St. Luke Columbus

We all have times when we neglect, betray, abandon, or deny from following Jesus. In a short period of time on the night when Jesus was arrested all of the disciples either neglected, betrayed, abandoned, or denied faithfully following Jesus. In this sermon we will explore how we do the same and turn that into a confession of our sin.   Next Step: Identify how you have neglected, betrayed, abandoned, or denied following Jesus and then ask God to forgive you.   Lessons: Luke 22:1-6, John 13:21b-8, 16:32-33, Mark 14:26, 32-54, 66-72

When Jesus raises us out of our dead self-centered existence, he gives us the new life of living for others. With the new hope of eternal life before us, we can live this life focused on meeting the hopes and hurts of others. Nothing that happens to us in this life can take away the hope we have and therefore we are free from the cares of this world to serve, invite, and give to meet the hopes and hurts of others.   Next Step: Meditate on the eternal life that you have in Jesus and let that lead you to be less concerned for your present life and more concerned for the eternal destiny of others.   Lessons: Isaiah 65:17-19, Romans 6:1-5, John 20:1-23   Watch: stlukecolumbus.com/ondemand   Subscribe to our Youtube channel

We are simultaneously fully justified and fully sinful. Simul justus et peccator.The juxta position of Palm Sunday and Good Friday well illustrates this theological truth. On one day the crowds shouted praise to Jesus and then a few days later they shouted “Crucify him!” Beyond a pedantic theological formula, this truth is practically helpful and encouraging for us in honestly understanding our condition before God and our need for Jesus. To live within the tension of this truth is to honestly walk the path of understanding that we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. This helps us to avoid two great holds of the evil one, shame and pride.         Next Step: Say to yourself, “I am fully made right with God and fully a sinner deserving God’s punishment.   Lessons: Psalm 51:3-12, Ephesians 2:1-10, Matthew 21:7-11, Mark 15:1-15   Watch: stlukecolumbus.com/ondemand   Subscribe to our Youtube channel

It has been sixteen years since we welcomed an ordained pastor into our church family. The coming of Pastor Mike Weaver will work best if we all fully accept him as a pastoral leader that God has called to St. Luke. This Sunday, Pastor Steve will preach a sermon titled Accepting A New Pastoral Leader. This sermon will offer teaching and guidelines for welcoming Pastor Mike and his family and help us accept that he will share equally with Pastor Steve in the preaching, pastoral care, and leadership of our congregation.     Pastor Mike will begin his ministry at St. Luke on Tuesday, April 23. Next Step: Begin to accept that Pastor Mike will equally share with Pastor Steve in the preaching, pastoral care, and leadership of our congregation.      Lessons: Numbers 27:15-23, 2 Timothy 4:1-5, John 13:3-17, 20   Watch: stlukecolumbus.com/ondemand   Subscribe to our Youtube channel

When God has brought you through the wilderness, live the new life God has for you. Once God has delivered us from our old, fearful, self-centered, and sin-dead life, we are free and equipped to bring God’s reconciliation to others.   Next step: Stop looking back at your old sin-dead life.   Lessons: Joshua 5:9-12, 2 Corinthians 5:16-21, Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32   Watch: stlukecolumbus.com/ondemand   Subscribe to our Youtube channel

Because of Jesus, God has given everyone alive at this moment more time to turn and trust in Jesus. No where you are in your thinking about God or your behavior in regards to God’s commandments, you have time today to honestly consider the claims of Jesus and turn and trust in Jesus. In Jesus, you have complete forgiveness of your sins. Now is a great moment for you to trust in Jesus, begin to follow Jesus, and live out the good work that God has for you.   Next Step: If you have not yet put your trust in Jesus, do it now,     Lessons: Isaiah 55:6-7, 2 Peter 3:9-15a, Luke 13:1-9   Watch: stlukecolumbus.com/ondemand   Subscribe to our Youtube channel

God promises us. Our hope is that God will honor the promise he has made to us of eternal life with God in others in the earth-like paradise. This life ends and we die, then our only hope is that God will honor his promise to raise us to eternal life. From start to finish The Bible communicates God’s many promises to us.   Lessons: Exodus 6:1-8, Psalm 91:1-2, 9-12, 14-16, Revelation 21:1-7, John 14:1-3   Watch: stlukecolumbus.com/ondemand   Subscribe to our Youtube channel

