Athey Creek | Audio Podcast

We continue to study the teachings of Jesus in Luke 17 and learn some important lessons on how we should conduct ourselves as Christians. As we hear what Jesus has to say about stumbling others, unforgiveness, faith, servanthood, and obedience, may we be those who adhere to His commands as we await His return.

Do you know where you go after you die? In Luke 16:19-31, Jesus helps us to understand that Heaven and Hell are real places as He tells a story about the deaths of a rich man and a poor beggar. As we see where each man went after death, we learn what these places are and, most importantly, how to choose where we will end up after we die.

Jesus tells two stories in Luke 16 about stewardship, riches, and poverty. As we unpack what Jesus is showing us, we see how He wants us to live in light of what we’ve been given and how our choices today will affect us for all eternity.

After the religious leaders questioned Jesus about why he was dining with sinners, He gave three illustrations as an answer in Luke 15. As we listen to the parables of the lost sheep, lost coin, and lost son, we learn how Jesus seeks us when we are lost and how we can be found by Him.

What would Jesus say to you and your guests if you invited Him to a dinner party? In Luke 14, we find such a scenario, and the things Jesus said to them about humility, hospitality, and discipleship are just as applicable to us today.

Jesus addresses questions and criticisms about His ministry in Luke 13 – and as usual, His answers aren’t what anyone expects. As He discusses the need for repentance and salvation, religious traditions, and even threats to His own life, Jesus shows His true purpose to save and transform us through His death and resurrection.

Jesus is asked in Luke 13:1-5 why bad things like death and destruction happen to seemingly good people – a question that continues to be asked even today. As Jesus answers, we learn what we should actually be asking, what death means for both the unbeliever and believer and most importantly, how to repent and accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

In Luke 12, Jesus addresses the multitude, warning them about hypocrisy, getting caught up in worldly cares, and neglecting God’s commands. As we study the exact issues He wants us to watch out for, we learn why these things are so dangerous to our souls and how we should turn our hearts to God and His treasure instead.

After being criticized by the Pharisees for not following their manmade traditions, Jesus responds in Luke 11:37-54 with six severe woes that would befall them for not following God. As we look into what these religious leaders were doing wrong and what they should have been doing instead, may we examine our hearts, repent, and find forgiveness and freedom in Jesus Christ.

After casting out a demon, Jesus garners a fresh round of criticism that includes the accusation that His power was from Beelzebub. However, as Jesus answers this allegation in Luke 11:14-36, He confounds their logic and tells them where His power comes from and what sign would ultimately show who He is.

Jesus both often modeled and frequently talked about the importance of prayer – including a lengthy discourse in Luke 11:1-13. As we see Jesus give His disciples a model for prayer, tell interesting analogies about asking, and see where the power behind prayer comes from, we are challenged to examine our prayer lives and become those who pray as Jesus did.

Three models of Christian attributes in Luke 10 help illustrate some of the traits we are to demonstrate as believers. As we study a group of apostles sent out to proclaim Jesus, the Parable of the Good Samaritan, and the contrasting sisters, Mary and Martha, we see how Jesus wants to be represented and worshipped as our Savior and King.

In an attempt to trap Jesus, a lawyer asks Him a loaded question about eternal life in Luke 10:25-37. In response, Jesus tells the well-known Parable of the Good Samaritan, revealing everything we need to know about who Jesus is, how to obtain salvation, and what true Christianity should look like.

A shift begins in Jesus’ ministry as He prepares His disciples for His death and resurrection by explicitly telling them what will happen and equipping them for what will come. And even though they don’t quite get it yet, the examples they provide in Luke 9 still model for us simplicity in ministry, the cost of discipleship, and a trust we should all strive to have in Jesus.

In Luke 9:23-24, Jesus tells us that we are to die to ourselves daily if we want to follow Him. But what does this mean? And what else should we be doing on a daily basis? As we seek to answer these questions, we find that Scripture gives us a daily to-do list with clear marching orders to follow as Christians.

Jesus tells a parable about a sower and seeds in Luke 8 to demonstrate how faith grows by hearing the Word of God. As the chapter progresses, we see this put into action as we watch how different people are tested by circumstances and respond in varying levels of faith.

Perhaps the disciples thought that everything would be smooth sailing when they chose to follow Jesus, but in Luke 8:22-25 they find themselves on the brink of death while being tossed about by wind and waves. If we likewise cannot expect ease and perfection when we follow Jesus, what then can we expect? As we seek to answer this question, we find the ultimate benefit we receive from Jesus and why we should accept His gift of eternal life.

