How do things grow? For some things, the answer is easy but for other's a profound mystery. In today's message, we look at how Jesus uses two parables to explain how God grows the Kingdom of God. What we discover is that the secret, mysterious, progressive, unlikely nature of God's Kingdom growth actually paints a beautiful reality for us - any faithful life (no matter how small or meager) is used by God to progress His redemptive plan and further His Kingdom.
Jesus: The Brother (Mark 3:13-35)
Family is at the core of life around the world. That's what makes Jesus' seeming rejection of his brothers and mother in Mark 3 so surprising and shocking. What is Jesus doing? Listen in as we see Jesus, our faithful and true Brother, begin building the new Family - the Church.
Jesus: The Forgiver (Mark 2:1-17)
Most people would probably say that forgiveness is a noble and good thing. But, like most noble things, it’s also really hard to actually do. In Mark 2, a pretty extraordinary example of forgiveness occurs. A paralyzed man is brought (actually dropped down!) to Jesus. The man is clearly seeking to be healed, but Jesus first gives him something he wasn’t asking for. What’s really going on in this story? Jesus is unveiling to us a pathway to forgiveness. We learn that when we bring brokenness to Jesus, we receive a more beautiful and valuable mending than we ever could have dreamed.
Jesus: The Caller (Mark 1:16-45)
Americans make and receive about 6 billion phone calls each day and constantly communicate with one another through a variety of different technology platforms. But we also live in a polarized world as a direct result of such communication. So in a world full of calls to allegiance, how is Jesus’ call unique? In Jesus’ 6 different encounters in Mark 1, we discover that Jesus’ call is in a league of its own. It is a Call uniquely to himself and his Kingdom.
Jesus: The Good News (Mark 1:1-15)
Good News. We all long for it, especially coming off a year in 2020 unlike any other. Jesus comes proclaiming Good News when begins his public ministry, but what is he talking about exactly? Are there “strings attached” to the Good News Jesus brings? And is the Good News he brought 2,000 years ago still relevant to us today? What we discover together in this sermon is that when we analyze Jesus’ words and watch his life, we see that he doesn’t just bring good news… he actually is the Good News himself.