Crossway Christian Church

Simon Peter has seen miracles, but this one strikes him to his core, and brings him into the service of Jesus. He is now, and will remain evermore, a disciple. This is what all Christians are to be, those who follow and listen to Jesus. Our text today helps us to understand what discipleship is to be, seen in the example of Simon and the miracle of the fish.

Many people have a functional relationship with Jesus. They come to church because they are supposed to; and while they don't deny him, there is a lack of deep and abiding affection for him. Today, we hope to change that, for in our brief passage we see some of the best of Jesus. Friends, let us flourish in Jesus!

Sermon Audio from Crossway Christian Church

We all face temptation. It might not necessarily be sin, but all sin begins here. Jesus, driven into the wilderness by the Spirit, will face the temptation of Satan there, and overcome. We, too, can overcome temptation in our lives, if we pay attention to Jesus' faithfulness.

Today, we have the honor of performing the three ordinances of the church: baptism, preaching, and the Lord's Supper. It is a time of great rejoicing, as we remember and experience the grace of our God. In addition, we open to a baptismal text: the baptism of Jesus. What does this great text mean for us? It reveals to us both Jesus' ministry and his meaning.

Wally Pipp was a decently average first basemen for the Yankees in the 1920s. One fateful day, he sat out with a headache and never started for them again, passed by the great Lou Gehrig. From this, we say that people get "pipped." John the Baptist would get "pipped" as well, but for him that was the point. He was called to prepare others for Jesus, a work we listen into today.

Be prepared to listen

Be prepared in repentance

Be prepared for Jesus

So far in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus has had a lot of hype. A miraculous conception simply for the man who was to announce his coming; a virginal birth; angelic announcements and prophetic revelations. Will he be worth the hype? He is. And he starts to fulfill that hype in Luke today.

Sermon Audio from Crossway Christian Church

Academics, especially in the sciences, are often proclaimed as underpaid servants of the good. They spend their lives in laboratories and offices, working out the mysteries of the universe for the greater good of humanity. But the truth is that they are driven by the same worldly passions as the rest of us, if not more so: fame and recognition are, in many respects, the be-all-end-all of their professions. God, too, is in the fame business. But he seems to go about getting his name known all wrong. He reveals himself to the lowly and the meek, not the kings and great men in power. Yet, in doing so, he shows us his greater glory. As we approach our text, let us see the greatness of God in the fact that:

1. God presides over the mighty

2. God is pleased with the meek

3. God puzzles the masses

Musicals are an odd thing; just when the action gets going, the characters break out in song. For some, stopping the action is hard to stomach and makes little sense. But that stoppage is the purpose – to slow things down and help the audience feel what the characters feel. That is Luke’s point as well; the songs of Mary, Zechariah, and later Simeon stop the action, and bring us into their frame of mind. Today, the focus is on the baby John, as he is already preparing people for the work of Jesus. We, too, are to be prepared for Jesus. Let us see three ways in which John’s birth helps us to be prepared this morning:

1. Prepare in fear of Jesus

2. Prepare for freedom through Jesus

3. Prepare for forgiveness in Jesus