“You keep saying that word…” I. The BIGGEST of all QUESTIONS. (8:27-30)A. With Jesus it ALWAYS gets PERSONAL. (8:27-29)B. The RIGHT answer, but the wrong UNDERSTANDING. (8:29-33) Today we look at the very heart of the Gospel of Mark. He has...
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Mark – The Misunderstood Messiah – Part 3 | Mark 2:13-3:34
The People of the Messiah I. Two TYPES of PEOPLE. (Mark 2:17)A. The “SINNERS” – Those on the MARGINS. (2:14-16,18,23-24; 3:1,10-11,13-14, 34)B. The “RIGHTEOUS” – Those with the POWER. (2:16,18,24; 3:6,21-22)C. Words of IRONY and...
Read moreMark – The Misunderstood Messiah – Part 2 | Mark 1:21-2:12
The Power of the Messiah I. The POWER that comes from AUTHORITY. (1:21-2:12)A. Power OVER the SPIRITUAL realm. (1:21-34) B. Power over PHYSICAL SICKNESS. (1:29-34; 41-42) C. Power to RESTORE those EXCLUDED. (1:40-45) D. One EVENT that COMBINES it...
Read moreMark – The Misunderstood Messiah – Part 1 | Mark 1:1-20
Let’s start at the beginning… I. Mark gets RIGHT to the POINT. (v.1-8)A. The long AWAITED coming of GOD. (v.1-3; Mal. 3:1; Is 40:3) B. Right HERE and RIGHT now. (v.4-8) Mark is, as far as we know, the first gospel that was written. Scholars...
Read moreFourth Sunday of Advent 2020 | Jeremiah 33:1-16
LOVE ~ From Big and Beyond to Small and Beside I. God is BIG and BEYOND. (v.1-13)A. ACKNOWLEDGING our limited VIEWPOINT. (v.1-3)B. WHAT God will do – RENEWAL. (v.4-13; Jer. 31:3-6)C. WHY God will do it – LOVE. (v.11; 31:3; Lam. 3:22)...
Read moreSecond Sunday of Advent 2020 | Jeremiah 14:1-22
Longing for PEACE in the Crisis I. Front row SEATS for a CRISIS. (v.1-16)A. DESCRIBING the DEVASTATION. (v.1-6) B. CRYING out for HELP. (v.7-9) C. God’s RESPONSE. (v.10-12) D. Looking for SOMEONE to BLAME. (v.13; 6:13-15) E. Even MORE bad NEWS...
Read moreFirst Sunday of Advent 2020 | Jeremiah 1:1-19
Honesty Makes Way for HOPE I. The CALL of a PROPHET (v.1-16)A. Real PEOPLE, real PLACES, DIFFICULT times. (v.1-3) B. Jeremiah’s FEELINGS of INADEQUACY. (v.4-6) C. Clinging to SOVEREIGNTY, WORD, and PRESENCE. (v.6-10) D. LOOKING, LISTENING, and...
Read moreThe Problem with Kings – Pt. 11 | 2 Kings 17:1-23
When God Gets Angry I. It’s the END of ISRAEL. (v. 1-6)A. The STRUGGLE for POWER. (v.1-4) B. A HARSH and PAINFUL end. (v.5-6) C. It TOOK place BECAUSE…(v.7) We’ve been working our way through this period of the Monarchy for the last 3 months and...
Read moreThe Problem with Kings – Pt. 10 | 2 Kings 5:1-27
The Gift of Neediness I. The Story CONTINUES…(1 Kings 13-2 Kings 5)A. A DIVIDED KINGDOM. (I Kings 12:16)B. A DECLINE in FAITHFULNESS. (1 Kings 13-2 Kings 5)C. The RISE of the PROPHETS. (1 Kings 13-2 Kings 5) Today we jump ahead in the...
Read moreThe Problem with Kings – Pt. 9 | 1 Kings 12:1-33
The Idols of Power and Control I. An OPPORTUNITY for a new BEGINNING. (I Kings 11:42-12:5)A. Appearance of UNITY…reality of DIVISION. (12:4)B. COERCIVE power or SERVANT leadership? (12:6-18) We saw Solomon last week as he celebrated the...
