Ccf Sunday Messages

Romans 6 may not be a traditional "Easter Sunday" passage, but it is a powerful image of our being "united with", "joined to", or even "conjoined to" Christ in his death, resurrection, and glorification! It is both a mystery but a powerful truth when we realize that we are joined with Him, and that we have been raised to new life--to live in a new way! He is Risen!

Continuing in Mark 14, we are within hours of Jesus's betrayal and arrest, but at this moment Jesus is preparing to share the Passover meal with his disciples. During the meal he announces the fact that someone among them will betray Him! The other gospels tell us that "Satan has entered into Judas's heart" already and he is looking for that right opportunity. Meanwhile Jesus shares the truth of the Passover to them--that He is the bread and His blood is the cup. He is our Passover lamb and the perfect sacrifice.

The opening of Mark chapter 14 begins with a huge contrast: the religious elite who are both ceremonially preparing to "worship" on the Passover, but inside are plotting the sin of murder compared with a woman, unnamed here in Mark, humbly coming and pouring out a significantly costly offering onto Jesus as an act of sacrificial worship. What is our worship costing us? What opportunities are we finding to either plot sin or humbly worship and do good to others?

Pastor Steve finishes up Mark chapter 13 this week with Jesus's teaching on the tribulation and second coming via the prophecy from Daniel chapter 9. We took a detour to look back at this critical prophecy and its application to the current "church age" and how it relates to what we believe as the distinct events of the rapture of the church and the second coming of Christ. The most important application is that we are warned to "be ready" at any moment!

Entering Mark chapter 13, Jesus's attention is drawn to the beauty of Herod's temple complex and He responds with a shocking prediction: "not one stone shall be left upon another" (v. 2). Of course this gets the disciple's attention and they want to know the "when" and the signs that would come before this. This section begins what is commonly termed the "Olivet discourse" and is an area of scripture with differing opinions and views of the meaning. Pastor Steve took us through the first section today, and we will continue looking at these end times prophecies as we continue through chapter 13.

Pastor Steve steps out of our study in the gospel of Mark to talk about God's love (agape) from 1 John chapter 4. Real and unconditional love from God should overwhelm us when we really understand that "God is love" and our response should be to love one another with that same unconditional love.

Finishing up Mark chapter 12, Jesus challenges the religious elite with a few questions and comments of his own, and then moves into the temple court where the treasury is located. As they watch people giving, Jesus draws their attention to a poor widow who gives 100% ("all that she had") and notes that even though her monetary gift was tiny in amount, that it was greater than all the rest because of her sacrifice.

Only a few days from the cross in Mark 12, Jesus continues to be tested and questioned by the religious elite. Their plan is to trap him in something he says, but instead he continues to astound and confound the religious leaders with his wisdom and understanding. In the end no one dares question him anymore!

We continue to draw closer to the cross as Jesus spends his final week coming and going from Jerusalem during the Passover week. After his cleansing of the temple he has obviously angered the religious elite, and they--again--try and trap him in his words. He catches them in their own trap and then tells a parable that clearly implicates them, angering them even more. Pastor Warren teaches through the final verses of Mark chapter 11 and into the first section of chapter 12 in this message.

As we enter the final week of Jesus's ministry before the cross, Mark chapter 11 opens with the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem on a donkey, fulfilling Old Testament prophecies. Jesus cleanses the temple in this passage (for the second time) and also curses a fig tree in an unusual story recorded here in Mark. Listen in as Pastor Steve teaches through the opening section of Mark chapter 11.

Pastor Steve finishes up Mark chapter 10 as we close out 2015--and we enter the final days of Jesus's life and ministry before he heads to the cross in roughly a week from the events unfolding at the end of Mark chapter 10.

Pastor Warren gives a Christmas message focusing on the "joy and peace" that is talked about in this holiday season, but looking deeper beyond the "Christmas card sentiments" to what brings true joy and peace from God. Starting from the traditional Christmas story in Luke 2 we travel all the way back to the Proverbs to look at the life that follows and submits to God's ways as the true path to peace and joy.

As we continue through Mark chapter 10 we have the story of the disciples refusing the parents bringing children to be blessed followed by the story of the "rich, young ruler"--did you know these stories are not randomly placed but actually are related? Listen in as Pastor Steve covers this next section of Mark and we understand about the impediments to accepting God's gift and believing--something the little children were so ready to do!

Jesus tackles a difficult (and meant to be tricky) question regarding marriage and divorce in front of the religious leaders. The questions around divorce and marriage are still difficult today, and Pastor Steve showed both God's standard from Genesis (as Jesus did) as well as God's grace for our failings in this opening section from Mark 10.

Dr. Jason Lisle from the Institute for Creation Research shared a message titled "Your Origins Matter," describing the critical role of Genesis as the foundation of our Christian faith. Without this foundation much of what we hold to crumbles when the church gives up Genesis as the historic, biblical account of creation and beginnings.

Pastor Steve finishes up chapter 9 on the topic of greatness as we continue our walk through the gospel of Mark.

Continuing in Mark chapter 9, we come to the story of the man whose son is possessed by a demon with severe seizures and destructive behavior as a result. The disciples are unable to cast out the demon, but Jesus in His compassion and power does heal the boy, as the father gives that great confession: "I believe. Help my unbelief!" Pastor Steve applied the readiness of Jesus through a life of prayer and fasting to our own need for a regular commitment to prayer and fasting to be filled with God's spirit and power for whatever challenges we will face.

Pastor Steve begins Mark chapter 9, which opens with the story of the transfiguration. What an interesting an awesome set of events for the trio of James, Peter, and John to experience in the presence of a glorified Jesus! Listen in to hear what this means for us and how we might apply the details of this event recorded by Mark to our own lives.

Pastor Warren finished chapter 8 of Mark, looking at the serious call to take up our cross and follow Jesus no matter the cost. Warren used stories from around the globe on the persecution of the church to encourage us and challenge us to our own level of commitment to follow Christ no matter the cost.

In this section of Mark chapter 8, we have a healing that seems not to be complete initially, and then we have Peter calling Jesus the Messiah and then Jesus seemingly calling Peter "Satan" a paragraph later? What is this all about and why are some of these details that seem confusing recorded here? Listen in as Pastor Steve gives us some thoughts on this next section in our study of Mark's gospel.