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Tradition vs. Transformation: Pursuing a True Encounter with God Primary Scripture Reading 13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye. Introduction Imagine someone giving you a beautifully wrapped gift. You’re thrilled to…

The Purpose Fascination - Discovery - Identity - Authenticity One day, Napoleon was speaking of the Divinity of Christ; when General Bertrand said:— “I can not conceive, sire, how a great man like you can believe that the Supreme Being ever exhibited himself to men under a human form, with a body, a…

Who/What gets the last/final word? When determining matters of faith, life, and relationships what gets final say? How do we determine what is right and wrong? How do we determine what is best from good? Everyone has traditions. All of the world has a tradition. Every culture has their own. Every religion.…

Introduction Noel Most, if not all, of us just sang The First Noel , which begins with the line The first Noel the angel did say How many of us know what a Noel is? It’s not a word we use commonly, even at Christmas-time, except to reference this song. Noel comes to us from French, which in turn took…

Connecting the Dots When things are not easy to reconcile in our minds. Read 1 “You are the sons of the Lord your God. You shall not cut yourselves or make any baldness on your foreheads for the dead. 2 For you are a people holy to the Lord your God, and the Lord has chosen you to be a people for his…

Jesus’ exemplary attitude toward Scripture should encourage believers to lean all their confidence on the trustworthiness of God’s words in every circumstance, just like Jesus did. Jesus’ Assumptions About God’s Old Testament Words Jesus held a high view of God’s words in the OT. People who are not willing…

How many of you have read an amazing book that was just absolutely riveting, a story that unfolded page by page by a masterful storyteller, skillfully woven together with a tapestry of words that makes the images simply come alive in your mind? It’s amazing how a good book back fuel our imagination for…

1 Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes came together to Him, having come from Jerusalem. 2 Now when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault. 3 For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way,…

Intro TV lawyers are great. Not because how realistic they are - because the whole courtroom thing is very different from what is portrayed on TV. They’re great because they tie the string of truth to shadows. Or they are such overblown caricatures of lawyers that we can’t help but laugh. Maybe Dan Fielding…

Jesus is confronted by the Pharisees and scribes because they were upset with some of Jesus' disciples. The disciples, it seems, were not observing the traditions of the elders at mealtime. They were not performing the ceremonial washings of their hands before they ate, and the scribes and Pharisees…

Now when the Pharisees gathered to him, with some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem, they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands properly, holding to the tradition of the…

As we celebrate Mother’s Day today, I want us to consider a passage of scripture well known to us. A passage many of us had to memorize as children possibly, and for good reason! Yet, I believe it is a passage forgotten, or that holds less importance as we grow older in the church. The concept I want…

18 We all, with unveiled faces, are looking as in a mirror at, the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory; this is from the Lord who is the Spirit. Mark (For the Group) Prepare the way of the Lord. The baptism and temptation of Jesus. Preaching, and casting…

Introduction: Good morning. If you have your Bibles let me invite you to open with me to the book of Mark chapter 6. We will begin reading in verse 53 and then read through chapter 7 verse 13. 53 When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored to the shore. 54 And when they got…

INTRO We have completed the Old Testament and we are now in the New Testament. If you are following the schedule, you are just about to finish the book of Matthew and start the book of Mark tomorrow. It is hard to believe that in just twenty days we will complete the reading of scripture from cover to…

Let me introduce you to a prospective church member. He will attend every service, including special events. He will go on mission trips with a passion to convert the heathen. He will tithe, sing in the choir, read his Bible daily, and memorize Scripture. He will be happy to pray in corporate worship.…

Introduction: I once went to the store because I’d seen an advertisement in the paper that said it was selling exactly what I wanted. When I got to the store, however, I couldn’t find what I was looking for, so I asked one of the clerks. To my surprise, he told me, “We don’t have any. We never had any.”…

21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will…

Honor Your Parents 12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you. Far too often I have been out and about, and even at work, when I witness children abusing their parents. Even at very early ages. About a year ago, I witnessed a…

Let us pray…Gracious and Loving God, as we come before you this day, our hearts are full of love for you and the life of your Son, our minds are full of the things that we need to do yet today and in this coming week, and our eyes cannot escape all that flashes before them as we scan the TV, computer,…

Let us pray…Gracious and loving God, as we come before you today, we pray for hearts focused on you, for ears trained to your still speaking voice, and eyes to see clearly the path you have laid before us, Amen. The Invitation I know in the last year this does not or has not happened much but think back…

Let us pray…Gracious and loving God, as we move further away from your Son’s birth, help us in this day to remember the glow, the excitement, and the joy that came from celebrating his birth. As we come before you today in this time of reflection, open our hearts, minds, and spirits to your still speaking…

A. Kingdom attributes (5:1–12) 1. The poor in spirit (5:3) a. The role (5:3a): God blesses those who realize their need for him. b. T he reward (5:3b): The Kingdom of Heaven is given to them. 2. Those who mourn (5:4) a. The role (5:4a): God blesses those who mourn. b. The reward (5:4b): They will be…

We didn’t quite finish Mark chapter 6 last week. So, we’ll quickly wrap that chapter up as it lays a wonderful foundation for us as we open up chapter 7. Turn to and read Mark 6:53-56 . Pray. And whithersoever he entered, into villages, or cities, or country, they laid the sick in the streets, and besought…

I. BE ON GUARD 8 See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. 1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves…