Questioning Jesus' Authority | The Gospel of Mark: The King’s Narrow Path | Week 37

Big Idea: Your response to authority reveals what’s deep in your heart.    Background/Context: 1. God is Provider  Mirror moment 2. Provision Comes with Responsibility...

Jesus and the Bills Mafia | The Gospel of Mark: The King’s Narrow Path | Week 36

Historical context | Biblical context | Literary context.  1. The Fig Tree #1.   Big Idea: The true test of discipleship is not looking good on the outside; it’s beari...

When He’s Not the King You Thought He Was | The Gospel of Mark: The King’s Narrow Path | Week 35

Big Idea: How will you respond when Jesus says, “I’m not the king you thought I was?”   Context on Jerusalem and about Kingdoms.   “The Kingdom of God” = the rule and ...

I Once Was | The Gospel of Mark: The King’s Narrow Path | Week 34

Big Idea: Your life depends on seeing Jesus clearly. 4 Ways of Seeing Clearly: See Jesus as Messiah (:47-48) See Jesus as the only Hope (:47-52) See Jesus as the Way (...

The Humility of the Ransomed | The Gospel of Mark: The King’s Narrow Path | Week 33

Big idea: As your awareness of Christ’s ransom increases, so does your humility.   Discipleship Failure theme: Ask “What is holding me back from looking more like Jesu...

When Riches Rob You of Jesus | The Gospel of Mark: The Jesus Way | Week 32

Big idea: What do you need to leave behind in order to follow Christ?   A man and his question (:17).  Jesus and his response (:18-20) A Line-in-the-Sand Challenge (:2...

A Regional Reach | Awake the Lake | Week 4

Big Idea: God has entrusted Grace with great influence, will we be faithful?    3 Choices of Those Who are Faithful Choose urgency over apathy (:16-19)  Choose risk-ta...

A Clear Calling | Awake the Lake | Week 3

Big Idea: God has entrusted you with a unique calling, will you discover it?   Three Unique Truths about Your Unique Calling.   Your Calling has been handcrafted by Go...

A Deep Discipleship | Awake the Lake | Week 2

4 Preliminary Truths about Discipleship.  Every person is a disciple of someone or something Every person is becoming who they are by who or what disciples them.  In t...

Grace’s Missional Reorientation | Awake the Lake | Week 1

Big Idea: God can resurrect what has been written off.   Four Major Shifts We Are Making at Grace.  A Missional Reorientation.  Changing the Scorecard of “Success”  Ch...

God's Interruptions | Will Bakker

Saying NO to ENVY: Cultivating Contentment | Beneath the Surface | Week 4

Envy = a mingling of a desire for something with the resentment that another is enjoying it and you’re not.   Big Idea: cultivating contentment counteracts the silent ...

Saying NO to GREED: Cultivating Generosity | Beneath the Surface | Week 3

The More Cycle. Greed says I Owe Me. Big Idea: Cultivating generosity counteracts the craftiness of chronic greed. Four Practical ways to Cultivate a Heart of Generosi...

Saying NO to ANGER: Cultivating Forgiveness | Beneath the Surface | Week 2

The Problems with Anger.  You cannot be angry and live the righteous life that God desires.  Anger is a gateway to other toxic emotions.  Anger is self-reinforcing.  A...

Saying NO to GUILT: Cultivating Grace | Beneath the Surface | Week 1

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.  Proverbs 4:23  4 Toxic Emotions Guilt - "I owe you."  Anger - "You owe me."  Greed - “I owe me....

Blessing the Children | The Gospel of Mark: The Jesus Way | Week 31

PROBLEM = PARENTS WANT TO BRING THEIR INFANTS.    Components of the Hebrew Blessing: Meaningful touch A spoken word of blessing Attaching high value of worth Picturing...

Marriage and Divorce | The Gospel of Mark: No Match for Jesus | Week 30

Three Truths about Divorce  1. Christians tend to let other voices overshadow God’s voice when it comes to divorce (:1-2)  2. Divorce is a product of sin (:3-6)  3 pri...

The Gravity of Discipleship | The Gospel of Mark: No Match for Jesus | Week 29

The Gravity of Discipleship  Big Idea: Discipleship Requires Diligence  Jesus cares about our influence (42) Jesus cares about our integrity (43-48) Jesus cares about ...

Redefining Greatness | The Gospel of Mark: No Match for Jesus | Week 28

Big Idea: Jesus demonstrates that downward mobility is the path to true greatness.  3 Insights into Jesus’ Radical Redefinition of Greatness.  Jesus doesn’t rebuke a d...

Faith and Failure | The Gospel of Mark: No Match for Jesus | Week 27

Big Idea: Jesus invites faith, even in our failure.  Jesus and his closest disciples were confronted by a troubling situation immediately after a mountaintop experienc...

A Glimpse of Glory | The Gospel of Mark: No Match for Jesus | Week 26

Big Question: How does this picture of Jesus compel me to live differently? What the Transfiguration Says About Jesus: He isn’t just a man; He is God (9:2-3) He isn’t ...

The Kingdom Cost of Discipleship | The Gospel of Mark: No Match for Jesus | Week 25

Big Idea: A dream disciple will always begin with Jesus  When we live unguarded, near-truths quickly become the breeding ground for Satan to carry out some of his most...

Developing Kingdom Vision pt. 2 | The Gospel of Mark: No Match for Jesus | Week 24

Big Idea: Following Jesus requires Kingdom Vision. Kingdom Vision = Jesus is the Messiah, the fulfillment of God’s Story to rescue, redeem, and reconcile the world. An...

Developing Kingdom Vision pt. 1 | The Gospel of Mark: No Match for Jesus | Week 23

Discipleship Failure = Failure to SEE The POTENTIAL of God’s Kingdom promise (Revelation 5:9) The WONDER of God’s Kingdom promise (Luke 2:10) The FULFILLMENT of God’s ...

Hope for the Disqualified | The Gospel of Mark: No Match for Jesus | Week 22

Big Idea: Jesus is available to restore those who think they’re disqualified.  4 Ways Jesus Gives Hope to the Disqualified 1. Sometimes Jesus needs to get your attenti...

The Antidote to Hypocrisy | The Gospel of Mark: No Match for Jesus | Week 21

Big Idea- Monitor the condition of your own heart more than you monitor the behavior of others.   Three-part Journey Toward Avoiding Hypocrisy  Embrace your need to be...

Miracles and Misunderstandings | The Gospel of Mark: No Match for Jesus | Week 20

Big Idea: Jesus is easy to miss.  Jesus fed the 5000 after His disciples returned from being sent out. (6:30-44) Jesus responded to the crowds with compassion, (6:34) ...

Purpose in the Pain | The Gospel of Mark: No Match for Jesus | Week 19

Big Idea: is Pain is often for your growth or God’s glory.   Causes of our Suffering and Pain We live in a fallen world.  Self-inflicted.  Caught in the backwash.   5 ...

Sexuality | True Identity | Week 4

Big Idea: In Christ you become most fully yourself. Me must make the shift from a societal sexual ethic to a sanctified sexual ethic.  Two Ways our Identity in Christ ...

Race | True Identity | Week 3

Big idea: In Christ you become most fully yourself. God’s Dream for One New Humanity. Galatians 2:11-14 The Problem with our GospelIt’s IncompleteIt’s highly individua...