All posts by JT

Christian. Husband. Dad. Preacher. Baseball fan. Music nerd. Bookworm.

Saul in Gibeah Under a Tamarisk Tree (1 Samuel 22:6-19)

Saul in Gibeah Under a Tamarisk Tree (1 Samuel 22:6-19)

1 Samuel 22:6-19

I. Saul was blinded by hatred (1 Samuel 22:6-7)

    A. The relationship between Saul and David started well (1 Samuel 16:21-23)
    B. Jealousy took hold of Saul quickly as David became popular (1 Samuel 18:5-9)
    C. Saul developed murderous hatred (1 Samuel 18:10-11; 19:1; 1 John 3:15)

II. Saul claimed to be the victim (1 Samuel 22:8)

    A. One of man’s worst enemies is all-too-often self
    B. Imagined conspiracies against him (Isaiah 8:12-13)
    C. Pitied himself because no one felt sorry for him (1 Corinthians 10:24-33)

III. Saul had an unquenchable appetite for vengeance (1 Samuel 22:9-19)

    A. Doeg told Saul what he wanted to hear (Isaiah 30:9-11; 2 Timothy 4:3-4)
    B. Doeg executed Saul’s ungodly wrath (James 1:19-20)

Doing the Impossible (Mark 6:30-56)

Doing the Impossible (Mark 6:30-56)

Mark 6:30-56

I. Feeding the five thousand (Mark 6:30-44)

    A. The need for rest (Mark 6:30-32)
    B. The need for compassion (Mark 6:33-34; Matthew 9:35-38)
    C. The need for physical sustenance (Mark 6:35-44)

II. Walking on water (Mark 6:45-52)

    A. The prayer of Jesus (Mark 6:45-46; 1 Thessalonians 5:17)
    B. The peace of Jesus (Mark 6:47-52; Philippians 4:6-7)

III. Healing all who touched Him (Mark 6:53-56)

    A. Jesus was recognized (Mark 6:53-54; 1 Corinthians 11:1)
    B. Jesus was sought (Mark 6:55-56)

IV. Application

    A. His power is beyond our comprehension (Ephesians 3:20; Romans 8:31-39)
    B. Our limitations are proof of His supremacy (2 Corinthians 12:7-10)
    C. Be the person your friends turn to when they need spiritual guidance (2 Corinthians 2:17)

He Loves Me

He Loves Me

(outline based on L.O. Sanderson’s hymn of the same name)

I. Verse 1

    A. He left heaven and came to earth (Philippians 2:5-7)
    B. He did this knowing He would be rejected (John 1:5, 10-11)

II. Verse 2

    A. He faced temptation (Hebrews 4:15)
    B. He spent much time teaching (Matthew 7:28-29) and praying (Luke 5:16)

III. Verse 3

    A. He faced intense emotional strain, followed by physical pain (Luke 22:41-44; Matthew 27:21-31)
    B. He suffered death upon the cross (Philippians 2:8; Romans 5:8)

Inspired Examples: Good and Bad (Mark 6:14-29)

Inspired Examples: Good and Bad (Mark 6:14-29)

Mark 6:14-29

I. Herod Antipas

    A. Listened to truth but never applied it (James 1:22-25)
    B. Enticed by lust (James 1:13-15)
    C. Did not think before he spoke (Proverbs 29:20)
    D. Allowed peer pressure to control him (1 Corinthians 15:33; Ephesians 5:11; Exodus 23:2)

II. Herodias

    A. Vindictive (Romans 12:17-21)
    B. She used people—even her own daughter!—to get her way (1 Corinthians 13:5)

III. John the Baptizer

    A. A just and holy man (Luke 1:6; Leviticus 11:44-45; 19:2; 20:7, 26; 21:8)
    B. Refused to compromise truth even in the face of death (1 Corinthians 15:58; Matthew 10:22)

God in His Mercy and His Love

God in His Mercy and His Love

Based on the song by Paul H. Epps

I. Verse 1

    A. There is no sin too great for God to forgive – Christ’s blood makes us whole! (Ephesians 1:7)
    B. He will be our guide and provide light in this world of darkness (John 1:4-5)

II. Verse 2

    A. The joy of His mercy and love should cause us to sing with joy (James 5:13)
    B. His magnificent blessings should motivate us to avoid evil, to cling to Him, and to remain loyal throughout life (James 1:17, 21-22, 25)

III. Verse 3

    A. God still speaks! (John 12:48; 2 Timothy 3:16-17)
    B. What hinders us from full obedience and genuine discipleship? (Luke 9:23-26; Mark 12:30)
    C. Trust in His power to save (1 Peter 1:3-5)

His Own Country (Mark 6:1-13)

His Own Country (Mark 6:1-13)

