Yesterday’s message in the Gospel of Mark series was called Authority to Forgive, taken from Mark 2:1-12. Here is a brief outline of the message:

I. The faith of the friends (verses 1-5)
    A. They brought their friend to Jesus.
    B. They persevered through the obstacles.
    C. Jesus forgave their friend’s sin.

II. The condemnation of the leaders (verses 6-7)
    A. They accuse Jesus of blasphemy.
    B. Their question: “Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

III. Jesus’ authority to forgive (verses 8-12)
    A. Jesus’ question: “Which is easier to say?”
    B. His demonstration: “Get up, take your mat and walk.”
    C. The people’s reaction: amazement and praise

Applications:
    1) We need to bring our friends to Jesus.
    2) We need to recognize that not all people will accept Christ.
    3) We need to come to Christ for the forgiveness of our sins.

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Yesterday’s message in the Gospel of Mark series was called Be Clean!, taken from Mark 1:40-45. Here is a brief outline of the message:

I. Consider the leper (verse 40)
    A. His hopeless condition
    B. His desperate plea
    C. His determined faith

II. Consider Jesus (verses 41-45)
    A. His compassionate response
    B. His power and willingness to heal
    C. His instructions to the leper

III. Consider the deeper meaning
    A. We are all spiritually unclean.
    B. We cannot cleanse ourselves.
    C. Only Jesus can make us clean.

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Yesterday’s message in the Gospel of Mark series was called Ministry Life, taken from Mark 1:29-39. The message looked at what we can learn about ministry from a day in the life of Jesus. Here is a brief outline:

I. Ministry with individuals (verses 29-31)
    A. Jesus cares for individual people.
    B. Nothing is too big or small for God.

II. Ministry with groups (verses 32-34)
    A. Jesus can meet all types of need.
    B. Jesus demonstrated his power over sickness and Satan.

III. Time alone with God (verses 35-39)
    A. Jesus made time alone with God a priority.
    B. Jesus put God before people.

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Yesterday’s message in the Gospel of Mark series was called Teaching with Authority, taken from Mark 1:21-28. The main idea of the message was that Jesus taught with authority. Here is a brief outline of the message:

I. Jesus’ authority in his teaching (verses 21-22)
    A. The people were amazed at Jesus’ teaching.
    B. Jesus taught as one with authority, not as the teachers of the law.

II. Jesus’ authority over the demonic (verses 23-26)
    A. Jesus is confronted by the evil spirit.
    B. Jesus drives out the evil spirit.

III. The people’s response (verses 27-28)
    A. They were amazed at Jesus’ authority.
    B. News about Jesus spread quickly.

Application points:
    1) Read the gospels.
    2) Claim Jesus’ authority over Satan.
    3) Spread the news of Jesus far and wide.

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Yesterday’s message in the Gospel of Mark series was called When Jesus Calls, taken from Mark 1:14-20. Here is a brief outline of the message:

I. Jesus’ message (verses 14-15)
    A. The time has come; the kingdom of God is near.
    B. Repent and believe the good news.

II. Jesus’ call (verses 16-17)
    A. Come, follow me.
    B. I will make you fishers of men.

III. Our appropriate response (verses 18-20)
    A. Immediate obedience to Jesus’ call
    B. Leave everything else behind

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Yesterday’s message in the Gospel of Mark series was called From the Jordan to the Desert, taken from Mark 1:9-13. These verses focus on the baptism and temptation of Christ. Here is a brief outline of the message:

I. Jesus’ Baptism (verses 9-11)
    A. The testimony of Jesus – He is the Savior
    B. The testimony of the Spirit – Jesus is the Christ
    C. The testimony of the Father – Jesus is the Son of God

II. The Temptation in the Wilderness (verses 12-13)
    A. Sent by the Spirit.
    B. Tempted by Satan.
    C. Attended by angels.

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Yesterday’s Christmas message was called Grace in a Manger, taken from Luke 2:11-12. The main idea of the message was that nothing can substitute for Christ in the manger. Here is a brief outline of the message:

    I. The substitute of secular celebration

    II. The substitute of warm sentiment

    III. The substitute of religious deeds

    Conclusion: Jesus Christ – the substitute for sinners!

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Yesterday was our annual Children’s Christmas Play at the church. The name of the play was “Three Wise Men and a Baby.” It was a fun production with plenty of laughs, and the kids had a lot of fun hamming it up on stage. At the same time, the message of Jesus came through loud and clear. We had a lot of guests which is always nice, and a time of refreshments and meeting people afterwards. Many thanks to Joy and Elayne for doing such a great job directing and to everyone else who helped out with the play.

Yesterday’s message was called The Star of Bethlehem, taken from Matthew 2:1-12. The message explored God’s purpose for the Star of Bethlehem both then and today. Here is a brief outline of the message:

    I. Consider the heavens
    II. Consider the Scriptures
    III. Consider the miracle
    IV. Consider the purpose

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Yesterday was our annual Thanksgiving Testimony Sunday. Adults, teens and children returned thanks to God for all the good things he is doing and has done in their lives this past year. This is always one of my favorite Sundays. It is such an encouragement to hear people publicly share their testimonies of praise to our great God. Thank you to everyone who shared in our service yesterday!

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

Note: The Prayer Series continues tomorrow and will conclude on Friday.

Yesterday’s message in the Called series was titled Called to Persevere. Here is a brief outline of the message:

I. God does not promise you an easy life.
    A. We live in a fallen world. (Romans 8:18-21)
    B. We should expect trials. (John 16:33; Acts 14:21-22)

II. God does promise to be with you.
    A. He gives you his peace. (Philippians 4:6-7)
    B. He gives you his presence. (Matthew 28:20)

III. God promises great benefits to those who persevere.
    A. Your faith is shown to be genuine. (1 Peter 1:6-7)
    B. You will grow in character. (James 1:2-4)
    C. He who perseveres to the end will be saved.
        (Matthew 24:12-13; James 1:12)

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Yesterday’s message in the Called series was titled Called to Pray. Here is a brief outline of the message:

I. Prayer is a privilege.
    A. We enter God’s presence. (Psalm 84:1-2; Hebrews 4:16)
    B. We address him as Father. (Matthew 6:9)
    C. We are invited to ask. (John 16:24)

II. Prayer is a discipline.
    A. Our sin nature gets in the way. (Romans 7:18-20)
    B. We don’t always see results. (Luke 18:1)
    C. We are called to persevere. (Matthew 7:7)

III. Prayer is a responsibility.
    A. Prayerlessness is sin. (1 Samuel 12:23)
    B. People depend on our prayers. (Romans 15:30)
    C. God works through our prayers. (Ephesians 3:20-21)

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