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Sunday’s message from the Lead Me to the Cross series was called Temptation and Prayer, taken from the Garden of Gethsemane account in Matthew 26:26-36. Here is a brief outline of the message:

I. Temptation can be overwhelming (36-38)
   A. Jesus brings his disciples with him for support (36-37)
   B. Jesus is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death (38)

II. Prayer is key to overcoming temptation (39-44)
   A. Jesus prays while the disciples sleep (39-41)
   B. Jesus prays for the Father’s will to be done (39, 42)
   C. Jesus persists in prayer (43-44)

III. The moment of trial will come (45-46)
   A. The disciples arise unprepared for temptation (45)
   B. Jesus rises ready to face his betrayer (46)

Applications:
   1) Watch and pray so you do not fall into temptation (36-41)
   2) Seek God’s will, not your own (39, 42)
   3) Don’t give up – be persistent in prayer (43-44)
   4) We are all stumbling disciples – lean on God’s grace (45-46)

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Sunday’s message from the Lead Me to the Cross series was called Foreshadowing of the Cross, taken from the account of the Last Supper in Matthew 26:17-30. Here is a brief outline of the message:

I. Christ’s appointed time (17-19)
   A. Jesus chooses the time (17)
   B. Jesus chooses the place (18-19)

II. Christ’s appointed betrayal (20-25)
   A. Jesus announces his betrayal (20-22)
   B. Jesus identifies his betrayer (23-25)

III. Christ’s appointed death (26-30)
   A. Jesus offers the bread (26)
   B. Jesus offers the cup (27-29)
   C. Jesus offers praise to the Father (30)

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Sunday’s message from the Lead Me to the Cross series was called Extravagant Love, taken from Matthew 26:1-13. Here is a brief outline of the message:

The Setting: Jesus predicts the time of his death (Matthew 26:1-5)

I. Mary’s extravagant love for Christ (Matthew 26:6-13)

II. God’s extravagant love for us (1 John 4:10)

III. Our extravagant love for God (1 John 4:19)

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Sunday’s message from the Christ Our Purpose series was on Receiving People into Fellowship and Service. Here is a brief outline of the message:

I. The church is a family where we love each other as Jesus loved us (John 13:34-35)

II. The church is a body where each part does its work (Ephesians 4:15-16)

III. The church is God’s appointed means of advancing his kingdom here on earth (Matthew 16:15-20)

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Sunday’s message from the Christ Our Purpose series was on Helping People Grow in Christ. Here is a brief outline of the message:

I. Spiritual growth and maturity
   A. Grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus (2 Peter 3:18)
   B. Grow in Christian maturity (Colossians 1:28)

II. Becoming more like Jesus
   A. God is making you more like his Son (Romans 8:28-30)
   B. God develops Christ’s character in you through the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23)

III. The Bible, prayer, fellowship and service (Acts 2:42-47)

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Lots of players pray before the big game, but how many pray afterwards? I was encouraged by this photo of Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos players joining in prayer together immediately following Super Bowl XLVIII.

In case you’re wondering who the players are, that’s Seattle Seahawks linebacker Mike Morgan (#57); and for the Denver Broncos, it’s tackle Chris Clark (#75), running back Knowshon Moreno (#27), and wide receiver Wes Welker (#83). [Update: And non-player Chip Simmons between Morgan and Welker (see comment below).]

HT: Twitter @KariVanHorn

Sunday’s message from the new Christ Our Purpose series was on Calling People to Christ. Here is a brief outline of the message:

I. Sharing the gospel with others (Matthew 28:18-20)
   A. Jesus’ first and last commands (Matthew 4:19, 28:18-19)
   B. All authority has been given to Jesus (Psalm 2:7-8; Matthew 28:18)
   C. Jesus commands us to go (Matthew 28:19-20)

II. Telling about Christ’s death and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-4)
   A. The gospel has specific content (1 Corinthians 15:1-2)
   B. Christ’s death and resurrection are central (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)

III. Sharing with our local community and the whole world (Acts 1:8)
   A. The gospel began locally and then spread worldwide
   B. The same two-fold responsibility rests on us today

“The gospel is not simply good history or good information. It is good news, and good news is meant to be shared!”

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I appreciated Brit Hume’s heartfelt words on abortion this past Wednesday.

Brit Hume’s Brutally Honest Rant On Abortion (Video length: 1:27)

Transcript: This is the 41st anniversary of the day the Supreme Court found that a generalized right to privacy it had basically invented, meant that a woman has a constitutional right to snuff out an unborn life, a human being with a beating heart. That’s what a fetus as young as six weeks is.

