Mark 10:32-45 – Why Do We Need The Cross?
Reprimanding His disciples for their argument about who would be greatest in the kingdom, Jesus laid out the qualities that accompany God-defined greatness. He pushed the disciples beyond the seeking of man-centered earthly positions, by holding up His own life as the example of ultimate greatness: the One who suffered, who served others, and lastly, […]
Mark 10:13-31 – How to Enter the Kingdom of God
What was the one thing that this young man lacked? It was the full surrender of his heart to God in Christ. He had not done that. Our Savior gave him, therefore, a command which tested him. He bade him go, sell all that he had and distribute it to the poor. This is not […]
Mark 10:1-10 – God’s Good Design for Marriage
God doesn’t want us to just have good marriage. It’s more than just “Focus on the Family” or “The Art of Marriage.” For God wants us to see this covenant of companionship as a display of His eternal and gracious covenant relationship with us, through His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. God desires that we […]
Mark 9:42-50 – Killing Sin
It is said that when a man is born a slave, slavery is not near so irksome as when he has once been free. You will have found it, perhaps, in birds and such animals that we keep under our control. If they have never known what it is fly to and fro in the […]
Advent – John 1:1-13 – The Divine Light Come to Expose and Rescue us from the Darkness
When Christ arrived, now the second member of the Trinity becomes clear to us. Now we see who He is. We know from the New Testament that He was working in the Old Testament. That He was a spiritual rock, for example, that brought water to the children of Israel in the wilderness. We know […]
Matthew 1:1-17 – Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham
[Matthew] calls Jesus the Son of David. When he says that, he is telling you that Jesus is the one in whom we find the fulfillment of all the promises that were made to David. In fact, the whole genealogy is structured around David’s house. If you look at verses 1-6, you see the origins […]
Advent 2018 – Isaiah 8:20-9:7 – Waiting In Darkness
Some of the verses and phrases in Isaiah 9 are probably familiar to you, especially the ones about a Child being born and a Son begin given, about His name being called Wonderful Counselor, etc. We quote those verses a lot during the Christmas season, and they even appear on some of our Christmas cards. […]
Mark 9:30-41 – How Can I Be The Greatest?
People are fascinated with such questions as the greatest Englishman ever, or the greatest footballer, or the greatest author, or composer, or painter. The Times newspaper runs an annual Preacher of the Year competition. All this reflects an ancient attitude. The Lord’s apostles, out of earshot of Jesus (so they thought), had been arguing about […]
Pastoral Prayer – November 28, 208
Almighty God, we who, by your grace, have seen the wretchedness of our sin, repented of it, and surrendered to Jesus as Lord – humbly come before you now at His invitation; not on our own merits but on His. We come reprising the words of Isaiah, O Lord, you are our God; we will […]
Mark 9:14-29 – The Connection Between Prayer and Unbelief
When the disciples saw Jesus cast the evil spirit out of the epileptic whom ‘they could not cure,’ they asked the Master for the cause of their failure. He had given them ‘power and authority over all devils, and to cure all diseases.’ They had often exercised that power, and joyfully told how the devils were subject to […]
