Mark 6:1-6 I once heard a story about the first automobiles in the rural United States. An older gentleman and his grandsons sat on the porch enjoying a lazy summer afternoon. He was reading a newspaper, and they were watching the swallows dipping and swooping through the humid air. Suddenly, a strange sound […]
I Timothy 2:11-15 I had the privilege, or misfortune, of growing up in the 1960s and 70s. During that time, the concept of authority was trashed in favor of personal autonomy. The mantra of that era was “no one is going to tell me how to live.” It led to the wholesale rejection of moral […]
Don’t Be Afraid, Just Believe Mark 5:21-43 Charlotte Elliott was a sickly English woman who developed a long history of refusing to do things she was asked to do because of her illness. Her brother was a pastor, and he was particularly persistent in trying to get her to do something positive. But Charlotte […]
Going to the Dark Side: Part 2 Mark 5:1-20 At the insistence of the demons, Jesus permitted them. By His power, Jesus could have sent them anywhere, even back to the abyss. That fact that He didn’t do that tells us He had a larger purpose to fulfill in this interaction with the demons and […]
Going to the Dark Side: Part 1 Mark 5:1-20 What was the purpose of Jesus’ coming to earth? Hint: there’s more than one right answer. In First John 3:8, John answers this question very clearly. In this context, John is writing about the relationship between sin and the child of God. He wrote, “He […]
Is Jesus in Your Boat? Mark 4:35-41 Few ships in the world are more famous than the Titanic. She began her maiden voyage on April 10, 1912, from Southampton, England, to New York City. On April 14, the Titanic struck an iceberg and in a few short hours broke apart and sank. More than […]
The Mystery of the Kingdom Mark 4:21-34 In Ephesians 5, in the context of his teaching about marriage oneness, Paul wrote, “This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.” In First Corinthians 15, he wrote, “Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be […]
Resurrection Celebration 2024 Selected Texts We Shall Assemble/There is a Redeemer Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; And when we […]
Don’t Miss Your Moment Luke 19:28-48 Some of you are familiar with Leo Tolstoy’s famous Christmas story where the main character is Martin, an old cobbler. One night as Martin sat reading from the Gospels, he thought he heard someone calling him. He listened and heard clearly: “Martin, look out into the street tomorrow […]
A Fruitful Life : Part 2 Mark 4:10-20 This text reveals several key INGREDIENTS necessary for producing “A Fruitful Life.” In the previous episode of The Voice of Hope we began studying Mark 4:1-20, Jesus’ parable of the soils. We looked at the skill of the sower, the quality of the seed, and the […]
