In yesterday’s Connections class, I mentioned a couple of sermons by D.A. Carson titled “On Being Prepared for Suffering and Evil.” I cannot recommend this teaching strongly enough; this isn’t the first time I’ve commended these messages, and it won’t be the last.

Here are the free download links:

On Being Prepared for Suffering and Evil: Part 1

On Being Prepared for Suffering and Evil: Part 2

In addition, Dr. Carson has published an extensive treatment on the subject in his book How Long, O Lord?: Reflections on Suffering and Evil. I’m only a few chapters in, but it is off to a fantastic start—I highly recommend it

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During his earthly life, Jesus trusted in the Father to sustain and guide him. Jesus also submitted to the Spirit of God to move through Him to touch the lives of the people. In this way Jesus provides for us a model of living by the Spirit of God. Today, we hope you will savor the amazing grace expressed in a very personal Jesus. MP3 download.

 

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Check out our women’s ministry and Facebook page for the retreat promo video.

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As we consider the serious side of Jesus’ humanity, this video from Mark Driscoll shows us a another side we probably think about too little:

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Some thoughts on pain and suffering and how our current teaching series on the humanity of Jesus helps me make sense of it all:

As a thoughtful Christian, I have to be able to make sense of that most difficult of questions: how do you reconcile the reality of suffering and evil with the existence of an all-good, all-powerful God? … As the atheist philosopher Bertrand Russell famously asked, “what are you going to say as you kneel next to a dying child?”

Bringing logic to bear on that situation is, for most people, simply a case study in using the wrong tool for the job. Instead, comfort comes from understanding that God is familiar with suffering through first-hand experience

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We apologize for the incomplete recording of today’s class due to technical difficulties.

 

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During his earthly life, Jesus trusted in the Father to sustain and guide him. Jesus also submitted to the Spirit of God to move through Him to touch the lives of the people. In this way Jesus provides for us a model of living by the Spirit of God. Today, we will consider the dynamics of this truth through employing the life-story of a young man named Brian. Today, we hope you will savor the amazing grace expressed in a very personal Jesus. MP3 download.

 

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The Background

Brian was a typical suburban teenage guy in the 11th grade. Brian was growing up in a family of achievers. Each had his niche in life firmly established. Brian’s dad was a ladder-climbing businessman. Brian’s mother was the ever-present keeper of the house, juggling schedules with the skill and detail of a mechanical engineer. Even Brian’s younger sister was smart and, to Brian, “almost” as popular as he was.

The Change

Through a series of events, Brian became a follower of Christ through the faithful witness of a friend. It seemed that overnight Brian had changed. Brian noticed that he would get uncomfortable with certain friends telling “those” jokes. On the basketball court, Brian became painfully aware of how often …

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In the teaching on Sunday, Jan.24.10 in a message entitled: Jesus, Just Hype or Incredibly Human; I made the point that the difference between Jesus and you is one word – “trust.” The following images are meant to display how Jesus displayed similar emotions and desires that all humans have. The difference is that Jesus’ emotions and desires are rooted in His trust in the Father while our emotions and desires are rooted in trust in ourselves. This is exactly why Jesus never sinned because He trusted in God and not Himself. This is exactly the opposite of what Adam and Eve did and every other human (other than Jesus) who has ever followed them….

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