St Marcus Mke Sermons

This week as we look at Jesus’ “backwards” approach to glory. Not through thrones but through crosses. Received not by the wise and talented, but by the childlike. What does it mean that the Kingdom belongs to “such as these”? We’ll figure it out as we look through Mark 10:13-16.

This week in our series The Gospel of Mark: From Throne to Cross and Back, we’ll look at Jesus’ CROSS. That could be a little misleading though. Our focus this week is actually a bit more on figuring out what it means that to be Christ’s disciple, you must pick up YOUR CROSS to follow him? We’re going to discover that the cross is actually the foundation for the Christian’s identity as we look at Mark 8:34-38.

This week in our series The Gospel of Mark: From Throne to Cross and Back, we’ll look at Jesus’ SYMPATHY. The word “sympathy” literally means to “suffer with.” Jesus doesn’t promise to end all the storms of life, because a bunch of good stuff comes to us through them. But, he does promise he’ll 1) face the storms with us, 2) he’ll face the ultimate storm for us, and 3) one day these storms will come to an end. We’ll study another story of Jesus at Sea as we look at Mark 6:45-52.

This week in our series The Gospel of Mark: From Throne to Cross and Back, we’ll look at Jesus’ REJECTION. Familiarity sometimes breeds contempt. And it turns out Jesus’ hometown was really offended by him. Why? What could make Jesus so offensive? What could potentially make his followers so offensive? And what does Jesus rejection from this world do for us? We’ll get to the bottom of all of it Saturday evening as we dig into Mark 6:1-6.

We’re in our fourth week in the series The Gospel of Mark: From Throne to Cross and Back, working our way through the entire Gospel of Mark to do a character study of Jesus and his grace. This week, we gain insight into Jesus’ AUTHORITY. Wow. Occasionally God gives me a text to wrestle with in which his voice becomes so incredibly clear. Jesus demonstrating his authority over the storms of life couldn’t be more perfect for me right now. This week we’ll study Mark 4:35-41.

We’re in our third week in the series The Gospel of Mark: From Throne to Cross and Back, working our way through the entire Gospel of Mark to do a character study of Jesus and his grace. This week, we gain insight into Jesus’ PARABLES. This parable is the granddaddy of all parables, and I’ll explain why. It’s honestly one of the more fascinating insights for me on the nature of why someone does/does not receive the Word of God. Message based on Mark 4:1-20.

The Gospel of Mark: From Throne to Cross and Back. We’re working our way through the entire Gospel of Mark to do a character study of Jesus and his grace. This week, his grace is demonstrated in FAMILY. Jesus again says something incredibly provocative, that startles some people and deeply offends others. But if you submit to his teaching about family, it will make you tremendously optimistic about your family future, regardless of if you’re married or single, in a dysfunctional relationship or a healthy one. Messaged based on Mark 3:31-35.

 We’re working our way through the entire Gospel of Mark to do a character study of Jesus and his grace. This week, his grace is demonstrated in healing – but not in the way you might think, not initially. Jesus, as he often does, says something provocative and offensive to modern and ancient people alike, but profoundly liberating, to a crippled man. Mark 2:1-12.

Week 5 in our “FAITH BUILDERS” series, we’re going to be looking at The Sacraments. There is a significant level of division in the Christian Community regarding what Baptism and Holy Communion are, and what they accomplish. There is also some overlap and agreement of definitions. In our worship, we’ll start with that, and examine Scripture to guide us from there to determine whether Baptism and Communion are best considered “Sacraments” or “Sacrifices.”

Week 4 in our “FAITH BUILDERS” series, we’re going to be looking at The Revealed God. The way we best know God is how he revealed himself in the person of Jesus. Jesus, the God-Man, is IT. He’s the central character of the Bible. He’s the one who holds the universe together. He’s the one essential in your life. And meeting with his body is the axis of the believer’s week. I hope you don’t get tired of admiring Jesus, because that’s what we’ll be doing for all eternity. This week in worship, we’re going to briefly look at how the entire Old Testament prefigured Christ in the roles of Prophet, Priest, and King. Our message will be based on Acts 3:11-26.

Week 3 in our “FAITH BUILDERS” series, we’re going to be looking at The Mysterious God. Why would not being able to comprehend much about the working of God be an asset to our relationship with God, not a detriment? We’ll find out as we echo with the Apostle Paul some words of praise from Romans 11:33-36.

Week 2 in our “FAITH BUILDERS” series, we’re going to be looking at Biblical Interpretation. THIS, more than anything, is the explanation to why we have over 200 different denominations (and non-denominational churches) in the country today. We all use the same Bible, but it boils down to an issue of correct interpretation. If you’ve never wrestled with biblical interpretation, it’s an enlightening insight into why you believe what you believe. While our message will once again be a survey of biblical teaching, our root text will be found in 1 Cor. 2:6-14.

This week, Peter will teach us from 2 Peter 1:12-21 that the Bible really is God’s Word, not man’s words, and therefore we should be asking ourselves what it looks like to treat the Bible as the ultimate authority of our lives. 

This week we're going to take advantage of the seasonal opportunity to share the Bible’s teaching on demonic activity. While the Bible says our primary struggle as Christians is against spiritual forces of evil, many Christians, patterning the secular world, seem to believe our biggest struggles are related to worldly circumstances. We’ll look to renew our hearts and minds by watching Jesus cure a demonized man, the account of Mark 5:1-20.

This week Pastor Leyrer will be leading worship with a message on Matthew 22:15-21, a lesson where Jesus avoids the Pharisees’ trap about paying taxes to Caesar. Jesus again teaches us how to navigate the tricky issue of imperfect earthly authority.

This Sunday we're looking at Matthew 21:28-32; the story of two sons who say one thing and do another.

This week James teaches us about Mature Priorities. A child cannot think beyond instant gratification. One of the evidences of maturity, then, is when someone begins to think consequentially, long-term, eternally even. This week, we’ll study James 4:13-5:6 and see what the gospel does to our life priorities.

This week James teaches us about Mature Desires. The modern person doesn’t tend to think our feelings are really ever wrong, but that feelings and desires are simply the product of who we are. But the Bible says that sin is so pervasive in the world that it’s even corrupted our desires. This week we’ll contrast our natural desires with our designed desires and see how the gospel helps us bridge the gap. We’ll study James 4:1-10.

This week James teaches us about Mature Speech. Sticks and stones can only break bones. Words are MUCH more powerful. They can shape – build up or destroy – your entire sense of self. Even more, they shape our opinion of God. This week we’ll study James 3:1-12.

The Book of James: For Maturing Audiences Only. This week James (Jesus’ brother and the 1st Bishop of the Christian Church in Jerusalem) is teaching us about not showing favoritism. The goal is that Christians would evaluate people on the basis of grace, not like the world, which judges people on the basis of what others can do for us. This week, under the theme “Mature Kindness,” we’ll study James 2:1-13.