Living a new life is us. When Jesus redeems from our slavery, he frees us into the lives of others to serve, invite, and give to meet their hopes and hurts. Living the new life in Christ means living more for others than ourselves and putting others ahead of ourselves. This is following the example of Jesus and reflects the heart of God who spoke throughout his written word that we are our faith is to be active in love towards others.   Next Step: Identify what changes you need to make in your thinking and behavior to increase your living for others more than yourself.    Lessons: Isaiah 56:6-11, Psalm 23, Acts 2:42-47, John 13:34-35   Watch: stlukecolumbus.com/ondemand   Subscribe to our Youtube channel

Being redeemed is us. In Jesus, God redeemed us from our slavery to sin, death, and evil. Through his death Jesus manumitted us from this slavery. From Genesis 3:15 on the Bible teaches that it was always God’s plan to set us free from death and restore us to God’s original blessing through God’s Son, who is Jesus. God spoke through the Old Testament prophets to teach that the long-awaited Jewish Messiah would be the one to redeem us. Although Jesus rarely used the word, redemption became a central theme among the apostles to understand what Jesus accomplished for us.   Next Step: Trust in Jesus and be free. Share your redemption with those who are still in slavery.    Lessons: Isaiah 43:1, 44:21-24, Psalm 11:1-10, Galatians 3:10-14, John 3:16-17   Watch: stlukecolumbus.com/ondemand   Subscribe to our Youtube channel

Being chosen is us. We do not chose God, God choses us. This third major theme is taught throughout the Bible and fills Christ followers with ridiculous assurance, but causes others to scoff at what the Bible teaches. The amazing grace of being chosen by God is the clearest insight into the love God has for us.   Next Step: Whenever you have doubts, look in the mirror and say, “God chose me, I am chosen.”   Lessons: Deuteronomy 7:6-9, Psalm 105:1-11, Ephesians 1:3-14, John 15:15-19   Watch: stlukecolumbus.com/ondemand   Subscribe to our Youtube channel

Rebelling against God is us. As much as we don’t want to admit, we have rebelled against God and God’s values. Our rebellion has broken our relationship with God, with each other, and with all of creation. Our rebellion has led to physical death for all creation and all the death-like experiences in this life. This is the second major theme of the Bible. Very many passages in the Bible teach the reality and consequences of our rebellion. It is both unbiblical and unrealistic to deny this truth.     Next Step: Be honest with God about your rebellion and confess your sins.   Lessons: Genesis 3:1-8, Galatians 5:16-21, John 8:34-35   Watch: stlukecolumbus.com/ondemand   Subscribe to our Youtube channel

  Being created is us. By His Word God fully creates me and all that is. The first major theme of the Bible is that God has created and sustains all that is. In the New Testament the theme of creation grows to include that Jesus created all that is, that through Jesus God is recreating us and all that is, and that there will be a new heaven and a new earth. It is helpful for each of us to understand the original blessing of God’s creation in a personal way - that God has personally, lovingly, and carefully created each of us to be in an eternal and perfect relationship with God and all of creation.   Next Step: Marvel at one of God’s creations.   Lessons: Genesis 1:1-2:3, Psalm 139:1-6, 13-17, 23-24, 2 Corinthians 5:16-17, John 1:1-5, 10-14   Watch: stlukecolumbus.com/ondemand   Subscribe to our Youtube channel   Discussion Guide   Sermon Outline   About the series: This Is Us – God’s Word Our Story This series will help us understand the Bible more deeply by exploring six great themes of the Bible: Creat

A first move in following Jesus is establishing a discipline of Bible reading. When Jesus began to teach, he was guided by the Holy Scriptures. He continued to be guided by his knowledge of the Holy Scriptures throughout his ministry. In faithfully following Jesus, there is no substitute for regularly reading and reflecting on God’s written Word.   Next Step: Seek to more deeply understand the Bible by establishing a regular discipline of reading and hearing it taught.     Lessons: Psalm 119:105-112, 2 Timothy 3:14-17, Luke 4:14-30   Watch: stlukecolumbus.com/ondemand   Subscribe to our Youtube channel

