JLP.church Sermon Podcast

The Great Awakening laid groundwork for the American Revolution a few decades later. But more importantly, it taught the church a lesson about missional effectiveness and the work of the Holy Spirit. Is it time to learn that lesson again? Pastor Luke teaches from John 4:35 in "White Fields," part 6 of his 8-part series, "Presbyterian Rebellion."

At the time of independence, most of the countries in Europe had established (state) religions. So did many the former colonies in the new United States. Why don't we have them anymore? What persuaded religious people that state support for their religious activities wasn't really a good idea? Pastor Luke teaches from John 18:36 in "Antidisestablishmentarianism," part 5 of his 8-part series, "Presbyterian Rebellion."

Once you’ve declared your independence, then what? When you escape tyranny, are you going to have a government? What kind of government do you want to have? What makes a government good, anyway? It turns out, you can get really good results when you think the worst of people. How were the Framers influenced by the Reformed Tradition? Pastor Luke teaches from Mark 10:42-43 in "If Men Were Angels...," part 4 of his 8-part series, "Presbyterian Rebellion."

America's Founders and the public they represented were immersed in Christian doctrine which taught that "The Powers That Be are Ordained of God." How could people so well-versed in teaching about submission to civil institutions arrive at a decision to rebel against it? How do we navigate that decision in our own society? Pastor Luke preaches from Romans 13:4 in "To Throw Off Such Gov't," part 3 of his 8-part series, "Presbyterian Rebellion."

George Washington is famously described as the "Father of His Country." But should Christians honor him, or the other Founders? If Christians are called to submit to the "Powers that be" (Romans 13) how can it be right to rebel against the king? Pastor Luke looks at Acts 4-5 in "Father of His Country," part 2 of his 8-part series, "Presbyterian Rebellion."

For most Americans, "don't tread on me" is one of our highest values. We often distrust the government and (depending who's running it) are tempted to be ungovernable. But Christians believe we should obey the government. How do we reconcile that as Americans? How did the Founders, 250 years ago? Pastor Luke looks at 2 Kings 11:17 in "To Secure These Rights," the first message in a new series, "Presbyterian Rebellion."

Christians call Pentecost "the Birthday of the Church." That sounds fun. But the fun comes after some pretty weird events. What's that about? What does Pentecost have to do with Jesus, and what does it have to with us today? Pastor Luke teaches from Acts 2:1-21 in "The Outpouring."

Christians believe that Christ has set us free from everything that holds us captive. But sometimes, they seem to provide a whole new list of obligations to people who have been set free. How does that work? Pastor Luke preaches from Galatians 4:21-31 in "Mother Love."

Jesus called his disciples — all of them, including the ones walking around today — to carry out the Great Commission by making disciples. But a lot of Christians don't even try, and many who do try aren't very good at it. Is there a better approach to evangelism? Pastor Luke teaches from Matthew 9:9-13 in "Levi's Party."

Matthew's biography of Jesus spans 28 chapters, and within it there are countless lessons and applications for contemporary readers. But anyone who wants to understand the good news about Jesus should start at the end, with the last five verses, the passage that Pastor Luke calls the "Great So-What." Pastor Luke looks at Matthew 28:16-20 in "Going Places."

In the broader culture, Easter isn't nearly as big a holiday as Christmas. But in the church, Easter is much bigger. That's because, on Easter, we remember the weirdest thing that Jesus ever did. Pastor Luke preaches from Matthew 28:1-10 in "Risen."

People have expectations of God — even non-religious people will question how a good God could do, or fail to do, certain things. And since we have expectations, we also have disappointments. But on Palm Sunday, we remember there is still good news for people who have been disappointed with God. Pastor Luke looks at Matthew 21:1-13 in "Wasn't Meant to Be."

Jesus criticized the religious leaders for building monuments to prophets? What's wrong with that? We have monuments all over the place -- just look at the Mall in Washington DC. Is there somethng wrong with building monuments? Pastor Luke looks at Matthew 23:29-39 in "Except We're Better," the concluding message in his series, "Mountain Goat."

Some of the strongest language Jesus used in the New Testament was directed against hypocrites. Why? Jesus ate and drank with tax collectors and sinners and they seemed to like him too. Why not hypocrites? What's so bad about hypocrisy? Pastor Luke teaches from Matthew 23:26-28 in "Outside Inside," part 4 of his 5-part series, "Mountain Goat."

You probably have a pretty good idea about what kind of things God doesn't like. (Even atheists and agnostics can make those lists.) But is your list the same as anyone else's list? Are any of those lists even correct? Fortunately, Jesus made it possible to focus on what really matters. Pastor Luke looks at Matthew 23:23-24 in "Gnats and Camels," part 3 of his 5-part series, "Mountain Goat."

We don't know what the future holds, so we look for ways to get out of our commitments in case something goes wrong. Jesus wasn't a fan of that approach. He had a different one. Pastor Luke teaches from Matthew 23:16-22 in "By Golly," part 2 of his 5-part series, "Mountain Goat."

