12/16/2021 – Midtown Church – Elk Grove
Sermon Series – The Prequel: The Days Before Christmas
Growing the Family: Joining the Cause of Christ
Pastor Christa Armstead
Main Texts:
Mark 1:1-12 (NIV)
The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, 2 as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:
“I will send my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way”—
3 “a voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.’”4 And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. 6 John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
9 At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
12 At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness,
Why Join & Grow the Family of Christ?
1. There is a Crisis in the World – We ALL need some GOOD news |Mark 1:1-12 (NIV)
- Jesus is GOOD NEWS!
- Repentance IS THE FIRST step In joining the family
- “Repentance means turning from going your own way to going God’s way”
2. There is a Calling on Our Lives | Luke 1:13-16 (NIV)
But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. 16 He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God.
Before John was born, there was calling on his life.
Psalm 139:13-16 (MSG)
Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out;
you formed me in my mother’s womb.
I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking!
Body and soul, I am marvelously made!
I worship in adoration—what a creation!
You know me inside and out,
you know every bone in my body;
You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,
how I was sculpted from nothing into something.
Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;
all the stages of my life were spread out before you,
The days of my life all prepared
before I’d even lived one day.
“Our Calling is woven into the very fabric of our being as we have been created by God, and It encompasses everything that makes us who we are: our genetics, innate capacities, our personality, heredity and life shaping experiences, and the time and place to which we are born all play a part in our calling – God uses every detail.”
– Ruth Barton, Soul of Your Leadership –
Mark 1: 9-11 (NIV)
At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
God Works Through Desert Experiences!
What Deserts Teach Us:
– To live by God’s Word,
– To Grow us,
– To Humble us.
– They reveal what’s in our heats,
– They teach us that God can provide in any circumstances.
– They teach us to fear and obey God.
Great Leaders in the Bible who were made in the Desert
3. There Is a Cause Christ Represents | Mark 1:9-11 (NIV)
- Don’t Get Talked Out of Your Calling!
- Sat “YES” to God’s call
JOIN the family – Repentance & Baptism
GROW in the family – Bible studies,S Small Groups, & Midtown DNA
REPRESENT the family’s cause & walk out on your CALL!
Thank you for joining us Midtown!
Check out some other upcoming events here at Midtown and email yourself notes below:
