James Reed's FORGE

Luke 24:13-34- "We Were Hoping"- I had the honor of being with the good folks at Community Presbyterian Church, Live Oak, FL for Easter Sunday. It was a great time. May this sermon be a blessing to all those who hear it.I have been gone for a while. For anyone who still gets my episode updates, please keep me in prayer as I continue on with my Clinical Pastoral Education on my way to becoming a Chaplain.

KeywordsEphesians, Paul, Gentiles, unsearchable riches, church, grace, gospel, diversity, wisdom, faith.Summary:In this sermon, Pastor James explores Ephesians 3:7-13, focusing on the Apostle Paul's ministry to the Gentiles and the unsearchable riches of Christ. He emphasizes the importance of grace, the diversity of God's creation, and the role of the church in revealing God's wisdom. The message encourages believers to embrace their identity in Christ and to boldly share the gospel with others.Takeaways:Paul's ministry was specifically to the Gentiles.The unsearchable riches of Christ are available to Christians.The Church plays a vital role in God's plan.Boldness and access to come before God the Father come through faith in Christ the Son.Christ is the ultimate resource for fulfillment.The Church is a witness to God's manifold wisdom.Believers are called to share the gospel confidently.Salvation is a gift, not earned by works.Christians from every tongue, tribe, people, and nation are all part of one body in Christ.Sound bites:"The unsearchable riches of Christ.""Jesus Christ is your resource.""You belong to the Lord."Chapters:00:00 Introduction to Ephesians and Paul's Ministry02:50 The Unsearchable Riches of Christ08:46 The Riches of Christ Explained11:22 The Role of the Church in God's Wisdom14:19 Boldness and Access Through Faith

Summary:In this sermon, Pastor James explores Ephesians 3:1-13, focusing on Paul's ministry to the Gentiles and the unsearchable riches of Christ. He emphasizes the importance of grace, the role of the Church in displaying God's wisdom, and the eternal purpose behind God's plan for salvation. The sermon encourages us to study the Word of God and recognize our identity as part of God's covenant family, highlighting the transformative power of grace in our lives.Keywords: Ephesians, Paul, grace, ministry, church, salvation, biblical truth, exegesis, wisdom, eternal purpose.Sound bites:"We are covenant people.""The manifold wisdom of God.""Don't lose heart."Chapters:00:00 Introduction to Ephesians and Paul's Ministry.03:00 Understanding Grace and Salvation.05:47 The Importance of Biblical Truth.07:25 Exegesis vs. Eisegesis in Bible Study.07:52 Paul's Calling and Ministry to the Gentiles.09:55 The Unsearchable Riches of Christ.11:38 The Role of the Church in God's Wisdom.14:52 The Manifold Wisdom of God.18:10 The Eternal Purpose of God's Plan.19:20 Boldness and Access Through Faith.22:40 Paul's Tribulations for the Church.24:38 Studying the Word of God.26:25 The Gift of Grace in Paul's Ministry.28:38 The Power of God's Grace.30:42 The Transformation Through Grace.Takeaways: Paul's ministry was a result of God's grace. Believers are called to understand their identity in Christ. The church plays a vital role in revealing God's wisdom. Grace is the foundation of salvation and ministry. Exegesis allows the Word of God to speak for itself. The unsearchable riches of Christ are available to those whom the Lord calls.God's eternal purpose includes both Jew and Gentile.Boldness in faith comes from our relationship with Christ. Paul's tribulations were for the glory of the members of the Church.Study the Bible.

