Making a Judgment About Jesus - Mark 15:1-15

An Introduction to the Lord's Prayer - Matthew 6:5-13

Ka Waiola (The Empowering of the Holy Spirit) - John 7:37-39 - A Sermon by Southern Hills Member Brian Chock

One day near the start of Jesus’s ministry He was given the opportunity to read and teach the Scriptures in the Synagogue in His hometown of Nazareth. On that day Jesus stood in front of a group of Jewish people – people who had spent their lives hearing and clinging to God’s promises to send the Messiah. On that day Jesus read from Isaiah 61 and said something no one would have expected – He said that He is the fulfillment of this Old Testament announcement. With one sentence Jesus preached the greatest sermon on Isaiah 61 of all time.

In Isaiah 49 we have something incredible – a message from Christ Himself. Through the prophet Isaiah we hear the words of Christ as He makes an announcement to the world. His announcement is a message about who He is and about the mission that God is sending Him into the world to accomplish. It’s a message that should lead us to joy and comfort and also to tell others of their need to trust in the work of Christ for salvation.

According to the dictionary ‘Advent’ is defined as an arrival. It’s the coming or arriving of someone or something. For the church, the four weeks leading up to Christmas are referred to as Advent and it’s a time set aside for us to think about the meaning of the coming of Christ. He came first to accomplish salvation and He’s coming again to bring the final results of salvation. Just as generations and generations of the people of God waited for His first arrival, we now wait for Him to come again. As we wait, we are often tempted to fear and doubt. We may fear the direction that the world is headed and wonder if God is really able to make all things right. At the same time, we often face another temptation: the temptation to trust the ways and hopes of the world instead of God – that their ways of finding hope are more certain. Isaiah 41 and 42 serve as a reminder that God is in fact sovereign and that He is the One whom we can trust. He has a plan for salvation and He is working out His plan. We don’t have to fear and we don’t have to find another source of hope.

According to the dictionary ‘Advent’ is defined as an arrival. It’s the coming or arriving of someone or something. For the church, the four weeks leading up to Christmas are referred to as Advent and it’s a time set aside for us to think about the meaning of the coming of Christ. He came first to accomplish salvation and He’s coming again to bring the final results of salvation. Just as generations and generations of the people of God waited for His first arrival, we now wait for Him to come again. This season should serve as a time of comfort and hope. We all know the impact of sin in our lives and we see the results of the fall all around us. Advent is a time for us to eagerly anticipate the day when Christ will return and make all things new. He has come, He is coming, so take heart.

Two Invitations for Thanksgiving - Psalm 95

A Night of Weak Faith and Great Shame - Mark 14:66-72

On Trial: The Son of God - Mark 14:53-65