Lessons for Living (Audio)

A lot of people think that just going to church once in a while is enough to get them in good with God. Not every week, okay – they’re not fanatics, ya’ know – but a couple of times a month should do it. What those people don’t understand – and Pastor Mark’s teaching today will explain – is that from God’s perspective, coming to church services without any more commitment won’t even show up on the godliness scale. You’ll find out today what God’s offering you and how to receive His blessings.

There’s no human being alive today that was living when Jesus was crucified and resurrected. Because of that lack of personal observation, you have to act on what the Bible says through faith. You have to decide that you’re going to believe what the Bible says about you, sin, and Jesus. And Pastor Mark will be teaching today that although repentance and faith are important first steps, they are only the first steps. You’ll find out more that is expected of the Christ-follower, and you can measure your growth against God’s standard.

Isn’t it fun watching a baby discover their world? First touching things, then crawling and walking around, learning about life. It’s the same with a newborn Christ follower. As they learn about God and begin to get a grasp on what has been done for them, the wonder and amazement are awesome to see. But as Pastor Mark will be teaching today, it’s not good for either infant to remain an infant. You’ll hear the Apostle Paul’s concern for the Christians in the book of Hebrews. How much of what he says can you relate to?

If you grew up going to church, you might’ve gotten the idea that ‘churchgoers’ are closest to God because they go to church. Or maybe you’ve heard that your particular brand of Christianity is the closest to the original. Well, none of that’s correct. If that’s confusing for you, you should listen to Pastor Mark’s teaching today. In it, you’ll hear from scripture about the way that God planned things. You’ll find out that there’s no creation of man that’s able to provide the eternal salvation you and everyone else needs.

You may have something you really want to achieve. Even though that takes hard work and dedication, you’re keeping your eye on the goal. The priests of the Old Testament had a job, which was to accept and offer sacrifices for the people. These sacrifices – made month after month and year after year - were to pay the blood debt for their sin. Pastor Mark’s teaching today will explain the reason that these sacrifices, and those priests, couldn’t pay the sin debt once and for all – but Jesus could.

You know, you’ve heard about pastors who abused their position for money or fame or sex. And while this is a tragedy for the pastor and his family, the worst part is the black eye given to the Church and to Jesus. When these kinds of things happen it gives the people that hate God and Jesus a chance to mock them more. Pastor Mark will be teaching today that when people try to put themselves in the place that only Jesus can fill, nothing but disaster will happen – for themselves and for their followers.

People have tried to cover up their sins ever since the beginning. They deny the hurt done to others as well as the guilt that they feel, because deep inside they know they’ve done somebody wrong. But sin and guilt never go away when you try to take care of them yourself. Pastor Mark will be teaching today about the only way to rid yourself of these burdens, which is to follow Jesus. You’ll learn about your need to become familiar with scripture and then to do what it says, without hesitation.

Mankind’s problems have basically been the same throughout history. You might think that your situation is unique but if you’ll look around, you’ll find someone who’s going through much the same stuff as you are. The temptation is to try to solve them with the power of your mind or the force of your will. But as Pastor Mark will be teaching today, the core of mankind’s problems is spiritual. You’ll learn that the root has to be attacked from a spiritual perspective, which means you have to look to God for the answer.

The Bible makes some pretty fantastic claims, doesn’t it? A God who has always existed, creates a universe out of nothing? It stretches the imagination. All of the miracles in the Old and New Testaments challenge the accepted scientific norms. Pastor Mark will be teaching today about why you can trust the truthfulness of the Bible – and by extension, God. You’ll hear where the writer of Hebrews talks about the evidence for God, showing that He’s real and that He can be known by humans.

Do you ever wonder what’s next for you as a Christ-follower? Even if you’ve been following Jesus for years, do you ever take a look at your journey and ask yourself, “Is this all there is?” Pastor Mark will be teaching today about the life that God has for His children. You’ll find out why the Israelites missed out on God’s promises for them. You’ll learn that the reasons they fell short may be the same ones holding you back from experiencing the “abundant life” that God said that you can have.