Jewel Lake Parish Sermon Podcast

Some of the things Jesus says make our head ache, because our expectations about the conversation don't align well with his. We'd like Jesus to tell us how to have the kind of relationship with God that King David had, where we trust God and God blesses us. It's true that God still blesses people that way, but Jesus has something bigger and better to talk about: eternal life. What does he mean by that? The answer might not be what you think! Pastor Luke looks at John 6:35,41-51 in "Eternal Life," part 2 of his 3-part series, "Bread of Life."

One thing we learned in our series of messages about David is how God longs to bless us as we use our talents and gifts in his service. But a lot of us have a problem: we have too much to do already. Why can't God just lift the burden off us, instead of helping us when we do the work? Pastor Luke preaches from John 6:22-35 in "Perishable Food," the first message in a new series, "Bread of Life."

David's life shows again and again how God longs to bless us in our lives. Well, mostly---but sometimes, God has other plans. Once, David tried to build God a temple, and God said no. What can we learn from that incident? Understanding how we fit into God's plans keeps us from being discouraged when God doesn't do what we expect. It also helps us understand the places where God will still bless us. Pastor Luke looks at 2 Samuel 7:1-17 in "Sequel," the concluding message in his series, "Summer Blockbusters."

Wouldn't it be great to have God in our corner, the way King David did? David undertook some major projects as king of Israel, and God blessed them. Most of us have things going on in our lives that we'd love God to bless. What does the career of David teach us about having God bless parts of our life? Pastor Luke looks at a time when David moved the Ark of God to Jerusalem, to see what it teaches us today. Pastor Luke teaches from 2 Samuel 6:12-23 in "Footloose," part 8 of his 9-part series, "Summer Blockbusters."

How a church conducts its worship is one of the first things that people notice. The church with an organ is easy to distinguish from the one with the praise band and light show. Is the service liturgical or free-form? Do people raise their hands when they sing? Depending on what appeals to us, worship style makes it easier to like or dislike a church. But what does the Bible say about worship? If we don't like the worship in a church, how much freedom do we have to change it? Once, when David had just become king of Israel, everyone was singing and praising God, and a man died---because he tried to touch the Ark of the Covenant. What can we learn about our worship from that story? Pastor Luke preaches from 2 Samuel 6:1-13 in "Decently and In Order," part 7 of his 9-part series, "Summer Blockbusters."

Have you ever had a really, really bad day? If you have, it still probably wasn't as bad as the one David was having: it started when he got fired, and went downhill from there. But Scripture tells us that David "strengthened himself in the Lord." What does that mean? How did he do it? What good did it do? And most importantly, can we do it too? Pastor Luke preaches from 1 Samuel 30 in "Commonwealth," part 6 of his 9-part series, "Summer Blockbusters."

Like everyone else, King David had both strengths and weaknesses. Their extreme nature was what made David different: when he was good, he was great, and when he was bad, he was terrible. Because he was so extreme, we can better see our own tendencies and temptations by looking at him. Watching David make one mistake after another, we ask, "What happened to that great kid who took on Goliath with a slingshot?" What was it that caused David to drift so far from his successes, and is the reason anything we need to be concerned about for ourselves? Pastor Luke preaches from 1 Samuel 27:1-12 in "Dumb and Dumber," part 4 of his 9-part series, "Summer Blockbusters."

Although David was a man of God, and Israel's greatest king, he was a lousy father. But despite that, he can teach us how to be better fathers, when we look at David's parting advice to his son Solomon. Pastor Luke teaches from 1 Kings 2:1-12 in "Fatherly Advice," part 3 of his 9-part series, "Summer Blockbusters."

What can you do when you realize that you're committed to doing something that's not wise? That's the problem David faces after a man named Nabal insults him. Pastor Luke preaches from 1 Samuel 25:2-44 in "Chick Flick," part 2 of his 9-part series, "Summer Blockbusters."