Wayside Bible Chapel

Jesus met with the Apostles in the upper room in His resurrected body. He encouraged them to touch him and see that He was flesh and bone. He ate a fish in their presence. Scripture tells us our resurrected bodies will be like His. After appearing to them for forty days, they saw Jesus ascend into heaven. Then they were to wait in Jerusalem for the power to fulfill the Great Commission.

Two of the disciples of Jesus who were not among the twelve had heard of the empty tomb but didn't know what it meant. They were walking away from Jerusalem when a man came up walking beside them. It was Jesus, but their eyes were kept from recognizing Him. That which He taught them on the road made their hearts burn within them. Find out what He taught them and who the two may have been.

This is a message the whole world needs to hear. It the resurrection of Jesus is real, then nothing else matters. Jesus said that would be the verification that His message is from God. Who would make a claim like that? Consider the evidence along with the claims that Jesus made, and then decide what you should do about it.

During the hours that Jesus was on the cross, darkness interrupted the noonday. We will look at what took place in the darkness and why Jesus ended His life with the words He prayed. We will also look at the life-changing decision of Joseph that challenges us today.

When is it too late to be converted? The thief on the cross shows it can be the last minute. But why wait? His life would have had meaning and purpose had he lived for Jesus instead of dying for a political cause or greed. This sermon looks at a part of Jesus' time on the cross.

After the religious trial, Jesus was taken to the secular courts for the purpose of having Him legally executed. But Governor Pilate knew Jesus was innocent. The problem he had is discovered in historical accounts.

The sermon also addresses the parallel we have with Barabbas.

After Jesus was arrested, Peter followed from a distance. In the courtyard of Annas' home, Peter denied being a follower of Jesus three times, something he swore he would never do. Upon the last denial, Jesus turned to look at Peter. We should all be able to relate to times we feel we let the Lord down by our failure to declare we belong to Him.

Peter is a model of repentance and restoration that should encourage us all.

Jesus told the disciples to pray to not enter into temptation, but they slept instead. When the moment of testing came, they all fled. Jesus had wrestled with the horror of taking the sins of the world on Himself. He chose the Father's will above His own, leaving us an example in our times of testing. Our passage in this sermon covers the beginning of Jesus' day of passion for us and gives us some historical insight into where they went that night.

The fundamental story of the Bible is not, as it might seem in today’s reading, about judgment and punishment for transgressions, but the story of perfect love and overwhelming grace. So often, when reading God’s Word, passages like this call us to confront the depravity of our natures—looking into the mirror of who we are in the light of God’s perfection—and acknowledge our inability to measure up. It is only then that we can truly accept grace.

Luke gives us a perspective of the Last Supper that is a bit different from the other Gospel writers. He focuses on the disciples' complete inability to understand what Jesus is saying and their overconfidence in themselves. The lesson that Jesus was teaching us it that without Him, we can do nothing. A deeper look at His words show us He knew exactly what was to take place over that night and the next day.