Dr. Ken's Sermons & Studies

In this story from Mark 8, Jesus and Simon Peter get into a heated argument, complete with name calling! Listen to find out what all the fuss is about!

There's a difference between carrying on the living the faith of those who have gone before us and holding on to a dead faith that was never intended to last. It's the difference between tradition and traditionalism. Jesus was a very traditional guy; he faithfully practiced the traditions of Judaism. But he has some hard words for those religious leaders who wanted to worship their traditions rather than the God of their ancestors.

We are now in the 6th chapter of Mark's gospel where we find Jesus returning to his hometown of Nazareth. Instead of receiving a hero's welcome, he ends up offending nearly everyone with his Good News!

Did you know that there is only one place in the entire Bible where Jesus is recorded to be sleeping? Where he takes his little nap is the key to the story!

Why did Jesus' family think he was crazy? Why did the Pharisees think he was possessed by the Lord of the Flies? And why does Jesus invite us to do a little breaking and entering?

We continue to walk with Jesus through the Gospel of Mark and today we come to a message we all need to hear. Do you think God rested on the seventh day because creating the world exhausted Him? Or maybe He was also creating a rhythm for us to live by...

Mark 2 begins with the well-known story of the man whose friends lowered him through the roof in order to find healing for his paralysis. What Jesus does next leaves everyone scratching their heads!

Continuing our journey through the Gospel of Mark, we don't get too far before learning about one of the most important characteristics of Jesus: his compassion.

Continuing our study of the Gospel of Mark, we're looking at Mark 1:21-28, the first recorded occasion in which Jesus goes to church...er, well, synagogue. You might say that all hell breaks loose...

The first thing Jesus does when he begins his ministry is to proclaim the good news that the Kingdom of God has come near - and then he calls people to follow him. Mark's gospel shows us that there are four verbs that encompass Jesus' call to discipleship. Listen to find out what they are!

We recently began a series of messages that will take us through the entire Gospel of Mark! This episode is the second in that series and takes a hard look at Mark 1:12-13 - Jesus' 40 days of temptation in the wilderness...as well as our own days in the wildernesses of life.

With this episode we begin a journey through the gospel of Mark. I believe anyone who wants to begin a serious study of the Bible should start with this book, so I hope you'll join the journey as we hear the main theme of Mark's gospel: Jesus.

In the eleventh chapter of Matthew, three groups of people are mentioned: followers of John the Baptist, citizens of three towns where Jesus performed miracles, and his own followers. Jesus has very different things to say to each of these groups. When this message was originally recorded, I used three chairs to symbolize each of the three groups. I trust that this will not be too confusing as you listen to this important message!

In the end...when all is said and all is done...who has the last word? And what will that word be?

We have shared a few of the collaborative sermons/songs that my good friend, Jack Gorham, and I have done together. This very special episode is the latest effort. It is based on a song Jack has written titled, "She Wants to Know." It is about a woman he knows who struggles with occasional homelessness and other challenges. When he played it for me, I could imagine the compassion of Christ enveloping her in his love.

To put it succinctly, this message summarizes the Gospel of Jesus Christ as I understand it and believe in it. If you are wondering what is meant by the Good News of Jesus Christ, please listen and see if this sounds like Good News to you!

Listen to hear the story of two brothers, each of whom thought the other deserved more of the family profits, and how that story reflects the amazing miracle that happens when we set aside time and space for worship.

Following the previous episode, we add one more small word to create one of the most powerful phrases in our language, and in our faith.

It isn’t a noun or a verb but it is one of the most powerful words in any language, and it is one of God’s favorite words!

"Elijah, what are you doing in that cave?" asks God in 1 Kings 19:9. Some say Elijah is depressed. Others say he is afraid. But, I think it is something else - something many of us experience all too frequently. Here's what I think it is, and what God says to do about it.

In this Christmas season there is joy but there is also sadness. This time of year always seems to have more than its share of stress and grief, along with the happiness and cheer. I'm excited to share this interweaving of song and sermon that my good friend, Jack Gorham, and I put together a while back. May it bring comfort and joy - not only this Christmas, but always.

While Mary certainly deserves to be honored as an example of faith, we very often forget about Joseph. He, too, is a man of great faith, an example the rest of us would do well to follow. We might even write a song about him!

Out of an overreaction to the days when Mary was over-venerated, we Protestants tend to underemphasize the example Mary should be for all of us, like being an ark of the covenant and a magnifying glass!

Just think how much further he could have gone if John had just made a few simple changes...

We give Mary credit for a lot of things, but one we rarely consider is her ability to celebrate what is to come as though it has already happened - an act of faith we would do well to emulate!

