SERMON NOTES

LUKE 23:34 (NLT)
Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”

• This was the first thing He said after being beaten, rejected, abandoned, and nailed to the cross.
• Jesus offered forgiveness before anyone asked.
• We forgive when people don’t deserve it, don’t fix it, or don’t make things better.  We forgive before they even ask because we want to be like Jesus.

LUKE 23:43 (NLT)
And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

JOHN 19:26-27 (NLT)
(​​26) When Jesus saw his mother standing there beside the disciple he loved, he said to her, “Dear woman, here is your son.” (27) And he said to this disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from then on this disciple took her into his home.

• Some of His dying words were spent caring for His earthly mother, making sure she had someone to provide for her in the coming years and uniting her to John, who wrote this very Gospel.

MATTHEW 27:46 (NLT)
At about three o’clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”

• Psalm 22
• 2 Corinthians 5:21
• All our sin was placed on Jesus at this moment. 
• The abandonment Christ experienced on the cross allows us to feel the unconditional and unfailing love of God today.

JOHN 19:28 (NLT)
Jesus knew that his mission was now finished, and to fulfill Scripture he said, “I am thirsty.”

• He’s thirsty for communion with God.

JOHN 19:30 (NLT)
When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

• In the Kingdom of God your sin will never be used against you.
• What needs to change in your life today so you can treat yourself the same way Jesus treats you?

LUKE 23:46 (NLT)
Then Jesus shouted, “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” And with those words he breathed his last.

• Jesus trusted His Father for the entire journey and now He would entrust His Spirit into the grave.

APPLICATION QUESTIONS:

1.  What phrase from the dying words of Christ stands out to you most and why?
2. What would need to change in your life today in order to treat yourself like Jesus treats you?
3. Who can you invite to Easter?

SERMON AUDIO

SERMON NOTES

“No tongue may tell nor heart fully think of the pains that our Savior suffered for us, considering the worth of the highest, most glorious king and the shameful, humiliating, painful death; for He who was highest and noblest was brought most low and utterly despised.” 

• Julian of Norwich — Revelations of Divine Love

MARY - THE MOTHER OF JESUS

• • Mary, among a few other faithful women, were standing nearby witnessing the death of Jesus.
  • John 19:25-27 (NLT)
  • In the final moments of His life, Jesus is caring for His mom.

• Friends of the cross bear witness to pain. 
• We have to bear witness to the pain; we have to experience the suffering of our Savior, and we have to remember the body that was broken and the blood that was shed because as you experience the pain of the cross you will also experience His mercy.

JOHN - THE DISCIPLE JESUS LOVED

• • John is the only disciple who was there!
  • If you’re going to walk close to Jesus and model your life after His, it won’t always look like you’re winning.

• Friends of the cross prioritize proximity.
• This is why things like spiritual disciplines and habits are so important to the follower of Jesus.
• God can do whatever He wants, but oftentimes, it’s proximity to Jesus that unlocks mission, purpose, and calling.

THE THIEF ON THE CROSS

• • Luke 23:32-33, 39-43 (NLT)
  • The fact that we have the dying conversations of Jesus recorded is so important to our faith and understanding of God.
  • Every breath and conversation was an excruciating labor of love.

• Friends of the cross hope for the future.

APPLICATION QUESTIONS:

1. How do you typically respond to pain in yourself or in others?
2. How are you working on ‘proximity to Jesus?’
3. What does spiritual inertia look like in your life today?
4. When it comes to your life with Jesus, what are you hoping for?

SERMON AUDIO

SERMON NOTES

MARK 15:16-25 (NLT)
(16) The soldiers took Jesus into the courtyard of the governor’s headquarters (called the Praetorium) and called out the entire regiment. (17) They dressed him in a purple robe, and they wove thorn branches into a crown and put it on his head. (18) Then they saluted him and taunted, “Hail! King of the Jews!” (19) And they struck him on the head with a reed stick, spit on him, and dropped to their knees in mock worship. (20) When they were finally tired of mocking him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to be crucified. (21) A passerby named Simon, who was from Cyrene, was coming in from the countryside just then, and the soldiers forced him to carry Jesus’ cross. (Simon was the father of Alexander and Rufus.) (22) And they brought Jesus to a place called Golgotha (which means “Place of the Skull”). (23) They offered him wine drugged with myrrh, but he refused it. (24) Then the soldiers nailed him to the cross. They divided his clothes and threw dice to decide who would get each piece. (25) It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him.

