Grace Baptist Santa Clarita: Service Podcast

Last week we learned that the Church isGod’s idea, and will always be the primary way through which He accomplishesHis plan to rescue what sin has corrupted, through Jesus Christ. God’s plan touse His Church will never be derailed; neither by His enemies outside theChurch who mock and ignore it, nor by those within the Church who fail to keepit walking in holiness and truth.  Today we look at what it means to “bethe Church.” Too often we only think about “going” to church. But what does itlook like when we consider that we “are” the Church? What is our purpose? Whatdoes our Lord Jesus Christ intend to accomplish both in us and through us? Aswe have already seen, the purpose of the Church - us! - is two-fold: First, weare to be God-centered, overflowing with authentic worship; Second, we are tobe others-focused, engaging our world with lives that teach and model theGospel of Jesus Christ. 

Timothy is the perfect picture of high-qualitydiscipleship.  His father was Greek andhis mother was a Jewish Christian.  Hehad been taught the Old Testament since he was a child and was most likely ledto Jesus by Paul.  Paul invited Timothyto join him on his missionary travels in Macedonia,Achaia, Ephesus, and Corinth.He was even with Paul during his first imprisonment.  After years of instruction, and moreimportantly, sharing life together, Paul left Timothy in Ephesus to combat false doctrine overrunningthe church.  At 70 years old, Paul wroteto encourage his younger friend and protégé, Timothy.  Their story and this letter areproof-positive that the heart of the gospel lies in sound doctrine being passedrelationally from one generation to the next.

Timothy is the perfect picture of high-quality discipleship. His father was Greek and his mother was a Jewish Christian.  He had been taught the Old Testament since he was a child and was most likely led to Jesus by Paul.  Paul invited Timothy to join him on his missionary travels in Macedonia, Achaia, Ephesus, and Corinth. He was even with Paul during his first imprisonment.  After years of instruction, and more importantly, sharing life together, Paul left Timothy in Ephesus to combat false doctrine overrunning the church.  At 70 years old, Paul wrote to encourage his younger friend and protégé, Timothy.  Their story and this letter are proof-positive that the heart of the gospel lies in sound doctrine being passed relationally from one generation to the next.

You Are AWitness - The Poor Matter

Expression Matters

The title of this sermon might have caught your eye, and brought a question to your mind.  Nobody wants to be weak. We look up to strength and admire those whose physical or intellectual prowess sets them apart from the crowd. But God sees things differently, and He works best through those who see themselves as weak. In fact, He intentionally made Paul aware of his weakness in order to make him strong. Today, we learn from his story.

What does God think of the way we use and carefor the physical bodies He gave us? Does it matter how we eat and if weexercise? Does God care about our sleep? And if He does, how does that fit intoHis concerns for the health of our souls? As we think more and more about whatit means to “live” out the Gospel before a watching world, these are questionsthat first require biblical answers, and then courageous obedience.

It may surprise you to know that originally theresponsibility to take care of God’s earth was not delegated to government orindustry or the politicos. God asked Adam to care for His creation, setting thestandard for all humanity to take the mantle of stewardship in regard to theair, water, plants, animals, metals, minerals, and everything else God hadcreated and declared to be “good.” The question that God presents to everygeneration is simply this: How are youcaring for My creation?

Increasingly we find our nation and world driven bypolitics, politicians, and political ideology. And it is no surprise that theChurch has become a major player in the political drama. But there are greatchallenges whenever the church partners with those in the political arena.These challenges arise from the fact that as Christ-followers, we have “dualcitizenship.” Our true citizenship is in heaven, even as we reside as citizensof our country. How do these two relate? What is the place of politicalinvolvement for the Christ-follower, for the church? Today we open this box andbegin the discussion on how to live Kingdom lives in a politically driven society.

In the third and last miracle story of this section,Mark describes in great detail two healing stories. Here we see that JesusChrist can not only rule over creation and all spiritual beings, but also overthe dire effects of sin: disease anddeath! Using the physical situations of two families, Jesus illustrates HisLordship over the area of sin’s corruption that most touches our lives. The effectsof sin are ultimately in this thing called death. The Bible is very clear thatdeath is here because sin is here (Romans 5:12ff; 6:23). In order for theKingdom of Heaven to reclaim and reform all that sin has corrupted it isnecessary for God to be able to overrule, and turn back the curse as it isevidenced in disease and death. In this story, Jesus does so easily andconvincingly. Hallelujah to the King of Life, our Savior and Lord, JesusChrist!

In this second of three miracle stories, Mark is continuing to demonstrate that Jesus’ heavenly authority is overwhelmingly capable of destroying the power of Satan and his demonic assistants. Jesus has just shown the disciples that, as the Creator, He has the power to reclaim creation. Now He shows that the strongest example of demonic possession and control can be overcome with a simple command. Interestingly, as the disciples are still confused and struggling to understand just who Jesus is (4:41), the demons are under no such cloud. They understand all too well that they are in face to face conflict with the “Son of the Most High God.” 

