Our speaker this Lord’s Day is Mark Buhr. He will continue his sermon series through Galatians.

Our speaker this Lord’s Day is Mark Buhr. He will continue his sermon series through Galatians.

In the sermon text for this Lord’s Day, Jesus tells an extended parable that describes the plot made by tenants of a man’s vineyard to get rid of their master’s son and take ownership of the land. Their treacherous plot ends up in the murder of the master’s beloved son and the master, as expected, responds with violent judgment. This story was immediately recognizable as the plot of the Jewish leaders of Israel to get rid of the Son of God.

Luke 20:1-8 begins Luke’s account of the third day of Jesus’ passion week. It also begins his account of a series of challenges Israel’s rulers made to Jesus’ authority. They sought to trap him by goading him into saying something they could us to condemn him. In this exchange, Jesus turns the tables, catching them in their own snare. The crux of matter is the question of authority. Jesus made it clear that in rejecting him, the leaders were rejecting the authority of God.

The morning after Jesus’ so-called “Triumphal Entry,” Jesus returned to the temple. He angrily expelled those who irreverently used the holy place for common and shameful deeds. Jesus’ opponents were all the more determined to do away with him, but they couldn’t find the right time.

In the sermon text this Lord’s Day (Luke 19:28-44), Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem reaches its climactic end. He will ride into the city on the colt of a donkey (an intentional connection with Zechariah 9:9) as the crowds cry “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!”

Just before Jesus entered Jerusalem as Israel’s King, he told a parable that made it clear to his listeners that his kingdom will begin when he returns following a long absence. In the meantime, his true followers must serve him faithfully. The parable ends with an ominous declaration of the ruin that awaits those who reject him.

On the eve of Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, he sought out a man in Jericho and invited himself into the man’s home! Luke includes Jesus’ encounter with Zacchaeus to teach us about Jesus’ ministry: the nature of his mission, the beneficiaries of his message, and the evidence of his salvation.

This Lord’s Day is our annual Prayer Emphasis Sunday. Our guest speaker, Dr. Mark Snoeberger, will present a message on the Lord’s Prayer from Matthew 6:9:13.

Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem for his rendezvous with the cross. As he approached Jericho, a blind beggar cried out for mercy (Luke 18:35-43). Because of the man’s faith, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Light of the world, gave him his sight.