The strongest words that Jesus is recorded as uttering are found in Matthew 23. The good news is that he didn't direct them at us! But since he cares so much at these things, it's worthwhile for us to learn why ... because he wants us to care too. Pastor Luke teaches from Matthew 23:13-15 in "Mountain Goat," the first message in a new series, "Mountain Goat."

Sleep can be the cushion or padding people use to take up slack in other parts of our lives. This is one reason why we sleep less than our grandparents did. It solves some problems, but it creates all new ones. Fortunately, Jesus shows us how we can solve them. Pastor Luke teaches from Mark 4:35-41 in "Soft Landing," the concluding message in his series, "Padding."

We've been learning that our lives are better when we don't try to maximize things but when we leave in some padding or cushion. But that doesn't mean our cushion can't help others. Pastor Luke looks at Leviticus 19:5-10 in "Leftovers," part 4 of his 5-part series, "Padding."

In his biographies, Jesus is usually doing something, but he never seems busy. What is his secret and can we do it too? Pastor Luke teaches from Luke 9:10-17 in "Detourism," part 3 of his 5-part series, "Padding."

Jesus doesn't condemn wealth, but he doesn't recommend it either. Instead he asks a more important question: who's in charge? Pastor Luke teaches from Luke 16:1-14 in "Force Multiplier," part 2 of his 5-part series, "Padding."

Time management methodologies can tell us how to use our time efficiently and prevent the urgent from overpowering the important. But is efficiency really the goal? Maybe we should think about how to be inefficient with our time. Pastor Luke preaches from Luke 10:38-42 in "Padding," the first message in a new series, "Padding."

The magi came 600 miles or more to see the newborn king of the Jews. When they stopped for directions, they were told they were only six miles away, so of course they finished their trip. Why didn't any of the religious elite go with them? How can we avoid making that kind of mistake? Pastor Luke teaches from Ephesians 3:1-12 in "Here Comes Trouble."

An ancient hymn looks forward to Christ's return, asking the "Desire of Nations" to come. Who, or What, is the Desire of Nations, and what does its coming mean for us? Pastor Luke looks at Haggai 2:1-7 in "Treasure of the Nations," part 3 of his 4-part series, "Emmanuel."

Jesus spoke about God's Kingdom from the beginning of his earthly ministry to its end. Something he kept saying is how God's Kingdom isn't like earthly kingdoms. But what is it LIKE? To answer that question, Jesus used parables. Pastor Luke preaches from Isaiah 35:1-10 in "Repatriation," part 2 of his 4-part series, "Emmanuel."

"Emmanuel" means God is with us. You might think that idea would be all through the Bible, but the word itself only appears a handful of times. Is it really that important? What does it mean that God is with us? Pastor Luke looks at Isaiah 7:10-14 in "God With Us," the first message in a new series, "Emmanuel."

The world is a mess, or at least parts of it. If you got the job of fixing it, what would you do about Nigeria, or Darfur, or the Fentanyl epidemic? What would you do about affordable housing or the debt crisis, or illiteracy? Some problems seem beyond fixing. But God promised to fix them. How? Pastor Luke preaches from Jeremiah 23:1-6 in "Under New Management."

Jesus announced the nearness of the Kingdom, meaning we can be part of it now. We don't have to wait for him to return, when it comes in its fullness. But return he will, someday, and the Kingdom will be fully realized. What happens then? Pastor Luke teaches from Matthew 13:47-50 in "The Last Division," the concluding message in his series, "Fabulous Stories."

Jesus said that entering the Kingdom of Heaven would be like stumbling upon a great treasure. If that's so, why don't more people do it? What prevents them? Pastor Luke preaches from Matthew 13:44-46 in "Upgrade," part 4 of his 5-part series, "Fabulous Stories."

Have you ever thought that God wasn't helping, or maybe you even thought that God was making things worse? Or maybe you just thought you could use some help but there was no sign that God would provide it. What can we do when God doesn't seem interested in helping? Pastor Luke teaches from Matthew 13:31-33 in "Ferment," part 3 of his 5-part series, "Fabulous Stories."

Jesus spoke about God's Kingdom from the beginning of his earthly ministry to its end. Something he kept saying is how God's Kingdom isn't like earthly kingdoms. But what is it LIKE? To answer that question, Jesus used parables. Pastor Luke preaches from Matthew 13:1-9,18-23 in "Strewn," the first message in a new series, "Fabulous Stories."

Christians are called to be disciples who make disciples? But how are we supposed to be disciples, much less make other people into disciples? In the Old Testament, a the story of a foreign general and a prophet has some great examples, but they aren't the general or the prophet. Pastor Luke teaches from 2 Kings 5:1-16 in "A Lesser River," the concluding message in his series, "Headwaters (Bonus Segment)."

Christians are taught to rejoice, which seems strange -- even though our innocent savior died a criminal's death. Christians have no illusions about just how messed up the world can be. So how can we rejoice in the face of that? Pastor Luke preaches from Luke 10:1-3,17-20 in "Rejoice In This," the concluding message in his series, "Captive Thoughts."

"Where was God when that terrible thing happened?" It's a common question, because terrible things keep happening to people. How can we make sense of our faith when bad things happen? Part of the answer is making sure that we're looking at the right part of the problem. Pastor Luke looks at Genesis 50:15-21 in "Innovator," part 3 of his 4-part series, "Captive Thoughts."

