The First Baptist Preacher

1“It’s not about me. It’s all about Jesus.” If you make that your motto, then you’re on your way to understanding what abundant life is all about.

The Devil After the Dove

2Sometimes after we experience some of our greatest spiritual victories, we’re faced with our greatest spiritual challenges.

If You Aren’t Fishing, Then You Aren’t Following

3Good fishermen always EXPECT to catch fish, even if they don’t.

A Day in the Life of the Lord

4Life is more than just moving through the decades. Jesus came that you might have life and live it to the fullest.

The Healing Touch of Jesus

5You may think you’re too sick, too vile, too sinful, too far gone for Jesus to help; that you’ll clean up your act first, and then come to Jesus. It’s a good thing that the leper didn’t wait until he was clean to beg Jesus for a touch. He would have died first. And if you’re waiting to clean up your act before you come to Jesus, you will die in your sins as well.

Working for the Faith Skylight Company

6There are hurting people living in spiritual darkness. In order to work for the Faith Skylight Company you’ve got to care enough for them that you’ll do everything you can to let the light of Jesus fill their darkness.

Hosting a Supper for Sinners

7When Jesus started His ministry, He selected twelve team members as His first round of draft picks. Some observers would say He didn’t make such good choices. When you think about the makeup of the twelve disciples, you’ll discover Jesus had an eclectic group.

Old Whiners or New Wineskins?

8We all have a tendency to reject a new idea, or a new revelation of truth because we like the old too much. Like an old, stiff wineskin, our hearts and minds can calcify until we become so inflexible we can’t accept change. When someone introduces “new wine” to us, we crack and split and make a mess.

Sabbath: Enjoy the REST of Your Life

9Who said Sunday is the new Sabbath? Roman Emperor Constantine did in 321 A.D. The Roman Catholic Church did. The Church of England did, and the Puritans did. But the Bible never did.

MARK 3: HIS REMARKABLE RELATIONSHIPS

The Day Jesus Got Good and Mad

10Some people think all anger is sinful, and they have a hard time justifying that Jesus got angry, because Jesus was supposed to be sinless. He was. The Bible talks about different kinds of anger. Some anger is harmful and destructive. But there is a kind of anger that is holy and just.

The ReMARKable Power of Teamwork

11When Jesus launched His ministry, He could have been a one-man show, but rather than going solo, Jesus chose a team and trained them to help Him.

The World’s Strongest Man

12We confess our sins to stay in fellowship with God, but when you surrender your life to Christ, every past sin you’ve committed and every future sin you will ever commit is covered by the blood of Jesus Christ.

We Are Family

13There’s something about families. Our families can be the source of the greatest joy and deepest heartaches. There’s more emotion attached to our families than any other unit in society. And Jesus had some revolutionary things to say about family in this passage.

MARK 4: HIS REMARKABLE TEACHING

The Perceptive Art of a Receptive Heart

14What’s the main difference between the people who have hard hearts, shallow hearts, crowded hearts, and the one who has an open heart? The person with the open heart hears it and does it.

Light and Truth

15When people reject the light God gives them, they lose that truth and move deeper and deeper into darkness.

The Mystery of the Mighty Mustard Seed

16Never despise the day of small beginnings. Three ways in which God’s Kingdom is like a mysterious mighty mustard seed.

How to Faith the Storms of Life

17I love the fact that Jesus was asleep during the storm on the Galilee. This teaches us several things. First, Jesus was a man who experienced fatigue just like us. But we also see He possessed such a strong sense of tranquility that He could sleep through the storm.

Jesus’ Power Over Demons

18Don’t be deceived by the lie of self-help. Jesus is your only hope.

The Life-Changing Touch of Faith

19Suffering is God’s way of making us stronger and suffering forces us to depend on Him.

Disappointments May Be His Appointments

20The story of Jairus teaches us that when we face grief, we never should never lose sight of the fact that Jesus gives hope whenever there is death.

What Amazes Jesus?