Small wonder these protesters still come every year to register their continuing objections. Some estimates are that as many as 55 million abortions — 55 million — have occurred since the Court acted. In that time, science has given us an ever clearer picture of just how much of a baby a fetus is. At 20 weeks, we now know, these tiny creatures can hear, even recognize a mother’s voice. Their toenails are growing and their hearts beat loud enough to be heard by a stethoscope.

The moral case for allowing such beings to be killed grows ever weaker and its advocates resort to ever more absurd euphemisms to describe what they support. They’re not really pro-abortion, they’ve long said, they’re pro-choice. This isn’t about killing unborn babies. It’s about reproductive health.

And the biggest chain of abortion clinics in the country refers to itself as Planned Parenthood. In 2012, this organization says it carried out — quote — “abortion procedures” 329,445 times. Whatever that number represents, it’s not parenthood. These protesters here today understand that there is something deeply false and wrong about all this. They come each year to remind the rest of us.

 
Related: The Sanctity of Human Life in the Womb (Sermon from Psalm 139)
Click here for more posts on the subject of abortion.

Sunday’s message for Sanctity of Human Life Sunday was called The Sanctity of Human Life in the Womb, taken from Psalm 139:13-16.

Here is a brief outline of the message:

Five reasons why we should affirm the sanctity of human life in the womb:
    1) God has ownership rights as Creator. (13a)
    2) Human life should be treated with special reverence and awe. (13b-14)
    3) God designed the womb as a place of nurture and protection. (15a)
    4) God personally fashions the baby in the womb. (15b-16a)
    5) God has a plan for each child’s life even before the child is born. (16b)

What can you do?
    1) Pray concerning the problem of abortion.
    2) Vote for people and policies which affirm life.
    3) Support mothers in crisis and those who give them aid.

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Here are links to all the messages in the Ruth – A Christmas Story series. Enjoy!

Note: This is a current series and each message will be posted as it is preached.

• Week 1: O Little Town of Bethlehem
  The story of a young woman who made a radical commitment of faith to God and then journeyed to Bethlehem where she gave birth to a child who would change the world.
• Week 2: A Righteous Man
  The story of a righteous man who offered kindness, protection and provision to a young woman in her time of need.
• Week 3: The Kinsman-Redeemer
  The story of a kinsman-redeemer who redeemed his beloved from a desperate situation at great cost to himself.
• Week 4: A Child is Born
  The story of a child in the line of Judah who was born as a redeemer in fulfillment of the prophecies leading up to Messiah.

Sunday’s message in the Ruth – A Christmas Story series was called A Child Is Born taken from Ruth 4:11-22. Here is a brief outline of the message:

The story of a child in the line of Judah who was born as a redeemer in fulfillment of the prophecies leading up to Messiah.

I. Born in the line of Judah (Ruth 4:11-12; Genesis 49:10)
   A. A blessed future (11)
   B. A scandalous past (12)

II. Born as a redeemer (Ruth 4:13-17)
   A. A miraculous conception (13)
   B. A child-redeemer (14-15)
   C. A son for Naomi (16-17)

III. The birth of a king (Ruth 4:18-22)
   A. The genealogy of David (18-22)
   B. The genealogy of Christ (Matthew 1:1-17)
   C. Jesus is born – our Messiah, Redeemer and King!

Note: Click on the Sermons tab at the top of the blog for this and other messages.

Sunday’s message in the Ruth – A Christmas Story series was called The Kinsman-Redeemer taken from Ruth 3:1 – 4:10. Here is a brief outline of the message:

The story of a kinsman-redeemer who redeemed his beloved from a desperate situation at great cost to himself.

I. A desperate situation (Ruth 3:1-9)

II. A loving response (Ruth 3:10-18)

III. A costly redemption (Ruth 4:1-10)

Back to the Christmas story:

    1) Our desperate situation (Galatians 3:22-23)
         – prisoners of sin
         – held prisoners by the law

    2) God’s loving response (Galatians 4:4-5)
         – God sent his Son – born of a woman, born under the law
         – Jesus is our Kinsman-Redeemer!

    3) A costly redemption (Mark 10:45)
         – Jesus did not come to be served but to serve
         – Jesus gave his own life as a ransom for many

Note: Click on the Sermons tab at the top of the blog for this and other messages.