Sermons from The Grove

Be strong and courageous because the Lord is with you. Become more like Christ through reading the word this year.

700 years before the birth of Jesus, the prophet Isaiah foretold a child to be born that would provide security for all of mankind.

Expanding his ministry, Jesus sends out the 12 disciples two by two to call people to repentance. Just after this, Mark shares the story of John the Baptist's death, demonstrating the cost of following Jesus.

As Jesus crosses back over to Capernaum, he demonstrates his ability to heal and proves that He has power over death itself, making a stark contrast with those who believe and are amazed and those who cannot believe He has power.

When a storm arises and threatens the lives of the disciples, they call upon Jesus in their fear. The contrast between the scared and the sleeper illustrates how we can best rely on Jesus through the storms of our lives.

In Jesus' first parable in Mark, He tells the disciples that the secret to understanding parables is that God changes hearts. He then encourages them to sow broadly because we do not know what soil people fall into.

Following Jesus is good for all. Jesus introduces a new personal message that replaces the old religious system. The positive nature of Jesus is not burdensome but instead uplifting. Following Jesus is powerful and life changing.

As Jesus continues his ministry, he calls a fifth disciple, Levi, who is a tax collector. As he calls Levi, also named Matthew, to follow Him, the pharisees question Jesus when he eats with sinners. Jesus then corrects them, making it clear that he came to call sinners and not the righteous.

Jesus claims to be the Son of Man and that he has authority to forgive sins. There are two groups that respond to him, one with healing faith and one with hindering faith.

When Jesus heals a leper, we see a dramatic transformation of the man from unclean, to clean, to evangelist. A transformation that represents the process for all of us going from inwardly unclean to washed white as snow.