Following the Servant-Savior, Part 2: What does it mean to love God?

December 1, 2019 • 11:00 am

Scripture:

Speaker: Pastor Miguel Betancourt II

Series: Surveying the Gospel of Mark: Christ the Ideal Servant Savior

A scribe asked Jesus which of the 613 Jewish commandments had the highest ranking, was the most important to obey, was of fundamental importance and central to everything else. Jesus' answer is given in Mark 12:30-31. Together they summarize the essence of and the entirety of the OT law. that gives rise to three important questions: 1) What does it mean to love God? 2) How does one love God? and 3) Is loving God an emotion, a decision or both? This message begins looking at just what Jesus was driving home in Mark 12:30.

Part of the series:

Surveying the Gospel of Mark: Christ the Ideal Servant Savior

A survey of the 2nd gospel of the New Testament

September 15, 2019 • 11:00 am

Good News!

Scripture:

Speaker: Pastor Miguel Betancourt II

Series: Surveying the Gospel of Mark: Christ the Ideal Servant Savior

Synopsis: In this first message in the series on the Gospel of Mark, we note the purpose in writing this gospel and summarize the message of this book in one sentence. When that message is embraced, born-again believers will be expressing the distinctiveness of a Christianity that "shines as light" in a dark world!

September 15, 2019 • 5:30 pm

An Introduction to Mark

Scripture:

Speaker: Pastor Miguel Betancourt II

Series: Surveying the Gospel of Mark: Christ the Ideal Servant Savior

Synopsis: When you finish reading the sixteen chapters of this second gospel in the New Testament, what is the designed impact this gospel is to have on you? What's the takeaway?

September 22, 2019 • 11:00 am

Our Sympathetic, Servant-Savior

Scripture:

Speaker: Pastor Miguel Betancourt II

Series: Surveying the Gospel of Mark: Christ the Ideal Servant Savior

Synopsis: Mark develops a portrait of Christ that is to be firmly fixed in our minds. He presents five different arenas which qualify the Lord to be our Sympathetic, Servant-Savior!

September 29, 2019 • 11:00 am

What Manner of Man Is This?

Scripture:

Speaker: Pastor Miguel Betancourt II

Series: Surveying the Gospel of Mark: Christ the Ideal Servant Savior

Synopsis: Today we look at a second portrait of Jesus that John Mark presents to us in His gospel. We're surveying this gospel to answer the question posed by our text, "What manner of man is this?" No one else can do what He does nor speaks like He does! No man died like He did!

October 6, 2019 • 11:00 am

The Sin-Forgiving Savior

Scripture:

Speaker: Pastor Miguel Betancourt II

Series: Surveying the Gospel of Mark: Christ the Ideal Servant Savior

Synopsis: In this fifth message in our survey of Mark's gospel, we discover another portrait of Christ given to us--The Sin-forgiving Savior. That raises two questions: 1) What gives Christ the right to be declared so and to act in that capacity? and 2) Why is this so critical of a portrait to see? The answers are presented very clearly in this second gospel of the New Testament!

October 13, 2019 • 11:00 am

The Praying Servant-Savior

Scripture:

Speaker: Pastor Miguel Betancourt II

Series: Surveying the Gospel of Mark: Christ the Ideal Servant Savior

Synopsis: In this fifth message that surveys the gospel of Mark, we have another portrait of Christ presented to us: He is the praying Servant-Savior. As we look at this portrait of the Lord Jesus, there are challenging lessons to learn and practice! We also learn great truth regarding the resource of prayer - including the significance of the expression, "Abba, Father."

October 20, 2019 • 11:00 am

The Suffering Servant-Savior

Scripture:

Speaker: Pastor Miguel Betancourt II

Series: Surveying the Gospel of Mark: Christ the Ideal Servant Savior

Synopsis: In this 7th message in the series of messages that survey the Gospel of Mark, we look at a 6th portrait of Christ that John Mark presents - The Suffering Servant-Savior. As you see this view of Christ against the backdrop of His exalted position as the Son of God, we see something of the depth of Christ's humiliation as He sacrificially offers His life as the only ransom God the Father would accept on behalf of sinners. The message ends with two primary points of application.

