1 John 1:1-4 - Fellowship In The Life Eternal

We begin our study of 1 John with an overview of the entire letter followed by a close look at the prologue which is found in the first four verses. This First Epistle of John is both a polemic and an encouragement. It is written against a group of false teachers and their false teaching about the nature of Jesus Christ and it is written for the encouragement of a group of believers who have remained faithful to the apostolic teaching in spite of it all.

In these first four verses John comes out on the offensive, attacking the false teaching by affirming the true teaching on the humanity of Christ in his incarnation. Although the controversy that provoked this letter is an old one, there is a lot of relevance for our day in what John writes and why. The letter has much to say to us about the nature of controversy and how and when it should be dealt with.



John also has much to teach about our fellowship with Jesus and with the Father and with each other and how that fellowship is related to our acceptance of the truth about Jesus Christ.

The audio recording for this Bible study is found at the link below. I hope you will take the time to click and listen and that your faith will be increased as your spiritual walk is strengthened by your growing in the knowledge of the Lord. God bless you.


Click here: 1 John 1:1-4 - Fellowship In The Life Eternal


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Mark 8:34-9:1 - The Cost of Discipleship

Last week we left Jesus and the disciples at Caesaria Philippi where Peter made his great confession followed by Jesus making a shocking announcement. Right after Peter says, "You are the Christ," Jesus announces he is going to be rejected, arrested, and executed, but that after three days he will rise again. The disciples are so shocked that Peter takes Jesus aside and begins to rebuke him. When we left that scene Jesus had responded by rebuking Peter. That was verse 33.

We picked back up right there with Jesus, in verse 34, turning to the crowds and telling them that if anyone would come after him (in other words be his disciple) he must first deny himself, then take up his cross and follow Jesus. I'm going to Jerusalem to die. Who's going with me? In this passage we find some of the most sobering words Jesus ever spoke. While the disciples no doubt entertained dreams of future glory in the Messiah's kingdom, Jesus brings them the cold sober reality that the road to glory leads through a Roman cross. These words were shocking.

We are at the turning point in Mark's Gospel. Everything that happens from here through the end of chapter ten happens on the way to Jerusalem. Here Jesus will die and only those who are willing to die with him may be his disciples. This is a challenging and somewhat disturbing text. Who does Jesus think he is that he can make such demands? More important for us to consider is this. Is Jesus asking anything of his followers that he is not willing to do for them? Is he asking anything from them that has not promised to do for them?

Below you will find a link to the audio file from the sermon that I preached from this passage. I hope you will take the time to listen to the message and that the preached gospel will change you. Just click the link and a new window will open in your browser where you will find an MP3 recording of the sermon. You can stream it or download it for later listening. God bless.

Click here: Mark 8:34-9:1 - The Cost of Discipleship

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3 John - For the Sake of the Name

The third Epistle of John is the shortest book in all the Bible. It is also one of only two personal letters in the New Testament, the other being Paul's letter to Philemon. 3 John is most likely a letter of recommendation that the Elder, John, has placed in the hands of Demetrius to take to the recipient of the letter who is Gaius. One other person who comes up is Diotrephes, a man who is causing problems within the church.

3 John has the least theological content of any book in the New Testament. In fact, it is the only book in the New Testament not to mention Jesus by name. What the book does give us is insight into the workings of and the relationships between some of the early churches in Asia Minor. Both this letter and the one preceding it are not only valuable in this way, but each also hints at a problem that has come up in those churches, a problem which John will address in detail in the first Epistle of John.



So we are building toward 1 John and the heresy concerning the doctrine of Christ which has crept in to these churches. John will address it and other issues that this false teaching brings about. This Bible study covers the entirety of 3 John and is a little shorter than normal. Just click the link below to listen and may god bless you.



Click here: 3 John - For the Sake of the Name



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Mark 8:27-33 - Messiah

Here is how I introduced this sermon:

"We're at the half way point and a turning point in this Gospel of Mark. We've been with Jesus now for almost eight complete chapters, or, if you've been keeping track, 31 sermons so far. Today will be the 32nd. If they've averaged about 30 minutes apiece, and they have, then that will make about 16 hours of commentary on Mark so far, or about two hours per chapter.

