The Kingdom of Jesus
Mark 9:1-13 (English Standard Version)
1And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.” 2 And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them. 4And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. 5And Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified. 7And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” 8And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only. 9 And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead might mean. 11And they asked him, “Why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” 12And he said to them, “Elijah does come first to restore all things. And how is it written of the Son of Man that he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt? 13But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him.”
If we are the Lord’s disciples, then we are part of a great Kingdom!
1. The Kingdom is ruled by Jesus.
2. The Kingdom includes all who believe.
3. The Kingdom is the fulfillment of scripture.
Click below for sermon audio:
Mark 9:1-13
The Future Return of Christ Affects our Present Life
May 27, 2010 by WebPastor
Filed under Weekly Words
Dear friends,
“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (John 14:3).
I was reading one Christian writer’s* comment on this verse. He made three great points, which I will summarize here and add a few thoughts of my own to each:
First, the fact that Christ will return is the motive behind our commission to make disciples of all the earth. That is to say the reason we ought to be busy doing world evangelism is that Christ will be returning! He will come again for His people and also to judge those who have not believed in Him.
Second, the fact that Christ will return is the incentive for purifying ourselves. This is to say that we should battle sin and temptation with all our heart because Jesus will be showing up in our lives physically, powerfully, and suddenly! This reality should greatly effect the things we do, say, and think in each moment. According to the scriptures, we never know when He will appear. What do you want to be doing when Jesus comes?
Third, the fact that Christ will return is the reason for the existence of the Church. We are His bride. Our purpose in gathering together for worship, edification, the ordinances (baptism and the Lord’s Supper), church discipline, and all that we do is to prepare ourselves for Him. He will be coming to get us all and we are getting ready together.
May our meditation on Christ’s future return be our inspiration for the Christian life today!
Your servant,
Stephen
* Jack Shuler on page 151 of Climbing the Heights. Zondervan Publishing House. Grand Rapids, 1956.
Announcements for May 23, 2010
The elders and deacons have formed a Nominating Committee to further develop the process of selecting Ministry Directors at JIBC. Deacon Ian, Elder Lars, and Pastor Stephen are on this committee. Please see any of them if you have questions.
Join us today at Pastor Stephen and Jennifer’s Home for a brief baptism service. The baptisms will be at 2:30 PM and will be followed by some fellowship. Maps are available on the welcome table.
Friday Youth Fellowship. There will be no YFY for this week. Most youth are preparing for year end school exam and school closing. Next Fyf will be on May 28th. details will be announced later.
Lord’s Supper Next week, May 30 we will have the Lord’s Supper.
Deny Yourself, Take Up Your Cross, Never Be Ashamed
Mark 8:34-38 (English Standard Version)
34And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. 36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? 37For what can a man give in return for his soul? 38For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
If you are a follower of Jesus, then you must do things his way.
1. If you are following Jesus, you must deny yourself.
2. If you are following Jesus, you must take up your cross.
3. If you are following Jesus, you must not be ashamed of Him.
Click below for sermon audio:
Mark 8:34-38
Be Still
May 20, 2010 by WebPastor
Filed under Weekly Words
Dear friends,
“Be still and know that I am God” (Ps. 46:10a).
A dear friend asked me to comment on this verse. What does it mean to “be still?”
In a Hebrew dictionary, I looked up the word which we translate “still.” There I learned the word can mean to abate, cease, forsake, leave, let alone, slack, stay, or be still. While I was thinking about this, I decided that present day expressions such as “let it go” or “shake it off” would be most accurate. We use those expression when we find ourselves obsessing over some problem, insult, or failure. We tell our friend who is depressed because he did not get the job he wanted, “just let it go.” And we tell our teenagers who have been insulted to just “shake it off.”
Here in Psalm 46:10, God is telling us something similar. Earlier verses in the Psalm describe war, disaster, and trouble. Naturally, we react to these things with worry, stress, or even violent exertions of our own. But the Lord says, “Wait! I have got this! I have got you! You need not agonize over the trouble around you. I am God. Be still and you will know.”
Now this is not to say we don’t take action on our own. When our friend doesn’t get that job he wanted, we expect that he will go ahead and apply for others. But the Lord reminds us, even in our activity, our hearts ought to be still before Him. We always trust that he will take care of us in the face of adversity. This way we can remain in the midst of a troubled world, but have souls that are full of peace and repose.
Your servant,
Stephen
Rev. Stephen St. John
Pastor/Elder
Announcements for May 16, 2010
Baby Dedication There will be a Baby dedication service today for Joselyn Oh, the daughter of Jeany and Kenneth Oh.
Our Children’s Sunday School Classes will resume as normal next Sunday morning at 9:15 AM.
There will be a baptism service at the Pastor’s house on May 23 at 2:30 in the afternoon. If you are interested in being baptized at that time, then please contact Pastor Stephen.
Jesus said, “If You Would Follow After Me . . . Deny Yourself”
This is Part 1 of a 2 Part Sermon. Lord willing, the entire message will be up next week.
Mark 8:34-38 (English Standard Version)
34And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. 36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? 37For what can a man give in return for his soul? 38For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
If you want to follow Jesus, you must deny yourself.
1. You must love Jesus more than your life.
2. You must love heaven more than this world.
3. You must reply on Jesus rather than yourself.
Click the link below to listen:
Mark 8:34-38 Part 1