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Portraits of Jesus

Extravagant Love

July 31, 2016 • Lester Zimmerman

We have been working our way through the gospel of Mark in the Bible and rediscovering the character and person of Jesus. Mark gives us these snap shots or portraits of Jesus throughout his gospel. He wants to introduce his readers to this amazing man and his amazing works. He is hoping that as we see the kind of person Jesus is and the amazing things he does that we will be convinced that he is more than a man. He wants us to grasp that Jesus was truly the son of God and is worthy of surrendering our lives to and following. Mark portrays Jesus as being in close relationship with God as his Father. He paints a picture through his stories of Jesus as a man of power and great authority. Yet this man of authority was a servant to all and was willing to suffer a cruel death on a cross so Father God would forgive us and allow us to walk in freedom and live all of eternity with them in Heaven, As we come to chapters 14- 16 and the end of the gospel of Mark he begins to focus us in on the cross and the resurrection and ends with Jesus commissioning us to go - and tell the whole world of his love and salvation. Last week Pastor Brian talked about the suffering of Jesus so this morning I would like to focus on the Extravagant Love that propelled Jesus to endure the cross to the very end. The players in this passage can be summarized as - those grateful followers who ministered to Jesus -disciples and others - those who thought they were too good and didn’t need what Jesus had to offer – religious leaders - those who thought they were too bad like Barabbas and the thieves crucified with Jesus - those broken, struggling with shame who had a hard time forgiving themselves like Peter

All That Talent Wasted

July 24, 2016 • Brian Flewelling

If you’re just joining us this morning I want to invite you into a conversation we’ve been having about Jesus as he is portrayed through the gospel of Mark. Last week we looked at the authority of Jesus in chapters 7-9. This week we are looking at chapters 10-12. By chapter 10 Jesus has left the region of Galilee, home to most of his ministry. He’s now traveling the 100 miles south to Jerusalem in the region of Judea. (roughly Harrisburg to Philadelphia). We still have six chapters left in Mark, but we’re looking at the last two weeks of Jesus’ life on earth. In these three chapters we have roughly 16 different stories of Jesus. Each depicting a wonderful aspect of his character and ministry. Which of His characteristics should we focus on this morning? Which one is what makes him amazing? - In chapter 10 he’s having a conversation with other Jewish lawyers about the complex legal issues surrounding divorce - lawyer - Jesus the discipler reaches down to the next generation and blesses them and prepares them for success – leader of a movement - In chapter 12 Jesus gets put to the test by a series of four questions from the different theologians The Southern Baptists, the Pentecostals, The Presbyterians, and the Catholics We see how smart Jesus was. Not only was he conversant in the religious conversations of the day, but he was truly innovative, he was on the cutting edge of defining the conversations. - teacher - In chapter 11 we see the public crying out for his political candidacy – Messiah King. - Just before that he heals a blind man by the side of the road. - Healer In these chapters we see a pictures of Jesus the lawyer, Jesus the discipler raising up another generation, Jesus the teacher leading people into truth, Jesus healer bringing wholeness to the broken, Jesus the Messiah King, Jesus bringing justice to disorder. This guy can do anything he puts his mind to. Which aspect of Jesus should we focus on this morning? He is on the Who’s Who list. He’s doing so many things right. This guy is an all-star in leadership, in his people skills. You can take any part of his lifestyle, cut and paste it into your family, into your business and it would flourish. He’s so amazing that this guy seems to be freak of nature. He’s almost untouchable. Which one is these talents makes him so extraordinary? The skeptic could say, he’s God. He can do whatever he wants. None of these are extraordinary then. So what makes him so amazing.

The Authority of Jesus Christ

July 17, 2016 • Jim Wetzel

As you know we are in sermon series on the Gospel of Mark. We are looking at Mark by over all themes and with broad strokes. So this morning as we consider Mark chapters 7 through 9, I believe the over arching theme of these chapters is the authority of Jesus Christ. Before we look at Mark, I want to attempt to define what we mean when we use the word authority. I think to have a good working definition of authority it is helpful to also think about the word power. Sometimes these two words, authority and power, are confused or used interchangeably, but they are fundamentally different. By power, we mean might or ability. By authority, we mean the right to use power or the lawful use of power.

Lord of the Wind and the Waves

July 10, 2016 • Pastor Gary Buck

Mark is a fascinating book. One of the reasons scholars believe Mark’s writing is that of an eyewitness is because of the detail in the writing. Back when this text was written writers did not add a lot of unnecessary detail if it didn’t advance the plot. Mark adds narrative detail that only an eyewitness would bother recounting or remembering. And Mark was the eyewitness account of Peter, and Mark was his secretary. The first three chapters of Mark reads very much like the prologue to a story. It’s setting up foundational truths about who Jesus is, about his character and his early ministry. Portrait of Jesus- Jesus is Lord of the waves and the wind. And this is a profound portrait that will build us up in our faith and open our eyes.

Before He Goes Viral

July 3, 2016 • Pastor Brian Flewelling

The life of this historical figure named Jesus was so unique that the shocking affects of his life are still being felt 2,000 years later. Jesus is of course now the most famous Jewish rabbi who ever lived, and the most famous human being who ever lived. By now everyone has diverse opinions of him, and filters through which we perceive him. Wouldn’t it be amazing to clear away all that clutter and confusion and hear from an eye witness who saw all of his greatest miracles and listened to his teachings. Wouldn’t it be amazing to get the inside scoop from the one who knew him best- his right hand man, Peter?