Embrace the Agenda of Christ

Mark 11:27-33 (English Standard Version)

27 And they came again to Jerusalem. And as he was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to him, 28and they said to him, “By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?” 29Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? Answer me.” 31And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 32But shall we say, ‘From man’?”— they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John really was a prophet. 33So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

Since Jesus is the ultimate authority in the universe, then we must listen to Him.

1. We must beware of our own agendas.
2. We must embrace the agenda of Christ.

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Mark 11:27-33

Pray Bigger Prayers!

Mark 11:22-25 (English Standard Version)

22And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. 23 Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. 24Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”

Jesus wants us to have complete trust and faith in Him.

1. We must pray in faith.
2. We must forgive in faith.
3. We must expect the impossible in faith.

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Mark 11:22-25

Open Up for the Lost

Mark 11:12-21 (English Standard Version)

12 On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. 13 And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it. 15 And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. 16And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. 17And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.” 18And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and were seeking a way to destroy him, for they feared him, because all the crowd was astonished at his teaching. 19 And when evening came they went out of the city. 20 As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. 21And Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.”

Jesus came to remind us of God’s love for the whole world.

1. Jesus came to Jerusalem to do some house cleaning!
2. Jesus came to Jerusalem to have an open house!

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Mark 11:12-21

A Vision for Ministry in 2011

1 Corinthians 10:31 (English Standard Version)

31So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

James 4:13-15 (English Standard Version)

13Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”

If we are to serve the Lord together, we must have a vision for the future of JIBC.

1. We must remember the purpose of JIBC.

JIBC exists to glorify God through:

1. Worship
2. Discipleship
3. Evangelism

2. We must give thanks for the progress of JIBC.

1. Distant past.
2. Recent past.
3. This year.

3. We must focus on the plans of JIBC.

3. We must implement a system that clarifies the roles of our various leaders.
2. We must invest in a family pastor with a youth emphasis.
1. We must improve our Sunday morning ministries.

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Vision 2011

Hope and Faith in the Mercy of Jesus

Mark 10:46-52 (English Standard Version)

46 And they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. 47And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.” 50And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. 51And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” 52And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.

If you want correct vision for life, then you must find it in Christ.

1. You must find mercy in Christ.
2. You must find hope in Christ.
3. You must have faith in Christ.

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Mark 10:46-52

Following Our Leader in the Service of Others

Mark 10:32-45 (English Standard Version)

32 And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. And they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him, 33saying, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles. 34And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he will rise.” 35 And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” 36And he said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?” 37And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” 38Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” 39And they said to him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized, 40but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.” 41And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John. 42 And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 43But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 44and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. 45For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

If we are following Christ, the we must be like Him.

1. We must be brave life Jesus.
2. We must be submissive (to the will of God) like Jesus.
3. We must be humble like Jesus.

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Mark 10:32-45

Great Expectations

Mark 10:28-30 (English Standard Version):

28Peter began to say to him, “See, we have left everything and followed you.” 29Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, 30who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.

As you follow after Christ, He wants you to know what to expect.

1. We can expect hardship in this life.
2. We can expect blessings in this life.
3. We can expect glory in the life to come.

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Mark 10:28-30

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