Mark 6:1-13

I. Gossiping about God (6:1-3)

    A. Because He was known to them, “His own country” was astonished by Him, resulting in a judgmental attitude (James 2:1-7)
    B. Because He was known to them, “His own country” was offended at Him, resulting in jealousy, selfish ambition, envy (1 Corinthians 12:4-11)

II. Their gossip hindered their faith (6:4-6)

    A. Jesus received no honor from “His own country” (Mark 2:6-7, 16; 3:23, 24, 6)
    B. Jesus was prevented from performing miracles because of their unbelief
    C. The lack of faith in “His own country” made Jesus marvel (cf. Matthew 8:5-10)

III. The apostles sent out (6:7-13)

    A. They were not to worry about physical needs but depend on others for support (1 Corinthians 9:14)
    B. When rejected, they were to “shake off the dust under your feet” (Acts 13:42-46, 51; Matthew 7:6)
    C. They delivered a message of repentance (Mark 1:4, 15; 2:17)

The Voice of the LORD (Psalm 29)

The Voice of the LORD (Psalm 29)

Psalm 29

I. Praise to the LORD (29:1-2)

    A. The glory due to His name (Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:8, 11; 5:9-10, 12, 13)
    B. Worship in the beauty of holiness (John 4:24; 1 Peter 3:3-6; 1 Tim. 2:8-10)

II. The power of the LORD (29:3-9)

    A. “The voice of the LORD is powerful;
    The voice of the LORD is full of majesty”
    B. Powerful in creation (Genesis 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24, 26)
    C. Powerful in commandments (Exodus 19:18-19; 20:1-18)
    D. Powerful in conversion (Romans 10:17; Mark 16:15-16; Romans 1:16; 2 Timothy 3:16-17)

III. The peace of the LORD (29:10-11)

    A. The voice of the Lord, like the Flood, both destroys and saves
    B. “The King forever” (1 Timothy 1:17)
    C. He gives His people strength (1 Peter 5:10)
    D. He gives His people peace (Philippians 4:6-7)

Overwhelmed (Mark 5:21-43)

Overwhelmed (Mark 5:21-43)

Mark 5:21-43

I. Overwhelmed with concern for another (5:21-24)

    A. Jairus – a ruler of the synagogue and a father to a little girl
    B. Approached Jesus directly for help

II. Overwhelmed with concern for self (5:25-34)

    A. An unnamed woman – a societal outcast because of her disease (Leviticus 15:25-30)
    B. Snuck up behind Jesus for healing – touched Him, made Him ceremonially unclean

III. Overwhelmed with grief (5:35-40)

    A. “Do not be afraid, only believe”
    B. “A tumult…wept and wailed loudly;” Jesus calls it a “commotion”
    C. Jesus provides assurance, permits only the girl’s parents and Peter, James, and John to remain inside

IV. Overwhelmed with amazement (5:41-43)

    A. Jairus’s daughter was raised from the dead
    B. Jesus touched her – again, making Himself ceremonially unclean (Numbers 19:11-13)

The Church is God’s Temple (1 Corinthians 3:16-17)

The Church is God's Temple (1 Corinthians 3:16-17)

1 Corinthians 3:16-17

I. The church is the temple of God

    A. The Spirit of God dwells in the church (Ephesians 2:19-22; 5:18; Colossians 3:16)
    B. The temple of God—the church of Christ—is holy (1 Peter 1:13-16)

II. Warning against defiling God’s temple

    A. “Defile” and “destroy” from the same Greek word: phtheirō
    B. Modern-day defilement of God’s temple, the church

      1. Division (1 Corinthians 1:10)
      2. False teaching (1 Timothy 4:1-2; 2 Peter 2:1-3; 1 John 4:1; 2 John 9-11)
      3. Leaving “first love” (Revelation 2:4-5)
      4. Apathy (Revelation 3:15-16; 2 Timothy 2:15; Romans 12:11)

    C. God will destroy those who…

      1. Engage in destructive behaviors (Romans 11:22; Matthew 13:40-42)
      2. Refuse to work for Him (Matthew 25:29-30)

Legion (Mark 5:1-20)

Legion (Mark 5:1-20)

Mark 5:1-20

I. The incredible authority over the demons (5:1-13)

    A. The power of the demons (5:1-5)
    B. The power of Jesus over the demons (5:6-9)
    C. The plea of the demons (5:10-12)
    D. The destruction of the demons (5:13)

II. The illogical answer of the townspeople (5:14-17)

    A. Fear (5:14-15)
    B. “Please leave” (5:16-17)…and He did! (5:18a)

      1. Jesus did not beg or plead or perform additional signs; they rejected Him and He left
      2. “God gave them up” (Romans 1:18, 24-32)

III. The individual assignment to the believer (5:18-20)

    A. The plea of the former demoniac (5:18)
    B. The instruction of Jesus (5:19)
    C. The astounding proclamation (5:20)