Mark 1:29-39 - Three Episodes in Galilee

In verses 21-39 of Mark chapter one we have recorded, more or less, a day in the life of Jesus. If we were curious to know what spending a day with him would have been like, this is it. Mark presents it as typical of his Galilean ministry. Recall where we left Jesus last week. It is a sabbath day and he has already taught the people in the synagogue and healed a man of demonic oppression. Then Mark says they leave the synagogue, walk to the house of Peter and Andrew, and find Peter's mother-in-law sick of a fever. Jesus heals her with a touch. She feels so well that she gets up and serves them.

What does the Bible say about serving that is different from the way it is looked at in our culture? Is being a servant a virtue or something to avoid at all costs? What do our attitudes about this say about us?

That evening at sundown Mark says the whole city came out to see Jesus.

And the whole city was gathered together at the door.--Mark 1:33

They had needs and they wanted Jesus to meet them. So Jesus stays up late into the night healing and casting out demons. Then early in the morning, before daylight, he arises and goes out into a desolate place to pray. The disciples miss him and are a bit confused about what is going on. They find him and tell him that the crowds are looking for him. Shouldn't he get back to this great thing that is happening in Capernaum (they imply)? Jesus surprisingly responds that they need to leave the crowds and move on to the next towns, for that is why he had come out. Proclaiming the gospel is his mission.

This is the sermon I preached from Mark 1:29-39. In it I give a practical verse by verse of what is going on in the narrative, helping us to see it better from our foreign cultural perspective. I also spend some time thinking about the implications of what we've read. I hope you will take the time to listen to the sermon and that God will speak to you through his word. Just click the link below. God bless.


Click here: Mark 1:29-39 - Three Episodes in Galilee



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Galatians 1:17-24 - From Damascus to Jerusalem

Here's what's going on. A group from Jerusalem (not apostles) has been going around to the newly formed Gentile churches and telling them that they must submit to circumcision and keep the rites and ceremonies of the law in order to be saved. This is a misunderstanding of both the Old Covenant and the New. There is no salvation in rites and ceremonies. Never has been. It is not the keeping of the law that justifies. It is faith in Christ--no matter which Testament you live in.

Knowing that their message runs contrary to Paul's gospel, what they have done is to question Paul's credentials and authority. Paul is just an imperfect disciple of the Apostles, they say. He didn't actually know Jesus, they say. You need to listen to us. We are from Jerusalem.

So Paul responds to that by affirming his apostleship and damning anyone who preaches any other gospel than the one he first delivered to them (1:8-9). Now he is explaining that the gospel he preached came to him directly from Christ, that Christ called him and commissioned him personally (1:11-12). He is giving a bit of his history in order to refute what is being said by these false teachers and to confirm his credentials and authority (1:15-24)--all of this in defense of the gospel.

In this Bible study we follow Paul from Damascus to Arabia back to Damascus then up to Jerusalem. Finally we leave him in the regions of Cilicia and Syria. Along the way we come across some interesting things such as Jesus' brother James, the nature of justification by faith alone, the obedience produced from faith, and when and where it might be appropriate to swear. The best part is that we finished chapter one of Galatians and we will be moving on to chapter two next week. Click the link below to listen to the audio file.

Click here: Galatians 1:17-24 - From Damascus to Jerusalem

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Mark 1:21-28 - The Authority of Jesus

As we turn the pages through the gospel of Mark it is good to always keep something in mind. He is not making a record of Jesus' life in the same way that a modern biographer would. He is not writing how things happened in chronological order. Rather, he is unfolding events in a specific way tailored to convince us to believe that Jesus is the unique Son of God--and to compel us to become his committed followers. The way his gospel is laid out, the order in which he records the events, is all purposeful. Even the way he tells the stories is designed to make you a believer.

To begin telling the story of Jesus, Mark has chosen to recount a series of stories (pericopes) which will emphasize his uniqueness. Typical of Mark he tells them in rapid-fire succession. From them we are to understand that Jesus was no ordinary man and the fact that he was no ordinary man was evident from the beginning. 

In verses 21-28 of the first chapter we have an account from the life of Christ which emphasizes his authority--both in word and in deed. Mark recounts a time when Jesus entered the synagogue in  Capernaum and was asked to teach. His teaching amazed the people present, for "he spoke with authority, and not as the scribes." Then Mark tells us how Jesus was confronted by a demon-oppressed man and how Jesus commands the unclean spirit to come out of him and what happens.

There is much to learn from this passage which still speaks to us today, and the story also has a point, a point which we would do well to heed. So I hope you will take the time to listen to the sermon. I've linked the audio file below. I think it will prove a blessing to you.

Click here: Mark 1:21-28 - The Authority of Jesus

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Galatians 1:15-16 - Unconditional Election

In Galatians 1 Paul is recounting his personal history of how he went from persecutor of Christ and Christians to preacher of Christ and the gospel and apostle to the Gentiles. He calls this turning point in his life his "revelation of Jesus Christ." When he uses that phrase he is referring to his conversion on the road to Damascus. The event is recorded in Acts 9 by Luke and then Paul recounts it himself twice more before the end of that book.

