1 John 2:26-3:3 - Abide In Him

These are some of the most beautiful verses in all the Bible. They speak of the end game, the object for which God has saved us. We who fell in Adam are being made back into the image of Christ. We do not yet know what that will be like, but we look forward to the consummation of this great work of redemption when he appears for the second time. At the moment we will be like him. What a wonderful thing!

But before we get to that wonderful promise in the first two verses of chapter three, John has some ground to cover with his readers. There are the secessionists to deal with—the heretics. They are actively seeking to lead his readers astray. So John gives them reassurances, talking about an anointing. What does he mean by that? And how does he segue into the second coming of Christ?



All of this and more is covered in this bible study. I hope you will take the time to listen. Just click the link below. God bless you.


Click here: 1 John 2:26-3:3 - Abide In Him


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Mark 10:35-45 - The Greatest In The Kingdom

My sermon taken from Mark 10:35-45 was the 42nd sermon in this series. This is how I introduced it:

“When we read the gospel of Mark we understand that there is an interesting dynamic in play. Mark has a primary audience for whom he writes, but he also understands that what he is writing will have a permanence to it. We don’t know if he necessarily recognized that his book would become a permanent part of New Testament canon, though he might have had an idea that some such thing would eventually come about. But he almost certainly believed that what he was writing would be copied and passed around among other churches—that it would become authoritative—and probably even intended for that to happen.

So Mark writes primarily for his target audience—the Christians in Rome. He writes secondarily for the wider Church of his day. And he writes also for the sake of posterity. And here we are nearly 2000 years later looking at what he wrote and it is possible to see a few things that must have been going on in Mark’s day. One of those things was the difficulty of proclaiming a crucified Messiah. How does one make sense of that? In other words, how can Jesus be, at one and the same time, the Blessed One and cursed? Or how can he be both King of kings and crucified on a Roman cross?

‘Crucified Messiah’ was an oxymoron to most Jews and almost blasphemous to assert. That’s why Paul called it a stumblingblock to the Jews. But he also called it foolishness to the Greeks. Why? Because how could power come about through weakness? How could defeat end in victory? How can exaltation come through humiliation?

Proclaiming that your God was crucified by the Romans was a pretty difficult public relations problem to work through. No wonder it was difficult to see or accept at the time. And this would be why Mark has recorded Jesus three different times in three succeeding chapters telling his disciples that he was going to be rejected, arrested, and executed. Mark wants his readers to understand that this difficulty is not something that came out of left field taking everyone by surprise. This was a part of the plan all along.

And no doubt this was all very difficult for the disciples to grasp as well, as they were ascending to Jerusalem, which is why Jesus keeps reminding them of it. What is about to happen is going to be so psychologically difficult they are going to have to have his words to remember and fall back on.

None of these things are as difficult for us, because to us it is old hat. It is what we already know to have happened and we had no Messianic expectations going in. But that wasn’t true for the twelve, nor for the others who lived in Jesus’ day. These false expectations are an obstacle for Jesus to overcome. So fresh off his third crucifixion announcement in three chapters, Jesus is confronted with this . . .”

What happens next is that James and John come and request a favor of Jesus. That request prompts a discussion of the kingdom and who will be greatest in it. In the answer Jesus gives we will be made to understand the economy of the kingdom and we will be reminded both of who is the greatest in the kingdom and what it is that makes him so great.

Below you will find a link to the audio page which contains an MP3 recording of this sermon. I hope you will take the time to listen. God bless.

Click here: Mark 10:35-45 - The Greatest In The Kingdom


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1 John 2:18-25 - Antichrists

With verse 18 of chapter two we begin a new section in this epistle, though it is based upon the previous section and ties into it. In this new section we discover a couple of new themes. The first is the last hour. John states emphatically that it is the last hour already. The end times were inaugurated at the advent, the first advent, of Jesus.

The second theme is the concept of Antichrist. John has much to say about this theme, but he speaks of it in plural form—antichrists. He is going to define them and call them out.



The third theme is that of perseverance. Perseverance is the proof of possession. John has much to say about perseverance in the faith, something which includes both a perseverance in the Church as well as a perseverance in the apostolic teaching.

And the fourth theme is the anointing. What is the anointing and what does it guarantee for us as believers? All this and more is covered in these eight verses. I hope you will take the time to listen. At the link below you will find an MP3 recording of the bible study we had that covered this passage of scripture. Just click and stream or download for later listening. God bless.

