The Story, Part 3
Chapter 22
September 18, 2022 • Pastor Joe Sullivan • Matthew 1—2, Luke 1—2, John 1
The Old Testament often stressed that God set Israel apart to be holy; they were not to intermarry with other nations. Then the promised King of the Jews arrives with anything but a pure family tree! Accompanying reading: Matthew 1-2 Luke 1-2 John 1 The Story, Chapter 22
Chapter 23
September 25, 2022 • Pastor Joe Sullivan • Matthew 3—11, Mark 1—3, Luke 8, John 1—4
For much of the Bible, the stress was upon going to, staying in, and returning to the promised land--all because God promised His people He would make them a nation. Then Jesus shows up and priorities seem to have changed. Accompanying reading: Matthew 3-4; 11 Mark 1-3 Luke 8 John 1-4 The Story, Chapter 23
Chapter 24
October 2, 2022 • Pastor Joe Sullivan • Matthew 5—14, Mark 4—6, Luke 10—15, John 6
What if God were one of us: not a stranger on the bus, not tryin’ to make His way home, and not a holy rolling stone! What does it mean that Jesus was God (and man)? Accompanying reading: Matthew 5-7; 9; 14 Mark 4-6 Luke 10; 15 John 6 The Story, Chapter 24
Chapter 25
October 9, 2022 • Pastor Joe Sullivan • Mark 8—14, Luke 9—22, John 7—12, Matthew 17—21
Most of us have learned about God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit--not three gods, but one God, yet three persons! What’s all the hullabaloo about the Holy Trinity? Accompanying reading: Matthew 17; 21 Mark 8-12; 14 Luke 9; 22 John 7-8; 11-12 The Story, Chapter 25
Chapter 26
October 16, 2022 • Pastor Joe Sullivan • Matthew 26—27, Mark 14—15, Luke 22—23, John 13—19
On April 8, 1966, the cover of Time magazine asked, “Is God dead?” So what if He was? In Jesus, God died. And life has never been the same since. Accompanying reading: Matthew 26-27 Mark 14-15 Luke 22-23 John 13-14; 16-19 The Story, Chapter 26
Chapter 27
October 23, 2022 • Pastor Joe Sullivan • John 19—21, Matthew 27—28, Mark 16, Luke 24
Let’s face it: if Jesus didn’t really come back from the dead, would anything else He said be worth listening to? Yes, it would! But Easter did happen, and that makes everything Jesus said worth living! Accompanying reading: Matthew 27-28 Mark 16 Luke 24 John 19-21 The Story, Chapter 27
Chapter 28
October 30, 2022 • Pastor Joe Sullivan • Acts 1—10, Acts 12
To be a good Christian, you gotta be a good Jew. You should be circumcised, eat kosher food, and observe the prayers and rites of Judaism. That’s what everyone thought at first in the earliest expressions of “church.” So God scheduled a corrective zoom session with Peter. Accompanying reading: Acts 1-10; 12 The Story, Chapter 28
Chapter 29
November 6, 2022 • Pastor Joe Sullivan • Romans 1—15, 1 Corinthians, Galatians, 1 Thessalonians, Acts 13—20
One of history’s greatest U-turns is the story of the Apostle Paul. What about you? Do you have a U-turn story? Are you ready for a U-turn now? Accompanying reading: Acts 13-14; 16-20 Romans 1; 3-6; 8; 12; 15 1 Corinthians 1; 3; 5-6; 10; 12-13; 15-16 Galatians 1; 3; 5-6 1 Thessalonians 1-5 The Story, Chapter 29
Chapter 30
November 13, 2022 • Pastor Joe Sullivan • Acts 20—23, Acts 27—28, Ephesians, 2 Timothy
If you were going somewhere and were told at your destination you would be bound and sentenced to death, would you turn around? Or would you continue to your inevitable demise? Accompanying reading: Acts 20-23; 27-28 Ephesians 1-6 2 Timothy 1-4 The Story, Chapter 30
Chapter 31
November 20, 2022 • Pastor Joe Sullivan • Revelation 1—5, Revelation 19—22
I love to pose the question: If everyone wants to go to heaven, then why does nobody want to die? Something in us resists the “consolation” prize of heaven. Consolation is for those who lose, but we win in the end! Accompanying reading: Revelation 1-5; 19-22 The Story, Chapter 31