Sermons by Pastor Steve (Page 18)
The Fourth and Fifth Trials of Jesus
Luke 23:1-12. Jesus trial by the Jew has been completed, and upon the declaration that Jesus must die, He is hauled off to the Roman governor to be put to death. Pontus Pilate examines Jesus, declaring Him to be innocent, but the Jew demand He be condemned. So Pilate passes the buck and sends Jesus to Herod to be examined.
A Holy God
Isaiah 6:1-8. Man’s tendency is to evaluate oneself by comparison with people around us that we think are far worse than we. When we come into contact with a holy God, that reasoning no longer stands, and as we see God for who He is, we also rightly see ourselves for who we are. God is holy, holy, holy, and we are utterly sinful.
Fairy-tale? No, We Believe in Historical Fact!
Galatians 4:4-5. The Christian message is often rejected as fairy-tale by people who are ignorant to the fact that our faith rests not on the imagination of men like all other earthly religions, Christianity rests on historical fact. Christ’s birth, His life, His death, and His resurrection are all events based in history, and that history supports the truth the Bible presents.
The Word Became Flesh
John 1:14. Jesus birth is incredibly important to the Christian faith. Why does it matter that He was born to a virgin. Why does it matter that God is His Father?
Judgment of the Jews
Luke 22:63-71. The Jews arrested Jesus and brought Him before the High Priest, and eventually before the full Sanhedrin who have already determined that He should be put to death, and now seek to justify that decision.
Peter’s Failure
Luke 22:57-62. An incredibly disappointing event as we see the disciples who had been really the leader of the twelve deny three times that he knew Jesus.
The Betrayal of a Kiss
Luke 22:47-53. The betrayal of the Lord which Jesus has been pointing to as coming for some time in His teaching arrives. Judas leads a crowd to arrest the Lord, and in a pretense of affection for Jesus, He betrays the Lord with a kiss.
The Hour of Temptation
Luke 22:39-46. Jesus instructs His disciples to watch and pray that they not enter into temptations, then He models for us the need for prayer when tempted.
Preparing to Witness to a Hostile World
Luke 22:35-38. Jesus instructs His disciples that one this next mission they are about to be sent on, this time they are to go prepared to be received in a different manner than the last time they were sent out alone. This time they will not be received so warmly, in fact as the world has rejected Jesus, so His disciples will be rejected. They are then to go with preparations made for their provisions.
Satan’s Demands
Luke 22:31-34. Peter, the leader of the disciples, after the dispute about which of them is the greatest, is addressed with the shocking words of Jesus: “Simon, Simon, Satan has demanded to have you, to sift you like wheat!” Praise God this is recorded in the Bible for us, because great hope if found in the remainder of Jesus words to Peter and ultimately to us. The devil is powerful, but the devil is God’s devil!