East Tenth Street Church

Jesus lived a cross-formed life. The cross was pressed into his life, and with it he changed the world. His followers must do the same and press cross into their lives so they can look like Jesus. This is what the Apostle Paul teaches the early Christians at Philippi. He urges them to press the cross so deeply into their hearts and minds that they know Jesus above everything else and experience th...

When Jesus’s body was placed in the tomb, Everything looked hopeless. But after three days, a group of unexpected women showed up at the grave and discovered he wasn’t there. He was risen! Everything in the world now hinges on that fact.

Karson and Finley shared with us at the 9:45am service. Ryland shared with us at the 11am. Both sermons turned our attention to Jesus and the kingdom of God.

The early Christians told a fundamentally different story about the world and its king. They declared Jesus, not Caesar, as the true Son of God, the king of the world. The story of his crucifixion forces us today to evaluate where our allegiance lies: with the crucified one or someone else?

The story of Jesus on trial before Pilate and the release of a criminal named Barabbas highlight Jesus’s role as the Servant-King of the world. He is the suffering servant who gives his life as a ransom for many. His love changes our story, if we let it.

At his trial, for the first time, Jesus reveals that he is the Messiah and God will vindicate him. Up until now he has not allowed himself or others to openly declare this truth. But here in the middle of his suffering, Jesus reveals himself fully. He bursts with the light of who he is in the middle of darkness. This has application for us because suffering is often the place where God shows himse...

In the events that follow the Last Supper, everyone abandons Jesus. But in the middle of it all, Jesus remains faithful to his Father in heaven and to his mission to rescue humans from the kingdom of darkness. It was love that motivated him to stay faithful. That has application for us today because he still loves us, even in our struggles.

When Jesus celebrates the Passover meal with his disciples and breaks the bread, pours the drink, and says the cup is the blood of the covenant, he is declaring the final exodus. He is fulfilling the story of Israel and leading humanity out of exile through his death and resurrection. This story becomes the story of all those who follow Jesus.

The story of the unnamed woman who anoints Jesus with oil reveals that those who are weak and marginalized are often the ones who receive the kingdom of God with humility. The proud cannot enter. The story also highlights Jesus's humility, which points us to the cross. All of this has application for our lives.

Ever since Jesus turned over tables and drove out money-changers from the Temple in Mark 11, the disciples have been wondering when Jesus would finish the job. When would he purify the Temple, remove God’s enemies, and vindicate Israel? Jesus gives an answer in Mark 13 that is full of Old Testament imagery and very practical.

Jews in the first century believed that the coming Messiah would be a king from the line of David. What they didn’t anticipate was that the Messiah would embody Israel’s God on earth. Jesus was the fullness of God in bodily form, and he revealed that the nature of God is love and humility. The way to life is the way of the cross, not pride or selfishness.

Mark weaves together three scenes to highlight a core truth about Jesus and the kingdom of God. The application will vary for each person but the goal is the same: love God and others.

The Jewish leaders question Jesus about his authority but he doesn’t answer them directly. Instead he asks them a question about John the Baptist and tells them a parable. What we learn is that Jesus is God’s ultimate sign, his fullest revelation. Everything hinges on where a person stands with Jesus. This has application for us globally and personally.

Jesus curses a fig tree, clears the Temple of money changers, and teaches his disciples about prayer, faith, and forgiveness. These events are related to one another and give us a vision for the Kingdom of God that includes justice, peace, and diversity.

During Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem, people believed it was time for God to finally bring salvation to Jerusalem. But instead of inaugurating the great day of the Lord, Jesus did something very different. The people were left wondering, what do you do when things don’t go as expected. That’s a question that has application for our lives too.

The story of Bartimaeus receiving his sight is part of a larger picture Mark is painting to show the difference between faith and spiritual blindness. The reason the disciples can’t see what a blind man can see has application for us today.

Walking with wisdom involves making decisions with the end in mind. Each of us must ask this question: What is the goal of my life? If our goal is all about ourselves then we’ll become the kind of people who are self-consumed and shallow. But if we want Jesus and his life, then we will intentionally arrange our daily lives to put him first. This will result in a life full of joy, peace, and love.

In the last chapter of the Book of Proverbs we get a vision of wisdom through a poem about a virtuous wife and mother. This week we learn that walking in wisdom involves developing gratitude for our mothers.

Wise people walk with a constant readiness to learn. Although it’s hard to admit, some of life’s most important lessons come in difficult circumstances. Suffering can be some of the best soil for growing wisdom. If we’re willing to learn, God will use our pain and frustrations to mold us into the kind of people who walk with joy in all circumstances.

Walking with wisdom has a lot to do with how we talk. We can become the kind of people who naturally speak life-giving words, even in stressful times.

When times are difficult we are prone to think that taking and hoarding are the best ways to protect ourselves. But the way of Jesus trains us to live with a generous spirit, looking for ways to give to those in need.

Walking with wisdom at Easter is about changing our perception and seeing things the way they really are under God’s care. The struggles in our world will not last because the new creation has broken into our world through Jesus.

There’s a lot to worry in our world, and there’s no magic formula for getting rid of our anxieties. But there is a way of wisdom that can help us. It has a lot to do with trust, birds, flowers, and the kingdom of God.

If we’re going to be people who walk with wisdom in these difficult times, we need to be the kind of people who elevate Jesus and value him above all. Practically we must give him more of our attention and practice doing what he teaches us. This is the way to walk with less worry and more wisdom in real life.

We all want to be the kind of people who are happy even in the eye of a storm, but it takes walking with wisdom to do this. This new sermon series will help us do just that: walk with wisdom in difficult times. We begin with the book of James where we discover a connection between trials and wisdom that has application for our lives now.