October 27, 2019 • 11:00 am

The Successful Servant-Savior

Scripture:

Speaker: Pastor Miguel Betancourt II

Series: Surveying the Gospel of Mark: Christ the Ideal Servant Savior

Synopsis: As we continue our survey of Mark's gospel we come upon a seventh portrait of Christ--The Successful Servant-Savior. Mark presents six way in which Christ gave evidence of His successful work. Because Hebrews 13:8 assures us "Jesus Christ [is] the same yesterday, today, and forever," there is every reason for hope and encouragement to expect that Christ will do the same quality work in our lives in our day as He did in the lives of so many in His day. Every time Christ goes to work, it is always a successful work! He always successfully completes His work!

November 3, 2019 • 11:00 am

Responding to the Servant-Savior, Part 1

Scripture:

Speaker: Pastor Miguel Betancourt II

Series: Surveying the Gospel of Mark: Christ the Ideal Servant Savior

Synopsis: In Mark 11:22 Jesus' rebuke to the disciples was "Have faith in God." Out of the five times in this gospel that "a hardness of heart" is spoken of (the exact opposite response of Mark 11:22), three times is is used with reference to Christ's disciples! What causes a person to have a hardened heart so that he/she doesn't respond as he ought? In today's message we discover three causes for a hardness of heart and here's what needs to be done to have that matter corrected.

November 10, 2019 • 11:00 am

Responding to the Servant-Savior, Part 2

Scripture:

Speaker: Pastor Miguel Betancourt II

Series: Surveying the Gospel of Mark: Christ the Ideal Servant Savior

Synopsis: In this message we look at the other two characteristic responses given to Christ during His three years of public ministry--1) Confrontation (antagonism towards Christ), 2) Confession (acknowledgement of Christ's identity). It might surprise you to see which groups offered these responses! The message ends with a challenge to personally answer the question Jesus posed to His disciples: "Whom say ye that I am?" Our lifestyles and actions reveal our true inner conviction regarding His identity.

November 17, 2019 • 11:00 am

Following the Servant-Savior

Scripture:

Speaker: Pastor Miguel Betancourt II

Series: Surveying the Gospel of Mark: Christ the Ideal Servant Savior

Synopsis: Today we begin looking at the type of response that should be given by all those who confess Christ to be their personal Savior. It goes well beyond a mere confession of who Christ is to something far more life-impacting and life-directing. That perspective is wrapped up in one word that occurs 46x's in this gospel - "disciple." What is a disciple? What does that involve? What is required? From our survey of Mark's gospel, we note three things: 1) The Call of the Disciple, 2) the Cost for the Disciple, 3) The Character of the Disciple. There is great encouragement to be found here in God's Word!

December 1, 2019 • 11:00 am

Following the Servant-Savior, Part 2: What does it mean to love God?

Scripture:

Speaker: Pastor Miguel Betancourt II

Series: Surveying the Gospel of Mark: Christ the Ideal Servant Savior

Synopsis: A scribe asked Jesus which of the 613 Jewish commandments had the highest ranking, was the most important to obey, was of fundamental importance and central to everything else. Jesus' answer is given in Mark 12:30-31. Together they summarize the essence of and the entirety of the OT law. that gives rise to three important questions: 1) What does it mean to love God? 2) How does one love God? and 3) Is loving God an emotion, a decision or both? This message begins looking at just what Jesus was driving home in Mark 12:30.

December 8, 2019 • 11:00 am

Following the Servant-Savior, Part 3 - How to love God

Scripture:

Speaker: Pastor Miguel Betancourt II

Series: Surveying the Gospel of Mark: Christ the Ideal Servant Savior

Synopsis: In the previous message, we answered the question "What does it mean to love God?" We found that Mark 12:30 deals with the essence of our value system as well as the expression of that value system at a very core level. Have defined the love this text calls for, we move on today to consider how to display that love. How do you love God?