Forward Church Rewind Podcast

As we pick back up in Luke, we’re introduced to some new characters: Simon Peter, Andrew, James, and John (although only Peter is mentioned by name in Luke’s account). Jesus jumps onto Peter’s boat so He can better teach the crowds, and after finishing His teaching, Peter complies even though he had just gone through a long, hard, frustrating night of work. Once Jesus is done teaching, He does something bolder: He tells a group of ...

In order for us to live, Christ had to die. On Good Friday, we reflect on the price it cost to free us from our sin. We can only live because our sin was nailed to the cross with Christ. In order for us to have the certain hope of resurrection, we first need to be certain that we have trusted in Jesus’s death for our salvation. In order for us to be freed from the bondage of sin, God had to take on flesh and be nailed to a cross. I...

News of Jesus has gotten out. The crowds are swelling, wanting to see this man who has the power to heal and cast out demons, this Jesus who speaks with an authority none of them had ever experienced before. And then something truly incredible happens: Jesus withdraws from the crowds who are clamoring for Him and heads elsewhere. Often our greatest moments of testing come, not in moments of failure but in moments of perceived “succ...

When the gospel is preached, and the Holy Spirit is at work, it causes people to respond. Sometimes that response is positive, as we see in vs. 14 and 15. Sometimes that response is negative, as we see when Jesus returns to Nazareth. This is especially true when it comes to how people respond to who Jesus actually is. It’s one thing to be curious about Jesus, to be attracted to the blessing you think Jesus may be able to offer. It’...

After his baptism, Jesus heads into the wilderness and fasts for 40 days. Upon completion of 40 days of fasting, the devil appears to tempt Him. This passage provides us with an opportunity to show our church both how the devil tempts us and how, like Jesus, we can resist that temptation. Knowing how the devil tempts us is important, so we are prepared when temptation comes our way. First, it may be helpful to note that as human be...

The gospels contain two (very different) genealogies. Both genealogies establish Jesus’ Davidic lineage, but while Matthew traces Jesus’ ancestry through Solomon, Luke traces it through Nathan. The reason for this discrepancy continues to be debated by scholars. What is even more telling, though, is that while Matthew’s genealogy starts with Abraham and traces forward to Jesus, Luke’s genealogy starts with Jesus and traces back to ...

In Matthew 28:18-20, we see that disciples of Jesus ought to be baptized just as Jesus was, but why was Jesus baptized? Luke 3:3 tells us that John was “proclaiming a baptism for the forgiveness of sins,” but Jesus had no sins that needed to be forgiven as the sinless Son of God. In Matthew 3:15, we see that Jesus says He is being baptized to “fulfill all righteousness.” This gives us insight into why Jesus would be baptized. First...

As we pick back up in the book of Luke, we are reintroduced to a now-grown-up John the Baptist. Once again, Luke makes it clear that the story he is telling is a real one, rooted in history. The person of John is real, and so is the message he proclaims: “baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” (vs.3). In doing this, he is preparing the way for Jesus, who has come to bring full and final forgiveness of sins for all who ...

Our culture often defines freedom as the absence of rules or responsibilities, but the Bible teaches us that that type of freedom is no freedom at all, instead it is enslavement to sin. In opposition to the world that holds out license as the essence of freedom and religions that seek to burden us with the law and legalism, Jesus calls us into a new way of living where we find the liberty we long for by living under the Lordship of...

When children get a scrape or cut, they often want a bandage. Bandages can be helpful, they can offer protection for the wound and control the bleeding, but bandaging a wound is not the same as having a wound healed. Many people have deep wounds that they have covered with layers and layers of bandages, those bandages may help to control the bleeding and offer some protection, but God wants something so much more for us then simply...

While many of us are tempted to find our value, identity, and meaning in our productivity, it’s also true that we’re also tempted to believe we will find our satisfaction and comfort in consumption. We’re constantly fed the lie that what we’re longing for will be found if we had “just a little more.” The truth is that ultimately true satisfaction is only found in Jesus, the salvation that is found in Him and also the work that He h...

“Busy” and “tired.” That’s how so many people describe themselves. We live in a world where so often our value is tied to our productivity. That’s not just true in the world, it’s so often true in the church. We may know that we’re not saved by our works, but we often live as if we will be saved by our work. In the midst of a world that is filled with tiredness and busyness, the invitation of Jesus is like an oasis in the midst of ...

There is no such thing as a solo Christian. Coming to Christ means becoming a part of his church. From the very beginning of the church, we see that, although every individual has to make their own decision about who Jesus is, for those who decide to follow Jesus, they are not only joined with Christ, they are joined with everyone else who has claimed Jesus as Saviour and Lord. Our culture of hyper-individualism breeds loneliness, ...

One of the most beautiful truths of the gospel is that Jesus died for us “while we were still sinners.” He knew the real us, not some glossy, photoshopped, curated version for us. He knew us completely, even the parts of us that we’re terrified anyone else would find out about, and yet He loved us so much He died for us. We live in a world that craves authenticity and yet is awash in a cheap imitation of what it means to be fully k...

We live in a culture where everything feels up for grabs and change seems to be the only constant. On a macro level in Canada, we have experienced and are continuing to experience huge economic, political, geo-political, technological, and cultural upheaval. On a personal level many people are in the midst of situations that have or will turn their lives as they’ve known them upside down. We live in uncertain times. And yet, as hum...

One of the mind-bending truths of Christianity is that the man Jesus, born of Mary as a baby, who grew up in Nazareth and developed and matured like all humans do, is also the second person of the Trinity, God the Son, creator of all things. This section of scripture helps us see both Jesus’ absolute and foundational humanity and His absolute and foundational divinity. Jesus is both the true son of Mary and the true Son of God. Bot...

Elizabeth gives birth to the son God had promised through Gabriel. Zechariah’s muteness and deafness are removed after he names his son John in obedience to what God had commanded. Upon the lifting of his silence, he proceeds to prophesy. The time of the Messiah is at hand. God is providing the Saviour He promised. Jesus is the fulfillment of the covenant promises God made to Abraham. He has come to rescue and redeem people. To shi...