Needhams Grove Baptist Church

In this passage we see a contrast...a contrast between two men that are looking at the same circumstance but with completely different perspectives. Peter's frailty is seen in his fragile emotions during Christ's trial. Yet at the same time we see the determination of our Savior to walk the road to Calvary....determined to pay the price of redemption for all mankind!

God gives spiritual gifts to all his children...for the purpose of building up the body of Christ and edifying believers. What happens when we refuse to use our gifts? Is it acceptable for certain believers to sit on the sidelines and watch others "do" ministry? When any one person doesn't use their gifts we all miss out on the blessing!

When I say the word “betrayal”...what emotions comes to mind? When I say the word “betrayer”...what person comes to mind? Judas spend three years, 24 hours a day, seven days a week...in the presence of the Messiah...How can anyone be so evil? So selfish? So hardened to the truth? In Judas we see the depravity of man, the reality of religious hypocrisy...and yet we see the determination of our Savior to follow the pathway to redemption!!

Needhams Grove Baptist Church

Needhams Grove Baptist Church

Needhams Grove Baptist Church

Needhams Grove Baptist Church

For my entire life I have heard sermons preached on the widow's mite....and never actually heard it preached within the context of Mark 12. The problem? How you have heard it preached is probably not what Jesus intended to communicate to the disciples that day!

Needhams Grove Baptist Church

Needhams Grove Baptist Church

In this passage we get a unique behind the scenes look at the heart, motives, and evidences of hypocrisy of the heart. We can put on nice clothes, our happy faces, really make a show of it... Are you serving yourself...or seeking Jesus?

When you walk through a passage like Romans 9:25-33, it would be easy to become side-tracked and miss Paul's intended purpose for referencing the Old Testament prophecies concerning Israel. Let's not miss the road signs in this passage...and let's not miss the wonderful truths that Paul reveals about the pathway to redemption for al mankind!!

In our passage today we see a struggle for authority...the questioning of authority. Jesus...after all that you have done, all the trouble you have stirred up in Galilee..and now you come in here into the temple and disrupt our traditions and our way of doing things...By whose authority do you do this!! The question of authority isn’t just for the pharisees but it is for each of us as well!

The problem with the world’s concept of peace is that If the angel's announcement of peace meant “no war” then this would have been an unfulfilled promise. The world wants peace apart from Jesus...where the angels announced peace through Jesus! In Luke 2 (when we have the announcement of peace, good will toward men) that is a much different idea of peace than the world has. It is the peace that we have with God through knowing his son Jesus Christ.

Hope, Love...the first three gifts that the world received through Jesus Christ. The third gift is joy.. What if I told you there was a recipe for joy...a model that we see in Scripture of a person going through an overwhelming circumstance that kept her eyes on Jehovah! Mary experienced a joy that was almost miraculous in nature...and yet it wasn’t centered around stuff or things...it was a joy that came from deep within...it wasn’t bound by materialism or consumerism. Mary’s Joy recipe is found in a beautiful prayer...a song of praise that we often call “Mary’s Magnificat.” It is in this song of Mary that we find her recipe for joy...start with humility, add in a dash of worship, throw in a helping of reality, and a generous sprinkling of grace and mercy!

Every gift represents a person...a person that cared, that planned, that sacrificed. A thoughtful gift means something...it meets a need and fills a void. There is a void that mankind has that is only filled by Jesus Christ..it is the need in our heart for love....unselfish, unearned, unconditional love!

Our world is longing for hope. We look to elected official to bring hope, sports teams, our jobs, and time spent with family to us hope. Really those are just wishful thinking. They bring hope that vanishes away. Only God can give us true hope...hope that looks beyond the circumstances with steadfast confidence!

As Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, the people used very specific language found in the Psalms that hailed Jesus as King, Messiah, and Savior. How could those same people cry to crucify Jesus just a few days later? This is possible through a case of mistaken identity. They thought they were looking at a political savior and missed the reality that he came to be our spiritual savior...the redeemer of all mankind!

Through a study of Job, Elijah, David, and Saul....we see that many people in the Scriptures suffered from symptoms of what we would call depression today. Is it possible for a Christian to suffer from depression? How can we gain victory over depression? Listen in to part 2 as we uncover the truth about depression.

As Jesus comes into Jerusalem he turns to a barren fig tree and curses it. Days later the disciples see that it is withered to the roots. Why did Jesus give so much attention to a tree that didn't have fruit? What does the fig tree represent? I pray that our study in this passage will be encouraging and challenging to be a tree that bears much fruit!

Often we avoid having the hard discussion about depression because it forces us to face the reality of our weakness and frailty. Instead of just giving thoughts and opinion, we look at four men in the Scriptures that were uniquely used of God and yet suffered from what seems to be personal depression.

