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Evergreen Church: Knowing God, Sharing Life, Changing the World.
Evergreen Church: Knowing God, Sharing Life, Changing the World.
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Easter is the crux of the Christian faith. Everything believers hold dear rises or falls with the truthfulness of this claim to resurrection after death. This event is so far out of our normal experience, we may doubt it in our mind…but our heart, nevertheless, suspects it is true.
Death by crucifixion is one of the cruelest and most degrading forms of punishment ever devised by human perversity, even in the eyes of the pagan world of old. Josephus described it as “the most wretched of all ways of dying,” and the shudder caused by the cross as an instrument of execution is still reflected in the English word “excruciating.”
Contemporary news stories confirm that the Bible is, in fact, more relevant today than ever before. Events from 2000 years ago read like the New York Times. Yet, for people of faith, resurrection and new life are always right around the corner. The King overcomes even when rejected by the elite and the masses.
As the night before the cross continues to unfold, both Peter and Jesus are on trial in their own ways. Peter dismally failed his test; Jesus triumphed in His. In the providence of God, this text applies to Christians of all generations and in every situation in which faith is challenged.
Both the private and public aspects of the passion of Christ now play out as a supernatural drama. The certainty of Jesus stands in marked contrast to the evil hearts of His opponents and the fearful hearts of His followers. He must walk the rest of this journey alone...for us.
The Last Supper shared with Jesus was clearly the celebration of the Passover, occurring on Thursday evening. Emotions run high as a traitor is revealed, a promise is declared, and an over-confident heart is exposed. This inherited meal reveals the heart of our Christian faith.
“Extravagance” is not a word normally associated with worship. Yet, at a crucial moment in the passion of Jesus, He commends an unnamed woman for her outrageous act of worship on His behalf. Worship transforms broken lives into fragrant blessings for our Lord.
With a jigsaw of OT quotations, Jesus transitions from upcoming judgment on ancient Judaism to final judgment of all creation. He prepares His followers for the imminent events of the Passion by assuring them of the ultimate victory to come. Atonement is no longer found symbolically in the Temple, but fully in the cross and crown of Jesus Christ!
With only private instruction of the disciples remaining, Jesus seizes on a question about the destruction of the Temple to prepare His followers in every generation to be alert, but not panicked, about end times. His purpose here is not to give details about the future but to provide assurance of His return and to promote faithfulness in the present.
Paul tells us in Philippians to 'work out our salvation with fear and trembling'. But Paul is not just telling us to think about it harder or more often. Paul is telling us something way more radical than that. He's telling us to work it out of ourselves with action. He wants us to know that we can do this, because God is working in us.
In the final day of public teaching, Jesus affirms His standing as Messiah, criticizes the leaders who will soon secure His death, and highlights the simple faith of a mostly unseen widow. He tears down the traditional models of godliness and promotes a new model to be emulated in the Church.
Today, Pastor Taylor Gabbert wraps up our 2026 Winter Bible Study with a deep dive into 2 Peter 3.
Pastor Taylor Gabbert continues his series through the book of 2 Peter. Today he examines what the apostle has to say about false teachers in the church.
Pastor Taylor Gabbert begins to take us through the book of 2 Peter in part 2 of our annual Winter bible Study.
Contending for the Faith is not the most pleasant of spiritual duties, but it is action required of particular generations of believers at moments of intense spiritual warfare. Jude writes at just such an historical moment. His words are disturbingly relevant for our time.
After the joint encounter of intimidation fails, each party chooses their own approach to trap Jesus into some punishable offense. Pharisees pose a hypocritical question. Sadducees, who did not believe in an afterlife, approach Jesus with an unbiblical inquiry about heaven. And one lone teacher of the Law asks an honest question and receives commendation from Christ. Whom will we choose to imitate?
Jesus now makes the Temple the focal point of His remaining ministry. Following the enthusiastic reception into the city and the dramatic cleansing of the temple courts, a delegation of leaders confronts Jesus regarding His authority to act so boldly. His response is an unmistakable pronouncement of coming judgment. The messianic secret is secret no more!
As the leaves of the fig tree here concealed the fact there was no fruit to enjoy, so the magnificence of the Temple conceals the fact that Israel has not produced the fruit of righteousness expected by God. Both incidents are prophetic warnings of the wrath to fall upon Israel for honoring God with their lips when their heart was far from Him. The passion of Jesus brings both salvation and judgment.
Mark’s Gospel has been described as a passion narrative with a lengthy introduction. Seen traditionally, Mark places the arrival into Jerusalem on Sunday, cursing of the fig tree and clearing the Temple on Monday, final conspiracy and anointing on Wednesday, Passover and arrest on Thursday evening, trial and crucifixion on Friday, and resurrection on the following Sunday. Here the Messiah enters His capital city in clear fulfillment of OT prophecy.
Christmas was never meant to be a stand-alone event in history. The Nativity bookends God’s miracle of incarnation with the events of Easter. The historical parallels bring the story full circle and reveal a divine plan of redemption that was never in doubt. Christmas pushes us toward Easter; and Easter draws our minds back to Christmas. This is the story of Salvation!
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