Mark 1:1-8 (Part 3)
Mark starts the gospel with a bold declaration that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and immediately introduces John the Baptist, fulfilling prophecy as the voice crying in the wilderness. John preaches a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, preparing the way for the One mightier than himself, who will baptize…
Read MoreFeb. 9 | The Promise of Faith
Romans 10:17 (KJV), “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Have you ever lost your faith? Maybe there was a situation you faced, it didn’t go the way you prayed and, afterward, you didn’t have the same kind of faith in God that you did before? Well, never fear. God’s…
Read MoreLesson 6: God Curses Those Who Don’t Tithe.
Definition The tithe is 10% of our total income given to God faithfully. Scripture Reading Malachi 3:8-9, “8 ‘Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ “In tithes and offerings. 9 You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me.” Main Points NOT TITHING…
Read MoreFeb. 8 | The Promise of Healing
1 Peter 2:24, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.” In my pastoral experience, the most difficult promise for people to believe is God’s promise of physical healing. The reality of suffering and excruciating…
Read MoreFeb. 7 | The Promise of Spiritual Gifts
1 Corinthians 12:7, “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” I find it disappointing when I hear well-intentioned Christians teach that the gifts of the Holy Spirit were only for the first disciples or, that today, only a certain chosen few are given the gifts. The Bible teaches…
Read MoreFeb. 6 | The Promise of the Holy Spirit
Acts 1:4-5, “4 …Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” Before Jesus ascended to heaven, He told the disciples that He would send them the…
Read MoreFeb. 5 | The Promise of Heaven
Philippians 3:20, “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.” Have you ever traveled out of the country? I’ve had the great honor and privilege of going on four missions trips, outside the U.S., since being in ministry; three times to India (with a stop in…
Read MoreFeb. 4 | The Promise of Eternal Life
John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” The Bible’s most famous verse, John 3:16, is power packed with the goodness of God in four lessons. First we learn, “God so loved the world.” This means…
Read MoreFeb. 3 | The Promise of a New Heart
Ezekiel 36:26, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” Ezekiel was a powerful Jewish prophet who lived in the 6th century, B.C., before the time of Jesus; however, even then he was given…
Read MoreFeb. 2 | The Promise of Sanctification
1 Corinthians 6:11, “And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” Sanctification means to be made holy and separated from sin. In the verses prior to today’s passage, Paul declared to…
Read More