Although this is the halfway point of the gospel, it is not the halfway point of Jesus’ ministry. In fact, we are very near the end of his ministry, though the disciples have no idea. In fact, the disciples still have no idea about a lot of things, though they do have some ideas they're going to have to get rid of. And in this passage today Jesus is going to try to open their eyes as he did those of the blind man last week. How successful he is remains to be seen.

Lest we be too hard on the disciples let's not forget that we've had an advantage on them. We've had Mark hand-picking and showing us things about Jesus and explaining to us, somewhat, what they mean as he goes along. For instance, right there in the first verse he told us what he had set out to do by writing this book. He said . . .

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.--Mark 1:1

That's his premise. That's what he's set out to prove. And we've known this all along. We've known that behind every story and the way it was told was this underlying premise, this thing that he has set out to show us.

But the disciples aren't reading the book, they're living it. They don't get to hear the voice of the narrator. They're just witnessing events. They weren't there at the baptism like we were. They didn't hear the voice from heaven or see the Spirit descending like a dove. They didn't witness the temptation in the wilderness. Like we have.

Now the focus of Jesus’ ministry will change. No longer is his primary interest in preaching the gospel to the crowds. He will still do this from time to time, but now his focus will be on his disciples, for he knows that his time is short. His ministry is coming to a close and his disciples must be ready. 

So he has taken them far away from their normal scenery, away from the crowds, away from Galilee--deep into Herod Philip’s territory--deep into Gentile territory. In fact, at this moment, they are as far away from Jerusalem as Jesus ever traveled during his ministry--more than a hundred miles away. So let's look at the text."

To listen to the sermon just click the link below. Doing so will open another window in your browser where you will be able to stream the audio immediately or download it for later listening. I want to encourage you to take the time and listen. God bless.


Click here: Mark 8:27-33 - Messiah


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2 John - Truth, Love, and Christ

We began our verse by verse study of the Epistles of John with the second epistle rather than the first. For one thing we do not know what order they were written in chronologically anyway. The order
 they are placed in the New Testament has to do with length, not chronology. For another, if we look at 1 John first, what we find in 2 and 3 John seem a little superfluous since they just touch on themes which are expanded in the larger epistle. So what I decided to do was to treat 2 and 3 John as appetizers and 1 John will be the main course.

So in this Bible study we covered 2 John in its entirety--all 13 verses. Among the themes we uncovered were truth, love, and the importance of having a truthful understanding of and embracing of Jesus Christ. The situation is this: false teaching has infiltrated the churches of Asia Minor and the nature of this teaching amounts to a denial of the Incarnation of Jesus, or as John puts it:

For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist.--2 John 7

What we confess about Christ is vital. When John says these "have gone out into the world" he is saying they have left the faith. They have apostatized. And John says this has eternal consequences. While sound theology does not save us, the nature of true faith is that it embraces sound theology when it hears it. While not all truth is vital and we most certainly will not have a perfect knowledge of many things on this side of eternity, it becomes clear that some truth is vital and when we reject it we have rejected the faith and separated ourselves from Christ.




John will expand on these ideas in the larger epistle, but in the meantime you can listen to our bible study on this one by clicking the link below. I hope you will do so. God bless you.



Click here: 2 John - Truth, Love, and Christ



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Mark 8:22-26 - Jesus Heals A Blind Man

It's a simple story set forth in just five verses. It seems pretty typical, at least on the surface, of what we would read anywhere in the gospels. Just another miracle story, another day in the life of Jesus. Except it isn't.

What we have here in these five verses is unique to Mark. Not only that but it parallels another unique Markan miracle account which we covered just a few weeks ago. Both miracles are prominent among the signs given in Isaiah 35, signs that would portend the Messianic age. And not only is the miracle significant for that, but also for what it pictures for us about what Messiah came to do. He came to open the eyes of the blind both literally and figuratively, physically and spiritually. We see both of these aspects in this story.

And Mark has placed this miracle perfectly within his narrative. It shows us what is going on with the disciples and it challenges us, the readers. Do you see yet?

Below you will find a link to the audio recording for the sermon I preached on this passage on Sunday, August 6. Just click the link and a new page will open in your browser where you can stream the sermon now or download it for later listening. I hope you will take the time to listen, for faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ. God bless you.



