In this week’s message, guest speaker Mike Cohen of Chosen People Ministries explores the biblical feasts of Israel and how they tell a story of God’s redemption—from Passover and Pentecost to the fall feasts of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and Tabernacles. As we look at their biblical and prophetic significance, we’re reminded of what God has already accomplished through Jesus, the hope of His promised return, and our calling to keep sharing the Gospel as we await the fullness of His kingdom.

Bible Verses Referenced

The principal passage is Leviticus 23, which establishes Israel’s calendar of appointed feasts. The sermon then connects those feasts with several other passages:

• Leviticus 23:1–2 — God instructs Moses concerning the moedim, the Lord’s appointed feasts and sacred assemblies.
• Genesis 2 — Referenced as the origin of the Sabbath, later incorporated into the calendar described in Leviticus 23.
• Leviticus 23:23–25 — Feast of Trumpets/Yom Teruah, now associated with Rosh Hashanah. Israel is commanded to observe a day of rest and sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts.
• 1 Thessalonians 4:16 — Paul describes the Lord’s return with the voice of the archangel and the blast of the trumpet, which Mike connects with the imagery of Yom Teruah.
• Leviticus 23:26–32 — Yom Kippur/Day of Atonement, the annual sacred observance of atonement for Israel.
• Leviticus 16 — Although not identified by chapter number in the sermon, its Day of Atonement ritual is described in detail: the high priest entering the Holy of Holies, the blood of the sacrifice, the two goats, and the scapegoat carrying Israel’s sins into the wilderness.
• Romans 11:25–27 — Paul’s teaching concerning the “fullness of the nations/Gentiles” and the promise that “all Israel will be saved.” This is used to connect the Day of Atonement with the speaker’s understanding of Israel’s future turning to the Messiah.
• Acts 2:38 — Peter’s call to “Repent and be baptized” is discussed in connection with Jewish mikvah purification practices.
• Exodus 19 — Israel is described as God’s treasured nation (am segulah), connected with the giving of the Torah and Israel’s covenant relationship with God.
• Leviticus 23:33–36 — Sukkot/Feast of Tabernacles, the final feast, commemorating Israel dwelling with God in the wilderness and presented in the sermon as pointing toward the future restoration of creation and dwelling with God.
• 1 Corinthians 13:12 — Alluded to with the phrase “through the glass darkly” while contrasting Israel’s wilderness experience with the future hope of being with Jesus “face to face.”
• Matthew 28:19–20 — Alluded to in the closing encouragement to “go into all the world and make disciples.”
• Romans 9 — Mentioned as giving reasons for Israel’s importance and role in God’s redemptive plan.

The sermon also broadly connects Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, and Pentecost/Shavuot with Jesus’ death, burial, resurrection, and the coming of the Holy Spirit.

Chosen People Ministries — Guest speaker Mike Cohen identifies himself as its West Regional Director and discusses its work of praying for, evangelizing, discipling, and serving Jewish communities.

https://chosenpeople.com/

In this week’s message, we explore why Jesus so often taught through parables—earthly stories with heavenly meaning that invite us not simply to hear, but to wrestle with God’s truth. Through the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son, we discover that these stories challenge our assumptions, reveal the surprising reach of God’s grace, and transform us as we struggle together to see, hear, and understand what Jesus is teaching.

Bible Verses Referenced

The sermon centers primarily on Matthew 13 and Luke 15, with several other passages referenced:

• Matthew 13:10–17 — The disciples ask Jesus, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” Jesus explains that the secrets of the Kingdom have been given to them, while others are “ever hearing, but never understanding” and “ever seeing, but never perceiving.” This passage provides the theological foundation for the sermon.
• Isaiah 6:9–10 — Quoted by Jesus within Matthew 13: the prophecy about people who hear without understanding and see without perceiving because their hearts have become calloused.
• Luke 15:1–7 — The Parable of the Lost Sheep. Jesus describes the shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine to pursue the one lost sheep. Pastor Scott emphasizes how deliberately surprising this behavior would have seemed to Jesus’ original audience.
• Luke 15:8–10 — The Parable of the Lost Coin. A woman searches her house for one lost coin, another picture of God’s determination to seek what has been lost.
• Luke 15:11–32 — The Parable of the Lost/Prodigal Son. Pastor Scott spends significant time on both sons. The father runs to welcome the younger son home, but he also goes outside to plead with the older son, who refuses to join the celebration. The unresolved ending challenges the Pharisees—and us—to decide whether we will enter the celebration of God’s grace.
• Luke 16:1–13 — The Parable of the Shrewd Manager. Mentioned as an example of a difficult parable that requires repeated study and wrestling to understand.
• Matthew 13:1–23 / Mark 4:1–20 / Luke 8:4–15 — The Parable of the Sower. Pastor Scott uses the seemingly careless scattering of seed to illustrate how Christians are called to spread the Gospel even when we cannot know what kind of “soil” will receive it.
• Genesis 32:22–32 — Jacob wrestles with God before meeting Esau and is renamed Israel. This becomes an important image for the sermon: transformation comes through wrestling with God rather than merely accumulating facts.
• Matthew 5–7 — The Sermon on the Mount is referenced as an example of Jesus teaching more directly about the coming Kingdom of God.

The sermon also broadly references Jesus’ conflicts with the Pharisees and Sadducees, His identification as the Messiah, His rejection by those who heard Him, and ultimately His crucifixion during Passover.

Plain English with Derek Thompson — Pastor Scott says it is one of his favorite podcasts. He describes listening to an episode featuring David Deming, identified in the sermon as Harvard’s Dean of Students, discussing AI and education. A statement from that conversation becomes an important part of the sermon: “Learning is communal, in part because there is a little bit of suffering required in order for learning to be successful.” Pastor Scott connects this idea of struggling to learn with the way Jesus’ parables require listeners to wrestle with their meaning.

In this week’s message, we explore why the story of Jesus comes to us through four distinct Gospels and what it means for each of us to become an evangelist—a bearer of good news. Through Jesus sending out His followers in Luke 9 and 10, we’re reminded that we are called to carry the message of His forgiveness, love, and victory wherever we go, faithfully pointing others toward Christ and trusting the Holy Spirit with what happens next.

Bible Verses Referenced

The sermon focuses primarily on the four Gospels and especially Luke 9–10.

• Luke 9:1–6 — Jesus calls the Twelve together, gives them power and authority over demons and diseases, and sends them out to proclaim the Kingdom of God and heal. Pastor Scott contrasts this mission with the sending of the seventy in the following chapter.
• Luke 10:1–12 — The sermon’s principal passage. Jesus appoints seventy others and sends them ahead of Him two by two into the towns He intends to visit. Pastor Scott uses this as a model for Christians carrying the Gospel into the world together.
• Luke 10:2 — “Ask the Lord of the harvest…to send out laborers into his harvest.” Pastor Scott emphasizes that the work of evangelism begins with prayer.
• Luke 1:1–4 — Alluded to when discussing Luke’s purpose in writing an “orderly account” for Theophilus.
• Mark 14:51–52 — The mysterious young man who flees naked after Jesus’ arrest. Pastor Scott mentions the tradition that this may have been Mark inserting himself into his Gospel narrative.
• John 13:1–17 — Jesus washing the disciples’ feet. Pastor Scott discusses how John does not narrate the institution of the Lord’s Supper in the same way as the Synoptic Gospels, instead prominently presenting Jesus washing His disciples’ feet during the meal.