Summary:In this sermon, Pastor James explores the themes of God's calling, the transformation of Paul, and the Christian life characterized by self-denial and service to others. He emphasizes the importance of understanding one's calling, the mystery of inclusion of Gentiles in the gospel, and the necessity of living for others while maintaining openness without compromising the truth. The sermon culminates in a call to follow Paul's example of living a life dedicated to Christ and serving others.Keywords:Paul, calling, Christian life, sacrifice, service, gospel, grace, inclusion, transformation.Takeaways:Paul's calling was for the Gentiles.A Christian's identity is rooted in their new life in Christ.Dying to self is essential for true Christian living.Paul's transformation illustrates the power of God's grace.Living for others is a fundamental aspect of the Christian faith.The mystery of the gospel includes all people groups.Sacrifice is a necessary part of serving others.Openness to others does not mean compromising the gospel.The genuine call of God requires self-denial and service.Sound bites:"How do you know which is real?""A Christian dies to self.""It is all because of grace."Chapters00:00 Introduction to Paul's Calling02:48 The Nature of God's Calling05:49 Dying to Self: Paul's Transformation08:29 Living for Others: Paul's Example11:17 The Mystery of Inclusion: Gentiles and the Gospel14:02 Sacrifice and Service in the Christian Life16:50 Openness Without Compromise18:51 The Genuine Call of God22:07 Conclusion: Following Paul's Example

In this sermon, Pastor James explores Ephesians 2, emphasizing the transition from being outsiders to becoming citizens of God's kingdom through Christ. He discusses the nature of the Church, the significance of the covenants, and the reconciliation achieved through Jesus' sacrifice. The message highlights the importance of understanding our identity as members of God's family and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in believers.Keywords:Ephesians, citizenship, church, reconciliation, covenants, Holy Spirit, identity, Paul, grace, faithTakeaways:The purpose of our salvation is the glorification of God.The Church is the Body of Christ, consisting of believers.Being part of the visible church does not guarantee salvation.True faith is a condition of the heart, not just a profession.We were once alienated from God, without hope.The blood of Christ reconciles us to God and each other.We are now fellow citizens with the saints.Our identity has changed; we are part of God's family.The Holy Spirit dwells within us, making us His temple.Christ's sacrifice fulfilled the law's requirements for reconciliation.Sound bites:"A legal pathway to citizenship.""We were the ultimate illegals.""His Church will not fail."Chapters:00:00 Introduction to Ephesians 2: Citizenship in Christ02:50 Understanding Our Former Condition10:59 The Nature of the Church: Visible vs. Invisible17:26 The Covenants and Our Alienation22:31 Reconciliation Through Christ's Blood28:23 Our New Identity as Citizens and Family36:42 Conclusion: The Holy Spirit's Indwelling

In this sermon, Pastor James explores the theological concepts of new birth and regeneration as presented in Ephesians. Salvation is a gift from God, not a result of human effort. This sermon discusses the importance of understanding God's grace.

Last week, we learned from Paul the nature of the blessings which are ours in Christ. Paul the Apostle now gives thanks to God for Gentile conversion and assures them of his prayers inverses 15–16. Paul goes on to pray that God will give the Ephesians that wisdom and knowledge of Himself. Paul reminds them and us that it is the Spirit who is the author of this wisdom and knowledge in verse 17. In verses 18-19, Paul’s prayer is that their eyes might be enlightened properly to understand the nature and value of that hope which is founded in the call of God, the glory of the inheritance to be enjoyed among the saints, and the greatness of that power which had already been exercised in their conversion. The power which effects our spiritual resurrection is the same power which they experienced, and that was the same power which raised Christ from the dead.

Paul wrote letters to the churches which he planted in the ancient world. So much of Christian theology comes from these letters. He wrote letters as a pastor charged with the watch-care of the flock of God. The Book of Ephesians is one of thoseletters.

Abram and Lot are opposite in many ways. Abram walked by faith; Lot walked by sight. Abram was magnanimous; Lot was greedy. Abram looked for city whose builder and maker wasGod; Lot made his home in cities built by wicked men which were later destroyed by God. Abram becomes the father of all them that believe; Lot becomes the father (through incest) of 2 different pagan nations—the Moabites and Ammonites.Concerning Abraham, Romans 4:13 says, “For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to hisseed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.” Gen. 19:30 tells us that Lot lived in a cave. Thus, Abram inherits the world through righteousness of faith, Lot is not heard from again. So, it should not be a surprise to us that eventually, they part ways.

