Senior Pastor
What did it feel like to experience that first Christmas? Those living it must have been filled with awe and wonder! What emotions fill us at Christmas? Probably not awe and wonder. Let’s restore the joy of that first Christmas by focusing on what Christmas is really all about – the gift of God’s Son!
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 Sunday’s passage from the Gospel of Mark, we see Jesus’ vulnerability, his humanness, his struggle with the prospect of the cross. He shows tenderness to his disciples and strength as he reconciles himself to his role as the Suffering Servant. We will be challenged in many ways and, more importantly, we will fall in love with Jesus all over again!
In this portion of Mark’s gospel, Jesus’ disciples prepare for the Passover meal, not realizing that they will be eating with the long awaited Passover Lamb of God! Jesus inaugurates a New Covenant, one made by God and ratified by his own blood.
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?
In previous sermons, we learned what are not signs of Jesus’ return. But God wants us to know what is a sign of Jesus’ return. In Sunday’s message, we learn what happens when Jesus returns and when it begins.
In Sunday’s passage from Mark, Jesus talks about the appearance of an individual who will defile the Jewish temple just prior to His return. But who is this mysterious individual? Pulling together many threads of both Old and New Testament prophetic Scripture, many Biblical scholars have concluded that this person is none other than the end-time Antichrist. Sunday, Pastor Doug sketches out the details of God’s prophetic plan for the future.
