Messages
A collection of sermons and messages Mark has given over the years
New messages are added as they become available
Aug 13, 2023, 5:30 AM
Blaspheming the Holy Spirit can never be forgiven. But where does it come from? How does it happen? It may surprise you who is in danger of committing such a sin: Not the spiritually simple or humble, but the spiritually "wise and learned." It's a matter of what you believe, of what you store up in your heart. What are you storing up in your heart? From Matthew 12:22-37.
Aug 6, 2023, 5:30 AM
Jesus calls us to repent and believe and obey His Word. But in our zeal to honor and obey God, we often come up with our own set of rules to guide us. Then these rules take on a life of their own, becoming burdensome regulations that sap the joy of knowing and following Christ. We lose sight of the truth about God and end up with a misguided understanding of God, more often as a harsh task-master, that we ourselves have imposed on Him. We fall into the trap of the Pharisees, even while seeking to avoid their hypocrisy. We need God to remind us that He desires mercy, not sacrifice. We need help understanding what that means. From Matthew 12:1-21.
Jul 30, 2023, 5:30 AM
It turns out, Jesus has some significant expectations for anyone who hears and sees who He is: He expects repentance! He denounces the cities where most of His miracles were done because they didn't repent. Those that heard about and saw His works but didn't repent will be condemned. How about us? How are we doing? We've seen much about who Jesus is: Are we repenting and learning to walk in His ways? That's what He expects! From Matthew 11:20-30.
Jul 23, 2023, 5:30 AM
Everyone has expectations. Some are fine, some cause a great deal of relational trouble. We even have expectations of God. What do we do when our expectations aren't met? How do we handle it when God doesn't give us what we pray for? When God isn't what we want, what do we do with that? From Matthew 11:1-19.
Jul 16, 2023, 5:30 AM
Jesus sends His twelve disciples out on their first preaching and healing mission, but He gives instructions that surely go far beyond this one little exercise. Those instructions make it sound like preaching the Gospel and healing people is going to generate serious opposition, even death. How does Jesus comfort His disciples? He gives them several reasons not to fear, but ultimately, we all have to decide, Are we on board with this Jesus, with all the risks involved, or do we want to back away? Are we in or are we out? From Matthew 10:26-42.
Jul 2, 2023, 5:30 AM
Ever feel like you said something in all innocence, and someone else blew it up, all out of proportion? You throw your hands up and ask, "What did I say?" Feels like Jesus' disciples would be having that kind of moment, as Jesus describes some pretty hostile reactions to a simple gospel message and a whole lot of miraculously good deeds! Is Jesus having a bad day, or are we missing something in our Gospel messages? From Matthew 10:16-25.
Jun 18, 2023, 5:30 AM
Jesus asks His disciples to pray for laborers for the harvest field. In almost the next breath, He sends them out on their first preaching mission. Now they're apostles. His instructions for His disciples leave some significant challenges for us. From Matthew 10:1-15.
Jun 11, 2023, 5:30 AM
Jesus basically hangs out a "Help Wanted" sign, pray to the Lord for more workers. But why? He's going throughout their towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues--so obviously they have plenty of religious leaders and teachers, right? How could there be a problem? How can we recognize if we have the same problem? From Matthew 9:32-38.
Jun 4, 2023, 5:30 AM
What do you look to for your assurance of salvation? Depending on your faith? Depending on God's promises? What does saving faith in God's promises look like? Three miracles challenge us to test and see whether we're "dead" or "alive" in the eyes of God. From Matthew 9:18-31.
May 21, 2023, 5:30 AM
What happens when something you've always believed to be true is challenged by the Word of God? Do you hold fast to your belief or do you submit to God's Word? Jesus came into conflict with four different groups of people in this passage. Those who held their ground lost out in the worst possible way. From Matthew 9:1-17.