Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord.

My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour (Luke 1:46-47). https://youtu.be/AI_q4uEJqS0

The bad news – and the Good News

Luke 3:1-38 John's message came from ‘God’(2). He did not begin with love. He preached about sin and divine judgment, warning his hearers to ‘flee from the wrath to come’(7). He called for ‘repentance’(3,8). This was not what people wanted to hear. Before we can rejoice in the Good News concerning salvation, we must recognize …

Temptation, forgiveness, faith and service

Luke 17:1-37 In verses 1-10, Jesus speaks about temptation, forgiveness, faith and service. (a) Temptation -  ‘watch yourselves’, always remembering that we can only win victory through the strength of the Lord (3; 1 Corinthians 10:13). (b) Forgiveness - This is practical teaching. We not only receive forgiveness for ourselves. We are to forgive others …

Link to Rev James Philip’s notes on Luke’s Gospel

Luke

Less like the Pharisees – and more like Jesus

"One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick" (Luke 5:17). What a difference there was between Jesus and the "Pharisees and teachers …

The Lord is looking for His people to stand up and be counted as His faithful servants.

Deuteronomy 29:1-30:10; Luke 18:31-19:10; Proverbs 10:1-10 The Lord is looking for His people to stand up and be counted as His faithful servants. There is a commitment to be made, a commitment to be maintained. It is not only beginning with Christ. It is going on with Him. This is illustrated in the story of …

The Prodigal Son And The Perfect Son

* Jesus told a story of God’s love – “the story of the prodigal son” (Luke 15:11-32). * Jesus is the Story of God’s love – His Story is the Story of God’s perfect Son.

Without Faith, There Is No Power!

Luke 8:22-56 ‘Where is your faith?’(25). The Lord is not looking for lip-service. He is looking for real faith. Some beg Jesus ‘to depart from them’(37). They don't want to know! Others long to ‘be with Him’(38). They don’t want to go! Some have no interest in worship. They don’t really want to get to …

Luke 4:1-30

Jesus was 'tempted by the devil' (2). He was rejected by His enemies (28-29). When we look around us, we see nothing but temptations and rejection - What a negative way of looking at things! There is something more positive here - the presence of the Holy Spirit (1,14,18). Do not be afraid. There is …

Listen to Jesus and learn from him.

What's the world coming to? Everything seems to be going from bad to worse. Where is God in all this? Is there a Word from the Lord for our generation? Many people tell us to forget about God. Where will that lead us - if we forget about God, if we forget Jesus Christ, who …

Praying Through God’s Word: Luke’s Gospel

Luke 1:1-38 Lord, we need Your Word and Your Spirit. Your Word shows us how we are to live. Your Spirit gives us strength - for living Your way. May "the Word of Christ dwell in us richly" (Colossians 3:16) - prompting us to walk with You in the way of faith. May we "be …

From Our Ancestors To Our Saviour

"I worship the God of our ancestors as a follower of the Way" (Acts 24:14) We look back to the Old Testament. We follow on from the Old Testament. We follow Jesus - "the Way, the Truth and the Life" (John 14:6). The Old Testament points us towards Jesus. It ends with prophecies that await …

Looking beyond Jesus’ death to his resurrection (Luke 23-24)

Here, we see unity in evil: "And though Herod and Pilate had been enemies before, they were reconciled that same day." Politically, these men were at odds with each other. Spiritually, however, they were united in their opposition to Christ. Whatever the outcome of this incident with Jesus of Nazareth, nothing must be permitted to …

Luke 23-24

Luke 23:1-25  -  In Jesus’ trial, we see unity in evil (12). Politically, Pilate and Herod were at odds with each other. Spiritually, they were united in their opposition to Christ. Jesus was found guilty by neither Pilate nor Herod (13-16). They were Very Important People. Jesus was a threat to them. They held positions …

Luke 21-22

Luke 21:1-38  -  The ‘poor widow’ gave her ‘all’ to the Lord (1-4). True giving is a response to ‘the grace of God’. Learning to appreciate ‘the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ’, we will learn to give with ‘abundance of joy’ and ‘wealth of liberality’ (2 Corinthians 8:1-2, 9). Let us give ourselves to …

