Everyday Truth with Kurt Skelly

When trying to change the conversation doesn't work!

Luke 14:15-24

Sometimes, to avoid the awkwardness of a conversation, we attempt to move on to a more comfortable subject. I suppose we've all done that at some time or another. But it didn't work on Jesus. Trying to wiggle one's way out of the truth he was telling was just not possible--and Jesus proved it in the passage we will discuss today!

You might want to double-check that invite list!

Luke 14:7-14

As the special guest at a special dinner, Jesus could have enjoyed the honors and accolades that went along with the invitation. Instead he used the occasion to teach the guests about which seats they should have chosen (spoiler alert: they chose the wrong ones!), and he rebuked the host for inviting the wrong people to the feast!

 

Giving an answer to silence

Luke 14:1-6

Jesus had a masterful way of teaching! He would ask a question both to demonstrate the fallacy of the listener's thinking and to provoke that listener to consider the situation in light of a pertinent comparison. In today's episode he does it twice. *Crickets* So he gives them the answer to his own question by asking another question!

 

Resisting Grace

Luke 13:31-35

Jesus possessed an unwavering dedication to the will of his Father. Nothing dissuaded him. Not fear of man. Not potential pain. Not diminishing crowds. Nothing. But his dedication to his cause did not lesson his love for and disappointment in the people who would ultimately reject him. 

 

Seeming Contradictions

Luke 13:18-30

The fancy word is "paradox." And Jesus often spoke in paradoxes. Today wee will will learn how small is better than big; narrow is better than wide; and last is better than first. True success is hard to recognize in its initial forms, so Jesus helps us to understand how it starts!

When Religion Restricts Your Reach

Luke 13:10-17

Sometimes we fall in love so much with religion, that we actually become crippled in our ability to help other people. Nothing infuriated Jesus more than this. He found himself surrounded by religious people whose applications of God's law actually stood in contrast to God's love. But truth and grace never come in conflict when Jesus is involved. Learn how they don't in today's conversation.

 

Don't waste fertilizer on a fruitless tree.

Luke 13:1-9

Interestingly, Jesus used two current events stories to teach the listening crowd a lesson about repentance. To make the message pointedly clear, he also provided an agricultural illustration about fruit bearing. The lesson is not only one of mercy (Jesus graciously gives a time extension on repentance), but also one of judgment (there is a deadline). 

 

Intelligence without Wisdom

Luke 12:54-59

Ever wonder how people can be so smart in one area and so ignorant in another? Sometimes, otherwise smart and discerning people lack even the most basic spiritual sense. Such was the case with many in Jesus' audience. He exposed their ability discern physical things and used that exposure as a condemnation of their inability to discern what is spiritual.

 

What you know = What you're accountable for

Luke 12:35-42

Jesus is coming again! That fact alone carries with it so many implications and responsibilities for those who know it. And if we do know it--and we do--then we are that much more accountable when he does return. This is a longer passage, so I recommend our listeners to read it carefully along with listening to the episode.

What to do with Worry and Doubt

Luke 12:22-34

Unpredictable times and difficult situations are not new to this generation. Jesus told his followers exactly what they should be thinking about to counteract the destructive effects that worry and doubt have upon believers. Show me what you're thinking about today, and I'll show you what you'll worry about tonight!

My favorite piece of encouragement Jesus gave in this passage is when he told us to "fear not, little flock." What a shepherd! And you'll love even more the *reason* he told them not to fear...