Sermons from The Grove

Jesus addresses the chief priests and the scribes in a parable about a vineyard left in charge of tenants, who mistreat the servants sent to collect fruit. In this rebuke of the Pharisees, we're called to examine our own hearts and ask if we are more concerned with the blessings of the Lord or a relationship with God himself.

In the temple, Jesus has a confrontation with the chief priests and challenges them to choose between a fear of God and a fear of man. As Christians, we also have to choose which fear drives our lives.

As Jesus enters Jerusalem, Jesus addresses inauthentic followers who praise Him as He enters but fail to follow Him. Jesus curses a fig tree, pointing us to beware of follows who look like they are producing fruit but lack actual fruit. Jesus also cleanses the temple, condemning those who are not sharing the mission of God.

Jesus heals blind Bartimaeus as he's leaving Jericho, highlighting the fact that Jesus can restore the sight of the blind. Contrasting with the spiritual blindness of the disciples, we can take comfort in the fact that Jesus can heal our blind spots.

The events of Easter Sunday changed the entire world. But can we trust the words of the gospels? Did Jesus Christ actually rise from the dead? The earliest gospel has an abrupt end that can reassure us that Jesus is alive and well, still working today.

As Jesus is about to enter Jerusalem, James and John ask Jesus for places at his right hand and his left, revealing a deep desire for position in our hearts. But Jesus responds by showing the upside-down nature of the kingdom of God.

When a rich young ruler comes up to Jesus and asks him what he must do to inherit eternal life, Jesus points him to the gospel, reminding all of us that there's nothing we can do to earn our salvation.

When Jesus enters Judea, the Pharisees try to trap Jesus with a question about divorce. But as Jesus responds, he points to the heart of the Lord that marriages are meant to be eternal and that children are meant to be cherished.

As the disciples walk, they discuss who is the greatest among them, and then Jesus redefines what greatness truly means.

While Jesus is being transfigured on the mountain, nine of his disciples fail to cast out a demon from an afflicted boy. When asked why they could not cast the demon out, Jesus tells him that it's from a lack of prayer. Prayer is our source of power and our method of reliance on God.

After Peter confesses Jesus is the Christ, Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up the mountain and is transfigured before them. However, most of us live in the valleys of life instead of on the mountaintops, revealing that we need to be constantly reminded of the mountaintops while we're in the valley.

Peter confesses that Jesus is the Christ, but Jesus makes it clear that the disciples' image of the Christ is one that reigns but does not suffer, and this is an incorrect understanding of who the Christ was called to be. Then Jesus calls all of his followers to take up their crosses and follow him.

After his confrontation with the religious leaders, Jesus goes to the Gentile territory of Tyre and Sidon and heals a woman who is a Gentile and heals a deaf man, demonstrating that the Messiah came to save Jews and Gentiles.

In one of the first confrontations between Jesus and the Pharisees, Jesus reveals that God cares more about our hearts than our external actions.

As Jesus feeds the 5,000 and walks on water, He reveals that He is sustainer, sovereign, and shepherd. Knowing all of these things, we can be confident that Jesus is our true source of rest.

The Lord commands the people of God to pass on the laws of the Lord onto their sons and their son's sons. We are also called to serve the Lord as parents and invest in the next generations, whether as parents or as those who disciple.

To serve the Lord with our marriages and our singleness we look to the letters of Paul, specifically Ephesians 5, to learn the distinct roles that God has given men and women and how we can fulfill those roles.

Be strong and courageous because the Lord is with you. Become more like Christ through reading the word this year.

700 years before the birth of Jesus, the prophet Isaiah foretold a child to be born that would provide security for all of mankind.

Expanding his ministry, Jesus sends out the 12 disciples two by two to call people to repentance. Just after this, Mark shares the story of John the Baptist's death, demonstrating the cost of following Jesus.

As Jesus crosses back over to Capernaum, he demonstrates his ability to heal and proves that He has power over death itself, making a stark contrast with those who believe and are amazed and those who cannot believe He has power.

When a storm arises and threatens the lives of the disciples, they call upon Jesus in their fear. The contrast between the scared and the sleeper illustrates how we can best rely on Jesus through the storms of our lives.

In Jesus' first parable in Mark, He tells the disciples that the secret to understanding parables is that God changes hearts. He then encourages them to sow broadly because we do not know what soil people fall into.

Following Jesus is good for all. Jesus introduces a new personal message that replaces the old religious system. The positive nature of Jesus is not burdensome but instead uplifting. Following Jesus is powerful and life changing.

As Jesus continues his ministry, he calls a fifth disciple, Levi, who is a tax collector. As he calls Levi, also named Matthew, to follow Him, the pharisees question Jesus when he eats with sinners. Jesus then corrects them, making it clear that he came to call sinners and not the righteous.

Jesus claims to be the Son of Man and that he has authority to forgive sins. There are two groups that respond to him, one with healing faith and one with hindering faith.

When Jesus heals a leper, we see a dramatic transformation of the man from unclean, to clean, to evangelist. A transformation that represents the process for all of us going from inwardly unclean to washed white as snow.

Jesus begins his public ministry by teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum. Jesus demonstrates that he has authority to teach, authority over demons, and authority to heal. Jesus also shows us that his agenda is to heal all people and restore them to wholeness.

Mark 1:16-20 details the call of the first four disciples and how the disciples respond to Jesus's call.

Jesus is the Son of God, our replacement, and has come to restore all things.