Luke 19-20

Luke 19:1-48  -  Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem (9:51; 13:22; 17:11), the place where He would be crucified for the world’s salvation. ‘Passing through’ Jericho, He brought ‘salvation’ to Zacchaeus (1, 9). ‘Near to Jerusalem’,  He spoke about service (11-27). Jesus is our Saviour - He came ‘to save us’ (10). He is …

Luke 17-18

Luke 17:1-37  -  In verses 1-10, Jesus speaks about temptation, forgiveness, faith and service. (a) Temptation - ‘watch yourselves’, always remembering that we can only win victory through the strength of the Lord (3; 1 Corinthians 10:13). (b) Forgiveness - This is practical teaching. We not only receive forgiveness for ourselves. We are to forgive …

More than a servant

"Someone greater than Jonah is here" (Luke 11:32).  Think of all the great servants of God in the Old Testament. Jesus is greater than all of them. He's more than a servant of God. He's the Son of God. He's our Saviour. What could be greater than this? Who could be greater than Him? He's …

A prophet of the Most High

"And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;     for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,  to give his people the knowledge of salvation     through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God,     by which the rising sun will …

Luke 14-16

Luke 14:1-35  -  Let God’s love flow freely in your own heart. Let it flow, from there, into the lives of others. Receive Christ and share Him with others. When the Gospel says, ‘Come; for all is ready’, there must be no excuses (17-20). When you share Christ, let there be no barriers (1-6, 12-14, …

Your sins are forgiven. Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.

When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. As she stood behind him …

"The Seed Is The Word Of God."

Luke 8:1-15 "The seed is the Word of God" (Luke 8:11). This is what Jesus' parable of the sower is all about. It's about the Word of God. God's Word is sown in our hearts. God's Word bears fruit in our lives. The sowing of God's Word in our hearts requires patience. We don't reap …

This is not a perfect world, and we’re not perfect people.

Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you? Show us your unfailing love, Lord, and grant us your salvation (Psalm 85:6-7). This is not a perfect world, and we're not perfect people. We might wish we lived in a perfect world, but it's just not the way the world is. We might wish …

True giving is our response to God’s grace. Let us give ourselves to Him.

The ‘poor widow’ gave her ‘all’ to the Lord (Luke 21:1-4). True giving is a response to ‘the grace of God’. Learning to appreciate ‘the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ’, we will learn to give with ‘abundance of joy’ and ‘wealth of liberality’ (2 Corinthians 8:1-2, 9). Let us give ourselves to our Lord. …

Where did Jesus’ power come from?

Jesus makes it perfectly clear that His power comes from God. This is the power of God at work. When we understand who Jesus is, we will understand that the power we see in Jesus is the power of God. Jesus is “Emmanuel.” He is “God with us” (Matthew 1:23). Recognizing who Jesus is – …

Luke 12-13

12:1-34  -  ‘Do not fear...’ (4): ‘If God is for us, who can be against us?’ (Romans 8:31). Acknowledge Christ or deny Him (8-9): Let your choice be clear - ‘Christ means everything to me’ (Philippians 1:21). Do you want to confess Christ? - Here’s a great promise for you: ‘the Holy Spirit will teach you in …

Luke 10-11

Luke 10:1-37  -  Christ’s message - ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you’ (9) - calls for our response - hearing with faith or rejecting in unbelief (16). Where does this response of faith come from? - From God: He reveals Himself to us (21). Questions: Why do we ask them? - ‘to …

Luke 8:22-9:62

Luke 8:22-56  -  ‘Where is your faith?’ (25). The Lord is not looking for lip-service. He is looking for real faith. Some beg Jesus ‘to depart from them’ (37). They don't want to know! Others long to ‘be with Him’ (38). They don’t want to go! Some have no interest in worship. They don’t really …

Jesus is more than a prophet.

