Missio Dei—The Mission of God

As we enter the 2017 Lenten season, the traditional time of reflection and prayer in preparation for Good Friday and Easter Sunday we are taking the coming weeks to look back in the Scriptures at the historic plan of God (the Missio Dei) to redeem his people from their bondage to sin and death. We will see not only our own desperate need for God to deliver us from our bondage to sin but God’s committed love and mercy to accomplish it! 

Join us Sunday mornings at 11 am and walk through this season with us as we consider again the awesome love of God working on our behalf!

[This post will be updated regularly as the next lesson is posted.]

March 12 The Problem... People (Genesis 3)

How did the world get so messed up? Sin shames, mankind blames, but the Lord God mercifully reclaims his people, setting his plan for their redemption in motion.

March 19 The Plan Revealed (Genesis 4, 11-12)

Since we lost something in the fall we have sought to either take things into our own hands to replace it or self-medicate our pain so that we forget it is missing. We want the greatness that we once had when we walked in relationship with God and often try to grasp it but without walking with God. It is the difference that we see between the people of Babel (Gen. 11) and Abram/Abraham (Gen. 12). Who is it who makes our name great? Who is it who determines our identity?

March 26 The People Whom God Rescued (Exodus-Numbers)

God hears the cry of his people and rescued them in many miraculous ways but though they were delivered from Egyptian slavery they failed to enter into the full blessing of the Promised Land. Why?

April 2 The Prophecy (Psalm 24, Isaiah, etc.)

What did God say in advance about the coming Messiah (Christ)? How did the people miss the point when he came?

     “Lift up your heads, O gates!
     And be lifted up, O ancient doors,
          that the King of glory may come in.
    Who is this King of glory?
                     The LORD, strong and mighty,
                      the LORD, mighty in battle!” (Psalm 24:7-8)

Questions: How do we respond to the LORD when things don’t turn out the way we expected? What if his glory is a humble glory revealed through suffering and obedience? What if he rides a donkey? What if he walks to a cross? 

April 9 The Passion—From Palm Sunday to the Cross (Psalm 22, Gospels)

How do we see the heart of God for us in the suffering and death of Jesus Christ? When Jesus rocked the boat when he passionately brought a spiritual Spring Cleaning to the Temple. Does he want to do the same thing in our hearts today? 

April 16 The Proof of our Joy (Easter/Resurrection Day!)

The Resurrection Proves to be Good News for us. As far as history is concerned, there is no one event that has been so thoroughly documented as fact as the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  It is the great truth upon which all our faith rests. We could spend this message refuting the several skeptical theories intended to explain away the resurrection, but my main concern today is not to prove to you that the resurrection happened but to convey to you what the resurrection itself proves to us. 

(Ironically, the Jewish chief priests knew for sure that the resurrection had occurred [Matthew 28:11] but it didn’t convince them...instead, they sought to control the news cycle with a false narrative.)