Podcast
City Light Church Sermons
Hosted by Vicksburg, Mississippi · ENGLISH
This is the full collection of sermons preached at City Light Church in Vicksburg, MS. For more information on the church and its ministries, please visit citylightvicksburg.org
449episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Easter Sunday: Lessons from a Resurrection
Apr 500:40:40Tap to summarizeSermon notes April 5, 2026 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her. On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.” Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. John 20:11-31 In most any documentary, the filmmaker will pull in many different people to have many different perspectives so that we get a better story. That is what is happening in our text with the story of the resurrection of Jesus. Each encounter with Jesus tells us something about living the Christian life. In the first story, Mary has an encounter with the resurrected savior as she is weeping over someone seemingly having taken the body of her Lord. Mary had been delivered and discipled throughout Jesus’s ministry. In a culture where women were second class citizens, Jesus raises their dignity and honor. Jesus calls her name, “Mary” and she recognizes His voice. And from that moment, everything immediately changes. Her posture shifts from a woman grieving to a woman who is given a message! And He tells her to give the message to “His brothers.” The resurrection of Jesus makes us all family. This is the only time that Jesus uses the word “brother” to talk about His disciples. Note that even when we, like Mary, lose sight of his plan, He still knows our name. The disciples encounter Jesus as well. Afraid for their lives, they had locked themselves inside a room. There are only ten people there. But then ten people become eleven. Jesus appears and says “peace be with you.” And Jesus shows them His wounds. Note the interesting different aspects of Jesus's resurrected body. He remains recognizable and retains His wounds, eventually he will eat with them, but he’s also moving into and out of rooms without opening the door! The emotion in the room shifts immediately! From sadness and fear to peace. And again, we see Jesus's audience transition from followers to apostles and missionaries, as He gives them a mission. Last, we have Thomas’s encounter. Thomas makes a bold statement. He is doubtful of the disciples' claim that Jesus is back alive. Thomas was grieving not only his master, but the hopes of his future. His hopes have been so damaged, that he doesn't believe the 10 men he’d spent the last 3 years of his life with when they say “Jesus is alive!” And with one incredible gesture, Jesus shows up right in the middle of His doubt, and shows Thomas mercy. Jesus doesn’t abandon the doubting. He comes after them! And Thomas calls Jesus “My Master and my Creator!” His posture moves from doubt to awe! And that’s why John closes the way He closes. “I wrote this book so that you might read and believe.” Like any good documentary, John pulls together several points of view, so we get a full picture of the story!
Transcribe →
Palm Sunday: Who is this?
Mar 2900:30:20Tap to summarizeSermon Notes 3/31/26 Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’” The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.” Matthew 21:1-11 “Who is this?” Is the question before us in the text today. The response from the crowd is very different depending on the identity they perceive. Prophecy shows us who this is - This is the first time that Jesus presents Himself as king. He fulfills the prophecy regarding the coming king of Jerusalem. Jesus enters Jerusalem, not as a random man, but a king that was centuries in the making. He knows everything about this moment! It demonstrates that he is not just a man. He is making his announcement as “the ancient of days.” If he knows everything at this moment, then it means he knows everything that is about to happen to Him. And it highlights that His love for us is not accidental. He is the King of Promise. Matthew even gives us the genealogy of Jesus, showing that he is in the line of succession of David and of Abraham. But note how He comes - not as a conquering king like Rome or Caesar. He comes on a colt, and he doesn’t even have a saddle. The cloaks on the donkey is a mark of disgraceful poverty. The kingdom of God is different than the kingdoms of this world. It is not diminished by humility. Before the city even gets to ask “who is this” prophecy has already answered. Praise shows us who this is - They laid out cloaks on the ground for Him to enter and Palm branches and are shouting “Hosana.” This is a royal welcome! A welcome for a king. Hosanna is a Hebrew plea “I beg you to save (us deliver) us.” The crowd is even singing scripture aloud in reaction to what they are seeing. Yet even upon entering, he is prepared to be the “stone rejected by the builders” and in response to this, the lord tells us “if we were to keep silent, creation itself, the stones, would cry out to praise.” For all the shouting and all the branches and cloaks, the question is still asked - “who is this.” The answer that comes is "the prophet Jesus". They’re not wrong. But they’re not right either. The tragedy of this moment is that you can be near all the praise and worship, and still miss the point of it. Jesus is the king. He is worthy of praise. Lastly, Jesus shows us who He is through propitiation. The truth of his actions are loaded with meaning. The crowd crying Hosanna (which means save us) is answered by Jesus’s action. Scripture affirms itself over and over, Jesus’s mission was to save the world from sin. The king comes, but he comes to die. The triumphal entry is triumphant, but it also comes through sacrifice. Jesus is the sacrifice, the propitiation, for our sins. So the crowds cry “save us” and the Gospel answers, “I will.” If Jesus is only a prophet, we still have no peace with God. If Jesus is King and Lord and God, and sacrifices Himself as a perfect blood sacrifice for all sin - the world’s cry “Hosanna” - save us. Your answer of “who is this” changes everything. If he is king, submit to Him, and If he is Savior, trust Him.
