Pastor's Corner: WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA?

  DESPISED AND REJECTED OF MEN Mark 15:16-21 Introduction : In the film Saving Private Ryan soldiers are sent out to find Private Ryan and to bring him home because his brothers had been killed in the war. It was an act of mercy for his mother’s sake. Several of the soldiers who seek him are killed – and one whispers his dying words to Private Ryan, “ Earn this .” The final scene of the film is of an old Private Ryan in the cemetery of the war dead asking himself the question, “ Did I earn it? Was I worthy? ” There are parallels to the gospel message in the sacrifice of his rescuers, but Jesus did not say as he died for us, “Earn this.” He cried out, “ It is finished .”   We can’t earn our salvation. His sacrifice was sufficient to save us completely. We can’t add anything— it is finished . This is why He came. Through His blood, His supreme sacrifice for our sins—all who believe will be saved. The Cross was God’s plan.        In addressin...

  The Lamb and the Throne Mark 15:1-15 Introduction. : Dr. Buck Parsons said in an article in TableTalk magazine, One of my greatest fears for the church today is that we will become bored with the Cross of Christ. I am concerned that any mention of Christ and Him crucified is leading many professing Christians to say to themselves: “Yeah, I know all about Jesus dying on the cross for my sins—let’s move on to something else. Let’s get past the basics and let’s deal with bigger theological issues.” I firmly believe that Satan is set on trying to destroy us, but he’ll settle with just getting us to lose our astonishment of Christ and Him crucified . The Cross is at the heart of the message of Mark, and he too wants us to be astonished with Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. This is why Jesus came. We took our time going through Mark 14… 8 weeks! This chapter will be quicker, but we are not going to rush. This is the heart of the Gospel message, according to the apostle Paul, ...

  Rock Bottom (or, Sin, Conviction, and Repentance) Mark 14:66-72 Introduction : I've quoted a story before that was told by Max Lucado, who you may know was a missionary in Brazil before he became a pastor. The story is about… … a young teenaged girl named Christina. She lived in a little one room house, in a small dusty village in Brazil. She was bored with life in such simplicity and poverty and longed for the excitement of the big city of Rio.         One morning her mother Maria found Christina’s bed empty. Maria knew immediately where her daughter had gone. She also knew the dangers that a pretty young girl faced in the city, so she quickly threw some clothes in a bag, gathered up what little money she had, and headed for the bus station.  On her way, the mom entered one of those photograph booths in a local drug store and took pictures of herself. She put the pictures in her purse and took the next bus to Rio de Janeiro. When she arrived,...

  The Just… for the Unjust   Mark 14:53-65 Introduction : In his commentary on Mark, R.C. Sproul said, “ It is unthinkable that the Messiah, the Ruler and Sustainer of the universe, should be subjected to a trial by mere men …” ( Mark , p. 382). Of course, Jesus spoke only truth, He never sinned, He was guilty of nothing. The injustice of this procedure is evident at every point: His accusers are guilty, Jesus is without sin, innocent, righteous, holy… The Law required honest testimony, and fair trials. We read in Leviticus 19:15-16,    15 "You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor.   16 You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand up against the life of your neighbor: I am the LORD . Do you remember how this chapter started? We read in 14:1, It was now two days before the Passover... And the chief priests and ...