Supernatural events mixed with deeply human suffering mark the cup Jesus embraced drinking from the Father. In these events the whole message of the Gospel, from Genesis to Revelation unfolds – the curse of sin, the wrath of God, the sacrifice of the Son, and the varied responses of human hearts. Come consider the significance of the contents of the cup.

With a torrent of mockery, Jesus endures the shaming of the soldiers and the crowd as he is tortured and crucified. The One who came to save those very individuals from their life of sin, now humiliate Him with their words and actions. Their historical actions betray the real motivations and behaviors of every human heart. But Jesus, bearing our guilt and absorbing our shame, stands ready to put His royal robe on all who trust Him, putting the power of shame to death once and for all.

In this message from Colossians 4:2–6, we’re reminded that the mission of Jesus doesn’t move forward through hype or religious performance, but through faithful people living with intentional habits. Paul calls the whole church, not just leaders or professionals, to be a praying people, a proclaiming people, and a discerning people in the world. This sermon explores how devotion shapes our dependence, declaration clarifies our witness, and discernment guides our daily presence among others. It’s a timely word for a generation longing to live faithfully, wisely, and together on Jesus’ mission

TameneIn his historical narrative, Luke takes us to the time when the early believers were persecuted, displaced from their homes, and scattered to the neighboring cities and towns, and the result indeed was the proclamation of the gospel throughout the regions of Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. The two major conversion movements, that of the Samaritans and the Ethiopian Eunuch, took place through the ministry of Philip the evangelist. With the purpose of providing certainty and assurance to Theophilus on what he was taught, Luke shows that the proclamation of God’s salvation through Jesus Christ to all people progresses by the power of the Spirit through faithful witnesses in spite of all forms of resistance and opposition.

Jesus came to reveal the glory of the Father and save men from their sin … simple enough to understand. But big dark questions loom large over such a simple statement. Jesus isn’t a vague answer to these questions; He brings light and clarity to the specific questions we all wrestle with. Consider how the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus answer these four fundamental questions in the dark haze of life on this planet …

The next scene in Jesus’ trials takes us to Pilate, the Roman ruler over Jerusalem. He questions Jesus and finds no reason to execute him, and yet the Jewish mob demands crucifixion. Instead of setting Jesus free, he sets Barabbas, the murdering insurrectionist free. And again, we can’t miss it – The just is condemned, while the unjust goes free.

Meanwhile, down in the courtyard, Peter is facing the ultimate test of his faith. But Jesus has prayed for him, and while we see him deny the Lord three times, the Lord will not deny him. It is at this pivotal moment in Peter’s life that he is brought to his knees in brokenness, and will then be restored by grace, to be empowered for useful service.

Marched from Gethsemane to Caiaphas, Jesus now faces the ultimate miscarriage of justice. Barraged with invalidated testimony and false accusations, He is condemned to death. The irony of the scene is unmistakable – The clearest declaration of His identity is met with rejection and scorn, while his sentence of death is the very thing which provided our release from judgment.