Midvale Community Baptist Church

This is the last sermon to finish out the gospel account of Mark and Alan's last sermon as Interim Pastor here at MCBC. This last time covered the trial before Pilate, the crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection, and commission of Jesus.

This is the fundamental and foundational message of the gospel and is of UTTER importance in the life of God's Saints and the message of the gospel we give to the world to repent and believe for the forgiveness of sins, the filling of the Spirit, and eternal life everlasting.

This week we read through chapters 13-14 of Mark's gospel writing (which is Peter's gospel account/testimony/witness of his time with Christ). In these chapters we read and learn about the signs of the closing of the end of the age - the abolition of the old covenant, instituted by the destruction of the temple - and the culmination of the "end times," Jesus' time with His disciples during the day of Passover, the plans and practice of the Passover meal, the institution of New Covenant through the bread and wine proclaiming the ratification of the New Covenant in His broken body and shed blood that was coming, His praying and arrest in the garden, His trial before the chief priests and high priest, and Peter's triple denial of Jesus before the rooster crowed a second time.

Instead of investigating the details of the bark on the trees (investigating verse by verse), we are pulling back to discover the landscape (chapter by chapter) as we read about the last week of Jesus' life from the triumphal entry to the resurrection. This week we heard about Jesus healing the blind Bartimaeus, the triumphal entry, the "Markan sandwich" illustration of the Fig Tree with Jesus cleansing the temple, the discussion about the resurrection with the Sadducees, the greatest commandment, Jesus' rebuke of the scribes, and finished up with the poor widow's giving all she had.

When we think of Pastors leading churches, there are a LOT of things it makes us assume, think, feel, and believe about how the Church is led. Paul teaches us to love, serve, honor, and obey our leaders in the Church. How do we honor those who serve well and what do we do with those who don't? How do we affirm and honor those who shepherd the flock of God well and what do we do with those who don't?

This is the first sermon of two where Alan addresses the reality of our culture today, the state of Christendom, leadership in the church organization, and pastoral leadership in uncharted territory.

This week we got to experience communion in a new and fun way, proclaiming the LORD's death, proclaiming the joy and goodness of the gospel through observing communion, having unity together as we enjoyed the bread and juice, and even more so, enjoying the presence of the Holy Spirit as we talked about Him.

This week we discover the background behind our identity as the people, the TEMPLE, of God. The temple used to be a place the people went to, now it's who God's people ARE.

We're introduced to our new series Canoeing the Mountain where we take a look at the changing environment of ministry in a Post-Christendom era.

This week Alan shot from the hip and called an audible on the sermon. In our time together this morning, we heard from the scripture about the condemnation of the old vineyard that God planted and it did not yield good fruit, as compared to the true vine, Jesus Christ, and our place within and dwelling within this vine.

You are a NEW creation, living in the NEWness of life, making NEW changes because of who you ARE in Christ! Live in this newness of life and the freedom Christ has given you!