Our salvation is a three-fold process. We are justified (our eternal life is secured) by God’s saving grace through Jesus’ death on the cross in our faith in His resurrection. This begins the second phase in which we are being perfected into the very image of our Savior Jesus through God’s sanctifying grace.
sustaining grace, God will always provide for our needs and give us the strength we need to sustain us through times of hardship. Jesus Himself confirmed this truth in His Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:25-34). Yet we must be careful to note that God never promised that we would not encounter troubles in this life, but that by His infinite grace He will always sustain us through them.
If you were to ask someone if there was a particular person in their life who most strongly exemplified devotion to our LORD Jesus and service to His Kingdom, very likely they would tell you it was their mother or grandmother. Rarely, will they mention a man in their life. Instead, they will usually mention a woman. As we celebrate Mothers’ Day this year, it is appropriate that we reflect on some of the devoted women found in the Scripture. As we shall see, these devoted women were far from perfect, but rather they reflected the perfect love of our LORD to others in their lives – particularly the children. Praise God that He has endowed the heart of woman with such tenderness and devotion.
God has chosen each of His followers for His specific purposes. Some of us will seem to move from blessing to blessing while others will have to endure seemingly endless sorrows and frustrations. From time to time, most of us question God’s purposes as we make our way along the path God has ordained for us. We are tempted to compare our own lives with those of others – particularly other believers. In such seasons, we need to always remember that God is sovereign in all things and He is always working His perfect plans in our lives and through our lives. So instead of comparing our own circumstances with those of others, we must seek to learn God’s purpose in the things He has led us to and move confidently in assurance that whatever God has led us to He will also lead us through for His own glory.
In Mark’s version of the so-called “Olivet Discourse” we find Jesus’ answer to His disciples’ question of when the end of the (church) age would be and what would be the signs of His coming (again). Jesus explained that no one knows when the end will be – not even Him, but only His Father. Therefore, He strongly admonished them (and us) to be continually watchful for His coming. In the meantime, we must be about the mission He assigned us to preach the Gospel throughout the world.
Jesus’ resurrection which we celebrate at Easter is the single most important event in all of history. The very definition of what it means to be a Christian is our belief in His resurrection. But just as importantly, Christians must understand that the reason Jesus was born into human flesh in the first place was to die on the cross in our place to take upon Himself God’s righteous judgment of death for our sins. Jesus’ resurrection demonstrates His power and victory over death and His invitation for us to join Him in resurrection out of death into eternal life together with Him through faith in His Gospel. Furthermore, Christians believe with eager anticipation Jesus’ promise to return one day to rule and reign eternally over all creation.
The story of the “Triumphal Entry”is a familiar one. Many of those who celebrated His coming on this day were the same ones who would cry “Crucify Him” a few days later. Why? Jesus the servant King who came to Jerusalem that day was not the conquering warrior King Messiah they had been expecting.
Jesus frequently taught that whoever would be greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven must be the servant of all in our lives. Jesus Himself modeled this life of service for us, perfectly fulfilling the prophecy we find in Isaiah 53 of God’s servant who takes upon Himself God’s rightful punishment (death) for the sins of all mankind. Jesus Himself said that He offered Himself as a ransom for many. So, since we have this perfect model of servitude shown to us by our LORD, we must also humble ourselves and become servants of all.
God’s people Israel certainly didn’t expect their long-awaited Messiah to come as such a humble “Servant King,” but Mark’s gospel makes clear that Jesus perfectly fulfills Isaiah’s prophecy about God’s Suffering Servant (Isaiah 53), while John the Baptizer served as the messenger sent by God to prepare the way before Him as foretold by Malachi 3:1.
On the evening He was betrayed, Jesus gave a new commandment to His disciples – that we are to love one another, saying that all people will know that we disciples of Jesus by the love we show toward one another. Later in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed for all of those who would come to believe in His Gospel through the words of His disciples. We who are followers of Jesus have a sacred calling from our LORD to go forth and share the Good News of salvation in Him with the lost and dying world all around us who desperately need to hear. Therefore, Pastor Brian asks simple yet critical question. In response to our call from Jesus, Will you go?
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2026
Mt. Freedom Baptist Church
