New Vision Fellowship

The Prable of the Lost Son- Part 2: When we look to the father of the prodigal son in Luke 15's famous parable, we encounter a father who is searching for a reason to celebrate. And when he sees his lost son coming home, the celebration begins. Listen in this message to catch a glimpse of God the Father's heart for the lost and the church's calling to join in the search for a reason to celebrate when one lost sinner repents.

When Jesus told the beloved Parable of the Prodigal Son, he spoke not only to the notorious sinners and self-righteous religious leaders who were gathered around Him; He laid out a story in which we can all find ourselves if we look closely enough. The message that rings clear for all is that you're not yet too far gone. If you are still living, there is still time to come to your senses in repentance and go beyond your senses to find God's wonderful grace and mercy.

What is the value of just one lost soul to Almighty God? While we may assume He is completely satisfied with the multitudes who have already found their hope in Him, in the Parable of the Lost Coin Jesus shows us that God actively searches for and rejoices upon finding just one sinner who has fallen from grace. Listen in and catch a glimpse of the worth of just one who is lost.

When Jesus fills his fellow Jews in as to why He welcomes tax collectors and sinners to come near and listen to Him, He begins with a parable of a shepherd of 100 sheep who leaves 99 of them behind to go after one that has gone astray. Though that sounds like a risky endeavor, Pastor Jeremy explains that the hope of the 99 lies in the fact that the shepherd goes after the one that has gone astray. Likewise, the hope and the joy of the church is that her Savior goes after the one that has gone astray.

When Jesus issued the costly call to discipleship, He did so by compelling individuals who were already "going along with Him" to "come after Me" with the costly discipleship that yielded all other concerns-family, fanfare, freedom, and finances- into His control. Anything less than coming after Jesus is obviously not true discipleship, which means that this challenge is one that every person who desires to be or claims to be a Christan must take to heart. Jesus, through a few small parables, shows those of us who are willing to count the cost the gravity of the decision we must be sure we're making if we want to come after Him in true discipleship. Listen in as Pastor Jeremy explores this high cost to discipleship in part 2 of his message on this important passage.

With so many self-proclaimed "Christians" in our present world who give no real evidence of a daily, whole-hearted pursuit of Christ, individuals have apparently gotten the impression that following Jesus is a simple, uncostly thing to do. But, Jesus never taught that discipleship is uncostly. Nor does He hide the costs in the fine print. On the contrary, Jesus compels those who want to come after Him to take up a daily life of costly discipleship. And He teaches that anything less than costly discipleship is not discipleship at all. Listen to learn more.

Excuses, excuses, excuses! That's what the Jews were giving in Jesus' day when their Messiah came and compelled them to come after Him. In the Parable of the Great Banquet, Jesus relays to us the danger of being left out because of our silly excuses when He holds a great banquet to welcome in those who have accepted His invitation to eternal life.

When He is invited to a meal at the home of one of the rulers of the Pharisees where individuals are jostling for social position and holding tight to oppressive traditions, Jesus compels His host and His fellow guests to take the route of humility. Listen in on this passage as Pastor Jeremy shows us how humility is the path a higher status in the Kingdom of God, where the least are given the greatest acclaim, and where those who forsake their own interests for others are granted eternal rewards.

In Luke 13:31-35, Jesus ' steadfast purpose to save and heart for those who have rejected Him are clearly on display as He presses' ugh an attempt to throuw Him off track and laments over the city of Jerusalem on His way to prove Himself as their long-awaited Messiah. The pleading in his words likens His desire for the children of Israel to the desire of a mother hen to draw her brood under the safety of her wings, but so many in Jerusalem would have none of that. As Pastor Jeremy shows us from this passage, the question we should each ask ourselves is "will I reject the safety of the Savior's wings?"

In this week's message, we encounter Jesus' teaching about how the narrow door that enters into the Kingdom of God. Listen in as Pastor Jeremy explains how the Master compels us to strive to come into the door that leads to eternal life while there's still time.

In this week's message, we encounter in Luke's gospel a healing and two parables that show how Christ and the Kingdom He brings exceed our expectations. But, not everyone is willing to allow their expectations to be exceeded. Two individuals in this passage show us the extremes of having or not having room for Christ to exceed one's expectations, compelling all of us to ask, "Is there room in my life for Christ to exceed my expectations? "

Tragedy, tragedy-all is tragedy. Sometimes when tragedy strikes, we wonder what lesson God would have us to learn in the aftermath. When God in the flesh preached to His people, He gave us a message about what any tragedy should teach us. Tun in to this week's message to hear Pastor Jeremy's exploration of this topic from the lips of Jesus in a message titled "The Greatest Tragedy."

When we think of Jesus as "The Prince of Peace," we may get the assumption that He has come to bring harmony among all the peoples of the earth in its current, unregenerate state. Yet, as Jesus clearly proclaims in Luke 12:49-59, He has come not to create peace on the earth, but division. In this week's message, Pastor Jeremy explains how Jesus has come as the great Divider of all of humanity, and how the division He creates must drive those of us who are in His church to multiply His glory on the earth.

Why should followers of Jesus buck against hypocrisy or steer away from greed or avoid worry or store up treasures in heaven? The pinnacle of the Christian’s hope, which ties together the directions of Christ in Luke 12, is the simple truth that Jesus is coming again. And His coming could happen at any time. Hear Pastor Jeremy elaborate on this foundational doctrine to the Christians’ hope in this message.

There should be marks of maturity in our spiritual lives the same as there are marks of maturity in the lives of children. The apostle Paul says we are to not remain spiritual babes, but we are to go on the maturity in Christ.

If worrying is worthless, as Jesus clearly shows that it is in His teaching to His disciples in Luke 12, what's the proper alternative? In this message, Pastor Jeremy digs deeper into Jesus' teaching. Here, we find that Jesus calls for His followers to re-orient their priorities in a kingdom-first pursuit such that the things they are seeking will have no need to be worried about because they are stored up in an incorruptible heavenly realm guarded by a loving and providing Father.

Do you worry about things that are out of your control? Jesus commands His followers not to worry, and thereby establishes that to worry is to sin. In fact, as Jesus turns His teaching toward His disciples in Luke 12, we find some stern instructions against a life of worry that show us just how worthless worrying can be. Listen in as Pastor Jeremy guides us through an examination of the worthlessness of worry, and shows us how true faith is such a better alternative

Greed. It’s a simple word, but it’s tentacles can reach deep into the human soul, and when they do, greed will drag an individual into a life that is far from God. Take a listen to Jesus’ teaching on greed as Pastor Jeremy identifies the dangers of greed from Luke 12:13-21 and guides us into a consideration of whether greed may have gotten past our guards.

After confronting the Pharisees directly, Jesus warned His disciples about the dangers of hypocrisy that ran rampant in the Pharisees' ranks. We all may be tempted at times to put up an outward facade - a costume, perhaps - of Christianity. But as he applies Jesus' instructions in this passage to our daily lives, Pastor Jeremy shows how we all must be careful to confess Christ while leaving the costumes behind.

In this message, Pastor Jeremy returns us to the lunch table conversation in which Jesus issues 6 woes to his legalistic dining companions. In these stern words, Jesus warns all of us about the lack of merit in any religion that has anything other than the transformation that only He can bring as He transforms the inside of who we are through His work of grace.