New River Church

In Mark 14 & 15 we witness the greatest act of love the world has ever known. God steps in and takes our place, becoming a substitute for us so that if we trust Him, we can escape the wrath and judgment that is rightfully due us.

Jesus redefines what it means to succeed. We think of triumph as overcoming trouble. But here we learn that "Triumphant" means giving all we have even though we have a million reasons to hold back and be selfish. This is the heart of an intimate relationship with Jesus. In religion we are allowed to hold a lot back for ourselves, as long as we check the right boxes. In relationship, we give all, out of love.

Jesus does not allow us to define Who He is and what He has come to do. He defines it for Himself. Will we receive Him as He is, or will we continue to define Him in ways that are comfortable for us?

Today we reach the culmination of Mark's Gospel. Finally, through Divine revelation, the disciples discover that Jesus is indeed, The Messiah. But what about you? Who do you say Jesus is? Your perception of Jesus will change everything about your life.

Many people believe in Jesus, but few people actually follow Him. To follow Him means I believe He is a good leader and Someone worth imitating and learning from. In the first five chapters, Mark demonstrates that Jesus is powerful. In chapter six, Mark shows that Jesus is worth following!

We were made to fear God, but in our fallen condition, we fear everything else but God. Jesus steps into our world and corrects this problem. The most common response people had to Jesus in Mark's Gospel was fear, but in fearing Him, we are drawn into trusting Him because He has focused His power on helping us!

It is easy for us to follow Jesus with wrong motives and find out we are not really following Jesus at all! In Mark 4, Jesus teaches a story designed to expose our hearts and bring us into a deeper connection with Him. This message leaves us thinking about where we stand in relationship with Christ. We hope you are blessed!

You can hate Jesus or love Jesus but you cannot remain neutral in your response to Jesus. He demands a response. In this message, we look at four different typical responses to Jesus and are challenged to evaluate how we will respond to Him.

Mark's gospel continues to build the case for why Jesus is "The Good News that changes everything". In this section, Mark demonstrates that Jesus is the Ultimate Authority. Someone with Jesus' authority, power and compassion can truly forgive you of sin and set you free.

In this first message of our study in Mark, we discover that Jesus is unlike any other leader we have ever encountered. He uses His power to enter our "wildernesses" and rescue us.