Vineyard Church of the Peninsula

(The God Who Sees) Jesus submitted himself to the ultimate test. An enormous stone shut him away from the land of the living, but he burst out of the tomb in everlasting victory over sin and the grave, our purchase complete, to the praise and glory of his Father. And what was his supreme agenda after his early Sunday morning return from the grave? To reestablish connection with his closest followers, re-affirming his continuing love, having proven it as a brother who has laid down his life for his friends, and to quiet all remaining doubts about who he was and what he had done for his disciples, for us, for his Church. John 20:1-18, Jer. 29:13, Genesis 16:14,15,19-21,24-29, Genesis 21:1-17 1. John 20:1-18 – Jesus saw ______________________________________________ 2. John 20:19-21, 24-29 – Jesus saw ______________________________________ 3. John 21:1-17 – Jesus saw ______________________________________________ There are mysteries you can solve by taking thought. There are other mysteries that do not conceal a truth to think your way through, but whose truth is itself the mystery. The more you try to fathom it, the more fathomless it is revealed to be. To say that God is a mystery is to say that you can never nail him down. Even on Christ the nails proved ultimately ineffective. ~Beyond Words, 2004, page 267, Frederick Buechner.

God's love, grace, and mercy were fully manifested in the person and ministry of Jesus. Plan ‘A' was on startling display in His Son and was causing cheering, confusion and consternation. This was the inbreaking of God's Kingdom, the establishing of the New Covenant, or, in theological language, Inaugurated Eschatology. Palm Sunday, as we call it, saw the clash between God's Kingdom and Old Covenant traditions reach fever pitch. That day and the week to follow were awash in developments of eternal significance. Luke 19:28-44 1. vv. 28-34 – Jesus, _____________________________________________________ 2. vv. 35-38 – The humble crowd, ________________________________________ 3. vv. 39,40 – The prideful Jewish leaders _________________________________ 4. vv. 41-44 – Prideful Jerusalem's ________________________________________ “Because he was God's Son, he learned trusting-obedience by what he suffered, just as we do.” Hebrews 5:8, MSG

God's Plan ‘A' included Jesus' powerful demonstration that, not only was there resurrection after death but that he was ‘the' Resurrection. Because one of the Jewish religious groups, the Sadducees, denied that there was a resurrection, indisputable evidence was needed. Enter: Lazarus, followed by intensified fear/hatred of Jesus by Jerusalem's elite. And, of course, widely increased belief among the people that Jesus was their long-awaited Messiah. John 11:1-45 1. vv. 1-7 – Jesus _______________________________________________________ 2. vv. 8- 16 – Jesus _____________________________________________________ 3. vv. 17- 37 – Jesus ____________________________________________________ 4. vv. 38 – 46 – Jesus ___________________________________________________ 5. vv. 47 – 57 – Jesus' ___________________________________________________

Jesus' work was authored and directed by his Father. It led him into an indirect, although strategic, confrontation with the Pharisees by way of a miraculous healing of the eyes of a man born blind. It was a Sabbath healing! The healing also got a group of pious, disapproving, law-abiding, neighbors involved. What ensued was a clash of the established Old Covenant with the incoming New Covenant, just as surely as light clashes with darkness. John 9:1-41 1. vv. 1-7 – Light streams ________________________________________________ 2. vv. 8-14 – Light is rejected ____________________________________________ 3. vv. 15-34 – Light is rejected ___________________________________________ 4. vv. 35-39 – Light _____________________________________________________ 5. vv. 40,41 – Light ______________________________________________________

Jesus' work involved not just a spring dusting of the temple, but a deep clean, a full revelation of God's unthwartable plan for Israel, his people. This included challenging some long-held idols, shining a light on the emptiness of much of the ritual being celebrated, and stripping away the power-strut of the religious leaders in Jerusalem. It also demanded a painful re-think of some prejudicial practices hindering the advance of the Kingdom of God. John 4:1-42 1. vv. 1-8 – Stretching boundaries - _______________________________________ 2. vv. 9-15 – Stretching boundaries - _____________________________________ 3. vv. 16-26- Stretching boundaries, ______________________________________ 4. vv. 27-42 – Stretching boundaries- _____________________________________

Jesus was, from birth, fully God, fully man (the theological term of the phenomenon is a fancy-sounding term, Hypostatic Union, meaning in simple English, two natures, one person). As an 8-day-old boychild, he was circumcised. As an adult male, he was baptized. As a man, he fasted and was tempted in the wilderness. As a man, with a nothing-out-of-the-ordinary man's voice, he asked twelve men to follow him as apprentices. It was as his mother's son and friend of the bridal couple he attended a wedding celebration in the nearby village of Cana. John 2:1-11 1. vv. 1-3 – too early _____________________________________________________ 2. vv. 4,5 – too early ____________________________________________________ 3. vv. 6-10 – right time__________________________________________________ 4. v. 11 – right time _____________________________________________________

From an outsider perspective, Jesus' ministry appeared to be ill-fated – no formal training, no Jerusalem connection, randomly chosen, questionable students, no headquarters, no support. Add to this, angering, early on, the Jewish religious authorities. Eventually, even his closest followers and friends were confused at his failure to meet the expectations they had of him as the Messiah. And finally, against all wisdom, and knowing the great danger, he chose to go into Jerusalem and teach in the temple! It seemed his ministry was fast coming to a tragic end. Matthew 3:13 – 4:11, Isaiah 52:13 – 53:6 1. Matt. 3: 13-17 – The road ___________________________________________ 2. Matt. 4:1-11 – The road ____________________________________________ 3. Isa. 52:13-53:6 – The road ___________________________________________

