LifePoint Church

Who will overcome you? Who or what has overcome you, your mind, your emotion, your perspective—it’s either Jesus or something or someone else. Who or what has the greatest influence your life? What dominates your thoughts, outlook, feelings? Your pain or bad experience, desire for pleasure, pursuit of your own self-expression or interest, identification with a cause or platform or party or candidate—what are you giving yourself over to, to what or whom are you ceding the prime real estate of your soul and mind and inner life? Where do you give your allegiance?

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In Mark 6, Jesus returns to His hometown of Nazareth, only to be met with disbelief and rejection by His fellow Nazarites. His former neighbors were amazed by His knowledge, but nonetheless dismiss Him and His message. Conversely, Jesus marvels at their unbelief, which significantly hinders His kingdom work among them. Today we explore our roles in the kingdom mission and the challenges our own unbelief presents.

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It’s not easy to trust Jesus when you’re in a hurry…or if you or someone you love is in danger…or if you’re suffering. Faith is the catalyst that Jesus uses to demonstrate his presence in our lives, regardless of our situation. Together, let’s explore a powerful story of faith in Jesus and consider how Jesus invites us to trust him now.

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Jesus and his disciples arrive on the other side and encounter a demon-possessed man. Jesus had demonstrated his power and quieted the sea, and now he will demonstrate His power over Satan. The ex-demoniac recognizing Jesus' love and care and having faith in Jesus over the issues of life and death demonstrates fearless faith in following Jesus as His disciple.

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In this famous passage (Mark 4:35-41), the disciples set out across a lake and encounter a “furious squall.” The storm is so severe that even the fishermen in the boat, who essentially lived on the water, were afraid. All the while, Jesus was in the back of the boat “sleeping on a cushion.” Today we’ll talk about the “storms” in our lives today, our proper response, and how it’s actually possible to remain calm in their midst.

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In Mark chapter 4, we have an opportunity to listen to Jesus’ teaching just as he delivered it to his first followers and the crowds who joined them. Through storytelling, Jesus revealed truth about the Kingdom of God and about our own hearts. By paying attention to Jesus’ words, we can find our next step to follow him and overcome obstacles to our own growth, belief, or fruitfulness.

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Do you ever find yourself forgetting the blessings of God? Whether life is really good or you are in a difficult situation, we all find ourselves looking in all the wrong places for the things that God promises to His children. In this Psalm, David gives us a song of praise that we can sing to God no matter what comes our way. It’s a song about the strength that He puts inside of us, the deliverance that He offers us, and the forgiveness that is available to all who believe in Him. May we never forget these wonderful blessings of God.

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Do you ever have difficulty dealing with anger? More than a dozen or so Psalms express anger while crying out for justice and revenge. These Psalms are categorized as imprecatory. Psalm 109 is the longest and most detailed in its description of vengeance with words like, “May his days be few; may another take his place.” Let’s consider the role that anger plays in our lives, our relationship with God, and in the book of Psalms.

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Psalm 51 reminds us of the gravity of sin. You and I may think our sin is small, but it is severe. What we perceive to be the slightest sin is infinitely severe before God. It is a defiance of God, and it destroys you and others. That is not an overstatement: recall that according to Genesis 3, sin and death entered the world through one sin. A piece of fruit was eaten, and condemnation came to all men. Consider the sins of David, who committed adultery with Bathsheba and orchestrated the death of her husband, Uriah. These were severe sins that had severe consequences.

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In the midst of chaos, it’s sometimes hard to see the best way forward. We often find ourselves clamoring for relief and desperately seeking refuge. During the distress, nothing is more desired than the safety of home - although during such times we struggle to verbalize that desire. Today, we find a song reminding us that God is our shelter – our home. He is our refuge and without us even realizing, He comes to us.

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