Click here: 1 John 2:18-25 - Antichrists


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Mark 10:28-34 - The Cost of Discipleship 2

Christ has come and announced the inauguration of his kingdom. He has proclaimed the good news of that kingdom and is calling disciples to leave this world and enter into it. He makes demands—strong demands, even audacious demands. He demands that we value him over wealth, over family, over our own goals, even over life itself. Entering the kingdom come at a cost. “Take up your cross and follow me, “ Jesus says, those who would enter the kingdom must be willing to die.



Is it all worth it? What is the true cost of discipleship? In this sermon, which covers Mark chapter 10 verses 28-34 Jesus discusses that with his disciples. Peter says to Jesus, “Lord, we have left all and followed you.” What does Jesus say in response? What does it mean?

You will find the audio recording of this sermon linked below. I hope you will take the time to listen. Just click the link and a new window will open in your browser where you will find the sermon at a site called SoundCloud. There you can stream it right then or download it for later listening. God bless you.


Click here: Mark 10:28-34 - The Cost of Discipleship 2


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1 John 2:12-17 - Do Not Love the World

These are some tough verses, verses I’ve struggled with in the past, verses that often get abused and used as a pretext to support all manner of religious regulations and prohibitions. In spite of their ill use, they are a part of God’s word and had a genuine purpose in the mind of John when he wrote them. Our job is to find that intent and then apply that to ourselves. What was John saying to his original readers and what is God saying to you and to me. These are actually some wonderful verses of encouragement for beleaguered believers living in a dying world.

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.—1 John 2:15-17

We are living in a dying world and John’s words here are encouragement, wisdom, and warning. But what exactly does he mean? How are they applied? I explain all this and more in this bible study we did on this passage a few weeks back. What does it mean to love the world and how do I avoid it? Click on the link below and give it a listen.





Click here: 1 John 2:12-17 - Do Not Love the World



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Mark 10:17-27 - What Must I Do To Inherit Eternal Life

This is a passage that troubled me when I was younger. It didn’t seem to fit what I had been told about being saved, nor did it seem to fit what I had been reading elsewhere in the Bible. Jesus gets asked a pretty standard question and gives, what to modern evangelicalism looks like a very non-standard answer.

In Acts 16 when the Philippian jailer falls on his knees before Paul and Silas and says, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” The answer he is given is “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.” But when this man comes up to Jesus in a very respectful way and says “Good master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus gives what looks to be the opposite answer. In fact, at first it looks as if Jesus is not going to answer him at all, but just give him the run-around instead. Then Jesus tells him to keep the law. When the man says he has, Jesus makes it even harder and tells him to sell everything he has, give it to the poor, and come follow him. It’s astounding. In thus doing, Jesus effectively runs off the most promising prospect for a disciple he has had to date. The man walks away sorrowfully for he had great possessions.

It’s a shocking story and the disciples seem just as shocked as I was when I first read it. “Who then can be saved,” they ask. And we’re left wondering the same thing.



Below you will find the sermon I preached from this passage. Just click the link and a new window will open up in your browser taking you to the page where you will find the audio recording for the sermon. Hopefully it will answer your questions about what at first glance seems to be a troubling passage. God bless.



Click here: Mark 10:17-27 - What Must I Do To Inherit Eternal Life?


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1 John 2:7-11 - The Not-So-New Commandment

John writes in his epistle of a commandment which is not new, but on the other hand is new. It is as old as law itself and yet at the same time it is new. That law is love.

In this bible study we dig into these five verses and find more than just a reminder that we are supposed to love each other. What we find is a biblical theology. What we find is an explanation of what is wrong with the world, along with the good news of what Christ has done to make it right again.



Here’s an excerpt:

“And just as today, the dominant characteristics of the world are sin, darkness, and hate, so one day soon this will be a world completely flooded by obedience, light, and love. And Jesus was the invasion of all three. This is why the world hated him and rejected him. And this is why he will conquer.”

We live in a world ruled by hatred and we have been called out of it by love, and that is why love is to manifest itself in all our relationships in this world now. We live in the light and we are to walk as children of light.

Below you will find the audio recording of the bible study we had on these verses. These studies are informal and presented in a small group setting. I hope you will take the time to listen and that it will be a blessing to you. Just click the link below.


Click here: 1 John 2:7-11 - The Not-So-New Commandment


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