Deuteronomy 16:21-18:22; Luke 14:15-35; Psalm 44:13-26 “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet …” (Deuteronomy 18:15). This prophecy has its greatest fulfilment in Christ. Jesus is more than a prophet. He is the substance of the prophecy concerning God’s Kingdom. The coming of God’s Kingdom is the coming of Christ – …

Luke 6:17-8:21

Luke 6:17-49  -  Four thoughts from Jesus’ ‘sermon’: (a) Hunger for God (21; Matthew 5:6): Laziness leads to superficial Christianity. Do not hunger and you will not be ‘filled with the Spirit’ (Ephesians 5:18). Do not seek and you will not find (Matthew 7:7). Seek the Lord with all your heart (Jeremiah 29:13). God has …

Luke 4:1-6:16

Luke   4:1-30 – Jesus was ‘tempted by the devil’ (2). He was rejected by His enemies (28-29). When we look around us, we see nothing but temptations and rejection – What a negative way of looking at things! There is something more positive here – the presence of the Holy Spirit (1,14,18). Do not …

Luke 2-3

Luke 2:1-20  -  God is in control! Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Long before it happened, God had it planned (1-7; Micah 5:2-3). As we approach Christ's Return, God still has His plan. He is still in control. The birth of Christ is not merely an event from the past. It is also a message …

Luke 1

LUKE 1:1-38  -  God was about to do ‘a new thing’ (Isaiah 43:19). It was centred on Christ, though John also played his part (31-33,16-17). There were obstacles - Zechariah and Elizabeth were ‘old’ (18), and Mary had ‘no man’ (34). What were these obstacles to God? - Nothing: ‘with God nothing will be impossible’ …

Pointing away from ourselves to Jesus: there is nothing more important than this.

"In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness." (Luke …

Saved by grace though faith

"Your faith has saved you" (Luke 7:50). We have been "saved by grace" (Ephesians 2:5).  How are God's grace and our faith related to each other? Ephesians 2:8 tells us that we have been "saved by grace through faith." God's grace comes first. Without his grace, reaching out to us, we could never be saved. …

Revelation or discovery?

The word of the Lord came to Ezekiel" (Ezekiel 1:3). The word of the Lord that came to Hosea (Hosea 1:1). The word of the Lord that came to Joel (Joel 1:1). The Spirit of the Lord is on me (Luke 4:18). I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. I did not receive …

What does it mean to believe in God?

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15, verses 3 and 4). There are many people who say that they believe in God, but when they're asked …

Where would we be without the love of God?

Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had …

Joy Comes To Us – From Jesus.

"Zacchaeus received Jesus joyfully" (Luke 19:6). Where did this joy come from? Did it come from Zacchaeus? No! It was given to him by Jesus. It came from Jesus' invitation. Jesus invited Zacchaeus to "come" to Him (Luke 19:5). This is where our joy comes from. Jesus invites us to come to Him. Jesus welcomes …

Saved by the grace of God

What are we to say when we hear the words, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23)? We're to say, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner" (Luke 18:13).

There is life after death. This is what we learn from Jesus’ resurrection.

He has risen! (Luke 24:6). Is there life after death? Has anyone ever come back to tell us? In today's world, there are many people tell us that there's only one answer we can give to both of these questions. It's the answer, "No"! Is this the only answer we can give to these qu.estions …

The blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, cleanses us from all sin.

To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: “God, I thank you that I am not like other people – robbers, evildoers, …

Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem

It is good for us to remember that, on that day of celebration, the day of Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, there were those, among the crowd, who were, quite clearly, under the judgment of God. We read of "the great multitude of the disciples (who) began to rejoice and praise God with a loud …

Make sure you don’t miss the most important thing – Jesus Christ is in you.

Luke 20:1-47 Think before you speak. Jesus' critics had plenty to say for themselves. Jesus challenged them. They needed to say less and think more - about Jesus (8,17-18,41-44). Jesus' words reduced them to silence (26,40). They didn't know what to say next. Perhaps, some were beginning to ask the right questions and find the …

“Today, salvation has come to this house” (Luke 19:10).

"There is no God apart from me, a righteous God and a Saviour; there is none but me. “Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other" (Isaiah 45:21-22). Many people say, "There is a God", but they never get beyond this, and say, "Jesus …

Luke 19-20

As Jesus entered Jerusalem, He knew that He was heading towards the cross. He indicates this in His parable of the wicked tenants. Jesus knew, however, that His death would not be the end. He was to become the cornerstone of God's work of salvation. Beyond his death, there would be His resurrection. Before His …

Running away and coming home

Jesus' parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32) begins with the son running away from home. It looked like it was a one-way ticket to disaster, but it wasn't! There was a return ticket. There was a way back home. When the son made the return journey, he found that his father was also running …

Was it worth it?

The parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32) is a story of human tragedy - but that's not the end of the story! It's also the story of the triumph of divine grace. We look at the young man's journey into the "far country"(Luke 15:13). We see him, wandering. We see him, far from home. …

Sermons on Luke’s Gospel

Luke 1:1-4 We begin with the first four verses of Luke’s Gospel. In our first look at Luke’s Book, we ask four questions: (1) What is Luke’s story about? (2) Where did Luke get his story from? (3) How are we to read Luke’s story? (4) What can we learn from Luke’s story? —– (1) …

Don’t put it off till tomorrow!

Preaching God's Word: Luke 13-24 Luke 13:1-35 Jesus stresses the need for both repentance (1-5) and the fruits of repentance (6-9). God’s Word, planted in our hearts at conversion, is to bear fruit. This requires continual repentance and faith (Colossians 2:6; Galatians 3:1-5). Don’t put it off till tomorrow! Today is ‘the day of salvation’. …

Our new life is life in Christ.

Christ's Word of forgiveness, "Friend, your sins are forgiven" (Luke 5:20) and His call to repentance, "I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance" (Luke 5:32), are followed by another great theme of Christ's Gospel, conversion. This is emphasized in Luke 5:37-38: "no one pours new wine into old wineskins... new …

God’s Call To Worship, Our Response To His Call

* God's call to worship - "Sing and shout for joy... Rejoice with all your heart... " (Zephaniah 3:14). * "... My heart praises the Lord; my soul is glad because of God my Saviour" (Luke 1:46-47). - We are to worship God with all our heart. - We are to worship Him with joy. …

We must hear the Word of God and act on it.

Luke 4:31-5:11 ‘His Word was with power’(32). Where there are hindrances, obstructing the flow of God’s Word, we must pray that God’s Word will be heard for ‘what it really is’- ‘not the word of men but the Word of God’(1 Thessalonians 2:13). Our hearing of God’s Word is not to be a superficial thing …

The return of our Lord Jesus Christ

Joshua 1:1-2:24; Luke 2:5-38; Proverbs 10:11-20 Israel’s entry into the promised land was a highly significant event in the history of God’s redemption. ‘The momentous event’ is the Return of our Lord Jesus Christ: “The Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory” (Luke 21:27). We must be ready for His …

“He will turn many of the people to the Lord their God to make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (Learning from John the Baptist – Luke 1:13-17; John 1:19-34)

The birth of John the Baptist was foretold in an angelic message (Luke 1:13-17) which speaks of prayer - “your prayer is heard” (v. 13), preparation - looking forward to a time of “joy and gladness” (v. 14), power - “filled with the Holy Spirit” (v. 15) and purpose - “he will turn many of …

Holiness And Honesty

Deuteronomy 21:1-22:30; Luke 16:1-18; Proverbs 9:13-18 Holiness and honesty are two qualities which are to characterize the life of the Christian. The 'laws' in Deuteronomy stress the importance of holiness. Jesus, in His parable of the shrewd manager, emphasizes the importance of honesty - "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted …

God is our Father – holy and loving

In Isaiah 6, we read of God's holiness - and we, also, read of his love. Perhaps, when we think of Isaiah 6, we think, first, of the words of verse 3 - "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty." If, however, we were to stop there, we would miss something very important: the love of God. …

Being Justified By God Begins When We Stop Trying To Justify Ourselves.

"He (the Pharisee) wanted to justify himself" (Luke 10:29).  Justifying ourselves is the exact opposite of being justified by God. Justifying ourselves - This is about saying, 'I'm right. I haven't done anything wrong.' Being justified by God - This is about saying, 'I have sinned. I need to be forgiven.' How can we receive …

A Wholehearted Commitment To Jesus Christ

Luke 12:8-34 (1) The call to make a commitment of ourselves to Christ: "Whoever acknowledges Me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God" (Luke 12:8). This means more than paying lip-service to Christ. Choosing Him means choosing to live a life which shares His priorities. It is …

The Way Of The World And The Way Of The Lord

Luke 6:17–26 When we read the words of Jesus Christ, we are reading the words of a Preacher who spoke the truth without fear of man. Again and again, as we read Jesus' words, we find that there is a striking difference between what the world says and what the Lord says. the way of …