Calvary Baptist Church

"He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But to as many who received Him, to them gave He the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name..." (John 1:10-12). "He was despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief" (Isaiah 53:3). Jesus had established quite a reputation in Galilee. He had cast out demons, healed the lame and sick, cleansed lepers, raised the dead, and preached to large crowds. Jesus was now preparing to send His apostles on their first foray into a hostile world without His physical presence (6:6b-13). In His preparation, He took the apostles to His hometown where they saw firsthand the hostility they were likely to experience in their ministry for Him.

To be "in Christ" (8:1) is to be joint heirs with Him in eternal glory. In the epistle to the Ephesians, Paul prays "that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe..." (Ephesians 1:17-19). "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered in the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him" (I Corinthians 2:19). The blessings God has in store for those "in Christ" are beyond our present comprehension. The Holy Spirit gives us a "guarantee (earnest) of our inheritance" (Ephesians 1:13). We can sing with boldness: Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine! O what a foretaste of glory divine! Heir of salvation, purchase of God, Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood. (Fanny Crosby) There is, however, an unpleasant reality for Christians. There is "the sufferings of this present time" (8:18). We live in a fallen world. When Adam sinned, the whole creation was thrown into chaos. Victory comes to the Christian when we realize "the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."

"Who can this be" (4:41)? The apostles were learning very quickly who Jesus was. He had calmed the sea, cast out demons and healed a woman. A desperate man had come to Jesus begging Him to heal his daughter. The situation went from difficult to impossible. The child was dead. Only God had power over life and death. Is Jesus God?

The story of two mothers and one son is the most well-known displays of King Solomon's wisdom. Be with us tonight as we continue our study in the life of Solomon.

There was no rest for the disciples. After a harrowing trip across the lake, the men encountered another multitude of people seeking Jesus. For the fourth time in chapter 5 we see someone begging Jesus (vs. 11,17,18,23). A prominent man and a destitute woman came to Jesus. One has a daughter and the other is a daughter. In this we see two acts of faith.

If God asked, "Ask! What shall I give you?," for what would you ask? Solomon's answer pleased the Lord. Be with us tonight as we begin our study in the life and times of King Solomon. Reading Scripture: 1 Kings 3: 1-15

"If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home in Him" (John 14:23). When a person is "in Christ Jesus," he has been led by the Holy Spirit into a union which involves the Trinity. He is called by the Spirit, saved by the Savior, and declared righteous by the Father. To be "in Christ Jesus" (8:1) is to be "led by the Spirit" (8:14), who leads us to "cry out, Abba Father." Paul uses the Roman law of adoption to illustrate our new relationship with God the Father. To be adopted a child was brought into a Roman court, his former relationships would be dissolved, and the new father would declare the privileges of being joint heirs with the other children. Paul shows how life in the Spirit provides intimacy with the Father.

What a voyage! When Jesus got into the boat with His disciples, they had no idea what a wild voyage they would be taking. First, they feared for their lives in a violent storm. When they reached their destination, they were confronted by a man who was the terror of the town. They had survived a storm they could see. Now, they were confronted by a demonic world they could not see.

Launch Out Into The Deep Our Lord takes people from all walks of life and uses their backgrounds, talents and weaknesses to perform His work through them. He took common fishermen and made them fishers of men. He took their boats and performed some of His most enduring miracles which teach us great truths. The apostles' boats were His boats. He took command of their possessions. He led them from the shallows of the seashore to the deep waters of faith. "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is a gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:8:10).

The peaceful transfer of power is a relatively modern concept in governments. Even as Solomon was destined to become king following his father's reign, there was much turmoil and danger in the court. Be with us tonight as we have begun a new study in the book of 1 Kings.

There are four significant miracles recorded in the Gospels which involve the boat(s) Jesus ordered (3:9) His apostles to have available and the miracles He performed through their obedience. Luke records the first miracle with the miraculous draught of fish (Luke 5:1-11). The calming of the storm is the second miracle (Matthew 8:19-22; Mark 4:35-41; Luke 8:22-25). Jesus and Peter walking on water (Mathew 14:22-33; Mark 6:45-52; John 6:14-21) is the third incident. The second miraculous draught of fish (John 21:1-23) concludes the Gospel of John. These "boat miracles" differed in details and omissions according to the perspective of each Gospel writer. In Mark's record of the calming of the storm, Jesus' power over His creation is emphasized.

