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The Path to the Cross, Part 3
2 CommentsYesterday, in the third message of our series, The Path to the Cross, I preached from Matthew 26:45-68. As the Savior is arrested and accused, “that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled,” He reveals that God’s purposes are not accomplished by the weaponry and methodology of this world.
Options for reviewing and applying the message:
• Listen online or download an MP3.
• A summary outline in PDF format
• Use the questions below for further reflection and application to your life:
1. When the crowds came to take Jesus by force, Peter reacted with violence. But Jesus knew the sovereign plan of His Father was being fulfilled. How did God use the crowd’s evil to accomplish His perfect plan of salvation?
2. Through what lens do you most often view your trials and sufferings—the lens of this world, or the lens of God’s power, goodness and sovereignty? How does remembering that God is in control of every detail of your life bolster your faith?
3. In the circumstances of your life (at home, in school or at work), in what are you oftentimes trusting—your power (your gifts, abilities, intellect, etc.), or God’s grace and power? What weapons do you oftentimes use—your words, your forcefulness, etc., or the spiritual weapons of prayer, faith and God’s Word (see Eph. 6:10-20)?
4. Charles Bridges once wrote, “Unbelief looks at the difficulty. Faith regards the promises.” What would faith look like in your circumstances? What promises from God’s Word would strengthen your faith?
5. When asked if He is the Christ, the Son of God, Jesus answers that He is equal with God and is the Son of Man (Daniel 7:13-14) who is seated at the right hand of Power ruling over all the earth (Ps. 110:1,5). What does Jesus’ answer reveal about His character, His authority and His Kingship?
March 8 2010 at 6:00 am
The Path to the Cross, Part 2
0 CommentsYesterday C.J. Mahaney preached from Matthew 26:36-46 on Jesus’ time in the garden of Gethsemane before going to the cross. C.J. asked and answered the questions, “What did Gethsemane mean for Jesus?” and “What does it mean for us?”
Options for reviewing and applying the message:
• Listen online or download an mp3.
• A summary outline in PDF format
• Use the questions below for further reflection and application to your life:
1. In Gethsemane Jesus experienced the difficulties of relational abandonment from the disciples as well as distress of soul regarding the wrath he was about to endure. How does Jesus’ experience deepen your gratefulness for your Savior?
2. Three times Jesus appealed for an alternative to drinking the cup of God’s wrath; three times the Father was silent. How does the Father’s silence demonstrate His deepest love for you? (See John 3:16)
3. William Lane writes that Jesus looked into the cup and “found hell rather than heaven opened before him, and he staggered.” How does Jesus’ resolve to drink this cup demonstrate His amazing love for you?
4. C.J. reminded us that the cup of wrath that Jesus drank was our cup. He took it from our hands and gave us the cup of salvation. How does a reflection on this truth assure you of God’s love for you?
5. How can Jesus’ weakness and suffering as a man in Gethsemane provide comfort through your darkest and severest trials? (See Hebrews 4:15-16)
March 1 2010 at 6:00 am
The Path to the Cross, Part 1
0 CommentsYesterday I preached the first message in our sermon series, “The Path to the Cross.” I taught from Matthew 26:1-29, on the plot to kill Jesus, his anointing at Bethany, Judas’ betrayal, Jesus’ passover meal with his disciples, and the institution of the Lord’s Supper. Yes, it was a lot to cover in one message.
Options for reviewing and applying the message:
• Listen online or download an mp3.
• A summary outline in PDF format
• “Preach The Gospel To Yourself” (PDF) - created by Don DeVries
• Use the questions below for further reflection and application to your life:
1. Are you a disciple like Mary asking, “What can I give to my Lord?” Or are you like Judas asking, “What can I get instead of Jesus?”
2. Like Mary’s heart of love and gratefulness, to what act of sacrificial worship is the Lord calling you? What gifts and resources can be poured out for His praise and glory?
