Category: 2017 Sermons

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:27 — 12.1MB)

Sermon Audio: The Death of Jesus
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Luke 23:44-49
Duration: 26:27
Size: 12.1 MB

Luke-The Investigative Gospel
The Death of Jesus
Luke 23:44-49

After a series of rushed civil and religious trials, Jesus was finally sentenced to death by crucifixion.

Crucifixion was a slow death, intended to inflict maximum agony and suffering.

The most extreme word in the English language to describe pain is the word “excruciating,” which comes from the Latin word excruciatus, meaning “out of the cross.”

The death of Jesus in Luke 23:44-49 shows us a number of events preceding and following his death.

I. Events Preceding Jesus’ Death (Luke 23:44-46)

A. Darkness Over the Whole Land (Luke 23:44-45a)

It was as if “a veil had been drawn over the unspeakable suffering of God’s Son.”

There was a disturbance in creation itself in order to demonstrate what Jesus was doing on the cross: suffering God’s judgment against our sin.

B. The Curtain of the Temple Was Torn in Two (Luke 23:45b)

The temple curtain being torn in two was a sign of spiritual access to God through Jesus Christ.

The tearing of the curtain in the temple teaches us that sinners no longer have to go to Jerusalem to offer a sacrifice for their sins.

C. Jesus’ Final Words from the Cross (Luke 23:46)

But what was so different about Jesus’ prayer on the cross is the addition of one word, the word “Father.”

II. Events Following Jesus’ Death (Luke 23:47-49)

A. The Conversion of the Centurion (Luke 23:47)

We don’t know what happened to the centurion, but he came to see that Jesus was indeed the Son of God and Savior of sinners.

B. The Action of the Crowds (Luke 23:48)

C. The Observation of Jesus’ Followers (Luke 23:49)

As we have looked at the death of Jesus in Luke 23:44-49, we should make sure that we have been reconciled to God through Jesus.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 21:58 — 1.0MB)

Sermon Audio: The Crucifixion of Jesus
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Luke 23:26-43
Duration: 21:58
Size: 10.0 MB

Luke-The Investigative Gospel
The Crucifixion of Jesus
Luke 23:26-43

I would like to examine the passage from the perspective of three significant statements made by Jesus on his way to be crucified and while hanging on the cross.

I. Jesus’ Statement to the Daughters of Jerusalem (Luke 23:26-31)

Jesus would have been carrying the cross beam for the cross.

His basic message to the nation of Israel was, “Don’t weep for me. Weep for yourselves.”

Jesus was saying that people should pray that God would have mercy on them, rather than feel sorry for him.

II. Jesus’ Statement to the Executioners (Luke 23:32-38)

It is as if the horror of the crucifixion was too awful to describe in detail.

Jesus came to seek and to save the lost, and no-one is too lost for Jesus to love and to ask his Father to forgive.

Know that Jesus will forgive you your sins, and he will enable you to forgive others too.

III. Jesus’ Statement to the Thief on the Cross (Luke 23:39-43)

There were two criminals hanging on the cross next to Jesus. Although initially they both reviled Jesus, eventually only one continued to rail against Jesus, while the other criminal repented.

“One thief was saved that no sinner might despair, but only one, that no sinner might presume.”

One response is to reject Jesus, like the hardened thief. But the right response is to turn to Jesus in faith and repentance, like the repentant thief.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 20:39 — 9.5MB)

Sermon Audio: Jesus Before Pilate – Again
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Luke 23:13-25
Duration: 20:39
Size: 9.45 MB

Luke-The Investigative Gospel
Jesus Before Pilate – Again
Luke 23:13-25

What, in your mind, is the greatest injustice in the world?

The injustice of Jesus’ death sentence in Luke 23:13-25 shows us how Jesus was convicted, despite his innocence.

I. The Conclusion of Pilate (Luke 23:13-16)

Pilate, using the Roman legal system of justice, did not find Jesus to be guilty of any charge. And Herod, using the Jewish legal system of justice, did not find Jesus to be guilty of any charge either.

Of course, to punish someone who is innocent is a travesty of justice.

But there is another reason why Pilate worked so hard to get Jesus acquitted. His wife’s dream.

II. The Choice of the Jews (Luke 23:18-23)

Perhaps he had hoped that the people would back him in his initial assessment of Jesus’ innocence.

The question is: who is responsible for the injustice of Jesus’ death sentence?

All are sucked into the vortex of Satan’s cosmic plan for the destruction of the Son of God.

III. The Condemnation of Jesus (Luke 23:24-25)

The people cried out for the release of one called “son of the father” and rejected the One who really is the Son of the Father!

