Tag: Luke-The Investigative Gospel

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Sermon Audio: A Baby On The Way
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Luke 1:39-45
Duration: 17:18
Size: 7.91 MB

Luke-The Investigative Gospel
A Baby On The Way
Luke 1:39-45

What does the word “blessing” mean? What does “to be blessed” mean?

• God blesses his people when he bestows on them some gift temporal or spiritual (Genesis 1:22,24:35; Job 42:12; Psalm 45:2,104:24,104:35).
• We bless God when we thank him for his mercies (Psalm 103:1-2,145:1-2).
• A man blesses himself when he invokes God’s blessing (Isaiah 65:16), or rejoices in God’s goodness to him (Deuteronomy 29:19; Psalm 49:18).
• One blesses another when he expresses good wishes or offers prayer to God for his welfare (Genesis 24:60,31:55; I Samuel 2:20).

Goodness and blessing can be associated with all three of these people.

I. Blessed is the Woman carrying the Child

I think Elizabeth is telling Mary that God has bestowed upon her a wonderful gift.

II. Blessed is the Child

This baby is not an ordinary baby, but is the Son of God.

III. Blessed is She who believes what the Lord said

Both of these women have received from God something that is impossible.

Application

1. We should have no fear about this life because Our God is in control.
2. We should have hope in the future because of what Jesus has done and has prepared for us.
3. We should have peace in this life because we know God keeps His promises.

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Sermon Audio: First Mary, Now Us
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Luke 1:26-38
Duration: 20:47
Size: 9.52 MB

Luke-The Investigative Gospel
First Mary, Now Us
Luke 1:26-38

This morning, I want you to try and remember what it was like to be fifteen.

Scholars tell us that Mary was between 13 and 16, to be more exact most think she was about 15 when the angel Gabriel gave her this message.

She had every reason to be terrified by this news. Who on earth was going to believe such ridiculous story?

A mind that holds reason as ultimate and unbending will never Experience the miracle of Christ’s birth.

It comes down to a question of faith, a question of faith first answered by a scared fifteen year old girl.

If God were to tell you that the eternity of others hung in the balance of your willingness to carry Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and share him with others, how would you answer?

But the question is still the same; are you willing to share Jesus with the world?

Who was willing to take that risk for you?

It is up to you now to share with others the Good News.

I think that most folks are afraid that they will do or say something wrong and therefore don’t even try.

Do you care enough about the people around you to respond?

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Sermon Audio: How Can I Be Sure?
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Luke 1:5-25
Duration: 22:24
Size: 10.2 MB

Luke-The Investigative Gospel
How Can I Be Sure?
Luke 1:5-25

The gospel of Luke breaks a silence that has lasted for over four hundred years.

Zechariah was an ordinary country priest, one perhaps as many as 20,000 estimated to be living in Palestine at the time.

I wonder what that says about our own attendance in “worship services”, we come to worship God but do we have any idea that we might actually meet up with Him.

This man, John, who would come to be called “the Baptist“, was to be an extraordinary man!

In spite of Zachariah’s godliness, his obedience to the law and a lifetime of service in the ministry, his faith was weak when it came to believing such a promise.

Zachariah in asking, “How can I be sure”, is in effect asking for a sign.

God kept his promise, just as he always does, and Elizabeth, in spite of her years, conceived a child.

Application

First, our impossibilities are only the platforms upon which God is able to do his best work.

Second, God’s delays are not denials. Never confuse a wait with a no.

Third, when God does choose to intervene it is always for His glory and our good.

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Sermon Audio: Can We Trust The Map?
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Luke 1:1-4
Duration: 23:18
Size: 10.6 MB

Luke-The Investigative Gospel
Can We Trust The Map?
Luke 1:1-4

Today, I want us to begin on a journey which will lead us to a treasure.

This passage, right at the beginning of this gospel account tries to define for us the credentials of this treasure Map.

Is the Author Credible?

This letter doesn’t have any identifying statement. But we do have some clues.

What we have here is a 2 volume set, written as a history of the Christian church, to some important official.

Really there is no other credible option and there is almost unanimous agreement between scholars today that Luke was the author.

To him, this was no mere game – his whole purpose of life, everything he held dear depended on getting the facts straight.

Are the sources of information credible?

The information that was gleaned however, in this and other accounts was directly obtained from eyewitnesses to the events.

Like he himself, their lives had been changed and so their testimonies were not distant memories, but dynamic and trustworthy accounts of what had happened to change their lives.

Is the method used to make the Map credible?

Luke declares to us that he himself investigated the information.

For Luke, this was achieved by publishing his work while many of his sources were still living.

Is the purpose for writing credible?

Luke’s reason for writing this account was so that Theophilus could know for sure what he had been taught.

As we look into Luke’s Map of Jesus’ life over the coming months, I pray that our eyes would be opened to see Jesus afresh.