Faith is always tested, and now we learn that there was a famine in the land. Abram steps out in faith, and now comes face to face with famine. In fact, Abram now heads downto Egypt as if to be driven into a famine enforced exile from the very land God promised. I’m glad that God’s Word not only records the great victories of our great God, but it also records the humanity—the shortcomings and sins of thosewhom God calls. God did not call Abram because of Abram’s perfection. No, God called Abram that God Himself would be glorified. Today, we’re going to see that Abram does not do everything perfectly, yet God’s promises remain. God’smercy is everlasting. God’s grace is even upon the vile sinner, and His plan plan will not fail.

There is a lot to study in chapter 11, and I encourage you to read it on your own time. It will lead us to the text for today. As a summary of the things you will find there, there is a genealogy that takes us from Shem, the son of Noah to Abram who will soon experience a name change to Abraham. The setting is a time of warriors, shepherds, and builders all leaving the tower of Babel and the plain of Mesopotamia. I made mention of the Babylonian heart last week, and that iscertainly what traveled with the idolatrous pagans as they ventured out. Not only are the humans estranged from each other, but they are also estranged from the one true and living God. If we were to go through the remainder of chapter11, we would find that man’s years of life are shortened, fulfilling God’s promise from Genesis 6:3. Historicalevidence shows us that the predominate religion at this time in the land of Ur was the worship of a moon-god named Nanna. Joshua 24:2 lets us know that even Terah, Abraham’s father did not serve the one true and living God. It says, “Yourfathers, including Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, dwelt on the other side of the River in old times; and they served other gods.” This is significant because it is in thisenvironment that Abram not only hears God’s word, but by faith he obeys.

I’m going to suggest to you today that the human heart is a Babylonian heart. God scattering the people at the Tower of Babel, but don’t forget that centuries later, Nebuchadnezzar took a look around and said, “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?” (Daniel 4:30). Then there was King Herod who addressed his people and they shouted back, “Thevoice of a god, and not of a man!” (Acts 12:22). Then we have Alexander the Great, Caesar Augustus (some thought he was God), Louis XIV (the sun king), Hitler, and Stalin (who encouraged people to think of him when they were feeling down). And of course, how could we forget Elon Musk and others who elevate themselves? All of this is the height of...Human Arrogance.

I would like you to think about forgiveness. It can be difficult. In fact, I’d be willing to say, we have a difficult text . It’s notdifficult because we cannot possibly understand it; it’s difficult because we have to live it. I’m sure that each of us have experienced situations which have required us to forgive someone. Perhaps you have found it very difficultto do. Have you ever thought, “Why should I forgive?” Or maybe you’ve thought, “It is only right that I should receive some kind of payback, for what was done to me.” It has been said that you are never more like God than when youforgive.

HE IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED!

To understand what happened on what we call "Palm Sunday", we must understand history, prophecy, and context.

Picking it up from last week, let’s imagine what it must have been like. The Bible gives us a picture of Noah and his family standing there in this new, and I believe replenished world inthe sunlight. Take the time to think about what it must have been like, and allow the Word of God to impress your imagination. It represented a new beginning, with Noah as the human centerpiece. Last week we noticed that the first thing he did was build an altar to the Lord and sacrifice burnt offerings. We talked aboutthe turning aside of God’s wrath—propitiation. Remember also the comment I made about true worship happens when we recognize our total dependence upon God. I would add today that Noah was publicly and completely giving his life to God. We talked about the aroma of Noah’s offering pleasing God meaning that God accepted the worship. We talked about God’s covenant, blessing, and grace, and we found the sacredness of human life spelled out and affirmed by God’s Word.Lastly, we talked about the sign of the covenant: a shimmering rainbow, “my bow” as God literally termed it. So... we're moving on...

This one arrives late, but I had a lot going on over the last 2 weeks. How do you view covenant, blessing, and grace? What does propitiation mean? Why did Noah make a sacrifice when he got off the ark? How did Noah know what a clean or an unclean animal was? Answers to these questions and more await...