"The people who lived in darkness have seen a great light," says the Prophet Isaiah (9:2). As we begin the season of Advent, we begin with hope.

In Jesus' well-known parable about the wheat and the weeds, we frequently get confused about who we are in the story. Are we the landowner? The workers? The reapers? Or, maybe, something else...?

Why is it that some believe and some do not, even when they have heard the same message and seen the same examples of faith? It's a mystery, but it's a mystery worth examining!

It is one of the best known books of the Bible, the book of Job. But we don't often know what to make of it. Maybe because we don't WANT to know. I encourage you to read the first 3 chapters, and then chapters 29-42. The quotes I offer from some of these chapters come from The Message translation of the Bible, and I offer my recommendation to try this translation on for size. You can find it www.biblegateway.com.

You may know what time it is right now, but do you know whose time it is? Based on the beautiful words of Ecclesiastes 3, we are challenged to examine our futile attempts to be the lord of our own lives.Eccl. 3:1  For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:2     a time to be born, and a time to die;       a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;3     a time to kill, and a time to heal;       a time to break down, and a time to build up;4     a time to weep, and a time to laugh;       a time to mourn, and a time to dance;5     a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together;       a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;6     a time to seek, and a time to lose;       a time to keep, and a time to throw away;7     a time to tear, and a time to sew;       a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;8     a time to love, and a time to hate;       a time for war, and a time for peace.9   God has made everything fit beautifully in its appropriate time, but he has also placed ignorance in the human heart so that people cannot discover what God has ordained, from the beginning to the end of their lives.12       I have concluded that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to enjoy themselves as long as they live, 13 and also that everyone should eat and drink, and find enjoyment in all his toil, for these things are a gift from God. 

One of my favorite stories in the Bible is the story in Mark 10 about Blind Bartimaeus, who ends up seeing more than anybody else!

It is time to take another look at the teachings of the Apostle Paul because he has gotten a much-undeserved reputation as someone who, well, doesn't need to be listened to! In his masterpiece of Christian theology, The Letter to the Romans, he gives us some hard advice about what it means to live as followers of Christ. In order to better reflect on the words of this episode, here's what Paul says:Romans 12:1   I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.3   For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, 5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. 6 We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; 7 ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; 8 the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.

Believe it or not, the apostle Paul did not write the well-known 13th chapter of First Corinthians for weddings! It is intended for Christians who are looking to deepen the way they live out their faith - like you and me.

The English language is a living thing. We add words to it, and lose words that fall out of use. There's one word in the Bible that we have almost completely lost, and it is one of the most important words when it comes to living out our relationship with God and with one another.

Walking on water: whose power enabled Peter to do that? Living our faith: whose power enables us to do that?

We say that God is omnipotent, all-powerful. But there are things that God cannot do; in fact, there are things we can do that God cannot!

That phrase is tossed around a lot, but what does it exactly mean? This is what it means to me.

The Book of Hebrews isn't really a book. It's a sermon, and one of the most masterful sermons ever written. It's a sermon about faith, and what it looks like when faith is put into action.

It's quite an amazing process: faith happens mostly in the heart, but it seeks to feed the brain with understanding, which then strengthens the faith, which then makes the brain hungry to know more...

In the last episode we heard Paul scold the Galatians for thinking that anything but the grace of God saves us. As he ends his letter, he also warns that this doesn't mean we can do what we want because our works do not save us - or keep us from being saved. After all, he says, you can't plant radishes and expect to sow tomatoes!

One of the great ironies of too many of us followers of Christ is how often we use our freedom to lose our freedom.

Here's a hint: it's not about you.

When the Apostle Paul writes to the church in Galatia, he is more than a little upset. Why? It's in the math, the Gospel math, that is.

This message is the second of two that are based on the 16th chapter of the Book of Acts, in which the Apostle Paul is told by the Holy Spirit to "Come over to Macedonia and help us." Be sure to listen to both to find out exactly where Macedonia is!

This message is the first of two based on the 16th chapter of the Book of Acts, when Paul hears the voice of the Holy Spirit saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." Be sure to listen to both so that you have the full answer to the question, "Where is Macedonia?"

The story Jesus tells that is commonly called The Parable of the Prodigal Son is incorrectly named for it is really about two sons who resemble their father very little at all. Which son do you take after?

It's one of the most disdained, disliked words in the English language. See if you agree with this explanation as to why...in spite of the fact that you won't like it, either.

What happens when chickens and become foxes?

Originally preached on Trinity Sunday, this message gives some words of wisdom to those who would like to have the concept of the Trinity - God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; three yet one - explained to them.Be sure to have a flower handy.

When you find yourself in the wilderness areas of life, here's something you need to know.