A first move in following Jesus is finding vital friendships with a few other Christ followers. One of Jesus’ first moves before he began his public ministry was to find a small group of friends with which to do life. We do exceedingly better in faithfully following Jesus with a small supportive community around us.   Next Step: Find a small life group of Christian friends.   Lessons: Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, Romans 1:8-12, John 1:35-51   Watch: stlukecolumbus.com/ondemand   Subscribe to our Youtube channel

A first move in following Jesus is to learn, trust, and follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Immediately following his baptism, Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the desert where he fasted for 40 days and was tempted by the evil one. We learn from the example of Jesus that one of our first moves in following him is to become sensitive and obedient to being led by God, the Holy Spirit.   Next Step: Ask God a question about your life and trust the answer you receive.   Lessons: Ezekiel 36:24-28, Galatians 5:16-25, Luke 4:1-13   Subscribe to our Youtube channel

A first move in following Jesus is to be baptized. As illustrated in the baptism of Jesus, our baptism is God coming to us to make us his children, declare his personal love for us, and express confidence in us to do God’s work through equipping us with the Holy Spirit.    Next Step: Be baptized if you have not. Find your confidence in what Jesus accomplished in your baptism.   Lessons: Acts 19:1-7, Romans 6:1-8, Luke 3:15-17, 21-23a   Watch: stlukecolumbus.com/firstmoves1   Subscribe to our Youtube channel

Epiphany of the Lord   When we search for truth, God invites us to scrutinize honestly. The account of the Magi is one of searching carefully for the one who has been born king of the Jews. The search eventually involved King Herod and all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law. They rightly turned to God’s written Word for guidance. The Magi also were guided by God’s Word in as direct revelation. When we search for truth God wants us to honestly scrutinize what the Bible and our experience teach us. Jesus once said, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Matthew 7:7-8) Our God invites us to honestly scrutinize him and his truth claims. Doing this will lead us into a more honest, vibrant, and deeper faith.   Next Step: What is one real question you have for God? Honestly ask it and search for God’s answer.     Lessons: Isaiah 60

When faced with the evil slaughters of innocent people, we must avoid despair and complacency by trusting that God works through us to thwart evil. We continue to live in a world so broken by sin that we frequently experience innocent people being slaughtered by evil and broken people with the means to commit these atrocities. We are divided as to how to respond to these evil acts. As witnessed in the Slaughter of the Innocents recorded in Matthew 2:13-23 and in very many evil acts through the centuries, the slaughter of innocent people is an appallingly regular part of our human experience. This can easily move us into despair or complacency. Our trust in God calls us to hopeful action to thwart the slaughter of innocent people.    Next Step: Allow God to work through you to make one hopeful action to thwart the slaughter of innocent people.        Lessons: Psalm 91:1-2, 9-12, Hebrews 2:10-18, Matthew 2:13-23   Watch: stlukecolumbus.com/slaughter   Subscribe to our Youtube channel

This Christmas remember that through the Incarnationof God in Jesus we have Regenerationto a new life and Salvationthat is eternal. What is one of your fondest memories from Christmases past? What will you remember from this Christmas? Our account of the first Christmas comes through Mother Mary, who kept in her memory all that took place on that holy night by continuing to ponder over the events for the rest of her life. To declare the obvious, for Mary it was a Christmas to remember. For us who have pondered over all the accounts of Jesus for many years, we remember that God was physically born into our world in Jesus (Incarnation), that we have been born again into a new life through Jesus (Regeneration), and that because the death and resurrection of Jesus we have been given the wondrous gift of eternal life (Salvation).     Next step: Make this Christmas a Christmas to remember by holding in your memory that through the Incarnation of God in Jesus we have Regeneration to a new life and Salvation that is

We prepare for the coming of Jesus by sacrificing for justice. Jesus came to bring God’s justice to us. That means those who are little, least, last, lost, and dead are given new life. We rightly prepare for the coming of Jesus when we sacrificially participate in justice work. Bringing justice for people directly reflects the ultimate and merciful justice we receive through Christ and is dear to the heart of God.   Next Step: Identify one person you can bring justice to and let that justice roll down through you.   Lessons: Amos 5:18-24, James 1:26-27, Luke 3:7-18   Watch: stlukecolumbus.com/prepare3   Subscribe to our Youtube channel