Yearly Archives: 2021

Mark 9: 30 - 50

Call to Worship - Adapted from Ezekiel 16.59-63 and Mark 9
Our God is omniscient, we celebrate His complete knowledge. Our God is omnipresent, we celebrate His complete power.
LORD HELP OUR UNBELIEF

We have despised your covenant and deserve to bear the penalty of our sin.
WE THANK GOD FOR HIS EVERLASTING COVENANT OF MERCY 
AND GRACE TOWARD US

He has atoned for us, and taken our sin on Himself that we might be free from the power and one day the presence of sin.
PRAISE GOD FOR THE JOY AND PEACE FOUND IN HIM

Sermon - Mark 9:14-29
14 And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them.
15 And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, were greatly amazed and ran up to him and greeted him.
16 And he asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?”
17 And someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute.
18 And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.”
19 And he answered them, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.”
20 And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth.
21 And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood.
22 And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”
23 And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.”
24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”
25 And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.”
26 And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.”
27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.
28 And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?”
29 And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”

Call to Worship - Adapted from Psalm 73
It is good to be near God, to be in the presence of His saints, to hear His Word.
GOD IS THE STRENGTH OF OUR HEART

Our souls perish without the goodness, grace, mercy and sacrifice we’ve received in Christ.
GOD IS OUR PORTION FOREVER

Beloved, set your minds on things above, seek His kingdom, pursue His glory above your own.
GOD IS OUR REFUGE, WE WILL TELL OF ALL HIS WORKS TO THE WORLD

Sermon - Mark 9: 2-13
2 And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them,
3 and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them.
4 And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.
5 And Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.”
6 For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified.
7 And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.”
8 And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only.
9 And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
10 So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead might mean.
11 And they asked him, “Why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” 12 And he said to them, “Elijah does come first to restore all things. And how is it written of the Son of Man that he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt?
13 But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him.”

John 16:4b - 15

Call to Worship -
Adapted from Colossians 3:12-17, Psalm 69:19
God has chosen us in His Son Jesus
He promises power, strength and refuge in Christ
He has forgiven our sins, and blessed us with His Holy Spirit
Let the peace of christ rule in our hearts
May we put on love, which binds in perfect harmony
Blessed be the lord who daily bears us up

Sermon - Ephesians 3:14-21
14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,
15 from whom every family[a] in heaven and on earth is named,
16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being,
17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,
19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,
21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Philippians 1:9-11

Call to Worship: 

-Romans 8:32

He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

-Psalm 150:2

Praise him for his mighty deeds;

praise him according to his excellent greatness!

-Psalm 150:6

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord!

Sermon: 1 Thessalonians 3: 9-13

9 For what thanksgiving can we return to God for you, for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God, 

10 as we pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith?

11 Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you, 

12 and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, 13 so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.

Call to Worship - 

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?

36 As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;

    we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 

38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 

39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Sermon - Mark 8:31-9:1

31 And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. 

32 And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 

33 But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

34 And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 

35 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. 36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? 

37 For what can a man give in return for his soul? 

38 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

9:1 And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.”

Call to Worship - Revelation 5:9

9 And they sang a new song, saying,

“Worthy are you to take the scroll

    and to open its seals,

for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God

    from every tribe and language and people and nation, (...)

Sermon - Mark 8: 1-21

In those days, when again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat, he called his disciples to him and said to them, 

2 “I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. 

3 And if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way. And some of them have come from far away.” 

4 And his disciples answered him, “How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?” 

5 And he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven.” 

6 And he directed the crowd to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves, and having given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and they set them before the crowd. 

7 And they had a few small fish. And having blessed them, he said that these also should be set before them. 8 And they ate and were satisfied. And they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. 

9 And there were about four thousand people. And he sent them away. 

10 And immediately he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha.

11 The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him. 

12 And he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.” 

13 And he left them, got into the boat again, and went to the other side.

14 Now they had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. 

15 And he cautioned them, saying, “Watch out; beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” 

16 And they began discussing with one another the fact that they had no bread. 

17 And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 

18 Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember? 

19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They said to him, “Twelve.” 

20 “And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” And they said to him, “Seven.” 

21 And he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?”