Although a Jew, he was raised and educated in Pharaoh's courts as Egyptian royalty. Echoes of his people's story haunted him, and seeing their treatment as slaves, caused buried passion to suddenly rise within him. In a split-second Moses went from prince of Egypt to enemy of the state, having killed an Egyptian. The very next day he was fleeing for his life as a condemned murderer, leaving behind the comforts and benefits of the court for an undetermined destination. There, for forty years, he would build a new life, in hiding, far from Pharaoh's reaches. Exodus 3:1-15, (11, 13) 4:1-4, (10, 13) 14-17 1. 3:1-15 – God ____________________________________________________ 2. 4:1-4 – God _____________________________________________________ 3. 4:14-17 – God __________________________________________________

The people of God's choosing have always been sheltered by His plan that includes a total restoration of peace. Throughout Israel's troubled history, that restoration had been reiterated multiple times. This, despite ongoing grievous disobedience in the face of God's unfailing faithfulness, His abundant, miraculous provision, his tender watch care. We, now also chosen in Jesus, stand in the light of promise partly fulfilled in Jesus and partly yet to be completed. Isaiah 11:1-9 1,2 – God's __________________________________________ 3-5 – God's _________________________________________ 6-8 – Creation's _____________________________________ 9 -  Eden's Shalom ___________________________________

As the reality of Jesus being the long-awaited Messiah began to sink in, his disciples faced a new and challenging reality – Jesus voiced a deep desire to be close friends with them, his diamonds-in-the-rough band of brothers. This awareness highlighted another awareness – they were unworthy. How could they ever hope to be in sync alongside his divine stature? Their sinfulness, their disobediences, their impulsiveness, along with all their other less-than-desirable traits, made Jesus' invitation hard to imagine as being feasible. John 15:1-17 1-4 – Friendship as in ____________________________________ 5-8 – Friendship as in ____________________________________ 9-13 – Friendship as in ___________________________________ 14-17 – Friendship as in __________________________________

God's Plan ‘A' is rarely more in the forefront to me than at the Vineyard Missions Leaders Conference. Being in close proximity to 150 people whose lives largely focus on it shines an even brighter spotlight. A sense of urgency with excitement is an almost tangible thing. Another aspect of the Plan is its flawlessness. It is unerring and uninterruptible. That we are chosen to be active participants in such a Divine adventure is breathtaking. Acts 1:8, Matthew 24:1-14, Philippians 2:1-11, Hebrews 12:28 Acts 1:8 – The Plan ____________________________________________________ Matthew 24:1-14 – The Plan's __________________________________________ Philippians 2:1-11 – The Plan's _________________________________________ Hebrews 12:1-28 – The Plan ___________________________________________

From Creation all the way to the end of time, the story of God's love faithfully and seamlessly weaves through every generation, every people, every tongue. At the end of Job's epic personal tragedy and gross misrepresentation by his close friends, he speaks to the Lord with the deepest assurance: "I know you can do everything; nothing You do can be foiled or frustrated.” 42:2, VOICE. The writer to the Hebrews says: “These (saints of whom the world is not worthy) . . . did not receive what was promised. That promise has awaited us, who receive the better thing that God has provided in these last days, so that with us, our forebears might finally see the promise completed.” Hebrews 11:38-40, VOICE. Isa. 26:1-4, Rev. 21:23-25, John 14:15-21, 27, 20:19-21, Ps. 34:8-14, Heb. 12:12-15 Isaiah 26:1-4 (Rev. 21:21-25 –_________________________ promise of peace John 14:15-21, 27, 20:19-21 –__________________________promise of peace Psalm 34:8-14, Hebrews 12:12-15– ____________________ promise of peace

In a world that is in constant chatter Exodus 14:10-14 “The Lord will fight for you, you need only to be still.” It's God's battle. He will sort everything out. How often do I stop long enough to allow God's grace to fall on me? 1 Samuel 12:16 Now stand here and see the great thing the Lord is about to do. Isaiah 30:15 “This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: “Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength. But you would have none of it.” Psalm 37:7 “Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Don't worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes.” Comparison is really dangerous. We realize we just need to be still and wait for God's purposes… dwell in His presence, grace, goodness.  When you are in a difficult place, what phrase goes through your mind? It's often a phrase spoken to us by a parent.  Psalm 116:7 “Let my soul be at rest again, for the Lord has been good to me.” Gratitude will change the dialogue of our mind to a positive. Ps 46 “Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.” Zechariah 2:13 “Be silent before the Lord, all humanity, for he is springing into action from his holy dwelling.” Isaiah 30:18 “So the Lord must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion. For the Lord is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for his help.” Isaiah 40:31 “But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” Thankful for: Bothering me:

