CrossLife Church

Years ago, there was a viral video about fishing. There was a man fishing at a lake. While waiting for a fish to bite, he noticed a crisp red apple sitting on a rock near him. He reached over, picked it up, and took a bite. Suddenly, something started to pull him towards the water. There was a line attached to his mouth pulling him into the lake and eventually, the fisherman disappeared under the water. A few moments later, another apple shot out of the water, line attached, and landed back on the rock. The fish had turned the tables.

Temptations are like an alluring bait with a hidden barbed hook within. There are no shortage of baits or hooks that we see in our daily lives. These traps are hard to avoid.    

In Luke 17:1-6, warns his disciples to be on guard against temptations that are ready to trap them. Jesus then warns them of an even greater danger. He says what is even worse than giving into temptation is to lead vulnerable ones into temptation. The consequences of tempting others are far worse than even death.  

Most importantly, the best way to avoid temptation is to never walk alone and when someone sins we are to patiently call them to repentance and forgive them. The disciples knew this wouldn't be easy so they asked for more faith. 

Many people are living for the moment. At the same time, others are just working their daily grind and routine to get through the week, until they start the next week. Some are striving to live their best life now. 

Few live with the understanding and forethought that this life is preparation for the next. How you live this life will have an eternally significant impact on your afterlife. 

In Luke 16:14-31, the Pharisees continued to be offended by what Jesus was teaching. Jesus challenges their understanding of the Law and confronts their self-righteous pride. They had been using the Word of God for selfish gain while neglecting the needs of others. Jesus gives the parable of the rich man and a poor man named Lazarus. The rich man lives in abundance while Lazarus suffers from great physical needs. After they both die and in the next life, the roles have changed. Lazarus is now experiencing his reward in heaven and the rich man is now suffering in torment.

The shocking truth is that this life is temporal and the next life will be permanent. How are you preparing in your life now for the afterlife? 

“Man has always lost his way. He has been a tramp ever since Eden; but he always knew, or thought he knew, what he was looking for. ...For the first time in history, he begins really to doubt the object of his wanderings on the earth. He has always lost his way, but now he has lost his address." – G.K. Chesterton

We are all prodigals. We may differ in the particular way we are lost but we are all born with a sense that we belong to a different world. As Chesterton explains, man has wandered so far that “he has lost his address.” We struggle to find our way forward and no longer know what it means to be home. 

This is powerfully revealed in Luke 15:11-32. Last week we looked at the younger brother, the defiant prodigal who left his father for freedom only to find himself in greater bondage. He comes to his senses and clearly sees it would be better to be a day worker in his father’s house than starving for pig slop. 

This Sunday, we will look at the older brother, the dutiful prodigal (v.25-32). If you have ever questioned if you were good enough for God to love you or struggled with understanding how certain people could truly be Christians with their sordid past, then you need to meet the dutiful son.

There are many consequences that are part of the fall of humanity into sin. One of the most evident effects of sin is visible in our relational estangment. As a result of our sinful natures we are estranged from God and our fellow man.  

In our sinful humanity we battle entitlement and pride. We feel wronged when we do not get what we feel we want or deserve. We can also battle self-righteouesness believing we have lived right and so we deserve a pay-off or blessings. 

In Luke 15:11-32, Jesus told a parable, many have referred to as "the Prodigal Son." However, this name misrepresents the story, because it is not about one son but two sons. More importantly the focus of the story is less about the sons and more importantly about "the Merciful Father." 

In this powerful story we find the path from estrangement from God and man to restoration into the family through the love of "the Merciful Father." 

Perseverance for the New Year

Hebrews 12:1-2

The easiest thing to do at the beginning of a new year is to make goals and plans. They may be physical, professional, personal, or spiritual. The hardest thing is persevering when the goals get hard and life gets complicated or the road ahead starts to get more difficult.

Jesus was honest with his disciples when he told them to take courage, “in the world you will have tribulation. But take heart” (John 16:33). The key to faithful perseverance in all of life is found in Jesus next words to his disciples, “I have overcome the world.”

We began with Luke 15:1-2, reminding us that God was eagerly searching and pursuing us before we sought after Him. Jesus is throwing a party and you have been invited! Jesus is still searching for those who are willing to acknowledge their need, turn from their sin, and give up the fake and temporal pleasures of this world. 

This week, we will explore the importance of Searching for Christ Amidst the Holiday Bustle. The answer is found in "Rediscovering the Presence." 

In Matthew 1:23, an angel tells Joseph that Mary will bear a son and his name will be Jesus. Matthew reveals this is a fulfillment of what God spoke through the prophet Isaiah, "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel' (which means God with us)." To understand the importance of God's presence (God with us) we will go back (700 years before Jesus' birth) to the scroll of Isaiah 7-8. Whether you are distracted by the bustle of the holidays or overwhelmed with despair over challenges in your personal life or the state of the world, peace and joy are found in the presence of God with us.

Have you ever found yourself eagerly searching during the Christmas season? You may have been searching for the perfect gift or extra time in your schedule to accomplish all the preparations for Christmas festivities with family and friends. Others search for a parking spot at the shopping mall. For some folks, Christmas is a time of searching for peace and hope.

The challenge of the Christmas season is to eagerly search for Jesus amid constant distractions and noise. Where can we find him and where should we look? This Sunday, we will begin a new Advent series about Eagerly Searching. We will begin in Luke 15:1-2, where we will discover that eager searching does not begin with us but with Christ. It is not God who has hidden Himself, it is our sin that has hidden God from us. This is the reason for God sending Jesus to earth. Light came to darkness. God came to man. Jesus came to eagerly search for his lost sheep.

The Advent Season is a time of waiting. It is a time of anticipation. We remember God's people waiting for God to send the Messiah to rescue and deliver them. We join them in anticipation as we also wait for Christ to return a second time. 

Salt is a timeless ingredient that has played an important and integral part in the history of the world. Salt has been interwoven into countless civilizations. It has been used in religious offerings, trade, for currency. Additionally, salt is an essential element in the diet of humans, animals, and plants. We may see salt as simply that white granular seasoning found in saltshakers on virtually every dining table. For Jesus, the value of salt went beyond its physical and chemical properties, extending into the realm of the spiritual. In Matthew 5:13, he calls his disciples to be “the salt of the earth”. Jesus calls them to be salt, the most indispensable necessity of Life.

As we continue our study in the Book of Luke, chapter 14, Jesus reveals to us how he is a student of everyday life. Nothing escapes him regarding human nature, conduct, condition, and even the human consumption of salt.

Come and join us as Jesus uses the timeless ingredient of salt to establish the real cost of being his disciple. There is a cost to be a follower of Jesus, a cost to be changed by Jesus, and a cost to be on mission with Jesus.

Jesus confronts the reason and motives behind the company that we keep and the people we invest in, and invite into our lives.

Is it ever a bad time to do a good thing?

Luke chapter 14 begins with Jesus accepting an invitation to dine at the home of a chief ruler of the Pharisees on the Sabbath. At this point in Jesus' ministry, the Pharisees were becoming increasingly hostile to Jesus. It appears that Jesus was invited over for a meal, not to bless him, but rather to build a case against him. The meal, however, was only a backdrop for the drama that was to ensue.

Regardless of the intentions of the Pharisees, Jesus used the opportunity to challenge the man-made traditions of the Jewish leaders. Many of the Jewish leader's rules involved what they believed a person should and shouldn't do on the Sabbath. In direct opposition to their rules, Jesus healed another man on the Sabbath. Following this provocation Jesus went on to teach lessons on soul-searching, humility, and the blessing of serving others without getting anything in return.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.”