Like Barabbas, we were dead in our sins and doomed to die; but an exchange has taken place in which Jesus takes our place so that we can take his.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 19:47 — 1.0MB)

Sermon Audio: Jesus Before Pilate
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Luke 23:1-12
Duration: 19:47
Size: 13.9 MB

Luke-The Investigative Gospel
Jesus Before Pilate
Luke 23:1-12

Because they were not able to impose the death penalty on anyone, they had to get the Romans to convict Jesus of a capital offense, and thereby get him sentenced to death.

I. The Accusations Against Jesus (Luke 23:1-2)

Jesus was simply teaching the people a correct understanding of God’s truth rather than the perversion that was being taught to them.

II. The Question of Pilate (Luke 23:3a)

If Jesus was a revolutionary trying to rebel against Rome, then Pilate would have to take action against him.

III. The Answer of Jesus (Luke 23:3b)

IV. The Verdict of Pilate (Luke 23:4)

Pilate believed that Jesus was not a threat to Rome. And so he declared Jesus not guilty of any crime against Rome.

V. The Disagreement of the Sanhedrin (Luke 23:5)

VI. The Referral to Herod (Luke 23:6-7)

Under Roman law, a person could either be tried in the place where he was accused or in the province where he came from.

VII. The Ridicule by Herod (Luke 23:8-11)

He was simply trying to ridicule Jesus, and so Jesus refused to answer him.

Interestingly, although Luke did not state it in this passage, Herod, like Pilate, found Jesus not guilty of any wrongdoing.

VIII. The Friendship of Enemies (Luke 23:12)

Whatever else they disagreed about, Pilate and Herod could agree to despise and persecute Christ.

Jesus allowed the human injustice to go forward because he knew that it was part of God’s plan for divine justice to be met against sinners like us.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 21:14 — 1.0MB)

Sermon Audio: Jesus Before the Council
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Luke 22:63-71
Duration: 21:14
Size: 9.72 MB

Luke-The Investigative Gospel
Jesus Before the Council
Luke 22:63-71

The Great Sanhedrin in Jerusalem was the final judicial authority in Israel, comparable to the Supreme Court of the United States.

The witnesses were to attest to the identity of the party, and to depose to the month, day, hour, and circumstances of the crime.

But in their zeal to destroy Jesus they committed a number of violations against their own system of jurisprudence.

I. Jesus Was Mocked and Blasphemed (Luke 22:63-65)

Jesus was innocent of all wrongdoing, and the soldiers were mocking him, beating him, and blaspheming him.

II. Jesus Was Charged with Blasphemy (Luke 22:66-71)

The Greek word for Christ is the same as the Hebrew word “Messiah,” and it literally means, “one who has been anointed.”

The title Jesus most often used to refer to himself was “Son of Man.” But this title is often misunderstood. (Daniel 7:13-14)

So, the term “Son of Man” is really expressing the deity – rather than the humanity – of Jesus.

It was this assertion that Jesus is the Son of God that was particularly problematic to the council. They believed that this assertion was blasphemy.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 21:43 — 1.0MB)

Sermon Audio: Peter Denies Jesus
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Luke 22:54-62
Duration: 21:43
Size: 9.94 MB

Luke-The Investigative Gospel
Peter Denies Jesus
Luke 22:54-62

Peter’s faith did fail him. And as Jesus predicted, before the rooster crowed later that morning, Peter denied three times that he knew Jesus.

Peter’s denial of Jesus in Luke 22:54-62 shows us the danger of following Jesus in our own power.

I. The Path to the Denials (Luke 22:54-55)

Peter wanted to go farther than anyone else down the road that Jesus walked to the cross.

II. The Particulars in the Denials (Luke 22:56-60a)

However, given Jesus’ immense popularity with the people and Peter’s prominence as Jesus’ apostle, it is very likely that she had seen Peter with Jesus, perhaps even earlier in the week.

One does not deny Jesus for no reason. No, there is a process that leads to a denial.

First, proud self-confidence.

Second, indolent neglect of prayer.

Third, vacillating indecision.

Fourth, mingling with bad company.

Fifth, overwhelming fear when suddenly charged with being a disciple of Jesus.

Great sin is always the result of not dealing with smaller sins.

And yet, his courage completely failed him when the environment became hostile, and he was accused of being a disciple of Jesus.

Speak as a follower of Jesus Christ. “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person” (Colossians 4:6).

III. The Pain in the Denials (Luke 22:60b-62)

All his self-confidence was gone, all his bravado was gone, and all his presumption was gone.

