As we continue “In Step,” our series through the book of Luke, we talk about what it means to be a protector and defender of the weak and vulnerable among us.

Pastor J.D. teaches about a defining feature of those who follow Jesus: They care for the vulnerable, the weak, the helpless, and the forgotten. Followers of Jesus care for the vulnerable and the helpless because, before God, we are vulnerable and helpless, too.

It can be frightening to think about battling the “rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers” of this world—Satan’s demonic forces that are at work all around us. But Jesus tells us in the Gospel of Luke that as believers, we have nothing to fear.

Pastor J.D. talks about the cosmic struggle between God and Satan, a struggle that bears on our lives every day. We’ll see that apart from God’s power, even the best attempts to change are ultimately doomed to fail.

What if your greatest need is different from your greatest desire? Pastor J.D. shows us that our greatest need is forgiveness, and Jesus is even more desperate to offer it to us than we are to receive it.

Pastor J.D. teaches about a paralytic man and his friends, all of whom were desperate to get close to Jesus. But as we’ll see in this story, as eager as they were to get to Jesus, Jesus was even more eager to extend forgiveness to them.