Jesus encounters four disheartened people in Luke 7 and meets their individual needs through His love, compassion, and truth. As we watch Jesus heal the sick, raise the dead, encourage a doubter, and forgive a sinner, we find He will likewise meet us when we are struggling, doubting, weak, or experiencing hardships.

In Luke 7:5, we read about a Roman centurion who had an unusual love for the nation of Israel, prompting us to consider why we should care about the Jews. From the Abrahamic Covenant to current events to prophetic significance, we look into God’s plan for the nation of Israel and why it is imperative for Christians to understand.

After a time of prayer, Jesus gathers His 12 disciples and preaches a message known as the Sermon on the Plain. As we listen to His words in Luke 6:12-49, we learn the unexpected causes of happiness and sorrow, how to treat others, and what we should build our lives upon.

The religious leaders are lobbing accusations at Jesus in Luke 6:1-11 because He isn’t following Sabbath rules and regulations as they think He should. Today, in much the same way, we often impose our own ideas and traditions on how we should observe the Sabbath and follow God’s commandments. As we study, we look into the purpose of the Sabbath, why and how we should keep it, and how imposing our own dogmas over it can lead us away from God’s intentions.

Luke 5 recounts several interactions from Jesus’ early ministry that begin to set the stage for Him to fulfill His purpose. As He calls His disciples, heals, cleanses and forgives people, and starts to draw the ire of the religious leaders, we learn more about God’s Word, sin, gifts, and how Jesus Christ can change our lives too.

After fishing all night and catching nothing, Peter and the gang are washing their nets by the Sea of Galilee when they get an interesting command from Jesus. As we watch their somewhat reluctant obedience to these instructions in Luke 1:1-11, we see how Jesus turned their failure around and called them to join an amazing ministry that would change the world.

After 40 days of prayer and fasting, Jesus is tempted by Satan, but He successfully resists by using Scripture as His weapon. As we learn the devil’s tactics and watch Jesus’ response, we see how we can use the same method to resist temptations and achieve victory through God’s love and the power of the Holy Spirit.

After Jesus speaks in Luke 4:22, the crowd marvels at His gracious words because they were so different from the burdensome ones they normally heard from the religious leaders. Today, we still hear misconstrued messages about the Bible, but when we take time to see God’s heart behind the Scriptures, we find it full of grace, blessings, and peace.

In Luke 3, we find John the Baptist in the wilderness of Jordan, baptizing people and preaching a message of repentance to those who flocked to see him. As we listen to what John tells these people, we see how he is paving the way for Jesus, who will emerge to begin His ministry of salvation when He comes to John to be baptized.

John the Baptist speaks a seemingly harsh word in Luke 3:7, but behind his message, we find that he is pointing to Jesus and what He has come to do. And as we will learn, Jesus is not just the subject of John’s message but encompasses the whole of Scripture – from the historical Old Testament books to the prophets to the Psalms to the New Testament – and is the key we can use to unlock our understanding of the entire Bible.

Following a census decree, Mary and Joseph travel to Bethlehem in Luke 2:1-40, where she gives birth to Jesus, wraps Him in swaddling cloths, and places Him in a manger. After the shepherds come to worship Him and give glory to God, we see Jesus presented in the Temple by His parents, where they encounter two elderly people who have been waiting a long time to see the Messiah finally arrive.

We briefly peak into Jesus’ childhood in Luke 2:41-52 and learn an interesting tidbit concerning His relationship with His earthly parents and His submission to them. As we look into this subject, we search the Scripture to see who we should submit to, why we should do so, and in what circumstances we should follow God’s Word instead.

An angel comes to a young virgin girl named Mary with the incredible news that she was to become pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit and give birth to the Messiah. As we study Mary in Luke 1:26-80, we learn who this highly favored woman is, see her reaction to such shocking news, and watch as she interacts with her relative, Elizabeth, who is also carrying a remarkable child.

After being mute for nine months, Zacharias can finally speak again when his son, John, is born. As we hear the first words he said on this momentous occasion in Luke1:67-79, we gain key insight into Jesus, who will be born soon after, and what He will accomplish during His life and through His sacrificial death.

We begin our study in the Book of Luke by learning about the author, his sources, and what makes his gospel account unique. Then, as we dive into the text in Luke 1:1-25, we see the beginnings of John the Baptist as his parents learn they are miraculously expecting an extraordinary son.

While performing his priestly duties, Zacharias receives an amazing message from an angel heralding the miraculous answer to a prayer he and his wife had long prayed. However, Zacharias' unbelief dampened what should have been a joyful moment. As we study Luke 1:5-22, we learn about persisting in prayer and how to be believers who believe.

