St. Luke Columbus

After the recent election, let’s reset our understanding of what is true greatness and how it is that we become great. In the gospel lesson, as Jesus reflects on John the Baptist, Jesus teaches that real greatness comes to those who are in the kingdom of heaven, where we are made great by the work of Jesus. As followers of Jesus we rest in the assurance that Jesus has made us great, which moves us to live lives of thankful and humble service. We live in a culture driven by hype. As followers of Jesus we can lead people to reset their understanding what it means to be great to reflect the values of Jesus, thankful and humble service to others.     After hearing this sermon, we hope you will identify where you are getting caught up in the empty hype of what it means to be great. Quietly commit yourself to live by the values that Jesus teaches foster authentic greatness.   Lessons: Matthew 11:2-11; Romans 8:15-17, 28-30; Mark 10:35-45   Sermon Outline

Mary followed a similar path that we articulated last Wednesday: God’s call, confusion, obedience, persistent seeking that involved movement, and giving God glory. Mary’s life was reformed. When the Holy Spirit plants (conceives) in us the seed of faith to trust Jesus, he is born into us and we become blessed even as Mary was blessed. As Mary is now called the Blessed Virgin Mary, so now we are we called Blessed. We then travel a similar path.     After hearing this sermon, we hope you will rest in the assurance that, through Christ, God has chosen you and God’s call is “irrevocable” (Romans 11:29). Consider how you could “sing” this truth this week.    Lessons: Luke 1:26-56

John the Baptist called the people of his generation to repent. This sermon will invite each of us to wrestle with this question: What is the reformation to which God is personally calling me?” The challenge in preaching on one’s personal reformation to everyone is that the reformation that God desires to bring into each person’s life is unique to them. One size does not fit all here. At this point in a person’s life, does that person need a reformation that is primarily the law (driving him to repentance), the gospel (setting her free from her bondage), or an exhortation for living a life more pleasing to God? The sermon will guide us to determine what is the personal reformation that each of us needs in our current season of life. One must be in prayerful discernment over this question because the evil one wants to convince us that what we need to hear is something opposite of what God knows we need the most.   After hearing this sermon, we hope you will fearlessly and honestly determine the reformation yo

During the Wednesday Advent services we will see a similar path to Jesus that those gathered around manger of Jesus experienced: God’s unilateral and gracious call, confusion, obedience, persistent seeking that involved movement, and giving God glory. This path results in lives that are reformed and the path of lives are changed.   What step of being more persistent in seeking the Lord do you need to take to more clearly see God’s work in your life and the world?   Lessons: Matthew 1:18-25

“God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable.” We cannot lose our salvation because it is God who “calls us through the Gospel, enlightens us with his gifts, and sanctifies and keeps us in true faith.” Faith creating and faith keeping are all God’s work. God is the one who made the covenant with us and through the death of Jesus, God has kept both sides of the covenant. While everything else we hold dear passes away, the eternal life God has given us can never be taken away. For this we are most thankful.   When you give thanks tomorrow, say out loud that what you are most thankful for is your eternal salvation that you cannot lose. Lessons: Romans 11:25-32, 1 Peter 1:3-9, John 10:22-30

The New Testament was written by people who believed that they were living in the last days and that Jesus would soon return. Because of this, there is a fair amount of apocalyptic writing in the New Testament, including what the N.T. writers chose to report of the teachings of Jesus. Jesus teaches us to live our lives as though we are about to meet him face to face.    Lessons: Isaiah 2:1-5, Romans 13:11-14, Matthew 24:36-44

God uses our sacrificial generosity to make an eternal change in us and in the lives of others.    Lessons: Malachi 3:10, 2 Corinthians 8:1-7, Luke 10:1-9, 17-21   Sermon Outline

God works in all areas of our lives to reform us to be imitators of Jesus. The religious word for this is sanctification, which means the process of becoming holy. One of the most influential areas of our lives is our wealth. God moves a follower of Jesus to be sacrificially generous. When God works in us to become sacrificially generous, a very significant step has been taken to reform us into imitators of Jesus. Greed loses its hold on us and our hearts are freed to more wholly love God and our neighbor. That is why sacrificial generosity is described as a “fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” This step into generosity is often obvious to those around us.   Lessons: 1 Timothy 6:17-19, Ephesians 5:1-5, Matthew 6:19-24

On this All Saints Sunday, as we continue our Reformation quincentennial commemoration, we recall that the 16th century reformer Martin Luther posted his Ninety-Five Theses to the door of the All Saints Church in Wittenberg on the eve of All Saints Day in 1517. Guest preacher Joy Schroeder will talk about the life of Martin Luther and his message of justification by grace through faith. Luther's Small Catechism

With the five pillars in place as our theological foundation, we will wrestle with this question: “What is the reformation to which God is calling you personally and St. Luke corporately?”   Lessons: Jeremiah 31:31-34, Romans 12:1-8, Matthew 5:13-16   Sermon Outline