We continue to explore the life and times of Noah. During this study, we will see incredible judgment, but we will also see incredible grace. Remember Christ is our only perfect Savior!

We come now to a part of Genesis which is the most debated subject in the entire Book of Genesis. It is more debated that the creation story itself. I honestly did not want to cover this, and in the interest of keeping us moving at a good pace through Genesis, I thought I would have a good excuse to either pick another subject entirely or just skip it and move on. However, one of the things which happensas we go through the Bible in my particular preaching method, is I do not get to choose the topics. The topics come from the Bible itself as we go through it.

Did people really live over 800 years? Where did Cain get his wife? What's in a name? Can we really trust Genesis? Hasn't science already shown us that there's no possible way Genesis can be true? What's any of this got to do with the gospel of Jesus Christ?

RC states of our text for today, “The prophesied hostility between the offspring of the serpent and the offspring of the woman (cf. 3:15) takes shape immediately in the hostility of ungodly Cain against godly Abel (vv. 1–16), and in the contrast of Cain’sungodly offspring (which we will see later) versus the godly line of Seth (4:17–5:32). There is a horrendous escalation of sin from Cain to Lamech. 4:1–16 The focus is on Cain, the archetype of Satan’s followers. Cain displays his kinship with the devil by his hostility against God and his murder of a good man (v. 8; Matt. 23:35; Heb. 11:4), together with his lies (v. 9; John 8:44; 1 John 3:12).”[1][1] R. C. Sproul, ed., The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version (Orlando, FL;Lake Mary, FL: Ligonier Ministries, 2005), 15.

We continue on from where we left Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. I did not bring this out last week, but in2:15 Adam was given a job to do.He was not to be idle doingnothing. His was a labor of keeping and tending the garden. Now, exactly what that looked like we are not told, but whatever it was- it was rewarding. It did not entail hard labor, the sweat of Adam’s brow, and the production of thorns and thistles as a reward. This work was done in obedience to God’s command.We see here a works based covenant with God. What happens here in chapter 3 is a test of fidelityto mankind’s King. Obedience is rewarded with a life in harmony with God. Disobedience will bring death.

Today, we will begin our study through the Book of Genesis. I love the Book of Genesis for a number of reasons which I’m sure will come out as we move through it. For the longest time, my approach to the Book of Genesis was defensive. I felt as though I had to be ready to give an explanation for everything Darwinian evolutionary and atheistic thought could throw at me. I have talked with many skeptics, agnostics, and atheists during my life, and I have learned through talking with them—a true skeptic will never be convinced of anything, and they are without question some of the most arrogant, lonely, and miserable people I have ever met. Skeptics are selectively skeptic—only when they come across something that they don’t like are they skeptical. Their issue is not one of logic; their problem is one of a deaf and blind spirit which refuses to see and hear because they are spiritually dead. Romans 1:22–25 Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. Those verses in Romans truly apply to Darwinian Evolution. While I’m prepared to give a defense and point out the utter foolishness of evolution, I want to encourage you, as God’s people, that’s not the reason to study Genesis. We need to study Genesis, because within this great book, we will find the gospel. Genesis is the Book of Beginnings. We find a lot of first things happening in this great book. We find the beginning of man, the first family, and someone named Seth who is the many times great grandfather of Jesus. We find the first sin, first murder, the first polygamy, and the first false worship. And, on the pages of Genesis, we will find God’s plan of redemption. I will not be taking the usual approach where we read every single verse. Genesis is 50 chapters long, and it covers the first 2,000 years of history. I don’t want to be in this book for the next several years, so we are going to take a rather accelerated approach. However, if you ever have any questions about anything at all, just ask me, and I will be glad to talk with you about it.

