Lake Highlands Church

The testing of Jesus came right on the heels of the baptism, that amazing declaration of God that this was his son.  And isn’t that often the case?  Right after an exhilarating experience with God we find ourselves being tested.  The keys for us in overcoming our temptations are found in how Jesus responded to his.  But the big picture question is, what if?  What if Jesus had given in?  If Jesus had given in it would mean that he had given up on us…and that he simply would not do!

Scripture reading: Luke 4:1-12

Far too often we want God to behave like a good deity should—to be there when we want him, to amaze us with his provision, to bail us out of tough spots, to show us his supernatural power when we can’t make things happen the way we want them to happen.  Quite simply, we want him to fit into our box. But when we do that we are acting as the supreme being…which we are not!  He is!  And he will always be about his Father’s business, which is to bring fullness of life to his children.

Scripture Reading: Luke 2:41-52

Jesus has come to fulfill and complete what God started with Israel, to bring salvation to the world. His baptism is the beginning of the new exodus. Just as God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt, God was now bringing a new people out of an even older and darker slavery, slavery to sin. The new exodus is wider than just Israel, it is for the whole of creation.

Scripture reading: Luke 3:21-22

The purpose of Luke’s gospel, as he put it, is to lay out an orderly account so that we might know with certainty the truth about Jesus. In this text, Luke is going to show us that even in the days immediately following his birth, Jesus’ life was perfection in making; that he is not some maverick Jew who began his own movement which was a defection from Judaism, rather his life is one of complete adherence to the Law of God, even in his infancy.  Why is this important?  It helps us to see that Jesus was both everything we are and everything we are not, so that he might be our faithful and merciful high priest, redeeming us and bestowing upon us the full rights of being children of God.

Scripture reading: Luke 2:21-24

An intro to the study, we need to be asking just as the disciples asked, “Who is the man?”  Have we bought into a conservative establishmentarian view of Jesus or do we see him for who he really is?  Our culture, Christians included, has become much too comfortable with the idea of Jesus and has become ambivalent about him. But Jesus does not give us ambivalence as an option. We will either declare, “my Lord and my God,” or we will side with the Pharisees who said, “he leads the multitudes astray.

Scripture reading: Mark 4:35-31

There is a feeling among many sincere Christians that Christmas is a religious holiday for kids, but Easter is the critical event for the mature Christian.  Truth is, without Christmas there is no cross and there is no resurrection.  Christmas is God’s ALL IN moment.  When Hope is battling fear, God’s ALL IN moment tips the scales in our favor, and the world is forever changed.

Scripture: Luke 2:8-18

Often there are events in our lives that turn our world upside down.  When that happens it can cause us to become unraveled and fearful.  But if we will have faith like Mary and trust in our God, God can use those events to use us to bring him into the world.

Scripture: Luke 1:26-38

Waiting can be frustrating; most of us don’t like to wait.  But waiting can also remind us that there is something going on that is bigger than ourselves. The Christmas season is a reminder that every moment that we wait on God is an opportunity to connect with Him in anticipation of the future that he has for us; a future of hope and of good news.

Scripture: Luke 2:21-38

There is something about the unknown that unsettles us, that makes us anxious, that causes us to move away from uncertainty and toward things that are more certain. The invitation of God is to not be afraid, to step into the uncertainty of life and trust him.  And when we do that we open ourselves up to the miraculous.

Scripture: Luke 1:1-25

When we move outside of ourselves and give ourselves away for the benefit of others we find real freedom.

Scripture: Philippians 2:1-5