Take a closer look at how Jesus responded to the actions and tensions unfolding around Him. His use of power stands in stark contrast to the way people — even God‑followers — often react. What does His response to the violence and turmoil of His day, reveal about our own, in this day? Listen in and see whether an invitation emerges to re‑examine how we respond in our everyday lives as followers of Christ. Watch my latest sermon preached on 8 March 2026 called “God’s Response VS Man’s Response” from Mark 11:15-18; Luke 22:45-53 linked below.
I preached this sermon for my home church were I served as the Connections Pastor. Impact Temple Church, located in Temple, Texas, is about an hour north of Austin and 2 hours south of Dallas/Fort Worth.
Scroll down below to watch a recording of the sermon or the entire service! Scroll down even further to watch my ‘After Sermon Background Preaching Tips‘ video where I’m keeping up my routine of sharing a few thoughts after I preach (but this time you might notice a different background). But if you scroll all the way down, you’ll read some candid thoughts about the burden I carried with me into the pulpit, which I did not name during the sermon. Hear our prayer Oh Lord.
I am always hopeful that these offerings would bless and encourage you in your own journey with God and in your ministry of service to others. Feel free to reach out to me or leave a comment below, anytime. Blessings and peace!
Mark 11:15-18 NIV
15 On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, 16 and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. 17 And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’[a]? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’[b]”
18 The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching.
Luke 22:45-53
45 When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. 46 “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.”
Jesus Arrested
47 While he was still speaking a crowd came up, and the man who was called Judas, one of the Twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him, 48 but Jesus asked him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”
49 When Jesus’ followers saw what was going to happen, they said, “Lord, should we strike with our swords?” 50 And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear.
51 But Jesus answered, “No more of this!” And he touched the man’s ear and healed him.
52 Then Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the temple guard, and the elders, who had come for him, “Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come with swords and clubs? 53 Every day I was with you in the temple courts, and you did not lay a hand on me. But this is your hour—when darkness reigns.”
Preaching Tips Background Video
In this video share, I share how I let go of my notes as written for the sermon and went off script, prompted by the presence of God in our church and the Spirit moving within me. What I don’t say in this video and what I alluded to when I began to preach (which is not included in the recording) was that the reason why the worship set so moved me and empowered me before I began to preach was because it included a song sung/rapped partly in Spanish (which has never been done before at our church)- at a time where ICE raids feel like ‘old news’ since the most current news was the bombing of the Iranian people by my country, the US of A on 28 Feb, the week before.
I don’t talk specifically about this in my sermon delivered on 8 March to my very diverse home church, but as a honorably discharged military Veteran who lived overseas for many years and as a person who spent time on the U.S.A. / Mexico border purposely to learn more and SEE for myself what was happening with Immigration- I preached carrying a burden in my mind concerning the level of violence my country enacts upon others AND a deep lament regarding how several leaders in power directly contribute to this while wrapping their ways around their Christian faith.
I don’t talk about any of this in my sermon because I didn’t want anyone to miss the point. My prayer was that the Spirit of God would continue to work through the entire worship service, including me, to somehow encourage our church and anyone listening to this recording that if they claimed to follow God- if they claimed Christianity – which is my faith background as well- might we ALL go back to re-examining the whole Biblical text AND re-examine ourselves? Might we ALL step into some courage to follow after Jesus’s ways in our day to day life, even when it means we might lose something? Even when it doesn’t look like what we have always done? And maybe even when it disrupts how we thought things would go? As we listen to the sermon, may we see and hear how Jesus used his power in some very powerful ways and may we be encouraged to re-consider how we move with ours as well today. (Check out the sermon linked above!)
In the after background preaching video below, I don’t share specifically anything that I just typed above, but I do talk about how I went off script when I preached. I also mention the Scripture Lectio group call- details on that community formative practice is here… May you be blessed!
Do share with me what resonates with you, in your particular roles of ministry (or however you’ve come to find this particular video)! Thanks!
You can watch my After Preaching Tips video playlist here.
You can find the rest of my Sermons here! https://sejanashines.com/preaching and my Sermons playlist here.
Here’s a new link with all kinds of ways to connect with me! https://lnk.bio/sejanashines.
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