In Chapter 4 we have the wedding of Boaz and Ruth. If we were looking for a case illustrating the law of God as given in Dt. 25:5, there is no better example. But there’s a lot more going on here than a study in case law. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is here in pictures, shadows, and symbols. And, as I’ve brought out since the first chapter, a descendant of this marriage will be David the King, and a descendant of David is the Son of David—the Savior, Jesus Christ. Remember when we covered the Book of Mark, how we learned that “Son of David” was one of the titles for the Messiah. The Son of David is the Bridegroom of His Church. His chosen Bride is the Church where both Gentile and Jew unite to worship the one true and living God. In this last chapter we will see how there was another in line to be Ruth’s husband, but Boaz legally bested him. We will see this marriage of Boaz and Ruth solemnized with the blessings of the neighbors. And, finally we will see the offspring of this marriage—Obed, the grandfather of David. Matthew Henery (Theologian, Wales, 1662-1714) speculated that the Holy Spirit directed King David to ensure that this Book of Ruth was inserted into the sacred canon of Scripture. King David may have wanted the world to know about his great-grandmother, her virtues, the fact that God saved a Gentile, and the providence of God. Be that as it may, the Holy Spirit is the one to place this Book right where it is for the edification of the Body of Christ—the Church, and He put it here because it is the inspired Word of God—not a work of fiction as even some biblical scholars claim.

At this point in our narrative, we are moving toward a major resolution for Ruth and Naomi. We are moving from despair to hope. We are going to see the power of faithfulness, courage, and hope. We’re going to see that even in the face of uncertainty, God’s loving-kindness, His steadfast love—what is called “hesed” in Hebrew will conquer all the things these ladies are facing and Ruth’s needs will be met. May God bless the reading, preaching, and the hearing of the Word.

Up to this point in the Book of Ruth, we have seen the loving and excellent character of two women—Naomi and Ruth. Although others have been mentioned, these two women are the only real actors up to this point. But now, in chapter 2 we will be introduced to the kinsman, Boaz. He’s the first male who’s not sick, dying, or disobedient to God we find in the story. Chapter 2 shows us Ruth’s faithfulness and love for the covenant people of God. We will also see her rewarded even in the midst of uncertainty and suffering. Boaz will be the one through whom this wonderful deliverance will come. As we look at chapter 2, remember all the circumstances from Chapter 1 that our God used in order to have Ruth grafted into the line of Christ and taken in among Jesus’ ancestors. Ruth coming into the covenant community is a figure of the Gentiles coming into the Church.

Ruth has been called the most beautiful piece of literature in the not only the Bible, but the entire world. This book is about the providence of God and His covenant community. Providence is God’s care, preparation in advance, and His guardianship over you. Ruth is about the kindness of God’s people. BTW- We do not get to be God’s people because we are kind. We are kind because we are God’s people. This book gives us a picture of our Lord’s redeeming work. Boaz, a character we’ll get to as we look into this book, is the redeeming relative or kinsman-redeemer. This points us to Christ—our kinsman redeemer. Ruth is a picture of those who enter into new life through Christ, and we will see the clear hand of the Holy Spirit as we look at Ruth’s life. The main theme of this story is that of a redeeming relative. The most important theme in the Book of Ruth is God’s preservation and continuation of the promised Seed and the redemption of God’s people no matter the circumstances.

No other passage shows the heart of love of the Lord seen in the Suffering Servant, the Messiah, Jesus, more than this one. And all this 700 years before Christ lived on earth. The NT quotes more from Isaiah than all the other prophets combined, with an amazing 308 references in the various NT books. For example, John quotes Isaiah in chapter 12 of his Gospel, and then he adds this commentary in verse 41, “These things Isaiah said when he saw (Jesus’) glory and spoke of Him.” As a matter of fact, when one reads verses like these, it’s almost as though Isaiah was an eyewitness to the flogging and the crucifixion—that he was there. But remember, Isaiah’s long ministry was roughly 700 years prior to that of Jesus. Seven centuries separate them. I’ve used this as an example before, but that’s like someone writing in the early 1300s about the events related to the terrorist attacks here on 9/11/01!

