On Sunday we learned two things from our text.  First, we saw the mission of the gospel advances at great cost.  Our text retold the account of the beheading of John the Baptist by King Herod.  Because Mark includes this section with the previous section about the advance of the mission (verse 30 showing the sandwich) we are meant to see that along with the highs of doing the things that Jesus did comes the reality that following Jesus comes at great cost, even the cost us our lives.  Second, we sought to learn from the case study of the human heart, sin and the death of a conscience provided by the details of the story of Herod, Herodias, her daughter and the party that led to John’s death.  Before we cast any stones at the sinners in this scene, we looked at the nature of sin at work in the heart and found ourselves.  You can listen to or download the sermon here.  I hope these questions will help us all grow and change as a result of applying God’s word to our lives.

1)  Why did Mark add the story of John the Baptist’s death to the ministry success reported in vs. 7-13?

2)  While martyrdom is not as great a threat to us in America, what is the greatest cost you encounter in following Jesus?

3)  While we can’t necessarily relate to the specific details of the story of Herod and his wife and the party, we found that we can all relate to the heart of man on display in this story.  Where did you find yourself being convicted as we looked at each character?

4)  Why is it so important to respond to our conscience when convicted?  What does 1 Cor. 10:13 tell us is going on when we are tempted?

5)  How is the gospel good news for the guilty, stirred or dying conscience?  Do you believe in the power of Christ to cleanse you from your sin, to transform your life and help you to fight against and flee from sin?   How does the good news of the gospel encourage your fight against sin?

5)  Is there any area of your life in which you are currently ignoring your conscience?  What is stopping you from turning from that sin?  Is there someone you need to talk to to get help or accountability?  Will you take whatever steps necessary to respond to the Lord?

Kirk closed the service by encouraging many of us to walk through a door that the he believed the Lord had opened.  The door represents freedom and walking in a new way of life, leaving temptation and patterns of sin behind.  We believe by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and by the power of the Spirit, we can change!  Where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more!  And Jesus’ blood is powerful to cleanse us from all our sin – every sin, any sin.  There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.  We can’t conquer sin in our own strength, but by the power of the Spirit at work in us; the Spirit He freely gives us!

Grace to you this week,

Eric

This past Sunday we studied Mark 6:6b-13 where Jesus sends out His apostles, two by two, with authority to proclaim, heal the sick and cast out demons.  We learned that the mission of the gospel advances through ordinary people who do extraordinary things through Jesus Christ.  We saw the gospel advanced despite rejection in Nazareth.  It advanced through unlikely, unqualified, and unready men.  It advanced in faith and dependence on the Lord for provision.  And it advanced in the authority of Christ.  How amazing it must have been for these men!  It was their turn to do the things that had seen Jesus do!  And while this was a unique commissioning to these 12 and a strategic moment in the gospel of Mark, we also discovered some principles that apply to us today.  The gospel continues to advance when men and women are sent and Jesus doesn’t wait till we’re ready to use us!  You can listen to or download the sermon here.  I hope these questions help you apply God’s word to your life!

1)  Have you ever done something that you knew you were not ready for or qualified for?  What were the feelings you experienced?

2)  How do you think the disciples felt as they were given authority and did the things they saw Jesus do?

3)  Do you believe that Jesus wants to use you to do the things that He did?  Why or why not?  How did this text encourage your faith to believe that He wants to work through you?

4)  How does the temptation to believe you are not ready, you are unqualified, you are too sinful or too immature to be used by the Lord hinder your faith? Is there one specific thing in your life that you believe stands in the way of God being able to use you?  How do the Scriptures help you to believe that God can use anyone including you despite your weakness, sins, failures, or maturity?

5)  What do you believe are simple steps that the Lord is calling you to take as it pertains to Him using you more to do His work, proclaim His gospel, pray for those in need, etc.?  Are you willing to step out in faith, empowered by His Spirit, willing to be used?

May the Lord send us and use us in more ways than we can imagine, for His kingdom, for His glory and for His fame alone!