Transcribe →
The Gospel of Luke: God Knows Your Heart
Mar 2200:33:38Tap to summarizeSermon Notes: Luke 16:14-18 "The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him. And he said to them, 'You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God. 'The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone forces his way into it. But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void. Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.'" Sermon Notes: 3/22/26 God never confronts without the intent to comfort. At first glance, this passage can feel like Jesus is just offering a handful of sayings without much cohesion, but there is a thread running thoughout. He’s exposing the unrighteousness of those who bend the Word of God to their own desires. These are a unified rebuke to the Pharisees. But this text is not just about them… it can be about us. This rebuke is to people who look the part, but their hearts cling to unrighteousness. Jesus isn’t just addressing pagans: he’s addressing those who consider themselves righteous. The text doesn’t allow us to hide. It exposes us, and allows us to openly run to Jesus as the comforter. There’s nothing wrong with having stuff.... but God weighs the heart. The righteousness of man collides with the kingdom of God. The things that are exalted before men are an abomination before God. The text, with its rebuke of the Pharisees as "lovers of money," offers a moment for us to take inventory of how we are living in our private lives. We must remember we are justified only by our reliance on Christ. And our standing before God isn’t related to our own strength, or ability, or possessions, but just Christ alone. Remember the Pharisees thought Jesus wasn’t the one that was prophesied by the law. Jesus isn’t anti-law; he is the obedient son the law required. God’s law remains the same. But that law was not just for the Pharisees, it was for us too. We often want holiness without change in who we are. The word of God stands forever. The last verse about marriage seems random and abrupt. In that day, many treated divorce with scandalous indifference. The Pharisees wanted a religious appearance without the focus required. They wanted a loophole to God's law. How close can I get to sin without calling it sin? If we have to ask these questions, we have already sinned. Kingdom righteousness says “Lord, search me.” This verse was not meant to be used as a way to harm the people of God. This verse is to confront those who treat God’s laws lightly, or those who would reshape God’s word to protect our idols. We’re doing the same thing for which God confronts the hard-hearted Pharisees. God does not let the covenant breakers hide behind technicalities. And that’s why this text is mercy - as it is better to be exposed and offer our hearts to God, than to be exposed later, never having offered Him what He’s owed.
Transcribe →The Gospel of Luke: A Life to Steward
Mar 1500:54:26Tap to summarizeLuke 16: 1-13 He also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’ And the manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.’ So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings. “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” Sermon Notes: 3/15/2026 This is one of Jesus's more complicated parables, but it is ultimately about stewardship. In Jesus's time, it was normal for a slave to act as a household manager for his master. In this parable, the manager is removed from office, but on his way out the door he becomes very productive. We can tell from the large amounts that the debtors in this story are businessmen operating at a large scale. The manager makes deals with these businessmen and thus gains favor in the community even as his favor with his mater deteriorates. So even as he is kicked out, he is making arrangements to be welcomed into a new home. So regardless of his reasons, we must note that the manager is crafty and shrewd. In the end even the master tells the manager he is done well. So what are we to take from the parable? The manager, a sinner, has his eyes set on his destiny. He is operating with more shrewdness regarding temporal circumstances than Christians often operate regarding eternal circumstances. We must be more committed to making investments in the next life than the world is in making investments in this life. If we believe eternity is real, it should change our urgency and change how we operate with our resources--time, talent, and treasure! This is a diagnostic of our character. After the parable, Jesus moves from a story about stewardship to a diagnostic about how we handle money. Jesus's point is that money just unmasks who we really are. What we do with what we have reveals the state of our heart. Jesus explains that what we have in our possession is not even really ours. Even we ourselves belong to God. Jesus paid a heavy price for us. If we truly understand what we have received in Christ, it frees us to give of what we have. We realize that we are already infinitely wealthy, and thus can give generously of our time, talent, and treasure.