Some of you may remember the classic A Charlie Brown Christmas. There’s a scene where an exasperated Charlie Brown yells, “Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?” I have to admit I’ve felt that way before. Amid the commercialism, materialism and the general confusion of the holiday, we probably all want to understand what happened to make Christmas the largest season in retail. During my short time as a manager at Walmart, I was truly amazed at what happened in our stores around Christmas. Multiple millions of dollars in retail moved through the stores I was in. People going into debt, for gifts that others don’t really want or need, in some cases attempting to impress those who don’t care, and buying things that will be out of the style trends next year. We seek to understand, just like Charlie Brown. “Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?”

1. Are you troubled by the events, people, or circumstances in your life? 2. Are you worried about the events, people, or circumstances in your life? 3. Are you fearful because of the events, people or circumstances in your life? 4. Is your heart at peace? I’m going to suggest that if we’re honest, we are prone to being troubled, worried, and fearful. And we’re not alone. It’s common for all of us. Just look at the disciples of Jesus and consider that Jesus knew their hearts.

Today is our first Sunday of Advent. I love this time of year for a number of reasons. Advent is a time that we set aside each year to celebrate the birth of our Lord and King! It is a time when we are to long for or strongly desire His coming. The appropriate sense of the season is one of waiting with great anticipation for the Savior who will ransom captive Israel. This is the attitude of this portion of the season. It is an attitude of hope. Some of us were raised in Christian homes, and it’s hard to remember a time where Jesus was not in our life. It’s that way for several in our church. Praise God for that. However for some of us, we didn’t have that. No matter what your upbringing may have been, try to contemplate your life before Jesus saved you. Think about life before you made a public profession of faith. Think about a life of darkness and slavery. For all of us, no matter when we came to Christ, there are sins of the past which we deeply regret. We were in bondage. We were children of wrath. There was no hope for us. There is a list of sins given in 1 Corinthians 6, but there’s a great verse—verse 11 which states of those sins “such were some of you.” Now, think about the certainty that our salvation is secure. Think about our everlasting covenant from our everlasting God who does not break His promises. Indeed we hope in the promise of Christ!

This is the final installment of our verse by verse study through Mark's Gospel. We will look at the resurrection of Jesus, His ascension into heaven, and the Great Commission.

In keeping with the theme of covenant, we are going to see today what I’m calling the covenant ratified through the death and burial of Jesus. In his book, The Roman Empire Colin Wells states, “The Romans had a highly developed and theatrical sense of the public ceremonial.” They loved the triumphal parade. You could say, “Everyone loves a parade.” What is happening here with Jesus is a mock triumph. Instead of a parade with the victorious king or general leading the line, the soldiers are marching Jesus to His crucifixion. There were 2 purposes for such a horrible execution. First, as we’ve already seen, the crucifixion meant to prolong the pain, and force the victim to linger on the cross possibly for days until they slowly died from asphyxiation brought on by muscle fatigue. Second, the public exposure served as a warning and a deterrent. The victim would be marched through the streets with a placard announcing the crime, and the cross would be placed near a well-traveled road, so that a passers-by would see. According to the historian Josephus, when Jerusalem was besieged, anyone caught outside the wall attempting to forage for food were crucified next to the wall of the city. The Roman general Titus, “hoped that the spectacle might perhaps induce the Jews to surrender, for fear that continued resistance might involve them in a similar fate. The soldiers out of rage and hatred amused themselves by nailing their prisoners in different postures; and so great was their number, that space could not be found for the crosses nor crosses for the bodies.”

We are continuing on with the theme of the acknowledged covenant as the arrest and trial of Jesus comes to an end. Lord willing, next week up to the first week of Advent, we will see the covenant ratified through Christ’s death and burial, and we will see it vindicated in His resurrection. That will get us through Mark 16:1-8, and we will finish with Christ’s victory as we consider verses 9-20. We have seen the acknowledgment of Jesus by the counsel of Jews, and now we are going to see the acknowledgment by Pilate. Based on their trumped-up charges, they now seek Rome’s involvement.

