Mark 2:1-12

Mark 2:1-12

“And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’ (Mark 2:5)

And with those five words, Jesus set in motion his crucifixion…Those five words put him on a collision course with the scribes and Pharisees…Even today those five words divide true religion from all other man made religion. And for you and me, those five words are the very foundation of our faith, having placed our trust in the saving work of Christ on the cross.”

Ecclesiastes 2:12-26

Ecclesiastes 2:12-26

Pastor Josh continues his series through Ecclesiastes:

“Even toil is hevel!  Hard work and everything it produces is like a vapor; here for a moment and then gone…One commentator calls this section ‘the confessions of a workaholic’.  In our search for meaning and satisfaction we exert all of this effort to get the next possession which we will never really enjoy because we are working for the next improvement or item on our never-ending list of wants.

Here the myth that hard work and well-earned wealth validates life is dispelled.  Instead the restless ambition to achieve destroys families and leaves people in despair.  They hate their toil even while they are consumed by it.”

Ecclesiastes 1:12-2:11

Ecclesiastes 1:12-2:11

“Ecclesiastes drives us to hopeless despair in all things human, that we might be driven to hope only in the Lord.. The fundamental human problem is that there is a lack of harmony between our aspirations and the very nature of reality itself, as set by a sovereign God.  And so the genuine wisdom offered in Ecclesiastes is to live according to what is set by God; any other way will result in despair and weariness, like striving after the wind.”

Ecclesiastes 1:1-17

Ecclesiastes 1:1-17

“‘Life is full of trouble and then you die.’  No wonder we don’t hear sermons from Ecclesiastes all that often.  Such a nihilistic worldview is hardly compatible with the canon of Scripture, in fact it causes serious difficulties for the interpretation of Ecclesiastes as a unified book, because even a cursory reading demonstrates that the author does not consider everything to be meaningless…The Hebrew word hebel, which is unfortunately translated “meaningless” in the NIV, or “vanity” in our ESV, literally means vapor…Vapor is not meaningless, it is fleeting…”

Mark 1:15-45

Mark 1:15-45

“Today’s reading centers on the absolute authority of Christ Jesus, displayed again and again in this passage after he announces that the kingdom of God is at hand…Under Christ’s authority we are called to both repent and believe. Repentance means death, an utter turning from who we once were, but death to self becomes life in Christ, and repentance is followed by a new life - directed by our belief in Jesus.”

Mark 1:1-13

Mark 1:1-13

“Mark is a man in a hurry. But in the last sermon, we found that Mark’s breakneck speed is a deliberate strategy, employed by an expert communicator, to fulfill a twofold purpose. Mark wants his readers / listeners to know ‘Who Jesus is’, and ‘What it means to be his disciple.’ That’s it, his little book is laser focused on addressing only those two things. The Gospel of Mark is completely shaped with this in mind. He reorders events in Jesus life, omits things the other guys include and crafts an orator’s narrative that is exciting and fast, compelling and simple.”

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