New Life Fellowship Church Sunday Sermons Podcast

Jesus said, No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. What does it look like for us to serve money? What does it mean for us to serve God? Through the parable of the dishonest manager (steward) Jesus speaks about being shrewd about worldly wealth and eternal gain. Instead of being lovers of money, what 1 Timothy 6:10 describes as the root of all kinds of evil, we are called to be honest, trustworthy, good stewards who manage money so as to take care of the least of those around us (Matthew 25:31-46).Watch at: https://youtu.be/iUgS5de_ffo File Downloads: https://newlifeconcord.com/https://dq5pwpg1q8ru0.cloudfront.net/2020/11/12/22/04/56/6eda5669-20a3-415a-a20f-1c652d52abcd/Week%2029%20-%20061420%20-%20Luke%2016%201-18.pdf

Jesus told the parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost (prodigal) son, as a specific response to the Pharisees and scribes who were grumbling that he was associating with and receiving sinners. In the parables Jesus emphasizes the sacrifice, diligence, and patience of the shepherd, the woman, and the father to find what was lost. Jesus, who came to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10) is sending a very clear message that each and every one of us is called to do the same. We are to reach out to everyone with the good news of the gospel of grace (Acts 20:24) so that we may all together be found in Christ and celebrate in the kingdom of God.Watch at: https://youtu.be/1FHBf8_Aros File Downloads: https://churchos-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/2020/11/01/08/56/15/53103c40-44f3-484f-b375-7624c2e46279/Week%2028%20-%20060720%20-%20Luke%2015.pdf

When Jesus told his disciples, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high. (Luke 24:49), they could have scarcely imagined what was about to take place in a few days. With the pouring out of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost Jesus disciples, a dispirited group of uncertain followers, became an empowered group of fearless leaders. Understanding what God did then, and is continuing to do today, leads us to eagerly desire the same outpouring of the Spirit for ourselves. According to Ephesians 5:18 we seek to be continually filled with the Spirit. Watch at: https://youtu.be/q7EywuPotvw File Downloads: https://churchos-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/2020/10/30/02/05/22/d502e4fd-1f64-4bec-b84a-4bad2bdd33ed/Week%2027%20-%20053120%20-%20Acts%202.pdf

Revelation 19:9 states, Blessed are those invited to the marriage feast of the Lamb!" A child of God, a citizen of the kingdom of God, a member of the body of Christ which is the bride of Christ, looks forward to the wedding supper of the lamb when Jesus returns. But before we can join in that heavenly feast in the future we are called to live in preparation in the present. In Luke 14 Jesus uses the occasion of his attending a feast at the home of a prominent Pharisee to teach some important lessons about the kingdom feast. After observing the behavior of those attending the banquet and knowing the hearts of the people, Jesus talks about the need for humility, serving others without ulterior motives, of counting the cost, and, most importantly, of accepting the masters invitation to the supper that has been prepared.Watch at: https://youtu.be/SlYabHe1UIc File Downloads: https://churchos-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/2020/11/12/22/04/37/19f50371-6cbf-412a-bbf6-85bf993bec81/Week%2026%20-%20052420%20-%20Luke%2014.pdf

The kingdom of God grows slowly but surely. Like a small and seemingly insignificant mustard seed that grows into a large tree, or a small amount of yeast that works through a large amount of dough, Jesus said the kingdom of God would grow. Whether it was the smaller and weaker nation of Israel that ultimately possessed the promised land by displacing the larger and stronger inhabitants, or the first century church that was formed from a small group of dispirited disciples, or the more recent examples of unknown ministries that grew into sweeping revivals, the Bible tells us not to despise small beginnings. The kingdom of God will continue to grow until Jesus returns. When he returns, the narrow door of entry into the kingdom of God will be closed. Let us then make every effort to enter through the narrow door today while there is yet time!Watch at: https://youtu.be/pGfTID1udqs File Downloads: https://churchos-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/2020/10/29/15/42/47/a23819be-cb6b-41dd-aa1c-8c0542e8e784/Week%2025%20-%20051720%20-%20Luke%2013%2018-35.pdf

