The Bemenderfers - Mark's Messages

Easter Gifts

Sun, 05 Apr 2026 08:30:00 +0000

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!

Messiah is Coming

Sat, 28 Mar 2026 15:30:00 +0000

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?

Treasure in Christ

Sat, 21 Mar 2026 15:30:00 +0000

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.

Appreciating Suffering

Sat, 24 Jan 2026 15:30:00 +0000

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.

A Gospel Servant

Sat, 10 Jan 2026 15:30:00 +0000

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.

The True Jesus

Sat, 03 Jan 2026 15:30:00 +0000

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.

Gospel Gifts

Sat, 13 Dec 2025 15:30:00 +0000

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.

The Mighty Gospel

Sat, 29 Nov 2025 15:30:00 +0000

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.

The Power of Hope

Sat, 22 Nov 2025 16:30:00 +0000

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.

Intimacy with God - Part II

Sat, 25 Oct 2025 14:30:00 +0000

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?

You Can Be Forgiven

Sat, 13 Sep 2025 02:42:00 +0000

We are all alike under sentence of death. We all deserve to die; we all alike deserve eternal condemnation. We know we have done wrong, but we look around at one another and easily find someone who has done far worse than we have. So we think we're not that bad. There are really evil people who deserve horrible punishment, but not us. We've done some things wrong, but we're not really evil, just mistaken from time to time. We think we're actually mostly good.

Prayer and Peace

Sun, 31 Aug 2025 15:30:00 +0000

We are called out from the world to live in faith and obedience to Jesus Christ, to a life that stands apart from the ways of the world, that might even be considered the exact opposite of what the world believes. Our enemies—the devil, his fallen angels and sin living in our flesh—are hell-bent on keeping us from trusting God and living in His ways. We must stand firm and hold fast to all God teaches and all He wants us to be. He has given us His power and spiritual armor to hold fast to God and His ways, to hold His ground. There is one more piece of equipment He has given for our success: Prayer. It is a powerful tool for our good and the advancement of God’s mission. From Ephesians 6:18-24.

The Armor of God

Sun, 24 Aug 2025 15:30:00 +0000

We saw last week that our most basic mission is to stand firm on God’s Word and all He teaches, to hold fast to the Gospel and all the rest of Scripture, to believe it all and live by it. In so doing, as a church, we will be fully equipped and enabled to complete the Great Commission, if not personally, then by the fully-trained members we send out from our congregation. We saw last week that we have access to the power of God and need to take hold of it. In verses 14 to 17, Paul lists more equipment God has provided to everyone who believes in His Son. As we walk through this armor, take stock: Are you missing anything? Does any piece need strengthening? Take note and make plans to close any gaps. From Ephesians 6:14-17.

Our Most Basic Purpose

Sun, 17 Aug 2025 15:30:00 +0000

The word for “submission” that we’ve been reviewing for weeks now comes out of a miliary context. It seems now Paul presses forward into the military illustration to give this fellowship their most basic mission. To preach the Gospel to all creation and make disciples of all nations is the commission given to every believer in Jesus Christ. To accomplish that, it means each generation of believers needs to faithfully pass on all they have received from those who came before them, beginning with Jesus’ Apostles. Thankfully we have the Scriptures and the gift of literacy to help us correct any errors in what was imparted to us by those who came before. Interestingly, the commission Paul gives this church is not the Great Commission, but a commission to stand firm, to hold fast. They are like a fort on the frontier, a beacon of light in a land of darkness. They must not let their light go out! From Ephesians 6:10-13.

Submission Defined

Sun, 10 Aug 2025 15:30:00 +0000

We’ve talked a lot about submission and obedience over the last many weeks, in particular who we’re called to submit to, why we’re required to submit to these people, and the importance of our submission to the message of the Gospel. There is one more relationship that Paul is led by the Lord to address: slaves and slave-owners. Through Paul’s teaching, God gives us the character and nature of true submission. It is instruction we desperately need in our day and age. From Ephesians 6:5-9.

Fathers Train

Sun, 03 Aug 2025 15:30:00 +0000

When Paul and Silas promised the Philippian jailer that he and all his household would be saved if he believed in the Lord Jesus, there’s more there than we’re prepared to see. Dads are key to the salvation and sanctification of their children. If you and I want our children to spend eternity with us in heaven, then we must accept and conform ourselves to God’s design for the family, including and especially today’s truth and instruction. This command isn’t just about fathers; it’s about the whole structure of the family. From Ephesians 6:4.

Children Obey

Sun, 27 Jul 2025 15:30:00 +0000

If you haven’t already noticed, no matter who Paul is addressing, we can all learn a thing or two from the instructions given. Today is no different. Or maybe it is. Today we turn to Paul’s instruction for children. It’s pretty obvious, simple and direct. Is it really so hard to understand? Does it really require a whole Sunday message on its own? Listen and see. This command is for you and me, as surely as it is for the little ones among us. From Ephesians 6:1-3.

A Theology of Husbandry Part III: His Body

Sun, 20 Jul 2025 15:30:00 +0000

God calls husbands to love their wives in such a way that makes her salvation and sanctification as of highest importance in his life—at least as far as it depends on him. Of course, he can only succeed if his wife submits to and follows his lead. Here, God leads Paul to return to his “body” illustration that was introduced in his command to wives to submit to their own husband as their “head.” He expands the illustration in such a way that further cements the idea that husband as “head” means leader, ruler, director. It also reinforces a husband’s responsibility to live to prepare his wife for heaven and fleshes out how he can and should do that. From Ephesians 5:28-33a.

A Theology of Husbandry Part II: Sanctification

Sun, 06 Jul 2025 15:30:00 +0000

We saw last week that a husband is called to agape love his wife. We distinguished that from eros love—physical, romantic love—and phileo love, which is built on shared experiences. Those two come fairly naturally and do not need a command. But agape love, which we saw is primarily concerned with seeking the well-being of the one loved—as God defines well-being—this love must be commanded. It does not come naturally. It means the husband is first concerned for his wife’s salvation, then for her sanctification. Verses 26 and 27 make that clear and point the way to true agape love. We can all learn from this! From Ephesians 5:26-27.

A Theology of Husbandry Part I: Love

Sun, 29 Jun 2025 15:30:00 +0000

Husbands, now it’s our turn. I’m using another old word in my title, “husbandry.” We use the word today to describe the roles and responsibilities of those working in the agricultural sector, but the original meaning encompassed the roles and duties of a husband, and that’s my usage here. The main command to husbands in the marital relationship is to love our wives. Paul gives two illustrations, and both serve to give a clear picture of what it means to love your wife. Strangely, however, the Church today has by and large missed the point, and distorted the husband’s responsibility, turning the whole marriage relationship upside-down! As we saw with the wife, so with the husband: When we misunderstand and misapply God’s teaching here, we overthrow the picture and testimony God intended the marital relationship to be. We encourage believers and unbelievers alike to disregard God. Let’s see if we can cut through the fog and distortions, and identify what God actually expects of us husbands. From Ephesians 5:25.