Grace Baptist Santa Clarita: Service Podcast

Most agree that the “long ending” of Mark’s Gospel (vs 9-20) is not from the pen of Mark and should not be considered sacred Scripture. It is clear that someone much later than Mark – probably in the 2nd century AD - added summaries of other Gospel stories in order to “finish” the story of Jesus. These summaries for the most part relate to events described in chapter 24 of the Gospel of Luke. What is not at stake here is the authenticity of the Bible, as it is the most well-documented, and well-attested of any ancient writing. It is only because the biblical text has received such scholarly scrutiny that the “long ending” of Mark can be accurately recognized as a later addition to Mark’s finished story. What is at stake here is hearing what Mark and the other Gospel writers want us to know, given the indisputable facts concerning the life and work of Jesus Christ. Today as we finish our walk through Mark’s Gospel, we take time to look back at his writing, look inside at our hearts, and look forward to the

In Rome-occupied Israel, crucifixion tended to be the end of the story. Rome was very, very good at putting people to death. If Jesus Christ were just another prophet, the gospel of Mark would have ended in chapter 15. But as the gospel has made abundantly clear, Jesus is so much more! His brutal death on the cross was followed by His victorious resurrection from the dead. The empty tomb matters, in ways we don’t often think about. We’ll take time to examine some of those ways today.

For two weeks we have walked with Jesus up the road to the cross. We have watched as the celebration of the Passover meal has given way to the crucifixion of the perfect Passover Lamb. We have asked and answered some very important questions concerning the nature of saving faith, the plan of God that brought about the cross, and the very purpose of the cross itself. We have learned that Jesus endured the cross, despising its shame, so that He might bring us to God (1 Peter 3:18). But crucial questions remain: How is it that the death of Christ can make a difference for us? How does His death thousands of years ago bring about forgiveness for the sins we will commit today and tomorrow? How can His death really “bring us to God”? Today, we will answer those questions as we reflect on the death of our Savior.

Having been falsely tried and convicted, Jesus was scourged and humiliated at the hands of the Romans. Now He was put on the road to crucifixion. Today we remember the various facets of Jesus’ death on the cross, as Mark tells the story from three distinct vantage points: the Romans, the people, and God Himself. As we re-trace the path to the cross, it is inevitable that some serious questions are raised in our minds: Why was the cross necessary? Why didn’t God find another way – a less violent way – to deal with the problem of sin? Why such an emphasis on blood? What was Jesus trying to accomplish by willingly giving Himself up to His enemies? What could possibly have motivated Him to endure such barbaric treatment at their hands?

Over the next three weeks we will look at the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The story has been well told here by Mark, and we have heard it, sung it, studied it, and considered it many times over the years. It is shocking for many reasons, but perhaps the most shocking questions are those we usually don’t ask. As I have read and considered the cross of Christ these questions flood my mind: • Why, given all of his miracles and other amazing evidence, didn’t the Jews believe Jesus was the Messiah? • Why did God allow this tragedy to happen to His own Son? • Why was the cross necessary for us to be rescued from our sin? Couldn’t God have found a better way? a less violent way? • What really happened at the cross theologically? When Jesus said, “It is finished,” what was finished? What did the death of Christ on the cross accomplish? Over the next 3 weeks we’ll look at Mark’s description of the crucifixion of Christ and find God’s answer to these important questions.

This weekend we end one year and bring in the next. As always, we are thankful for what God has done in the past, and expectant for what He will choose to do in the future. But regardless of what the circumstances of our lives may bring some things never change. Our Lord Christ has called us to be His church. He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of Jesus Christ His son. But He doesn’t expect us to sit comfortably in the confines of the Kingdom and watch as others remain broken and desperate in the darkness. Rather, He has outfitted us with the armor of the Spirit and commissioned us to go back into the dark world as agents of light and transformation. The mission by which He rescued us has now become the mission of our lives. The only question is: Will we take up the challenge? Fundamental to our success in the mission of Christ is an understanding of what sort of people, and what sort of church we are to be. This weekend we take up this subject and find that Paul

Today is Christmas Day, and the 4th Sunday of Advent. We’ve studied through the great themes of God’s plan of redemption as they swirl around the birth of Jesus, the Messiah. In Matthew 1, we read that the birth of Jesus meant that God was now in our midst. The prophet Isaiah foretold that the virgin would bear a Son, and His name would be called Immanuel which translated means “God with us.” Certainly the idea that God would dwell among men was something that has filled the minds of mankind ever since that day. But if we really stop to think about it, is it really a good thing? Isn’t the presence of a holy God dangerous? Throughout history mankind has actually tried to run away from the presence of God. Psalm 2:1-3 describes the fact that, for the most part, humanity has wanted to sever itself from any accountability to God. In what sense then was the very presence of God on earth something to cheer? Wouldn’t the holiness and power of God pose a great risk to those who sought to live for themselves in reb

