St Marcus Mke Sermons

In this, our final week of the series, we'll be studying 1 Peter 5:5-7 -  under the theme "HUMILITY (in Conversation) - RULE 9 - "Assume the person you're listening to might know something you don't." Jordan Peterson, as a clinical psychologist, knows that psychotherapy is more than just giving professional advice. It's engaged conversation, with an emphasis on listening. Humans need to be listened to in order to survive, but that requires humility on the part of the listener - a willingness to care about someone, and even reconsider your position based on their input. Listening is HARD. But it's a powerful expression of grace that can actually provide healing to the hurting. 

This morning, Pastor Jeske finishes his bible study on "All You Need Is Love" by diving into the concept of "Love Your Church" as laid out in 1 Peter 2:17 - Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.

This week we'll be studying Acts 5:1-11 -  under the theme "HONESTY - RULE 8 - "Tell the truth - or, at least, don't lie." Honesty is the best policy...or so they say. "Best" in what regard? Honesty can certainly get us into trouble. It can certainly hurt feelings. Honesty can condemn. But it's also the only way forward. Whether we're talking about "telling lies" or "living lies" (i.e. denial), truth alone can set people free. Truth can create order, whereas deception breeds chaos. In our text this week, God establishes very early in the Church that he would not tolerate his people pretending to be something they were not. 

Today's message follows the theme "Love Your Neighbor" continuing Pastor Jeske's series on "All you Need Is Love".   The service includes a presentation on the Central Africa Medical Mission, a 60-year legacy of healthcare in Zambia and Malawi. The volunteers and national staff see many faces and have been a light of Jesus to many people. 

This week we'll be studying Romans 12:1-  under the theme "SACRIFICE - RULE 7 - "Pursue what is meaningful (not what is expedient)." Modern people often look at the ancients, and their practice of things like "sacrifices" as primitive and unscientific. Jordan Peterson, however, would argue that the concept of sacrificing something good in the present in order to bless the future in an even more substantial way is the single most important revelation in human history. The Bible, too, says a great deal about the sacrifice that Jesus made for us, and how we are to offer our lives as "living sacrifices" in response. 

Today, seminarian Silas Dose shares a message on Numbers 11:16, 24-29 with the theme "All God's People Proclaim".

This week we'll be studying James 4:11-12 under the theme "CRITICISM - RULE 6 - "Set your house in perfect order before you criticize the world." While creating something meaningful is hard work, tearing something down takes very little effort. This is perhaps most evident in our words. And while there are many ways to cause destruction with our words, stander/criticism might be THE most difficult for many of us Christians to resist. This week, we'll find out how criticism from our mouths is directly related to forgetting the gospel in our heads and hearts. 

Today's bible study is part 2 in the series, "All You Need is Love".  Today, Pastor Jeske focuses on the theme "Love Yourself".  Diving into I Corinthians 1:4-9, Paul expresses thanks to God for the Christians in Corinth.  God had been very kind to them, and he had done wonderful things in their lives. Most Christians in Corinth were not wealthy (1:26), but they lacked nothing in their relationship with God. God had made them able to speak for him. God had given them the knowledge that they needed. God had given them his Holy Spirit, and there was evidence of that fact in their lives. 

This week we'll be studying Hebrews 12:7-11 under the theme "PARENTING - RULE 5 - "Don't let kids do anything that makes you dislike them." The fact that God uses the term "Father" as a way for us to describe his relationship with us is fascinating and fairly unique to Christianity. As a loving father, however, the assumption of the writer to the Hebrews is that this means God will discipline us through hardship in life. Many Christians don't like to hear this, just like many parents don't like to hear the necessity of discipline for the development of their child. But God designed us. He loves us and knows what we need for human flourishing. This includes discipline. 

Pastor Jeske launches a new series "All You Need is Love".   Today's message focuses on loving God.  God calls us to know and love him.  Here’s the heart of what God wants from us. First: to understand who God is.  Second: God wants our devotion, loyalty, and love. Develop habits that help you know and love so you don’t forget. To know and love God means that we take repeated action to integrate that knowledge and love into every part of our lives: private, family, and public.

This week we'll be studying 2 Corinthians 10:12-18 under the theme "COMPARISON - RULE 4 - "Compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to who someone else is today." If you don't find your identity in the gift of Christ's righteousness, you're going to look for it comparing some aspect of your life against the lives of others, just the way the rest of the world establishes identity. This week, Paul teaches us something about self-image as he contrasts his ministry with that of a group who considered themselves "Super Apostles."

