God appears to Jacob at a place called Bethel and repeats his promise to bless him with a place, a people, a program, his presence and protection. Jacob deserves none of this. But we discover that grace surprises, offends, overflows and impresses. It is designed to elicit a life of worshipful devotion.
Over the centuries God’s people have made close, intimate binding relationships with those who reject our faith and worldview, bringing great pain to themselves. We see this mistake when we compare Jacob and his twin Esau…
TaLKING POINTS / WALKING POINTS View the sermon summary or dig deeper into the message during the sermon, in your personal Bible study, or with your family or Community Group in application-driven discussion. Application / Challenge In order to grow in 2025, make sure you’re cultivating the following spiritual disciplines: TAKE ONE STEP Each week,…
TaLKING POINTS / WALKING POINTS View the sermon summary or dig deeper into the message during the sermon, in your personal Bible study, or with your family or Community Group in application-driven discussion. TAKE ONE STEP Each week, write down one doable concrete step of obedience, small or large, that you will put into practice…
TaLKING POINTS / WALKING POINTS View the sermon summary or dig deeper into the message during the sermon, in your personal Bible study, or with your family or Community Group in application-driven discussion. TAKE ONE STEP Each week, write down one doable concrete step of obedience, small or large, that you will put into practice…
Sunday we look at the first Messianic prophecy. It hints of a human redeemer who will give Satan a mortal wound while sustaining what amounts to a wounded heel. As future revelation unfolded, this prophecy became clearer. This redeemer was born on the first Christmas–his name is Jesus!
In this message we will take a deep dive into Jesus’ final hours on the cross. We learn as much about him in his death as we do in his life. The day of his crucifixion changed forever those who witnessed these events first hand and continue to reverberate through history.
When Pilate asks Jesus directly, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus replies simply, “You say so.” Pilate is amazed that Jesus does not defend himself against this charge!
Later, an angry crowd shouts for the release of Barabbas instead of Jesus. When asked what to do with Jesus, this guilty mob lobbies for the execution of an innocent man, chanting, “Crucify him!”. Little do they know that Jesus is the key to their own divine pardon! Next Jesus will be mocked, scourged and led away to be crucified.
In this message we explore Jesus’ betrayal, his arrest, his sham trials, as well as Peter’s three denials. In all this Jesus displays a supernatural calm in the midst of intense interrogation and ridicule. He endured all of this because of his great love for humanity.
In this portion of Mark’s Gospel we see a stark contrast between an extravagant act of devotion and a heinous act of betrayal. It raises the question, whose actions will we emulate–those of Mary or those of Judas?
