Grasp the Bible

Today, we talk briefly about the meaning of Good Friday and the significance of the resurrection on Easter Sunday.

The staff at Spring Baptist Church wish you a Happy Easter as we celebrate the resurrection of our living lord and savior, Jesus Christ!

Welcome to episode 102 of Grasp the Bible.  In this episode, we begin our study in the Book of 1 Peter, covering chapter 2:4-2:17.  The series is called “Hope in the Midst of Suffering.”  Today, we will cover: 

• The relationships (vv. 4-10) 
• The Christian Life as a Battle and Witness (vv. 11-12) 
• Show respect to civil authorities (vv. 13-17) 

Key takeaways: 

• As the cornerstone of the building was rejected by the builders, so also Jesus was rejected by human beings. 
• Believers are both priests and the temple. They are God’s dwelling place by the Spirit and His new priesthood. 
• Just as Christ is the chosen and honored one of God and was so honored at his resurrection, so too believers will be vindicated on the last day. What is true of the Christ is also true of his people.  They will not experience the embarrassment of judgment but the glory of approval. 
• The evil in the world is not separated from God’s control.   God still reigns, even over those who oppose him and Peter’s readers. 
• God’s ultimate purpose in everything He does is designed to bring Him praise. 

Quotable: 

• One is either a slave of sin or a slave of God. True liberty, according to the New Testament, means that there is freedom to do what is right.  Therefore, only those who are slaves of God are genuinely free. 

Application: 

• Humans stumble because of rebellion…because they do not want to submit to God’s lordship. 
• The desires of the flesh that emerge in believers are quite strong and must be resisted and conquered.  This is no easy matter.  The Christian life is certainly not depicted as passive in which believers simply “let go and let God.” 
• Christians are to pursue virtue and goodness, so that their goodness will be apparent to all in society. The evident transformation of their behavior will contradict false allegations circulating in society. 
• Christians obey governing authorities because such obedience is God’s will. Hence, the supreme authority is not government but God Himself. 

Connect with us: 

Web site:  https://springbaptist.org 

Facebook:   

https://www.facebook.com/SBCKleinCampus (Klein Campus) 

https://www.facebook.com/SpringBaptist (Spring Campus) 

Need us to pray for you?  Submit your prayer request to https://springbaptist.org/prayer/ 

If you haven’t already done so, please leave us a rating and review in your podcast provider. 

Welcome to episode 101 of Grasp the Bible.  In this episode, we begin our study in the Book of 1 Peter, covering chapter 1:13-2:3.  The series is called “Hope in the Midst of Suffering.”  Today, we will cover: 

• The response to our salvation (vv. 13-17) 
• The cost of our salvation (vv. 18-21) 
• The vehicle of our salvation (vv. 22-25) 
• What we are to renounce (2 v. 1) 
• What we are to receive (vv. 2-3) 

Key takeaways: 

• Ungodly desires still beckon believers and tempt them to depart from God. They must refuse such desires and choose what is good.  Peter exhorts Christians to control their desires rather than to be controlled by them. 
• A genuine fear of judgment hinders believers from giving in to living life any way they choose. 
• When God saves us, He redeems us from an empty life.  Our lives before their conversion were futile, empty, and devoted to false gods. 
• Money is a thing that perishes, but Christians have been redeemed with the blood of a person. 

Quotable: 

• Before time began, God determined that He would send Jesus into the world and when.  Our salvation was no afterthought. 

Application: 

• The indicative (what God has done for us in Christ) is always the basis of the imperative (how we should live our lives).  In other words, we don’t try to live holy lives so our sins will be forgiven.  There is nothing you or I can do to merit God’s favor.  We live holy lives BECAUSE our sins have been forgiven. 
• Grace precedes demand.  In other words, by God’s grace, we can be holy.  Peter’s readers (and us) cannot live morally noble lives in their own strength.  All holiness stems from the God who called them into the sphere of the holy. 
• The characteristic of a Christian community is fervent or constant love for one another. 
• Just as babies crave mother’s milk to nourish and satisfy them, all believers should crave God’s pure spiritual milk, which is His Word.  If we are to grow into healthy and strong Christians, we need to feed ourselves a regular diet of the Bible. 

Connect with us: 

Web site:  https://springbaptist.org 

Facebook:   

https://www.facebook.com/SBCKleinCampus (Klein Campus) 

https://www.facebook.com/SpringBaptist (Spring Campus) 

Need us to pray for you?  Submit your prayer request to https://springbaptist.org/prayer/ 

If you haven’t already done so, please leave us a rating and review in your podcast provider. 

