Tag: Luke-The Investigative Gospel

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Sermon Audio: The Twelve Apostles
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Luke 6:12-16
Duration: 20:27
Size: 9.36 MB

Luke-The Investigative Gospel
The Twelve Apostles
Luke 6:12-16

Jesus decided that it was time to choose twelve men whom he could equip to carry on his mission after his departure.

I. The Preparation for Jesus’ Choice

Luke did not specifically state that Jesus prayed; it is likely that he assumed his readers would know this.

Jesus’ choice of twelve men was critical to the success of his mission. Therefore, all night he continued in prayer to God.

If Jesus, the sinless Son of God, spent time in prayer, thus demonstrating his total dependence upon God, then so do we.

II. The Purpose of Jesus’ Choice

Jesus was the teacher and those who put his teaching into practice were his disciples.

The twelve, whom Jesus named apostles, were going to be sent by Jesus to represent him in proclaiming the good news of the gospel to all nations.

Just as Jesus called each apostle to serve him as an apostle, Jesus also calls every Christian to some form of service.

III. The Persons of Jesus’ Choice

This group of men formed the nucleus of Jesus’ ministry team. They were a diverse group of ordinary men.

All of them, with the exception of John, died a martyr’s death in their faithful service to Jesus.

Today, Jesus calls us to be his disciples. He calls us to proclaim to the world that he is still seeking and saving the lost.

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Sermon Audio: He Is Lord Of All
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Luke 6:1-11
Duration: 22:47
Size: 10.4 MB

Luke-The Investigative Gospel
He Is Lord Of All
Luke 6:1-11

Worship is a means of feeding the soul, there are different ways of doing that, just as there are different ways of feeding the body.

In the text today we see a great confrontation between Jesus with his radical views of worship and the Pharisees and Scribes.

The Sabbath speaks of rest after work and relates to the law, while the Lord’s Day speaks of rest before work and relates to grace.

The Pharisees and scribes turned the Sabbath into a burden instead of the blessing that God intended it to be.

1. Not breaking the law is not the same as being a good moral person.

The fact is that there are many crimes that are not sins and there are many sins that are not crimes.

2. Not doing good is worse than not doing bad.

They knew that Jesus had a compassionate heart and they wanted to goad Him into performing a healing on the Sabbath.

God did not give His laws in order to deprive men of their pleasure but to keep them from harm.

Surely now they would be moved to believe, not so for Luke closes allowing us a glimpse of into the soul of the Pharisees.

The Sabbath was made for us; it is a day we can use to enjoy God and the blessings he has given us.

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Sermon Audio: Calling Sinners Home
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Luke 5:27-39
Duration: 24:39
Size: 11.2 MB

Luke-The Investigative Gospel
Calling Sinners Home
Luke 5:27-39

Is it possible to get so busy doing churchy things that we forget our purpose for existence.

It is too easy for Christian believers to forget that they are sinners – yes forgiven, but still, in themselves, weak and vulnerable.

The Church is not a Country Club but a life saving station.

1. Jesus offers real forgiveness for real guilt.

Perhaps of all the people in Capernaum, Levi was the most publicly unacceptable candidate to be a disciple of Jesus.

For Levi, following Jesus was a substantial sacrifice, if this venture was a failure he could not go back.

2. Those who are truly saved do not want to go to heaven alone.

The occasion gave him the opportunity to explain his decision and more importantly to introduce his friends to Jesus, and let them learn for themselves what kind of Person could have produced such a dramatic change in Levi’s life.

The questions for today are: “What kind of picture are you giving of being a Christian?” and “Are you content to go to heaven alone?”

3. The only ones who can be saved are those who realize that they are lost.

The first step toward healing the sin sickness is admitting that we have a need and that we cannot heal ourselves.

4. There is joy in the service of the Lord.

To the Pharisees spirituality consisted of doing things you do not want to do, and refraining from things that you do want to do.

There is power in the gospel that demands a new container. The church became that new container.

Unfortunately the church of today, can become so busy doing good things that we forget that have been left here with a commission.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:27 — 1.0MB)

Sermon Audio: Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Luke 5:17-26
Duration: 26:27
Size: 12.1 MB

Luke-The Investigative Gospel
Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures
Luke 5:17-26

What would you be willing to do for that sum of money?

The Crowd.

Crowds were pressing around him constantly, and this day things were no different, except for who was in this crowd.

The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law weren’t there to learn from Jesus, they were there to catch Jesus in a mistake.

But there’s a fine line between a teachable Christian spirit and being a prideful self appointed watchdog of the truth.

The Crisis.

If your best friend or…son…was paralyzed, what lengths would you go to in order to get them healed?

They were just going to have to go through the roof.

The Cure.

However bad we have it physically, the bigger picture is the spiritual aspect.

In a short time after Jesus’ death, the whole Roman Empire became Christian.

The Criticism.

For this very unteachable crowd…it was gonna be the most teachable moment of the night.

He is either God’s son, or you can’t believe Him at all. He very…intentionally leaves us no middle ground.

While the Pharisees and teachers were still thinking about which part is harder, forgiving sins or healing a paralyzed man, He has done both!

Jesus has left us with miraculous evidence…but we have to show it. We have to be intentional.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 18:53 — 1.0MB)

Sermon Audio: The Leper’s Story
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Luke 5:12-16
Duration: 18:53
Size: 8.65 MB

Luke-The Investigative Gospel
The Leper’s Story
Luke 5:12-16

Now that we have heard the Leper’s story, let’s see what Jesus did for the man.