Judaism had settled into functioning as a religious institution, with clearly defined roles and laws and hierarchy of leadership. Jesus' arrival on the teaching and miracle circuit, sans consultation with that leadership in Jerusalem caused a bit of consternation. But as his ministry influence grew, the niggling issue of the teacher from Galilee became an all-consuming problem. Rumors flew. Tempers flared. A price was put on his head. His ‘apparent' disregard for the Law of Moses was flagrant heresy. Elsewhere in Judea, joy and liberation were being celebrated by the growing crowds who were continually being drawn to his preaching and experiencing miracles of healing and deliverance. Matthew 5:1-16 1-12 – the Joy-secure _____________________________________________ 13 – the Joy-secure _______________________________________________ 14-16 – the Joy-secure ____________________________________________

From shepherd boy anointed in secret as the next king, to Goliath-slayer, to court musician, to King's son-in-law, to public enemy #1, to rebel band leader (as he ran for his life from King Saul), to finally, some 17 arduous years later, King of Israel – David. (A thousand years later, James will encourage believers with: 'when it seems you are facing nothing but difficulties, see it as an invaluable opportunity to experience the greatest joy that you can! For you know that when your faith is tested it stirs up power within you to endure all things. And then as your endurance grows even stronger it will release perfection into every part of your being until there is nothing missing and nothing lacking.' James 1:2-4, TPT.) As King, David composed songs (Psalms) which continue to bear out, for us in 2025, the validity of James' words. Psalm 16:1-11 1,2 – transforming _________________________________________________ 5-8 –comforting ___________________________________________________ 9a, 11 – explosive _________________________________________________ Joy is meant to be ours, a joy that is defiant in the face of this broken world. Our hearts are to echo the heartbeat of our joyous God. John Eldredge The most rapturous delights you have ever had – in the beauty of a landscape, or in the pleasure of food, or in the fulfillment of a loving embrace – are like dewdrops compared to the bottomless ocean of joy that it will be to see God face-to-face. That is what we are in for, nothing less.  Tim Keller

Patrick Smith shares his testimony about his walk with Jesus, and gives words of encouragement. Who has God made you to be? There are differences in our testimonies We have Spiritual DNA as well as Biological DNA. I was brought up in the Walk, not in the Church. God's Will – Episcopalian church Moving to the Charismatic Church – Conservative, not Progressive Intentionality in calling children who they will be What is prophecy? Both gift and seat The Walk in the Spirit Steps of the relationship with God Cause and effect Just uncared-for workers Trying to leave the Walk The Perfect Will of God and the Psalm 23 life Kimberly and Marriage The problem with conformity Feelings of inadequacy in comparing ourselves to others We are created in His Image – Genesis 1:26-27 Created for relationship, individually The Trinity – examples of different walks

After Jesus' poorer than poor birth, his parents dutifully carried out all that was required of them according to Jewish law, rich and poor alike. He and his parents were but one family among the nameless, unremarkable ones coming to the temple every day. And so was unveiled the next phase of God's Plan ‘A'. Quietly, scarcely a blip on the culture's radar screen, the long-awaited Messiah had ‘moved into the neighborhood.' One writer has suggested that Jesus was remarkably unremarkable. Isaiah agrees: ‘He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.' Another, ‘deity dwindled to infancy.' One hymnwriter expressed it like this: ‘God moves in mysterious ways His wonders to perform.' Luke 2:21-38   21-24 – Jesus (God Incarnate) ____________________________________   25 -27 -Jesus (God Holy Spirit) _____________________________________ 28-33a – Jesus (Very God)__________________________________________ 33b-35 - Jesus (Mary's infant son) __________________________________ 36-38 – Jesus (Messiah)____________________________________________

Like 100% pure oxygen. Like the brilliance 100 times that of our sun. Like the dismantling power of the most searing gaze. Like the healing impact of all the collective medical knowledge known to man. Eclipsing the attraction power of the mind-bogglingly powerful, neodymium magnet (reportedly, the world's strongest). All this compacted and stored up by divine genius within the human newborn, Jesus. He is Love's purest profile, ‘veiled in flesh,' yet revealed to us, shared with us. Luke 2:1-20 1-7 – Love's purity ________________________________________________ 8-14 – Love's miracle _____________________________________________ 15-20 – Love's arrival ______________________________________________ Truth, whom the heavens cannot contain, has sprung from the earth so that He might be placed in a manger. (from a poem by 95-year-old Luci Shaw)

After four centuries of heaven's silence and Israel's longing and waiting for the Messiah, there is an answer, a stirring in the courts of God the Father. But this answer was nothing like the prayers that had been prayed during that time. The timing, the place, the people involved, all failed to match expectations, to be acceptable. To the religious rulers, all aspects of God's answer were a scandalous affront. But to those called to serve in this new, divine drama, the answer was life transforming, birthing fresh hope, a deep peace, and beyond all, a joy they'd not known existed. Luke 1:39-45, 1:46-55, 1:57-79 39-45 – Joy ____________________________________ Elizabeth 46-55 – Joy_______________________________________, Mary 57-79 – Joy___________________________________ Zechariah

