St Marcus Mke Sermons

This week we will be studying 1 Corinthians 4:3-4 and Philippians 3:7-9 under the theme “Identity.” The gifts of Christ’s righteousness and adoption into God’s family through baptism give us our identity. We are eternal family members of the one true God. No one can take this from us and, to the degree we understand this, we will be freed from the stress of a performance-based identity and the need for human approval that this world cultivates. If you’d like to leave an offering or monetary donation to our ministry please click here: https://tinyurl.com/stmarcusgive

This week we will be studying Romans 2:14-15 under the theme “Morality.” Morality is something that only religion can give answers for. Science can tell you the way things are but it cannot say anything when it comes to the way things “ought to be.” Every human believes things “ought” to be a certain way. Paul makes this argument very clearly and persuasively in Romans 2. If you’d like to leave an offering or monetary donation to our ministry please click here: https://tinyurl.com/stmarcusgive

We celebrate our freedom in Christ and the end of slavery in the United States. Juneteenth commemorates when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1865 to announce and ensure that the last of slavery in the Confederacy was abolished. Based on Matthew 9:35-10:8. If you’d like to leave an offering or monetary donation to our ministry please click here: https://tinyurl.com/stmarcusgive

This week we will be studying Ecclesiastes 2:1-11 under the theme “Meaning.” Satan’s primary lie to humanity is that something or someone other than God can give us what only the true God can actually give. So, we search for meaning in life in otherwise good things – work, relationships, pleasure, etc. King Solomon, who had it all, teaches us that when these meaningful things are pursued ahead of Christ, everything becomes meaningless. If you’d like to leave an offering or monetary donation to our ministry please click here: https://tinyurl.com/stmarcusgive

Our early summer series will be based on Tim Keller’s Making Sense of God: Finding God in the Modern World. As human beings, we cannot live without meaning, satisfaction, freedom, identity, justice, and hope. Christianity provides us with unsurpassed resources to meet these needs. Using the structure of Keller’s book, we’ll examine biblical texts that provide practical life resources for navigating a post-Christian society. This week, we'll be studying 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 under the theme “Faith & Proof." All belief systems, religious and secular, require faith. Christianity is unique for a variety of reasons. It is rooted in eyewitness testimonies of historical facts and supernatural events that the early believers were willing to die for, proving it to be far different from both other world religions and modern secularism. If you’d like to leave an offering or monetary donation to our ministry please click here: https://tinyurl.com/stmarcusgive

This week we’ll be studying John 15:26-27 under the theme “Be Filled With the Holy Spirit!” Pentecost is the celebration of the dawn of an era by which God primarily works in the world by the power of his Spirit through his Body, the Church. If you’d like to leave an offering or monetary donation to our ministry please click here: https://tinyurl.com/stmarcusgive

This week we’ll be studying Acts 5:1-12 under the theme “Unceasing Testimony.” The Apostle Paul was not just a professional missionary. He was a Christian who could not stop speaking about the good news of God’s grace in Christ Jesus. This proclamation did not always make him popular in his world, but God used it mightily. Along the way, we learn some fascinating ways in which a Christian humbly, firmly, respectfully, and effectively defends their faith in a non-receptive environment. If you’d like to leave an offering or monetary donation to our ministry please click here: https://tinyurl.com/stmarcusgive

This week we will be studying Acts 20:17-38 under the theme “Paul’s Farewell to Ephesian Friends.” In the process, we’ll see how Paul follows the Spirit’s prompting even when he doesn’t always know how it’s going to work out. The Spirit is making him more like his Savior. He’s using Paul powerfully and Paul knows he couldn’t have done it without deep Christian friendships along the way. If you’d like to leave an offering or monetary donation to our ministry please click here: https://tinyurl.com/stmarcusgive

This week we’ll be studying Acts 16:25-40 under the theme “Three Unique Conversions.” Not only does the gospel work in every nation and language, but it works at different life stages and with different personalities. In Acts 16, we see the conversion of a businesswoman named Lydia, a demon-possessed slave girl, and a blue-collar jailer. The gospel is amazingly both non-negotiable and culturally flexible. If you’d like to leave an offering or monetary donation to our ministry please click here: https://tinyurl.com/stmarcusgive

This week, we'll be studying Acts 12:1-19 under the theme “Peter’s Miraculous Escape From Prison." God had a mission for Peter and no mere prison was going to deter that mission, even the chains of a prison cell. God broke Peter's chains through a praying church, an angelic visitor, and Peter’s willing spirit. Through this, the one who broke the chains of our sin teaches us how we may help those who are imprisoned by life’s chains. If you’d like to leave an offering or monetary donation to our ministry please click here: https://tinyurl.com/stmarcusgive

