Messages
A collection of sermons and messages Mark has given over the years
New messages are added as they become available
Apr 5, 2026, 10:30 AM
We have reviewed the suffering and death of Jesus in payment for our sins. Today we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. When we think about Easter, we tend to focus on only one aspect of what Jesus came to do for us. In Colossians 2:11-15, we find three things that Jesus’ death and resurrection accomplished for us. In Christ we are freed from the power of sin, we are freed from the Law that justly condemns us, and we are freed from those who accuse us!
Mar 28, 2026, 4:30 PM
By Jesus’ day, the Israelites had been under foreign control for more than 600 years. They had a brief period of independence under the Maccabeans, but it came at the cost of eventually falling under Roman rule. A promise was made to David that he would have a son forever to reign in his place. This son of David came to be called Messiah or Christ, meaning the Anointed One. Now Jesus comes on the scene, a mighty prophet, working miracle after miracle and teaching about the kingdom of God! Could He be Messiah?
Mar 21, 2026, 4:30 PM
We’re all here preparing to go to college or to help you prepare to go. College continues your investment in education, but education is a means to an end. The end is a career. But a career is not an end either. It is a means to gain wealth or prestige or meaning or just to get out on our own so we can live life how we want. In his book, The Weight of Glory, C.S. Lewis wrote: “It would seem our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak….We are far too easily pleased.” Our hope, our dreams, our goals are far too small compared with what Jesus offers. Paul fights for us, pleads with us, to choose what really matters and hang onto it with all our might.
Jan 24, 2026, 4:30 PM
At the end of Colossians Chapter 1, Paul spoke of rejoicing in the suffering of others. This chapter opens on a similar note. Now he wants the Colossians to know how much he is suffering for them. Why? What advantage or benefit comes from others suffering for us? Does the idea repulse us because we know that so often other people use their suffering for us to manipulate us? Is that what Paul has in mind here? Should we refuse to allow others to suffer for us? Let’s see what God intends here.
Jan 10, 2026, 4:30 PM
Last week Paul gave us a tremendous description of Jesus Christ. He's no ordinary man, He is indeed God, but of course He is fully human. Interestingly enough, as Paul finished up his description of Jesus Christ, he turned his attention to himself. Now something to keep in mind: Any time Paul speaks about himself, it's not because he has a huge ego, it's because he intends for his life, his thinking, all of this, to be an example and a pattern for you and me to learn from.
Jan 3, 2026, 4:30 PM
We just celebrated Christmas and the miraculous birth of Jesus. Angels, shepherds, wise men! So exciting! But do we really understand who Jesus is? No ordinary man, even with an extraordinary birth, could bring us the Gospel that saves us from sin and promises us an eternity with God in a world completely free from sin and wickedness. In the next few verses of Colossians 1, Paul wants us to be sure we understand who this Jesus really is, and why we can have absolutely certainty in the hope of the Gospel.
Dec 13, 2025, 4:30 PM
This is the Christmas season, and we look forward to celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, God’s one true Son. One of the customs of Christmas is to celebrate God’s gift to us by sharing gifts with others. We talked about the greatest gift from God these past two weeks: the Gospel itself. But Paul's not done seeking gifts from God for these new believers. Neither should we think we have nothing to offer to God. What gifts can you and I give to the Lord of all creation who needs nothing from us? Let's see if Paul's prayer can give us any insights.
Nov 29, 2025, 4:30 PM
Salvation is a miracle that should fill every one of us who believes with overwhelming amazement! That miracle is rooted in the Gospel. Paul writes in Romans 1:16 (NIV) that he is “not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes….” How a person responds to the Gospel reveals the miracle—or not. It is not their first response to the Gospel that matters most, but their continued response to it. Do they reject it when they first hear it? That doesn’t mean they’ll never come to repentance and faith. Do they receive it with joy? That doesn’t mean they’ve truly understood God’s grace in the Gospel and are forever changed by it. So we need to make sure we’re clear on what the Gospel is and what we’re called to believe. That’s where much of the rest of this first chapter of Colossians leads us.
Nov 22, 2025, 5:30 PM
Hope helps us get through hard things in order to gain better things. In 1 Corinthians 13:13 (NIV), Paul writes, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” Hope is a core component of the Christian life. Love is the greatest, but as Paul writes to the Colossians, it is hope that produces love.
Oct 25, 2025, 4:30 PM
How close a relationship does God desire to have with us believers? How does building a close relationship with God differ from a typical best friend relationship? Practically, how can we build the kind of relationship God wants to have with us?