We are excited to launch our Discipleship Pathway!  In this episode, we will talk about what it means to be a disciple, the eight signposts that we believe disciples engage in, and what Spring Baptist Church is doing to make disciples who make disciples.

To find out more, visit https://www.springbaptistklein.org/discipleship-pathway or click here.

The eight signposts are...

1.    Bible Engagement: 

 The Bible describes believers in Christ, those who follow him, as learners. The Bible contains many commands like “pursue truth,” “seek wisdom,” “renew the mind,” “learn from one another,” and “examine the Scriptures.” It is impossible to fulfill God’s invitation to follow him and serve him without committing to a lifestyle of learning, but “learning” in a biblical sense goes way beyond merely accepting facts. Learning incorporates the intellect and the will.

2.    Obeying God and Denying Self: 

 The Bible is filled with examples of and admonitions related to obedience and self-denial. To be a disciple is synonymous with following Jesus, and following Jesus is synonymous with self-denial in favor of obedience to God. This attribute will help you measure the degree to which you possess a “God-focus” versus a “self-focus.” 

3.    Serving God and Others: 

 The concept of service is vividly portrayed throughout the Bible. Jesus provided a great example for all Christians both through his spoken words and deeds. The apostle Paul states, “And our people must also learn to devote themselves to good works for cases of urgent need, so that they will not be unfruitful” (Titus 3:14). 

4.    Sharing Christ: 

 A key mark of a growing disciple is an outward focus. For individuals, it means intentionally befriending and building relational bridges to non-Christians, and then inviting these friends and acquaintances to church with them. 

5.    Exercising Faith: 

 A disciple is marked by a posture of weakness. Such weakness creates a great opportunity to exercise faith in a strong God. From Genesis to Revelation, the Christian experience is described using words like believe, trust, rely upon, and act upon. It’s clear that above all, God desires active faith in his people, for without faith it is impossible to please God. 

6.    Seeking God: 

 A disciple is one who seeks after and worships God. Jesus stated, “Yes, the Father wants such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and in Truth” (John 4:23–24). A true disciple, a follower of Christ, is to engage in a lifestyle of worship, both privately and corporately. 

7.    Building Relationships: 

 A disciple is one who is properly related to others, especially the community of faith. The Christian faith is neither a spectator sport (where self-professed Christians sit back and watch the local church in action), nor is it a solo sport (living in isolation from the body of Christ). 

 8.    Unashamed (Transparency): 

 A disciple is not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. This quality is exhibited in their willingness to talk openly in church and community environments about his or her walk with God. We naturally praise and talk about what we love. Those unashamed of the work and presence of God don’t wait for a predefined environment to talk about their beliefs in Jesus; rather, they embody the attitude of Peter and John who stated that they couldn’t help talking about the ongoing work of God in their lives and world. 

Welcome to episode 99 of Grasp the Bible.  In this episode, we begin our study in the Book of 1 Peter, covering chapter 1:1-12.  The series is called “Hope in the Midst of Suffering.”  Today, we will cover: 

• The source of our salvation (vv. 1-2) 
• The guaranty of our salvation (vv. 3-5) 
• The joy of our salvation (vv. 6-9) 
• The Old Testament prophets, angels, and our salvation (vv. 10-12) 

Key takeaways: 

• Peter writes to give his readers hope, consolation, and encouragement by explaining their identity in Christ and how even suffering is an integral part of that identity. 
• We are chosen by the Father, set apart unto faith by the Spirit, and cleansed by the blood of Christ. 
• One of Peter’s aims in his letter was to encourage his readers by giving them grounds for solid hope in the ultimate future so that they might face the immediate future with courage and even joy.   
• God is preserving and guarding an eternal inheritance in heaven for all Christians. 
• A trial is a test to see if something can stand up to strain. A temptation is an attempt to destroy something. 
• The Old Testament prophecies do not only apply to Peter’s readers but were intended for them. 

Quotable: 

• A faith that cannot be tested cannot be trusted. 

Application: 

• We struggle, at times, to be in the world because we are aliens.  This place is not our home.  Aliens are always aware they do not really fit in the society where they live. 
• We have this living hope, which is the hope of resurrection, triumph over death.  Therefore, whatever happens to us in this world is trivial compared to the blessing of the future resurrection. 
• God fortifies believers so that they persist in faith and hope until the day that they obtain the end times inheritance. 
• The trials we experience now are not meaningless but serve to refine and purify our faith. 
• Our lives ought to have a forward-looking and other-worldly dimension that is often lacking among contemporary Christians.  True, we believe in the future hope in principle, but has it lost its importance as a factor in our daily living? 

