Branch Church

Luke chapter 23 records the secret trial and crucifixion of Jesus. Along the way we'll see a glimpse of individuals that encounter Jesus in His final moments. From Pilate, King Herod, Simon the Cyrene, the thief on the cross, Barabbas, to Joseph of Arimathea. Allow Luke's perspective of the death of Jesus to lead you to the hope of the resurrection.

Luke records the last day before Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. It is filled with Jesus being rejected, hated, betrayed, denied, abandoned, wrongly accused and condemned. This was all prophesied and foretold in God's Word hundreds of years before it happened. The beauty, passion and obedience to God's plan was seen of Jesus in Luke 22 when He says, "not my will, but your will be done."

As Jesus enters Jerusalem there is hope and expectation for the Jewish people and anger and criminal conspiracy from the religious leaders. We see this hope and celebration from the Jews when they welcome Jesus into Jerusalem. While in Jerusalem, Jesus shares the parable of the evil farmers. The parable is a story of God’s relationship with Israel. This message looks at the key teaching point from Jesus's parable; He is the stone that the builders rejected and has now become the cornerstone.

In Luke 19, Jesus shares a parable that focuses on being faithful with what God has entrusted to us. Some are given more, some are given less but all are given by the grace of God so that we could use it for His Kingdom and Glory. How we manage and invest what God has given us matters to the one who gave them!

Luke 18 is a series of events that describe who can approach God. Jesus answered this topic by saying that what is impossible for man is possible through God. This message reinforces the fact we cannot save or justify ourselves.

In Luke 16, Jesus gave the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. This parable informs humanity that there is life after death. Our soul will either find itself in heaven or hell. This message shares the truths from this parable and other parts of the Bible to give us a clear picture of the afterlife... and most importantly, how to get to heaven.

In Luke 15, the Pharisees ask Jesus why He was eating, teaching and ministering to the “outcasts” of society. Jesus responds to that question with the 3 "lost" parables. In sharing these parables, Jesus extends the heart and actions of God towards the "outcasts" that the Pharisees viewed as inconveniences. This look into the "lost" parables will help the heart that has become bitter and hard towards sinners.

What is the greatest threat to your soul? Whatever keeps you from God. And not every threat will be sin. In fact, for many of us, perhaps most of the greatest threats to our souls are not sin, but some good God himself has given to us. In Luke 14, Jesus shares a story and gives excuses and reasons why people will miss the banquet in heaven.

Jesus was a man of prayer. In His humanity, He sought strength and guidance from the Father in prayer. This message looks at Luke 11 where Jesus gives His disciples insight into prayer and teaches them how to pray.

In Luke 10, Jesus shares the Parable of the Good Samaritan to an expert of the Law. He asked a question to test Jesus but Jesus took it as an opportunity to teach this man and us the importance of loving our neighbor. Oftentimes, our “neighbor” is often not someone we would choose but God would choose for us. Allow this parable to remind you that inconveniences are often opportunities God wants us to pursue in loving our neighbors.