Part 1

Greg Hochhalter

As followers of Jesus, there may come a time when your faith waffles between confidence and doubt, belief and skepticism. Navigating these competing convictions during times is what this series is all about and navigating the times when your unbelief may take over.
Many people, you may be included, think that Jesus’ essential message, His reason for showing up in the first place is to do more good than bad while we are here on earth. Then, at the end of our life, God will say, “thanks for your effort, the good you did outweigh the bad, so your ultimate destiny is heaven, not hell.” However, this isn’t the message of the Bible. The real message of Jesus begins in Mark 1: 1, when he opens the gospel accounts of Jesus by culminating Israel’s story and the fulfilment of the promise of God. Jesus has arrived; the Good News has come. Jesus is destined to live among His people and to rescue them. The core of the core of Jesus’ message is about God coming here, on earth, and on God’s activities and purpose, not our behaviour. The grand vision of God, the Good News, has arrived – Jesus has come to address the problem and resolve it. The Kingdom of Heaven isn’t a place we go to when we die, it’s already here.
When Jesus comes to earth, the Kingdom of God has arrived to invade earth and to confront evil by ridding the world of a hell-free existence. His life is a complete picture of human potential that only gives, only loves, and only others centered. His death and resurrection create the possibility of an existence free from hells influence, so repent and believe in the Good News.
The invitation is to join Jesus in continuing the work that He started by creating pockets of heaven on earth where His Kingdom reigns and His will done.
This is the full service. Sermon begins at 18:43.
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