How Much Authority Does Christ Have? (Luke 6:1-11)

In Luke 6:1-11, Jesus faces criticism for not following Sabbath rules when he picks grain and heals a man on the Sabbath. He explains that the Sabbath is meant for true restorative life, and not to celebrate death. Jesus challenges the religious customs, and shows the deeper meaning of resting in God’s glory. This incident demonstrates Jesus's authority over traditional beliefs and demonstrates his mission to bring God’s people into the full victory rest that Adam forfeited.

Consumed by Addiction (Hosea 7:3-16)

Hosea continues to prove and prosecute the sins of Israel. There is a lot of immorality in the midst of Israel. They are a people who claim to return to God, but they are not really willing to repent of their sin. Hosea reminds us that as Christians we continually seek to pursue the Lord as we die to self.

Reviewing Christ’s Mission (Matt. 14:34-36)

Christ goes to a small town and all the people come out to Christ.  They worship him and bring their sick to him.  What is the purpose of this narrative?  What does this narrative teach us about our need for Christ?  How do we approach our Lord as HIs redeemed?

(We apologize for the mic issues about halfway into the sermon.  We had to cut a few minutes of the sermon, but you can still get the gist of the sermon)

Lord of the Wounded (Matthew 12:15-21)

Jesus goes away and stops interacting with the leaders of Israel.  He simply leaves.  The implication seems to be that Christ has to wait until the appropriate time to go to the cross so he needs to avoid controversy at this point.  This is true, but Matthew tells us something else about Christ withdrawing and going away.  How does Christ silently removing himself from a scuffle with the pharisees confirm his messianic mission?

Outsiders on the Inside (Matthew 8:1-17)

Matthew is writing a Gospel not just to confirm that Christ is the Messiah, but to call people to embrace the true Messiah in faith.  So, is this a Gospel that is merely rebuking the Israelites for not embracing their God?  Is this a Gospel that is excessive for one race?  Who can be an insider?

The Inglorious Reward (Mark 9:14-29)

You would think that after showing the glory of heaven to the disciples that there would be great joy in this. Finally, a kingdom that they could embrace, and see.  A kingdom that manifests the glory of the Lord.  However, this is not how the kingdom is manifested with the disciples at all.  So, why is it in the midst of what appears to be the disciples flailing that the kingdom is still working?  Why does Mark include this story in HIs narrative?

Is it Better to Heal or Destroy? (Mark 2:23-3:4)

Humanity has a funny way of conducting justice.  We want justice, and want to see things done correctly.   The reason why this is funny is because we want other people to do the right thing while missing our particular infractions.  This is the crux of Christ’s question: is it better to heal or destroy?  In other words if you are going to do an infraction would you want this to be done erring on the side of grace or contradicting justice?

Experiencing the Miracle of Healing (Mark 2:1-12)

When we talk about the Christian life so often we want something that is radical to happen.  For instance, we want to see a man who has not walked in years to all of a sudden get up a walk.  This is why miracle workers are so profitable.  There is no doubt in my mind that the people who had their ailments truly taken away in the power of Christ are those who had a deep appreciation for His ministry as their physical discomfort was removed once for all.  However, do we really understand the true ailment in the Christian life?  Do we as humans really see our ailments and short comings? So, how do we really experience the miracle of healing?