The purpose of his recounting his personal history is to defend his apostleship and the gospel he preached which are both under assault by the Judaizers. The point Paul is making is that it was Jesus himself, on the road to Damascus, who personally revealed himself to Paul and commissioned him as an apostle. Paul's gospel, then, came by direct revelation of Jesus Christ.

But the way Paul phrases this in Galatians 1 is interesting--and telling. Here's what he says:

But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone;--Galatians 1:15-16 ESV

The language Paul uses is reminiscent of the call of Jeremiah in the Old Testament. Both were chosen from before birth and commissioned to do a work for God. Both were chosen by grace which means they were chosen, or elected, unconditionally. Are they unique?

When we say that we are saved by grace we mean just that. We are saved by grace alone. Those who are saved are not saved because they were good enough, or smart enough, or wise enough, or just a tad more godly than everyone else. They are not saved because they met a requirement. They are saved by grace alone--unconditionally chosen for salvation. This teaching is so pervasive throughout both testaments of the Bible that it takes absurd mental gymnastics to get around it. Sadly, many do. And in doing so they rob God of the glory due his name and take credit for themselves for what only God could do in them.

In this lesson we take a look at these two verses and break them down grammatically, then compare them to a multitude of other passages that teach the same thing. I hope you will take the time to listen and keep an open mind and heart to what the word of God says. Just click the link below to listen and may God richly bless you as you do so.


Click here: Galatians 1:15-16 - Unconditional Election


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File this picture below under "things the Bible does *not* say." 

(And smile)

Mark 1:12-20 - Jesus Begins His Ministry

We have now shifted gears in Mark's Gospel. We have finished the prologue and we have introduced both the book and the Jesus of the book. Now we are entering upon the meat of the gospel. Verses 14 and 15 are going to introduce the first major section. It begins with an announcement.

The time is fulfilled. Everything that has come before has been leading up to this event. The kingdom of God has come. Other kings and kingdoms have come and gone. Now the kingdom of God is here. God is bringing in redemption and initiating the act that will bring about the consummation of all things. Jesus has arrived.

Although the Old Testament pictures God as ruling and reigning over the nations, in Mark the coming of Jesus into Galilee and the initiation of his ministry there is pictured as an invasion. God's kingdom has come. Things are about to be radically different. You had better be prepared.

And of what does that preparation consist? "Repent and believe in the gospel." This is the demand. The time is now-- repent and believe.

As we move further along in our text we see Jesus calling individuals. "Follow me," he says, "and I will make you to become fishers of men." And here we have an example of what it means to repent and believe the gospel. It means to become a follower of Christ. To leave our goals and plans, to give up sovereignty over own lives, and to follow him, to become what he wants us to be.

What do we take away from this passage? Well, for one, the coming of Jesus is good news. No better news has ever been announced in this wretched and sinful world. But we also are to understand that Jesus is demanding. He commands obedience and expects complete submission. We also note that Jesus calls his disciples. They don't choose him. He chooses them. Our last takeaway is that discipleship may cost us everything. But, as Jim Elliott said, "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose."

The sermon I preached from this passage is linked below. I hope you will take a few minutes to listen to it and that God will take it and do something wonderful with it in you. Just click the link to listen and God bless you.

Click here: Mark 1:12-20 - Jesus Begins His Ministry



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Mark 1:1-11 - The Beginning of the Gospel

The Bible is a deep book. The more you know of it the more you realize how much there is to know.

The reformers taught something called the perspicuity of Scripture. Perspicuity is the idea that the Bible is simple enough to be understood by the average reader or listener. And this is true. The Bible, in its main teachings, is very clear and can be understood by the common man. But at the same time there is a depth to the word of God that is incredible. The more you learn, the more you are in wonder. The deeper you dig, the more there is to find. And it is all beautiful and it all points to redemption in Christ.

This past Sunday we looked carefully at the prologue to the gospel of Mark. This prologue is not just an introduction to the book, but also an introduction to Jesus Christ.

Here's the outline of the first eleven verses:

  I. The Introduction (v. 1)
 II. The Prophecy (v. 2-3)
III. The Prophet--John the Baptist (v. 4-8)
IV. The Baptism (v. 9-11)

In the sermon I preached Sunday I unpacked each of the first eleven verses in Mark's gospel. In it I explained exactly how Mark introduced Jesus Christ to us and what he meant in these verses. We took the time to dig deeper and find the wonders the word contains and to see it within the context of the Scripture as a whole. Here are my concluding remarks:

"And so we have introduced Jesus of Nazareth. We have the proclamation of the early church: 'Jesus Messiah, the Son of God.' We have the witness of the prophets: God coming down. We have the announcement of John the Baptist: 'one mightier than I for whom I am unworthy to even loosen his sandals. He will baptize us with the Spirit of life.' And finally the pronouncement of God: 'this is my beloved Son. With him I am well pleased.'

