Iowa Falls Evangelical Free Church Sermon Podcast

For some, it's hard to be happy at Thanksgiving or merry at Christmas. In order to be happy and merry do we just need to sweep all of the sadness and evil under the rug? Not at all. Today we look at Psalm 28 and sing and pray together in ways that help us turn to the Lord who is a just and strong shepherd who hears, saves, and carries His people who feel surrounded by evil and darkness.

What hurts today? Our bodies are broken, inclined to illness, destined for death. Is there hope? Yes. It's in Jesus. Today we finish Luke 8 and we won't get back to Luke until the new year. In today's passage we will see desperate people encounter Jesus. As they display faith in Him, He displays His power over disease and death.

The rabbi from Nazareth just dispersed a deadly storm on the waters. Now, he faces the plight of a Gerasene man, controlled by monstrous evil. What will his fate be? And what of his neighbors?

We will see God's compassion and power on display, as Jesus confronts the demoniac. And His actions will cause people to wonder who He really is. May God move in us so that we might trust in Jesus' power over evil spirits and proclaim all the good he has done for us!

What dangers do you see on the horizon? Are you in the midst of a storm right now? Today we encounter Jesus who is with His disciples in a boat when a dangerous storm hits hard. Even the experienced experts among them are afraid. As we see and fear dangerous storms, we must look to Jesus and fear and put our faith in Him who has power to rescue the perishing.

How do you hear? Do you give much thought or attention to how you hear? More specifically, how do you hear the word of God? Last week's passage focused on how we respond to God's word. In many ways, that theme continues this week as Jesus tells His disciple to take care how they hear. Why is this so important? Because how we hear establishes what we get and whose we are.

Some of you came in here today ashamed. You know you've messed up, you've fallen short, you have sinned. You wonder if you can be forgiven. Some of you come in feeling pretty good about yourself- you don't feel the weight of your sin as much as others. Whether you feel the the weight of your sin today or not, the truth is that we all are sinners who owe a debt that we cannot pay. Today we hear the good news that all who turn to Jesus in faith are forgiven. And we who have been forgiven ought to respond by demonstrating our love for Jesus.

There are some important questions to ask, but one tops them all: Who is Jesus? Today, we'll investigate that , and we'll see how Jesus responded to John's doubt. We'll discover again who Jesus claims to be, what role John plays in history, and what sort of people Jesus ministers to. The reject-Messiah shows us that blessing doesn't look like the world often portrays it. he also exposes the hearts of many who deny the works of God. May God take our hearts into His kingdom, according to His plan, for His glory and for our good.

When someone does something special,, people want to know more about them. Who are they? Where did they come from? Who are they like? What else are they going to do? We have seen Jesus do all kinds of awe-inspiring things so far in Luke but today we'll see Him take it to another level.

We will see His compassion and power on display in the face of death. And His actions will cause people to wonder who He really is. May God move in us so that we might trust in Jesus' power over death and imitate His compassion for the vulnerable.

Are you, by nature, more arrogant or apprehensive? As we continue in Luke, we turn to 7:1-10 where we'll meet a man who some would expect to be either arrogant or apprehensive. But he's not. In fact, this man is a model of what it looks like to come to Jesus with a humble, confident faith.

Problems that are noticeable on the outside are often an indication of a deeper problem underneath. As we continue in Luke, we get to the conclusion of Jesus' sermon that began in Luke 6:20. Jesus ends with some principles and pictures that describe how things really are. From that, there is some implied instruction for His disciples and for us. Our words and actions are a reflection of what's underneath so check your heart and come to Jesus, hear Him, and do what He says.