Beyond the Weekend

February 28 | Leaves & Fruit

February 28, 2022

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. Mark 11:22-23

Read: Mark 11:1-25
Listen:
Mark 11

TODAY’S MESSAGE

Mark retells the events of Jesus’s life at a dizzying pace. Jesus teaches, heals, forgives and even raises the dead. Then Mark’s Gospel abruptly slows in Chapter 11 as he recounts Jesus’s final week before his crucifixion. Chaos, crowds and extreme criticism from the religious elite pack Jesus’s last days. But it’s in this chaos that Mark slows down his story. The pace urges his readers to pay attention because these events change everything. The entire story of Jesus and the Bible comes to a climax this week.

Mark devotes much time and careful attention to this final week of Jesus’s life, and so should we. For the next eight weeks, we will look at the impact of his last days. Jesus faces rejection, and the story gets dark as he heads to the cross. Yet, we see great hope around the edges. There will be death, but also a beautiful birth of something new. We’ll see Jesus’s courage as he goes into the temple and his foresight in what will replace the temple. We’ll see his authority over our lives, in this world and the next. In his suffering, we will see our salvation.

We may be facing challenging situations where hope feels far away. Yet, as we slow down to sit in the final week that leads to Jesus’s suffering on our behalf—we find great hope. We follow his footsteps to the cross knowing it ends in celebration. As we absorb the events of this critical week, we invite God to meet us and shape us through what Jesus has done for us.

IN YOUR CHAIR TIME TODAY

Slow down—as Mark does—to soak in the final details of Jesus’s life over these eight weeks. Take extra minutes in Scripture and prayer. Ask God to help you see Jesus’s suffering and the hope he gives for the future. Then, join the Ada Worship Team as they sing “Hope has a Name.” Praise God that “Hope has a name, his name is Jesus. Oh, Christ be praised, I have victory.”


2022 BIBLE MEMORY PRACTICE

Develop spiritual roots and tap in the power of God’s word by memorizing monthly a Bible verse!

PHILIPPIANS 1:6
Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.


Download a printable PDF of the BTW week here.

You Might Also Like