Last week I gave us part 1 of what I’m calling “The Covenant Acknowledged.” What I mean by this is that the enemies of Christ have gathered around Him now to basically ask Him how He pleads to the charges they are bringing against Him, and in so doing they are in a way, acknowledging His teachings, miracles, and all other activities. One of the things which I have emphasized is that Christians are covenant people. The Church is a covenant body. When we become Christians, we enter into this sacred covenant with God through Christ. When we become confessional members of a church, we are saying that we believe in what this church stands for, and we enter into covenant with each other. Covenant is what we actively do, and it is actively who we are. So, please keep this in mind as we continue to examine what our Lord goes through here.

Last week I made many references to this particular Passover feast as the last supper, or the final Passover feast. Obviously, the Jews still celebrate Passover even to this day. I used those terms in spite of these continuing feasts because it was all fulfilled in Christ. These OT practices are finally fulfilled once and for all in Jesus. So, there are those, even among Christians who like to continue having Passover meals or Seder meals, and I suppose it’s good for educational purposes, but as far as casting that forward looking prophetic purpose Jesus is the final Passover Lamb. I will be starting off by finishing up what I had from last week, and then we will move on to the main point for today—the announcement of the covenant. Remember from last week verses 29-31, Peter’s words to Jesus, “Even if all are made to stumble, yet I will not be.” Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you that today, even this night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” But he spoke more vehemently, “If I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” And they all said likewise. Interestingly, that our Gospel of Mark is Peter’s account of the gospel to John Mark, and he is sure to tell John Mark that he swore he would not betray His Lord. But notice also that all the others said the same thing. In the midst of Jesus’ prophecy of His betrayal and the disciples’ desertion, we have this institution of the Lord’s Supper.

We continue to learn about the creation of the Kingdom as seen in 5 parts, and examined through the concept of covenant.

Today is a special episode from the Book of Luke. We will be back to Mark, Lord willing, next week. There are religions out there, some of them even masquerading as some form of Christianity, which teach people in one form or another to work for salvation. They have a theology which requires certain things to achieve salvation. This kind of false teaching, at its core, does not see salvation as a free gift. What does the Bible say about such things?

Today we begin our journey through the last 3 chapters of Mark’s Gospel. In chapters 14-16, we are going to see the creation of the Kingdom.

Today we will take a break from the Gospel of Mark and look at the Parable of the Prodigal Son. May this be a blessing to you. Don't forget to share this podcast with others.

Something that we often miss in our culture today is the use of poetic, figurative, and judgment language in the Hebrew language. When we read of the sun being darkened, the moon not giving its light, stars falling from the sky, floods, fire, and smoke—these are very standard prophetic imagery for political and social collapse. It does not mean now, nor did it mean in the OT when the prophets said these things that physical stars were going to fall out of the sky. It did not mean that the moon was not going to physically go dark forever. In fact, we absolutely know that these things did not happen. It is an absolute fact that Hebrew people understood the figurative way of a prophet saying things were about to get bad. Because we are well-educated Americans, living in the West, when we read, “sun, moon, and stars,” our mind goes to the actual physical heavenly bodies. It’s understandable. But the very first rule of proper Bible interpretation is to ask the question, “How would the original audience understand what I just read?” It’s a hard question to hold yourself to. But to be consistent and honest, we have to ask that question. It is the first rule of hermeneutics. What did the disciples understand? What did the Israelites understand? The disciples, unlike you and I today, were not steeped in Western thought, they were steeped in Hebrew thought.

Today’s sermon is a continuation from last week’s sermon where we were discussing the Olivet Discourse. We are going to continue on today, but I am speaking specifically about what is called the “abomination of desolation”.