21When you face any challenge in life, you’re going to approach it with either doubt or faith and it’s your choice.

Shake Off the Dust

22For some of you, your dust is that you haven’t forgiven yourself for something in your past. God has forgiven you, but you are still carrying a dusty load of guilt around. Someone said when you forgive others it’s your gift of grace to them. When you forgive yourself, it’s your gift of grace to yourself. Is there a spirit of unforgiveness lingering on you today? Shake off the dust and move on!

Is Anything Worth Dying for?

23A story of betrayal, wickedness and great faith. How Herodias used her daughter, Salome, to trick her husband, Herod, into beheading John the Baptist.

The Miracle of Minnows and Muffins

24When we face a problem, our immediate reaction is to reach into our pocket and count our change; we want to see how much emotional or physical currency we have on hand to meet the crisis.

Jesus says, “Don’t Be Afraid”

25Can you remember a time when you were so afraid you thought you weren’t going to make it? The most dangerous storm that night wasn’t the weather on that lake. It was the storm of fear raging in the minds of the disciples.

The Heart of Your Problem is the Problem of Your Heart

26The reason we like traditions, whether it’s washing your hands or dressing up for church, is that it is something we can do outwardly and feel good about ourselves.

Faith that Feeds on Crumbs

27We don’t always recognize when God is testing us. Most of the time the tests are disguised as trouble, trials, and adversity. A discussion of the four characteristics of great faith.

The Day Jesus Used Sigh Language for a Deaf Man

28Sometimes we are so burdened we can’t even express words in our prayers. When you’re praying if you don’t know the words to say, don’t worry. God understands sigh language.

MARK 8: HIS REMARKABLE PROVISION

When Your Situation Seems Impossible

29Our greatest need to fill the sense of spiritual hunger. If you are hungry, you can eat bread and be satisfied for a few hours and then you get hungry again. But Jesus can fill a spiritual need that will satisfy you for eternity.

Clear Eyes. Full Hearts. Can’t Lose.

30The New Testament records Jesus healing seven different blind men. He seldom saves two people the same way. Some people come to Christ dramatically, with tears and anguish, others with joyful laughter and still others with quiet faith.

Don’t Waste Your Most Precious Possession

31You haven’t always existed; only God is eternal in both directions. Your soul will exist long after your physical life is over, either in heaven with God or in hell separated from God.

MARK 9: HIS REMARKABLE REVELATION

Oh, What a Foretaste of Glory Divine!

32So what is the purpose of the transfiguration? It was more than just Jesus showing off that He was God in the flesh. He was trying to communicate an important truth.

Living in the Faith Dimension

33The mountaintop is sweet because we commune with Jesus! But when you return to the valley, you will be ambushed by people who have all kinds of needs. That’s why we should to always be a church built in the valley, not on the mountain.

From Great to Good

34When it comes to our personal relationship with God and with others, Jesus taught that personal goodness is more valuable than personal greatness.

Imagine: No Hell Below Us; Above Us Only Sky

35Two-thirds of Americans believe there is no hell. Let’s imagine for a moment there is no hell. Lest you take me literally, I DO believe in the existence of heaven and hell. But what would you do if you wanted to eliminate the distasteful idea of hell?

MARK 10: HIS REMARKABLE INVITATION

God’s Definition of Marriage

36America doesn’t have a homosexual problem; we have a human sexual problem. If you consider yourself a Christian, God expects all of us to practice sexual purity.

It’s a Small World…After All!

37Our job as parents and grandparents is to create a desire in our kids for the things of God.

The Man Who Had Only Two Things: Everything & Nothing

38Jesus designs a different solution for each person. If you have a competing god ruling your life, Jesus will give you a unique word to replace that god with the true and Living God.

What’s in it for Me?

39There are three major themes addressed in this passage: Suffering, Servanthood, and Sacrifice. Whenever you study the Bible you should always ask yourself these two words: SO WHAT? Now that I’ve learned this, what changes will this make in my life?