On this 3rd weekend of Advent, we turn our attention to the person of Jesus Christ, the promised Messiah. Long before that night outside Bethlehem, God made an astounding set of promises to Abram. We know these as making up the Abrahamic Covenant. God promised him a special relationship with God Himself that would be the foundation of a great and numerous nation, a country of their own, and a divine mission through which eventually all the nations of the earth would find the blessing of God. But if we think carefully about this, we will see that this mission would mean that both Jews and non-Jews could have a special relationship with God, be part of His people, and be heirs to the promises. But how could this be accomplished? Surely Abraham couldn’t do it! The answer was always that God intended to send the Person, the Messiah, through whom the Abrahamic promises would not only be fulfilled in this age, but finally and completely fulfilled in the age to come. In reality, the Abrahamic promise was dependent u

On this second weekend of Advent we take time to look at the importance of place in the redemptive plan of God. The very first act of God recorded was His creation of a place we call the “heavens and the earth.” And the human story began in a very special place called Eden. But sin changed all that was perfect, and God had to drive mankind out of that garden place. Throughout the progress of the redemptive story, place has always played a significant role. God’s promise to Abram made Canaan the promised place and long before Jesus’ birth, Bethlehem was said to be a very special place in Canaan. But why Bethlehem? We will see that this small village was so important to all that God intended to say in the first coming of Christ to this world. As we celebrate the birth of our Savior, it is necessary also to remember that we’re only halfway to the fulfillment of God’s great redemptive promise. God first was known to man in a garden; through the Incarnation God dwelt with man in the midst of ruined creation. O

Today we begin our celebration of Christmas with a look back at the promise that started everything. When the corruption of sin entered our world through the disobedience of Adam, God determined that His glory would one day be fully displayed through a reclaimed, redeemed, and reformed creation. God promised to do this through a male seed in Genesis 3:15, and the whole Old Testament is really a search to find just who this Savior would be. Today we know that the promise was fulfilled just outside Bethlehem almost 2000 years ago. But have you ever thought that this fulfillment was really the foundation needed for an even greater fulfillment of God’s redemptive plan? What we celebrate this Advent season – the birth of Jesus – is actually just the first part of God’s great fulfillment of His promise. For the same Jesus who came in humility will come again in great glory. The coming of the Baby according to the plan of God serves to increase the certainty of the coming of the King who will finally and fully ove

As the momentum gathers in the events leading to the cross, Mark 14:66-72 finds Peter denying any association with Christ just as Jesus had predicted hours before. While it is, in fact, a low point for this outspoken disciple, it is also instructive for our moments of failure. Here we see what the Scripture tells us about some of the causes of Peter’s failure AND the place that it has in the suffering of Jesus.

As Jesus has been predicting, the hour has indeed come when He would be rejected by the religious leaders, betrayed by one of His own, given into the hands of the Romans, and put to death. Having spent time in prayer to the Father, Jesus is no longer afraid. Rather, He is filled with righteous resolve to complete the journey that began in Bethlehem. He is resolute and ready to face death for the sake of sinners. In this text we see the fast moving events that take Jesus from the serenity of the garden to the hastily called tribunal in the house of the high priest, Caiaphas. This tribunal is not for the purpose of finding the truth. The verdict has already been given, and now all that is necessary is for the council to find some substantiating evidence. When the false witnesses fail to provide convincing testimony, the question is put to Jesus directly: Are you the Messiah, the Son of God? His answer puts away any doubt: I am! The condemnation of the council starts a series of events that will lead to the c

Following the Passover meal, Jesus and the disciples cross the valley outside Jerusalem to a garden called Gethsemane. Here Jesus admits His deep anguish, fear, and dread of all that awaits Him. He is in great need of camaraderie with His friends, and strength from the Father. In stark contrast to Jesus’ radical dependence upon God in the face of great temptation, Peter and the others seem oblivious to the challenges they will face. Jesus, knowing that He will soon bear both the wrath of God for sin, and the unimaginable physical pain of the beatings and crucifixion runs in prayer to God the Father. This is a great lesson for us. When the trials and pain of life become overwhelming, where do we run? When we know temptation may lurk around the corner, where do we turn? Will we, like Peter, underestimate the dangers ahead while overestimating our own maturity and spiritual resolve? Or will we, like our Savior, admit our great fear and human weakness while turning in radical dependence to our Father and God?