This week, we'll be studying Acts 10:24-48 under the theme "Cornelius, the Roman Centurion." The second quarter of the book of Acts undeniably demonstrates God’s desire for multiethnic, multicultural congregations. God has reconciled a world to himself through the grace of the God-Man Jesus, and now we’re to demonstrate that otherworldly reconciliation in our unity to people with whom we only have Jesus in common. Even the Apostle Peter was shocked that God shows no favoritism. The book of Acts is the story of the early Christian Church. It is the ministry Jesus CONTINUED to do by his Spirit and through his Church even after he ascended into heaven. By studying this book, believers not only learn the important history of the Church but also receive focus for what our mission as a congregation and individual disciples should still be today. If you’d like to leave an offering or monetary donation to our ministry please click here: https://tinyurl.com/stmarcusgive

The first Easter didn't start out with the pomp and joy that we associate with Easter celebrations today. On the evening of that first Easter Sunday, there was tentative joy, but also confusion, fear, and doubt. Jesus' first words as He appeared to his disciples were "Peace be with you," and it was exactly what they needed to hear. He gave them more than assuring words, He gave them tangible proof of His resurrection, which melted away all of their doubts and fears. Jesus also shows up in our midst and brings us the same peace he brought to his disciples. It happens so often and in such ordinary ways that we might skip right past it without recognizing it. Based on John 20: 19-31. If you’d like to leave an offering or monetary donation to our ministry please click here: https://tinyurl.com/stmarcusgive

With our faith in our Risen Savior, we can find peace amongst our daily struggles. He is risen! Alleluia! View the full service here: https://www.youtube.com/live/z6QVn4BohOM?feature=share If you’d like to leave an offering or monetary donation to our ministry please click here: https://tinyurl.com/stmarcusgive

There is a real and mysterious presence of Christ in the elements of Holy Communion. Partaking in the Lord's Supper provides a connection to the past and future, remembering what God has done for us and comfort and hope for whatever may come. Communing with fellow believers also gives us the opportunity to self-examine, unite with those who have wronged us, and open our hearts to invite those different from us to sit at our "tables." If you’d like to leave an offering or monetary donation to our ministry please click here: https://tinyurl.com/stmarcusgive

We’re studying Matthew 21:12-17 under the theme “The Triumphal Entry.” Palm Sunday is a unique occasion in which Jesus rides into Jerusalem as a king, but as a very humble king. He possesses the authority to ride an unbroken colt. He evokes praises from the people. And he overturns the broken, corrupt religious system of his day. As we enter Holy Week, we look for how to better honor a king who is not of this world. If you’d like to leave an offering or monetary donation to our ministry please click here: https://tinyurl.com/stmarcusgive

The theme for the 2023 Lenten season is “His Final Steps.” We'll be exploring Jesus’ final days before, during, and after his crucifixion. Different locations will serve as the theme for each Lenten service. This week, we are led to Jesus' enemies. The Parable of the Tenants reflects that although the Jewish leaders reject Jesus, He is the cornerstone of the Church. Based on Luke 20:9-19. If you’d like to leave an offering or monetary donation to our ministry please click here: https://tinyurl.com/stmarcusgive

We’re studying Matthew 18:21-35 under the theme “Forgive.” Perhaps the worst prison humans self-inflict comes from the failure to forgive. Jesus’ teaching here suggests there is something in our fallen condition that is delusional and unmerciful, which leads to vengeance, bitterness, and torment. On the contrary, this week we see that the most natural expression of a heart that understands redemption by grace is to forgive the debts of those who wrong us. If you’d like to leave an offering or monetary donation to our ministry please click here: https://tinyurl.com/stmarcusgive

The theme for the 2023 Lenten season is “His Final Steps.” We'll be exploring Jesus’ final days before, during, and after his crucifixion. Different locations will serve as the theme for each Lenten service. This week, we are led to some Greeks. The fact that a group of Greeks would show an interest in a Jewish Rabbi from Nazareth is noteworthy. The Messiah wasn't sent just for the people of Israel, but for the entire world. His message wasn't one based on superiority or dominance, but one of unity. Based on John 12:20-33. If you’d like to leave an offering or monetary donation to our ministry please click here: https://tinyurl.com/stmarcusgive

We’re studying Matthew 18:1-14 under the theme “Greatness in the Kingdom.” All people, including Jesus’ Disciples, struggle with establishing a positive sense of self, an identity. But in God’s Kingdom, the pathway to greatness for us is not in achieving or never making mistakes, but in repenting. True repentance can only come from humble hearts who know they’re saved by grace. If you’d like to leave an offering or monetary donation to our ministry please click here: https://tinyurl.com/stmarcusgive

The theme for the 2023 Lenten season is “His Final Steps.” We'll be exploring Jesus’ final days before, during, and after his crucifixion. Different locations will serve as the theme for each Lenten service. This week, we are led to a fig tree. Jesus used a barren fig tree as an object lesson on what Our Father thinks about unfruitfulness. Based on Mark 11:12-14, 20-25. If you’d like to leave an offering or monetary donation to our ministry please click here: https://tinyurl.com/stmarcusgive