HBC Website

In Luke 3:21-22, the public ministry of Jesus began. When he participated in John’s baptism, God the Father announced his pleasure in Jesus. Immediately, the Spirit of God visibly descended on Jesus, anointing him to serve as the Christ. The sermon, in part, will explain why Jesus participated in a cleansing ritual (baptism) intended for sinners.

The sermon text for this Lord’s Day brings Luke’s account of the ministry of John the Baptist to an abrupt end. John preached the truth and it offended the petty, immoral ruler, Herod Antipas. Herod rejected John’s message and imprisoned him. The other gospel accounts tell the story of the John’s subsequent execution. John was the first in a long line of Christ’s followers who have been persecuted and sometimes martyred simply for speaking the truth. Opposition to Christ the King and the truth of his Word is not an exception to the Christian life. We must never let the world intimidate us into silence.

As John the Baptist preached the gospel of the Kingdom and immanent unveiling of Israel’s King, the crowds who heard him wondered if John might be the promised Messiah. John emphatically declared, “I am not the Christ” (John 1:20). In Luke’s account, John stresses the vast difference between himself and the Christ. He described Jesus as the mighty, glorious, empowering Judge who saves and condemns.

The sermon text for this Lord’s Day introduces John the Baptist’s powerful ministry and message. The key word that summaries his message is “repent.”

We begin each new year with a reminder of the importance of prayer, both for individual Christians and the church as a community of faith. This Lord’s Day will be our annual Prayer Emphasis Sunday. We will pause our current study of the Gospel of Luke, instead focusing on a prayer recorded by Luke in Acts 4:22-31.

The storyline of Luke’s Gospel fast-forwards from the childhood of Jesus to the beginning of his ministry at about age 30. Chapter 3 begins with a description of the ministry of Jesus’ cousin, John (elsewhere called “the Baptist”). The sermon text for this Lord’s Day identifies John as a prophet who served as the forerunner of the Messiah. This means that John identified and introduced Israel’s long-awaited King. A summary statement of John’s message (v. 3) reveals that entrance into Jesus’ Kingdom requires forgiveness of sin available only to those who repent of sin.

The sermon text for this Lord’s Day contains the only information found in the Bible about the childhood of Jesus. It seems clear that Luke did not include this story simply to fill in some details to satisfy the curious. The account of Jesus’ first trip to Jerusalem serves to make a theological statement about Jesus’ true nature.

This Lord’s Day we begin the New Year by observing the Lord’s Table. The purpose of the Lord’s Table is to remember Christ (Luke 22:19). Our service will focus on what it means to remember Him.

This Lord’s Day we will finish our look at Simeon’s word to Mary and Joseph. He predicted that their Son, Jesus, would bring radical division between people and would reveal what is really in the hearts of all people. He added that Jesus would bring great sorrow to Mary. What did Simeon mean by this prophecy and how would it be fulfilled?

We had the privilege of welcoming Dr. Mark Snoeberger from Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary to preach the Sunday Morning Sermon.