Humanity has always sought peace it can never achieve. Failing the finding of peace, the quest has invariably diverted to a seeking for power, control, domination. Frustrated attempts in this have led to the world's worst evils. Every age has seen this play out. Every age has seen these sometimes-wild efforts unravel with sickening results, the near-devastation of innocent societies. Jesus' birth came at the time when Rome was the aggressor, brutally enforcing Pax Romana (ironically, Roman Peace) in Israel through military power, ironclad control and intimidating domination. But it is Jesus who is our sought-after peace. We can know full, realized peace (shalom) only in his presence. Psalm 16:1-11 – The peace ____________________________________________  (John 1:1-3, Isaiah 7:14, 9:6,7) Luke 1:26-38 – The peace _________________ John 14:27, John 16:33 – The peace ____________________________________

1st Sunday of Advent, December 1, 2024 Unquestionably, the singular, most beautiful aspect of God's Plan ‘A' is the Incarnation. God becoming flesh, becoming man, becoming one of us, becoming sin for us. He chose to unveil His deepest mystery in a newborn baby, and not just any baby, but His own son, born of a virgin, of the lineage of David. The infant's arrival answered so many questions as to stagger the imagination! So many prophecies fulfilled in that tiny bundle on a cold Bethlehem night. Kairos confounding Chronos. John 1:1-5,14, Isaiah 9:2.3, Colossians 1:19-20,26-27, 2:3, 1 Peter 1:3-9 John 1:1-5,14, Isaiah 9:2,3 – Our hope, ________________________________ Colossians 1:19-20,26-27, 2:3 – Our hope, _______________________________ 1 Peter 1:3-9 – Our hope, _____________________________________________

The Apostle Paul, on his famous trek to raid the church in Damascus, was knocked off his feet, not unlike a rambunctious puppy attempting to out-strain his leash. He reached the limit of his Pharisaical ‘freedoms' and found Jesus waiting for him there. Paul was about to undergo an extreme makeover which would include a radical renouncing of his legalistic beliefs and a humbling acceptance of the grace-filled message of the Father's love and offer of forgiveness in the much-prophesied Messiah, this Jesus of Nazareth. Romans 8:26-39, Philippians 3:12-16, Acts 20:24, 2 Timothy 4:7,8 Romans 8:26-39 – Thanksgiving for _____________________________________ Philippians 3:12-16, Acs 20:24 – Thanksgiving for _______________________ 2 Timothy 4:7,8– Thanksgiving for ____________________________________

During Jesus' public ministry his disciples were content simply to be with him. However, they were frequently baffled by his teachings, his reactions to situations, and most of all, his choice of them as his close followers. As it became clearer that Jesus was the Messiah, but not the Warrior Messiah they had been taught to expect, they struggled to define him. Being with him was an amazing experience, but his talk of dying and going away cast a shadow over their enthusiasm. After Jesus' return to his Father, it was on them to start learning to live ‘in' him. Romans 8:14-17,  Galatians 5:1,5,6,  Ephesians 2:1,4-5,10,  Philippians 1:3-6,9-11,  Colossians 2:9-10    Romans 8:14-17 – life with _____________________________________________    Galatians 5:1,5-6 – life with ____________________________________________    Ephesians 2:1,4-5,10 –life with__________________________________________    Philippians 1:3-6,9-11- life with _________________________________________    Colossians 2:9,10  - life with ____________________________________________

Scripture could simply be called God's Story. It is a story of love creating. It is a story of love sharing. It is a story of love's jealousy. It is a story of love's anger. It is a story of love reconciling. It is a story of love redeeming. It is a story of love re-creating its perfection. And we are chosen to be participants in this story God is writing. Matthew 3:17, John 15:9-10, Ephesians 1:6, Ephesians 1:11-14, Philippians 2:6-11 Matthew 3:16,17 – the love _________________________________________ John 15:9,10 – Trinity love ___________________________________________ Ephesians 1:6, 11-14 – Love's plan __________________________________ Philippians 2:6-11 – All loving adoration ______________________________

Jesus returned to the Father just as he told the disciples he would. He sent the Holy Spirit in an unmistakable way, just as he told the disciples he would. The disciples, then, guided by the now-indwelling Holy Spirit, were charged with guiding this new entity, the church, into existence, and then to lead and shape its furious-paced growth. Scripture provides insight into that leadership some thirty years after the debut of this 1st century start-up. It highlights how there was continuing teaching and encouragement and exhortation being brought to the many who had been added to the number of followers of Jesus in those few years. 2 Thessalonians 3:16 – Jesus' __________________________________________ 1 Peter 5:6-11 – Jesus' _________________________________________________ Hebrews 13:20-21 – Jesus' _____________________________________________

In the no-stones-left-unturned style of a gifted lawyer, Paul unpacks God's most precious gift to us; His perfect, forever salvation through His beloved Son, Jesus. With unwavering confidence, Paul presents the secure aspects of our ‘in Jesus' life. At the same time, he debunks, as frauds, all fear and insecurity. He repeatedly rejects the possibility of having this gift taken from us, all the while emphasizing this as God's Plan ‘A' for His children. Romans 8:28,31-39 31,32 –_____________________________________proven 33 –____________________________________guaranteed 34 –_____________________________________personified 35-39 - ________________________________inseparable