Transcribe →The Gospel of Luke: Lost and Found
Mar 800:46:15Tap to summarizeSermon notes: 3/8/26 Luke 15: 1-10 'Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” So he told them this parable: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. “Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” ' . Two questions: 1) Who does God seek after? 2) How does he pursue those He seeks after? . Through the previous verses, we see Jesus bouncing back and forth over people who God doesn’t seek after. And He ends those parables, saying “Those who have ears, let them hear.” And this chapter starts with “the tax collectors and sinners (habitualy crooked people - rule benders, and rule abandoners) have decided to follow Christ - to “hear.” But pharisees and scribes who were in the crowd who heard Jesus’ jarring message about discipleship, and were not happy about this message. They saw the sinners and tax collectors as reprehensible, but also viewed themselves above. They don’t see themselves as equals in sin as the sinners. Jesus seeks after everyone, but those who can’t see their own lost-ness and aren’t humble about their condition will miss the glory of God. Jesus invites everyone to be restored at His table. . God goes after us “diligently” and “relentlessly,” and God is not content to let us stay lost. The lost often find themselves in many situations - lostness is equated with darkness. We’re not just IN the darkness. We WERE the darkness. If Jesus doesn’t come for us, our situation is hopeless. A lost sheep’s situation is hopeless without the shepherd coming for them. Thank God we serve a God who is a good shepherd! And when He finds us, He is joyful! This parable says that He carries the sheep back to the herd on His shoulders. This is the image of a sheep that is too weak, injured, or empty. Our lord carries the burden that we are too weak to carry ourselves. . The Pharisees and Scribes in this verse think that they are strong enough to carry their own burdens. None of us can carry the burdens of our sin. When God brings us home, there is a celebration in heaven over the return of a soul. And thank God that the Lord spends more on the party than the cost of the sheep or coin that is returned. . The joy of the Lord carries no price tag. Now look at the other souls the way God looks at us. We are all precious in his sight. Let this joy inform the way we look at those around us!
Transcribe →The Gospel of Luke: Costly Discipleship
Mar 100:46:05Tap to summarizeSermon Notes 3/1/26 Luke 14:25-35 . Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple. “Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is of no use either for the soil or for the manure pile. It is thrown away. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” This story has a lot in common with the parable before it. As the parable, the story involves a lot of people who are presumptuous and prideful. Jesus tells them that if they are not careful, and if they remain so presumptuous that they will always be accepted, that they might miss the biggest party ever. The story reveals that, while everyone is invited to Jesus's party, we don't necessarily have the right to do whatever we want there. Crowds form around Jesus for a great number of reasons, but disciples are only formed when we believe what Jesus says and believe he deserves our life which he desires. Why does Jesus tell people to hate our mother and father in this passage? Elsewhere, Jesus tells us to love our friends and family. The hatred he speaks of is not a venomous hatred: it is about priority: family should be put at such a distant second to the things of God that the difference could feel like hatred. A disciple of Jesus will live their life based on the words and ways of Jesus regardless of what friends and family say is best. The crowd may follow Jesus up to the point where people are inconvenienced, but true disciples know that when Jesus asks us to do something we must obey even if it literally strips us of everything. Crowds run from discomfort, but true disciples follow Jesus through discomfort. "Pick up your cross and follow me" is an instruction Christians cannot ignore. To get to the resurrected life, Jesus doesn't avoid suffering: he goes through it. And if we are following him, we should follow him through that suffering all the way to death itself. We are instructed to rejoice in our sufferings, as they create character and strengthen us for the life ahead of us. The Bible never promises prosperity in this life, but in fact promises suffering. We are required to carry a cross. A disciple will pick it up and carry it. But we know that Jesus will never abandon us in suffering. Crowds don't count cost; disciples do. Crowds are more interested in spectacle and energy. They never ask what it means to follow Jesus all their days. They tell themselves if it gets too hard, they can always bail out. Disciples realize that following Christ will cost everything up to and including their lives. And they still follow. Crowd's can't bring the change the world needs. Disciples are empowered by God to do just that. We can only be useful if we follow Jesus's instructions. We may stumble and recover, but those that are only half hearted are not useful. Jesus has given an invitation to his house to everyone, but we aren't able to act however we want to act and be allowed to stay there.