"For the intention of all God's hiding—which hiding is an integral part of His revealing—is not to conceal, but to reveal. Sometimes the best way of making a thing known to men is to veil it in a measure, in order that the very obscurity, like the morning mists which prophesy a blazing sun in a clear sky by noon day, may demand search and quicken curiosity and spur to effort. He is not a wise teacher who makes things too easy" (Alexander Maclaren). The parables Jesus told were easy to hear, but profound in meaning. He cautions that the words He spoke were not just for marginal discussion, but were for radical decision. He states "Listen!" (4:3). Now He states, "Take heed what you hear" (4:24).

Jesus was under no illusion as to why He was drawing great crowds. Miracles of healing and casting out demons attracted much attention. There were three groups of people in the crowds. There were the curious hearers. Then, there were those who believed Him but were uncommitted in following Him. Finally, there were His disciples who had submitted to His teaching. The purpose of His parables is stated in Mark 4:11,12. Many would hear, but only those who believe in Him could understand the depth of His teaching. Those who were not committed to following Him cannot understand (Psalm 25:14). The parable of the sower is the only parable recorded by all three synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke). It is always the first parable and serves as a pattern for those which follow.

The Gospels are a proclamation of the "good news" of the Lord Jesus Christ, not a biography. He came to "seek and to save that which is lost" (Luke 19:10). Matthew states that His very name defines His mission: "for He will save His people from their sins" (Matthew 1:26). Jesus is the promised Messiah. In his Gospel, Matthew quotes or alludes to the Old Testament sixty-five times stressing that Jesus is the fulfillment of God's promises. In straight-forward fashion, Matthew states the circumstances of Jesus' birth. "Now this is what happened" (1:18).

Opposition to Jesus' ministry came in many forms. The crowds found Jesus and His disciples refreshing themselves in an unnamed person's residence. The familiar press of the crowds caused familiar problems.

Mark 3: 7-19 Knowing the hostility of the Pharisees, our Lord withdrew from Capernaum and sought more secluded areas around the Sea of Galilee. His withdrawal was not for fear. His purpose was to give Himself an offering for sinners. No one would deter Him from His path to the cross.

The book of II Samuel ends with a sad episode near the end of King David's reign. However, in all the confusion, we see God's hand at work and His plan for the coming Messiah. Be with us tonight as we continue our study in the life and times of a great, but flawed man.

The angel came to the shepherds with "the glad tidings of great joy." The term glad tidings (or good news) comes from the Greek word from which we get "evangelism." The Greeks used to proclaim news of victory or some other happy event. The angel came to the shepherds and proclaimed the good news of Jesus' birth. The promised Messiah had finally come! A world darkened by sin had received sin's remedy. In the Gospels and the book of Acts, the gospel (good news) was proclaimed. In the epistles, the gospel is explained. Paul alone uses the word over sixty times. "Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ; called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God...." "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also to the Greek" (Romans 1:1,16).

The first chapter of the Gospel of Mark introduces us to Jesus' early ministry in Galilee. In rapid fire fashion, the Lord Jesus is introduced, and the purpose of His ministry is stated (1:1-15). This is followed by the call of His first disciples and a series of miracles illustrating His authority, power and compassion (1:16-45). These momentous events caused such a stir in Galilee that Jesus and His disciples were forced to leave the area. After some time away, Jesus returned to His "home city" (Matthew 9:1) and resumed His preaching. The scribes and Pharisees were waiting for Him. Mark records a series of five separate conflicts Jesus had with these religious leaders. Interestingly, the first and fifth conflicts center around Jesus' authority and power to heal. The middle three center around food, fellowship, and provision for His followers.

David's last poem was a summation of God's call and leading in his life. David acknowledged his shortcomings, but knew God had made a covenant with him. What a blessing to know God's promises to us never fail even when our promises fall short. We'd love to have you with us tonight as we continue our study in the life of King David.