Click here: Mark 8:22-26 - Jesus Heals A Blind Man



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Introduction to the Epistles of John

On Wednesday August 2, 2017 we started a brand new verse by verse study this time through the Epistles of John. We began this study as we do with any study of a biblical book by asking a few questions, questions like . . .

What type of literature is this?
What is an epistle?
Who write these three epistles?
When were they written?
By whom were they written?
What was the occasion of the writing?

We gave some of the cultural and historical background behind these letters in order to help us understand what is going on behind the text. Then we drew some conclusions about all this and began looking at the Second Epistle of John noting that it is impossible to know for certain in what order they were actually written.

To listen to this introductory lesson just click the link below. When you do another window will open in your browser where you will find the audio recording for this lesson. Listen and be blessed!



Click here: Introduction to the Epistles of John



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Mark 8:11-21 - The Tragedy of Unbelief

This is how I introduced the sermon I preached from this passage:

We are approaching the midpoint, and a major turning point, in Mark’s Gospel. The end of chapter eight is not just the middle of the book, it is a major event. Everything up until now has been building toward it and everything that happens afterward is  explained by it.

If you view the Gospel of Mark as a play in three acts, we are about to end Act 1 and begin Act 2.   Act 1 introduced Jesus and took us through his Galilean ministry. It was characterized by miracle stories, exorcisms, growing opposition, and the theme of insiders and outsiders. Although crowds have been large, committed followers and genuine faith have been rare, and exceptional.

Through all this Mark has been showing us who Jesus is in many ways. Every miracle, every story, has been chosen specifically and told carefully to demonstrate for us that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. But people aren't getting it. What's going to happen at the end of this chapter is that Jesus is going to ask the disciples point blank if they get it yet, and they will--sort of. Right now, however, they still don't. 

In fact, we are in the midst of a repetition. Almost everything that happened from the middle of chapter 6 through the end of chapter 7 is being repeated here in chapter 8 so that it will sink in--both for the disciples and for us.

There was a miraculous feeding (of the five thousand) followed by an episode on a boat, an argument with the Pharisees, a discussion about bread (with the Syrophoenician woman) and the healing of a deaf man corresponding to Isaiah 35. 

Now here in chapter 8 we have a miraculous feeding (this time of four thousand) followed by a journey on a boat, an argument with some Pharisees, a discussion about bread, and then next week the healing of a blind man which again corresponds with Isaiah 35. While Jesus is clearly trying to get something across to his disciples, Mark is clearly trying to get something across to us.

There has been another growing theme over the last few chapters--that of unbelief. The Pharisees have rejected him. The crowds are spoken to in parables because of their unbelief. Jesus’ family is on the outside. He is sent away from the Decapolis. He is rejected in his hometown of Nazareth. The execution of John the Baptist, told in the early part of chapter six, served as a foreshadowing. Even the disciples don't seem to get it, and Jesus desperately needs them to, for his ministry is coming to a close.

Act 1 of this three act play will conclude at the end of chapter 8 where Jesus and his disciples are as far away from Jerusalem as Jesus ever gets during his ministry. From that point on he will be journeying toward Jerusalem. His arrival there at the end of chapter 10 will mark the end of Act 2 and the final act begins at chapter 11 with the triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

Below you will find a link to the audio recording of the sermon I preached from this passage. I hope you will take the time to listen to it and be blessed through the word of God. Just click the link below.



Click here: Mark 8:11-21 - The Tragedy of Unbelief


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Galatians 6:13-18 - Final Words

We come now to the end of the epistle and Paul is taking his final shots at the Judaizers. Let’s look at some of the things he has had to say about them throughout the letter.

In chapter 1 he damns them to hell (1:8-9).
In chapter 2 he condemns them as false brothers (2:4-5).
He points out that their teaching nullifies the gospel (2:21).
In chapter 4 he points out that they are dishonest and their motives are nefarious (4:17).
In chapter 5 he says that they are severed from Christ (5:4).
Later in that chapter he wishes they would emasculate themselves (5:12).

Now he is going to take a couple more shots at them. Then, he will point us toward the only thing worth boasting about in this world.

The cross was so offensive (and is still offensive to this day) that the Judaizers had devised a neat way to obtain righteousness and salvation without it--by keeping the Law. But if we could get to heaven through the Law then why did Christ die? Even in our day nothing offends the sensibilities of “good” religious people more than penal substitutionary atonement. Yet without it there would be no salvation. And if the cross is our salvation, then how could we ever deny it? That is what these Judaizers have done, and they have done so, says Paul, to avoid persecution.

