Building on the Rock - Part 11 - Ultimate Choices
Written by Mike Penninga
We live in a world that loves options. We’re big on smorgasbords and multiple-choice tests. But Jesus concludes his Sermon on the Mount with four sets of contrasts. In the end, there are only:
Two kinds of paths - Broad & Narrow
Two kinds of teachers - False & True
Two kinds of followers – Sayers & Doers
Two kinds of foundations - Sand & Rock
In this final message on the Building on the Rock series, Pastor Mike Penninga looks at the Ultimate Choices we all face when it comes to what we do with Jesus.
Tony Campolo tells the story of meeting a woman who’s life was a mess. . . she had been involved in prostitution, lost her kid in a custody battle, had no money, and was recently diagnosed with a serious disease. In the midst of their conversation, Tony mentioned, “Why don’t you go to church?” Her response was an incredulous, “Why on earth would I go there, they’d only make me feel worse.”
Interesting how that is the furthest thing from Jesus’ mind when he said “They will know you are my disciples by your love.” So how did we get here? And how do we change?
Pastor Mike looks at Jesus’ clear teaching on this area from Matthew 7 in a message entitled “Do Not Judge
Building on the Rock - Part 9 - Teach Us To Pray
Written by Mike Penninga
According to a Reader’s Digest survey, 45 percent of Canadians say they pray every day. That surprised me. I wonder what they meant when they say, “I pray every day”. Does that mean they say a short prayer before a meal, that they pray for a good parking spot, for health, for someone else. Does that mean they spend time petitioning the God of the Universe for something? What about you? What has been your experience with prayer? Is it difficult for you? Have you found that prayer makes a difference? Pastor Mike Penninga turns our attention in this message to what Jesus taught his disciples in the area of prayer.
Building on the Rock - Part 8 - God & Stuff
Written by Administrator
Building on the Rock - Part 7 - Refusing Revenge
Written by Mike Penninga
Ever had feelings of revenge and payback? Chances are you have, because the desire for revenge is strong inside of us. Friedrich Nietzsche said “Revenge is the greatest instinct in the human race.” Here is the question for this message: How do you handle enemies? How do you deal with people who tick you off? That’s what Jesus tackles in this portion of Scripture, midway through his Sermon on the Mount.
Building on the Rock - Part 6 - Extreme Measures
Written by Mike Penninga
Building on the Rock - Part 5 - Addressing Anger
Written by Mike Penninga
Building on the Rock - Part 4 - Is The Law Dead?
Written by Mike Penninga
Your Bible is divided into two main parts, the Old Testament and New Testament. Here’s the question as it relates to the text of this message: Does the Old Testament matter to us any more? Are we required to live by the laws of the Old Testament? Or are we just New Testament believers? In week 4 of our 11 week walk through the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus addresses this subject head on. Join Pastor Mike as we wrestle with the big issue, “Is the law dead?”
Building on the Rock - Part 3 - Salt & Light Factory
Written by Mike Penninga
Have you ever wondered why you’re still here? Once we’re “saved” and heaven bound, why doesn’t God just transport us right now? We’re here because God isn’t finished with us. We’re here because God wants to use us. We’re here because he wants our lives to make a difference for eternity. We’re here because we still have work to do! In part 3 of our 11 week study of Sermon on the Mount, Pastor Mike looks at what it means to be a Salt & Light factory, shining bright and “preserving” the world we live in!
Building on the Rock - Sermon on the Mount Part 1
Written by Mike Penninga
We are starting a new summer message series entitled “Building on the Rock – Sermon on the Mount”. For 11 weeks, we’ll be looking at the greatest sermon ever given by the greatest preacher ever, Jesus, in Matthew 5 – 7. I don’t know about you, but I want my life to be anchored on the rock. So we’re going to do that by not only listening to Jesus’ teaching, but by putting it into practice in our lives. This series will run us from June 27th until September 5th. We kick it off by looking at the end of the message, Matthew 7:24-29, and see what it means to have a firm foundation on rock instead of sand. Jesus was a carpenter. . . and when it came to building, he knew a little something about quality. There are many metaphors we can use to describe our life, but Jesus used that of a house. Everyone is building a house of some sort. The key is the foundation. Jesus says we have a choice of two foundations – sand or rock. Where is your foundation built?
