KGF Church

Who is Jesus? | Giving to Caesar & Giving to God

Mark 12:13-17

During His last days, Jesus had a number of run-ins with the religious elite of the day. He was hated by most of them to the point where they wanted Him dead. They just had to figure out a way to get Him killed, so they pose what they think are impossible questions. The way He responds ends in astonishment, not just for how he handles the questions, but how His answers point to something greater. Our passage this week has more to teach us than simply how to get out of an impossible question. Let’s dive in together.

 

Speaker: Lead Pastor Shawn Klassen

Who is Jesus? | The Cornerstone

Mark 12:1-12

As a kid, my mother would often read to us the famous Aesop's fables - The Mouse and the Lion, the Scorpion and the Frog, the Fox and the Grapes, and of course the Tortoise and the Hare. These were great stories, and their morals were usually quite obvious. "Every act of kindness counts", "A creature cannot deny its nature", "It's better to deem something undesirable than be bitter when you cannot have it", and "Natural talent is no excuse for laziness" are their lessons respectively.



When Jesus spoke in parables, the people around him were often confused about their meaning, but not with the parable of the tenants - our passage for Sunday - which was a clear and harsh criticism of the Jewish religious elites.

Speaker: Pastor Joel Lise

Who is Jesus? | Says Who?

Mark 11:26-33

Jesus has always been controversial. He is today, and he was back in His time. He did things no one else was doing, and was teaching things that were astonishing. And when He got to Jerusalem, He upset the religious leaders by clearing out the Temple. Now those leaders will come face to face with Jesus and ask a probing question… “Who gave you the authority?”

Let’s explore together!

 

Speaker: Lead Pastor Shawn Klassen

Who is Jesus? | Fundamentals of Prayer

Mark 11:12-25

There are more ways to communicate with people than I care to know about. Way back when dinosaurs roamed the earth we used to write letters to one another. Then came the phone and not that long ago we were introduced to the cell phone. With the cell phone came texting. And now, there are all kinds of communication tools at our fingertips. There are Facebook Messenger, What's App, BeReal, Linked In, Teams, Slack, Jabber, and probably another half dozen options I have either tried to forget or don't know about (which is fine by me).

With time, technology has changed the way we communicate. But there's one form of communication that hasn't changed and that's prayer. We don't need a device, the internet, or wifi. We can talk to God anytime or anywhere. Anyone can do it, and God is always available whenever we reach out. Very cool!

Examine some of the key fundamentals of prayer that Jesus describes in the book of Mark. Through the teaching of God’s Word, our prayer lives will be enriched.  

 

Speaker: Steve Perry

Who is Jesus? | Triumphant?

Mark 11:1-11

What does winning look like to you? Is it graduating with straight A’s? Landing the corner office job with the hefty pay-check? Finding a spouse who’s a perfect 10? Maybe it’s just seeing gas come back down to a reasonable price!

Whatever it looks like to you, you’re probably very aware of how your idea of what should happen can be very different from what does happen. Our best hopes can be dashed with what reality sends our way. 

Oddly enough, the crowds around Jesus experienced this often! And it’s frequently because their hopes were different than the reality Jesus brought.

 

Speaker: Phil Wagler, Global Director at Peace & Reconciliation Network

Who is Jesus? | What Do You Want?

Mark 10:46-52

“What do you want?”  We hear that question when we sit down in a restaurant, show up at the mechanics' shop, or enter a clothing store. Of course, it’s asked in different words:


“What would you like to eat tonight?”

“What brings you in today?”

“Can I help you find something?”


Have you ever thought about how you would answer that question if it were God asking? What would you say to Him? Do you have an answer that quickly comes to mind, or would it take you a while to come up with something?



We’ll see Jesus ask a man that exact question. Let’s see his response.

 

Speaker: Lead Pastor Shawn Klassen

Who is Jesus? | Groundhog Day for Jesus

Mark 10:32-45

It is Jesus' final days before the cross. He is about to make his triumphal entry into Jerusalem. He has spent three years teaching his disciples, yet as Jesus predicts his death a third time, things turn sideways. This is not the first time, however, as the disciples show each time Jesus predicts his death that they don't understand. Instead of asking to see clearly, two brothers make a bold request! It does not end there because the bold request turns into a heated argument with all twelve of the disciples! What will Jesus do?

Come join us as Jesus experiences Groundhog Day with his disciples.

As we journey with the disciples we will discover “What does it mean to be the greatest in God kingdom?”

 

Guest speaker: Phill Whatman

Who is Jesus? | Heaven's Door (Part 2)

Mark 10:23-31

To see the amazing view, you’ll have to hike up the mountain.
To get a raise at work, you’ll have to prove your worth to the company.
To enjoy veggies from your garden, you’ll have to plant, water, and weed.

To get the results we want from life, we typically have to put in hard work. We’ve been conditioned from a young age to operate in a meritocracy - we get what we earn. What about when it comes to entering the Kingdom of God? How much giving, how much serving, how much bible reading, and how much church attending will open heaven’s door for us? 

Let’s talk about it!

 

Speaker: Lead Pastor Shawn Klassen

Who is Jesus? | Heaven’s Door (Part 1)

Mark 10:13-22
“Time is a finite resource. Each of us has only a limited amount of it.” 

That’s just a fancy way of saying “We are all going to die one day”. We all know that’s true, and yet we seem to do what we can to avoid thinking much about it. It puts our own mortality front and centre in our minds.. and if thoughts of mortality are present, surely thoughts of eternity soon follow. 

One day, Jesus encountered a man who seemed to be thinking about that quite a bit. So much so that he ran up to Jesus and asked “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” … In other words “What will open Heaven’s Door for me?”

Let’s see how Jesus responds!

 

Speaker: Lead Pastor Shawn Klassen

Who is Jesus? | The Divorce Dilemma

Mark 10:1-12

Every relationship is going to have problems. As long as people have different opinions, different approaches to finances, and different ways of handling conflict, tough times are guaranteed to happen… but what will you do with those tough times?  Will you look for a way out or a way through?

We’ll see Jesus tested with a question about divorce. What does He have to say about it?

 

Speaker: Lead Pastor Shawn Klassen