Northwest Church of Christ Sermons

The Restoration Movement Luke 7:18-23
When Jesus launches his ministry in Galilee he performs many miracles and even brings the dead back
to life. He does it remotely for a Centurion who has great faith. He brings back the only son of a widow
when she doesn’t even ask and it couldn’t have anything to do with her faith. When John’s disciples
come to ask if Jesus is the one they’ve been expecting he explains who he is. We really get a glimpse of
the ministry of Jesus here.

Leave It There (Come and See) Luke 5:1-11, 27-32
When Peter and the others were BUSY cleaning their nets Jesus asked them to put out their boats. After
catching more fish than they could carry, Jesus calls them to be fishers of men. So they pulled their
boats on shore, left everything and followed him. Later Jesus calls Levi, a tax collector, to leave his table
and follow him. He leaves everything, throws a great feast for Jesus at his home and invites all kinds of
people. The Pharisees and the Pharisaical teachers of the law question Jesus’ inclusion of sinners. Jesus
teaches them he has not come to heal the healthy but the sick. He doesn’t call the qualified. He doesn’t
call us to give him our leftover time or to leave margin for him. When Jesus calls us he calls us as we are,
where we are, and regardless of how busy we were when he showed up. In between these two stories is
a story of a paralyzed man. Can you imagine if that paralyzed man encountered Jesus, had his sins

forgiven and legs activated and then went back to his mat? When Jesus calls us to follow, why do we so
often choose to stay on our mat? Or once forgiven, why do we go back to it?

The Mission of Jesus of Nazareth Luke 4:14-21
This week begins with the baptism temptation of Jesus. The temptations begin and end with Jesus being
filled with the Holy Spirit. Sometimes we think Jesus was empty in the wilderness or that the Spirit
doesn’t show up until Luke’s second volume. But be very clear…Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit
throughout his ministry. And it gives him incredible clarity and purpose for what his mission truly is. He
proclaims it from Isaiah 61/58, promises hope for the blind, captive, and poor, and then extends it all to
the Gentiles/nations. And finally, even when he is invited to stay and do more good and more healing he
declines because he has his eyes focused on his mission. Jesus persevered through all of this because he
was filled with the Holy Spirit, loved by the Father, had his identity in God, and knew his purpose.

BC & AD Scripture: Luke 1:46-55

Luke sets out to write a letter to a God-friend so they can have confidence in what they have heard. He
uses every source he can find, from Mark to Matthew to many eyewitnesses, almost certainly including
Paul. Luke’s two part Gospel series makes up 1/8th of the New Testament. He is considered by
historians to be one of the great historical writers of the ancient world. But it’s more than history…it’s a
document that shows how the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus has completely changed our world
forever. It changes who is included/excluded. It changes how we think about money, forgiveness, grace,
obedience, life, death and everything in between. We are beginning a 13 week study of Luke's
masterpiece, the only record we have of the story of Jesus from a non-Jew who was a doctor by trade
and who managed to write a book that changed the world by telling the story of the man who left
heaven to change the world. In our first week we have the prophecies from Mary and Zechariah and
Gabriel’s instruction to name the boys John (God is gracious) and Jesus (God is salvation). Before they
were born, their names proclaimed the Gospel was coming!

The Final River - Revelation 22:1-5

The rivers flowing out of Eden and the river flowing from the Temple in Ezekiel 47 now lead us to the river flowing from the throne of God and the Lamb in Revelation 22. This river again causes trees of healing and life to grow near it, nourishing the entire Creation eternally. Our job as Christians today is to begin that work of being life giving water to a world that needs it.

(Rivers run through Scripture pt 2) Ezekiel 47:1-12

In the days of Ezekiel he was given a vision of a river that came from God’s Temple. It began as a trickle until it became a vast life-giving river. Later, in a ceremony rehearsing this vision, Jesus would declare that anyone who is thirsty should come to him and drink. Jesus is the life giving river that flows from the Temple. Are you drinking this water?    

(Rivers run through Scripture pt 1) The God of Deep Waters   Psalm 93

This week we will begin our three part series on the rivers that run through the story of Scripture. We begin with the chaotic deep waters of Genesis 1:1-2. When God begins creating there is disorder, emptiness, and an uninhabitable wasteland of abyss and deep waters. But the Spirit of God hovers above the deep waters and tames them. It is then that God’s creative word brings order, boundaries and life to the entire Creation. But it’s just the beginning of the story of God bringing life from and through water. 

N McBroom - Honduras Missions Team Report

Let Freedom Ring - Scripture: Luke 4:14-21

After being tempted, Jesus returns to his hometown and reads from the scroll of Isaiah in synagogue. The passage he reads reveals that Jesus is ushering in a new day of healing, of restoration, and of freedom (Jubilee) for all people. Ironically, his promise of freedom for ALL people becomes scandalous in his hometown. Do we still offer the promise of freedom to all people today?

SOUL QUEST UPDATE & FRANCE MISSION TEAM UPDATE

Scripture: Luke 10:1-24