended in many shattered dreams
– the youth were looking for an authority who understood the times, who seemed to have a handle on what was next
– in the late 60’s, Dad began emphasizing biblical prophecy — current events had a purpose, an apocalyptic meaning
– like others, he was inspired by Israel’s 1967 war and once again having Jerusalem under their control Continue reading →

He said to His disciples, “It is inevitable that stumbling blocks come, but woe to him through whom they come!” Luke 17:1 (read vv. 1-19)

INTRO: A friend of mine mentioned a book to me about jerks in the workplace

In it, the author says, “More and more evidence keeps emerging that power causes people to be more focused on their own needs, less focused on others’ needs, and to ack like ‘rules don’t apply to me’ . . . .” Experiments “also show when people get a little power, they feel less compassion when hearing others talk about painful experiences, such as the death of a friend.” (Robert Sutton)

Moving up the ladder in status, position, or income changes a person
– not in the ways we tend to assume – that is, they do not become more generous, but less Continue reading →

There was a rich man . . .” Luke 16:1 (read entire chapter)

INTRO: Francis Schaeffer once said: “We are often told, ‘You can’t take it with you.’ But this is not true. You can take it with you–if you are a Christian.”

Of course, the truth of this statement depends on what we mean by “it”
– regarding whatever money we accumulate, we can’t take it with us
– but we can send it ahead – or something like that

That is the message in the first part of this chapter
– the second half is about regret
– what is regret? It is a feeling of disappointment or sadness over: Continue reading →

Both the Pharisees and the scribes began to grumble, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” Luke 15:2 (read entire chapter)

INTRO: We are going to enter this chapter at an unusual point

I want to begin with you . . . and  your most sincere honesty

1. Do you believe people accept you unconditionally as you are?
   – think of the attention we give to our appearance before going out
2. Do you accept yourself unconditionally as you are?
   – I don’t mean, that you can’t think of any more improvements to make, but your core self Continue reading →

Do you suppose that these Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans because they suffered this fate? I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Luke 13:2-3 (read chapter 13)

INTRO: When Barb got home from work yesterday evening, the first thing she did was look for more news regarding the downed helicopter in Afghanistan

An unusual loss like that grabs our attention
– we are moved by empathy for those who died and feel like we’ve lost a part of ourselves

But I also think we have a built-in mechanism to keep tragedies like that at a distance
– “It happened far away,” we tell ourselves, or, “They were soldiers in combat,” etc.
– we look for explanations to reassure ourselves (and our children) that this kind of thing cannot happen to us Continue reading →