Grace 242

What does it mean when the Apostles' Creed reads, "He descended into hell?" Did Jesus really go to hell? Where did Jesus go when he died? What should we be thinking about when we recite this line of the creed?

The Apostles' Creed affirms that we believe in one God who exists in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. At Jesus' baptism we see each member of the Trinity. God becomes all the more personal when we are invited to become participants in the Godhead. 

Scripture reading: Mark 1:9-11

We're starting a new series on the Apostles' Creed. The creed begins with the words "I believe." What are we doing when we say the words "I believe?" 

Scripture reading: Acts 16:25-34

Coinciding with Lent, we are preaching through Holy Week. On Friday, Jesus is arrested, tried, and crucified. 

Scripture Reading: John 20:11-18

At the open tomb, Mary mistakes Jesus for the gardener? We like to ask, "How could Mary mistake the very one she's seeking for the gardener?" But this is the wrong question. The right question is, "Why would John include this detail?" 

Coinciding with Lent, we are preaching through Holy Week. On Friday, Jesus is arrested, tried, and crucified. 

Scripture Reading: Luke 23:35-43

On Friday, Jesus pays the ultimate price and is crucified on a cross. Looking closer at this King who dies reveals three juxtapositions: 
1. Jesus does not rely on his strength to save himself, instead he obeys his Father. 
2. Jesus does not deliver himself when he could have, instead he remains in the suffering until death. 
3. One of the thieves crucified with Jesus scoffs, while the other thief sees Jesus' death as the way to life. 
Is the cross foolishness, or is it the power to save? 

Coinciding with Lent, we are preaching through Holy Week. After riding into Jerusalem on Sunday, Jesus returns to the city on Monday to cleanse the temple. 

Scripture Reading: Matthew 26:36-46

After the Last Supper on Thursday, Jesus and his disciples head to the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus prays in anguish before going to the cross the next day. In Gethsemane we see: 1. Jesus' Humanness 2. Jesus' Faithfulness 3. Our Unfaithfulness. 

Coinciding with Lent, we are preaching through Holy Week. On Tuesday, Jesus prophesies about his second coming on the Mount of Olives. 

Scripture Reading: Mark 13:1-4, 24-26

Using the temple as an image for his prophesy, Jesus teaches about when he will come back someday. Jesus' second coming means that we are to have vigilance for his return, and we are to take comfort that he is returning. 

Coinciding with Lent, we are preaching through Holy Week. After riding into Jerusalem on Sunday, Jesus returns to the city on Monday to cleanse the temple. 

Scripture Reading: Matthew 21:12-17

Jesus cleanses the temple and receives contrasting reactions from the religious leaders and from the children. The religious leaders are angry while the children sing his praises. Like the children who sang Jesus' praises, we are to have a childlike faith. 

Coinciding with Lent, we are preaching through Holy Week. Today we begin with Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. 

Scripture Reading: Luke 19:36-40

Are you worshipping Jesus for the King he is, or are you praising your construction of what a king ought to be?

This is the last week of our series on Jude. In verse 24, Jude closes his letter comforting us that it is God who keeps us from falling. Verse 24 gives us three questions to ask ourselves to determine that we are being Kept from falling. 

1. Do I long to meet Jesus?
2. Do I crave freedom from sin? 
3. Do I have the joy of the Lord?