(and full of Glory) Paul may have been the first Jesus follower to be tutored one-on-one by God. Imagine all he received in that intense period of extreme makeover! All props of the Law were dismantled and replaced by scandalous, unmerited grace. Paul's life as a Pharisee was the perfect reference for what Jesus was referring to when he said, ‘You (the people) have heard it said, but I say to you . . . ' Upon Paul's completion of ‘Following Jesus 101,' he was fired up to bring his astonishing, liberating training to everybody, everywhere. He spent the rest of his life giving himself away, doing just that. And finding unspeakable joy. Romans 8:14-25 1. vv. 14-16 –full _______________________________________________ coming 2. vv. 17-21 – full _______________________________________________ coming 3. vv. 22-24a – full ______________________________________________ coming 4. vv. 24b,25 – full _______________________________________________coming

For the Apostle Paul, the death of a path to certain success and acclaim was a necessary step in leaving behind his upwardly mobile lifestyle in exchange for a life of downward mobility. The beyond-words blessings of forgiveness and better-late-than-never adoption as a child of God spilled over onto the lives of those around him. What he had wholeheartedly intended to stamp out from the earth, he subsequently, and ever wholeheartedly, desired to build up and strengthen and encourage. We owe much to his faithfulness (and he would say he owes it all to Jesus - lest he should boast). Ephesians 3:14-21 1. vv. 14 -16 –____________________________riches 2. v. 17-19- ______________________________love 3. v. 20 -_________________________________power 4. v. 21-__________________________________praise

The Apostle Paul is a man wholehearted in all his ways. Earlier in his life, he was wholeheartedly committed to annihilating the growing church of Jesus Christ, convinced it was a heresy. Now, filled with the Holy Spirit and having received corrected teaching about the Kingdom, he is equally wholehearted in his commitment to building the church, encouraging the saints, persevering through whatever trials come his way, and perhaps most notably, devoted to praying for them. Ephesians 1:17-23 1. v. 17 – Prayer for ___________________________________________________ 2. v. 18 – Prayer for ___________________________________________________ 3. v. 19-23 – Prayer for _________________________________________________

Saul, the Synagogue's ‘bad boy' and Judaism's rising star, was fired up for a mission. His intent? Arrest, imprison and have killed, all members of the seditious new sect elevating one Jesus of Nazareth as Messiah. With perfect timing, God instead arrested Saul, sidelining him for a number of years to help him unlearn the erroneous teaching he'd absorbed. God later released him, now a repentant Paul, on a new mission, joining those he previously persecuted, and soon becoming one of the most vocal, and valuable, proponents for the cause of Jesus Christ, the Messiah. Ephesians 1:1-14 1. vv. 1,2 – Introduction: _________________________________________________ 2. vv. 3-6 – God's big idea: ______________________________________________ 3. vv. 7-10 – God's big idea: _____________________________________________ 4. vv. 11-14 – God's big idea: ____________________________________________

Salvation's provisions have been completed. Jesus' glory has been revealed. Instructions for life and ministry have been lined out. Holy Spirit teaching and encouragement and correction are ongoing. Promises of victory have been repeated. The otherworldly reality of being in the world while not being of it has been sealed in High Priestly prayer. Per King David, we are to: persevere, be patient, be entwined as one with the Lord, be brave and courageous, never lose hope, keep on waiting* (Ps. 27). John 15:1-17 1. vv. 1-4 - ______________________________________________________to Jesus 2. vv. 5-11 –________________________________________________in Jesus' love 3. vv. 12-17 – _____________________________________________________to love *Forerunner exhortations of: A long obedience in the same direction.

Jesus chose diminishment for our flourishing. His mission was divine love at its human best. He epitomized sublime servanthood and elevated downward mobility to the holiest of lifestyles. His determined march to the cross cleared the sin- and death-strewn roadway, paving the way for a world-upending, church-birthing, Pentecost. And now, as 21st Century believers, we live to revel in his gifts, his promises, to us. Mark 6:30-52 1. vv. 30-34 – Jesus' compassion for ______________________________________ 2. vv. 35-44 – Jesus' inclusion ____________________________________________ 3. vv. 45-52 – Jesus' tenderness __________________________________________

In Jesus' day, Jews anticipated the arrival of a militant, conquering hero, aka Messiah, to restore the political entity, aka kingdom, to Israel. Jesus, the true Messiah, came to guide his people in unlearning their faulty views, accumulated like barnacles on a boat, over Centuries. His was a kingdom, not of military power with weapons and armies, but the unseen kingdom ‘of the spirit' entered by faith. His was a kingdom not of liberation from physical oppression but of liberation from the oppression of sin and the grave. Mark 4:1-41 1. vv. 1-12 – only hearts that are _________________________________________ 2. vv. 13-20 – only hearts that are _______________________________________ 3. vv. 21- 34 – only hearts that are _______________________________________ 4. vv. 35-41 - only hearts that are __________________________________

With the greatest sense of urgency, Mark's Gospel account was the first writing to introduce the reading world to an extraordinarily average-looking, exceedingly unpretentious, man, yet one who came bearing all authority in heaven and on earth, the Creator God – a Galilean, this one called Jesus. Mark wants us to understand that there was nothing ordinary about the mission of Jesus. Rather, its love and saving power sought to catapult frail, fallen, human lives to a brand-new, eternal dimension. Mark 2:1-12 1. vv. 1,2 – massive _____________________________________________ 2. vv. 3-7 – major _______________________________________________ 3. vv. 8-12 - manifest ___________________________________________

