Lessons for Living (Audio)

How often do we tell others about Jesus? If you’re like most people, the answer is, “not very often”. The story that Pastor Mark will be teaching from today is the story of Jairus, a Jewish official, who had a sick girl that needed healing from Jesus. He healed the girl – raising her from the dead, in fact. Pastor Mark will be emphasizing the faith of Jairus, but will also be pointing out the fact that someone communicated to Jairus about what this Jesus guy could do for him. Pastor Mark will be challenging us to look at people the way Jesus does – as needy people needing His touch – and to tell them about Him.

The scripture passages Pastor Mark will be teaching from include Jesus’ confrontation with a demonized man. Hollywood likes to make movies about demon-possessed people but the stories don’t seem to go like this one. These demons knew Who Jesus was, and they feared Him and His authority over them. They also knew that they were defeated and were eventually going to hell. Even though our lives aren’t as bad as this guy’s must have been, Pastor Mark will be reminding us of Jesus’ ability to bring order to our lives. Unlike fallen angels, we have the chance for redemption and being saved from joining the demons in hell.

The scripture passages Pastor Mark will be teaching from include Jesus’ confrontation with a demonized man. Hollywood likes to make movies about demon-possessed people but the stories don’t seem to go like this one. These demons knew Who Jesus was, and they feared Him and His authority over them. They also knew that they were defeated and were eventually going to hell. Even though our lives aren’t as bad as this guy’s must have been, Pastor Mark will be reminding us of Jesus’ ability to bring order to our lives. Unlike fallen angels, we have the chance for redemption and being saved from joining the demons in hell.

The Bible says for us to “walk by faith, and not by sight”. That is sometimes very difficult to do. It was tough for Jesus’ disciples, too. As Pastor Mark will be teaching, the mistake the disciples made was that they didn’t believe what Jesus said to them. When things get tough for us, it’s hard to take comfort in what the Bible says about living life trusting in Christ to get us through. Pastor Mark will be reminding us of God’s reliability by relating the story of one of the times Jesus and the disciples crossed the Sea of Galilee. We hope that by going through this story again your faith will be strengthened and your hope increased.

The Bible says for us to “walk by faith, and not by sight”. That is sometimes very difficult to do. It was tough for Jesus’ disciples, too. As Pastor Mark will be teaching, the mistake the disciples made was that they didn’t believe what Jesus said to them. When things get tough for us, it’s hard to take comfort in what the Bible says about living life trusting in Christ to get us through. Pastor Mark will be reminding us of God’s reliability by relating the story of one of the times Jesus and the disciples crossed the Sea of Galilee. We hope that by going through this story again your faith will be strengthened and your hope increased.

Pastor Mark has been teaching from Luke 8, which chronicles another day in the life of Jesus. Jesus has been speaking about truth, using light as a metaphor. He has been talking about our need to receive the light and become light bearers in the same way Jesus is, reflecting His light to those around us. In the same way that Jesus’ claims of divinity were controversial, he will be making statements regarding family that will ruffle some feathers, too. Some of us have experienced alienation from our physical family as a result of our acceptance into God’s heavenly family. As difficult as this is, Jesus said it might happen.

Pastor Mark has been teaching from Luke 8, which chronicles another day in the life of Jesus. Jesus has been speaking about truth, using light as a metaphor. He has been talking about our need to receive the light and become light bearers in the same way Jesus is, reflecting His light to those around us. In the same way that Jesus’ claims of divinity were controversial, he will be making statements regarding family that will ruffle some feathers, too. Some of us have experienced alienation from our physical family as a result of our acceptance into God’s heavenly family. As difficult as this is, Jesus said it might happen.

The Bible speaks of truth as light. In the passage Pastor Mark is going to teach from today, Jesus calls His followers to be light, because they have the truth of the Gospel inside them. As bearers of the light, we have a great responsibility to keep that light pure. Jesus warned us to continue to live a pure life so that we would not tarnish His Name and reputation. Pastor Mark will be warning us that we can’t hide sin from God, and that it’s better to confess, repent and be forgiven now than to have God reveal our sin publicly. We urge you to get your accounts with Jesus clear now so that you can live fully for Him and to avoid the possibility of falling short of God’s best for you.

The Bible speaks of truth as light. In the passage Pastor Mark is going to teach from today, Jesus calls His followers to be light, because they have the truth of the Gospel inside them. As bearers of the light, we have a great responsibility to keep that light pure. Jesus warned us to continue to live a pure life so that we would not tarnish His Name and reputation. Pastor Mark will be warning us that we can’t hide sin from God, and that it’s better to confess, repent and be forgiven now than to have God reveal our sin publicly. We urge you to get your accounts with Jesus clear now so that you can live fully for Him and to avoid the possibility of falling short of God’s best for you.

Jesus sometimes said things to His followers that were hard for them to hear. In fact, once His sayings caused nearly everyone to leave Him. In the same way, this story of the sower, the seed and the soil has some difficult implications. As Pastor Mark unpacks this passage, you might feel yourself challenged in how you approach your relationship with God. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Following Jesus requires that we give Him permission to tell us whatever He wants to. The great challenge is for us to be obedient to Him and to trust that He knows what’s best for us and that He will give us the strength to carry it through.