Today I would like to take us back to a very special night for Mary long ago in Nazareth… I. Mary’s Story – Read Luke 1:26-50 II. So How Does  Mary’s Response Parallel ours, and What do we Learn? – Fear and pondering – The initial interaction can be unsettling – Doubt – How can this be, I am a virgin? – We try to understand God by our earthly frame of reference – Submission… Continue reading

I. Fasting  v.16-18 – When you fast don’t do it like the hypocrites do    * They put on a gloomy face    * The neglect their appearance – The reason they do this is to be noticed by men, not God – Fasting expresses our dependence upon God to sustain us – Explain fasting – When you fast don’t broadcast it for people – If it’s truly for God then let it be for… Continue reading

I. Beware  v.1 – Matt begins with a warning – Beware! – Something to watch out for or dangerous – What he is warning us about is doing ministry for self glorification – Ministry should focus on being a blessing to others where they glorify God because of it – When you do it this way you glorify God – Remember, if you do ministry so people will notice you or to feed your ego… Continue reading

I. Equality & Fairness  v.38-42 – “That ain’t fair!” – How many times have you heard or said this phrase?    * How many of you have heard, “Life ain’t fair!” – Then why do we expect otherwise? – You need to treat me right or I will defend myself! – Eye for an eye; tooth for a tooth – This is what they were taught, and some of us too – Jesus recognizes this… Continue reading

I. Adultery  v.27-30 – So we all know that adultery is wrong, but do you realize if you lust after a woman with your heart you have already committed adultery with her? – Here there is a shift in understanding of sin, from an action to heart involvement – Then we move into what appears to be dismemberment instructions    * If your right eye makes you stumble tear it out and throw it away… Continue reading

I. The Bread – The bread was unleavened. Leaven/yeast represents sin in the Bible. This bread was unleavened (pure) and represented the sinless body of Christ – Matthew 26:26 “While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” – The perfect sacrifice was broken for us II. The Cup – It held the fruit… Continue reading

I. Anger  v.21-22 – Jesus begins this section by discussing our liability for our attitude – Here Jesus says you have the same responsibility for being angry with your brother as if you had committed murder – Sometimes we allow inappropriate things to remain that we think have not hurt anyone – We have lesser and greater sins in our mind, but God says we carry the responsibility to deal with both – Anger by definition sees… Continue reading

RECAP: – The poor in spirit have come to the end of themselves – Those who mourn have died to themselves – The gentle learned to express the fruit of the Spirit as their come across – When you hunger and thirst for righteousness you realize Christ is your life – You show and receive mercy because you understand the difficulty of dying to yourself – When you are pure in heart and only want… Continue reading

RECAP: – The poor in spirit have come to the end of themselves – Those who mourn have died to themselves – The gentle learned to express the fruit of the Spirit as their come across – When you hunger and thirst for righteousness you realize Christ is your life – You show and receive mercy because you understand the difficulty of dying to yourself – When you are pure in heart and only want God,… Continue reading

I. In The Garden  v.47-56 – Setting the scene:     (Bravado)    *Jesus is in the garden and Judas shows up with the Chief Priest’s posse, kisses Jesus and they grab Him – This time He doesn’t walk thru them  *Jesus even invited Judas to do what he came for – Embraced His calling – Peter’s Reaction: He drew his sword and cut off the High Priest servant’s ear – He did not take… Continue reading