Originally preached to Ekklesia Churches by Dan on 02/01/26.

Teaching Highlights

How Paul’s self-identification as a doulos (servant) challenged the honor-obsessed culture of Philippi and established a model for leadership within the new-covenant community.

The distinction between gospel partnership and mere charity, recognizing that the church’s generosity is a visible participation in the work of the Spirit.

The assurance that God is the author and finisher of salvation, as He who began a good work in the believer will surely bring it to completion at the day of Christ.

The necessity of a love that abounds in knowledge and discernment, leading to a pure and blameless life filled with the fruit of righteousness.

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A Note On The Additional Verses:

• We value Scripture as originally written by Spirit-inspired authors, so we should be cautious about later additions. 

• The primary issue with Mark 16:9–20 is textual: these verses are absent from the earliest manuscripts, unlike the minor word-level variants we typically see.

• The style and theological emphasis of the longer ending feel unlike Mark and read like a stitched summary from the other Gospels, which was likely an attempt to soften an abrupt ending.

• Two plausible conclusions remain: either Mark originally ended at 16:8, or an original ending was lost/never completed; either way, we must not add to or subtract from what God has preserved. 

• We lose nothing essential by stopping at 16:8: God has given us the full counsel of the four Gospels (and Acts) to anchor resurrection faith without leaning on uncertain material.

We'll be back for a series through Philippians in February 2026!

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Originally preached to Ekklesia Churches by Dan on 01/04/26.

Teaching Highlights

• The kingdom of God flips the “haves vs have-nots” instinct: insiders are those who recognize what they lack and trust Jesus as what they truly need. 

• Mark contrasts spectating from a distance with courageous discipleship, with the unexpected actions of Joseph of Arimathea, as he risks reputation, security, and wealth to honor Jesus. 

• The burial and empty tomb emphasize that Jesus was truly dead and then truly raised from the dead. It was not resuscitation, but bodily resurrection “just as he said.” 

• The women’s fear and silence expose how weak faith can be even in Jesus’ followers, and why we need the Holy Spirit to comfort, convict, and empower obedience. 

• Mark’s abrupt ending presses the hearer: if Jesus is the Son of God, the suffering servant who rose on the third day, how will you respond to that? Will you choose to believe and confess?

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Originally preached to Ekklesia Churches by Dan on 12/24/25.

Teaching Highlights

• Jesus is the Son of God, and the cross is the lens that finally makes his identity unmistakable.

• The “exchange” with Barabbas shows how easily we trade Jesus for lesser saviors.

• The crucifixion is marked by relentless mockery, yet Jesus fulfills Scripture and bears our shame, not his own.

• The darkness, Jesus’ cry from Psalm 22, and the torn temple curtain declare God’s judgment and the opening of access through atonement.

• The centurion’s confession calls us to also confess Jesus for who He is, the Son of God given as a ransom for many.

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Originally preached to Ekklesia Churches by Dan on 12/21/25.

Teaching Highlights

• Jesus faces the greatest pressure of His life in Gethsemane and responds with honest, dependent prayer rather than self-preservation

• While the disciples fail, sleeping, fleeing, and denying, Jesus remains faithful and fully surrendered to the Father’s will

• Our failures under pressure expose our weakness, but they also point us to Christ’s faithfulness as our only hope

• Because Jesus stood firm and took our punishment, there is forgiveness, reconciliation, and restoration for all who turn to Him

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Originally preached to Ekklesia Churches by Dan on 12/14/25.

Teaching Highlights

Jesus is not a tragic hero caught in events beyond His control, but the willing Lamb who knowingly walks toward the cross in obedience to the Father.

The Lord’s Table is not a saving act in itself, but a means of remembrance that calls for faith, whole-hearted worship, and repentance.

Communion proclaims the gospel: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us, offering forgiveness, new life, and hope until He returns.

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Originally preached to Ekklesia Churches by Dan on 12/07/25.

• Jesus speaks about both the coming fall of Jerusalem and the final end of the world, but his overwhelming focus is on how his people should live now.

• Believers are warned that false prophets and false comforts will arise, but true peace is found only in Jesus, not in signs or certainty.

• Jesus calls his followers to endurance, to stand firm when their personal world is falling apart, trusting the Holy Spirit’s presence and help.

• The terrifying signs of the final days are not meant to drive fear, but to fill Christians with hope in the certainty of Jesus’ return.

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Originally preached to Ekklesia Churches by Dan on 11/30/25. 

Teaching Highlights

• Jesus exposes the motives behind the trick questions of the Pharisees and Sadducees, redirecting them toward God’s true authority.

• The sincere scribe shows that honest questions lead us closer to the kingdom when we receive Jesus’ words with humility.

• Jesus reveals the Messiah as greater than David, a categorically different kind of King.

• The contrast between the scribes and the widow unmasks fruitless religion versus true faith expressed through wholehearted devotion.

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In this week’s passage, we walk through Mark 11:27–12:12, where Jesus confronts the religious leaders who question His authority and then reveals their hearts through the parable of the vineyard.

This passage carries a sobering warning for those who reject Jesus and a gracious invitation to all who will come to Him in faith, even those with questions.

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Why does Jesus curse a fig tree and confront the temple, and what does that reveal about our own hearts?

Originally preached to Ekklesia Churches by Dan on 11/16/25.

Teaching Highlights

How the fig tree is a living parable of the state of the temple and it's fruitless religion

Why Jesus didn’t come to restore the old system, but to replace it with Himself

What real faith looks like: trusting God, seeking His will, and freely offering forgiveness.

Why forgiveness is the essential fruit of a new–covenant relationship with Jesus

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