SCRIPTURE: Luke 18:9-14

This Sunday, we faced yet another challenging parable. The message is clear: those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. The message is simple, but living it out is steep! Luke 18:9-14 challenges not merely Pharisees, but all of us who may practice Do-It-Yourself Spirituality. No matter how we focus on God’s grace and our call to be humble, we keep pushing ourselves, our self-righteousness, our self-defined morality, and our self-glorification into the equation.

SCRIPTURE: Mark 4:26-34

Last week’s sermon, “Parable of the Hidden Lamp,” taught us that Jesus’ self-revelation was gradual, not immediate. Similarly, the two parables that follow in Mark 4:26-34 tell us that God’s kingdom — the visible expression of Christ’s rule, primarily through His church — is also gradual, but equally certain to come to fruition.

Based on appearances, we may think the church is weak, a “lost cause” when it comes to investing our time, treasure, and talent. Jesus urges us to be confident in the power of His word and in the hopeful expectation of what His word will accomplish in believers' lives, individually and together.

Scripture: Mark 4:21-25

This week’s Sunday Sermon centers around a unique and short parable about the purpose of a lamp. What’s the purpose of a lamp? To shed light, of course. Simple. What’s the point of a lamp if it’s hidden under a bowl? So, in one aspect, part of this parable is as simple as singing the old children’s song, “This Little Light of Mine, I’m Going to Let It Shine.”

However, another aspect of this parable is more complicated. Jesus urges us to lean into what it means to truly understand the light that has come. Just as light itself behaves in a complicated way—as both waves and particles—who Jesus is in all his fullness, majesty, and power is beyond our full comprehension. Still, the challenge remains: may Scripture’s manifestation of Jesus so influence your faith that you see Jesus reign and rule in all of life.

Scripture: Luke 11:1 -13

This week's Sunday Sermon focuses on one of the more fascinating parables Jesus shares with us—the Parable of the Midnight Knocker. This story challenges us to rethink our approach to prayer, inviting us to come to God with boldness, persistence, and confident expectation. Pastor Mark includes an intimate testimony of his struggles in prayer with his own health condition.

SCRIPTURE: Luke 16:19-31

This Sunday's Sermon focused on a story Jesus told, comparing two men with two starkly different destinations. One man is rich. Filthy rich. The other man, named Lazarus, is destitute and disabled. This parable is the only time Jesus uses a proper name. The tables turn dramatically after these two men die. The rich man no longer basks in his wealth, but finds himself in agony. Lazarus is carried to Abraham on the other side of an unbridgeable chasm. The rich man vainly attempts to get some type of comfort back, but to no avail.

This parable is among the most challenging in Scripture. The concept of an unbridgeable chasm separating heaven and hell is among the most difficult to preach. This will be a fire-and-brimstone sermon because it’s right there in the text! The trajectory of this parable’s teaching, however, is understanding the nature of faith, repentance, and resurrection. This intimidating story still declares the mercies of God toward repentant sinners and the importance of loving God above all earthly stuff.

Our Director of Ministries, Jeff Smith, returned to the pulpit with a return to our summer series on Jesus' parables, PORTRAITS OF THE KINGDOM. Because of our sin, we have no standing to insist on favorable treatment from God. Nonetheless, we all tend to require payback from those who have wronged us. But God lavishes free and full forgiveness on all who trust in Jesus’ righteousness and payment for sin on their behalf. God then commands believers to put His forgiveness in Christ on display by our unlimited forgiveness of others, just as He forgives us infinitely (Romans 8:1).

SCRIPTURE: John 21:1-11

Are you tired of doing all the right things—working hard, planning wisely, staying faithful—yet still feeling like you have nothing to show for it? In this week’s message, called “Children, Do You Have Any Fish?” from John 21:1-11, we explore what happens when even our best efforts fall short—and how Jesus meets us right there, not with judgment, but with grace and direction. Your empty nets should neither disqualify nor discourage you, because they are there to prepare you for God’s intervention.

This Sunday, in our Portraits of the Kingdom series, we turned our attention to the Parable of the Prodigal Son. As we explore its four distinct scenes, one of the key questions we’ll confront is this: As we grow up, will God’s compassion and grace grow with us? This question contrasts the challenge Jesus gave to the religious elite: to die to their self-righteousness and self-congratulation.

SCRIPTURE: Matthew 25:1-13.

The message of Jesus' parable in Matthew 25:1-13 builds on last Sunday's sermon on the Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds, reminding us that the Church includes genuine and counterfeit believers. Likewise, in the Parable of the Ten Virgins, Jesus describes two types of Christians. Some may appear to have saving faith, but they do not have enduring faith. Jesus challenges us: While we wait for His second coming, we must have a sustained faith through all seasons of life. May the Lord use this passage to challenge us to grow in depth of faith for the joys and trials of life!

SCRIPTURE: Matthew 13:24-30, and 36-43.

In the Parable of the Weeds (Matthew 13:24–30, 36–43), Jesus teaches us how to respond to the devil's influence within and upon the church. In the parable, we learn that Satan actively places those who serve his evil purposes among and around those who make up Christ's church throughout the world. Perhaps to our surprise, Jesus commands us here to temper our desire to root out counterfeit Christians and evil influences from the church at all costs. We cannot see people’s spiritual state clearly now; accordingly, we must carry out the work of the church with discernment, patience, and confidence in Christ.