Tag: Sermon

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Sermon Audio: Lord Teach Us To Pray (Part 1)
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Luke 11:1-4
Duration: 17:47
Size: 8.14 MB

Luke-The Investigative Gospel
Lord Teach Us To Pray
Part 1
Luke 11:1-4

Jesus gave the Lord’s Prayer in response to the disciple’s request in verse 1, “Lord, teach us to pray”.

It is actually given to us as the Lord’s blueprint for prayer that is acceptable to God.

1. Praying On the Basis of A New Relationship

Jesus is stating the importance of starting our prayers with the awareness that God is our Father.

Perhaps your father was angry and unapproachable or abusive or just not around.

God is not an angry judge looking for an opportunity to condemn us, nor is aloof and distant, too busy to hear you.

2. Praying On the Basis of a New Respect – “Hallowed be Your Name”

We hallow his name with our lips, both privately and publicly, and by our actions.

3. Praying On the Basis of a New Priority – “Your Kingdom Come”

When we pray, “Your kingdom come,” we are acknowledging God’s right to rule all people, including us.

4. Praying On the Basis of a New Submission – “Your Will be Done On Earth As It Is In Heaven.”

Notice you are not asking God to change His will or to bless your will, you are asking Him to help you find and do His will in your life.

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Sermon Audio: Duty vs. Devotion
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Luke 10:28-32
Duration: 23:13
Size: 10.6 MB

Luke-The Investigative Gospel
Duty vs. Devotion
Luke 10:28-32

I believe that we many times have wrongly contrasted Martha and Mary, as though each Christian should make a choice to either be a worker like Martha or a worshiper like Mary.

1. Loss Of Focus Caused Martha To Resort To Self-Pity.

Martha’s problem was one of balance, between the going and doing and the sitting and listening.

2. Loss Of Focus Causes Martha To Become Angry At Others.

And the more the pressure, the most tempting it is to focus on the urgent rather than the essential.

It is even worse when we can think of someone who we do not feel is pulling their weight and who has let us down.

3. Loss Of Focus Causes Martha To Find Fault With Others.

We all have ways that we use to get a message across.

4. Loss Of Focus Causes Martha To Question God’s Care.

Martha was angry at Mary for being so selfish and she is angry at Jesus for allowing this to go on.

Whenever our service causes us to criticize others and pity ourselves because we feel overworked, we had better take time to examine our lives!

It all boiled down to the fact that Martha wanted to force Mary to serve Christ her way.

5. Loss of Focus Can Be Eliminated by Remembering Why We Are Doing What We Are Doing?

It was Martha’s attitude that needed correction, but Martha’s work was both good and necessary.

The Christian life is learning to balance duty and devotion.
Sitting without serving is powerless.
Serving without sitting is directionless.
Serving after sitting produces power and balance.

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Sermon Audio: The Story of the Good Samaritan
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Luke 10:25-37
Duration: 25:29
Size: 11.6 MB

Luke-The Investigative Gospel
The Story of the Good Samaritan
Luke 10:25-37

The question asked of Jesus by this lawyer is: “What do I have to do to have eternal life?”

Jesus wants the lawyer to see that law cannot save anyone because no one can keep the law perfectly.

Jesus defines neighbor with a story but notice that Jesus did not call this story a parable, so it could be the report of an actual occurrence not unlike a first century “Kitty Genovese Story.”

1. Compassion Is Based On Need Not Worth.

The priest has been excused by some down through the years, by saying that he didn’t want to touch the man because he might have been dead, and this would have made the priest ceremonially unclean and he would have been unable to carry out his duties.

Both of these men, saw the man but ignored the need.

2. Compassion Feels Something.

The Samaritan saw the same pitiful man lying in agony beside the road and his heart churned within him so that he could not pass by without helping.

3. Compassion Does Something.

You must move toward people to express compassion, in order to build relationships.

In every one of his acts he demonstrated compassion as he responded in a practical, timely and unselfish way.

4. Compassion Cost Something.

There is nothing more the Samaritan could have done to show his compassion for this man.