A group of women arrive at Jesus' tomb early on Sunday morning only to discover that Jesus was not there, for He had risen – just as He said He would. As we look at the details of this momentous event in Mark 16, we see how the events surrounding Jesus' resurrection unfolded and why it is the most important event in all history.

Jesus gives a final command in Mark 16:15 for us to go into all the world and tell everyone the good news about His death and resurrection. While we may think this is a complicated or intimidating commission, it’s actually quite simple when we rely upon God’s power to help us share the salvation, joy, and hope we find through Jesus Christ with a hurting world.

The final hours of Jesus' death on the cross arrive in Mark 15:21-47, and they are full of prophetic fulfillment, mixed reactions, and significant occurrences. As we watch the story unfold from when Simon the Cyrenian carries the cross, through Jesus' unbearable suffering, to His burial in a tomb, we see the spectacular culmination of God's plan to save mankind come to pass.

As Jesus makes His way to Golgotha and is nailed upon a cross in Mark 15:10-40, several groups gather around Him who observe and react to these events. As we study who is there and why, we see how this is still relevant today and consider how we also respond to Jesus and what He did on the cross.

Jesus’ journey to the cross begins in Mark 15:1-20 as He faces questioning by Pilate, is sentenced to be crucified instead of an actual criminal, and is then scourged, mocked, and beaten by a garrison of soldiers. Yet as we watch this horrible situation unfold, we find prophecy perfectly fulfilled and Jesus willingly enduring it all out of His great love for us.

We reach the pinnacle of why Jesus came to earth in Mark 15 as He is condemned to death and subsequently hung on a cross. As we solemnly stop to consider the cross, we look at three important facts that make it so noteworthy, paramount to our faith, and transformative for all who will believe.

The final hours of Jesus' earthly life begin in the Garden of Gethsemane in Mark 14:26-72. As the scene unfolds, we see Jesus' humanity and resolve as He prays, Judas' betrayal, the religious leaders' crookedness, and the faltering of the disciples in the face of these things.

Is Jesus the only way to eternal life, or will following any religion do? Or what about just simply being good or sincere enough? As we study Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane before going to the cross in Mark 14:34-42, we think through the fallacies of multiple paths, learn that there is absolute truth, and see why Jesus proves Himself to be the only way.

Things are escalating quickly as Jesus and His disciples gather to celebrate Passover in Mark 14:1-25. From a worshipful burial preparation to a brutal betrayal, numerous prophecies are fulfilled, and we see Jesus emerge as a perfect picture of our Passover lamb.

After insisting he would never forsake Jesus in Mark 14:29-31, poor Peter has a series of missteps that culminate with him weeping and feeling like a massive failure for denying Jesus. However, luckily for Peter, this wasn’t the end of his story. As we watch how Jesus deals with Peter following these events, we see His unconditional love and forgiveness, the importance of repentance, and we learn that failure is never final in God’s economy.

In Mark 13, Jesus has much to say about the perilous days that will usher in the end of the world and what will happen during the coming time known as the Tribulation. As we study His discourse on these things, we see what we should watch for so we are not deceived, learn key events that will occur, and hear how we should live as the end approaches.

The disciples question Jesus about the end of the world, and as He answers in Mark 13:32-37, He provides a directive of how we should live as we anticipate these things. As we see what Jesus wants us to do as we watch prophetic signs fulfilled before our eyes, we learn to live with expectation, urgency, and joy.

After stumping the scribes with a tricky theological question, Jesus makes scathing remarks against their religious practices. As we study these interactions in Mark 12:35-44, we learn how to avoid doing things for show or status like the scribes and instead do them with pure motives like the poor widow who gave her all.

Several different groups of people come to question Jesus in Mark 11:27-12:34 with queries ranging from authority to taxes, to the afterlife, to the law. As Jesus deftly responds, He silences His critics and makes them – and us – think about who He really is and how we will respond to Him.

A lot is happening as Jesus journeys back and forth between Jerusalem and Bethany in Mark 10:31-11:33. As He travels, He tells His disciples exactly what will happen to Him, teaches them about humility, and fulfills prophecy as He borrows a donkey to ride into Jerusalem on a long-ago precisely determined day.

A blind man named Bartimaeus cries out to Jesus for healing from his affliction in Mark 10:46-52. As we look into his beautiful act of faith, we see a model of how to come to Jesus, what we can expect when we ask Him for help, and how our lives can be radically changed when we follow Him.

Marriage, divorce, children, and wealth are all extremely hot topics in our modern culture – but did you know they were also highly controversial and debated in Jesus’ day? As Jesus addresses these issues in Mark 10:1-30, we hear His paradoxical responses and learn how to view them biblically despite current views and narratives.