I. The Man Was Reached.

When no one else would help there was a man named Jesus who was not concerned with what the people may say, think, or do – all he knew was that there was a man with a terrible disease that needed to be reached.

II. The Man Was Revived.

When Jesus touched this man he was revived, for all common purposes he was a walking dead man – he could not live with his family, he could not take part in all the normal things of life.

When we are revived we can get back to the life that God wants us to live, we can worship like he wants us to, we can pray like he wants us to.

III. The Man Was Released.

Jesus wanted this man to go and show what had happened – to testify of the miracle working power of God!

God wants to reach you with his love.
God wants to revive with power.
God wants to release you for his glory.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 24:27 — 1.0MB)

Sermon Audio: Complete Surrender
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Luke 5:1-11
Duration: 24:27
Size: 11.1 MB

Luke-The Investigative Gospel
Complete Surrender
Luke 5:1-11

No matter how big or important any of us think we are, God’s Word stands forth as an unchanging beacon.

The topic I would like to discuss this morning is complete surrender to Christ, our unshakeable, lighthouse.

So many people go around life trying to clean every thing up before they meet with God.

We need to present ourselves to Christ as we are.

You have offered and offered and offered and seen no results and now you are just tired!

Do not pause when God gives instructions.

But, when we choose to obey, we always are the better for it.

Surrender must precede the blessings that God has for you.

Your complete surrender will yield a complete blessing on the part of the Savior.

Complete surrender involved giving up the things that they are used to. Things that were holding them back from completing God’s mission.

So we must learn to surrender over to him anything and everything that would keep us from accomplishing that Goal.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 19:05 — 1.0MB)

Sermon Audio: Jesus Is God’s Son. True or False?
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Luke 4:38-44
Duration: 19:05
Size: 8.73 MB

Luke-The Investigative Gospel
Jesus Is God’s Son. True or False?
Luke 4:38-44

One of the most common questions is how do we know that God is real.

Four choices before us.

1. He is a liar.

He knew He wasn’t God’s Son, but he deliberately misled those that heard Him.

2. Jesus was well meaning, but a bit confused.

Jesus always seems to be in control even when faced with external pressure.

3. Jesus was a Legend.

Some argue that while Jesus was a real man, the stories about him and the accounts of miracles were fabricated and the stuff of legends and stories.

4. Jesus is who he said he was – he was the Son of God who deserved to be Lord.

Luke, the doctor says that she had a high fever and they asked Jesus to help her.

His healings sometimes occur over a large distance and are often just by a spoken word.

Satan and his demons were petrified of this Man.

He showed he had power over nature by calming the wind and the waves during a violent storm.

He knew what would happen to him and spoke openly of his death before it happened.

The risen Jesus was no Legend. People saw him and touched him.

They couldn’t deny it, because too many people witnessed these things.

Who do you say Jesus is? ________________

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 19:49 — 9.1MB)

Sermon Audio: Jesus Still Conquers Sin
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Luke 4:31-37
Duration: 19:49
Size: 9.07 MB

Luke-The Investigative Gospel
Jesus Still Conquers Sin
Luke 4:31-37

If you can’t see it, feel it, touch it, taste it, or smell it – it doesn’t exist.

Jesus teaches us that there is still hope in this world for defeating the evil in our world.

I. Evil is conquered by the preaching of Jesus.

The best thing we can do for you is to show you what the Biblical writers wrote.

II. Evil is conquered by the presence of Jesus.

They wanted to find a church where they would experience the presence of Jesus.

III. Evil is conquered by the power of Jesus.

Whatever evil you may be facing in your life, the power of Christ is your answer.

Christ said that by faith the size of a mustard seed a believer can command the mountain to depart.

IV. Evil is conquered by the popularity of Jesus.

When people experience true Christianity, they don’t want anything to do with evil.

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Sermon Audio: Preaching is Risky
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Luke 4:21-30
Duration: 17:01
Size: 7.79 MB

Luke-The Investigative Gospel
Preaching Is Risky
Luke 4:21-30

In a sense they were saying, how can he say that the scripture has been fulfilled in me when Jesus is just the son of a carpenter?

They also were thinking in their hearts, why doesn’t he do miracles here as he did Capernaum. Prove to us he is the Messiah.

The people’s expectation of the preacher Jesus was different than Jesus’ own expectations.

We want to hear from God through our preacher what we want to hear, not what God through the preacher is trying to say.

And through God’s word, Jesus is meddling in our lives. He is telling us that through his word we can find the authority for our lives.

God could have cried out from outer space a million years, saying, “I love you, I love you,” but we would not have believed him.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 30:42 — 1.0MB)

Sermon Audio: The Fulfillment Of The Word
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Luke 4:14-21
Duration: 30:42
Size: 14.0 MB

Luke-The Investigative Gospel
The Fulfillment Of The Word
Luke 4:14-21

We love to hear each other’s stories because as a people we are not only a pilgrim people, we are also a story people.

Christians must therefore learn to tell their stories, don’t keep your stories to yourselves.

The stem of our stories is Christ in the world, bringing God to a world of darkness in the light of His word.

Fasting is one of the ways of cleansing ourselves and preparing for the presence of God in us.

That gospel, the good news was fulfilled in the hearing of those who were listening to Jesus, and today that same message is still being fulfilled.

SO WHAT IS YOUR STORY?