Following an extended section where Jesus is seenbringing authoritative instruction, Mark now presents an extended sectionshowing Jesus’ authoritative action. This is no surprise, for in Jesus’ministry word and deed go hand-in-hand. In light of the parables on the powerand progress of the Kingdom, a reader might be tempted to ask: But how can the Kingdom have any effect in aworld that is so broken, so riddled with demonic influence, and so thoroughlypolluted by disease and death? In three miracle stories, Jesus shows thatHis authority extends over creation (4:35-41); the demonic realm (5:1-20); andeven disease and death (5:21-43). With these miracles, Jesus shows that Hetruly is the Sovereign Son and the only hope of rescue for a lost and brokenworld. 

Using images that would speak powerfully to His audience,Jesus makes two points in these last two parables of the chapter.  First, the seed and the soil combine tocreate growth in ways that the farmer does not understand (and doesn’t needto).  Secondly, the smallest of seeds cancreate the sturdiest of trees.  In thesame way, God’s Kingdom will grow in ways that we as sowers cannot (and neednot) fully understand, and it will grow into the strong and stable Kingdom thatGod has ordained it to be, despite what may appear to be tiny beginnings.  There’s no better place to invest ourenergies and resources than the Kingdom that Jesus came to establish!

While the previous parable – the story of the soils – putthe reader as an observer, these two parables are set in such a way that thereader is on the receiving end of the Kingdom message, the Gospel. That messagecomes with great power, revealing the reality of hearts; and where it findsacceptance, it brings the treasures of eternal life beginning now. Where it isopposed and rejected, it ultimately will mean the loss of life eternally. So becareful how you hear the truth of God, and if you hear, then heed the truth!

Returning to the story of Jesus and the Kingdom of God, we remember that He has chosen 12 men to train and send out as His spokesmen. This has raised serious opposition from the religious leaders of the day, and even from His own family. Reading all this, we wonder: Will the Kingdom of God be able to extend its authority against such opposition? Can the message of Jesus survive in such a broken world? And if so, how?Jesus answers these crucial questions in the next section of Mark’s Gospel using 5 stories - parables - through which He dramatically shows that the Kingdom of God is here to stay, and it will win the final victory. And the means of its power? The Gospel! The first parable - the story of the soils - is used by Jesus to show just how His Kingdom will bring rescue and reformation to our broken world: through the power of the Gospel message as it is given away to every kind of heart. The primary way we are to engage and reform a culture of brokenness is through the sharing of the pure Gospel through

If you’re a student of history, you know that every generation has asked this question: What does it look like to be accepted by God? What do those who are in God’s family look like? Of course, these questions have been answered all kinds of ways, giving rise to everything from monasticism to spiritual hedonism. In Jesus’ day, the pervasive answer had everything to do with being part of the people of Israel. They would have answered the question: You must be a Jew and keep the Law. But into this environment Jesus came bringing the original message of God. This original message was all about the heart - about obedience from the heart - as declared in the very first stories of Genesis 3 and 4. Jesus put it this way: For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother. Obedience to God, from a heart of humble dependence, has always been the divine family trait.

Few verses in the Bible have caused more anxiety than Mark 3:29, where Jesus declares that there is one sin that can never be forgiven. Just what is this "unpardonable sin?" Who commits it? Is it a sin that can be committed today? What was Jesus trying to teach here? These and other questions can be answered as we look carefully at the historical context of this event from the life of Jesus, God’s Sovereign Son.What is really at issue in this passage is the opposition of the religious elite. With the selection of 12 disciples it has become apparent that this Jesus is not satisfied to be a traveling holy man. He intends to start a movement, and His recruitment of leaders has already begun. Those holding religious power see this as competition and move quickly to undermine His message and power. “He is in league with Satan himself” is their declaration. But Jesus turns the tables and boldly asserts that to oppose Him is to oppose Heaven itself.

As Mark begins the 2nd major section of his Gospel account, we are immediately introduced to a new element in the Kingdom mission of Jesus: His 12 disciples. These men, chosen from among those who were following Him, will come to play a decisive role in the extension of the Kingdom and promotion of its redemptive message. By the end of the book, these twelve men will be given the privilege of taking the message of Jesus Christ to the world! But first there was much they had to learn.At this point in the book we see Jesus the Sovereign Son also becoming the great discipler and trainer of others. And as we watch Jesus instruct and grow His disciples, we come to understand just what we need to know and do in order to carry out the mission of Jesus Christ through Grace to the world.

Today we return to our series through the Gospel of Mark. What do we remember? John the Baptist came, as the Old Testament promised, to prepare the minds and hearts of the people to welcome Messiah, God’s King. And John’s message was fulfilled in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. At His baptism, God Himself declared, "You are My beloved Son, in You I am wellpleased." Jesus - God’s Sovereign Son - went about declaring that the Kingdom authority of Heaven had, indeed, come to earth. That authority was seen in Jesus’ teaching and in His miraculous acts. Demons were cast down, and the diseased were healed. Lepers were cleansed, and the lame were made to walk. And while the people clamored to hear more, the religious leaders of the day conspired together to destroy Jesus. They should have welcomed Him, but instead they opposed Him.In this second major section of Mark’s Gospel we see that Jesus’ plan was never to go about His mission alone. Rather, He begins to build a community of men through whom His message of re

Dr. Richard Ross is professor to the next generation of youth ministers at Southwestern Seminary in Fort Worth and has served as the spokesperson for the International “True Love Waits” Movement. Dr. Richard Ross leads students and parents through a guided discussion that could change your family dynamics forever! It will be a time to focus on God’s grace for the family.