The Mystery of the Kingdom

Gary DeLashmutt

Luke 8:11-14

Jesus uses parables to teach about the Kingdom of God. The Mystery of the Kingdom that Jesus is teaching about is the period in history between Jesus' first and second coming. Each of these parables affirm what the Old Testament Prophets taught but also reveals something new. God's priorities are explained and His will revealed through these parables. He desires all people to come to Him and those who do get the privilege of having a role in sharing His Good News to others.\r\n

Jesus' Miracles

Gary DeLashmutt

Matthew 4:23-24

During his public ministry, Jesus performed many miracles. Is there any reason to believe he really performed these miracles? Why did he do them? \r\nWe have good reason to believe they happened, and examining them reveals aspects of God's kingdom.

What About Israel? (Part 2)

Jim Leffel

Romans 10-11

God has ushered in a unique time of human history when He will work through the nations to accomplish His purposes. Nevertheless, God has not forgotten Israel and is committed to using them in the future. His future plan brings to light the principles of understanding versus hearing, where the Jewish people stand in terms of God's grace, and what happens to people who haven't heard about Christ. God's relentless love is pursuing all people through the message of Jesus Christ.

Jesus' Baptism

Gary DeLashmutt

Matthew 3:1-17

In Mathew's gospel, John the Baptist speaks of four different kinds of baptisms, each one concerning a different truth about salvation. The first is John's water baptism of the Jews and Gentiles, which signifies that we are ALL guilty before God and need His forgiveness. The second is baptism of the Holy Spirit, which is about the gift of salvation. The third is baptism by fire, something we only experience if we do not repent before God. The last is John's baptism of Jesus, which demonstrates that it is God who provides salvation through Jesus' identification with us sinners.

From Guilt to Justification

Jim Leffel

Romans 3:21-31

The only way to resolve our moral guilt before God is through being justified by faith through Jesus Christ. God decided to pay for our moral debt by sending Jesus to pay for the sin we had before God. By receiving Christ's forgiveness, our guilt has been paid for through Jesus' death on the cross and we are redeemed from our enslavement to sin. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the greatest news in human history and allows for real humility and transformation as we understand the lengths of Christ's sacrifice.

Why the Gospel (Part 2)

Jim Leffel

Romans 2:17-23

There are three common responses to the moral guilt we have before God. The first is to reject the standard for moral guilt, resulting in hypocrisy. The second option includes self-righteousness that sees guilt as others problems, not our own. The last option is to repent and understand that our moral guilt can be solved through God's grace through Jesus Christ. Repentance through grace allows for genuine healing, true humility, and honest transparency with our shortcomings.

Why the Gospel (Part 1)

Jim Leffel

Romans 1:16-32

All of humanity is intuitively aware of our moral guilt before God and can understand God through what has been made observable. Despite this, humanity has thrown God's direction and pursued gratifying our own agendas and pleasures. God allows for us to pursue our own course of action, but makes it possible to reconcile our relationship with Him through Jesus Christ. The gospel is the logical conclusion when we understand how far we fall short of God and are incapable of resolving the moral guilt we have because of our actions. This teaching includes a movie clip describing the complexity of life.

What is Wrong with Humans?

Dennis McCallum

Ephesians 2

All humans are born alienated from God because of their imperfections and live in rebellion against His loving leadership. However, God's love was demonstrated through sending Jesus Christ to pay for the sins of humanity. Through faith, all people can enter a free relationship with God through Christ on the basis of His grace, apart from anything we have to do.

Becoming Who We Are (Part 1)

Dennis McCallum

Ephesians 1

Paul's letter to the Ephesians begins with an emphasis on the new identity given to those who put their faith in Christ. This is a central message across Paul's letters and deeply impacts how we relate to God and others. Understanding and living out of our new identity is the key to real, lasting change in our lives. As Christians, we can rest in our adoption into God's family, the redemption we have through Jesus Christ, and the forgiveness Jesus provided at the cross.