June 28, 2009 - LifeWORDS:

"This is What I Told You ..." (Luke 24:25-27, 44-45)

Key Focus:

• Jesus knew!
  • Jesus knew where His ministry would ultimately take Him and He did it anyway!
  • The O.T. prophets pointed to the suffering servant, the crucified Messiah, and Jesus knew this was coming but did it to bring people to God

• SBA starts today! Crucial centerpiece.
• Baby Blessing on this Sunday: this is planned for Daybreak only.
• Sack Sunday for benevolence needs, with a special emphasis on the kids' participation. Both services.

• 2 Corinthians 1:20 tniv

20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.

• Luke 24:25-27, 44-45 tniv

25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.

44 He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.

• Luke 9:22 tniv

22 And he said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”

• Luke 17:25 tniv

25 But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

• 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18

15 According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.

• Other Scriptures
  • Hebrews 2:10-11, 14-18
  • 1 Peter 1:10-12
  • Luke 5:35; 9:22; 9:44; 12:50; 13:32-33; 17:25; 18:31-34 (cross predictions)

Drama, Media, & Connecting Pieces:

• Pre-video: Corbett will help with this on both services.
• Video Piece: SBA videos 1 & 2 along with Jack Marcelain and Tom Risse piece on reading Luke 24:25-27 for Jack and 24:44-45. Trying to get a grandfather & grandson combination. Both services.
• Key Scripture to be read: see Scripture video above.
• LifeWORDS confessional Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 4:14-15
• Communion Emphasis:
  • The Lord's Supper anticipates the Wedding Feast of Heaven and the great reunion that awaits us
  • 1 Corinthians 11:26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
  • Revelation 19:7-9
  • Luke 13:29

Time in the Word Focus:

• Jesus' rejection and resurrection were part of God's plan
  • It was foretold in the O.T. prophets
  • Jesus repeatedly had foretold this would happen
• In other words, Jesus knew this plan, accepted it, and walked the way of obedience for our salvation
• And importantly for us, Jesus has demonstrated that He knows how life and the future will unfold. We are called to follow Him, and trust Him with our future, even when we don't know where it will lead us ...
  • because He has demonstrated that He loves us and was willing to pay the price for us
  • because He has demonstrated that He can ensure our ultimate future
    • The point is the old slogan -- "I may not know what the future holds, but I know who holds the future"
    • This principle of faith was crucial to the early followers of Jesus as the "underground church"
      • they understood that following Jesus didn't mean everything would be "hunky dorey" and that we would be protected from all harm -- in fact, we are called to follow the way of the Cross (Luke 9:22-27)
      • they faced persecution and martyrdom for their faith in the book of Acts, yet God used them to "turn the world upside down" (Acts 17:6)
  • Now what about us?
    • Do we have this trust?
    • Do we have a focus on Scripture with Jesus as the center?
    • Do we trust the Holy Spirit to "open our minds to understand it"?
    • Will we keep our faith in Him even when the future seems unclear?

Daybreak Focus: (See emphasis above! Team Working on Planning Order - Phil & John)

Refresh Focus: (See emphasis above! Team Working on Planning Order - Vann, Wade, John C, & Larry)