The Forerunner
Mark does not spend any time looking at the early life of Jesus Christ. We get no managers, magi, or angels. Mark abruptly turns from his introduction (Mark 1:1) to John the prophet. We know him for his ceremonial act of baptism; Jesus calls him ‘John the Baptist’ (Matt 11:11-12). We can sometimes focus on his actions of baptism (as we will see with Christ and his miracles) and neglect or minimalize his preaching. John was more than a man
One Lord JESUS Christ
We are continuing to look at the Nicene Creed and particularly the line, ‘And in one Lord Jesus Christ.’ We have seen the exclusiveness of the Gospel, which says there is one way of salvation. Last week we looked at the title Lord given to Christ. This week we will look at the name Jesus. Jesus, to us, is a very particular name that we know who we are talking about. We are talking about Jesus Christ, the second person
One LORD Jesus Christ
Last week we looked at the exclusiveness of Christianity that Jesus is the only way. Over the coming weeks, we will continue on the same line of the creed, but we will be looking at the titles given to the second person of the Trinity, Jesus. The first one is the Lord. The word for Lord is Kyrios in Greek, which appears over 700 times. Lord is a title we do not use much in today’s vocabulary. It can have
Gospel of Jesus
Mark 1:1 The opening verse in Mark one is a summary of the whole book. In this one verse, we get a simple statement about Jesus and who he is. Mark does not seem to hide this line to the end, with an enormous twist at the end of his gospel. From the gates, he explains his gospel in an excerpt. In this one verse, we find great news to everyone who understands and believes this one verse. In twelves words
Introduction
Introduction The most important question any person needs to ask is, “who do you believe Jesus is?” How you answer this one question is a matter of (eternal) life and death. Many questions have little impact on our lives, such as your favorite cereal. However, this question has enormous consequences in everyone’s life. The Gospel of Mark seeks to ask that same question. The opening verse explains who Mark, the author, believes Jesus is, The Son of God. “A man who was
Sinners and Outsiders
Sinners and Outsiders Have you ever met a person who is so in love with a particular topic that they talk about all the time? They find a way to bring it up in conversation all the time. Everyone else in the conversation begins to sigh as they know it would take a house fire to end this conversation. They talk about their love of a particular TV show, or particular cars, or interest. Sometimes it can feel like this when
ONE Lord Jesus Christ
This week we look at the second person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ. The opening section is about 9% of the Creed, whereas the ‘Christological’ section is about 58% of the Creed. The ecumenical council that met at Nicaea (325 AD) was to address the issue of Christ’s relationship to the Father. There were significant heresies that were arising around in that period where notably Arianism, Apollinarianism, Macedonianism (also called Pneumatomachianism), and Chiliasm. All of which says Christ became God
Father Almighty
The second line of the Nicene Creed is that we believe in the Father almighty. The Trinity is no difficult to say or even understand we believe there is but One only, the living and true God. The one true and living God There are three persons in the Godhead; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one God, the same in substance, equal in power and glory (WSC 4-5). When we use earthly examples
Bitter to Blessed
Ruth 4:13-17- Bitter to Blessed In the first five verses in the book of Ruth, we saw the loss of Naomi’s family. She went to the fields of Moab full and came back empty. In the first five verses, she goes through significant loss, which she explained is the Lord dealing with her bitterly (Ruth 1:20). This week, in these five verses, she goes from bitter to blessed. Naomi saw redemption from the hand of Boaz. Boaz was standing at the
The Court Room
Ruth 4:1-12- The Court Room Last week we looked at the promise made by Boaz to Ruth on the threshing floor, that he would redeem her if the relative closer to her would not. The chapter ended with Ruth’s return to her home with Naomi. Naomi said, “Wait, my daughter, until you learn how the matter turns out, for the man will not rest but will settle the matter today.” Ruth returns home in the early morning, and we will see
