Garden | Part 1
Scott Axtmann
April 6, 2014
During his last week on earth, Jesus had a time of prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane unlike any other recorded in the gospel. In the Garden Jesus felt the weight of what was about to happen on the Cross, he was overwhelmed. As great as the physical pain was to be that wasn't what produced the anguish. Jesus was about to take the cup of the Father's wrath taking the sins of the world upon his shoulders and the punishment. Although it is incomparable, we learn a lot from Jesus' prayer in the Garden. Jesus found strength through that time, he emerged unmovable and strong as he faced the Cross. Through wrestling in prayer we can all have the strength to face the challenges of life and faithfully serve God.
scriptures cited:
Luke 22:39-46
Isaiah 53:4-6
II Corinthians 5:21
Temple | Part 2
Scott Axtmann
April 13, 2014
In the Gospels we read about Jesus walking into the Temple in Jerusalem and driving out the moneychangers. It is a story that grabs your attention and makes us ask with the religious leaders of Jesus' time, "Who is this guy?" In this message, Pastor Scott looks at Jesus cleansing of the Temple from the book of Matthew. He unpacks for us why Jesus would do this and what made him so angry. The Temple was supposed to be a house of prayer for all nations, but the moneychangers and leaders took advantage of the people that had traveled from all over the world to worship. What was supposed to be a place to worship was turned into a place to make some money. The warning to us is to not create churches that shut out certain groups of people. Christians have no right to shut the doors to those whom desperately need and want God.
scriptures cited:
Matthew 21:10-17
Jeremiah 7
Isaiah 56
Romans 12
James 2
Cross | Part 3
Scott Axtmann
April 18, 2014
On Good Friday Pastor Scott preaches about the Cross of Christ, reminding us of all that Christ went through on the Cross. As hard as it is to think about Jesus undergoing brutal punishment, it is important for us to remember. He stood in our place and took the punishment for our sins. As Scripture says, he who knew no sin became sin. Without Jesus we would be lost, distant from God and unable to spend eternity with Him. The sacrifice of Christ is and always will be important for us to remember.
scriptures cited:
Matthew 27:26-31
Isaiah 52:14
Isaiah 53:10
John 10:17-18
II Corinthians 5-7
Easter | Part 4
Scott Axtmann
April 20, 2014
There is no one like Jesus. In this Easter message Pastor Scott tells the story of Jesus. His life was unique and his death & resurrection are unmatched. History has given us many great figures but no one is on the same level as Jesus, he sits on his own level. Fully human and fully God. In light of who Jesus is and what he has done, asking what is the minimum we need to do to get to Heaven is the wrong question. The right question is what does God deserve from us?
scriptures cited:
John 1
Colossians 1
Revelation 1
The story of Jesus as found in the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John
Spirit Baptism | Part 5
Scott Axtmann
April 27, 2014
In the final message in this series, Pastor Scott talks about Jesus instructions to his disciples after his resurrection. They were to go and wait for the Holy Spirit to come and baptize them with power. This power they received transformed normal people into instruments of God's grace and power. They preached with authority, prayed with boldness, lived courageously and did miracles in Jesus' name. We still need this power and baptism from the Holy Spirit now, it is the only way to live out the calling Jesus has for us.
scriptures cited:
Acts 1:4-8
Ezekiel 36
Joel 2
Acts 4