Sunday Morning Podcast | The Moody Church

Everyone needs a "why"—a reason to get up, a purpose for life. It leads to big questions: What is life all about? Why are we here? How do we live meaningfully? For followers of Jesus, these questions are central to the journey of discipleship.   In Luke 12, Jesus tackles these existential questions through parables and analogies, focusing on what truly matters in life.   1. Money-Grubbers There’s no life in amassing stuff. In Luke 12:13-21, Jesus addresses a man's desire for wealth by warning against greed. Through the parable of the rich fool, He highlights the futility of storing up possessions for oneself, as life is not measured by abundance. The rich man’s wealth couldn’t secure his life, and he wasn’t "rich toward God." Jesus reminds us that true life isn't found in amassing material things. 2. Worry-Warts There’s no life in fretful survival. In Luke 12:22-28, Jesus tells His followers not to worry about their basic needs, like food or clothing. He uses ravens and lilies to show that God pr

A lot of us are disenchanted with religion. There’s so much hypocrisy and abuse and scandal. No wonder so many people are checking out of organized religion, even if they still find Jesus to be compelling. Here at the end of Luke 11 and into 12 Jesus himself railed against the dangers of religion. It turns out that God isn’t actually interested in religion after all. He’s always been after a relationship with his children.   If you find yourself disenchanted with religion, I want to invite you to hear what Jesus has to say. I think you’ll find that Jesus is even more upset with the dangers of religion than you are, and that his call is far more compelling than you might imagine.   1. The Danger of Hypocrisy God desires integrated lives. The Pharisees focused on outward rituals while their hearts were far from God. God wants our inner devotion and outward actions to be in harmony, avoiding the pretense of righteousness without true transformation. 2. The Danger of Elitism God desires earnest pu

Who is Jesus? This is the most important question anyone can ask.   Is He a deceiver, a lunatic, a prophet, a teacher, or the Son of God? These questions have been asked for centuries. In the Gospels, people wrestled with who Jesus was—healing the sick, calming storms, and teaching with authority. Yet, they reached different conclusions.   In Luke 11, we see groups who Mistook Jesus, thinking they had Him figured out, but they were wrong. Their mistaken responses are still seen today. Let’s learn from their mistakes and avoid Mistaking Jesus.   Dismissing without Discernment Jesus desires, deserves, and demands our attention. Liberation without Lordship Jesus desires, deserves, and demands our surrender. Fandom without Following Jesus desires, deserves, and demands our obedience. Signs without Seeking Jesus desires, deserves, and demands our trust. Revelation without Receiving Jesus desires, deserves, and demands our welcome. Takeaway: What will you do with Jesus? C. S. Lewis in Mere

Matthew 4:1–11 is a foundation to illustrate how Jesus prepared for his mission through fasting and resisting temptation.   Context of Matthew 4: The passage follows Jesus' baptism, where He identifies with humanity despite having no need for repentance. Jesus is led into the wilderness by the Spirit to be tempted, which demonstrates both His humanity and divine nature. 4 Lessons we learn about fasting: Obedience: Jesus' immediate obedience to God's direction, despite the harsh conditions, underscores the importance of responding promptly to God’s commands. Empty to Be Filled: Fasting, as demonstrated by Jesus, is not just abstaining from food but an intentional act to gain spiritual strength and perspective. The Sufficiency of the Word: Jesus relies on Scripture to resist temptation, highlighting the importance of using God’s Word as a defense against sin. Desperation vs. Preparation: Jesus’ example shows us not to fast out of desperation but to fast during preparation as well

The Ends God’s Justice Will Cover the Earth: Christ's reign extends justice across the earth. Brings fairness and righteousness to all creation. God’s People Will Be Liberated: Christ liberates God's people from spiritual blindness and bondage. God’s Glory Will Be Celebrated: Christ's reign leads to the celebration of God's glory. The renewed creation worships and honors God. The Means Behold THE Servant: Jesus Christ is the true servant in Isaiah 42. Recognize and behold Him as sent by God. The Bruised Reed He Will Not Break: Christ is gentle and compassionate. He cares for the weak and vulnerable. The Smoking Wick He Will Not Quench: Christ is patient and restorative. Christ is patient and restorative. Why It Matters These truths assure believers of God's ultimate purposes. Christ's reign calls for alignment with God's will. Trust in Christ's work to bring about a renewed creation.

Now, in life, hard things will happen. We live in a fallen world marked by sin and selfishness. When you are on the ropes, God is faithful and His heart cares for people dealing with the consequences of their own sin and rebellion. When things go from bad to worse, how should we respond?   Will You Double Down? When we devote ourselves to idols—something less than God—we become less human. We shrivel up and turn inwards on ourselves as we become sad self-centered shells of wasted human potential. But if we worship the triune God of the Bible—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—we will become more like Him, overflowing in peace, love, and joy, and will become more truly human than we ever thought possible. When trouble comes, will we pursue something other than God in the hopes that it will save us?   Will We Believe the Promises of God? The Promise of Deliverance: If God loved you enough to send Jesus to die for you when you were his enemy, will he forget about that later and not keep you when you have bee

The Symptoms A world under wrath (Romans 1:18) A people in chaos and pain (1:24, 1:26, 1:28-31) A world condemned to die (1:32) The Illness and Its Progression Rejection of the Truth and the darkens of hearts (Romans 1:21-23) Embracing of the Lie and the worship creation (Romans 1:25) The Cure A timely provision (Romans 5:6) An act of love (Romans 5:8) An effective rescue from the wrath of God (Romans 5:9) Takeaways: God cares first about the heart. He will change the rest. Our call is to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Tell them the truth. Believe God and worship Him.