Repentance makes a man’s heart soft and his conscience tender, and shows itself in real turning to a Father in heaven.

We know that Peter was with the rest of the disciples, no doubt sad at the death of Jesus, and bitterly repentant over his own denial of Jesus.

Have you fallen into sin? Know that Jesus will do the same gracious work of forgiveness in your life too.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 21:59 — 10.1MB)

Sermon Audio: Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Luke 22:47-53
Duration: 21:59
Size: 10.0 MB

Luke-The Investigative Gospel
Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus
Luke 22:47-53

God sent his Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to seek and to save the lost.

The betrayal and arrest of Jesus in Luke 22:47-53 teaches us that Jesus was in control of God’s plan of redemption.

I. Jesus Was in Control in the Betrayal of Judas (Luke 22:47-48)

He had been specially chosen and called by Jesus himself to be with him for three years.

Jesus loves lost sinners, and even in the moment of his betrayal Jesus was appealing to Judas to recognize what he was doing so that he could repent.

Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss. But even with that kiss, Jesus was still in control in the betrayal of Judas.

II. Jesus Was in Control in the Reaction of the Disciples (Luke 22:49-51)

The disciples of Jesus reacted immediately when they saw that he was betrayed.

Peter’s use of the sword demonstrated zeal, but it was short-lived. His courage soon faded.

III. Jesus Was in Control in the Rebuke to the Crowd (Luke 22:52-53)

By coming at night, the religious authorities showed that they were doing something that was outside the bounds of the law.

Although Satan seemed to triumph in Gethsemane, at Calvary, and in the dark days when Jesus was buried in the grave, his victory turned to defeat on Easter Sunday.

We need to believe that God is at work even in our darkest hour.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 23:35 — 1.0MB)

Sermon Audio: Jesus Prays on the Mount of Olives
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Luke 22:39-46
Duration: 23:35
Size: 10.8 MB

Luke-The Investigative Gospel
Jesus Prays on the Mount of Olives
Luke 22:39-46

Jesus’ extreme suffering was about to begin as he entered the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives that night.

I. Jesus’ Preparation (Luke 22:39-40)

Jesus knew that his beloved band of disciples were also about to undergo their most severe trial and temptation.

II. Jesus’ Agony (Luke 22:41,43-44)

What is interesting is that the normal posture for prayer in Jesus’ day was standing upright rather than kneeling.

“No man will ever be capable of sounding the depths of what the Savior experienced in Gethsemane when the full reality of his suffering in soul and body penetrated into his immaculate spirit.”

It was Jesus’ intense agony that buckled his knees and drove him to the ground and to his heavenly Father in prayer.

III. Jesus’ Prayer (Luke 22:42)

In his great agony and in anticipation of the suffering to come Jesus turned to the only One who not only had the ability to help him, but was ready to do so.

“He was not seeking to disobey the will of God, but in his manhood he desired to not suffer the shame of the cross and all it entailed.”

Jesus endured intense agony and suffering to pay the penalty for your sin and mine.

He who can say from his heart, when a bitter cup is before him, “Not my will, but thine be done,” has reached a high position in the school of God.

IV. Jesus’ Direction (Luke 22:45-46)

So, let us be on our guard against his temptations by going to the Lord in prayer.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:16 — 11.6MB)

Sermon Audio: The Last Discourse
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Luke 22:21-38
Duration: 25:16
Size: 11.5 MB

Luke-The Investigative Gospel
The Last Discourse
Luke 22:21-38

But they were having a hard time wrapping their minds around what Jesus was saying to them.

Eventually, they would understand Jesus’ teaching. But that night they did not understand his teaching and showed several areas of failure.

I. Deception (Luke 22:21-23)

Judas had already met with the religious leaders and planned to betray Jesus to them.

As they continued to ask each other about the identity of the one who would be guilty of deception, they all fell into another failure.

II. Dissension (Luke 22:24-30)

Three times in these verses Jesus reminded his disciples to lead “as one who serves.”

III. Denial (Luke 22:31-34)

But the reason Peter did not fail is not primarily because of his faith but because of Jesus’ intercession for Peter.

When there is no danger, it is easy to say how bold we will be for Jesus.

IV. Dullness (Luke 22:35-38)

However, Jesus also prepared his disciples to understand that after his arrest, crucifixion, and death, things would change.

And if that is true for the apostles, who were with Jesus for three years, we ask ourselves, “What hope is there for us? Can we do any better?”

He took on our flesh, lived among us, and ultimately died between two thieves.

It is because Jesus identifies with us, atones for our sin, and then intercedes for us.