3. What obstacles prevent Jesus from being your dearest friend and your most valued treasure?
4. Josh taught us that proximity to Jesus, to the church, or to other Christians can never save us. Are you relying on religious knowledge and practice for salvation, or have you believed and surrendered your life to Jesus as both Savior and Lord?
5. How can a reflection on the Lord’s Supper move you to bow your heart in gratefulness and worship for such a costly sacrifice and such infinite love?
February 22 2010 at 6:00 am
Jude: Called to Contend, Part 2
1 CommentsYesterday C.J. Mahaney preached his second message on Jude. Last Sunday he preached from the first two verses, and yesterday he took on the rest, focusing on how we as believers are called to “contend for the faith” and “contend for the heart.”
Options for reviewing and applying the message:
• Listen online or download an mp3.
• A summary outline in PDF format
• Use the questions below for further reflection and application to your life:
1. Why is it important for the church to contend for the purity of the gospel? What are the consequences to God’s people and the church of allowing additions, subtractions or alterations to the gospel of grace?
2. How much time are you devoting each day to preaching the gospel to yourself? How can this daily practice build up your faith and fan into flame your affection and love for God?
3. Are you experiencing a season of waiting, like waiting for an answer to prayer or waiting for relief in a season of suffering? How can “waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ” (v. 21) bolster your trust in the faithful, merciful, preserving grace of God?
4. Has neglect of keeping yourself in the love of God left you in a spiritual “sinkhole”? At the bottom, are you aware of the One who convicts, forgives and promises unchanging love and preserving grace? What can you do today to repent and return to the Lord?
5. Whether you are experiencing blessing or suffering, how can the truth of God’s preserving grace transform your perspective of each circumstance and encourage your trust and faith?
February 15 2010 at 6:00 am
Jude: Called to Contend, Part 1
3 CommentsYesterday C.J. Mahaney preached the first of two messages from the book of Jude. He especially focused on unpacking v.1b:
“To those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ”
Options for reviewing and applying the message:
• Listen online or download an mp3.
• A summary outline in PDF format
• Use the questions below for further reflection and application to your life.
1. Has “AMAZING GRACE” diminished to “amazing grace”? Do you need to remember that God summoned and called you? Do you need to reflect on where you would be if God had not called you? By way of remembrance, take some time to share your testimony with your family, friends or care group.
2. Do you think “hard thoughts” about God the Father—that He is angry wrathful and distant? How can you begin to replace those wrong thoughts with thoughts that in all things God is good, gracious and loving toward you?
3. Are you uncertain about the disposition of the Father’s heart of love toward you? How can reflecting on God’s call and on Calvary help you to see God’s personal and particular love for YOU?
4. What do you fear or worry about? Your finances, your job, your health, your family, the future, etc? How can the truth that you are “kept for Jesus Christ” fill you with faith and hope, regardless of your circumstances or the uncertainty of the future?
February 1 2010 at 10:23 am
Undone by a Glorious God
4 CommentsWhat a great service we had Sunday! We officially welcomed into our church 176 new members who have joined in the last eight months. And Jon Smith preached a powerful message on the holiness and glory of God as described in Isaiah’s vision of the Lord seated on his throne. His text was Isaiah 6:1-7.
Options for reviewing and applying the message:
• Listen online or download an mp3.
• Download a summary outline in PDF format.
• Use the following questions for further reflection and application to your life.
1. Listening to Jon’s message, did you realize you had big thoughts of yourself and small thoughts of God? How can you cultivate big thoughts of God and little thoughts of yourself?
2. Jon taught us that each day we are eager to find something that is going to satisfy and delight us. Is God your supreme delight and satisfaction, or has something or someone else replaced Him? How can you return to your first love?
3. When you take time to reflect on God’s holiness, how do you respond? Is God’s holiness both awesome and attractive to you? Does His holiness call forth worship?
4. Why can sinful men and women encounter a holy God without being consumed or destroyed in an instant?
5. What can you do to cultivate a fresh passion for your infinitely beautiful and holy God?