North Gainesville Baptist Church: Recent Episodes
North Gainesville Baptist Church
Have you ever gone through a traumatic time in your life when you felt like your troubles or trials were choking you to death or tearing out your insides? Perhaps, the stress from your situation was so intense it robbed you of your ability to sleep and your desire to eat anything because your stomach was tied up in knots. People who have lost a loved one in death, suffered a divorce, lost a friend, or have a wayward, child understand the gravity of grappling with grief.
This is where we find the Lord in this portion of Mark. With a holy hush, we will witness the most traumatic, gut-wrenching moments in the life of the Lord Jesus Christ up to this point in His holy life. We will see His divinity as well as His humanity as He grapples with the grief caused by fear, isolation, loneliness, willfulness, and the contemplation of the horrors of crucifixion.
Watching the Lord grapple with grief in Gethsemane will provide for us insights and Biblical principles that we can put into practice in our own lives when we grapple with grief in our own Gethsemanes. Let’s take our time and learn as much as possible from the Lord.
Matthew 1:18-25
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.
20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.
22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:
25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name Jesus.