March 26, 2017
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John 19:28-29
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crucifixion, jesus
Are you thirsty today? Would you admit your thirst? What are you thirsty for? What desire goes unsatisfied, so that you thirst for it always? As Americans, we rarely go thirsty for basic needs. Food, water, clothing, housing… most of us have these needs met. Yet, our thirst remains. Have you tried to quench your thirst with material things? You spend money you do not have to purchase things that will not satisfy. Yet, the thirst remains, so you keep spending. You thirst for love and relationship, so you give your body away, and settle for sexual lust rather than waiting for covenantal love. So your thirst remains. We thirst for significance, for meaning, for happiness, yet the more we have, the more we drink from every worldly fountain, the more we thirst!
Jesus cried out with the constant cry of all humanity, “I thirst.” Jesus took on our thirst that we might be satisfied. He poured out his life that we might be filled.
March 24, 2017
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Bible study, cross, crucifixion, jesus, last words of jesus
“And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last.” – Mark 15:37 (ESV) “It was most fitting that every word of our Lord upon the cross should be gathered up and preserved. As not a bone of him shall be broken, so not a word shall be lost. The Holy Spirit took special care that
March 19, 2017
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Mark 15:33-39
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crucifixion, jesus
In this sermon, we will be looking at the fourth of His last sayings, the word of despair. We will consider Christ’s questioning cry, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Have you ever cried out to God like Jesus did? Have you ever felt forsaken and alone? Have you ever felt distant from God? Have you cried, “God, where are you?” We all feel lonely at times. We all want acceptance. We want to be accepted and approved. But instead, we often feel rejected and alone. The truth is, if we would rightly understand how our sins have separated us from our Creator, we would cry out with a deeper feeling of despair than we’ve ever felt. It was for this, that Christ took on our despair, that we might receive in exchange, His oneness with God.
In the gospel of Mark, Jesus cried out in despair to God as He experienced the extravagant exchange that it cost Him for our reconciliation. We can understand the cost of this extravagant exchange.
March 12, 2017
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John 19:16-27
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crucifixion, jesus, relationships
Have you ever wondered whether God cares? Especially asking, “Does God care for me?” I’ve heard some say, “I’m sure God has better things to do than care about my little problems. Shouldn’t He be busy solving world hunger or peace on earth?” What do you think? Does God care for the details of your little life? Or is He too busy running the universe? In this third word from the cross, we will realize how much God cares for us. He cares for the big stuff and He cares for the little stuff too. There’s no detail too small for His loving care. In the third saying of Jesus from the cross found in the gospel of John, Jesus revealed the loving care that He had for His mother. We can know the loving care that Jesus has for us.
February 26, 2017
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Luke 23:34
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crucifixion, jesus
“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
In the gospel of Luke, we have the record of Christ’s first word on the cross and it was a word of forgiveness. It was a prayer to His Father, that He would forgive those who were crucifying Him. In this prayer, Jesus revealed the boundless forgiveness He has for us.
January 1, 2017
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future, God, hope, jesus, memories, New Year, painful memories, past, present, worry
“For you shall not go out in haste, and you shall not go in flight, for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard” (Isaiah 52:12 ESV). We’ve all heard the cliche, “Out with the old, and in with the new.” Yet, people are not computers with hard drives that can be erased
December 22, 2016
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Christ, christmas, gifts, God, jesus
And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” – Luke 2:10-11 (ESV) How do you celebrate Christmas? Decorations, lights, a tree, special foods and candies… I’m
September 1, 2016
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celebrate, Gary Combs, God, great commandment, jesus, love, worship
“Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love” (Revelation 2:4 NKJV). “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30 ESV). Have you noticed that we tend to celebrate what we love
June 24, 2016
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Christ, church, church growth, cross cultural ministry, God, gospel, hispanic, jesus, nations
“And when they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.” (Acts 14:27 ESV). I’m a little sad. We recently had to close the door on our Hispanic ministry. We launched our Spanish-speaking worship services on Easter Sunday 2012 and within two
May 20, 2016
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agnostic, belief, Christ, faith, Gary Combs, God, jesus, questioning, questions, understanding
“And Zechariah said to the angel, ‘How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years’” (Luke 1:18 ESV). “And Mary said to the angel, ‘How will this be, since I am a virgin?’” (Luke 1:34 ESV). As a pastor, I get a lot of “God questions.”