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When Jesus Stopped to Pray

Message 4

Pastor Chuck Swindoll • John 17

The hardest work we can do is “knee” work. We'll find anything else easier to do than pray. Yet Jesus not only told us that we “ought to pray and not to lose heart” (Luke 18:1), He showed us by praying Himself. After the last meal Jesus shared with His disciples but before the soldiers came for Him in Gethsemane, Jesus let us eavesdrop on His talk with the Father. Often called the High Priestly Prayer, John 17 is one of the most remarkable and longest intercessions in all of God's Word. From it, we can learn how to pray and get a glimpse into Jesus' great love for us.

Saul: A Study in Tragedy

Pastor Chuck Swindoll

There is a special grief over a life not well lived. We love to celebrate the stories of those who have finished well, but when we encounter those whose lives bear the consequences of poor decisions and slow erosion, we sigh and wonder what could have been. And then, in quiet, private moments, we wonder how our lives will end. Will we finish well? Are we on a good track? Discover from the life of one of the Bible's greatest examples of failed potential just what it means to take God seriously. And then choose to finish well.

The Beatitudes: Lessons by a Lake

Pastor Chuck Swindoll • Matthew 5:1–11

Jesus could not have picked a better place to sow seeds of faith than on the hill now called the Mount of Beatitudes. On a carpet of wildflowers and scrub, the people sat, captivated and amazed by this Teacher. While rabbis of the day taught the finer points of Mosaic Law, Jesus' message touched the heart. The rabbis' endless, dusty rhetoric said little; Jesus' few words altered the way the people understood life. Even to this day, His words, ignited by the Spirit of God, cut through the stuff of life and call us to live the way God intends for us.

Releasing Our Burdens Beneath the Waves

Pastor Chuck Swindoll • Mark 6:40–52

Great things happen on water . . . treacherous things too. Both occurred the night that followed Jesus' miraculous feeding of more than 5,000 men. Jesus' disciples shook with terror in a storm-tossed boat on an inky-black sea. Why were they afraid? Weren't they eyewitnesses to His miracles? Mark 6:52 records a heartbreaking moment in Scripture: “[The disciples] had not gained any insight from the incident of the loaves, but their heart was hardened.” It took a storm to help the disciples learn a valuable lesson. What will it take for you to surrender to Jesus in faith?