We live in a world which seems to be in constant turmoil. In fact, it has been stated that the 20th century was the bloodiest century of known history. From 1900 to 1988 170 million men, women, and children were shot, beaten, tortured, knifed, burned, starved, frozen, crushed, or worked to death. Governments invented ways to kill people. Burning, drowning, hanging, and bombing are just a few of the ways it was done. One estimate is as high as click 203 million people now dead over the last century at the hands of governments given to wicked, godless worldviews and abuse of power. Of course we know about the constant saber rattling of governments all over the world today. There’s the ever present threat of China, the invasion at our Southern border, the war between the Jews and Hamas, the war between Russia and the Ukraine, and we just saw a little over a month ago now the assassination attempt on a presidential candidate. Then there is the crisis of the ever-weakening dollar, environmental hazards, pesticides in our food, global warming or cooling—climate change. There are many different conspiracy theories that abound on the internet and social media outlets or the social unrest simmering just below the surface click with groups like ANTIFA and BLM. The media now calls us "Christian Nationalists" if we appeal to God as the source of our rights. We rejoiced that Roe v. Wade click was finally over-turned, but what it has revealed in more states than not, is that people want to keep killing the fatherless in the womb. When I stand here as a Christian and say, “Jesus is King right now,” I can understand how many—even other believers might say, “That’s just not true! How can you possibly believe that Jesus is reigning right now? Don’t you know these are the signs of the end of days?” Today’s sermon is going to be a little bit different than my normal format. I already know that there will be at least 2 parts, and very possibly 3 parts as we look at this section of Scripture. Today, I will begin at verse 5. I am going to take each one of Jesus’ statements and give you some historical, cultural, and grammatical context. I want to present it to you because when we look at Scripture whether it is this subject or any other subject, we need to ask ourselves how the original audience would have understood what was being said or written. And, as always, I want to give you doctrinal truth so that you will be equipped to withstand false teachings.

When we left off in Mark’s Gospel, Jesus had silenced His questioners and He had told this last one in particular that he was not far from the Kingdom of God. We brought out at that time that, “To be ‘in the kingdom’ one must do more than simply approve of Jesus’ teaching; one must submit entirely to His authority and person. We are not told what became of this last questioner. So, a question which lingers in my mind is, ‘Did he make the next step and accept Jesus as the Son of David and David’s Lord?’”[1] He had the knowledge. He had some level of agreement. Did he trust Jesus as the Son of David, yet Jesus as the Lord of David? This is what we will be considering today. [1] David E. Garland, Mark, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1996), 477.

Now, the elders, scribes, and Pharisees send the Sadducees and the Herodians to Jesus. Will they catch Jesus in a trick question this time?

Pastor Jay Nelson was pulpit supply at Green Meadow Community Church. This is part of his series, "The Attributes of God". Here, he focuses on God's Holiness. May God bless the hearing and the reading of His holy word, the Bible.

Mark could be split into 2 parts. The first 10 chapters would be the Person of Jesus Christ; then beginning at chapter 11, the focus shifts to the Authority of Jesus’ Office. From Chapters 11-13 we begin to see not only the authority of our King Jesus, but we find Him dealing with the Kingdom of Israel in crisis. Our passage today will deal with the content of His judgment and the sentence brought upon Jerusalem. Jesus Christ the King gives His verdict in terms of a parable.

Spiritual blindness and pride can hinder us in our walk with Christ. We can fail to see just exactly how close He is to us. And, when we fail to see His closeness it often leads to fear and unbelief. So, I want to encourage you today, take note of His nearness. Consider what He endured for you. It is very personal. And, then, as you consider these things, reach out to Him in prayer. He has utterly destroyed every barrier in the way; the veil has been ripped in two, top to bottom, and you can now come in.

This was the message delivered at Green Meadow Community Church the day after the assassination attempt on Donald Trump.

Our King Jesus is also a Prophet and our Priest, and what we see in verse 11 is a temple inspection. We have talked about our Lord’s offices in previous episodes, and He acts here within the duties of these offices. He is King of Israel, the Prophet of God –foretelling with 100% accuracy the future events soon to take place, and the only High Priest you will ever need—in the order of Melchizedek. He is the final offeror and the final offering. In this office, the temple is under His jurisdiction.