Parker Road Bible Church

Whether we have begun a relationship with Jesus Christ or we are exploring what it means to follow Him, it does us well to examine Him through the Gospels, which are His biographies. Who did He claim to be? How does He live? What direction does He provide us? This is the core of this new series, Gaze. As we continue to look intently at Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew, we will have the opportunity to see Him more clearly, trust Him more, and follow Him closer. It's in this relationship that we are transformed. This series begins with looking at the authority of Jesus seen in the Transfiguration. Why should we have confidence in Jesus and why should confidence in Him affect us in this new year as we encounter new challenges and obstacles?

People call it Christmas spirit. While working through family conflict, they have hopes for peace on earth. They are flooded with intense feelings of joy, expectation or isolation. What's so special about Christmas? Why does it cause these intense feelings? How is it so powerful to illicit long forgotten memories to come back crashing into our mind? Is it just a "spirit" or feeling? Is it the pagan ritual? Or is it connected back to a baby born in Bethlehem--a baby like no other. In some extraordinary way, does Christmas shed light on the deepest questions of our heart? The apostle John gives us insight as we reflect on the first chapter of his gospel. In this chapter, John shares how Jesus answers our greatest questions. How does Christ's coming answer the essential questions of life?

"You shall call His Name, Jesus...He will save His people from their sins. They shall call His Name Emmanuel, which means God with us." The directions given to Mary and Joseph prior to the first Christmas included the naming of Jesus. In His Name we see His power, purpose and presence. He came to save His people on a rescue mission in both power and purpose to seek and save the lost. He also came to be with us and to bring us into a restored, reconciled, renewed relationship with the Father. This Christmas season, I'd like to remind you that in His presence we experience His power and purpose. And I'd like you to go away knowing that God is near to you today. Why does it matter to you in 2018 that God is near?

As we close the series, Parables, we see Jesus' teaching illustrated in the hearts of the citizens of His hometown. They are an example of the hard soil that will not receive the seed of the Sower, leading to the absence spiritual growth. Belief is powerful, but so is unbelief. Are you preventing God from doing great works in your life because of--you don't believe Him? What can we learn about unbelief from today's passage?