Connect with us: 

Web site:  https://springbaptist.org 

Facebook:   

https://www.facebook.com/SBCKleinCampus (Klein Campus) 

https://www.facebook.com/SpringBaptist (Spring Campus) 

Need us to pray for you?  Submit your prayer request to https://springbaptist.org/prayer/ 

If you haven’t already done so, please leave us a rating and review in your podcast provider. 

Welcome to episode 98 of Grasp the Bible.  In this episode, we continue our study in the Book of Mark, covering chapter 16:1-8.  The series is called “Get in, buckle up, and hold on!”  Today, we look at Jesus’ resurrection and alternate endings of the book.  We will cover: 

• The grief (vv. 1-4) 
• The glory (vv. 5-8) 

Key takeaways: 

• There has been much debate for centuries over the correct ending of the book, with the tide shifting back and forth between ending at v. 8 and ending at v. 20. 
• The longer ending that appears in most manuscripts (16:9–20) is probably not original. It does not appear in the most important early manuscripts. It represents a compendium of resurrection appearances from other gospels and was likely composed by a second-century copyist disturbed by the abrupt ending of Mark. 
• Whichever view is taken on the ending, Mark leaves no doubt about the historical reality of the resurrection of Jesus the Messiah and the appropriate response of those who have faith in him: to persevere through suffering and to boldly proclaim the resurrection and the kingdom of God. 
• The empty tomb alone is not proof of the resurrection. It only invites the question, “What happened to the body of Jesus?”  The angel, however, provides the answer. 
• Mark's Christological purpose is to show that Jesus is indeed the mighty Messiah predicted in Scripture, but that his surprising role is to suffer and die as a sacrifice for sin. 

Quotable: 

• No matter which ending you choose to follow, the resurrection is an assured fact for Mark and his readers. 

Application: 

• Mark’s enigmatic story of Jesus leaves the women (and the disciples) in the same position as Mark’s readers—with the resurrection announcement and a call to faith and perseverance. How will they respond? 
• Mark’s historical and theological assertion is crystal clear: Jesus of Nazareth has risen from the dead! 
• Mark’s gospel is a narrative call to persevere and stay faithful, and God will vindicate believers in the end. 

Connect with us: 

Web site:  https://springbaptist.org 

Facebook:   

https://www.facebook.com/SBCKleinCampus (Klein Campus) 

https://www.facebook.com/SpringBaptist (Spring Campus) 

Need us to pray for you?  Submit your prayer request to https://springbaptist.org/prayer/ 

If you haven’t already done so, please leave us a rating and review in your podcast provider. 

Today we will look back over the Book of Mark and discuss the big ideas.  We will also explore the four different endings of the book.

We will also look ahead at the Book of 1 Peter and discuss the author, date, reason for the book, and its big themes.

Welcome to episode 96 of Grasp the Bible.  In this episode, we continue our study in the Book of Mark, covering chapter 15:33-47.  The series is called “Get in, buckle up, and hold on!”  Today, we look at Jesus’ crucifixion and burial.  We will cover: 

• Events during the crucifixion (vv. 33-37) 
• Events following the crucifixion (vv. 38-47) 

Key takeaways: 

• Jesus’ death is accompanied by four key events that have theological significance for Mark:  

1. The darkness, symbolizing end times judgment;  
2. Jesus’ cry of dereliction from Ps 22:1, indicating his despair in experiencing God’s cup of wrath;  
3. the tearing of the temple curtain, representing judgment against the nation and the coming end of the sacrificial system; and  
4. the cry of the centurion, confirming the identity of Jesus and foreshadowing the gospel’s acceptance by the Gentiles. 

• Shockingly, it is this Gentile centurion who first recognizes that Jesus’ divine sonship and messianic identity are confirmed not through conquest, but through suffering. 
• Unlike other rabbis of his day, Jesus elevated women to the position of disciples. 

Quotable: 

• God’s justice is the ultimate answer to the problem of evil: How can a good and all-powerful God allow evil to continue in the world? It will not continue forever, and every sin and injustice will be paid for. 

Application: 

• Justice is a prominent theme in Mark.  God is not only a God of love and grace; he is also a God of justice. 
• Astonishingly, it is a Gentile who first recognizes that Jesus’ divine sonship is not repudiated by his death, but is confirmed by it. It is as the suffering Messiah and Son of God that Jesus fulfills his purpose and calling. 

