Light for a New Generation


Luke 11:29-36 (click to display NIV text)
July 7, 2013
Pastor Dwight A. Nelson

“For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation.”

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

We have seen in Luke that Jesus proclaimed the goodness of God, and encouraged people to ask, seek and knock, for God is able to give good gifts. Life is very different when we open our lives to the goodness of God. In our text for today, Jesus speaks to the attitudes and behaviors that characterized people in his generation: a lack of repentance for sin, an inability to see what God is doing, a refusal to trust God. The goodness and kindness of God leads people to repentance, but many in the crowds around Jesus were not willing to repent.

Those who did not accept Jesus and his authority accused him of being a magician, of using the power of one spirit or demon to destroy the power of another demon. They tested Jesus by demanding a sign, a great miracle or perhaps something in the heavens. Jesus answered that their sign would be “the sign of Jonah.” What was that? Read more

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Roses and Rhubarb


Luke 10:38-11:13 (click to display NIV text)
June 30, 2013
Pastor Dwight A. Nelson

“As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said.”

There are two parts to discipleship. There is listening to Jesus, time spent in prayer and the study of the Word. And there is serving Jesus, actively taking part in witnessing, showing mercy and doing justice. To be a disciple of Jesus is to listen to Jesus and to serve Jesus.

Long ago, when I was in seminary, I had a class from James Dittes, dealing with the practical aspects of ministry. He said that the church is like a sailboat. The goal is to keep the boat balanced and going straight ahead. Sometimes you will notice that all the people on the boat have moved to one side, and so the boat begins to tip and veer in that direction. Then you need to move to the other side of the boat to balance it. Hopefully, some will join you there. But if too many cross over, then you need to go to the other side.

If your life is all serving and no praying, then you need to make an adjustment. If your life is all Bible study, but you never share your faith or help the poor, then you need to make an adjustment. Read more

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The Compassionate Samaritan


Luke 10:25-37 (click to display NIV text)
June 16, 2013
Pastor Dwight A. Nelson

” ‘Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?’ The expert in the Law replied, ‘The one who had mercy on him.’ Jesus told him, ‘Go and do likewise.’ “

There are two problems with listening to a well-known story. Because we know the story, we do not listen as carefully as we should, and we tend to jump ahead to the end before the story is ready for us. So some of you may already be thinking about how you might be a “Good Samaritan.” You might be anticipating where this sermon is going, and so you are already wondering about the wisdom of stopping on the highway to help someone with a flat tire, or how you should handle a situation when you are downtown and a homeless person asks you for some money. So as we begin I want to ask you to let go of some of those ideas and simply listen, as if for the first time, to the story that Jesus tells. Read more

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Peace for Our Souls

Luke 8:22-39 (click to display NIV text)
May 26, 2013
Pastor Dwight A. Nelson

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ . . .”

“One day Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Let us go over to the other side of the lake.’ So they got into a boat and set out.”

Jesus took his disciples on an intentional journey that would have a specific purpose in their lives. They needed to experience the authority of Jesus and the peace of Jesus. So he took them to places of fear and anxiety. He took them to the “other side of the lake.” This was Gentile country. It was the only time Jesus went there. It was a fearful place. Joel Green writes, “Jesus is way beyond the boundaries of acceptable Jewish behavior.” Read more

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Peace for Our Souls

Luke 8:22-39 (click to display NIV text)
May 26, 2013
Pastor Dwight A. Nelson

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ . . .”

“One day Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Let us go over to the other side of the lake.’ So they got into a boat and set out.”

Jesus took his disciples on an intentional journey that would have a specific purpose in their lives. They needed to experience the authority of Jesus and the peace of Jesus. So he took them to places of fear and anxiety. He took them to the “other side of the lake.” This was Gentile country. It was the only time Jesus went there. It was a fearful place. Joel Green writes, “Jesus is way beyond the boundaries of acceptable Jewish behavior.” Read more

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