Psalm 24

Psalm 26

Psalm 25

Psalm 23

Ephesians 2:1-10

The past two weeks have given us opportunity to feast on the good news of God’s kingdom and the good news of the cross. Like a well cooked steak perfectly pairs together with a cup of fine wine, we’ve witnessed how Kingdom and Cross perfectly pair together. But what’s a good meal without the final course to make it complete—dessert. In our text God is inviting us to linger a little longer at His banqueting table so that we might devour the gospel dessert of grace. Our text is Ephesians 2:1-10—verses dripping with the good news that “by grace you have been saved.” Life with God under the rule of God is available now (Kingdom). And it’s available now because through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus we can be reconciled to God (Cross). And all of this is possible because of God’s grace—the good news that God accepts us, not because we have earned it or deserved it, but because God does so freely at Christ’s expense.

Colossians 1:12-22

This week we continue to consume the nourishing delights of God’s gospel from God’s Word. This week we turn to the gospel of the cross learning that the good news of the cross is that through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus we can be reconciled to God. This ties together with the good news of God’s Kingdom. We have life with God under His rule because Jesus is the supreme King who is the sufficient Savior. The cross declares the supremacy and sufficiency of Jesus for salvation and every day of our life.

Mark 1:9-14

What is the gospel? That is the question before us over the next three weeks. Our tendency is to lean one way or the other with how the Bible talks about the gospel. We might want to use kingdom language only, or cross or grace language only. But the way God reveals His good news to us is with all three aspects—a beautiful whole gospel we get to embrace. We concentrate on the gospel of God’s kingdom from Jesus’ proclamation in Mark. We learn that the gospel of God’s kingdom is the good news that life with God is available now through Jesus Christ. Truly the time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God is at hand, repent and believe in the gospel!

Luke 11:1-13

Whether you are a new Christian or have been a Christian for a while, we can all struggle with fears we have about prayer. For instance, we might fear that God the Father is relationally distant with no time for our prayers. Or maybe we fear that God is exasperated by our repeated prayers for the same things. You might fear whether or not God even desires to answer your prayers. Or perhaps the fear that haunts you most is whether God is good. The point is fears like these can smother the flame of prayer like a wet blanket smothers a fire. Jesus knows this. Thus He knows how much we need to be reminded of the oxygenating promises of who God is. Promises that have the power to deflate our fears in prayer. This is what makes Luke 11:1-13 so life-giving. Main Idea—Jesus quiets my fears about prayer by reinforcing who God is.

2 Timothy 3:1-17

1 Thessalonians 5:12-28

A desire to please God in our lives is a good and right desire. It indicates that you are a genuine Christian. But perhaps you’ve asked yourself, “What pleases God? And is there a way to know what pleases God?” The answer is ‘yes’ and the text before us is such a place to know what pleases God. Practical lists in the scriptures can sometimes feel like a soul-less list of to-do’s. But far from it, they are a practical, Spirit inspired, practical ways to walk in manner pleasing to God. Paul is closing out his letter with such a list. And the purpose of this list is show how Everyday Disciples can please God in their relationships with other people in the Jesus family and in their relationship with God.