Transcribe →The Gospel of Luke: When Jesus Comes to Dinner - Confronting Passivity, Pride and Presumption
Feb 2200:48:52Tap to summarize"On a Sabbath day, Jesus went to the home of a leading Pharisee to eat with him. The people there were all watching him very closely. A man with a bad disease was there in front of him. Jesus said to the Pharisees and experts in the law, “Is it right or wrong to heal on the Sabbath day?” But they would not answer his question. So he took the man and healed him. Then he sent the man away. Jesus said to the Pharisees and teachers of the law, “If your son or work animal falls into a well on the Sabbath day, you know you would pull him out immediately.” The Pharisees and teachers of the law could say nothing against what he said. Then Jesus noticed that some of the guests were choosing the best places to sit. So he told this story: “When someone invites you to a wedding, don’t sit in the most important seat. They may have invited someone more important than you. And if you are sitting in the most important seat, they will come to you and say, ‘Give this man your seat!’ Then you will have to move down to the last place and be embarrassed. “So when someone invites you, go sit in the seat that is not important. Then they will come to you and say, ‘Friend, move up here to this better place!’ What an honor this will be for you in front of all the other guests. Everyone who makes themselves important will be made humble. But everyone who makes themselves humble will be made important.” Then Jesus said to the Pharisee who had invited him, “When you give a lunch or a dinner, don’t invite only your friends, brothers, relatives, and rich neighbors. At another time they will pay you back by inviting you to eat with them. Instead, when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, and the blind. Then you will have great blessings, because these people cannot pay you back. They have nothing. But God will reward you at the time when all godly people rise from death.” One of the men sitting at the table with Jesus heard these things. The man said to him, “It will be a great blessing for anyone to eat a meal in God’s kingdom!” Jesus said to him, “A man gave a big dinner. He invited many people. When it was time to eat, he sent his servant to tell the guests, ‘Come. The food is ready.’ But all the guests said they could not come. Each one made an excuse. The first one said, ‘I have just bought a field, so I must go look at it. Please excuse me.’ Another man said, ‘I have just bought five pairs of work animals; I must go and try them out. Please excuse me.’ A third man said, ‘I just got married; I can’t come.’ “So the servant returned and told his master what happened. The master was angry. He said, ‘Hurry! Go into the streets and alleys of the town. Bring me the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’ “Later, the servant said to him, ‘Master, I did what you told me to do, but we still have places for more people.’ The master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and country roads. Tell the people there to come. I want my house to be full! I tell you, not one of those people I invited first will eat any of this food I prepared." Luke 14: 1-24 In these verses, we see Jesus at a party, but the point of the event is not just to have dinner. Rabbis and preachers were invited to this meal. What’s important to know is that invitations to a party like this would be selected very specifically. Usually, care would be taken to make sure none of those invited would be unclean or risk making other guests unclean. Given that the man with dropsy was present, it’s likely the religious elite has cooked up this scene to see if Jesus would heal the man in defiance of the religious elite’s ideas of law and order. And Jesus is about to turn the tables upside down. Jesus disregards their “passivity toward the broken.” Contrary to what they perceive, Jesus knows why he was invited. So when he heals that man, he asks them a question: “What is the point of God’s law.” The lack of response to Jesus's question shows their lack of understanding, and it uncovers that they are violating the spirit of God’s law by weaponizing the letter of God’s law. We should beware of any desire to use God’s law to justify harming the broken. Jesus disregards the Pharisees' emphasis on pride. Most dinner events like this would have utilized a