This is Pastor Mark Jeske's final message at St. Marcus Lutheran Church after 42 years of faithful service. "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." - 2 Corinthians 4:18 If you'd like to view this service in its entirety, click the link below. YT: https://youtu.be/KVHe6wi-wlw
This week we'll be studying 1 John 3:11-18 & Exodus 20:13 under the theme of "The 5th Commandment: Protecting Our Neighbors." If we operate with the knowledge that relatively few have murdered, but the assumption that everyone has broken the 5th Commandment, it leads us to an understanding of the command that suggests the fallen human condition struggles with anger that leads us to poorly love our neighbors. Luther would go so far as to say that failing to help someone in need when we have r...
We live in a damaged and war-torn world and it will continue to be a broken place until the return of Christ our King. Revelation 19 contains fantastic imagery of our Heavenly Warrior leading angel armies, striking down the nations, and ultimately defeating death. This is the God we worship.
This week we'll be studying Romans 13:1-7 & Exodus 20:12 under the theme of "The 4th Commandment: Honoring Authority." The Bible makes it clear that God established 3 unique institutions for our physical and spiritual welfare - the Family, the State, and the Church. A spirit of individualism and sinful flesh makes it very difficult to honor the authority of each. But seeing Jesus above each of these authorities makes submitting to them a blessing, wisdom...SO THAT IT MAY GO WELL WITH YOU....
Does it drag your spirit down when you see the current state of America's politics? Look at it from God's perspective. America's greatest gift to the world is to present an ideal of the universal worth and dignity of ALL people -- equally endowed by their Creator with inalienable rights. Pastor Jeske's Independence Day message is based on selections from Romans 12 & 13. Recorded on 7/3/2022.
This week we'll be studying Psalm 122:1-9 & Exodus 20:8-11 under the theme of "The 3rd Commandment: Resting in God's Promises With God's People." Modern people have a very interesting relationship with work/rest. This week, we'll dig into why God needed to command intentional rest. We'll see that though the Sabbath Day was technically part of the Old Testament ceremonial laws, we nonetheless maintain the lasting principles of 1) Togetherness, 2) Rest, and 3) Joyful Worship that was associate...
This week we'll be studying 1 Peter 2:11-17 & Exodus 20:7 under the theme of "The 2nd Commandment: Upholding God's Reputation." Most Christians feel as though if they don't use the Lord's Name in vain, they've perfectly obeyed the 2nd Commandment, which would be a fairly low bar. In reality, as Name Bearers of our Lord & Savior, everything we do reflects upon Christ. We'll consider the deeper implications of the 2nd Commandment as we recognize the beauty of his Name.
The story of Juneteenth and the freedom of American slaves can be compared to the spiritual freedom that we have in Christ. We are all enslaved to sin but have been set free by Christ! What shall we do with this freedom? We are not free to simply do as we please and to continue to live as unbelievers, rather we are free so that we may serve others and serve our God!
This week we'll be studying 1 Corinthians 10:23-33 & Exodus 20:3-6 under the theme of "The 1st Commandment: Prioritizing God." The single most comprehensive way of understanding human pathological behavior is to grasp the biblical teaching of idolatry - making a good thing a god thing in our lives, where we ask created things to give us what only the Creator God can actually give us. We'll try to identify the nature of idolatry, our own personal idols, and what the true God did about our fal...
The decision of the Father to love us despite our sinful nature is the most amazing mystery. He came to us first, as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit so that we might be able to come to Him. Based on Titus 3:3-8.
Celebrate being chosen and loved by God the Father. Celebrate that your sins have been washed clean by the blood of Jesus, the Savior. Celebrate that the Holy Spirit lives within the mess of your mind and heart. Based on 1 Corinthians 12:1-3. Message from Sunday Worship 6/5/2022.
This week, we'll be studying Acts 9:19-31 under the theme "Assimilation of the Persecutor." We can only imagine what it was like for the widows and fatherless in Jerusalem to have to look into the eyes of Saul of Tarsus, who'd taken lives from their families, upon his return to Jerusalem. It wasn't until an encouraging, grace-filled man named Barnabas put his arm around Saul that the church was willing to welcome him. This lesson teaches us all sorts of things about humbling ourselves, forgiving...
Jesus encourages us to look forward to the perfect place He is preparing for His people at the end of time without any worry. God has something much better in store for you than anything and everything that this material world can offer.
This week, we'll be studying Acts 8:9-25 under the theme "Disciples > Sorcerers." In this text, we encounter a man named Simon the Sorcerer, who attempted to purchase the power of the Holy Spirit. While there are numerous takeaways from this text, the main idea is that humans naturally approach God with the mentality that we can bribe, manipulate, or use him for our own advancement. In reality, the only thing we can offer him is our needs. And this is what he wants most.
