Sermons

If we want to do something well in life we have to discipline ourselves in order to become accomplished. Many in the church today have steered clear of devotions, prayer, and the spiritual disciplines. The reasons are many and varied. Yet the Scriptures make it very clear that in order to know God more we have to draw near to Him in prayer, worship, the Scriptures—we need to be disciplined.

Many of us have questions about the character and nature of God. Questions like "why does God allow evil to happen?", "does God know everything?", and "does God hear me?" all point to a deeper question of "what is God, what is he like, and how can I really know him?" The Bible addresses these questions and confronts us with Jesus' claims about how we can know God and be in relationship with him.

Many of us have questions about the character and nature of God. Questions like "why does God allow evil to happen?", "does God know everything?", and "does God hear me?" all point to a deeper question of "what is God, what is he like, and how can I really know him?" The Bible addresses these questions and confronts us with Jesus' claims about how we can know God and be in relationship with him.

We live in a terrific and fascinating age of science. We make new discoveries every day that effect our lives and how we look at the world. It is no secret that the Church has often clashed with science, especially when a scientific discovery seemed to conflict with the church's agenda, power over government, or influence over people. Even the brightest theologians have often made fools of themselves when confronted with scientific discovery. We will take a look at how God is the God of science and how all truth allows us to understand God more deeply and intimately.

This sermon was preached by Tom Harr from Faith Presbyterian Church (http://www.faithwilmington.com) about how our sufferings as Christians lead to joy because of the redeeming work of Jesus Christ.

We spend so much time, money and resources on getting ready for Christmas. Most of us, by December 25th are ready for the big show. You are ready for Christmas but are you prepared for Christ? Christmas is a time of year when we can remember the birth of Christ but also look forward to his return. It's great to spend time with family and preparing for a special day of presents, family time and memories. But is your life spent preparing for the return of the Savior?

We were in a bad situation and Jesus was born to change the situation. We were in debt, lost, dead, orphaned and condemned and yet Jesus came to earth to become our Lord and change the situation. There were reasons why Jesus came and reasons why calling him Lord changes everything. Joy has dawned!

Our culture says that fear and anxiety are as much an inevitable part of the human experience as birth and death and are to be accepted. Yet when the angels appeared to the shepherds to announce the birth of a Savior they commanded the men to "fear not". Why? Because Jesus brings the world great joy which crushes fear and anxiety. When we know who is in the manger and we look upon the face of Christ all of our fear must turn to joy.

Jesus defeated the grave and rose again. We hear the story every Easter. We gather to remember it every Sunday. The women in the text had forgotten the promise of Jesus that he would rise on the third day. That is the reason that they are afraid when they find the stone rolled away. We also forget. Despite the holiday and the church gatherings and the reminders we have in our lives, we forget that Jesus is alive. That is why we need to be reminded. In the New Testament, Paul often writes to churches to "remind" them of things they have already heard (1 Cor 15:1). As disciples, we are forgetful. Therefore, we must be reminded of the gospel frequently.

Oh, the irony. Puny men are trying to pass judgment on the God who judges the world. Men are flocking to bear false witness against the God who commanded not to bear false witness. The chief priest is accusing the God in whose Temple he serves of blasphemy. This is a picture of how blind we can become. Do we get so caught up in religiosity that we can't see God standing right in front of us? It seems to be getting darker and darker as we read these verses. If it weren't for Jesus' predictions about his own death, these events would come as a complete shock. Mark has spent the majority of the book persuading us of Jesus' identity. Mark has shown us Jesus' kingship, Lordship, and leadership. But now the King must die in order to give his life as a ransom for many. Jesus' humiliation gets worse and worse.