Open the Eyes of My Heart, Lord

40When people try to hinder your crying out to Jesus, do what Bartimaeus did: Resist them. Don’t let them intimidate you into silence.

MARK 11: HIS REMARKABLE AUTHORITY

The Passover Party Parade

41Jesus chose a donkey at Jerusalem to show the city he was coming not as a conquering king, but as a prince of peace.

Keeping God’s House Clean

42God won’t live in a dirty house. You may live in one, but God won’t. He is holy and He can’t abide with the presence of sin.

Figs, Faith and Forgiveness

43The solution to any problem in your life is simply this: Have faith in God. The answer to any need in your life is: Have faith in God.

God’s Prescription for Powerful Prayer

44Forgiveness is an active choice. Forgetting is a passive process in which a matter fades from our memory with the passing of time. The sad thing is when it comes to people who have offended us, we have total recall.

MARK 12: HIS REMARKABLE WISDOM

The Case of the Murder in a Vineyard

45The greatest mistake you can make is to think that you are personally responsible for attaining any of the wealth or property that you oversee.

When Kingdoms Collide: God or Government?

46Our responsibility to our government can be summarized in three words. Pray, Pay, and Obey. We are commanded to pray for those who are in authority over us. Second we should pay the taxes we owe. And third we must obey the laws of our government.

What Will Life Be Like in Heaven?

47In Heaven, our relationship with the Living God will be so powerful our earthly relationships will seem to be insignificant in comparison.

Three Levels of Love, part 1

48You can’t truly others and love God until you understand what it means to love yourself.

Three Levels of Love, part 2

49The driving motivation behind all great art, all great music, all great architecture, or writing is a single force: Passion. Nothing great in life was ever accomplished without passion.

Disgusted or Delighted?

50A stark contrast between religious hypocrites and a faithful woman. The religious show-offs were mostly interested in what they could GET out of life. And the poor widow as interested in all she could GIVE.

MARK 13: HIS REMARKABLE PREDICTIONS

Jesus’ Extended Forecast, part 1

51The most important event in the future is the return of Jesus Christ. In Mark 13, Jesus gives details of His return, but in the first part of the chapter He predicts three things that will happen before He returns.

Jesus’ Extended Forecast, part 2

52The very next thing that will happen on God’s prophetic calendar is the rapture of the church. It’s when Jesus will return in the clouds and quickly snatch away His bride, the church.

Jesus’ Extended Forecast, part 3

53Watching for the Lord’s return doesn’t mean looking up to the sky; it means looking around to show God’s love to those who need Him.

MARK 14: HIS REMARKABLE BURDEN

The Beauty of Extravagant Worship

54Worship isn’t about coming to get something from God; it’s all about giving Him something. When you bless the Lord, you can’t help but be blessed in return.

Sharing the Passover meal with Jesus

55How the elements of the Jewish Passover meal communicate powerful symbolism in the Lord’s Supper.

Gethsemane: The World’s Greatest Battle

56What is your personal Gethsemane? What crushing experience are you facing? A bad marriage? A health issue? Your job? What is putting pressure on you like an olive press? Whatever form your Gethsemane takes, you can find peace in your pressure..

The Arrest and Trial of an Innocent Man

57An examination of five people who had crucial roles in the chaos the night before Jesus was was crucified.

Failure Isn’t Fatal

58If you find yourself walking with the wrong crowd, turn around. Don’t stand, and then for certain, don’t sit down with them.

MARK 15: HIS REMARKABLE SACRIFICE

Life’s Most Important Question

59The most important question you’ll ever answer in your life is this: What will I do with Jesus?

When He was on the Cross, You were on His Mind

60Four important things that happened when Jesus was crucified.

Buried, He Carried My Sins Far Away

61Jesus’ burial was conducted by two unlikely undertakers: A wealthy man and a member of the Sanhedrin.

MARK 16: HIS REMARKABLE VICTORY

He’s Alive! Do You Believe Him?

62The best proof of the resurrection isn’t an empty tomb. The best proof of the resurrection is when you meet Jesus.