What will you do? What will you say? What will your response be to the gospel? The good news is that God has not left his people in their sin and misery. He has come to offer perfect obedience on their behalf, and then to offer himself up to the judgment of God--again on their behalf--so that he might pour out his Spirit upon them, giving them life. What will you say? Will you give yourself to Christ?

Click below to hear the sermon.



Click here: Mark:1-11 - The Beginning of the Gospel



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Galatians 1:12-14 - Radical Reversal

How did Saul become Paul? How did Saul of Tarsus, disciple of Gamaliel, rabid persecutor of Christ and the Church, become St. Paul the Apostle to the Gentiles, the man who would spread the gospel across the Roman world and have almost half the New Testament attributed to his pen? Quite a reversal, wouldn't you say? And it happened almost overnight.

In the first two chapters of the book of Galatians Paul is defending his gospel by defending his apostleship. He received his gospel, just like his office, by revelation of Jesus Christ. In this Bible study we discuss what Paul meant by that. We also take the time to look at his anger and hatred of Christ and the gospel and what it stemmed from. Then we see what changed him. How will the resurrected Christ change you?

To listen to this short discussion just click the link below. The format is low key and the tone is conversational. Plus, we cover a lot of Scripture. I hope you will take the time to listen and be blessed.



Click here: Galatians 1:12-14 - Radical Reversal



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Introduction to Mark's Gospel

When we pick up a Bible, what are we reading? What kind of book is it? What genre?

"Well," someone says, "it's a religious book. It's a book about God." Okay. That tells us something. But it doesn't really tell us a lot. What kind of religious book is it? When was it written? Who wrote it? What does it contain? Who were the original readers? What have people historically believed or thought about it? All of these things are important to know if we are going to get a good grasp of what it is we are reading when we open the Bible.

And the first thing we need to understand about the Bible is that it isn't just one book. In fact, it's a tome (I like that word. Tome. Autocorrect didn't like it. Autocorrect tried to change it to 'time.' But I like the word so I kept it.) The Bible is a library--a collection of books. What you're reading when you open the Bible depends on where you opened it to. The Bible contains 66 books written over about a thousand year period, or more.

When we were in the Psalms we understood that what we were reading was ancient Jewish poetry written for purposes of worship and instruction in the faith. We were reading songs and prayers and liturgy put down in verse for the purpose of public use in public worship in the ancient, Old Testament Church. Because we are Christians we interpreted them, as Jesus taught us, Christocentrically. We looked for what they meant to the people then, what they pointed to as far as Jesus, and what they, therefore, had to say to us and our living out our faith today.

But what about the New Testament? When we first open it, what do we find? The first four books are all called gospels. But what does that mean? What is a gospel?

In this Introduction to Mark's Gospel I talk about what a 'gospel' is, what makes Mark's Gospel unique, how it came to be written, and by whom. I also talk about why it was written and what it's particular challenge is to us. I hope you will take the time to listen to this sermon and I hope you will follow along with us in Mark's Gospel as we grow each week in awe and wonder at God, and in the God-man, Jesus Messiah. Just click below to listen.

Click here: Introduction to Mark



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Galatians 1:10-12 - The Gospel of God

Here's what we've learned so far from Paul's Epistle to the Galatians:

There is one gospel.

That one gospel comes from God.

That one gospel is the primitive gospel of Christ and his apostles.

Anyone who preaches anything contrary to that gospel, be he man or angel or pope or apostle, will be damned.

This last part he repeats for emphasis.

All this begs the question: Is truth important to Paul? Worth contending for? Worth dividing over? No doubt.

We must be careful for not all truth is worth dividing over, but some truth obviously is. When it comes to the gospel, certainly, there can be no compromise. Paul's gospel must be ours or we are not Christian. So says Paul.

In verses 11-12 Paul makes some pretty brash statements about the message he preached:

No human would invent the Christian gospel for the Christian gospel robs humans of all glory and praise and lays men in the dust. No one wants to hear a message of how bad they are and how worthless they are and how they are guilty and deserve to be in hell. No one wants to hear that. No one wants to hear that they are such wretches that only God alone could save them and that they aren't even capable of contributing the least little bit to it. People want to earn their heaven and feel like they've  accomplished something--like they're worthy. The gospel is an affront to all such human pride.

And no one wants to hear an exclusive gospel either. They want to make their own terms, not submit to a God who says you come on my terms and my terms only. When we say Jesus alone saves we demand that people come to Jesus on his terms and that those who do not are damned. That's offensive to the world. How dare we condemn all those sincere people?

No human would have invented such an offensive message. And yet here it is. It is the message we have been given. Paul says, "It's not my message. Nor did I get it from men. It came from God.

If what Paul says is true then the gospel Paul preached must be our gospel, because it is God's gospel.

Below you will find a link to the audio of the Bible study we had on Wednesday, December 28. Just click the link and take a listen to see the importance of centering our lives and our church ministry around the gospel of Jesus Christ.



Click here:  Galatians 1:10-12 - The Gospel of God


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