One of the greatest privileges we have as a child of God Is the fact that we can come to God in prayer anytime, anywhere, with anything. In Christ and by the Spirit we have total, unrestricted access to the Father. But, so many of us don’t know where to start. Fortunately, we’re not the first humans to be unsure when it comes to prayer. In this passage, Jesus’ disciples come to Him with a simple and yet bold request: “Lord, teach us to pray.”   What We Pray In prayer, we acknowledge our deep dependency on God. Jesus is teaching us to offer prayers that reflect our utter helplessness and total reliance upon God. We Pray as a child looking to his Father, Longing for His glory to heal the world And for His rule to set all to rights. We pray Looking to Him as our Portion and Provider, The Forgiver of our sin-riddled souls and Our Protector and Keeper in the face of whatever trials might come our way.   How We Pray In prayer, we acknowledge our daring desperation. You only call a friend at 2am when you’re desper

]One of the hallmarks of Jesus’ ministry is His use of parables, short and powerful stories jam-packed with spiritual insights and timeless lessons. 2,000 years later, we’re still unpacking these brilliant tales. Today we get the privilege of diving into one of the most famous of all Jesus’ parables: The Good Samaritan.   Like many of Jesus’ stories... this Parable of the Good Samaritan is given in a very specific setting. Jesus isn’t telling a random story; it’s a story with intent. Jesus is speaking into real life with these parables.   In the case of The Good Samaritan, this story is purposefully sandwiched between two events: A Lawyer’s Question and Two Sisters at Odds. The Good Samaritan is the link that connects everything.   The Lawyer An expert in the Old Testament Law has come to test Jesus. He asks Jesus, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” The answer is to love God and love your neighbor. Keep Love Before You God desires, deserves, and demands our loving allegiance—hear

“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?” Luke 9:23–25   Know God through Worship • We find ourselves, not within, but in worship.   Feed Your Soul through Community • We find fulfillment, not in autonomy, but in community.   Grow in Love through Service • We find meaning, not in success, but in service.   Change Your World through Mission • We find purpose, not in monuments, but in mission.   Takeaway: Jesus is inviting you on The Journey of a Lifetime… How will you choose to respond?

God is a missional God. The Father sends the Son to redeem the world. And Jesus sends us, His disciples, to the ends of the earth with the message of salvation by grace through faith in Him. We are commissioned by Jesus to show and share the love of God wherever we go.   All of us are sent out on mission by Jesus, and there are valuable lessons we need in this passage...   1. The Plan Jesus appoints 72 disciples, puts them into 36 pairs, and sends them out on mission into the towns and villages ahead of Him. This mission requires dependency. Go as Ambassadors of Kingdom Peace. 2. The Stakes As the 72 disciples go as ambassadors of kingdom peace, what’s on the line? With great light comes great responsibility. Go with a Message of Eternal Consequence. 3. The Joy From the weight of woes, now we turn to see the joys of blessing. Your name is written in heaven as a free gift of grace from your Father though the Son by the Spirit. Go in the Beloved Security of Divine Intimacy. Takeaway: Go

Have you ever come down from grand moment in life? You’re on this high and then you come down. Back to reality and it’s business as usual. It can be quite disorienting!   That’s similar to what’s happening with Jesus in Luke 9. He goes from glory on the mountaintop and then back down to this broken world. As this chapter closes, Luke narrates a raft of discipleship failures in rapid succession. You see, Jesus will soon depart. And the disciples are going to be the ones who will carry on this Gospel movement to the ends of the earth. But they’ve got a whole lot to learn from Jesus.   And they say the best way to learn is to learn from other peoples’ mistakes. So as the disciples get mired inthese pitfalls along the path, let’s lean in and learn from their mistakes. Because we need to learn the same lessons that Jesus is teaching them. So let’s join up with the twelve on the road with Jesus.   There are 6 Pitfalls on the path that can mire us as we seek to follow Jesus…   Pitfall #1 – Self-Reliance (Luk

