If you’re seeing a counselor, the idea is that you’ve called in someone to help you do something you are unable to do on your own. To help you. To intercede for you. An advocate that fights for you. That’s the word Jesus uses to describe the Holy Spirit. So, according to Jesus, the Holy Spirit is like having a perfectly wise Counselor, who knows everything about you and everything about God and his commands, his plan, and his will, which means he’ll only ever give you perfect advice, inside of you to help you live your life and obey Christ’s commands. You never need to schedule an appointment!
Is there a right way to be a parent? Is there a way of raising children that is in fact "God's way"? Or is it up to us to figure out the best way on our own? In this message, Pastor Steve Hall leads us through how Jesus' life, death and resurrection informs the way we think about parenting and grand-parenting.
If we never talk about retirement from a gospel centric perspective, we will end up going into the 4th quarter of our lives with the same mindset as the world – treating the things of this earth as if they are the ultimate treasure.
In Genesis 1 and 2, both male and female are created with worth, dignity, and value. Harmony existed between the two, with neither elevated above the other. They are separate, but equal; they have roles, but neither role is more important than the other. Both male and female are aimed at the same goal – fellowship with God and each other. So how did we get to where we are today?
According to a survey compiled by Pew Research Center just 3 months ago, only 50% of Americans say they are extremely or very satisfied with their jobs. And what I want to look at this morning, is how the good news of Jesus tells us to think about work, and how the good news of Jesus is the only motivation we need to get out of bed in the morning and hit the grindstone again – even if your job feels uninspiring.
Is the resurrection of Jesus all about faith? Is there only "The Bible says it, I believe it, that settles it"? Or is there evidence to the resurrection that helps us see it as a historical event that really happened?
Jesus' last move on earth was to commission his disciples and then ascend back into heaven – which is where? Where did he go? Did he change forms and become spirit again? Did he ascend up through the clouds, the atmosphere, into outer space? No and no.
The religious leaders need the Roman authorities to rubber stamp the execution orders, so they take Jesus to the governor of Judea, Pilate. After much back and forth discussion, Pilate offers an exchange: The guilty for the innocent; the criminal for the king; Jesus Barabbas or Jesus the Christ. The religious leaders make their choice, and the crucifixion is approved.
We've finally come to the hour of darkness – the betrayal of Judas, the denial of Peter, and the final rejection of the religious leaders. All three are forms of temptation that Jesus warns his disciples to pray "so that they don't fall into."
Satan enters Judas on the day of the Passover meal, and it looks like Jesus’ ability to avoid death and conspiracy has come to an end. There is a traitor in the group. But certain details of Luke 22:1-13 show us that from God’s vantage point, things are going “exactly as he said.”