The Eyes Have It
Pastor Jamie Self - 6/14/2026
Jesus casts a demon out of a mute man, and the crowd marvels. Then they immediately demand another sign. This sermon works through Luke 11:14-54 and presses on a question most of us would rather skip: what if the problem isn't effort, sincerity, or love, but the eyes themselves? Jamie traces two errors in the crowd, a haunting warning about empty houses, and a dinner at a Pharisee's table that becomes a courtroom, all to show that what we need is not a cleaned-up life but a king who moves in.
Weekly Reflection
“A swept house is not a saved house, only an occupied one is saved”
We know how to try harder. Add more sincerity, more discipline, more religious effort. But Jesus in Luke 11 points somewhere else entirely: the problem is in the eyes. You can clean the outside of the cup, tithe your garden herbs down to the stem, and still be an unmarked grave, defiling people around you without even knowing it. The uncomfortable question this passage puts in front of us is not "what should I do more of?" but "what am I actually seeing, and who am I actually letting in?"
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This Week’s Challenge:
Pause and ask: Where have I built a religious habit in God's name that keeps his love at arm's length? Name one thing you'll do this week to open that place to the King instead of managing it yourself.
Scripture:
Luke 11:14-54