The Open Word (Audio)

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.

In Luke chapter 8, Jesus raised a little girl from the dead. He then asked her parents to keep quiet about what had happened. In today’s message, Pastor David teaches us that while the Lord does have authority over all things including death and disease, He did not come into the world to simply fulfill every whim and desire. Instead, Christ came to seek and save the lost and to restore our broken relationship with God. The Lord wants us to love Him for Who He is and not simply for what He can do for us.

Sometimes when our faith is at its highest, the enemy comes in to try and steal our hope. In today’s message from Luke chapter 8, Pastor David teaches us about a man named Jairus, a synagogue leader, who begged Jesus to heal his sick daughter. Jairus had faith that Christ could heal. However, as Jairus and Jesus traveled to the home where the sick child lay, they received news that Jarius’s daughter had died. As it is so many times in our lives, it was in Jarius’s lowest moment that Jesus demonstrated his glory and power.

In Luke chapter 8, a woman with the issue of blood has the bold audacity to touch the hem of Rabbi Jesus’s garment. As she does, the woman is instantly made well. In today’s message, Pastor David points out that it was not Jesus’s clothing that caused the woman to receive her miracle. Instead, it was her faith. The woman believed that Jesus could help her. Therefore, the moment she touched Christ’s garment, her faith found an activation point, and she was healed.

Don’t fall into the trap of blaming your choices on how you were raised or on your heritage. Yes, your parents may have had a great influence on your life, for better or worse, but it’s only an influence – you are the one who chooses the way you live. As Pastor David will clearly illustrate through the genealogy of Jesus, all of us will mess up and make bad choices. And all of us can find some fault with the people who raised us, but ultimately, you can be made a new creation when you choose to follow Christ.

Don’t fall into the trap of blaming your choices on how you were raised or on your heritage. Yes, your parents may have had a great influence on your life, for better or worse, but it’s only an influence – you are the one who chooses the way you live. As Pastor David will clearly illustrate through the genealogy of Jesus, all of us will mess up and make bad choices. And all of us can find some fault with the people who raised us, but ultimately, you can be made a new creation when you choose to follow Christ.

David had some serious issues. He made some really horrible choices in his life, yet God had a great purpose for him. Even if he had never been king, never led men into battle, never been called the “apple of God’s eye” he was a member of the lineage of Jesus. As Pastor David leads us through an examination of this group of sinners, including prostitutes, adulterers, and murderers, he reminds us that God uses even the weakest and wickedest among us if we are repentant and submit ourselves to His will.

Jesus had a far from perfect pedigree. When you encounter a genealogy in Scripture, you may be tempted to quickly scan through until you find the next interesting verse. But, as Pastor David will point out in today’s message, Jesus’ genealogy was not included in the Gospel accounts for no reason. It tells us something vital about God’s character. Each of the people that you find in Jesus’ lineage have a story that represents God’s amazing grace, demonstrated through their weaknesses.