"Sometimes we may wish that God would send us… a full explanation! But even though we cannot know all the particular reasons for our crosses, we can look at the cross and know God is working things out." – Timothy Keller

WHEN YOUR LIFE GETS CONSCRIPTED, JESUS REWRITES YOUR SONG

APPLICATION QUESTIONS:

1. Just for fun: Mondegreens are misheard song lyrics. What song lyrics have you misheard?
2. Imagine you're Simon of Cyrene—you've saved for years, traveled 800 miles for Passover, and suddenly Roman soldiers force you to carry a bloody cross, disqualifying you from worship. How would you have felt at that moment? What would you have been thinking or praying?
3. Matt shared about losing basketball in 5th grade—something that felt devastating at the time but led him to music and ministry. What's a cross you've been forced to bear? What is an unexpected detour or loss that derailed your plans? How did you interpret it at the time? 

SERMON AUDIO

SERMON NOTES

1 CORINTHIANS 2:1-2 (NLT)
(1) When I first came to you, dear brothers and sisters, I didn’t use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God’s secret plan. (2) For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified. 

THE DAY OF ATONEMENT

• Atonement means ‘to cover’ but biblically, its definition is a little more robust. It means to cover but it also points to reuniting, forgiving, and even paying a ransom.
• Mark 10:45 (NLT)
• Leviticus 16:7-10, 15, 20 (NLT)
• In ancient Israel, blood equaled life.
• This is all a foreshadow of the cross and the foretaste of what Jesus was going to do on the cross.
• The day of atonement was meant to be a picture of the future work of the cross.

THE DAY OF ATONEMENT POINTED TO JESUS

• Hebrews 10:1-5, 19-22 (NLT)
• Jesus is the fulfillment of the old; Jesus accomplished what no animal sacrifice could do.
• We needed something stronger than the old ways and through Christ, it has been paid in full.

ARE YOU LIVING LIKE AN OLD TESTAMENT BELIEVER?

• You can boldly enter heaven’s most holy place because of the blood of Christ. 
• He’s already forgiven you, and He’s already created a way for you to be set free.

APPLICATION QUESTIONS:

1. If sin is like ‘coffee & creamer’ how have you seen sin impact your life or the community around you? 
2. Are there areas of your life where you are living like an Old Testament?  Where do you need to experience freedom in Christ?
3. Read Hebrews 10:1-5 & 19-22 and discuss what your life can become as you trust in Jesus (the mercy, boldness, guilt/shame-free life you are promised).

SERMON AUDIO

SERMON NOTES

1 Corinthians 2:1
When I first came to you, dear brothers & sisters, I didn’t use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God’s secret plan. (2) For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified.

The Foolishness of The Cross

1 Corinthians 1:18
The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction!  But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God… 22 It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven.  And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. 23 So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense. 24 But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.

APPLICATION QUESTIONS:

1. When you share your faith, how do you talk about the cross & what Christ has done in your life?
2. How does the story of Christ Crucified impact you experientially (emotionally, spiritually, even physically)?
3. How does understanding the cross impact your experience of communion?

SERMON AUDIO

SERMON NOTES

PSALM 42 (NIV)
(1) As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. (2) My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? (3) My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” (4) These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go to the house of God under the protection of the Mighty One with shouts of joy and praise among the festive throng. (5) Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. (6) My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar. (7) Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me. (8) By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me— a prayer to the God of my life. (9) I say to God my Rock, “Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?” (10) My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me all day long, “Where is your God?” (11) Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