Scripture talks of spiritual blindness, the inability to discern Truth as Jesus presented it. We sing, ‘Open the Eyes of my Heart, Lord' in acknowledgement of the grandeur of the glories of our Salvation and the inferiority of our comprehension. God is a God of mysteries, but chooses to reveal Himself, little by little, to us. All truth is permanently available to us, but we speak of awakenings, revivals, renewals, and breakthroughs as those special times when God chooses to ‘open the eyes of our hearts' in unusually powerful ways. The Apostle Paul defines it this way: “Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God knows me completely.” (I Cor. 13:12, NLT). Luke 15:12-32 12-24 –_____________awareness of _____________abundance 25-32 –____________awareness of ______________abundance 1-2 – _____________awareness of _______________abundance

Ken Brown shares his journey on suffering with debilitating back pain and how he found Jesus through it all.  CS Lewis said “My argument against God was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust. But how had I got this idea of just and unjust? A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line. What was I comparing this universe with when I called it unjust?” I have heard “Some people can see God only when they are flat on their backs.” In the midst of everything, looking back across my earlier years, I was arrogant and prideful and saw no need for God. I was doing just fine, thank you very much. Because of His great love, He cared enough for me to put me on my back, and because I am an idiot, He has kept me there so that I can see as clearly as possible. For that gift, I can only thank and praise Him for helping me to see just how weak and frail I really was, and still am. _____________________________________________________________ When it comes to suffering, after settling my mind about the inspiration and inerrancy of Scripture: of course the first question to ask is: what does God's word say about this subject? It was through the objective truth of Scripture that I wanted to interpret my subjective experiences, not the other way around. God's word can be trusted, my fleeting thoughts and emotions can not always be trusted. There is a very common expression today: “follow your heart”. But even here, God tells us: Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” So once again, the point being that when it comes to suffering, or anything else really, we should interpret our experiences through the objective truth of Scripture, not the other way around, not by clichés like: “following your bliss” or “follow your heart”.  Jesus, the Great Physician, lists the grim symptoms of our hearts: “out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander” (Matthew 15:19). There are numerous passages of Scripture that have come to mean a lot to me when it comes to suffering, here are a few: Paul tells us 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. Ephesians 1:11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works ***all things*** according to the counsel of his will”. As Don often reminds us, there is no Plan B. God works all things according to the counsel of His will, not most things.. not some things… all things.. including pain and suffering. Romans 5:3-5 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. Anything that happens, suffering included, God either wills directly, or indirectly wills it by allowing it to happen. This set of verses, and many many other passages in Scripture, tells me that God is absolutely sovereign over all aspects of creation, including suffering. There are no maverick molecules running around outside of God's sovereign control, this is my Father's world. Suffering serves many purposes; directing us towards seeing our need for God, it happens so that we can comfort others who who may be going through the same experiences we have been through, it produces character and ultimately, hope. But the point is… even in the midst of suffering God is on His throne. When suffering happens and someone asks “where was God when X happened?”, the answer is He is in the same place now as He was when His Son was on the Cross. He is still in control. CS Lewis said “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” ____________________________________________ When it comes to questions about feeling as if I do not deserve what I am going through, or asking “why me?” when in the midst of suffering, I had come to see that the Fall has radically and pervasively affected all creation, including human nature, and God's holiness was a more profound issue than I had originally thought. Isa. 6 made me realize that even sinless unfallen angels have to cover themselves when in His presence. If that is the case, then I now understand why Isaiah said ““Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” Outside of salvation, of having been justified by grace through faith, having been saved by works… sure… but not by my works, for by works no one will be saved. (see Romans 3:20-30; Galatians 2:16 and 3:10-12) Only by being clothed in the perfect righteousness of Christ could I ever hope to stand before God. That being said, our very will itself is in bondage to sin. Our will prior to salvation is not free to do anything except to operate within this fallen nature, ie to sin. Mankind is not “free” in some kind of Libertarian sense. But this is not to say man is as evil as he could be, even someone like Hitler could  have been more evil than he already was. The larger point is understanding our dire situation outside of Christ, and realizing I really have no right to ask “why me, what did I do to deserve X?” because that question carries with it the connotation that I somehow do not deserve to go through suffering. But humanity is fallen and sinful. What does a person like that… like me… really deserve? GK Chesterson once said “Original sin is the only doctrine that's been empirically validated by 2,000 years of human history.” So it seemed to me that I needed to be very cautious when thinking about what I do or do not deserve. In fact, I realized I do not want what I actually deserve at all, namely God's righteous and just judgment for my sins. In reality I want grace and mercy, not justice.

We are the redeemed, the born again, the called-out ones, the forgiven, God's Beloved, the co-heirs with Christ, the alive forevermore ones. In all this, we say Amen! to those in heaven shouting: “Salvation . . . belong(s) to our God.” (Rev. 19:1 NLT.) Back to him we sing: ‘not to us, Oh Lord, but to your Name be the glory forever and ever.' Our previous non-significance has been entirely swept away in the streams of God's mercy toward us. We confess: ‘Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit who lives in us and was given to us by God. We do not belong to ourselves, for God bought us with a high price. So, we must honor God with our bodies.' (1 Cor. 6:19, personalized). 2 Corinthians 5:1-21 NLT 1.    2 Cor. 5:1-10 –Transformed ____________________________________________ 2.    2 Cor. 5:11-15 – Transformed __________________________________________ 3.    2 Cor. 5:16,17 – Transformed __________________________________________ 4.    2 Cor. 5:18-21 – Transformed __________________________________________