With the theme of teaching your children, Pastor Jeske's bible study today focuses on the first 8 verses of Psalm 78.  The psalm was apparently written by Asaph, who was a Levite and a music leader in the service of King David.  People who do not orient their lives on the testimony of God in Scripture cannot know what is good for them or for their children. They may have strong opinions about what is right or helpful, but those opinions will be based on what feels good or on some cultural pressure or on some human tradition or authority less than God. But the Scripture says that God has established a testimony; he has appointed a law. And Jesus Christ has won our confidence and for his sake we believe the revelation of God in the law and the testimony. We have a God-given compass that keeps us from being lost in the forest of modern-day confusion, the compass of God’s law and his testimony in Scripture.

WHO IS EQUAL TO SUCH A TASK? I.   You Are!  You Have Words Blessed by Christ. II.  You Are!  You Are People Sent by God.   Based on 2 Corinthians 2:14-17

Pastor Jeske completes his series on the songs and poems of the Divine Service with his study on the Agnus Dei.  Turning again to the Revelation to St. John, at one point John sees a scroll in the right hand of the One who was sitting on the throne. A “strong angel” puts forth the challenge, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?”  Then, between the throne and the elders, the Lamb comes into view. Undoubtedly the most significant feature in John's description of this Lamb is that it is a lamb who appears to have been slain.

This week we'll be studying 1 Samuel 18:1-4 & 2 Samuel 1:26 under the theme "FRIENDSHIP - RULE 3 - Make friends with people who want the best for you." In the middle of paradise, God said that it was not good for man to be alone. If humans cannot survive Eden without friends, why would we think we can survive this place without believing friends? We'll take a look at the relationship between David and Jonathan to see what genuine friendship looks like, and how it is ultimately born out of friendship with Jesus. 

Pastor Jeske continues his series on The Divine Service with a bible study on the Sanctus: Holy is the Lord God.  If any part of the service has been recognized as providing a glimpse of heaven, it's the Sanctus: “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Sabaoth, heaven and earth are full of your glory.”  This is the eternal song of the angels who hover over the throne of God in the vision of heaven that was given to Isaiah (Is. 6:1-4). Such was the splendor of their song that the very foundations of the threshold of the temple trembled at the sound.

This week we'll be studying Psalm 139:1-6, 13-16 under the theme "STEWARDSHIP OF SELF - RULE 2 - Treat yourself like someone you are responsible for helping." An apparent problem with modern western culture is the narcissistic obsession with self. With the rise of social media in the 2010s, every youth became a brand ambassador. It's killing self-image, community, expectations, and healthy relationships. There is an opposing danger that Christians might be less aware of though - poor self-care, i.e. a lack of stewarding self. This week, we'll look at the idea of treating ourselves the way God treats us.  

When we pray, we’re often hesitant. Hesitant to believe that our small voices will be heard by the sovereign God reigning in heaven. Hesitant to think we even have the right words to say. But Jesus gave His disciples—and us—the Lord’s Prayer as a guide in our prayer life. This prayer contains words of confession, thanks, recognition, need, and praise; it’s the perfect prayer model from our perfect role model.

This week we'll be studying 2 Kings 6:8-23 under the theme "CONFIDENCE - RULE 1 "Stand up straight with your shoulders back." Humans, like animals, all fit into an invisible social structure called a dominance hierarchy that impacts our health, wealth, and and overall wellness. Much of this is based on confidence and aptitude. But is there a way to find healthy confidence without slipping into arrogance? Is there a way to be strong without dominating others? The promises of a gracious God offer exactly that.    SERIES SUMMARY: Once a year we build a worship series around my favorite book, Christian or secular, from the past year :) This year we're structuring that series around Jordan B. Peterson's "12 RULES FOR LIFE: An Antidote to Chaos." Peterson has been labeled by NY Times as "The most influential public intellectual in the Western world right now." Though not a Christian himself, he is a clinical psychologist who certainly challenges many of the secular assumptions of modern America. We'll deconstruct s

Pastor Jeske continues his series on the parts of the Divine Service with today's study on the Nicene Creed.  We use two creeds in our worship services from week to week: The Apostles' Creed and The Nicene Creed.  Because the wording of the Apostles’ Creed developed over several hundred years, its authorship is unknown. It is clear that the apostles did not write the creed. Rather, the creed expresses the biblical teachings of the apostles. The Apostles’ Creed offers a simple summary of the Christian faith. For that reason, it has a long history of being associated with Baptism and instruction in God’s word. The Nicene Creed was the result of a church council that met in Nicea in 325 A.D. The Second Article of the Creed is much longer than that of the Apostles’ Creed because the council was addressing false doctrines about the person of Jesus Christ.