Believe it or not, this ‘Follow’ series we’re in started on Easter morning … and today will be the last message of this series. But before I get into today’s message, let me take a couple minutes and review some highlights & insights into what it means to be a FOLLOWER of Jesus… Everybody is invited to follow—no one is excluded for any reason… It’s an invitation not to a religious tradition, but to a relationship… Being a sinner is a prerequisite … and having doubts is a prerequisite too…...
I’d like to begin today with a quick confession, as we move into Part Six of this ‘Follow’ series. I was raised in a Christian home—the home of a Christian minister and his wife. From the time I was very, very young, I had Christian principles and Christian teachings drilled into me. But I have to confess, when I first came to the point of giving my life to Christ and becoming a Christian, it may have been for the wrong reason. Let me explain… I know now that God...
Our journey with Jesus picks up today not at the Eastern Gate—though it is Palm Sunday, but after his time of prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, when he was arrested. Listen to this part of our story for today (Matthew 26:47-50, 55-57, NLT)… And even as Jesus said this, Judas, one of the twelve disciples, arrived with a crowd of men armed with swords and clubs. They had been sent by the leading priests and elders of the people. 48 The traitor, Judas, had given them a prearranged signal:...
Today, I’m going to read the account of that first Holy Thursday from the Gospel of Mark. However, this story is also found in the Gospel of John with some extra details that I’ll be talking about today. I’ll give you references as I get to those sections. But first, here’s our text for today from Mark, Chapter 14 (10-26, NLT): Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went to the leading priests to arrange to betray Jesus to them. 11 They were delighted when they heard why he...
On the day that Jesus made his triumphal entry into Jerusalem—that first Palm Sunday, I can almost imagine that he could see right through the praises and accolades of those in attendance. The symbol of riding on the back of a donkey’s colt—one that had never been ridden—was a sign of royalty. Indeed, here was the King—our King, the One whom God had sent in his infinite wisdom to save us from our sins—literally from the sin that we were born into. But, the majority of His world missed it....
We all fear something, don’t we? As a matter of fact, we’re all born with fear—a very human feeling… Part of that is a mechanism that God has given us to protect ourselves; we call it the instinct of self-preservation. Admittedly, that mechanism can be helpful in dangerous situations. Unfortunately, all too often our instinct of self-preservation is coupled with our instinct of sin. And, in situations where fear gets the best of us, we all have a tendency to do the wrong thing—to react in inappropriate ways… It’s a...
By David Busker MARK 14:27-52 (Use 32-41) This lenten series that pastor Rom is doing is from Adam Hamilton’s book “24” which is a takeoff on fox tv’s show called “24” in which each season is a 24 hour period in the life of terrorist hunter, Jack Bauer. Adam Hamilton’s book is about the last 24 hours of Jesus from the upper room to the cross. The show “24” is filled with edge of your seat excitement and you can hardly wait to see what comes next. This series is...