Following the Passover meal, Jesus and the disciples cross the valley outside Jerusalem to a garden called Gethsemane. Here Jesus admits His deep anguish, fear, and dread of all that awaits Him. He is in great need of camaraderie with His friends, and strength from the Father. In stark contrast to Jesus’ radical dependence upon God in the face of great temptation, Peter and the others seem oblivious to the challenges they will face. Jesus, knowing that He will soon bear both the wrath of God for sin, and the unimaginable physical pain of the beatings and crucifixion runs in prayer to God the Father. This is a great lesson for us. When the trials and pain of life become overwhelming, where do we run? When we know temptation may lurk around the corner, where do we turn? Will we, like Peter, underestimate the dangers ahead while overestimating our own maturity and spiritual resolve? Or will we, like our Savior, admit our great fear and human weakness while turning in radical dependence to our Father and God?

For centuries the Passover meal had been a look back to God’s covenant loyalty to Israel. By a mighty arm He had delivered them from oppression and bondage in Egypt, and carried them safely to the land He had promised. But on the Passover just preceding the Cross, Jesus changed this meal forever, for those who would now look to Him as the true deliverer. Using the simple elements of bread and wine, Jesus instituted what has come to be known as the Lord’s Supper. This simple yet highly significant meal has been celebrated since that night wherever the Gospel has spread around the world. In this meal we are reminded that the Incarnation was for the purpose of rescuing a people from their sins, while the cup reminds us that only the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ could accomplish that rescue. Today we take the Lord’s Supper together, reminding ourselves that we are the church solely because of the person and work of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

This text demonstrates that Jesus was in complete control of the events that were about to transpire. He was heading to the cross, knowingly and willingly. He even knew who it was that would conspire against Him, and betray Him to His enemies. And as He identifies this treacherous friend, He also states an amazing paradox: What Judas will do is part of God pre-determined plan! This raises so many questions, and they are both important and deeply confusing. Today we take a page from Reformation history in order to “recover” a biblical understanding of our God who, being infinite in power, wisdom, and righteousness, rules over all things in such a way that they ultimately declare His glory, and accomplish His eternal plan.

With this text Mark begins the final section of his Gospel. From this point he will trace the path that takes Jesus to the cross. But in order to give the whole path, Mark backs up the story to recount an event that happened the night before the Triumphal entry. At a banquet in his honor, Jesus is anointed with very expensive perfume. Some of the disciples believe this to be a wasteful choice. But Jesus defends the action, using it to speak pointedly to His coming death and burial. Sandwiched around this event are Mark’s descriptions of the two parties that will collaborate to destroy Jesus. In this text we see several choices being made, motivated from religious hatred and political disappointment. But Jesus’ commendation of the woman reminds us that choosing to honor Christ first and foremost in our lives is always the most excellent choice.

As Jesus finishes His message to the four disciples, He makes it clear that there will be no way to predict His return. Unlike the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, the return of the King to consummate the Kingdom of Heaven on earth will not have a predictability. It will come like a thief in the night, and those who are unprepared will find themselves out of time. It is here in the simple story of the doorkeeper that Jesus issues the only advice that can give us hope: Be ready now for whatever today or tomorrow may bring! To be alert is to take on the persona of the ancient doorkeeper for whom staying awake during the night watch was both a duty and a privilege. Today it is the duty and the privilege of every Christ-follower to be vigilant. We are to live wisely, confidently, expectantly, and most of all, missionally, invested in the mission of Christ through the Church to the world. Even so come Lord Jesus … and may You find us ready and actively engaged in that which brings You glory!

Jesus has announced that one day judgment will come upon Jerusalem, destroying their exquisite Temple buildings. The disciples are anxious to know when this will happen and just what signs will precede such a cataclysmic event. Yet Jesus’ intention is not to feed their curiosity but to warn them and call them to diligent readiness. Jesus used a well-known Jewish device when He spoke first of a “near event” in order to more fully describe the power and stature of a “far event.” The near event would be the destruction of Jerusalem along with the Temple at the hands of the Romans in 70 AD. In our text today, Jesus moves on to the “far event”: the coming of the Son of Man in power and glory. Unlike the destruction of 70 AD, this “coming” would be sudden, unpredictable, and most of all inescapable. The only smart option was to live each day – each moment – so as to be found ready when the Lord returned. This call to readiness permeates the whole sermon, but it is found most firmly in Jesus’ final parable.

Prompted by questions from His disciples, Jesus looks forward through time to prepare His people for difficulties ahead.  The start of the chapter looked more at what would happen globally when this prophecy was accomplished (wars, famines, earthquakes).  This passage looks more at what would happen personally to His followers, and He urges them to be prepared and not to allow persecution to take them by surprise.  Are we ready now?