Tag: Val Watkins

Sermon Audio: The Resurrection
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Luke 24:1-12
Duration: 22:41
Size: 10.4 MB

Luke-The Investigative Gospel
The Resurrection
Luke 24:1-12

Jesus of Nazareth was verifiably dead. He was crucified with two thieves by Roman soldiers.

The resurrection of Jesus in Luke 24:1-12 shows us what happened to the women at the empty tomb of Jesus.

I. They Were Perplexed (Luke 24:1-4a)

The women went to the tomb of Jesus that first Sunday morning to complete the burial process.

At this point the women simply did not know where the body of Jesus was. The empty tomb intensified their grief.

II. They Were Rebuked (Luke 24:4b-5)

You see, the angels said to the women that they were mistaken in coming to anoint a lifeless corpse when they should have known he would be alive.

III. They Were Instructed (Luke 24:6-8)

Jesus had predicted his death and resurrection on several occasions.

Luke 9:22; Mark 9:31; Luke 18:31-33

At the end of the day, every one of us comes to believe the good news of the gospel because we believe the Word of God.

God is the divine author of the Word of God, let us hear his Word, and heed his Word.

IV. They Were Witnesses (Luke 24:9-12)

Like the women initially, the other disciples had not expected Jesus to rise from the dead.

The women were witnesses of Jesus’ resurrection, and the people to whom they witnessed should have believed their message.

Sermon Audio: The Lamb and The Cross
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Duration: 23:11
Size: 10.6 MB

Luke-The Investigative Gospel
The Lamb and The Cross

Sermon Audio: Jesus Is Buried
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Luke 23:50-56
Duration: 23:46
Size: 10.8 MB

Luke-The Investigative Gospel
Jesus Is Buried
Luke 23:50-56

Interestingly, we actually know quite a bit about the burial of Jesus Christ.

The burial of Jesus in Luke 23:50-56 shows us the actions of some of Jesus’ disciples.

I. The Burial of Jesus Shows Us the Boldness of Joseph of Arimathea (Luke 23:50-54)

Joseph did not consent to the Jewish Sanhedrin’s decision to have Jesus sent to Pilate in order to be sentenced to death by crucifixion.

Now that Jesus was dead, Joseph had a decision to make. Would he go public with his discipleship?

It was at the cross where Joseph took his stand, confessing Jesus in his death.

II. The Burial of Jesus Shows Us the Obedience of the Women from Galilee (Luke 23:55-56)

These women had supported Jesus during his public ministry for much of the previous three years.

And so they lingered at the cross, no doubt stricken with grief and sorrow, and yet also hoping and praying that somehow God would enable them to take care of Jesus.

One of the applications we should take from the women from Galilee is this: how well do we honor God on the Lord’s Day?

What is so interesting about Joseph and the women is that they were bold and obedient on Friday.

“It’s Friday, but Sunday’s comin’!”

Sermon Audio: The Death of Jesus
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Luke 23:44-49
Duration: 26:27
Size: 12.1 MB

Luke-The Investigative Gospel
The Death of Jesus
Luke 23:44-49

After a series of rushed civil and religious trials, Jesus was finally sentenced to death by crucifixion.

Crucifixion was a slow death, intended to inflict maximum agony and suffering.

The most extreme word in the English language to describe pain is the word “excruciating,” which comes from the Latin word excruciatus, meaning “out of the cross.”

The death of Jesus in Luke 23:44-49 shows us a number of events preceding and following his death.

I. Events Preceding Jesus’ Death (Luke 23:44-46)

A. Darkness Over the Whole Land (Luke 23:44-45a)

It was as if “a veil had been drawn over the unspeakable suffering of God’s Son.”

There was a disturbance in creation itself in order to demonstrate what Jesus was doing on the cross: suffering God’s judgment against our sin.

B. The Curtain of the Temple Was Torn in Two (Luke 23:45b)

The temple curtain being torn in two was a sign of spiritual access to God through Jesus Christ.

The tearing of the curtain in the temple teaches us that sinners no longer have to go to Jerusalem to offer a sacrifice for their sins.

C. Jesus’ Final Words from the Cross (Luke 23:46)

But what was so different about Jesus’ prayer on the cross is the addition of one word, the word “Father.”

II. Events Following Jesus’ Death (Luke 23:47-49)

A. The Conversion of the Centurion (Luke 23:47)

We don’t know what happened to the centurion, but he came to see that Jesus was indeed the Son of God and Savior of sinners.

B. The Action of the Crowds (Luke 23:48)

C. The Observation of Jesus’ Followers (Luke 23:49)

As we have looked at the death of Jesus in Luke 23:44-49, we should make sure that we have been reconciled to God through Jesus.

Sermon Audio: The Crucifixion of Jesus
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Luke 23:26-43
Duration: 21:58
Size: 10.0 MB

Luke-The Investigative Gospel
The Crucifixion of Jesus
Luke 23:26-43

I would like to examine the passage from the perspective of three significant statements made by Jesus on his way to be crucified and while hanging on the cross.

I. Jesus’ Statement to the Daughters of Jerusalem (Luke 23:26-31)

Jesus would have been carrying the cross beam for the cross.

His basic message to the nation of Israel was, “Don’t weep for me. Weep for yourselves.”

Jesus was saying that people should pray that God would have mercy on them, rather than feel sorry for him.

II. Jesus’ Statement to the Executioners (Luke 23:32-38)

It is as if the horror of the crucifixion was too awful to describe in detail.

Jesus came to seek and to save the lost, and no-one is too lost for Jesus to love and to ask his Father to forgive.

Know that Jesus will forgive you your sins, and he will enable you to forgive others too.

III. Jesus’ Statement to the Thief on the Cross (Luke 23:39-43)

There were two criminals hanging on the cross next to Jesus. Although initially they both reviled Jesus, eventually only one continued to rail against Jesus, while the other criminal repented.

“One thief was saved that no sinner might despair, but only one, that no sinner might presume.”

One response is to reject Jesus, like the hardened thief. But the right response is to turn to Jesus in faith and repentance, like the repentant thief.