A Famine Not of Bread

"The Good Samaritan" by James Tissot Click here to listen to this sermon. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Jesus told this story: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell...

"Christ Sending Out the Seventy Disciples, Two by Two" by James Tissot Click here to listen to this sermon. The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name!” And [Jesus] said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:18-20). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! On Monday, we celebrate Independence Day, the birthday of our nation. It is good and right that we give thanks to God for this nation and ask that He would continue to “bless our native land.” We also do well to remember that freedom is bought with a price. Millions of men and women have served with courage, selflessness, and sacrifice so that we might enj...

"Christ in the House of Martha and Mary" by Johannes Vermeer Click here to listen to this sermon. Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to His teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to Him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:38-42). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! You all know what it’s like when you’re expecting company. There’s usually a certain amount of preparation that is necessary—cooking, cleaning, bringing out the best dishes and silverware. We want to impress them. We want to m...

"The Good Samaritan" by Eugene Burnand Click here to listen to this sermon. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Jesus told this story: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ Jesus asked the young man who wanted to define “neighbor”: “Which o...

Click here to listen to this sermon. But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:41–42). Grace and peace to you from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ! During their travels, Jesus and His disciples were often guests in the homes of people who accepted His message and supported His mission. In fact, when Jesus sent first the Twelve, and then the seventy-two into the towns of Judea, He instructed them to go without extra supplies. Those disciples were to depend on the hospitality of the townspeople. They were to stay with the people who welcomed them and eat in their homes. They were to heal the sick, and tell them the Good News, “The kingdom of God is near you.” Jesus didn’t force Himself on anyone. He went into the homes He was welcomed and invited, and taught His disciples to do the same. It didn’t matter who t...

Click here to listen to this sermon. “Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise ” (Luke 10:36–37). Grace and peace to you from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ! The man who comes to “test” Jesus is an expert in religious law. Our text calls him a “lawyer,” but the Gospels more often identify such people as “scribes.” These men are often depicted as hostile toward Jesus and acting in league with the Pharisees. Typically, they let it be known that they considered Jesus’ observance of the Law to be deficient. In contrast to the majority of scribes in the Gospel accounts, however, this one shows no overt antagonism toward Jesus. Still, with his opening question, you sense there is going to be more than a little tension. “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” he asks. What does anyone ever do to get an inheritance?...