Wouldn't it be wonderful if change was instantaneous? We've been talking about how God renews our minds as he makes us like Christ. If we have unhelpful or intrusive thoughts, it would be great if we could simply change them and never have them again. But we can't. It takes practice. Pastor Luke teaches from 1 Timothy 4:7-16 in "Run Through," part 2 of his 4-part series, "Captive Thoughts."

Do you have an inner monologue? Does some person or idea live "rent free in your head?" The Apostle Paul teaches us to take every thought captive. How can we do that? Can we control the way we think? Pastor Luke teaches from Luke 12:13-21 in "An Abundance of Barns," the first message in a new series, "Captive Thoughts."

In this installment of “Ask Me Anything,” Pastor Luke addressed four questions. This message was delivered in gathered worship on Sunday, August 31, 2025 at Jewel Lake Parish in Anchorage, Alaska. TIMESTAMPS 00:40 In the parable of the talents, what's wrong with burying your talent? 08:25 Does quantum physics' multiverse theory negate the "God of the Gaps"? 12:24 Will we be married in heaven? 20:34 What does "enter the joy of your master" mean with respect to the Kingdom of God? Pastor Luke looks at Matthew 25:14-30 in "Ask Me Anything."

If you visited Philippi in the middle of the 1st century, everyone could tell you what was the most important thing that had happened there. But sometime in the next century or two, that changed. Since then, people would give a different answer, but nobody at the time had any idea. Pastor Luke teaches from Acts 16:9-15 in "Outside the Gate," the concluding message in his series, "Headwaters."

The truly amazing thing about John the Baptist is that Jesus came to him for baptism. But many, many other people did too. What was it that John said that caused those other people to come to him for baptism? Pastor Luke preaches from Matthew 3:1-2,5-17 in "Here Comes the Kingdom," part 6 of his 7-part series, "Headwaters."

People in older generations sometimes wonder if the younger generation is capable of facing the tasks ahead of them. But they'll have to be, sooner or later. What can they do to be ready? What can the older generations do to help? Pastor Luke preaches from 2 Kings 2:6-15 in "The Kids Are All Right," part 5 of his 7-part series, "Headwaters."

Everybody has problems, and Christians don't get a pass. In fact, Jesus assured us that we will have trouble. Our problems won't go away, but our faith does offer us help to get through those problems. Pastor Luke preaches from Joshua 4:1-10 in "Stones From the River," part 4 of his 7-part series, "Headwaters."

We've been learning that God does help people who resist the things that oppress them. Who wouldn't want some help? But when is God going to actually Pastor Luke looks at Joshua 3:1-6,13-17 in "A Pile of Water," part 3 of his 7-part series, "Headwaters."

The book of Exodus tells the story of a mass migration by a great multitude of people. It includes accounts of great miracles by God, culminating in the parting of the Red Sea. But it doesn't begin big. It begins with a a small-scale story of a very relatable problem. Pastor Luke teaches from Exodus 1:22-2:10 in "Born at the Right Time," part 2 of his 7-part series, "Headwaters."

If you told someone the story of the Garden of Eden, you'd mention Adam and Eve and probably various other details of the account. But you might overlook the rivers — even though the story has, not just a single river, but four! Why so many? What is this story saying to us today? Pastor Luke looks at Genesis 2:8-15 in "Headwaters," the first message in a new series, "Headwaters."

Since the enlightenment, people have struggled with, or scoffed at, the idea of demons. But nobody has any doubt about possession. There are plenty of things that can exercise control over us. Can anything break their grip? Pastor Luke teaches from Luke 8:26-39 in "You Gotta Serve Somebody."

Because fathers are so important in their childrens' lives, we want to be as good at it as possible. But societal changes and a lack of knowledge make it difficult to be sure how. Fortunately, as with so many things, there's help in the New Testament. Pastor Luke looks at Colossians 3:12-4:1 in "Good Good Father."

When we become Christians, we become part of the body of Christ and the family of the children of God. Those names may sound better than another name: the Church. The problem with the Church is that it has people in it. And since people are all different, it's not always easy to figure out where we fit in relation to them. Pastor Luke teaches from 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 in "Microbiome," the concluding message in his series, "Down to Earth."

"What on earth am I here for?" That's a good question for anybody, but it's especially important for Christians. Some answers are 300 pages long, but one answer is a single line, and it's been around a lot longer. Pastor Luke preaches from Psalm 100 in "Serious Joy," part 3 of his 4-part series, "Down to Earth."

If Christians have been born again, who are they now? The answer is that they are children of God. And that's more than just a label. Pastor Luke preaches from Ephesians 1:3-14 in "Adopted by Grace," part 2 of his 4-part series, "Down to Earth."

Easter, or the Resurrection, is the most important element of the Christian faith. It's why Christianity is still relevant to us today and not just people who lived two thousand years ago. And it's all about eternal life and the Kingdom of God. Pastor Luke looks at John 3:1-17 in "Down to Earth," the first message in a new series, "Down to Earth."