Sermons on Luke (Page 5)
The Certain Gospel: Pray for Justice | Luke 18:1-8
Does prayer work? When you’re going through something and you ask people to pray for you, does it matter? Does it help? Maybe you’ve seen this meme on Facebook about the uselessness of prayer. “I named my cats ‘thoughts’ and ‘prayers’ because they’re useless.” I actually think that’s pretty funny, but it’s sadly popular because people believe it. Prayer doesn’t work. Maybe some of you were on social media after the recent Parkland Shooting and you saw this meme showing…
The Certain Gospel: Divorce & Remarriage | Luke 16:18
I think I’m a bit naive. When I chose preaching on divorce and remarriage this week I thought it would be an easy sermon. I mean I’m preaching on one verse, right? How hard can it be? Don’t the majority of pastors and scholars agree about what the Bible has to say on divorce and remarriage? No they do not. The more I studied this topic the more I realized I don’t know, but I’m still going to try and…
The Certain Gospel: What is the kingdom of God? Part 2/2 | Luke 18:15-17
We’re starting this sermon by watching a clip from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. This clip shows how many people feel about the idea of kings and authorities. Dennis really didn’t like the king, did he? He saw no reason to respect King Arthur and King Arthur was not very respectable. He used his authority to repress his subjects. If you could have a good king, would you want him? Would you want a king to lead you, protect…
The Certain Gospel: Bait & Switch Christianity | Luke 14:25-35
When I was in college I was walking to my car when I found a poster slipped under my wiper blades. It advertised free pizza. All I had to do was go by the local Dominos and I would receive my own pizza. I looked at this poster for a long time. It didn’t say I had to do anything to get that pizza. It simply said that I had to show up and I would get my pizza. But…
The Certain Gospel: The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector | Luke 18:9-14
The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, Cornerstone Luke 18:9-14 By Rev. Bernie Michaud, June, 2018 Question: Why did you come here today? What do you want form God? What do you need, what do you expect to receive from God today? I know that if we were perfect, we would not come as needy people; we would come just to sing praises and to worship God. But, we are just people who are in need, and God…
The Certain Gospel: Do Not Be Afraid | Luke 12:32-34
32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The unit of thought starts at verse 22 and maybe as far back as the…
The Certain Gospel: The Ministry of Food | Luke 14:1-24
I want us to start by thinking of the last people we had over for dinner. Whether that was last week or a month ago, think of the last people you shared a meal with. And if you didn’t have them over for dinner, think of those you went out to dinner with. Do you have them in your mind? What are they like? Are they similar to you or different than you? Do they share a similar education background?…
The Certain Gospel: Will I be Saved? | Luke 13:22-30
One of the most important questions any of us can ask is this. Will I be saved? Will I go to heaven? How can I know God will save me? Will I be saved when I die? Can you think of a more important question with such long-term implications? I mean, we’re talking eternity here. How do people answer? I’ll go to heaven because all paths lead to heaven. It’s like we’re all hiking up the same mountain we’re just…
The Certain Gospel: Get Your Go Bag Ready! | Luke 12:35-48
Christians believe that one day Jesus is going to come back. We believe his return is going to be unexpected, surprising, and everyone will see it. Today’s passage explains how to prepare for that day. That got me thinking about other times in life where we prepare for someone’s arrival, but we don’t know when they are coming. And of course that reminded me of our upcoming baby’s arrival. Our care provider has given us a due date of Saturday,…
The Certain Gospel: 6 Warning Signs of a Heart Problem | Luke 11:37-54
My family has a history of heart-attacks. My uncle died of a massive heart-attack, and my dad had two heart attacks. So I personally am interested in not having a heart attack, but also being able to identify the signs of a heart attack. The American Heart Association lists Warning Signs of a Heart Attack: Pain or discomfort in chest Lightheadedness, nausea, or vomiting Jaw, neck or back pain Discomfort or pain in arm or shoulder Shortness of breath It’s…
The Certain Gospel: Ministry Burnout | Luke 10:38-42
Do you ever feel burned out by church? Churches have a tendency to burn people out. When first-time guests Benjamin and Olivia Smith walk through our door, we hope they’ll come back the next week. When they do we’re so excited, we invite them to our fellowship dinner, and when they’re at the fellowship dinner we tell them about all our fantastic ministries and ask if they’d like to join any of them. When we find out Benjamin can play…
The Certain Gospel: 72 Go! | Luke 10:1-12, 17-20
I want to start by talking about my job. What are pastors for? At Cornerstone, we have “roles of ministry.” We believe elders are called to lead and shepherd, deacons are called to serve the people, and the pastor is called to equip the congregation who are to engage in ministry. Our philosophy of ministry says: “Staff Equipped: We believe that Pastors are called to serve the church by equipping the believers for the work of the ministry.” This is…