U-shaped table. The host would be at the center, and the least important people would have been at the tips of the U. In healing this man Jesus shows the Pharisees that they are wrong for believing they are the most important people at this dinner. It's so telling that the Pharisees were fighting for position still EVEN AFTER seeing a miracle! This miracle did not change their hearts. Jesus's parable tells us that we should remain humble in all scenarios, because we will overestimate our importance, and God will show us how lowly we are. Pride doesn’t always look like arrogance; sometimes it’s insecurity. But the most important person in the world already sees us in full. Jesus disregards misdefined priority as he turns his attention from the guests to the host. The host set up this party so that those around Him would be able to show favor toward the host. But Jesus tells the host that when we give honor by inviting guests to a party we should invite the poor, because the poor cannot repay and instead we will be repaid by heaven. The real return of any investment will be the returns we receive in heaven. Finally, Jesus disregards their “presumption.” It seems like this last person is completely oblivious that the sermon is about him directly. So Jesus tells another story - another parable - telling him, “I’m talking to you!” At this dinner party in the parable, the religious elite believe that they can reject the invitation because they’ll always be invited. And to that, the master rejects them, and invites the others, the poor the lame and sick. And tells the religious elite, that their presumption that they deserve to be at the party, is completely wrong. No one deserves to be before the Lord. It is at His mercy that we are invited, and should all consider ourselves to be the poor and sick and lame. May we all approach the Lord’s throne with humility and delight and ask Him where we should be seated!
Transcribe →The Gospel of Luke: Relentless | Devotion | Jesus | Repentance
Feb 1500:45:09Tap to summarizeAt that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.” And he said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I finish my course. Nevertheless, I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the day following, for it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem.’ O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! Behold, your house is forsaken. And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!'" Luke 13:31-35 . Sermon notes: Feb 15, 2026 Luke 13: 31-35 . The tone and tenor of this passage conveys that Jesus is relentless in his efforts to pursue those who are unwilling to come to Him. Pay particular attention to three things: 1) Jesus's determination, 2) Jesus's devotion, 3)Jesus's declaration . In the passage, the Pharisees were trying to deter or discourage Jesus from going to Jerusalem. They tell him that Herod wants to kill Him, but Jesus knows that God is sovereign over the life and death of his people. God is in control and Jesus knows there are some things that He still has to accomplish before His death, and thus he would not be deterred. Jesus has insight into the way God enacts His plans. Jesus's path is through a narrow way. He expects us to be willing to go through a narrow way as well. Jesus endured the cross intentionally holding on to and trusting the Father. . Jesus displays a relentless devotion to His people. People in Jerusalem have gotten so caught up in their own self righteousness, that they had no clue that their hearts had become cold and callous. But we serve a God who is married to the weak, and who still who pursues us relentlessly despite our failure. It is a divine obligation that Jesus goes forward to Jerusalem, to die for us sinners. To illustrate this Jesus uses an image of a hen using her wings to cover her chicks. This is the divine protection that Jesus offers us from the dangers of sin. . Jesus also declares divine justice in the passage. There’s both curse and blessing in this utterance. Jerusalem sought to operate by its own rules, thus the curse. But the blessing is that there is a divine promise of restoration. Jesus will come back! How do we receive His divine restoration? By repenting of the sins we have done and turning to Jesus. God is calling to us right now. . Jesus is relentless in His pursuit of you and me. He’s willing to give up His life to see ours saved.
