Becoming a Friend of Jesus

by Feb 21, 2016Departure, Sermon

Last words are lasting words. When someone special says goodbye, the experience can be moving and memorable. Imagine how Jesus’ closest friends felt when He told them He was going away. That conversation shaped them for life. Jesus’ words to His disciples prior to His departure from earth help us understand God’s plan for us. And these words can prepare us for our own faith-filled adventure.

Closing in Prayer

When it comes to Jesus, one thing was certain: He prayed a lot. As Jesus approaches His soon and certain death, He concludes His intimate conversation with His disciples by praying. As He talks to the Father, He prays for Himself, for the disciples and for all who...

Joy Through Sorrow

We can have joy in our lives that is indestructible. Who wouldn’t want that? But how do we get it? We look to many different sources for joy; we make plans and develop expectations that we believe will give us happy lives. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it’s not...

When Worse is Better

There are times in life when what appears to be worse actually winds up being better. We can often look back on our lives and see that if we had gotten what we thought was better at the time, we would be much worse off now. In the midst of the pain of the worse, we...

Haters Gonna Hate

It is a popular notion today that if we believe in Jesus and do our best to follow Him that we will be happy, healthy, and wise. The problem with this view is that Jesus never said any such thing; quite the opposite. Jesus’ message to His followers was that, if we...

Stay Connected

Last words are lasting words. When someone special says goodbye, the experience can be moving and memorable. Imagine how Jesus’ closest friends felt when He told them He was going away. That conversation shaped them for life. Jesus’ words to His disciples prior to His...

Promised Holy Spirit

With departure can come anxiety on the part of those left behind. Jesus knew His disciples would experience a sense of loss and confusion after he left, so He helped them understand what they were supposed to do and how they would be able to accomplish it. These ideas...

A New Perspective

Last words are lasting words. When someone special says goodbye, the experience can be moving and memorable. Imagine how Jesus’ closest friends felt when He told them He was going away. That conversation shaped them for life. Jesus’ words to His disciples prior to His...

Betrayed

It’s hard to imagine anything that is more painful than betrayal. Betrayal, by its very nature, can only be done by someone close to us; by someone we trust. The results are devastating and shake us to the very core. As Jesus was preparing for His departure, He was...

Role Reversal

Just prior to His death, Jesus did the unthinkable. In the upper room with the disciples, Jesus turned greatness upside down. He modeled servanthood. He taught the disciples the remarkable principle of role reversal and launched an unstoppable movement through those...