As Jesus enters his final few weeks of ministry, he comes across a man that is blind, helpless, outcast...and yet full of faith. Guess what? We are no different! This passage isn't about the persistent cries of Bartimaeus, but rather about the wonderful grace and mercy of our Savior! Praise the Lord for his unmerited favor that is shown to each and every one of us...though we are just as undeserving and hopeless as Bartimaeus!

The problem we come to in this passage is that the disciples were communicating values through their discipleship, they were proclaiming that Jesus was the Messiah, a devotion and dedication to the Savior...and yet their actions revealed that the motives of their heart did not match the motives of their lips. It is possible for your mouth to say one thing, and your life to say something completely different! What this passage yells out to us today is ...”Hey disciples...hey Christian...don’t tell me what you value...show me what you value.”

Often the things we do to earn God's favor become our greatest hindrances. When sinners come to the point where they realize that salvation is not of their own goodness but is only by God’s grace and mercy...that is when God can do the impossible!

No matter how far you have come in your walk with the Lord, we have to come to Christ every day with helpless dependence...we must come as a child. I know this passage is often used to preach that we are to have the "faith as a child" and yet interestingly this passage has nothing to do with faith at all. In fact, Jesus was talking about babies when he spoke these words. What are babies? They are helpless and dependent. It is only through helpless dependence that we can come into the kingdom!

Often Jesus would be tempted by the pharisees with difficult questions concerning their culture or the legal system. The question they propose in this passage is one that is still asked today....Is divorce allowable? This is an important question for us to ask because our marriages stand as a beautiful picture of Christ and the church. Often the world views Christianity in light of how their Christian neighbors live their everyday life. Jesus answers their question very clearly. He is not ambiguous on the matter. His words help us understand how God view marriage and divorce.

A dependence on God doesn't guarantee that life will be free from difficulty and trial, but a firm trust in his goodness will help calm the fears that come as we walk through that trial. In our passage (Luke 12), Jesus is helping the disciples see that their faith and hope should rest in the all-sufficient supply of our Heavenly Father to meet our needs.

True discipleship demands radical holiness. Jesus uses the illustration of radical removal of a hand and foot to demonstrate that sin is serious....much more serious than we treat it in our lives. When we have lives littered with sin, our salt becomes weak and we lose influence in our culture. True discipleship demands radical holiness!

Anxiety, worry, and fear...these three are at the forefront of the disciples minds in Luke 12. The call to be a disciple of Christ is a call to live without fear and anxiety. How can that happen? Listen in as we discuss three ways (in part one) that anxiety and fear can creep in our lives.

As Jesus and the disciples walked along the way toward Galilee, there was a constant rumbling from the back of the group. What was all the discussion about? They were still arguing as to who would be the greatest in the kingdom! Jesus pulls them aside and reveals a shocking yet revolutionary truth that should guide us as we serve others...God is pleased with those that are last in line because they are serving others. To be first you must be last!

Anxiety....Fear...Discouragement...Depression....There is a real battle that is being fought on the battlefield of our minds. Why do I feel broken? Why can't I just get out of this slump? No one will understand what I'm going through. Before we can begin to address the weapons that our enemy uses to attack our minds, we have to acknowledge that the battle is real. This part concludes with a very practical truth...our thoughts control our emotions which control our behavior. Become a gate-keeper for your mind and you will be able to control your emotions and bring them in line with the Truth of Scripture.

Discouragement is real. In fact, you may not even know it but you are infected with the disease of discouragement...though it hasn't shown any outward symptoms yet. Listen in as we walk through Numbers 11 and see the symptoms, diagnosis, and cure for discouragement though the lives of the Israelite and Moses.

Christ was tempted in all points as we are...and yet without sin. The temptation of Christ stands as an incredible blueprint for us to follow when tempted to sin. Jesus was tempted in the same there areas we are tempted: lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. What were the circumstances surrounding his temptation? We find that Satan often uses the same playbook on us...and by following Christ's example, we can be prepared to defeat Satan and the temptations of our flesh!

God's Word declares that there will be a day that all those that have rejected Christ will stand and be judged. This Great White Throne will be a time of eternal sentencing...the unsaved will be cast into an eternal punishment that is terrible beyond imagination. The good news is that God has given mankind a way to be reconciled to him...to be brought back into fellowship with the Father. What will you do with Jesus?

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God....and it is powerful to bring about change in our lives. Listen in as Evangelist Ron DeGarde challenges Needhams Grove Baptist Church to have open hearts for personal revival.

Often we think that revival is something special..something that God has only done a few times in history to special people. The reality is that "revival" simply means to a return back to normal. God reveals four things that steal our hearts away from revival...and then tells us how to return back to a hear that is set toward God!

