Mark

Sermons

Stay Awake | Mark 13:32-37

December 4, 2023
By H.B. Charles Jr.
Verse 33 says, “Be on guard, keep wake.” Verse 34 says the man of the house “commands the doorkeeper to stay awake.” Verse 35 says, “Therefore stay awake.” Verse 37 says, “And what I say to you I say to all: “stay awake.” The repeated command to wakefulness and watchfulness is the dominating theme of the Olivet Discourse. As Jesus left the temple in Jerusalem for the last time, he predicted it would be destroyed. When they reached the Mount of Olives, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked follow-up questions. Verse 4 says, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished.” They asked a time question and a sign question. Verses 5-37 record Jesus’ answer to...
Sermons

The Lesson of the Fig Tree | Mark 13:28-31

November 19, 2023
By H.B. Charles Jr.
When I was young, there was a “psychic” whose commercials regularly played on TV. Miss Cleo gave assurances she could reveal your future over the phone. There were clips of phone sessions to prove her assertions. Then she would say in a Jamaican accent, “Call me now!” The caption read: “First 3 minutes of each call free. Must be 18. For Entertainment Only.”  Many make bold predictions about the future. Their prognostications are only useful for entertainment. Jesus is not a part of that list. You can live with confidence in what Jesus says about the future. That’s the message of Mark 13:28-31.  It was Wednesday of Passion Week – Jesus’ last visit to...
Sermons

Jesus Is Coming Again | Mark 13:24-27

October 31, 2023
By H.B. Charles Jr.
Some Christians are fanatical about biblical prophecy. They have an unhealthy fixation with the future, end-times, and Second Coming. It is easy to mock the caricature of the person who goes overboard about prophecy. But those who fit that category are few and far between. There are many more Christians who ignore the subject altogether. They have their heads in the sand, unable or unwilling to look up. The neglect of biblical prophecy is as bad as the abuse of it, maybe worse.  The Old Testament is filled with prophecies of the coming of Christ. Did you know it is also filled with prophecies of his second coming? There are 1,845 predictions of the second coming in the Old Testament. There are 318 references to the second coming in the 260 chapters of...
Sermons

The Abomination of Desolation | Mark 13:24-27

October 31, 2023
By H.B. Charles Jr.
After Jesus departed the temple in Jerusalem for the last time, a disciple pointed out the remarkable temple complex. Jesus responded by predicting the destruction of the temple. When Jesus stopped on the Mount of Olives, the “inner circle” asked follow-up questions in Mark 13:4: “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?” The disciples asked two different questions:  A Time Question: “When will these things be?” A Sign Question: “What will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?” Verses 5-37 records the Lord’s answer. It is called “The Olivet Discourse.” This is the fullest answerJesus gave to...
Sermons

Enduring To The End | Mark 13:1-13

October 16, 2023
By H.B. Charles Jr.
It was Wednesday of Passion Week. As Jesus taught in the temple, religious delegations questioned him. They did not desire to learn anything from Jesus. They sought to discredit or accuse him. They failed miserably. As Jesus departed from the temple for the last time, he condemned the religious leaders and commended a poor widow’s offering.  That is where our text picks up the story.  Jesus left the temple to return to Bethany for the night. On the way, the disciples pointed out the gloryand grandeur of Herod’s temple. In response, Jesus predicted the destruction of that magnificent edifice. The inner circle later asked follow-up questions.  When will these things come to pass?  What will be the signs of...
Sermons

The Scandal of the Cross | Mark 8:31-33

September 18, 2023
By H.B. Charles Jr.
In On a Hill Too Far Away, John Fischer wrote about a church with a ten-foot wooden cross in its sanctuary. Bolted to the ground, it stood between the pulpit and the pews. The crossbeam blocked the preacher’s face. He had to come down to be seen clearly by the congregation. This is the way it should be. The cross should be intrusive and obtrusive. Unfortunately, the cross is no longer central to our worship. It is ignored and unnoticed on the back wall.  “The hill was far away to begin with,” Fischer wrote, “now it is so far away that the old rugged cross tends to be forgotten.” Mark 8:31-33 strategically places the cross at the center...
Sermons

When Religion Meets the Approval of Jesus

June 5, 2023
By H.B. Charles Jr.
And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, "Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty haws put in everything she had, all she had to live on. -...
Sermons

Jesus Has The Last Word

May 28, 2023
By H.B. Charles Jr.
And as Jesus taught in the temple, he said, "How can the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David? David himself, in the Holy Spirit, declared, "'The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet."' David himself calls him. Lord. She how is he his Son?" And the great throng heard him gladly. And in his teaching he said, "Bewared of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces and have the best seats in the synagogues and the...
Sermons

The Most Important Commandment

May 21, 2023
By H.B. Charles Jr.
And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this:‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions. - Mark 12:28-34 Armies win battles through bombardment. They repeatedly attack until their enemy’s defenses break down. After the barrage, the weakened adversary is defeated. Spiritual warfare advances this way. Do not let your guard down after any battle. Another wave of attack is sure to come. It happened to Jesus in Mark 12. Upon arriving in Jerusalem, Jesus cleansed the temple, disrupting the business administration of the sacrificial system. The religious authorities, guardians of the temple and its operations, sought to destroy Jesus. In chapter 12, three deployments of religious leaders attack Jesus to bring him...
Sermons

Lessons from a Childless Widow

May 14, 2023
By H.B. Charles Jr.
And Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection. And they asked him a question, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies and leaves a wife, but leaves no child, the man must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. There were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and when he died left no offspring. And the second took her, and died, leaving no offspring. And the third likewise. And the seven left no offspring. Last of all the woman also died. In the resurrection, when they rise again, whose wife will she be? For the...
Sermons

Caesar’s Things

May 8, 2023
By H.B. Charles Jr.
And they sent to him some of the Pharisees and some of the Herodians to trap him in his talk. And they came and said to him, "Teacher, we know that you are true and do not care about anyone's opinion. For you are not swayed by appearances, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Should we pay them or not? But, knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, "Why put me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me look at it." And they brought one. And...