The Missionary Heart of God
We become the most like Jesus when we join the missionary heart of God to move out, into the unknown, to be a blessing to Bay Ridge and beyond.
Genesis 11:27-12:3
More Than Meets the Eye
Jesus condemned the scribes who looked outwardly impressive but were inwardly far from God, but He praised a poor widow whose tiny offering flowed from a heart of true faith and love for God.
Mark 12:38-44
When Less Is More
True abundance is not found in a life full of distractions but in one that has reduced activities to allow time to listen to Jesus speak.
Luke 10:38-42
The Ministry of the Messenger
Like Elijah and John the Baptist, we are called to be messengers proclaiming the King is coming, understanding that this often leads to opposition and suffering for the messenger.
Mark 9:9-13
Christ – The True and Better Christmas!
Jesus is the focal point of all creation and human history, and true hope, peace, joy, and love are given in Him.
Colossians 1:15-20
Christ The True and Better King
Jesus is the True and Better David, the Great Shepherd-Warrior-King Who cares for, protects, delivers, and rules over God’s people, working out all things to God’s glory and their good now and into eternity.
Colossians 1:15-20
Christ the True and Better Deliverer
Jesus the Anointed One fills out the redemptive patterns (or “types”) in Genesis 22, revealing that our salvation rests on Jesus’s perfect, lifelong, patient, vicarious obedience to the point of death a cross and on his vindicating resurrection from the dead.
Hebrews 3:1-6 (ESV)
Christ the True and Better Son
Jesus the Anointed One fills out the redemptive patterns (or “types”) in Genesis 22, revealing that our salvation rests on Jesus’s perfect, lifelong, patient, vicarious obedience to the point of death a cross and on his vindicating resurrection from the dead.
Genesis 22:1–19
Christ – The True and Better Man
We live in a world made by two men. Adam’s sin plunges the world into chaos and curse and gives us an inheritance of sin, shame, guilt, hell, and death. But Christ comes as the true and better Adam to undo Adam’s sin and our’s, and give us new life.
1 Corinthians 15:45-49
King’s Cross
Jesus is the Messianic King Who came to suffer, be rejected, die, and be raised so that He might save us from our sin.
Mark 8:31-33
Growing Sight
The two-stage healing of the blind man is a living parable for how spiritual blindness was being healed in the disciples – and is healed in people through the ages.
Mark 8:22-30
Humble Faith
The Syro-Phoenician woman is a paragon of humility and faith, accepting her utter need for God’s grace and actively seeking until she receives it.
Mark 7:24-30
The Messenger of the King
John the Baptist was a messenger calling the people to the wilderness to be baptized in repentance for their sins, preparing for the coming of the King Who would usher in the Kingdom of God.
Mark 1:1-8
Never Alone
Paul was abandoned by many in his time of need, but he was never alone for the Lord was always with Him, turning his suffering into opportunities for the Gospel, and delivering him even through death itself.
2 Timothy 4:9-22
The Lord Will Provide
The LORD sees me and provides for me, even sacrificing His own Son so that I might be spared and blessed.
Genesis 22:1-18
The Obedience of Faith
True faith leads to a life of growing obedience to God’s covenant and commands.
Genesis 17 (17:1-14; 23-27)
Embracing The Covenant Promise By Faith
God’s Covenant is given in order to confirm His promises so that we might embrace them by faith.
Genesis 15
The Covenant of Promise
God promised to bless Abram and his seed abundantly, and He called Abram and His seed to be a blessing to the whole world.
Genesis 12:1-7
Seeing Jesus
Following Jesus is not about the things that he can give us or do for us, but recognizing the thing that he has done for us. With that view, we must in turn serve others with the empowerment he has given us, while pointing the way to him.
Mark 10:35-52
The Legacy of David
Because of grace, in spite of his many sins the legacy of David is that of a man after God’s own heart who should be honored.
1 Chronicles 29:26-30
The Dynasty Secured
God fulfilled His promise to David that his son would follow him as king and build God’s house, first in Solomon and ultimately in Jesus.
1 Chronicles 28-29 (1 Chronicles 28:2-10, 20; 29:22-25)
Building the House of God
Despite all his failures, David was a true worshipper of God and wanted to see God’s house built for the glory of God and to draw people to Yahweh.
1 Chronicles 29 (1 Chronicles 29:10-22)
The True King
David displays the character of a true leader, and is a great pointer to Jesus, the True King.
2 Samuel 15-20 (2 Samuel 15:19-30)
Absalom the Rebel
Combining the ingredients of others’ sin, our own pride, lust for power, and the desire for a legacy makes for a powerful concoction of the deadly poison of rebellion.
2 Samuel 15 – 18 (2 Samuel 15:1-15)
The Indecisive King
Unlike Jesus and His Gospel, David’s indecisive actions provided neither full justice or restoration, and thus provided the seeds for future troubles in his kingdom.
2 Samuel 13-14 (2 Samuel 13:21-22; 13:38-39; 14:1)