"Do not be afraid, from now on you will fish for men."
We watch Peter go from Fascination to Fear to Filth to Faith as he encounters the Unblemished Holiness and Unlimited Grace of Jesus Christ.
Jesus establishes a base of operations in Capernaum where He begins a full frontal assault on evil by casting out evil spirits and preaching righteousness. As He dominates demons, it becomes evident that "even demons believe and shudder." This passage offers us an opportunity to take stock of our own faith in Jesus. A Sunday sermon by Ed Anton of Hampton Roads Church.
Sunday sermon on Jesus before his hometown synagogue in Nazareth.
Jesus begins his public ministry in Luke's Gospel back in his hometown synagogue. Jesus preaches from Isaiah 61 by confirming the prophecy in himself! This lightening bolt lights up the synagogue, but not as much as Jesus' commendation of faith in a Sidonian widow and a Syrian leper. Each expressed faith in God in such a way to inspire us today.
Driven by the Spirit, Jesus is led out into the wilderness to face the devil, the accuser. He sets a righteous example for us on how to overcome temptation in our lives. Armed with God's Word and what Jesus' righteousness has done for us, His victory can be our victory in the showdown's of our lives!
Luke's Gospel now begins the pivot from John the Baptist's ministry to Jesus' ministry, beginning with His baptism and temptation. Jesus tells us that He must be baptized to "fulfill all righteousness." And so He does as He arrives as the New Adam. On this New Year, we have a New Adam and a New Resolve (the same resolve for righteousness that Jesus exhibits at both His baptism and temptation in the desert).
As Christmas draws near in 2013, Ed Anton preaches a sermon on John the Baptist's preparations for the coming of Jesus Christ in Luke 3:15-20. Jesus will come as both Deliverer and Judge as seen in John's picture of the winnowing fork.
You Better Watch Out
He's Gonna Find Out Who's Naughty or Nice
So Be Good for Goodness Sake
John the Baptist breaks four hundred years of prophetic silence to prepare the way for Jesus. He best prepares us for Jesus by calling us to repent (Metanoia) and to prove that repentance by bearing its fruit. But to bear good fruit, we need to go deeper to the root of our sin and self focus. This sermon by Ed Anton helps us to do just that.
Lex Campaldini preaches a sermon on Luke 2 that considers the persevering faithfulness of both Simeon and Anna as Jesus is presented at the temple. This proves to be a timely lesson for us during the holidays as we want what we want NOW, and what we want is often very individualistic. Simeon and Anna, by contrast, waited and waited and ... wait for it ... waited for the redemption of all God's people. They did not persevere for their individual wants or needs. Instead they remained steadfast in prayer for a selfless common good.
Luke's account of the birth of Jesus begins with an edict from the greatest of all Roman emperors, Augustus Caesar. A decree issued from his lips in Rome moves pawns across the board even in the backwaters of Palestine. But who is the real pawn here? Augustus is merely a tool in the hands of Sovereign God. The Kingdom arrives to disrupt Empire. Jesus arrives to expose the futility of searching for peace without surrender to true Sovereign.