Few things are more painful than being despised or rejected by others, especially when its rejection by those you love and care deeply about. Indeed, those of us who have suffered being rejected or forsaken know that the pain and hurt can linger on. Jesus was despised and rejected on a scale unimaginable, not just by those he loved, but even to the point of being forsaken by God the Father, on account of our sin. Yet, his rejection, led to our redemption. He willingly entered into that suffering for us, in order that God's justice would be satisfied, and we might be fully accepted and embraced by God for eternity.

There is no doubt that the persistent presence of sin in our lives produces a burden of suffering that we must bear. Whether it is the consequences we endure for our own sin, the effects of others' sin against us, or just the adversity we face by living in a fallen world, the heavy reality of it all can be nothing short of overwhelming. The good news is that God has always had a means to deal with sin - a means of lifting this burden and replacing it with an eternal weight of the glory to come. Join us as we continue our Lenten series and consider the old covenant day of atonement and its role in foreshadowing the final and full atonement secured for us in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

When the greatest force of destruction and judgment ever seen fell upon the most powerful nation on earth, God used the most innocent and unexpected of means to protect and deliver his people, the blood of a lamb. The Passover, which served as the central reminder of both God's judgment and deliverance, also was meant to portray an even greater judgment and deliverance which would come through the blood of his own Son, Jesus Christ.

The Bible is clear that God at time brings struggles and trials into the life of believers for the purpose of testing our faith and strengthening our trust in him. One of the most heart-wrenching tests of faith came to Abraham when God asked him to sacrifice his only son Isaac. Abraham's trust in the Lord, as well as God's faithful provision for Abraham, give us one of the clearest pictures of God's ultimate provision for us in the gospel which enables us to respond like Abraham when our faith is put to the test through trials. Join us as we continue to our series entitled Glory Through Suffering and see that God has indeed provided the lamb.

When we think of a curse, we might conjure up an image of some voodoo witch doctor sticking a pin in a little doll or some wish of woe to befall someone. But there is nothing superstitious about the curse of God upon mankind as a result of sin. In fact the pain and suffering suffered by humanity because of sin is a universal experience . Yet despite sin's painful curse, from the very beginning, God promised to provide a covering for sin through the suffering and sacrifice of one who would conquer death through death. Here we look at curse of sin brought on by Adam and the covering of sacrifice provided by Jesus.

Life doesn’t always go as planned. Relationships struggle, desires go unfulfilled, goals are unaccomplished, people disappoint, promises are broken, and the list could go on and on. Consequently, most of us know what it is like to see our soaring expectations come crashing down after being bombarded with a dose of harsh reality. But how can we find hope in the midst of such circumstances? We now begin a lenten sermon series that focuses on how Jesus leads us on the pilgrimage from suffering to everlasting glory. We’ll consider how two disillusioned disciples returning from Jerusalem after Jesus’ death find hope through an unexpected encounter with the One who has the power to open their eyes to see God’s even greater purpose in spite of their own expectations.

Following Jesus as his disciple involves not just responding in faith to his call to come, but also obeying in faith his command to go. Jesus calls us into fellowship and followership with the purpose of sending us out as his ambassadors on mission. We conclude our series on following Jesus and what it means to be on mission as his disciples.

The greatest deterrent to true discipleship is pride. And the greatest danger to true disciples is spiritual pride masked in righteousness. Jesus' life of humble service not only exposes our pride for the sin that it is, but his greatest act of service in laying down his life for us is the only thing that can transform us into the humble servants that Jesus calls us to be as his followers.

A "law-abiding citizen" describes someone who not only knows what the laws of the land say, but willingly seeks to live his life in accordance with and obedience to those laws. Jesus, when speaking of those who truly believe in him and can be identified as true followers, describes them as "word-abiding disciples." Here we look at what it means to abide in Jesus' word and thus truly be a disciple.

Jesus' promise to provide "rest for our souls" is certainly inviting to the ears of many who live restless and burdened lives. What is interesting is that this promise of rest is fulfilled only as we take upon ourselves the "yoke" of Christ, submitting ourselves to him, learning from him, and resting in his burden-bearing sacrifice for us. Now we look at what it means to come and follow Jesus.