Paul has embraced the cross and so should we, for it is our only boast, our only hope. Below you will find the link to the audio from the last of our verse by verse studies in Galatians. I hope you will take the time to listen to it. God bless you.

Click here: Galatians 6:13-18 - Final Words



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Mark 8:1-10 - The Feeding of the Four Thousand

The following was my introduction to the sermon I preached on this passage:

Didn't we just do this? Haven't we been here before? Deja vu is French for ‘already seen’ and is used to describe the feeling one gets sometimes that he/she has experienced a particular situation before. Yankee manager Yogi Berra, after witnessing Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris repeatedly hitting back-to-back home runs in the early 1960s, famously quipped, “It’s deja vu all over again.”

And that's the feeling we get when we read this story in Mark’s Gospel. In fact, that very feeling has led to a lot of conjecture over the years about the veracity, or historicity of the story itself. It is so similar to the story of the feeding of the five thousand that one wonders if it might not be just a repeated telling of that same event told in a slightly different way.

The feeding of the five thousand, if you'll recall, is the only miracle story recounted in all four gospels. This feeding of the four thousand is recorded only by Matthew and Mark. Luke and John, for whatever reasons, did not include it.

In modern times the idea has been posed that perhaps these two stories are just different recordings, different tellings, of the same event--traditions that came down from divergent sources perhaps, and thus were recorded as different events--even if they weren't actually different events. And I suppose that idea might be plausible if Mark were writing hundreds of years after Jesus and if his sources weren't as reliable, or at least as verifiable, as he would have liked.

But Mark wasn't writing hundreds of years after the fact--more like 35 years after the fact. And Mark did not have to rely wholly upon tradition as his source. He wrote either directly or indirectly from the mouth of Peter who was an eyewitness. If the recounting of this miracle seems uncannily familiar to us, it would have seemed the same for Mark. And if they were two different recountings of the same event surely a little investigation would have revealed the truth to him. So whatever else you may conclude, Mark surely believed them to be two distinct events and he wrote within a few decades of the life of Jesus.

And not only does Mark record them as two distinct events, later (as we shall see) he has Jesus reminding the disciples of both events and referring to them as two separate miracles.

And while much about the stories is the same, there is also much that is different. As we shall see, each story serves a unique purpose within the greater story that Mark is telling us about Jesus.

Now if we accept that there is a supernatural God (and we obviously do), and we accept that Jesus was God in the flesh (which we also do), then it isn't hard to imagine that if he chose to do so, he could multiply bread and fish in order to feed a multitude once if he wanted to, or twice, or as many times as he chose--whatever served his purposes.

So we are left asking ourselves, what purpose would it serve for Jesus to do this miracle twice? And there is an answer to that as we shall see.

As for those things in the text which cause us to have deja vu all over again, we shall offer an explanation for them as we go. So let’s go ahead and get started.

The audio for this sermon you will find at the link below. The preaching of the word of God is always a blessing to God's people, so click the link and be blessed.

Click here: Mark 8:1-10 - The Feeding of the Four Thousand

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Galatians 6:6-13 - Sowing and Reaping

God is fundamentally just, and although we do not always see that justice meted out in this lifetime, we do often see the principle in action. We reap what we sow. Now what Paul is encouraging the Galatians to do is to invest in the kingdom of Christ, to invest in the gospel, to invest in eternity, to invest in the world to come. And that is the world to which we truly belong, is it not? Is it not true that we are strangers and pilgrims in this world? That our citizenship is in heaven?

Jesus said:

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.--Matthew 6:19-21

This is kingdom wisdom. This is how we live out our kingdom citizenship in this present age. And what Jesus says is absolutely true (of course)--where we put our treasure is where our heart is. So Paul is just echoing and amplifying Jesus.

Below you will find a link to the audio recording of a bible study we recently did on this text near the end of Paul's Epistle to the Galatians. I hope you will take the time to listen to it and be encouraged to live out your faith in every day live. May the word of God take root in your heart and produce much good fruit. Just click the link below.



Click here: Galatians 6:6-13 - Sowing and Reaping



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