Associate pastor Joel Irvin continues his series in Mark, discussing the death of John the Baptist and the feeding of the 5,000.

Sermon Outline-----1- Understanding Unbelief -6-1-6-----2- How Disciples Engage with the World in the New Era -6-7-13- -- a. A Success Story to Close the Old Era -6-14-29- ----3- Believe - Obey, and Jesus Will Give You Rest -6-30-32-

Sermon Outline-----1- A Religious Ruler Believes in Jesus -vv. 21-24-----2- An Ostracized Woman Believes in Jesus -vv. 25-29-----3- Jesus calls a Fearful Daughter to Greater Faith -vv. 30-34-----4- Jesus calls a Grieving Father to Greater Faith -vv. 35-43-

Sermon Outline-----1- A Religious Ruler Believes in Jesus -vv. 21-24-----2- An Ostracized Woman Believes in Jesus -vv. 25-29-----3- Jesus calls a Fearful Daughter to Greater Faith -vv. 30-34-----4- Jesus calls a Grieving Father to Greater Faith -vv. 35-43-

Sermon Outline-----1- Responsibility of All to Listen -vv. 1-9-----2- Parables for Outsiders, Mystery for Insiders -vv. 10-13-----3- The Soils' Response to the Seed -vv. 14-20--- a. Snatched by Satan-- b. Failure of the Flesh-- c. Worldly Worries, Trappings of Treasures, Daily Desires -- d. Being All Ears, Believing, - Bearing Fruit

Sermon Outline-----1- What Family and Scribes were saying about Jesus -vv. 19-22-----2- Parables to reveal Jesus' identity - what is coming to an end -vv. 23-27- ----3- What Jesus says will be forgiven - what will not be -vv. 28-30-----4- What Jesus says to Insiders - Outsiders -vv. 31-35-

Sermon Outline-----Questions for Jesus about His Disciples---1- Why don't the disciples fast in this day- -2-18-22---2- Why do the disciples reap on this day- -2-23-28-----Jesus' Question for Pharisees about the Sabbath -3-1-6----3- Why do you not understand my gift-

Sermon outline-----1- The Parable of the Lamp - Making Much of Your Measure -vv. 21-25-----Are you having trouble understanding what God is doing- -See How You Hear------2- The Parable of the Seed - the Coming Harvest -vv. 26-29-----Do you doubt your Kingdom labors- -Humble Yourself - Await the Harvest------3- The Parable of the Mustard Seed - the Birds in the Branches -vv. 30-32---Will the Kingdom of God ever come- -Hope in What is Now Hidden--

-Sung Psalm- 122-----I had originally planned on starting the Ezra-Nehemiah series in Advent - since I think that I tended to view Ezra-Nehemiah as a sort of -failed restoration- - and therefore, the obvious point of Ezra-Nehemiah is -we need Jesus------Now, the last point - -we need Jesus-- - is certainly true-- But as I started working on the Ezra-Nehemiah series, it became painfully clear to me that the idea of a -failed restoration- was entirely wrong. Ezra-Nehemiah do not tell the story of a failed restoration, but a partial restoration.----The Venerable Bede -in the 7th century- was the first commentator on the text of Ezra-Nehemiah. Bede was an English monk who wrote a history of the English church. Britain had once been a Christian nation. Then came the Angles and the Saxons - barbarian Germans who nearly wiped out the Christian church. But the gospel did its work - and Bede tells the story of the restoration of Christianity in England.----But it was messy. Britons and English didn't like each other very much at first- And while the gospel triumphed, things were still not the way they should be-----So perhaps it is no wonder that no one in the early church, until the 7th century, was drawn to a text like Ezra-

Sermon outline-----A. Who Jesus Calls to Follow Him -2-13-15---B. Who Jesus Feasts With -2-15-17---C. Why Disciples Feast - Fast -2-18-22-