Big Idea: How do I get to heaven?

3 marks of vertical evangelism

1. Help them accept they have nothing to offer (vv.13-16)

2. Lead them to repentance (vv.17-22)

3. Preach the power of faith (vv.23-31

Preacher: Bobby Greenwood

Falter: a loss of confidence, strength, and momentum in my faith.

1. Why I’m faltering

Three Places I go that cause me to falter:

a. I get ahead of Jesus

b. I get above Jesus

c. I get into opposition with Jesus

2. When I’m faltering:

a. Take Action

b. Take Notice

c. Take Cover

Preacher: Scott Hollingshead

Big Idea: Jesus confronts unbiblical divorce and lays out 3 essential qualities of a godly marriage/spouse.

vv. 1-2:

1. A soft heart

2 schools of thought:

a. Shammai- deny divorce except for adultery.

b. Hillel- common view, allow divorce for basically any reason:

vv. 3-4:

- Deut 24:1-4

v.5:

- Don’t look for ways out of your marriage, look for ways to stay in it -- God will supply His grace.

2. A strong theology

Marriage is:

a. One man, one woman (v.6)

b. Leave (v.7)

c. Cleave

d. One flesh (v.8)

e. Don’t mess (v.9)

3. A steadfast commitment

vv. 10-12:

This is why Jesus has been saying:

1. Have faith-- God can do the impossible in your marriage.

2. Humble yourself and be your spouse’s servant.

3. Kill sin-- Confess it and forsake it. The Cross is enough!

Preacher: Scott Hollingshead

Big Idea: Take sin seriously or sin will seriously take you down.

- True disciples will fight sin like pirates.

1. Better to walk the plank (v.42)

- Don’t be the reason one of God's kids falls into sin. How?

a. Doubt

b. Ignorance

c. Apathy

d. Provocation

e. Influence

2. Better to cut it off (vv.43-48)

- Jesus is calling for pirate surgery

- Eradicate sin in your life. Where do you need to do it?

- Think about what you do, where you go, and what you look at…

- The best weapon to gouge out sin with is the Sword of the Spirit-- kill sin with God’s word.

- God loves you too much to let you dabble in what will destroy you.

3. Better to be consumed with the treasure

- The cost of discipleship is only surpassed by the worth of the treasure. (vv.49-50)

- Only when Jesus is your treasure will you be able to lay down the pursuit of sin and self to present your body as a living sacrifice to Him.

Preacher: Scott Hollingshead

Big Idea: Humility is the Kingdom posture that God blesses. Pursue it!

1. Reflect on the wonder of Jesus’ sacrifice

John Stott — “Nothing in history or in the universe cuts us down to size like the cross. All of us have inflated views of ourselves, especially in self-righteousness, until we have visited a place called Calvary. It is there, at the foot of the Cross, that we shrink to our true size.”

vv. 30-32

2. Redefine greatness

vv. 33-34:

Jesus doesn’t say you shouldn’t pursue greatness. He simply redefines it...

a. Greatness in God’s eyes is not about self-glory but self-giving.

b. Greatness isn’t defined by what you accomplish but how you serve.

3. Resolve to serve God’s people sacrificially

vv. 36-37:

- Jesus wants you to serve others as if you were serving Jesus Himself

vv. 36-41:

- Learn to celebrate others successes

Preacher: Scott Hollingshead

1. The problem of unbelief (vv.14-19)

2. The possibilities of faith (vv.20-27)

 “Let us expect God is going to use us. Let us have courage, and go forward, looking to God to do great things.” — D.L. Moody 

“Attempt great things for God. Expect great things from God.” — William Carey, founder of the Baptist missionary society 

3. The power of God (vv.28-29)

Vision:

a. Our approach

i. Inquiry

ii. Integrity

b. Our focus

i. Discipleship

- NOT build buildings, use people

- Build people, use buildings (disciple factory)

ii. Outreach

- 280,000 people and growing. Let’s reach 1%

- Compassion Center-- serve our community!

iii. Missions/Training

- Church planting

a. Sacramento 5th least churched city in America, San Francisco is least churched

b. 20 countries with HBC churches but 196 countries in the world.

Action Items

a. Inquire with us!

b. Think about how the Lord may be leading you to contribute financially.

c. Please join us on May 25 on the land for our all church prayer night.

Preacher: Scott Hollingshead

Big Idea: Enduring faith is fueled by glimpses of God’s glory.

1. Glory is coming— trust in the plan of God

a. Proof in His form (vv.2-3)

b. Proof in His friends (vv.4-6)

c. Proof of His Father (vv.7-8)

2. Glory is coming-- take the path to God (vv. 9-13)

Preacher: Scott Hollingshead

Big Idea: 3 steps toward clarity:

1. Only God can open your eyes to see (vv.22-26)

Who is this man?

- Popular opinion (vv.27-28)

- Personal opinion (vv.29-30)

2. Only God’s word should define your view of Jesus (v. 31-33)

You know you have a distorted view of Jesus if:

a. You have a light view of sin

b. You favor parts of Jesus over others

c. You want his miracles, not his message

- A wrong view of Jesus leads to a wrong view of discipleship.

3. Only in losing your life for Jesus’ sake will you ever gain it (vv.34-38)

- Deny yourself-- Say 'No' to self in order to say 'Yes' to Jesus.

- Take up your cross-- Submit to wreckless abandon of the will of God.

- Follow him.

(vv.35-38) Win the life you want and suffer the loss eternally.

- The call to discipleship is not Jesus AND your life. It’s Jesus OR your life.

- Can you say your life has been lost for Jesus’ sake and the gospel?

Conclusion: Imagine if you did a life reset and based on the word of God alone, you allowed God to order your life. How different would that look from where you are now?

Preacher: Chris Ritter

Movements in this passage:

- Bread provided (vv.1-10)

- Bread corrupted (vv.11-15)

- It's not just coming to Jesus that counts... it's how you come to Jesus!

- Leaven: An agent, like yeast, that causes batter or dough to rise.

"An element, influence, or agent that works subtly to modify a whole" -- American Heritage Dictionary

- What is the leaven of the Pharisees and the Leaven of Herod?

Unbelief

Kinds of unbelief:

a. Religious Unbelief: The subtle, dangerous, even damning unbelief of religious people who ultimately reject Jesus

Colossians 1:25-29

b. Worldly Unbelief: Seeing no value in Jesus as Savior

Bread Misunderstood (vv.16-21)

- What did Jesus want the disciples to understand?

- The point of Mark's book: Jesus is the Son of God (Mark 1:1)

Bread Remembered

Luke 22:14-19

Luke 24:30-32

Preacher: Chris Ritter

Big Idea: Real faith in Jesus will cause you to…

1. Come to Him without inhibition

2. Rely on His compassion and power

3. Bring others to Him

4. Worship Jesus for what He alone can do