Read moreThe Problem with Kings – Pt. 8 | 1 Kings 8:22-54
Dedicating the Temple – Then and Now I. APPROACHING the text ANALYTICALLY. (8:1-66)A. A STRUCTURE that highlights a PRAYER. (v.1-66)B. The EXEGETICAL difficulty of PREACHING a prayer. There’s a strategy that goes into reading the Bible in a...
Read moreThe Problem with Kings – Pt. 6 | 2 Samuel 11-12
I. The ACTUAL story highlights a CONTRAST. (11:1-27)A. The CORRUPTION of the POWERFUL. (v.2-25)B. The INTEGRITY of the WEAK. (v.9-13) This is one of the most tragic personal stories in the Old Testament. We see David, the beloved king, make...
Read moreThe Problem with Kings – Pt. 5 | 2 Samuel 7:1-28
The Plans to Build a House I. The KING has a good IDEA. (v.1-4)A. I will BUILD a HOUSE for God. (v.1-2)B. Nathan AGREES…but too QUICKLY. (v.3-4)C. When GOOD ideas fall SHORT. (v.4-5) Life is good. David is home in his palace, his enemies...
Read moreThe Problem with Kings – Pt. 4 | 2 Samuel 6:1-23
“God struck him down…” I. David ESTABLISHES the KINGDOM. (2 Sam. 5-6)A. A KING, a CAPITAL, and big VICTORY. (2 Sam 5)B. BRINGING the ark (God) HOME. (v. 1-2)C. WHERE had the ark (God) BEEN? (1 Sam. 4-7) Last week we saw that Saul’s time was short...
Read moreThe Problem with Kings – Pt. 3 | 1 Samuel 24:1-22
The Right Thing To Do With Our Rights I. A MOMENT made for HOLLYWOOD. (v.1-22)A. A REVERSAL of POWER. (v.1-4)B. A DECISION that DISAPPOINTS. (v.5-15)C. REPENTANCE that doesn’t LAST. (v.16-22; 26:2; 27:1) These Old Testament stories are full of...
Read moreThe Problem with Kings – Pt. 2 | 1 Samuel 18:1-30
All those Emotions… I. RELATIONSHIPS always involve EMOTIONS. (v.1-30)A. SAUL is JEALOUS of David. (v.5, 8-30)B. But SAUL’S kids LOVE David. (v.1-4, 20, 28) Preaching 1 Samuel 18 is like walking through a minefield. There are so many...
Read moreThe Problem with Kings – Pt. 1 | 1 Samuel 13:1-15
Forgetting the True Reality I. RECONNECTING the NARRATIVE. (v.1-15)1. The Jews OPPRESSED by the PHILISTINES. (v.3, 19-22)2. A KING for the first TIME. (1 Sam. 8:5; v.1)3. An event that INCITES the OPPRESSOR. (v.3-5) We return to the 4th year of...
Read moreKoinonia – 1 John Pt. 4 | 1 John 5:1-21
Believing and Receiving I. What JOHN has said thus FAR. (Chap. 1-4)1. The TRINITY’S table of “FELLOWSHIP”. (1:1-4)2. Living in LIGHT not DARKNESS. (1:5-3:11)3. Letting LOVE flow TO and THROUGH you. (3:1-4:21) We are wrapping up 1st John today...
Read moreKoinonia – 1 John Pt. 3 | 1 John 3:11-24; 4:7-21
This is the message…part 2 I. The link between LOVE and FELLOWSHIP. (3:11-4:6)A. Love as a DIAGNOSTIC TOOL. (3:11-15, 19-24)B. CHRIST as the PROTOTYPE. (3:16-18)C. JESUS as the CONNECTION to love. (4:1-6) Remember that John is writing to...
Read moreKoinonia – 1 John Pt. 2 | 1 John 2:15-3:11
Challenges to “Fellowship” in a Dark World I. The Challenge: A TRINITY of DARKNESS. (2:15-17)A. FEELING, HAVING, and CONTROLLING.(v.16)B. This is NOT their first APPEARANCE. (Gen.3:6-7; Mt. 4:3-4,6,8-9) When the woman saw that the fruit of...
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