What did Jesus accomplish on the cross?

Part 3 from the "Vintage Jesus" by Pastor Mark Driscoll, Mars Hill Church in Seattle Washington.

"Hero"

Latest single from Skillet. It's off their new Awake CD.

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Vintage Jesus: "How human was Jesus?"

Below is part 2 of the Vintage Jesus series from Pastor Mark Driscoll, lead pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle Washington.

Vintage Jesus

The following message was given by Pastor Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church in Seattle Washington. This is part one in a 12 part series that he did in the fourth quarter of 2006. You can also buy the book that came out of this sermon series. Enjoy and I'll periodically post more.

MONSTER

Skillet's new CD "Awake" is awesome! Some great songs to rock your face off and some that provoke thought and some self reflection. Below is the video of their song "Monster", it rocks! However there is one part in it that seems a little....amateurish. Can you pick it out?

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Jonah Chapter 4

Well, we've finally made to the last chapter of the book of Jonah. For myself and the guys that participated in this study, it has been a true blessing. I pray that anyone who reads this blog will have gotten something out of Jonah that has challenged their faith and has brought them closer to Jesus. Let me encourage you tho take some time and study Gods word. Not just a few verses here and there but whole books. Get the most out of Gods word. When you study just a verse or two here and there you tend not to get the entire thought of the text. OK, with that said, let's get to the observations made in Jonah chapter 4.

Observation from Jonah Chapter 4:
-Jonah was mad that the people of Nineveh repented
-Jonah makes excuses to God as to why he didn't obey in the first place (he knew God would relent)
-Jonah wishes to die because of the repentance of the people of Nineveh (how is this better than repentance?!)
-Jonah has the temper of a 3 year old and stomps out of the city hoping to watch God destroy it (He is selfish, thinking that the people are not deserving if the same grace that God has given to him. He also thought this of the mariners in chapter 1)
-God provides a plant to give Jonah shade.
-Jonah was thankful for the plant (now he was sinning and comfortable)
-God destroys the plant and not Nineveh
-One again Jonah shows his displeasure for the people of Nineveh by caring more about a plant that has died than he does about 120,000 people that are spiritually dead
-Jonah pleads again to God to take his life
-God rebukes Jonah for not caring for the souls of men, but for a plant that he did nothing to deserve
-God describes the people of Nineveh as spiritually and morally unaware or dead

Conclusion:
In Jonahs mind, the grace that God showed to him in the belly of the fish and for sparing his life, was to good for the people of Nineveh. The lesson that God was trying to get across to Jonah by providing the plant and then taking it away was that God is the giver of all things and therefore can take away as he sees fit. We are all undeserving of everything that God has given to us, even the gift of grace, repentance and the faith to believe in him. In this last section, God seems to be very disappointed with Jonah. Jonah, of all people, should know better and he does. However he lets his pride, arrogance and selfishness totally jack up his walk with God. Even with all of Jonahs and our own shortcomings, God can and will use us to bring glory to him.

Jonah Chapter 3

We last left Jonah somewhere on a beach just having been vomited out of the stomach of a great fish. Now we come to chapter three and here are the observations that we made.

Observations from Jonah chapter 3:
-God gives Jonah a second chance
-This time Jonah goes without complaint or question (at least he did not verbalize it)
-Nineveh was a great city
-An eight word sermon was all God wanted Jonah to preach
-The king and all the people believed God (not Jonah)
-The king decrees it and all the people humble themselves, put on sackcloth, sit in ashes and repent of their sin
-The people only hope that God will see their efforts and will relent his punishment
-God does indeed notice their humility and repentance and does not destroy the city

Conclusion:
Jonahs delayed obedience is still disobedience in the sight of God. Thankfully for Jonah, and us, God is a God of second chances. How often does God ask us to share the gospel with others and we run from what he asks. Like Jonahs short simple sermon the gospel of Jesus is simple but we need to be ready and willing to share it with anyone. Just like the people of Nineveh and the mariners from chapter 1, no one is beyond receiving Gods grace.