Anatomy of Faith: The Prayer Warrior
Tom Hutchison | May 14, 2010
Read Romans 8:18-28. Do you pray only when you feel prayerful? As we asked earlier in the week, do you struggle to pray because you don’t have the words to pray? Consider the help of the Holy Spirit (v. 26). If your prayer posture is right before God, know that simply being still before Him may be the most effective prayer you pray. Be still today more...
Anatomy of Faith: The Content of Prayer
Tom Hutchison | May 13, 2010
Read Matthew 6:5-15. The Lord’s Prayer may be better titled “The Disciples’ Prayer,” as it is really Jesus’ instructions to his disciples on how to pray. List at least three different elements that Jesus includes in this prayer. more...
Anatomy of Faith: The Language of Prayer
Tom Hutchison | May 12, 2010
Read Psalm 139 (a prayer of David). If God knows “a word before it is on your tongue,” (v. 4) why pray? How would you answer this? Some people struggle more...
Anatomy of Faith: The Power of Prayer
Tom Hutchison | May 11, 2010
Read James 5:13-18. The Lord’s Prayer continues: “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” From the James passage, list three occasions when you should pray. more...
Anatomy of Faith: The Posture of Prayer
Tom Hutchison | May 10, 2010
We keep our physical bodies in shape (hopefully!) through diet and exercise. In the same way our spiritual bodies need to be kept in shape, and perhaps the best way to do this is through the habit and discipline of prayer. I have been a Christian since I was 16, but more...
Rock Solid: Jesus’ Resurrection Glory
Tom Hutchison | Feb 19, 2010
There would be no glory in the Cross without Jesus’ resurrection (see 1 Corinthians 15:12-22). But thanks be to God, Jesus’ resurrection glory begins with the empty tomb. And when Jesus speaks of being “lifted up,” it is not just lifted up on a cross, but more...
Rock Solid: The Glory of the Cross
Tom Hutchison | Feb 18, 2010
The glory of the Cross is central in Jesus’ mind as he prays the prayer recorded in John 17. These are his last recorded words before his arrest in the garden. He knows that the most horrific instrument of torture and death will be the one thing on this planet that contributes more...
Rock Solid: The Glory of the Incarnation
Tom Hutchison | Feb 17, 2010
John 17 is often called the “High Priestly Prayer.” Jesus is the perfect high priest (Hebrews 4:14-15) who intercedes with God the Father by first praying for himself (v. 1-5), then for his disciples (6-19) and finally for all believers (20-26). As the writer of Hebrews says more...
Rock Solid: Jesus’ Eternal Glory
Tom Hutchison | Feb 16, 2010
Our text for the week is John 17:20-26. Jesus prays to the Father that all believers (you and me) may be with him so that they may see his glory, which Jesus says, “you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.” The One Who died for our sins pre-exists creation – his glory is more...
Rock Solid: Jesus’ Glory in Darkness
Tom Hutchison | Feb 15, 2010
Pastor Colin’s sermon title for this week is Jesus Will Show Us His Glory, and is based on John 17:20-26. The Apostle John is very committed to proclaiming Jesus’ glory in his Gospel and in the Book of Revelation. For example more...
Rock Solid: Life in the Midst of Death
Tom Hutchison | Jan 29, 2010
1. Read Matthew 10:38-39. In our comfortable suburban culture, we are not often persecuted for our beliefs as many missionaries are around the world. Still, as we acknowledge Christ before men (Matthew 10:32) we set ourselves up for some ridicule and scorn. In light of this passage, how can more...
Rock Solid: Peace in the Midst of Conflict
Tom Hutchison | Jan 28, 2010
1. Read Matthew 10:34-38. Why does the “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6) talk about conflict and war? Read John 14:27. What is the peace Jesus promises us? (Note that here also is the same reason for us to not be more...
Rock Solid: Confidence Before a Holy and Righteous God
Tom Hutchison | Jan 27, 2010
Read Matthew 10:24-39. 1. See v. 31. Do you understand just how much you are “worth” to God? Do you understand that your worth does not decrease no matter how worthless your sin may make you feel? Take a few minutes to more...
Rock Solid: Courage in the Face of Fear
Tom Hutchison | Jan 26, 2010
Read Matthew 10:24-39. 1. How many times is the word “afraid” used in this passage? It is interesting that the first use of “afraid” in the Bible is in Genesis 3:10, when Adam tells the Lord that he was afraid because of his nakedness. We are naturally prone to be afraid when we more...
Rock Solid: Jesus Prepares Us for Conflict
Tom Hutchison | Jan 25, 2010
Our scripture reading this week is Matthew 10:24-39. To understand the context, read Matthew 9:27-10:39. As Jesus empowers the disciples to preach the Gospel (10:7) and perform miraculous acts of mercy (10:8), he tells them what to expect. Our reading is set in this discourse to his disciples more...