Transcribe →The Gospel of Luke: The Narrow Door | Salvation | Kingdom | Jesus
Feb 800:51:52Tap to summarizeHe said therefore, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.” And again he said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? It is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened.” He went on his way through towns and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem. And someone said to him, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” And he said to them, “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’ Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!’ In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out. And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God. And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.” Luke 13: 18-30 Sermon Notes: 2/8/26 . Just prior to this passage, we saw that Jesus had no problem bucking standards and traditions when he healed on the sabbath. As he healed a woman, Christ brought forward two parables as rebuke to the religious elites: the parable of the mustard seed and the parable of leaven. In the parable of the mustard seed, a small seed grows into a large plant. The seed perseveres and grows into a huge tree. The tiny amount of leaven spreads throughout the large amount of flour. Jesus explains that the hypocrites cannot see the small, wonderful, impactful thing happening right before their eyes: His kingdom is not like what the world expects. His kingdom is anti-self. Because of the fall, all men carry self centeredness. And if we are to access the kingdom of God, it is through an act of denial of self. The kingdom of God is small to the eye, even though it is great in its effects. Jesus is moving from town to town teaching about the kingdom of God. Someone brings a question to Jesus: “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” and the answer he gives is difficult to hear. . It's not a direct answer. Instead, it's an admonition that we should concern ourselves with self examination. Instead of answering the question “will those who enter be few?” Jesus answers, “will of those who enter be YOU?” He implores people to "strive," which implies a fight and struggle. As it relates to salvation, he says the way in is narrow. It is hard to achieve the kingdom. You must struggle and fight and kill your flesh. Die to self! Make yourself the right shape and size to fit through that narrow doorway. This does not contradict other texts where it is made clear that salvation is not based on our own efforts. It is an anti-self message. . These words from Christ tell us that there will be a time when the narrow doorway is closed! Many of those who knew Christ who didn’t fit through the doorway will be turned away from the door. This is purposefully uncomfortable. The Church, and the teaching of Christ is anti-self. If it makes us comfortable, and it seems easy… then it is most likely the wide door, rather than the narrow. . If you lose everything for Jesus, you will win. But if you win much for self, you will lose. Our way must be denied, and His way, we must strive and struggle and fight for access through the narrow doorway!
Transcribe →The Gospel of Luke: Seen
Feb 100:34:25Tap to summarizeSermon notes: Feb 2, 2026. Luke 13: 10-17 "Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And behold, there was a woman who had had a disabling spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your disability.” And he laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and she glorified God. But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the people,'There are six days in which work ought to be done. Come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day.” Then the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?' As he said these things, all his adversaries were put to shame, and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him." Many of us suffer through pain that never goes away. Chronic suffering can completely change the way you’re thinking. This text shows us someone with chronic suffering. But your condition does not speak to your value, and Jesus sees your value despite your suffering. The text takes place in a synagogue on the sabbath. This is an ordinary woman who has suffered through this illness for 18 years, to the point her condition feels like her normal life. But Luke calls us to see her as someone deserving of attention, telling us to "behold" her. She isn't given a name, but rather she is known as a list of her conditions. Keep in mind that 18 years is long enough for people to stop asking how she is doing, because she would always be the same. She, of course, would have suffered isolation from this as well, as a condition would become seen as inability, and inability eventually becomes invisibility. But Jesus saw her, so we should see her. Jesus calls her over and heals her. He sees her, points her out, and in this moment, Jesus doesn’t just heal her, but he restores her. In that one moment, Jesus frees her in both body and mind and in society. We have a real enemy in this world, but God is sovereign and can restore everything within our suffering. Jesus restored her from a nameless, faceless list of infirmities, to a “daughter of Abraham,” which is covenant language. This name signifies her belonging to God as one of His chosen people. For 18 years she probably didn’t feel like she was a part of that. But now, she is restored in full - not just in body! The ruler of the synagogue gets mad because he feels his control and social power threatened by Jesus. So, he confronts the people rather than Jesus directly and complains that his order and control are falling apart. His indignation reveals that he prefers order over mercy and tradition over tenderness. Jesus confronts him, and everyone else like him, as hypocrites. He speaks about those who say they follow God while being empty of mercy. Mercy is meant to be a regular rhythm of our lives! So when Jesus healed this woman, He wasn’t breaking the sabbath, but rather fulfilling it, as the Sabbath is a day of reminder of man’s freedom from oppression. These hypocrites would loosen the bonds of their own livestock on the sabbath, but wouldn’t loosen the bonds of the people around them. Jesus doesn’t name us by our diagnosis, but calls us by love. Remember that Jesus didn’t shun the woman with the disabling spirit, but called her a daughter of Abraham and freed her.
Transcribe →