5. Compassion Demonstrates Our Relationship to God.

The second question that the lawyer had asked was, “Who is my neighbor?” the question had been turned on him and is now, “What kind of neighbor am I?”

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 22:32 — 1.0MB)

Sermon Audio: Bringing Joy To The Lord’s Heart
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Luke 10:1-24
Duration: 22:32
Size: 10.3 MB

Luke-The Investigative Gospel
Bringing Joy To The Lord’s Heart
Luke 10:1-24

1. There Is A Call That Needs Answering

But we do know that when Jesus called they were ready to go.

It is the notion that there is just too much work to do in God’s mission field, and I am only one person what difference can I make.

It is impossible to earnestly pray for the Lord to send laborers into the harvest and not make ourselves available to be a part of the answer.

2. There Is A Consequence That Needs to Be Considered

What is at stake is the eternal destiny of every person who hears the gospel.

People sometimes reject Jesus because of Christians, may that never be true of us.

3. There Is A Joy That Needs To Be Tempered

There is a joy that needs to be tempered by remembering that spiritual highs and emotional victories will come and go but…

4. There Is A Grace That Needs To Be Remembered

The disciples need to remember that while it is true that they’ll be with the Lord forever, it is not because of anything they have contributed but because of His grace.

5. There Is A Privilege that Needs to be Contemplated

He rejoiced because the understanding of that truth did not depend on natural abilities or education.

What is God like? Exactly as Jesus has revealed him.

• The world is perishing with Christ.
• Jesus is coming soon.
• There is a great territory to be covered, a great harvest to reap.
• The need for reaching many as quickly as possible with the gospel is urgent.
• Jesus is Still Sending Are You Going?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 21:10 — 1.0MB)

Sermon Audio: Planning The Trip
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Luke 9:51-62
Duration: 21:10
Size: 9.69 MB

Luke-The Investigative Gospel
Planning The Trip
Luke 9:51-62

Well this morning Luke tells us about another group of individuals who were about to go on a trip to Israel.

Everything that Luke tells us in these next ten chapters must be looked at through the lens of a great countdown.

Two wrongs don’t make a right. Besides, they better get use to rejection because that’s just what’s going to happen once they arrive in Jerusalem.

What Jesus says to all three of them is that in order to follow him, they needed to be fully committed.

We are all called to discipleship and today I would challenge you to think about your own personal call to discipleship.

The original disciples sole qualification was their willingness to rise to their feet when Jesus said, “Follow me.”

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 22:42 — 1.0MB)

Sermon Audio: Getting It Wrong: Breaking Boundaries
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Luke 9:37-50
Duration: 22:42
Size: 10.3 MB

Luke-The Investigative Gospel
Getting it Wrong: Breaking Boundaries
Luke 9:37-50

Sometimes that is what we do with the stories of Jesus – we narrow in on the one story for the day, and miss the broad themes coming through.

In these three chapters, we see some common themes – “who is Jesus?” and “what does it mean to be a follower of Jesus?”

Failure #1: Can’t cast out the demon.

The first, and longest, details their failure to cast out a particular demon.

What struck me, which maybe some of us need to hear today as a challenge, was the question – what keeps us from getting to Jesus?

If something is keeping you back, I urge you with a similar love that this father had for his son, come to Jesus.

Failure #2: They were afraid to ask.

And the failure is in the fact that in not getting it, they didn’t ask; they didn’t seek to understand.

Failure #3: Pre-occupation with self and position.

In all we know and have seen, about Jesus coming for sinners and welcoming the poor and embracing the sick, upending all the social boundaries, saying “lose your life and you will find it”, here we find the disciples in exactly the opposite disgusting rut – “who is the greatest”.

Jesus came to say that whole system is broken and misses the point – power and control are temporary illusions that keep people from being free and forgiven.

Failure #4: Exclusionism

The final failure is along the same lines as the previous, and displays the disciples continuing inability to give up the special status that they think they have as followers of Jesus.

I refuse to condemn the disciples because I see these very same failures in me and in todays church.

It all begins with us coming to Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, and allowing God to make us like Jesus.