3/12/2006

2nd Sunday of Lent

Genesis 28:10-17

Romans 5:1-11

Mark 8:31-38

Deny Yourself and Die with Jesus

“Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me.” Talk about the impossible! We may be willing to follow Jesus, but how are we supposed to deny ourselves? And what does He mean by “take up your cross?” The Greek word that is translated “deny” in this passage actually means “to refuse to give thought to or express concern for; to disregard; to pay no attention to; to say ‘no’ to.” Jesus is calling us to say ’no’ to ourselves — to look at the things that the world offers that stand in the way of following Him and say ‘no’ even though we want them for ourselves. To say ‘no’ when everything in us is saying ‘yes, yes this is what I want — it will make me happy.’ To say ‘no’ to ease and comfort and earthly glory so that we may walk in the way of the Cross. To say ‘no’ to the temporary, empty way of life that this world offers us and say ‘yes’ to the Cross and the death that it brings. Because He knows that in the death we experience in the Cross we actually receive life — eternal, abundant life. The Savior is calling us to say ‘no’ to ourselves and ‘yes’ to life in Him. He’s calling us to the Cross where He has said ‘yes’ to all of God’s promises and ‘no’ to our sin, to our death, and to our enemy. ‘Deny’ yourself and say ‘yes’ to all that God has won for you in Christ.

3/15/2006

Lent Midweek Service

John 18:28-40 

John 19:1-22

Pontius Pilate: The Dilemma of Jesus

(From the Midweek Series "Truly this is the Son of God" which looks at the people who encountered Jesus and played a part in His Passion.)

3/19/2006

3rd Sunday of Lent

Exodus 20:1-17

1 Cor. 1:22-25

John 2:13-22

The Foolishness of the Cross

Imagine that after years of dreaming and planning you started a business only to discover that nobody was interested in the product or service that you were offering. Worse than that, people considered what you were offering a complete waste of time. On the other hand, you were convinced that what you had to offer was exactly what people needed — whether they knew it or not. Unfortunately, most did not and the few that did really didn’t care. What would you do? Would you give up on your business, pack up your dreams, and try to recover your losses? Or would you dump the product or service that you believed in and offer instead what people wanted and would buy even though it did them no good? Or would you work harder and smarter looking for a way to help people see the benefits of your product or service? None of these options seem very attractive, yet these are the options we face as Christians living in the world. We have the one thing that people desperately need, but most don’t know it or don’t care. Many consider the message of the Cross to be foolishness and a waste of time. Some would be more open if we would change it around to suit them better. We could give people what they want and enjoy greater acceptance and success. Or we could be faithful to who we are in Christ and risk being rejected as fools and weaklings. Today we hear God’s Word calling us to be faithful to the message of the Cross — no matter how foolish and weak it seems to the world. In His Cross you are whole, strong, holy, and perfect in Christ. In His Cross you have the strength, vision, and purpose to press on through every obstacle and disappoint. In His Cross you have life and salvation.

3/22/2006

Lent Midweek Service

Deuteronomy 16:1-12

Mark 15:16-27

Simon of Cyrene: Beyond Expectations

(From the Midweek Series "Truly this is the Son of God" which looks at the people who encountered Jesus and played a part in His Passion.)

3/26/2006

4th Sunday of Lent

Numbers 21:4-9

Ephesians 2:4-10

John 3:14-21

It's Okay to Leave the Heavy Lifting for Jesus

If you’ve raised children you have undoubtedly gone through the I-want-to-do-it-myself stage. This is the stage in which a child wants to do things for himself even if he isn’t ready or able to do them. From dressing himself to spreading his own peanut butter, the child wants to be in control. These things can try our patience, but we know that letting the child do things for himself is essential to learning and growing. It’s a frustrating (for the parent and child both) stage of development that begins around two years of age and goes until … well, it goes until we leave this earth. Let’s face it, we’re do-it-yourself kind of people. Our culture thrives on the idea of being self-sufficient. Home Depot and Lowes count on it. HGTV glorifies it. The people who don’t or can’t do-it-yourself are looked at with distrust or disrespect by those who have a sense of self-sufficiency because they can replace their own bathroom faucets. As an avid do-it-yourselfer, I know the joy of a completed tile project and the agony of (another) water pipe busted during demo. I thrive on doing things for myself. But I know that when it comes to spiritual matters I am like a two-year-old child who is not ready or able to do things for myself. That doesn’t keep me from trying, but it reminds me why I fail when I insist on doing it myself spiritually. The removal of our sins and the sanctified life that follows require more than any do-it-yourselfer can manage. The Christian walk demands some very heavy lifting. Thank God that He has lifted up His Son Jesus! He has done the heavy lifting for us. In Jesus, all that needs to done is done. There’s nothing left for the do-it-yourselfer to do except live in the joy of a job well done.

3/29/2006

Lent Midweek Service

Matthew 27:31-44

Luke 23:32-43

The Thief on the Cross: Repentance and Life

(From the Midweek Series "Truly this is the Son of God" which looks at the people who encountered Jesus and played a part in His Passion.)