Connect with us: 

Web site:  https://springbaptist.org 

Facebook:   

https://www.facebook.com/SBCKleinCampus (Klein Campus) 

https://www.facebook.com/SpringBaptist (Spring Campus) 

Need us to pray for you?  Submit your prayer request to https://springbaptist.org/prayer/ 

If you haven’t already done so, please leave us a rating and review in your podcast provider. 

Welcome to episode 95 of Grasp the Bible.  In this episode, we continue our study in the Book of Mark, covering chapter 15:16-32.  The series is called “Get in, buckle up, and hold on!”  Today, we look at Jesus’ mocking and crucifixion.  We will cover: 

• The contempt (vv. 16-20) 
• The cross-bearer (v. 21) 
• The crucifixion (vv. 22-32) 

Key takeaways: 

• Jesus is mocked, beaten, and spat upon repeatedly.  These actions were predicted by Isaiah as how the Lord’s suffering servant would be treated (Isaiah 50:6-7) 
• The skull-like outcrop known as Gordon’s Calvary and the adjacent Garden Tomb, though popular devotional sites, have little corroborating evidence as the site of the crucifixion and were first identified as possible sites in the nineteenth century.  Nowhere is it stated that Golgotha was a hill, but it may have gotten its name from being a low-lying hill in the shape of a skull. 
• All four Gospels describe a written notice, or “inscription,” identifying the charge against Jesus (the king of the Jews). 
• The religious leaders view Jesus as a failure because he is unable to save himself from Roman crucifixion. The irony of Mark’s drama is that by staying on the cross, Jesus is fulfilling the role of the Messiah, bringing salvation to Israel by offering his life as a ransom for sins. 
• The upside-down values of the kingdom of God are subversively bringing transformation and renewal to a fallen world. 

Quotable: 

• No challenges we face in life are outside of God’s control or sovereign will. 

Application: 

• The death of Jesus is an act of reconciliation, God’s sacrificial gift to the world, an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 
• In our world today we see and hear of unspeakable acts of evil.  We wonder, “Where is God?” The answer we see here is that he is on the cross, experiencing and absorbing the hatred and evil of humanity—refusing to lash back and instead offering God’s forgiveness. 

Connect with us: 

Web site:  https://springbaptist.org 

Facebook:   

https://www.facebook.com/SBCKleinCampus (Klein Campus) 

https://www.facebook.com/SpringBaptist (Spring Campus) 

Need us to pray for you?  Submit your prayer request to https://springbaptist.org/prayer/ 

If you haven’t already done so, please leave us a rating and review in your podcast provider. 

Welcome to episode 94 of Grasp the Bible.  In this episode, we continue our study in the Book of Mark, covering chapter 15:1-15.  The series is called “Get in, buckle up, and hold on!”  Today, we look at Jesus’ trial before the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate.  We will cover: 

• The conspiracy (v. 1) 
• The confusion (v. 2) 
• The charges (vv. 3-5) 
• The custom (v. 6) 
• The choice (vv. 7-14) 
• The chastening (v. 15) 

Key takeaways: 

• The Jewish religious leaders rejected Jesus for the same reasons people reject him today.  He was a threat to their power.  He did not meet their expectations.  He exposed their sins. 
• Jesus is indeed Israel’s King, the Messiah who will establish an eternal throne and crush all human kingdoms under his feet. Yet to accomplish this, he must suffer and die as the righteous and innocent servant of the Lord, who provides atonement for sins. 
• In this passage and on the lips of a pagan governor, the two great themes of Mark’s Christology are revealed:  
• victorious King  
• and Suffering Servant.  

Jesus is both “the Lion of the tribe of Judah” and the sacrificial “Lamb” of God 

• It was neither the Romans nor the Jews who were responsible for Jesus’ death.  It was rather his enemies who were responsible. 

Quotable: 

• The response to Jesus’ death should not be to seek someone to blame, but to offer praise and thanks to God for His indescribable gift. 

Application: 

• From a theological perspective, the question of who killed Jesus has a more profound answer.  We are all ultimately responsible for Jesus’ death, since he died as a sacrifice for our sins. 
• Ultimately, it was God Himself who was responsible for Jesus’ death.  It was He who delivered over Jesus to his suffering and death. 
• It was also the son himself who voluntarily laid down his life as a ransom for many. 

Connect with us: 

Web site:  https://springbaptist.org 

Facebook:   

https://www.facebook.com/SBCKleinCampus (Klein Campus) 

https://www.facebook.com/SpringBaptist (Spring Campus) 

Need us to pray for you?  Submit your prayer request to https://springbaptist.org/prayer/ 

If you haven’t already done so, please leave us a rating and review in your podcast provider.