StoneBridge Community Church
Associate Pastor Jonathan Lusche
"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.
Mark 3:1-6 NRSV
Mark 3:3 NIV
Mark 3:4 NIV
Mark 3:5 NIV
Mark 3:6 NIV
NEXT STEPS:
1. Memorize Mark 3:4 - Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent.
2. Try to identify five societal or cultural “illnesses” that may be systemic in nature and research how good people are attempting to “heal" them.
3. Prayerfully consider whether there’s a personal “moment of truth” regarding #2 and commit to getting involved.
GROWTH GROUP / PERSONAL REFLECTION QUESTIONS
1. Irregardless of how big or small, share a story of a time you or someone close to you faced a moment of truth?
2. As a group, try to identify five societal or cultural “illnesses” that may be systemic in nature that are global, national, regional and/or local. How are good people attempting to “heal" them.
3. Regarding #2 above, how might your growth group get involved? How might StoneBridge get involved? How might you get involved?
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