Few 3,000-year-old, written records are of any consequence to us in the 21st Century. But God's Word stands tall, speaks forever Truth, reads like our daily news feeds. ‘A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day.' 2 Peter 3:8, NLT. Our God lives unhindered by the constraints time places upon us. What He created for illustrative purposes in ‘our distant past' remains a potent reality in our present.  His Plan ‘A' (Genesis thru Revelation) hangs together seamlessly. 2 Chronicles 7:11-22; John 2:16-21; 1 Corinthians 3:10-17, 6:12-20 2 Chronicles 7:11-22 –  Solomon's temple gets _________________________ John 2:16-21 – Jerusalem temple gets _________________________________ 1 Corinthians 3:10-17 – God chose _____________________________________ 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 – God's chosen temple, __________________________

It's not about you... 2 Corinthians 12:8-10  When I am weak, Christ is strong Psalm 73:26  My flesh may fail 1 Peter 5:7  Cast your anxieties on Him Romans 8:26  The Spirit helps us in our weakness 2 Corinthians 12:9  My grace is all your need, my power works best in weakness

Question for discussion: The people that God lovingly created, how does He redirect the motives, the aspirations, the lifestyle of His children to extend His Kingdom? Put yourself in God's shoes, whose desire is for relationship, who has lost it with His people. How does He regain it? Discussion John 15:26-27 God gives us an advocate. Holy Spirit on the inside. John 14 Counselor - Holy Spirit. Ultimate therapist Romans 8 God gives us choice. He gives us an appetite for Him. Ephesians 1:2 He gives us a powerpack - resurrection powerpack Romans 8:12-16 Inner conviction - we cry Abba Father, as a child calling for his parent The Holy Spirit as a thirst quencher John 7 What does it mean to be Glorified? Why did Jesus have to die in order to be glorified and for the Spirit to be given? The answer: God redirects our focus with the Holy Spirit. Additional thoughts: How can I cultivate a love language that involves my every moment every day? How can I make him welcome/comfortable in my home?

One of the central figures in the life of the early church, and one of the least likely to find himself there, was Saul of Tarsus, known to us as the Apostle Paul. His faithful and vulnerable written communications to his friends and churches give us, even today in 2024, invaluable ‘how to's' for living the Christian life. It is fair to say he would never have seen coming the shifts in focus, the shift in loyalties, the shift in priorities. It was not the autobiography he would have planned to write. Acts 9:15,16, 2 Corinthians 11:16-28, Philippians 3:5-16, 2 Timothy 4:1-8 Acts 9:15,16 – Paul's introduction _____________________________________ 2 Corinthians 11:16-28 – Paul's defense ________________________________ Philippians 3:5-16 – Paul's disclosure ___________________________________ 2 Timothy 4:1-8 – Paul's conviction ____________________________________

Beyond a relationship with Jesus as Lord, beyond adoption into the Beloved, beyond eternal life, beyond forgiveness of sins – all this already too much to comprehend, too good to believe - there is the inscrutable and included and immeasurable, gift of the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Trinity. And this ‘gift' is kaleidoscopically massive. If the disciples, after three years with Jesus, couldn't grasp the full picture of what life was about to become, it's little wonder that the new believers in first Century churches were sketchy in their understanding and slow to incorporate Jesus' teachings into their everyday lives. John 14:16,17, Acts 9: 1-18, 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 John 14:16,17 – the mystery of _________________________________________ Acts 9:1-18 – the mystery from _________________________________________ 1 Corinthians 12:1-11- the mysterious ___________________________________ “Oh, how great are God's riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!” Romans 11:33 NLT. “Who could ever wrap their minds around the riches of God, the depth of his wisdom, and the marvel of his perfect knowledge? Who could ever explain the wonder of his decisions or search out the mysterious ways he carries out his plans?”  Romans 11:33 TPT. “Have you ever come on anything quite like this extravagant generosity of God, this deep deep wisdom? It's way over our heads. We'll never figure it out.” Romans 11:33 MSG.

Jesus' death was the payment of our ransom, redeeming us out of the grip of sin and death. It was the turning point in the war between God and Satan. Victory (Satan's ultimate defeat) was now determined with a fixed end date (unknowable to us). At Pentecost, Jesus furnished his now-redeemed ones with all the power and protection they would need in the battles to be faced as that date approached. His Pentecost gift, the Holy Spirit, would be their in-house life coach, intimate friend, battle strategist (prayer counselor), and director of Love's communications. Proverbs 4:20-27, Luke 21:29-36 4:20-27 – A parent's ______________________________________________ Luke 21: 29-33 – A prophetic _________________________________________ Luke 21: 34,35 – A priest's ____________________________________________ Luke 21: 36 – A King's _______________________________________________

Jesus' death was the payment of our ransom, redeeming us out of the grip of sin and death. It was the turning point in the war between God and Satan. Victory (Satan's ultimate defeat) was now determined with a fixed end date (unknowable to us). At Pentecost, Jesus furnished his now-redeemed ones with all the power and protection they would need in the battles to be faced as that date approached. His Pentecost gift, the Holy Spirit, would be their in-house life coach, intimate friend, battle strategist (prayer counselor), and director of Love's communications. Proverbs 4:20-27, Luke 21:29-36 4:20-27 – A parent's ______________________________________________ Luke 21: 29-33 – A prophetic _________________________________________ Luke 21: 34,35 – A priest's ____________________________________________ Luke 21: 36 – A King's _______________________________________________

