The Open Word (Audio)

At the Mountain of Transfiguration, Jesus revealed His glory. His clothes became like white lightening and His face shone like the sun. Incredibly, Peter, James, and John were asleep while some of this was happening. When the men finally woke from their slumber, they saw the gloried Lord and were completely astonished. Pastor David teaches us in today’s message that sometimes we are asleep at the wheel when God is doing something miraculous in our midst. However, through the Spirit, we can be jolted out of our slumbers.

In Luke chapter 9, the Lord invites Peter, James, and John to walk with Him up to the top of a mountain. Once there, the men witness a stunning and mind-boggling transfigured Jesus. In today’s message, Pastor David teaches us that throughout the Bible, the Lord has called many of His servants to the top of mountains to experience a particular closeness and communion with Him. God continues to grant His people mountain top experiences to encourage us and sustain us when times aren’t so beautiful and rosy.

Jesus Christ should have precedence over all things in the life of every believer. Money, cars, clothes, houses, and even relationships should never replace or drown out our desire to know and love God. In today’s message from Luke chapter 9, Pastor David reminds us that if we gain all that we want in this life but do not have a relationship with the Lord, our soul will suffer forever. Therefore, we would do well to remind ourselves when temptations come that the only things that will remain in the end are Jesus Christ and His Bride.

Contrary to what you might have been taught from your local televangelist, Christianity is not a cake walk where one gets every heart’s desire. Instead, true discipleship is about sacrifice and putting another’s needs ahead of your own. In today’s message from Luke, Pastor David encourages us to make the difficult decision to make daily right choices that are pleasing to the Lord. As we consistently do the right thing, the Holy Spirit produces good fruit through us that is pleasing in the sight of the Lord and among men.

All the wise men in the world cannot comprehend the mind and plan of God. Therefore, it is only through the gentle wooing and work of the Holy Spirit that the things of God are revealed. In today’s message, Pastor David teaches us that we can only be born again when the Spirit of God reveals Jesus, the Son of God. Pastor David also challenges us to examine our hearts to make sure our knowledge of God’s Son is not just a shallow intellectual assent but an all consuming passion that directs our entire lives.

Who do you say Jesus is? Jesus said that He was God. Christ also said that it was only through Him that we could be reconciled to the Father. Therefore, those souls that deny Jesus’s deity or ignore Him entirely are in terrible peril. In today’s message from the Gospel of Luke, Pastor David teaches us that we are either for Jesus or against Him. We can either believe that Jesus is Who He said He is, or we can reject Him as a phony and a liar. There are only these two choices. There is zero room for middle ground.

In today’s message from Luke, we will hear how Jesus miraculously and graciously fed a crowd of hungry needy people with five loaves of bread and two fish. Pastor David unpacks these well known verses so that we might learn what the Lord was trying to teach us through this true life lesson. When we bring what little we have in our hands and offer it freely to the Lord, He blesses it. After God blesses our humble offering, He is able to multiply our efforts and turn it in to something of abundance for His Kingdom work.

When you read the four Gospels, it quickly becomes apparent that Jesus was a busy Guy. He walked long dirt roads and ministered to hundreds if not thousands of people wherever He went. Even though Jesus was a man who felt fatigue and tiredness, He made time for others because His heart was filled with compassion for people. In today’s message from Luke, Pastor David reminds us that this same Jesus Who made time for people when He walked on earth has compassion towards us, His needy children, whenever we need Him.

Jesus, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, is not a cosmic genie. He does not perform signs and wonders on demand. Pastor David points out in today’s powerful message that many approach God hoping for a miracle. However, these same people miss out on the most important and dynamic relationship that is only granted to us by the death of God’s only Son, Jesus Christ. A valid and true relationship with God requires us to submit in humility and obedience to the Lord so that we may sanctified into His righteousness.

When we make plans for a trip, we usually make a budget, map out our route, and then decide upon what activities we might be interested in doing while away. In today’s message, Pastor David points out that the Lord’s ways are not like ours. For example, He will usually send us out on missions for His Kingdom with more questions than answers. Father God requires great faith and trust from His children. However, Jesus will prove Himself trustworthy time after time as we go forth to do His work on earth.