1. YOU ARE NOT ALONE
2. GET CURIOUS
3. 1. • “I sometimes think that the whole art of the Christian life is the art of asking questions.” ― D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
4. RELOCATE HOPE
5. • “The first and most basic thing we can and must do is to keep God before our minds… This is the fundamental secret of caring for our souls. Our part in this practicing the presence of God is to direct and redirect our minds constantly to Him. In the early time of our ‘practicing’ we may well be challenged by our burdensome habits of dwelling on things less than God. But these are habits – not the law of gravity – and can be broken… A new, grace-filled habit will replace the former ones as we take intentional steps toward keeping God before us. Soon our minds will return to God as the needle of a compass constantly returns to the north. If God is the great longing of our souls, He will become the pole star of our inward beings.”  ― Dallas Willard 
   • Psalm 16:8-9 (NIV)
   • Philippians 4:8 (NLT)

APPLICATION QUESTIONS:

1. What has made you feel most alone during times of deep sadness? How did you realize you weren't?
2. What are some barriers (internal or external) that keep people from getting curious or seeking help when they're struggling with depression?
3. What's one practical step you could take this week to "relocate hope" for your own mental health or support someone you love who's struggling with depression?

SERMON AUDIO

SERMON NOTES

MATTHEW 9:10-13 (NLT)
(10) Later, Matthew invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. (11) But when the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with such scum?” (12) When Jesus heard this, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.” (13) Then he added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”

JESUS CAME FOR THE SICK…

• As a church, we need to be a hospital.
• I am so thankful that Jesus came for the sick because addictions come in all shapes & sizes.

JESUS CAME FOR THE SICK, HE CAME TO SHOW MERCY…

• Matthew 9:13 (NLT)
• It’s pretty likely that some of us in this room have open or hidden addictions…and it’s just as likely that some of us in this room struggle with judgment against those who are addicted.
• He came for the sick and He came with mercy in His heart.
• Celebrate Recovery at the Vineyard
• The LoveFoco Show

JESUS CAME FOR THE SICK, HE CAME TO SHOW MERCY, AND HE CAME TO SET YOU FREE

• Luke 4:18-19 (NLT)
  (18) “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, (19) and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come. ”
• Jesus loves addicts, He desires to show you mercy, and He came to set you free.
• Through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ you can experience freedom starting today.

APPLICATION QUESTIONS:

1.  How did addiction impact your childhood?
2. How does addiction impact you today?
3. How can you experience mercy (for yourself or for others) surrounding addiction?

SERMON AUDIO

SERMON NOTES:

ROMANS 10:11 (NIV)
As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”

PSALM 31:1-2 (NIV)
(1) In you, Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in your righteousness. (2) Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me.

DEFINING SHAME

• “Shame: an intensely painful feeling or experience of believing that we are flawed and therefore unworthy of love, belonging, and connection.” -  Brene Brown
• TedTalk on Shame and Vulnerability
• Your Shame Voice: The little voice in your head that won’t go away.

SHAME IN SCRIPTURE

• Genesis 3:6b-13 (NLT)
• Shame makes you cover, hide, and blame.
• Shame always grows in isolation and it gets more powerful when we keep secrets.

BREAKING THE CYCLE OF SHAME

• If you struggle with hiding, you need to throw yourself into community.
• If you struggle with covering, practice the spiritual discipline of confession.
• If you struggle with blaming, you have to do the very courageous thing of taking ownership.

PSALM 34:4-5 (NIV)
(4) I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. (5) Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.

APPLICATION QUESTIONS:

1. How did you experience shame as a child and how might that impact you today?
2. Can you identify & share part of your ‘shame voice’ with others?
3. What is one way you can actively work against shame in your life today?

SERMON AUDIO:

SERMON NOTES:

• 1 Thessalonians 5:23 (NLt)
• The God of peace wants to make you holy in every way…He wants to bless & heal your entire being.
• 1 Peter 5:7 (NIV)
• God cares for you, and any anxiety you have doesn’t disqualify you from a rich & abundant life with God.

• Increase self-awareness
• You need to become aware of your own anxieties.
• Psalm 139
• For the Christian, self-awareness leads us to the cross.
• We don’t need to ‘let it go,’ we need to transfer it to the cross.

• Healing doesn’t happen alone.
• Emotionally Focused Intensive
• John 14:27 (NLT)

APPLICATION QUESTIONS:

1. How did anxiety impact your family growing up?
2. How does anxiety impact your daily life today?
3. How are you partnering with God to experience freedom from anxiety?

SERMON AUDIO: