In the latter half of Mark 13, Jesus prophecies his second coming. In one sense, the Day of the Lord is a fearful thing -- the Jesus returning in fully power and glory is something unlike anything that we've ever seen. But Jesus, in his love and mercy toward us, tells us beforehand what to expect, then reminds us to keep our eyes open so that we are not caught sleeping on that day.
As we continue in Jesus' prophecy concerning the destruction of the temple in 70AD, he commands us to remember what he has said so that when suffering comes, we might not be afraid, but act in wisdom according to his Word.
In Mark 13, Jesus begins the Olivet discourse -- the longest section of teaching from Jesus in the Gospel according to Mark. In this passage, he prophesies about the events leading up to the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in 70AD. While this prophecy has already come to pass, we can learn much from what Jesus tells his disciples about their period of tribulation and apply those things to our own hardships. Ultimately, Jesus gives us hope in the face of adversity, allowing us to be comfor...
Are you a spiritual person? Many people in the world today believe that they are, but the Bible shows us what spiritual people are: those who have their eyes set on the things of God.
No one likes to talk about money in churches, but the Word of God speaks clearly: We must not give or pray or minister for our own glory, and God is glorified as we give back to him that which he has graciously provided.
When we think of a court or congress being "in session", we think of the judge or lawmakers sitting in the seat of power, ruling in authority over the court or the country. In this passage we are reminded that Christ's rule over all creation is in session, and his people experience the benefits of his sovereign reign.
In today's sermon, we play a little "Where's Waldo?". Can you spot the problem with this passage (when taken on its own) or the first part of this sermon? Listen in as we consider the law of love and how it applies to our lives.
In this Sunday's sermon, Pastor Greg Brown reminds us that we should expect joy in the life to come and let it spill over to joy here and now.
Partisan controversy is the norm in our day and age, but God often presents a third and better way. In this passage, when confronted with a partisan trap, Jesus presents a better way: Yes, we should pay our taxes, but we should also render unto God everything that he is due. This lifts our eyes from mere obedience to earthly authorities and reminds us that we ultimately obey because civil authority is from God, and we are his people.
In the parable of the tenants, both the patience and the wrath of God are put on display. Listen today as Pastor Brandon explores the characters of this parable, presents the ultimatum of God's wrath vs God's grace, and ultimately points us to the Son of God, who died for sinners.
The church is in the midst of an identity crisis, but it has less to do with "self-identifying" and identity politics. The Church must remember that which is most essential: the gospel of Jesus Christ's perfect life, substitutionary death and glorious resurrection. In this sermon from Easter Sunday 2022, we look at Paul's discourse on the resurrection from 1 Corinthians 15, focusing on his focus on the gospel and the essential nature of the resurrection.
In today's sermon, we see Jesus' offices of Prophet, Priest, and King more clearly. In judging the fig tree and Israel for their lack of fruit, he stands as a prophet. In cleansing the temple, he acts as priest. And as he does all of these things in authority and power, he shows himself to be the one true King.
As we see Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a borrowed donkey we see his humility--but there is so much more to this passage than his humility. In this passage we see the intersection of perfect omnipotence and perfect humility, and we are reminded that our God is both holy and present for his people.
Despite his lack of sight, Bartimaeus saw Jesus more clearly than all those around him. In this sermon, we see the difference in how the apostles approached Jesus asking for something (see 10:35-45) and how Bartimaeus did the same thing. Ultimately, the difference is posture. How do you approach Jesus?
The world teaches us that power and status are determined by how many people are willing to serve you, but Jesus turned this on its head. The first among us--Jesus himself--came not to be served, but to serve. While this is an incredible example, we learn from this sermon that we cannot stop there. Jesus didn't just serve a few particular people in his early ministry; he served all of his people by dying on a cross as a ransom for their sins.
If it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, what can we do? In this week's sermon, we discover why that question is completely off-base. It's not about what we can do--it's about what has been done for us.
Divorce is rampant in our society. Is it ever permissible? Is it ever encouraged? We go to God's Word today to understand God's plan for marriage and how that points us to his unfathomable grace in Jesus Christ. Audio Note: This week's recording is of lower quality than usual due to technical difficulties. We are working to improve our audio quality for next week's podcast.
Once considered the lowest of society, Jesus teaches us that we have much to learn from children. In this passage, we find that the humble faith and thankfulness of children is all that is required of us as we come to Christ. Episode Note: We postponed our exposition of Mark 10:1-12 until next week in order to preach this sermon during a family integrated worship service.
Whereas in the book of Mark so far, Jesus has spent much of his time speaking about the Kingdom of God, in this passage, Jesus shows us the nature of hell. Hell is an uncomfortable reality that many seek to avoid engaging, but engage it we must. If we don't know what hell is like, we will never truly know the thing from which we have been saved.
Throughout Mark 9, we find the disciples struggling with pride, which boils over to jealousy when they see a man doing precisely what they could not just a few verses previous. In this week's passage, Pastor Brandon shows us how jealousy is ultimately an attempt to steal glory from God, and how putting Jesus first is the key to winning any battle with jealousy.
Throughout the book of Mark, Jesus has been teaching about the nature of the Kingdom of God. In this passage, Jesus gives us a clear way in which his Kingdom is far different from those of this world: humility. Ultimately, we learn that we are simply children, held in the arms of the Almighty, and He calls us to serve others as he has served us.
In this week's sermon, Pastor Brandon explores the perspectives found in the healing of the boy with a demon in Mark 9. By walking through those each perspective, we learn more about what it means to believe and we are comforted by the father's prayer: "I believe; help my unbelief."
People often talk about listening for God to speak, but do we really listen ? The disciples clearly weren't listening to Jesus. They were hearing, but they weren't understanding. They let their own expectations of the Messiah get in the way of what Jesus was actually teaching. As Jesus is transfigured before them, the disciples hear a voice from the cloud: "This is my beloved Son; listen to Him." In this week's sermon, we are encouraged to truly and simply listen to what God says in his Word....
Sometimes, God fails to meet our expectations. Of course, we know that God cannot truly fail in any way, but we find ourselves angry or frustrated that God hasn't done what we expected. In Mark 8, Peter expected Jesus to set up an earthly kingdom, and he was angry that Jesus would sacrifice himself, but Jesus had other plans. He planned to save his people, not from Roman oppression, but from slavery to sin and eternal punishment. Likewise, we often get caught up in worldly expectations when we s...
The main focus for Mosaic Church in 2022 is going to be discipleship, both formal and informal. But what is discipleship, and how does it play into our busy lives, competing priorities, and Christian living? This week, we begin building the foundation for a renewed focus on spiritual growth and doing so together .
The angels declared a gospel of peace to the shepherds in the field as they announced the birth of Jesus. In this sermon, we explore the people to whom God brings peace in the gospel, the nature of that peace, and we conclude that even the peace that God works for us is ultimately for his glory.
This week we discuss the unconditional love that Jesus has for us as He puts on flesh and lives on this earth. It is through the act of Him first loving us that we see the importance of the incarnation.
In Luke 2, the angel brought "good news of great joy", but why was it so joyful? In this sermon, we look at the people, the purpose, and the person of this good news and consider how each of those create joy in us by the power of the Spirit.
In what, or in whom, should we place our trust? Hebrews 10:19-23 tells us we should "hold fast to the confession of our hope, for he who promised is faithful." While many place their hope in the things of this world, Jesus is the hope of every Christian for in him every promise finds its yes and amen.
"You are the Christ." Everything in Mark's gospel has led up to this singular point. But what does it mean for Jesus to be THE Christ, and how does this reality impact our daily lives?