Jesus, and the entire duration of his ministry, was a revelation of the Father's plan. The disciples, and the crowds, often missed the truths constantly being opened up for them, tending instead to stay focused on the spectacular, like miracles of healing (even from the dead!) and crowd feeding and dominion over nature. These were meant simply to illustrate the dynamic truth of the Father's love. Signs and wonders were never intended as the main event. John 14:15-28 Seven (beyond spectacular) Eternal Promises – 15 – ______________________________________________________ 18 – ______________________________________________________ 19 – ______________________________________________________ 22 - ______________________________________________________ 23 – _____________________________________________________ 26 – _____________________________________________________ 27 - _____________________________________________________

This week we had a visit by special guests Duke and Marie Lancaster. Marie shares a message about the true meaning of the book of Revelation and Duke leads a ministry time following the message. Duke and Marie are mission mobilizers with Vineyard USA and visit various churches around the country, as well as internationally.

The unleashing of the Holy Spirit was a great pushing forward. It pushed the disciples forward along a path with no clear next steps. It pushed crowds of new believers in Jesus to quit old ways and begin to learn his ways. It pushed Jewish leadership to re-think beliefs and traditions and their manmade hierarchy. It soon brought pushback from that leadership in the form of resistance, anger, fear-fueled, murderous fury, and ultimately, widespread persecution of all those who claimed the name of Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Acts 7:48-60 1-47 – Stephen's ______________________________________________ 48-53 – Stephen's ____________________________________________   54-60 – Stephen's ___________________________________________

The Pentecost pyrotechnics in that upper room were the prelude, not the main event. They signaled the birthing of Jesus' church and brought his disciples front and center in a brand-new Kingdom adventure. What began as a Spirit-powered, forward-propelling, impacted the disciples with such force they were instantaneously transformed. Through them, huge crowds would begin to be drawn to Jesus' church. His church (pardon the pun) was off to a roaring start. Acts 2:11-41 11-16 – Holy Spirit ____________________________________________ 17 – 36 – Holy Spirit __________________________________________ 37 – 41 – Holy Spirit __________________________________________

PENTECOST SUNDAY The Pentecost Event was an incisive Kingdom invasion, with Jesus not waiting for the disciples to attain to a state of full readiness. It was clearly a ready-or-not overwhelming. They had been told (Luke 24:49) they would be ‘clothed with power from on high,' (NIV) or that ‘the power of heaven would fall upon them and wrap around them' (TPT). This was a no turning back moment, resulting in them (and every disciple to follow through centuries to come) being infused with more life, more strength, more power, more courage, more insight, than they could possess on their own. They had undergone a radical Kingdom makeover. Luke 24:32-49 1. vv. 32-35 – Jesus ___________________________________________________ 2. vv. 36-40 – Jesus ___________________________________________________ 3. vv. 41- 43 - Jesus ___________________________________________________ 4. vv. 44 – 49 – Jesus _________________________________________________

For Jesus' disciples, it wasn't simply what they knew he could do that was a continual source of amazement, it was what he chose to do that kept them off balance. Daily, there seemed to be another of his choices that further opened their eyes to his priorities, those of the Kingdom. They probably gave up trying to figure out his course of action because it was at a level of spontaneity and creativity ridiculously beyond theirs. And each revelation was a challenge to their many preconceptions. I mean, healing the servant of a Roman military captain, this time, from a distance? What next? Luke 7:11-17 1. vv. 11-13a – Widowed woman _______________________________________ 2. vv. 13b – Bereft woman ______________________________________________ 3. vv. 14,15 – Lonely woman's __________________________________________ 4. vv. 16,17 –News Flash: Vulnerable woman ____________________________ “A mother's love for her child is like nothing else in the world. It knows no law, no pity. It dares all things and crushes down remorselessly all that stands in its path." Agatha Christie -"The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness." Honoré de Balzac "I want my children to have all the things I couldn't afford. Then, I want to move in with them." Phyllis Diller

The final week in Jerusalem with Jesus was palpably ominous with unnamed malice in the air. The Passover meal with him felt out of sync, wrenched from tradition, with more foreboding signs. Later, Judas' betrayal revealed a still passive Messiah, unwilling to fight, even unsurprised at the surreal circumstances of his arrest. The next hours stretched out in hideous slow motion, ending in the unthinkable death of the One in whom all their hopes rested. This crushing ‘defeat' devastated Jesus' friends, setting them adrift in a sea of grief and trauma. Jesus' resurrection once again flipped their worlds upside down, leaving them unsure what any of the past three and a half years was about. Seeing the resurrected Jesus so soon after having abandoned their friend en masse was, to say the least, uncomfortable. John 21:1-14 1. vv. 1-6 – (Luke 5: 1-11, John 15:5) – The Kingdom - ______________________ 2. vv. 7-11 – (Matthew 14:22-32) – The Kingdom - _________________________ 3. vv. 12-14 – (Luke 24:31-49) The Kingdom - ______________________________