“Veiled in flesh the Godhead see, Hail th’ incarnate Deity! Pleased as man with man to dwell, Jesus our Immanuel.” - Hark! The Herald Angels Sing - Charles Wesley   In the incarnation, Jesus is God incognito. He is undercover, veiled, and among us in secret. Until Luke 9:28-36, when the veil is lifted and His glory is revealed.   1) The Glory Jesus is Gloriously Transfigured Moses and Elijah appear on the mountain and see Jesus for who he really is.   2) The Tents The Kingdom is Gloriously Tangible Peter asks to put up tents for Moses, Elijah, and Jesus. But he had forgotten that Jesus’ path to the crown must first pass through the cross.   3) The Cloud The Father Gloriously Testifies “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!” Peter followed Jesus through the cross to the crown!   Takeaway: Jesus is our Transfiguring Glory You will be glorious in Christ! C.S. Lewis once preached a sermon called “The Weight of Glory”: “...There are no ordinary people. You have never talk

Chapter 9 of the Gospel of Luke forms a hinge in the narrative. Up to this point, the key question has been, “Who is this Jesus?” And in Luke 9, that question begins to be answered and we see His glorious identity be revealed.   From this point on, Jesus is moving inexorably toward Jerusalem and to the crucifixion that awaits him there. So here we are, On the Road with Jesus. Up to Jerusalem, to the cross, and to glory. And He says to each one of us, “Come, follow me.” A Glorious Confession A Sobering Clarification A Dangerous Calling   A Glorious Confession Jesus is the long-awaited Davidic King   A Sobering Clarification Jesus’ path to the crown runs through the cross The Royal Road passes through suffering on the way to glory. Jesus is the One who shall wear the crown because He is the One who bore the cross.   A Dangerous Calling Jesus bids us follow Him through suffering into glory You must learn to die to yourself, in order to truly live. There’s no glory without s

On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you” (John 20:19-21).   1. Fear is the Opposite of Faith (John 20:19a). “On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews” 2. Peace is the Christian Response (John 20:19b). Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7). 3. The Cross Is Our Hope and Motivation (John 20:20). “When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when th

As we wake up in this universe, we find ourselves in the midst of a story that is already unfolding. But what is the story about? And how do we find our place in the story?   The Bible tells us we’re living in God’s story. It’s the story of a God who is on a mission to glorify His name by redeeming all people. It is a story that began at the dawn of creation and will continue until the renewal of all things.   When we discover God’s Story and realize what the Story is all about, we can find our place in the story. 6 Acts Creation, Fall, Israel, Redemption, Church, Renewal   Act I – Creation Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” From the very beginning, God’s heart beats for the entire world. Act II – Fall Genesis 3:15 This Promised Seed will reverse the curse and restore all that has been lost. God’s heart still beats for all His lost children, scattered amongst the nations. Act III – Israel Genesis 12:1-3 God is creating a people for Himself. Israel ma

Reputations are fragile things...you can spend a lifetime crafting a good reputation only to see it shattered by a moment of weakness, a lapse in judgment, and by sin. What do we do with our past? Are we always under the cloud, the indictment of our past actions?   Today, in John chapter 4, we have the privileges of pursuing what we hear from God and hopefully gain a kingdom perspective regarding reputations.   The context: The shortest distance to return to Galilee would be to go through the territory known as Samaria. But here’s the rub. The Jews and the Samaritans do not like each other.   Jesus did not go through Samaria to save time, Jesus did not go through Samaria to save steps; Jesus went to Samaria to save a Samaritan woman.   Takeaways: Who is Jesus to you? What does Jesus say to you, about you? Why share the Gospel?

Listening to God. Barriers to hearing from God. Be transformed by the Word.   Takeaway: Be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to become angry.

In the Book of Acts—which is the second part of Dr. Luke’s two-volume set of historical works—we find Jesus’ core disciples, the Apostles, turning the world upside down. They’re boldly preaching and going to the ends of the earth to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus!   But that’s not where they began. Before Jesus showed up, the twelve disciples were just ordinary people. But what we’re seeing, in these Gospel accounts, is Jesus training up His twelve disciples.   And we too have been sent out by Jesus to change our world! But every mission requires training. Today, we get to listen in on Jesus’ Masterclass as He prepares His disciples for their mission. There’s so much we can learn from The Training of the Twelve.   This is Jesus’ Masterclass where he gives three crucial lessons: A Lesson in Dependency A Lesson in Vulnerability A Lesson in Inadequacy   1. A Lesson in Dependency When you step out into the unknown, I will take care of you. When we live on mission, Christ is our provision. 2. A

Have you ever noticed that the heroes we most admire—in the books we read and in the films we watch—always combine the paradoxical traits of grit and grace?   And the paradox of those traits is important. It’s easy to be strong and grow hard and calloused. It’s easy to be sensitive and grow soft and battered. In other words, choosing one side of the paradox is the usual course of things. But to put both sides of the paradox together, therein lies true heroism.   In chapter eight of the Gospel of Luke, we find Jesus embodying this kind of paradoxical heroism. Not only is He mighty and strong, but He is also tender and compassionate, full of mercy and care.   Let's walk slowly through these three stories, each of them in the care of Jesus. A Distraught Father A Desperate Woman A Devastated Child   1. A Distraught Father (Luke 8:40–42) Jesus hears our heart’s cry. Our Triune God is quick to respond to our heart’s cries with deep compassion. Won’t you bring your heart’s cry to Jesus?   2.