When we presume, that is, when we draw hasty and unbiblical conclusions about other peoples lives, we stand in danger of not seeing people as God sees them. When we presume then we are quick to judge others. And, as we read in Luke 13 or John 9 we often presume that someones suffering is because of their sin. We are certain that they must have done something wrong and, therefore, deserve to be punished. Although the Bible speaks of punishment for sin Jesus makes it clear that it was not because of their sin that Pilate had mixed the Galileans blood with their sacrifices. And, it wasnt because of the blind mans sins or his parents sins that he was born blind. Jesus instead warns us that rather than being someone elses judge we need to repent and be reconciled to God ourselves. As we love God we will be able to love others without prejudice, bias or any presumptions.Watch at: https://youtu.be/qGSO1vCPfgg File Downloads: https://churchos-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/2020/11/15/10/57/27/cac1e6e8-4d1f-4a9a-991d-5ad2df5665c9/Week%2024%20-%20051020%20-%20Luke%2013%201-17.pdf

The Passion translation renders Luke 12:35 as, Be prepared for action at a moments notice. In this case, we are called to be ready, to be prepared, for the coming of the Lord. But being ready is less about knowing the exact time of his coming and more about being faithful in what he has called us to do as we await his coming. In My Utmost For His Highest Oswald Chambers writes, Readiness means a right relationship to God and a knowledge of where we are at present so that we are quick to obey any command of the Lord. As Chambers puts it, Be ready for the sudden surprise visits of God. A ready person never needs to get ready.Watch at: https://youtu.be/qNQ0on0no34 File Downloads: https://churchos-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/2020/11/08/07/13/32/e4a51db8-9eae-4f11-8c4c-772c2a3e0de0/Week%2023%20-%20050320%20-%20Luke%2012%2035-59.pdf

Jesus said, Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions. He went on to tell a parable of a rich man, who in focusing solely on his possessions and his pleasures, was one of those who, stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God. The moral of the story from Jesus was that we are to acquire the right kind of riches. We are to invest in the right kind of treasures, eternal treasures, treasures in heaven, treasures that are characteristic of the kingdom of God. Why? Because, where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.Watch at: https://youtu.be/2ju65c56Smc File Downloads: https://churchos-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/2020/11/12/22/05/18/c3fb2bdf-2413-4a82-9c6e-3012e766df32/Luke%2012%2013-34.pdf

Christian author Kevin DeYoung writes, that hypocrisy is the gap between public persona and private character. Tim Challies describes hypocrisy as religion as a means of personal enrichment or enhanced reputation. The word, hypocrisy, derives from the Greek term for actorliterally, one who wears a maskin other words, someone who pretends to be what he is not. God speaks very forcefully against hypocrisy throughout the Bible. Matthew 6:2 states that putting on a show of self-sacrifice for self-glorification is hypocritical.Mathew 6:5 warns against praying to earn the praise and recognition of others. In Matthew 23:27-28, Jesus told the Pharisees that they were like, whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead mens bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. And, in Luke 16:15, Jesus said, "You wear a noble, pious expression in public, but God knows your evil hearts. Your pretense brings you honor from the people, but it is an abomination in the sight of God. It would seem very important then for us to understand how not to be hypocrites!Watch at: https://youtu.be/iuI_yOugYqA File Downloads: https://churchos-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/2020/11/11/11/44/22/2bd033c5-54a7-4c40-9f91-839c132fa22e/Luke%2011%2037-12%2012.pdf

Where Are We Looking? - Throughout the Bible we read of God asking questions. In fact, in the very beginning, in Genesis 3, we find the all-knowing, omniscient, creator God asking His creation, Adam, where are you? Why did God question Adam, Job, Elijah, or the children of Israel? Why did Jesus ask those coming to him for help what they wanted from Him? Why did Jesus so often answer a question with a question?

God doesnt ask us questions because He doesnt know the answer or because Hes toying with us. God asks us questions to reveal himself, to provoke us to think, to draw us out, to get us to consider our motivations and our actions, to take the right action by obeying Him, and to follow Him as a disciple. Often in our desire to hear from God we tend to focus on Gods statements rather than his questions. Douglas Estes, in his book The Questions of Jesus in John (Leiden: Brill, 2013), states, Most readers of the gospels read them (the gospels) to see what Jesus will say, not to see what Jesus will ask. We look for the pat answer, the promise, the statement, that we can then readily apply to our situation. We dont want to grapple with questions. But what do the questions of God draw out of us? Invariably the questions of God require actions not answers; decisions not debate.Watch at: https://youtu.be/TKSkZnoZPyA File Downloads: https://churchos-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/2020/11/05/02/19/45/876910ef-f925-4f98-8823-6987df3cac8d/Luke%2024%201-12.pdf