In the second half of His Sermon on the Plain in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus uses colorful, nearly comic illustrations to convey His primary point of our need to see to our hearts and lives before we presume to check others'. Then Jesus shares the core secret of how to live the best of all lives: (1) Come to Him; (2) Hear His Words; and (3) Act on Them.

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Jesus chooses His 12 closest disciples and then teaches for the first time in the Gospel of Luke in today's message. A parallel to the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew, Luke has Jesus convey the bulk of His teaching in today's Sermon on the Plain. It's not in Spain, nor does it rain, at least during this episode.

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Today’s Luke sequence begins with a miracle and ends with a parable, but parable is present from the beginning. The featured friends believe and care deeply enough to take dramatic action to bring a friend to Jesus. We can do the same with and for those we love, family or friend. Jesus’ display of power and compassion continues in us and others. We are called to witness with wonder & awe. Levi, like Peter, sets an example of immediate full following of Jesus, telling everyone he knows about it. Our new walk with Jesus in His kingdom is not something to add to our life. It is our life. He is our life. Pass it on.

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We come to Luke 5:1-11 in our journey through that gospel and see how Jesus customizes His call on Peter (and his gang) in a way uniquely suited to the fisherman's sensibilities. He does the same with us, just not with fish.

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Here's the audio podcast of Sunday's sermon, the next lesson from Luke's gospel. Jesus pushes back against darkness and brokenness as His kingdom break in, then and now.

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In Luke 4:14-30, Jesus is without honor in His hometown because everyone is too familiar with Him, His family, etc. We run the risk of being too familiar with Him to the point of losing our wonder and taking Him for granted.

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Focusing on Luke 3:21-4:13, Jesus begins His ministry by submitted to baptism by His predecessor, John. Jesus' identity is majestically confirmed by the presence of the Spirit and the voice of the Father booming affirmation from the heavens: You are My beloved Son, in You I am well pleased! We are each His beloved children as well, just as affirmed and blessed as part of the family (of which His Spirit is a seal upon us). Jesus goes straight into temptation - a pattern of the enemy's, coming after us when we've had a mountaintop experience. Jesus shows us the way to parry the temptations sent our way by being centered in our identity in God and knowledge of His word.

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The ministry of John the Baptist fulfills prophecies made about him by Isaiah and Gabriel, and as he calls the people to repent and be baptized, we are called to do the same, and if we've already done so, it's time to renew our commitments to the King. Luke 3:1-20.

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