In this final chapter of Abraham's life, we see a picture of life abundant..filled with blessings from God! While he did have six more sons in this later stage of life, Abraham never takes his eyes off the significance of Isaac as the son of promise. God fulfilled all he had promised Abraham in his life, though he never saw with his own eyes. His was truly a journey of faith!

It is so easy for us to get our eyes off of the Savior and place them on ourselves....the disciples faced that same problem when they failed to cast out the demon in Mark 9. Jesus rebukes them for their lack of faith. In doing so he teaches us an important lesson. God is not limited by our imperfect faith, but demands humble faith!

There is a cost to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. In Mark 8:34-38, Jesus turns to his disciples...and the multitudes...and lays out this simple truth: it will cost much to be a true disciple of Jesus. It takes denial of self. It requires a willingness to bear the cross of persecution. It demands obedience. Listen in as Stephen Snipes (on staff at Needhams Grove) unfolds Christ's words and challenges us to be disciples of Christ!

After Sarah's death, Abraham now sets his eyes on finding a wife for Isaac. Consider this...the father, seeking a bride for the son of promise, sends out a servant to find the one willing to become part of the family. God the father, through the ministry of the Holy Spirit and willing believers, invites those outside the family to be the bride for his only begotten Son. This passage demonstrates for us the 5 steps that take place when we invite unbelievers to join the family of God. You will be blessed by this study!

At this part of the story, Sarah has been Abraham's faithful friend, partner, and spouse for many years. Sadly, Sarah's passing reminds us of the inevitability of death. Abraham demonstrates his humanity by weeping at the side of his dear wife....and then he stands and gives a clear testimony to the God of Heaven. Abraham gives for us an incredible example of the process of grieving as well as the importance of setting our affection back on the things above during that time of grief.

Sometimes God asks us to do things that push us to our limits...he is testing to see if we will trust in him no matter what! It is during these times of testing that God's glory can shine the brightest and our faith is strengthened beyond measure. Abraham faces a test that will push him to his limits of faith...and yet he still trusts that God will raise up Isaac from the dead, even if he obeys and takes his life. What an incredible testimony of rock-solid faith!

Jesus took Peter, James, and John up onto a mountain to see something that no other human eyes have seen...they were given a glimpse of Christ's glory! It was no mistake that Jesus took these three pivotal men that day and encouraged their faith by giving their faith sight. This passage is a wonderful reminder that there is more to this life than what we normally see!

Though Abraham was years beyond the decision to have a son through Hagar, the consequences of that decision were still around the camp. Though it was painful and difficult, God told Abraham that it was time for Ishmael to go...he had to leave the place of God's blessing. Abraham's response was quick and decisive, though painful. Maybe you have an "Ishmael" in your life....a daily reminder of the life of the past. When God chooses to clean up your life, will you be as obedient as Abraham was?

Children are the future of any ministry...and just as Jesus bid the children to come to him, we should also rejoice in the joy and privilege of serving the next generation of believers. Being a "Next Generation Church" protects us from traditionalism, keeps us from living in the past, and keeps us pushing forward for the cause of Christ!

Immediately following the destruction of Sodom we find Abraham journeying again away from his place of peace and rest...and we find him again lying about Sarah being his sister. What a sad sight to see an unbelieving King taking Abraham to task for his dishonesty. No matter where you stand in your journey of faith, you are always capable of the worst sin you have ever committed when you walk away from the place of God's blessing!

Unnecessary suffering is always difficult to watch....we struggle when we see the innocent in pain and anguish. Why did Jesus choose the path of suffering? Why was his suffering necessary? In this sermon we look at Mark 8:31 where Jesus reveals to his disciples that he must suffer and experience rejection and death at the hands of the unbelieving Jews. Christ's incredible suffering is a reminder to us of the absolute depths of our sin and his far-reaching mercy!

Not only do we find Lot in a position of prominence in Sodom, we find Sodom taking a position of prominence in the heart of Lot. Why did this have to happen? What was the progression that destroyed Lot's family beyond repair?

In this central passage to Marks' gospel account, Jesus confronts the disciples with two aspects to his Messiahship. First...who am I? It was a question of identity. Then Jesus tells them of his coming suffering...that their Messiah would be rejected and crucified. Though Peter proudly proclaimed that Jesus was the Christ, he was far from understanding the true mission of the Messiah.

As the disciples sat in the upper room they ate their final earthly meal with Jesus. They passed the elements that we have come to know as the Last Supper...when Jesus commanded them to continue eating and drinking in remembrance of Christ's final sacrifice. All of this was happening during the passover celebration in Jerusalem. What significance is the passover to our remembrance of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ?

Jesus is surrounded by ignorance. The multitudes don't really understand his identity. The Pharisees are willingly ignorant of his authority...and the disciples as well seem to fall short of full understanding of Jesus's messiahship. How is it that so many people could see so many miracles and yet still be ignorant of Christ's identity?