This week, we'll be studying Acts 5:17-32 under the theme "Reformation Opposition." The opening quarter of the Book of Acts narrates both the otherworldly success and the earthly opposition of the Early Church. Though the religious establishment hoped to silence the Apostles, they responded "We must obey God rather than men?" What are the implications of this conviction for us now in a post-Christian society?
King Jesus is the head over every power and authority. We often panic because our earthly agenda is not aligned with His heavenly schedule. He is the glue that holds the entire world together. When you feel stressed and overwhelmed over disasters or daily life in general, that is the best time to take inventory of all the blessings that God has placed into your hands.
"What's Jesus Doing Now?" We know that after Jesus ascended, He sent the Holy Spirit down to expand His kingdom on earth, but that's not all. He is mediating as our Great High Priest - He is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. Pastor Jeske's message is based on Hebrews 7:23-25.
This week, we'll be studying Acts 4:23-31 under the theme "The Earthquake of the Church." When faced with persecution, the Early Church's first instinct was to pray...but not to ask God to take all their problems away. What did they pray for? How did this make them stronger, healthier, and more effective in ministry? And what would it mean for us to adjust our mindsets and prayer life in a similar way?
Mother’s Day is not only a beautiful day to celebrate our moms, but also a beautiful day to celebrate the incredible value of the gospel forgiveness that Christ has gifted to His children! This Mother's Day message is based on Psalm 131.
This week, we'll be studying Acts 3:1-10 under the theme "Peter & John Make Miracles." This text offers us the first miracle worked through the Disciples after Jesus' resurrection. Like all miracles, this instance of restoring a lame man to walk is a picture of salvation. But the man's initial request for money, the sacrifice made by the miracle workers, and the illustration of God working through his people all give us marvelous, relevant spiritual insights.
This week, we'll be studying Acts 1:12-26 under the theme "The Disciples Replace Judas." God didn't technically NEED a 12th Disciple to replace Judas. So why replace him? And what do we learn by studying the process by which the Early Church replaced him? The short answer is that we receive deep understanding about the method of godly decision-making.
Have you ever been proven wrong about something? We are comforted in the fact that our faith will never be one of those things. The strength to believe in God’s promises does not come from ourselves, it comes from God. That does not mean that life is going to be easy; pandemics, economic troubles, outbreaks of war, a guilty heart; all these things may be enough for us to want to give up. We have a God that understands our suffering and gifted us His Son who gave up his perfect life so we may liv...
Christ is risen! Christ’s crucifixion was epic, but His resurrection made it marvelous. Full forgiveness of our sins became guaranteed. We forever have the promise of His favor. He is risen indeed! Alleluia! Recorded on 4/17/2022
This week we'll be studying Mark 15:33-41 under the theme of "The Gift of Light at the Cost of Darkness" for our Holy Saturday celebration. Most of us have likely not given much thought to the 36 hours between Jesus' burial on Friday and his resurrection on Sunday. The world had gone dark. Christ's body entered a dark tomb. The disciples hid behind locked doors in the darkness. It's the right time to meditate on darkness and light in this world as we anticipate the Light of the World coming back...
This week we'll be studying Mark 11:1-11 under the theme of "The Rich Man Who Dies for the Poor." On Palm Sunday, Jesus presents one of the most nuanced, carefully curated images of himself. Many then did not understand it, and many today still have false conceptions of Messiah. Who did our King come to be, and what does it mean to follow him?
Pilate's inquiry "What is Truth" is our fifth Question of the Passion that we reflect on this Lenten season. We should be able to hold up Jesus as the Truth at every turn and in every season of life. But that's easier said than done. We constantly bend the truth to fit our human wants and needs, but after bending comes breaking - we no longer have the real Truth. Keep Jesus as the Truth.
The final parable we study this Lenten season is the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant. By sending us a Savior, God has showered us in His unconditional love. As Christians, it is our responsibility to allow that same mercy to flow through us and to distribute love to our neighbors and to "those who have sinned against us." Mercy heals.
This week we'll be studying Mark 10:17-31 under the theme of "Faith and the End of Self-Sufficiency." We're reminded that we're called to die to self. Jesus died to save us from sins and save us t o eternal life . But he didn't die so that we wouldn't die at all . We physically die, of course. And we die to selves daily in a process called "Discipleship." It's impossible to become our best, most Christ-like selves unless we let go of our old selves. It's impossible to grasp eternal life without ...
Had Jesus' trial taken place in more modern times, it undoubtedly would have been labeled as "The Trial of Century." His trial was illegal, yet it fulfilled the prophecies of the Old Testament. Jesus testified of His divinity as the Son of God. The evidence was laid out before the Chief Priests and the Teachers of the Law, yet they judged Him faithlessly. How will you judge Jesus? Recorded March 23, 2022.
Jesus' parable of the barren fig tree (Luke 13:1-9) reflects the repentance we need to show for our sins, the high expectations of the heavenly Father, and the patience He has for His people.