Eric

Sunday morning we continued our current sermon series with Mark 6:1-6. There we observed the tragic account of how the sin of unbelief caused the people of Jesus hometown of Nazareth, to reject their Messianic King and Savior. We saw four characteristics of unbelief and the main truth we discovered is: Unbelief has the power to rob us of the greatest blessings of God. You can listen to or download the sermon here.  I pray that these questions serve you as you seek to diligently guard your heart from the sin of unbelief.

1) Prior to hearing the message, would you have considered unbelief one of the most ruinous sins in our culture? Why or why not?

2) When the people of Nazareth heard Jesus preach they were “astonished” by the wisdom he possessed. Yet, their unbelief blinded them to the plain truth of his identity and rather than seeing Jesus as their long awaited Messianic King and Savior, they simply saw Him as the village carpenter. What part of Jesus true identity do you find it most difficult to embrace? What passages of Scripture do you need to believe in order for that to change?

3) We’ve all heard the saying “familiarity breeds contempt”. This was indeed true of the people in Jesus’ hometown of Nazareth. Where are you most vulnerable to allowing your soul to become dull or cold, due to your familiarization with things that pertain to Christ? How might you seek to guard your soul in this area?

4) The prevalence of unbelief in the town of Nazareth caused Jesus to limit the display of divine power. While Jesus had the power to do mighty works, He chose not to use that power. In what area of your life might the presence of unbelief be limiting the display of divine power? What are you doing to deal with this unbelief?

May the Lord grant you the grace to identify the presence of unbelief in your life and the power to put it to death. Grace to you!

Kirk

Last Sunday we looked at the final story in Mark 5, which highlighted again the power of Jesus Christ, this time over sickness and even death.   This story also highlighted the power of the word of Christ.  And this story also brought us all into two more completely desperate situations.  For both Jairus and the woman with the discharge of blood, desperation drove them to Jesus as their only hope for help.  And in both we saw an example of faith, especially in the woman who would serve as an example to Jairus and by extension, to us all.  We ultimately learned that in the midst of our desperation or hopeless situations: go to Jesus, do not fear but only believe. You can listen to our download the sermon here.  I hope these questions will help you apply God’s word to your life.

1.  Are you in the midst of a hopeless or desperate situation right now (no remedy, no earthly answer, solution out of your control)?

2.  Where are you tempted to “go first” during times like this (internal strength to get you through, a friend to talk to, worldly wisdom or answers, substances to numb or make things easier)?  Why are we to go to Jesus first?  What does going to Jesus first look like for you?

3.  Jesus tells us all when that moment of bad news or tragedy comes, “do not fear, only believe.”  Why is this so hard to do? Why are circumstances so much more magnetic to our eyes than Jesus?  How do you think the Lord wants to build your faith to prepare for those “moments” of life?

4.  Why would you go to Jesus first in the midst of distress, despair or hopelessness?  We talked about three reasons: A.  Because He knows (had a prayer go unanswered); B. Because He is willing (willing to die for us, not willing to help us?; C. Because He still has power to heal.  Which of these three things about Jesus that are meant to build our faith do you struggle to believe?

5.  How has the Lord built your faith in Christ over the last few weeks reading about Jesus in the midst of desperate situations?  What difference has Christ made through His word in how you view your current circumstances?

These stories have all been about different kinds of desperate situations.  There are storms of life that we walk through, there is evil and darkness and sin that exists outside of us and in us, there are chronic diseases in our bodies and we are surrounded by the daily tragedy of death.  And yet, in the middle of all of these situations stands Jesus Chrsit, the Son of God, who has power over them all – power to save, power to heal, and power to rescue!  With a word storms, evil and sin, chronic sickness and even death itself all recoil!  And this Jesus invites us to trust in Him, to look to Him, to not fear, but believe in Him, in His power, in His ability to see us through and His deep love for us that fuels His commitment to be with us, help us and keep us till the end.

To Him be praise!  And in Him we must trust!

Have a grace filled week,

Eric