No Code Website BuilderIn this first sermon in the series on the Gospel of Mark, we want to answer the questions: who was Mark and why is he an unlikely author of a Gospel.
As is characteristic of Mark's Gospel, he quickly identifies that his subject is "the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God," and then immediately introduces John the Baptizer, the forerunner of Jesus, and then immediately tells about Jesus' baptism and temptation.
In today's section, Mark begins with the first words of Jesus as He proclaimed the Gospel in Galilee. Then Mark moved quickly into the calling of the first four disciples. There is much for us to learn about how to respond to the Master's call to be fishers of people.
In this section of Mark's Gospel, Mark draws our attention to the wonder and amazement of the people as they see the authority with which Jesus taught, and as they witness Jesus' power over demons and disease. As we put our faith in Christ and walk with Him, He continues to amaze us.
As we move through Mark's Gospel, Jesus continues to amaze and surprise the people as everyone tries to figure out who Jesus really is. In this sermon, Jesus really surprises everyone by touching the leper and forgiving the sins of the paralytic.
Mark portrays Jesus as strong and bold as He dealt with spiritual controversies "head on." In this section of Mark, he grouped together four incidents that showed how Jesus faced the controversies and taught the truth. We need to ask ourselves if we are more like Jesus or the Pharisees.
In today's segment from the Gospel of Mark, we witness how Jesus handled the popularity of the crowd and how He moved away from the crowd in order to appoint the twelve apostles. As we watch Jesus stay the course, we learn how to focus on the mission of making disciples.
In this section, Mark sandwiched an incident with Jesus' family and an incident with the Jewish religious leaders to show the judgments people were making about Jesus. In the end, Jesus can only be one of three possibilities: Lord, liar or lunatic.
In Mark 4, Jesus taught the parable of the sower, and then explained it. The parable challenges us to sow the word of God and to cultivate our hearts so that we can be the good soil that produces a great harvest.
In Mark 4, Mark continues to record Jesus' short parables about the growth of God's kingdom. In this sermon, we learn four "miracle grow" principles for kingdom growth.
In the incident of the furious storm on the Sea of Galilee, the disciples learn something about dealing with fear through faith. Who is Jesus? He is God and is Lord of the storm.
In the first miracle in Mark 5, we see Jesus set free the man who was possessed by many demons. We see the sad reaction of the people of that region and learn the sad truth that some people choose the swine over the Savior. We also learn that everyone has a testimony.
In today's section of Mark, we see the desperation of two individuals who believed that Jesus could help them. Their faith in Jesus led them to humbly come to Him for help. Their faith was rewarded and our faith in Jesus will be rewarded as well.
Failure is a common experience and with God's help we can keep failure from being final. Jesus left a great example of how to handle failure when He was rejected in His own hometown.
John the Baptizer experienced severe consequences for standing for God's truth. In this interlude in Mark's Gospel we learn the lesson that discipleship is costly and we learn about people's different reactions to the truth.
In this section of the Gospel of Mark, Mark continues to help us see who Jesus is and why we can trust Him. In this section we see that Jesus is the Good Shepherd who feeds His sheep and rescues His sheep.
In this section of the Gospel of Mark, Mark presents some critically important contrasts between Jesus and the Scribes and Pharisees as Jesus clarifies the difference between truth and tradition, and between inward and outward righteousness
In this section of the Gospel of Mark, Mark shares two stories about Jesus ministering to two Gentiles. As Jesus ministered to them in unique and marvelous ways, we see how it is true that He does all things well. We can trust that Jesus will continue to do all things well in our lives.
In Mark 8:1-26, Mark directs our attention to the people around Jesus who are struggling with spiritual blindness in spite of the signs that they should clearly see and understand.
This sermon marks a critical point in the ministry of Jesus. It is time for Jesus' disciples to know that He is the Messiah and to know what kind of Messiah He will be. They are shocked to discover there is a cross in store for Jesus and for all of Jesus' followers.
The transfiguration of Jesus looks backwards to Moses and Elijah, and looks forward to Jesus' passion, ascension and return. The transfiguration is significant for Jesus, His apostles, and all of us.
Mark begins a long teaching section in Mark 9, where Jesus focused on teaching His disciples. In this first segment of that section, Jesus taught them about prayer and about His passion. They needed to learn these lessons and so do we.
As Jesus continued to privately teach His disciples in Mark chapter 9, we see that He focused on teaching them about pride and prejudice. It was important for them and for us to learn about humility and tolerance.
When Jesus returned to His public ministry in Mark 10, the Pharisees tried to trap Him with a question about divorce. Jesus dealt with their question by directing them back to God's original design and intent in creation.
In this section of Mark, Jesus encounters mothers and their children, and then a rich, young ruler. Both encounters give Him the opportunity to teach lessons about little people and big people.
This is the last section of Mark before the triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Mark gives us a picture of Jesus on the road to Jerusalem with courage and determination. Along the road to Jerusalem we learn lessons about greatness and service.
When Jesus entered Jerusalem for His final week, He fulfilled prophesy and claimed His Lordship. He is Lord of all, but we must make Him our personal Lord.
In this section of Mark's Gospel, we see Jesus finalizing His authority. We see His superior wisdom, knowledge and power as He is confronted by three groups of Jewish religious leaders and rises above each confrontation.
In this section of the Gospel of Mark, Jesus clarifies what the most important command is. It is to love God and to love others. Wholeheartedly loving God means that we love Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. That kind of love is illustrated in the widow's gift.
In Mark 13, Jesus prepared His disciples for two future events: the destruction of Jerusalem and His second coming. The first event would come with warnings, but the second will be a surprise. Readiness and alertness and trust in the Lord were necessary for both.
In Mark 14, Mark places the themes of love and hate alongside each other to create a sharp contrast. The hatred of the Jewish leaders, is followed by Mary’s loving act, which is followed by Judas’ betrayal. These stories challenge us to examine our feelings and actions toward Jesus.
Preparation is so important. Here in Mark 14, in Jesus' final days before His crucifixion, we see Him making final preparations for Himself and His disciples. If we haven't made spiritual preparation in advance, then i will be too late when the storm arrives, or the battle begins.
This sermon covers Mark's sequence of events from the Judas' betrayal through Pilate's handing over of Jesus for crucifixion. Jesus is so strong and amazing in the midst of injustice, abuse, and the desertion of the apostles.
Mark's version of the crucifixion of Jesus is concise and focuses mostly on the people who witnessed the crucifixion and their response to it. We too must respond to the crucifixion of Jesus and it is something that we must do daily.
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