God’s work in Christ is 100% responsible for everyone’s salvation. Through his Holy Spirit, God alone is the author and perfector of our faith, therefore even our saving faith is 100% God’s work. Further, all our good works (sanctification) are the work of God, the Holy Spirit, working in us. Because of all of this, to God alone be the glory!     Lessons: Psalm 115, Colossians 1:9-14, Mark 3:20-21, 31-35   Sermon Outline

Martin Luther described how the Word of God, for us as Christians, gives our lives their true meaning.  In effect, Scripture as God’s Word interprets our lives, to reveal to us what they mean and bestow a new significance on them, in the light of Christ.  A wonderful example of this is the story of Jacob at the Jabbock Brook.   Lessons: Genesis 32:22-31, Psalm 121, 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5, Luke 18:1-8

We live in an increasingly pluralistic culture. While this causes conflicts, it is good and enjoyable to experience the diversity of people and cultures around us. With this growing plurality comes the tension in our belief that eternal salvation comes through faith in Jesus alone. Anyone with a shred of Christ’s love in them hopes that all people will be saved, but the New Testament teaches that there is assurance of salvation only through faith in Jesus. We are motivated by the holy discontent that even one person would spend eternity separated from God. This motivates our evangelical mission to reach all people who yet do not trust in Jesus.   If you have not yet done so, trust in Jesus for your salvation. If your hope or tolerance has moved you to drift into believing there is universal salvation for all people, regardless of their beliefs, then you are invited to reset your thinking that salvation comes through faith in Christ alone. Let that motivate your evangelical behavior.     Lessons: Acts 4:

Faith is the only basis upon which an eternal relationship can be built. Martin Luther said that the teaching upon which the Church stands or falls is fourth article of the Augsburg Confession which teaches that we cannot be justified before God by our own strength, merits, or work but are freely justified for Christ’s sake through faith when we believe that we are received into favor and that our sins are forgiven on account of Christ, who by his death made satisfaction for our sins. This faith God imputes for righteousness in his sight. Our trust in Jesus is enough because it is 100% God’s gift to us so that we will receive God’s gift of salvation.   Being saved by grace alone through faith alone means that God gives us both the actuality and the means by which to have his gift of salvation.   Trust that faith in Jesus is enough for salvation.   Lessons: Genesis 15:1-6, Romans 5:1-2, John 3:16-18   Sermon Outline  

Salvation is 100% God’s work that he accomplished for us through the death and resurrection of Jesus and is given to us as a true gift. God planned, initiated, accomplished, and gives to us his gift of forgiveness, new life, and eternal life.   Lessons: Genesis 15:1-17, Ephesians 2:1-10, Luke 23:38-43  

Paul calls us to always be ready to give a defense to anyone for the hope that we have in Christ Jesus. Through unpacking the story of the woman at the well, we will gain a better understanding of the nature of God, his ability to overcome any barrier, and his desire for us to share our faith and make disciples of all nations.   Lessons: Isaiah 59:15b-16, 1 Peter 3:13-18, John 4:1-42

The parable of the Unjust Steward may be the most difficult of Jesus’ parables to interpret, let alone find a life application. (Now, get ready for a really long, but magnificently crafted sentence.) But, if we see the Unjust Steward as Jesus who loses everything and is cast out (dies) from the employment of the rich man (God, the Father), becomes the hero (raised again) in the eyes of the rich man (God), brings all the scheming debtors (us) into the good graces of the rich man (God) by having our debt scandalously and fully paid (through his death and resurrection), and eternally changes the whole bookkeeping of the rich man (God) so that now all functions by grace (that always is disputable in the eyes of our karma-run world), then we have an interpretation that fits the context of Jesus heading to Jerusalem to die and rise again to scandalously make us right with God. A thing of beauty! This interpretation is for us incredibly good news and gives us a Savior that is considered “unjust” by the moral bookkee

The Sabbath rest that God graciously commanded us to practice is for our benefit and yet, in our culture, we have so thoroughly turned our back on God’s gracious weekly plan for our lives. God intends that our practice of Sabbath rest and worship be a weekly reminder to us of the eternal experience of refreshment that we will enjoy in the paradise that Jesus has prepared for us.    We hope you will make a plan how to have one day a week of Sabbath rest, recreation, and worship.   Lessons: Exodus 20:8-11, Hebrews 4:1-3a, Mark 2:23-28

The examples of Jesus and the apostles (like Paul), the command of Jesus, the testimony of Christ followers over the last 2000 years, and the work of the Holy Spirit within us compels us to “boldly and without hindrance” preach the kingdom of God and teach others about Jesus. What holds us back from doing this? What is at stake in our reluctance? How can we overcome our reluctance?   After hearing this sermon, we encourage you to name the 1-3 fears or conditions that hold you back from telling others about Jesus. Ask God to help you overcome these fears and serve you up an easy evangelism opportunity.   Lessons: Acts 28:16-31, Matthew 9:35-38

We can’t do in rows what we can do in circles. It is not good for us to walk the discipleship path without the encouragement of vital friendships with other Christ followers.   We encourage everyone to participate in a Life Group this fall.   Lessons: Genesis 2:19-24, Galatians 6:1-2, Mark 2:1-12