"Truly Natural"

The title for this sermon series comes from a quote by theologian Jurgen Moltmann:

"Jesus’ healings are not supernatural miracles in a natural world. They are the only truly ‘natural’ thing in a world that is unnatural, demonized and wounded.”

We often think of Jesus' healings as "defying nature," but the truth is that they show us how the world was intended to be. God created the world to be free of illness, disease and injury. In the fall, humans made creation unnatural, corrupting it with sin. In his healings, Jesus gives a glimpse of what the natural order, as God intended it, was made to look like.

In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus is presented primarily as a healer. In this sermon series, we will be looking at Jesus' healings in Mark, seeing how these healings show us what God intends for creation and for our lives.

SERMON OUTLINE:

I. Unnatural

II. "Carried by Four of Them"

III. Carry One Another
A. Responses to suffering
B. Christian response
C. Hauerwas quote
D. Community

IV. How do we carry one another today?
A. Money - Giving
B. Presence - Growth groups
C. Prayer

V. Prayer
A. Why pray?
B. Biblical examples of prayer
C. Pray without ceasing
D. Next few weeks

NEXT STEPS:

1) Find an organization that works to alleviate suffering and donate money to them.

2) Reach out to someone you know is alone and offer to spend time with them.

3) Pray for someone you know is suffering.

GROWTH GROUP / PERSONAL REFLECTION QUESTIONS

1) How do you typically respond to someone else's suffering?

2) What do you think made the four people carrying the paralytic so determined?

3) Pastor Jon listed a few ways that we can "carry others" to Jesus. Can you think of other ways?

4) What are some of the reasons we pray?

5) Who needs healing that you can pray for?

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