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Sent Out by Jesus
In Mark 6:7-13, Jesus sends out the 12 apostles to preach the Gospel of repentance. They were instructed to travel light, trusting in God’s provision, and to travel in pairs, avoiding isolation. We are also part of God’s plan to reach the world. Let us be faithful to our calling, not withholding the truth, so that we can declare with Paul, “I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all (Acts 20:26 ESV).
Terrifying Unbelief!
In Mark 6:1-6, Jesus returns to His hometown of Nazareth and is greeted with contempt and unbelief. Jesus limited His miracles there because of the obstinance and cold-hearted indifference of the people. Those who reject Christ miss His blessings and face the prospect of dying in their sins (John 8:24). Following Him in discipleship involves listening to Him, learning from Him, and deepening in our devotion to Him. He went away from there and came to his hometown, and his disciples…
Twelve Short Years of Life
Jesus displays His awesome power by raising the daughter of Jairus from the dead in Mark 5:21-43. We can also take hope in the assurance that death has been defeated. Those who believe in Christ immediately go to be with Him at the moment of death, and their bodies will one day be raised when Christ returns.
Twelve Long Years of Sickness
The woman healed by Jesus in Mark 5:24-34 had spent 12 years living with illness and the isolation of ceremonial uncleanliness. She reaches out to Christ in faith, is healed, and then wishes to slip back into obscurity. Jesus calls her out in order to give her words of encouragement and to take her from timid faith to testifying faith.
Lord of Demons
Jesus the Son of God, came to our world on a mission of mercy. His miracles reveal His compassion, His omnipotence, and His rescue of us from the powers of sin and darkness.
Lord of the Storm
The account of Jesus calming the storm at sea in Mark 4:35-41 reveals much about His true identity. Jesus understands what it means to share our humanity as he falls asleep in the boat, exhausted from a long day of ministry and opposition. Jesus demonstrates that He is sovereign over creation as He instantly calms the storm.
Kingdom Perspective
The disciples had many inaccurate expectations about the Kingdom of God. They wanted Jesus to powerfully crush His enemies and set up a physical kingdom on Earth. In His parables, however, Jesus revealed a very different vision for His kingdom.
Parable of the Soils
The Parable of the Sower in Mark 4:1-20 could also titled the Parable of the Soils. Seeds are sown whenever people are told about Jesus and the Gospel, but not all of those seeds bear fruit.
Jesus’ Family
Our salvation comes by faith in Christ alone, but the validating mark of the believer is a life of increasing obedience to the word of God. It is not enough to merely listen to the teachings of Christ. We must obey His Word as revealed in Scripture confessing our sins when needed. Jesus said that His redeemed, eternal family members are those who listen to and obey His teachings.
The Eternal Sin
What is the unpardonable sin? In Mark 3:22-30, Jesus responds to the teachers of the law who accuse Christ of being possessed and empowered by the prince of demons. His response contains both a sober warning and a sweet promise of assurance.
Christ will forgive all sins for those who repent and come to Him in faith. The unpardonable sin is the settled, determined, hostile rejection of the Gospel.
Justly Justified
What is justification? God, motivated by grace, declares guilty people to be righteous. God is both just and the justifier, sending His son to be the atonement for our sin.
Praying for Our Children
The Lord’s Prayer gives guidance as to how we can pray for our children in our congregation. Pray to our loving Father that they will value God’s name as holy and have hearts that desire the Savior’s rule around the globe. Ask that they will live in obedience to God’s word and have sufficient energy to serve God with contentment and thankfulness. Pray that the children will seek daily forgiveness and be led away from temptation. Above all just be faithful to pray!
What Jesus Said on the Cross
On the cross, Jesus prayed for the pardon of sinners and gave His life to purchase their forgiveness. He promised the repentant thief that he would be with Him that day in Paradise. He demonstrated compassion for Mary, bore the wrath of God for our sins, and accomplished our salvation once and for all. After listening to Christ’s statements from the cross and observing Him die, the centurion exclaimed, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” Mark 15:39b (ESV)
Appointing of the Twelve
The twelve apostles, specially called by Jesus in Mark 3:13-19, became the foundation of the church. They preached the Gospel with the authority given to them by Jesus. Like the apostles, we are to be devoted to spending time with Christ — for us, this happens through prayer and reading of the Scriptures. We are ordinary people who are part of God’s plan to spread the Gospel throughout the Earth.
God the Son
Jesus is recognized as the Holy Son of God by the Father and also by demonic forces. The miracles of Jesus in Mark 3 show His compassionate heart and fulfill Old Testament prophecy to verify that Christ is God’s Son.
When Jesus Gets Angry
The righteous anger of Jesus is directed at the Pharisees in Mark 3:1-6. Christ is justifiably angry at their hypocrisy and the hardness of their hearts. It is important for us to examine the anger of Christ and to learn how to follow Him in sincerity and truth.
Imitate Their Faith
In Hebrews 13:7-8, we are encouraged to remember those who have influenced us and established us in the faith. We are to consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. Jesus is the source of the grace that is manifested in the outcomes of their lives. We should lean on Christ, never giving up, devoting ourselves to teaching and sharing the Word of God.
You’ve Abandoned Your First Love
In Revelation 2:4, Christ says to the church at Ephesus, “You have abandoned the love you had at first.” A supreme love for Christ should be the mark of a believer, but even energetic, orthodox Christians can still love Jesus less than He deserves. The solution to being zealous yet unloving: remember from where you have fallen and repent, asking Christ to change you into a person who loves the Lord with a humble, public, extravagant love.
The Power of God for Salvation
The Gospel is an announcement of good news. Salvation is our rescue from guilt, separation from God, slavery to sin, and eternal death. Salvation is also rescue for life, adoption as children of God, and blessedness. The Gospel message is filled with the inherent power of God for the salvation of all who believe.
What the Resurrection is About
Easter is about forgiveness, hope, and worship. Jesus died on the cross to secure our forgiveness, and rose from the grave to prove that our forgiveness is secure. We have the certainty of a living hope through the resurrection. Our response should be to confess our belief in the resurrection and trust in Christ for the forgiveness of our sins. Praise God for a living hope from a living Savior!