The Ministry of the Messenger
Like Elijah and John the Baptist, we are called to be messengers proclaiming the King is coming, understanding that this often leads to opposition and suffering for the messenger.
Mark 9:9-13
A Glimpse of Glory
The Transfiguration is a revelation showing that the New Covenant has arrived, unveiling Jesus in His full glory so that the disciples can be sustained through the suffering that comes to Jesus and His followers.
Mark 9:1-8
The Disciple’s Cross
Disciples are called to follow Jesus, which means they must deny themselves and take up their cross, enduring persecution and suffering in this age while looking forward to the eternal reward they will be granted at the return of Christ.
Mark 8:34-38
King’s Cross
Jesus is the Messianic King Who came to suffer, be rejected, die, and be raised so that He might save us from our sin.
Mark 8:31-33
Growing Sight
The two-stage healing of the blind man is a living parable for how spiritual blindness was being healed in the disciples – and is healed in people through the ages.
Mark 8:22-30
Do You Still Not Understand?
Even after Jesus miraculously fed a multitude a second time in the wilderness, the Pharisees refused to believe and the disciples still lacked understanding of Jesus and His ways.
Mark 8:1-21
He Does All Things Well
Jesus’ miraculous healings were signs that He was the promised Messiah, the foretaste of His renewal and restoration of all creation for the glory of God.
Mark 7:31-37
Humble Faith
The Syro-Phoenician woman is a paragon of humility and faith, accepting her utter need for God’s grace and actively seeking until she receives it.
Mark 7:24-30
God’s Law in the New Covenant
In the new covenant, the ceremonial law has been fulfilled by Jesus and is no longer in effect, but the moral law, which is a reflection of God’s unchanging character, continues to define sin and righteousness for all humans.
Mark 7:14-23
Truly Clean
Jesus teaches us that impurity, which is the violation of God’s moral law, arises from inside our hearts rather than from outside sources, and therefore true cleansing is not a matter of external religious rites but rather an internal change of heart.
Mark 7:14-23
Scripture and Tradition
Jesus taught that Scripture alone is the final authority for God’s people; therefore all traditions and extra-biblical teachings and practices are helpful only when they clarify, support, uphold, and submit to the Scripture.
Mark 7:1-13
Water Walker
Jesus refuses the false expectations of the crowd, but reveals His true identity to His disciples by walking on the water, and confirms it through His healing power.
Mark 6:45-56
The Good Shepherd
Jesus is the Good Shepherd who provides physical and spiritual rest, nourishment, and care, even in the wilderness.
Mark 6:30-44
Pledge Your Head To Heaven
The beheading of John the Baptist is a sober reminder to Christians of the difficulties and costs of the mission we have been given by Jesus, but we must not shrink from calling others to repentance and faith.
Mark 6:7-30
Rejection and Resurgence
The way of God’s Kingdom and Word causes scandal and offense to many, but God calls His people to continue to proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom and minister to push back the kingdom of darkness.
Mark 6:1-13
Faith In the Lord Over Death
From the story of Jairus we learn how to sustain faith while we await the final day when Jesus’ powerful word raises us from the dead.
Mark 5:21-43
Savior of the Outcast
Even those who are outcasts from society and whose situations are hopeless will receive salvation when they reach out to Christ through faith.
Mark 5:21-34
Lord Over the Demonic Legion
Satan’s demonic forces want to confuse, enslave, and destroy, but Jesus has the authority to restore people who can then go forth to tell others of all He has done.
Mark 5:1-20
Lord Over the Storm
Jesus’ Sovereignty over the storm reveals His Deity and invites His disciples to turn from the fear of circumstances to the fear of God and trust in His Sovereign care.
Mark 4:35 – 41
A Growing Kingdom
In the parables of the seeds, Jesus teaches that the Kingdom of God begins small and seemingly insignificant, but it will certainly grow until it becomes great and fruitful through the power of God and His Word.
Mark 4:26–34
Concealed and Revealed
The parable of the sower, the seed, and the soils teaches the secret of the Kingdom of God – that it has broken into the world in the Person, teaching, and work of Jesus, that is rejected by many, but that the Word of Jesus will bear great fruit in the lives of those who hear and embrace it.
Mark 4:1-20
The Sower, the Seed, and the Soils
The parable of the sower, the seed, and the soils teaches the secret of the Kingdom of God – that it has broken into the world in the Person, teaching, and work of Jesus, that is rejected by many, but that the Word of Jesus will bear great fruit in the lives of those who hear and embrace it.
Mark 4:1-20
The Parables of Jesus
Jesus often taught in parables to uncover the surprising mystery of God’s Kingdom to those who would listen carefully and humbly respond, but the same parables hardened and judged those who refused to listen and receive His Word.
Mark 4:1-12
The Family of Jesus
The true family of Jesus and His followers is not defined by biological relation but rather by a common obedience to the will of God.
Mark 3: 31-35
Kingdoms In Conflict
Theme Statement
Bible Reference