Mark

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First Things First

January 14, 2024 | Mark 12:28-31

Do you have a hurried life? Hurriedness is more than a bad habit, it reveals a condition of the heart. Did you know that God cares about your heart? That He cares about your love? What you put first?

In the gospel according to Mark, Jesus was asked what was the greatest commandment. In a sense he was asked to simplify all of the writings of Scripture down to one simple statement. Jesus didn’t pause. He gave them a simple command to put loving God first in their lives.

Worshiping Jesus

March 28, 2021 | Mark 11:1-11 | palm Sunday

Did you know that your response to Jesus is the most important decision you’ll ever make? Some of you have grown up going to church, and you learned how to respond to Jesus from their teaching. Or maybe your parents taught you how to respond to Jesus, so your response to Him is based on theirs. Others may have grown up in a home that didn’t attend church. You know about Jesus, but you’re not sure how to respond to Him. Your opinions may have been formed by Hollywood, or social media, or what your friends and family say about Him.

Regardless of your background, it’s important to make a personal and well-considered decision about your response to Jesus for your self. You can follow the crowd, but crowds are fickle. Why not make a decision based on the witness of the Scriptures concerning Jesus and the testimony of those who follow Jesus?

Giving Gifts

September 16, 2018 | Mark 14:3-11 | giving, worship

How can we express our love and worship with all heart, soul, mind and strength? It’s only possible because God has first loved us.
How has God loved us first? He created us. He gave us everything we have and everything we are. And even though we have rebelled against Him in sin, He loved us so much that He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus to redeem us. And to those of us who believe in Him, He has given us His Spirit to live in us, making us His children, and promising us eternal life with Him forever in glory. That’s how He has loved us!! So what gift can you give to the Lord to express your love and worship to Him? In the gospel according to Mark, Jesus commended the extravagant gift of worship given by the woman who anointed Him. We can learn to express our worship by giving to the Lord from this woman’s example.

Heart for God

June 24, 2018 | Mark 12:28-30 | three commitments

Christ’s Great Commission commands us to be a disciple-making church. But what kind of disciples? What qualities are we to instill in the disciples we make? That’s where today’s sermon comes in. For the Lord has not only given us the Great Commission. He has also given us the Great Commandment. Today, we’re going to focus on the first part of the Great Commandment which calls us to make disciples who have a Heart for God. In Mark’s gospel, Jesus was asked to name the greatest commandment. In a sense he was asked to simplify all of the writings of the Bible down to one simple statement. He didn’t pause. Jesus told his hearers that the greatest commandment is to love God with all your being, essentially with all your heart. Through Jesus, we can have a heart for God.

Celebrate God’s Son

August 27, 2017 | Mark 12:30 | celebrate, three commitments, worship

Love and joy and celebration are connected. And where you focus your heart, where you put your affection, your first love, affects everything. What do you love first? You can tell by what you put first. Who or what comes first in your life? What are you celebrating? What is so important to you that you’re throwing a party, blowing out candles, setting off fireworks for, standing on your feet cheering for it?

Did you know that God cares about what you celebrate? In the book of Mark, Jesus was asked what was the greatest commandment. In a sense he was asked to simplify all of the writings of Scripture down to one simple statment. Jesus didn’t pause. He gave them a simple command to celebrate God with all of their love.

The Word of Despair

March 19, 2017 | Mark 15:33-39 | crucifixion, jesus

In this sermon, we will be looking at the fourth of His last sayings, the word of despair. We will consider Christ’s questioning cry, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Have you ever cried out to God like Jesus did? Have you ever felt forsaken and alone? Have you ever felt distant from God? Have you cried, “God, where are you?” We all feel lonely at times. We all want acceptance. We want to be accepted and approved. But instead, we often feel rejected and alone. The truth is, if we would rightly understand how our sins have separated us from our Creator, we would cry out with a deeper feeling of despair than we’ve ever felt. It was for this, that Christ took on our despair, that we might receive in exchange, His oneness with God.

In the gospel of Mark, Jesus cried out in despair to God as He experienced the extravagant exchange that it cost Him for our reconciliation. We can understand the cost of this extravagant exchange.

Celebrate God’s Son

October 4, 2015 | Mark 12:30 | discipleship, three commitments

When is the last time you really celebrated? I mean you really cut loose and let joy wash over you? Or are you living a life of duty? Is your life marked by dryness and dread? The spark is gone and you’ve got nothing to look forward to? To be honest, you’re just going through the motions.

Did you know that love and joy and celebration are connected? And where you focus your heart, where you put your affection, your first love, affects everything. What do you love first? You can tell by what you put first. Who or what comes first in your life? What are you celebrating? What is so important to you that you’re throwing a party, blowing out candles, setting off fireworks for, standing on your feet cheering for it?

In this second message in our Spiritual DNA sermon series, Pastor Gary shows us how we can Celebrate God’s Son by loving him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength.

Three Commitments That Lead to A Better Life

September 27, 2015 | Mark 1:16-18 | discipleship, three commitments

In the book of Mark, Jesus challenged the disciples with a simple commitment: “Follow me.” Jesus called them to a relationship with Him. He called them to be Jesus-followers. Of course, this meant leaving everything else behind. It was such a simple commitment, yet it led a radically better life. We can answer this same simple commitment to follow Jesus and experience the better life He promised.

The Habit of Daily Devotions

September 14, 2014 | Mark 1:35-38 | bible, discipleship

Pastor Gary Combs continues the sermon series, The Seven Habits of Growing Christians, with this message from the gospel of Mark. In Mark 1:35-38, the disciples learned that Jesus had a habit of starting every day alone with God. If Jesus, the Son of God, calls us to follow Him, should we follow Him in His habit of daily devotion? Jesus still calls disciples today to follow Him. You can grow in your maturity as His disciple by following Him in the habit of daily devotion. The text teaches us three important ingredients to having a habit of daily devotion like Jesus.

First Things First

August 17, 2014 | Mark 12:30 | three commitments

Pastor Gary Combs continues the “Simplify Your Life” series with this message from Mark 12:30. In the book of Mark, Jesus was asked what was the greatest commandment. In a sense he was asked to simplify all of the writings of Scripture down to one simple statement. Jesus didn’t pause. He gave them a simple command to celebrate God with all of your love. We can hear and follow this same simple command.