First General Baptist

Message: The gospel according to Luke                                             

 Text: Luke 23:13-25  

I am Barabbas…I can be the Chief Priests/people…I don’t want to be Pilate  

Leaders who don’t lead anymore…they have given up.  

Spiritual Leadership: Agents of positive change; reject crowd mentality (Acts 19:32); First to stand up, first to speak up…first. So, leaders stop looking around but rather look up.  

True spiritual leaders know what the right thing is, they know in their heart what should be done. But they’re not the only ones who know. Someone in your life is waiting for you to lead, they need you to lead.  

Harry S. Truman, "I wonder how far Moses would have gone if he'd taken a poll in Egypt? What would Jesus Christ have preached if he'd taken a poll in Israel? It isn't polls or public opinion of the moment that counts.  It's right and wrong." 

Message: The gospel according to Luke                                             

 Text: Luke 22:17-19  

Lord’s Supper  

Passover for the Jews, the Lord’s Supper for us, is meant to be a reminder, a chance to reset…  

Almost every list of what we are thankful for will be important things, but mostly temporal things.  

What Jesus has done for us changes everything we have and everything we have to look forward to.  

Gave thanks and broke the bread…Gave thanks and passed the wine…  

Adrian Rogers, "If Christ didn't die on a cross, wasn't buried in a tomb, and doesn't live today, nothing matters.  If Christ did die a horrible death on a cross, was buried in a borrowed tomb, and did rise again on the third day, nothing else matters."

Message: The gospel according to Luke     Text: Luke 23:13-25  

We can be the chief priests…and the people.  

It was hatred of Jesus, not love of Barabbas, that set Barabbas free.  

Chief Priests: Anger that leads to hatred that leads us too far.  (vs 21-22) In relationships, you can do and say things you won’t recover from.                            Know anyone who enjoys being angry?  

Message: The gospel according to Luke     Text: Luke 23:13-25  

I am Barabbas…  

Real love is not based on behavior:                             

Isaiah 53:6  

Romans 5:6-8  

Real love does not wait to be asked, real love goes first:                                                                   

Revelation 3:20  

A.W. Tozer, "Nobody ever got anything from God on the grounds that he deserved it.  Having fallen, man deserves only punishment and death.  So if God answers prayer it’s because God is good."  

Grace is everything for nothing to those who don't deserve anything.  

Message: The gospel according to Luke                                             

 Text: Luke 23:1-12  

Jesus taken to Roman authorities—Pilate and Herod  

Vs 23:1, “…led Him to Pilate.”  Why?  

Galatians 4:4  

Romans 13:1-2  

Matthew 28:18  

Winston Churchill  1874                                                 

 Franklin Roosevelt  1882                                                  

 Adolph Hitler  1889  

         God created you for Jesus…for someone.                   

Colossians 1:16                                                                 

Romans 8:29                                                                            

Luke 19:10  

Message: The gospel according to Luke             Text: Luke 22:63-71

How do you speak to God? What do you talk about?

Amazing how many questions God does not answer, could it be because of the questions?                                       

  Isaiah 59:1-2

How do you hear from God? What does He talk about?

Ray Pritchard, "God ordinarily will not show you His will in order for you to consider it.  He won't show you His will so you can say, 'Maybe I will…maybe I won't.'  If you want to know God's will, you have to choose to do it before you know what it is."

Why should God answer you if you’re not going to believe it anyway?

We want what we want so badly we can’t believe it’s not what God wants. Important, difficult lesson: God doesn’t care about some of the things you care about so deeply. So, you have made some things more important than they actually are.

Message: The gospel according to Luke         Text: Luke 22:54-62

Simon Peter’s denial of Jesus—Jesus is not observing us in our pain, He enters our pain with us

Vs 57 Walking in Jesus’ shoes        “Woman, I do not know Him.”

Vs 58 Walking in the apostle’s shoes      “You also are of them.”

Vs 61-62 Walking in Simon Peter’s shoes.       “And the Lord turned and looked at Peter.” How could Peter know Jesus was looking at him?

We can repent of our sins but we can’t atone for our sins…that’s what Jesus did. The apostle Paul said that if it’s of works it’s not of grace—we can’t have it both ways, either we’re saved by grace or we’re not saved.

We can repent of our sins, because Jesus paid for our sins.

Timothy Keller, "…the prerequisite for receiving the grace of God is to know you need it.  If you want God's grace, all you need is need, all you need is nothing."

Message: The gospel according to Luke     Text: Luke 22:47-54

The Arrest of Jesus

What is the last recorded act of Jesus physically healing someone? What is the last recorded act of Jesus spiritually healing someone?

No need of swords, on either side. In Gethsemane Jesus made His choice, now everyone else has to make their choice, and they are free to choose.

We never lose the power to choose.

Love, by definition, is choice. A discipleship relationship with Jesus based on love, not duty/rules.                   

John 14:15, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.”

Jesus, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me?”

Albert  Einstein,  "I believe that love is a better teacher than a sense of duty."

"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it every day." -Noelle, age 7

Message: The gospel according to Luke            Text: Luke 22:39-46

~Jesus’ struggle with the Father’s will.                                

~My struggle with the Father’s will.                                                                            

 Who is present: (Jesus) Satan, Father, an angel, disciples

Vs 46  It isn’t to escape temptation, but to not enter it (overcome, overpower, give in, fall into)

Why is it so important that we pray? Because we need to sleep.

The devil doesn’t just want you to do some bad things. John 10:10

Someone knew an angel was there…

Worrying…thinking…assuming, is not praying.

Satan's demons always have a hand on you, pressed either against your chest or your back. Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit always has His hand on you, pressed either against your chest or your back.

Message: The gospel according to Luke         Text: Luke 22:39-46

~Jesus’ struggle with the Father’s will.                                

~My struggle with the Father’s will.                                                                             

Who is present: (Jesus) Satan, Father, an angel, disciples

In Gethsemane the human part of Jesus is struggling with God the Father as every human struggles with God over our will versus God’s will. What were they struggling over…or who were they struggling over?

These struggles always involve choice, in this instance the choice to love…to love someone else more than yourself. Jesus loves you and had to choose to love you again.

Luke 22:34 Father forgive them…                                             

vs 35 the rulers                                                                           

vs 36-37 the soldiers                                                                  

vs 39 one criminal

Do you know anyone who is worthless? Jesus’ love for you has nothing to do with what you do, it is for what you are, you are His!

The cross is the measure of God’s love for you…nothing else.