The Pharisees got their reputation the old-fashioned way: they earned it! Today the word "Pharisee" is a synonym for "hypocrite." ...a snooty, self-righteous, holier-than-thou phony. And you can throw in "greedy" and "murderous," too.They didn't see themselves that way, of course. In their own estimation they were the guardians of the Law, the thin line between Israel's restoration and the judgment of God. Jesus could have ignored them. Or could He have? Here's Jim with Part 1 of a sermon called, Taking on the Pharisees.

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God's kingdom isn't fighting a defensive war - Christ is on offense! As we've studied The Life and Work of Dr. Luke, we've noticed some things that Luke alone has preserved and passed on... and some things that he emphasized, like the Lord's respect for women. The good doctor also took note of Jesus' command of the unseen realm; and that's what Jim will bring out today. Satan is compared to a strong man. But a Stronger Man has come on the scene, and He is setting prisoners free.

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Even the World's Greatest Dad - and you know who you are because you have the coffee mug - looks like a jerk, compared to our Heavenly Father! After Jesus taught us to pray to "our Father in heaven," He followed up with explanations about what that Father is like, and the nature of interacting with Him. And this instruction was sorely needed, because human beings can come up with some strange ideas about prayer! We're continuing in the Gospel of Luke. Here's Jim with Part 1 of the sermon, Your Heavenly Father.

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Meet a "multitasker" in the Bible: Martha of Bethany. Multitasking is the modern term for what we used to call "distracted." And that's the exact word you'll find in Luke 10 describing Martha. She was busy, she was overwhelmed, she was convinced that everything would fall apart if she sat down for even a few minutes and listened. To Jesus. Sound like everyone you know? The Lord could say to us, "You are anxious and troubled about many things, but One Thing is Necessary.

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Two men asked Jesus the same question. Did He give them the same answer? "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" It's not surprising that both the Lawyer and the Ruler came up with the same question. It's what every human being needs to know: "What must I do to be saved?" "How can I enter into the Kingdom of Heaven?" But the answer we get back may depend on what we're willing to hear, and Who we believe is speaking. Here's Jim with Part 1 of his sermon, Focus on Loving God.

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We know a great deal about "the Twelve." But what about "the Seventy?" Called to Bear Witness is the sermon we'll begin today. It refers to the Seventy ambassadors that Jesus sent out ahead of Him - and once again we're exploring information that only Luke gives us. If the number "70" seems familiar to you, you might be remembering that God gave Moses seventy elders of Israel to help shoulder his burden - and that that earlier episode was connected with judgment.

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Some of us have been known to stare at a map for a few minutes before we realize it's upside-down. We've got to get our bearings, whether we're looking at a map or a blueprint or a book, like the Bible. And those of us who grew up in Sunday School, hearing these exciting but disconnected stories about Jesus - we need to dig deeper and understand the structure of what we're reading. How do the stories fit together, to form a greater message? Today Jim will open a new sermon called, Breaking Down the Book of Luke.

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We won't have meaning in our lives without a mission. We're stressed. We feel like a little too much is expected of us, sometimes - or much too much. But the pressure of responsibility is a distinguishing feature of Jesus' ministry, as noted by Luke. Today we begin a short series on The Life and Work of Dr. Luke. He gave us some observations that none of the other Evangelists did. We'll look at those, and more, beginning with Jim's sermon, The First Narrative of Jesus.

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