Mark: The Simple Gospel

Part 51: The One Jesus Didn't Save

March 24, 2024 • Brian Stanley • 2 Corinthians 5:21, Mark 15:21–41, Hebrews 10:19–20, 1 Peter 2:24

As Jesus hung upon the sinner’s cross, people ridiculed His inability to perform one more miracle and escape His death. The greatest miracle of Jesus’ ministry was His commitment to forsake salvation from the cross so that we could experience salvation by the cross.

Part 54: It's News Too Good to Keep to Ourselves

April 7, 2024 • Brian Stanley • Mark 16:9–20

Few Christians realize that at the end of Mark’s gospel, we have something scandalous in our Bibles. The text (vv.9-20) is not the words of the original author – someone has tagged on their own ending! Join us for our series finale as Pastor Brian unpacks the controversy and reiterates the inspiration, inerrancy, and reliability of the Word of God while we unpack the mystery and consider what we, as believers today, can take away from the ending of Mark’s gospel.

Good Friday | Part 52: High and Lifted Up

March 29, 2024 • Brian Stanley • John 19:38–42, Luke 23:50–51, Mark 15:42–47, Matthew 27:57, John 12:32

When followers of Jesus sought to care for the body of Jesus, Pilate was surprised to hear that Jesus died so early in the process. Scripture teaches us not only why He died so early but also why He died so willingly. No sooner had Christ died than the effects of His great sacrifice would immediately spread as men became convinced that Christ was indeed the Son of God.

EASTER | Part 53: The Tomb is [Still] Empty

March 31, 2024 • Brian Stanley • Mark 8:31, Mark 16:1–8, Luke 24:21, 1 Corinthians 15:3–8

As the women came on Sunday morning to anoint the deceased body of Jesus, they were shocked to realize that the tomb was empty. All of our faith and purpose in life are wrapped up in the belief that the tomb is still empty today.

Part 50: I Am Barrabas

March 17, 2024 • Brian Stanley • Philippians 2:8, Isaiah 53, Mark 15:1–20, Matthew 27:16–19, Romans 8:32

Intending to rid himself of the responsibility of Jesus’ death, Pilate assumed the people would choose Jesus over Barabbas to be the one prisoner released at that year’s Passover. Instead, the people chose to free a sinful criminal and condemn the sinless Messiah.

Part 49: Why People Abandon Jesus

March 10, 2024 • Brian Stanley • Mark 14:43–72

In perhaps the most dramatic scene in Mark’s gospel, we find various responses to the person of Jesus. Some outright reject Him, some (even well-meaning) misrepresent Him, and others abandon Him. The gospel writer challenges us to consider if these failure modes might represent us in any way and, if so, how we will respond going forward. Jesus has given himself even to those of us who miss the mark.

Part 48: His Will Over My Will

March 3, 2024 • Brian Stanley • Mark 14:26–42, Matthew 6:9–13, Romans 12:2, Hebrews 5:7–9

Seeing Jesus in one of the darkest moments of his life on earth is eye-opening. In this episode, we see Jesus crying out to His Father, asking for some other way to accomplish the Father’s will – other than dying a gruesome death on a Roman cross. It does us well to know that he suffered and experienced pain, hardship, the abandonment of friends, and the betrayal of others, as many of us also experience in this life. However, we also learn from him in this most vulnerable moment what faithfully surrendering to God’s will looks like.

Part 47: A Passover Table in the Presence of His Enemies

February 25, 2024 • Brian Stanley • 1 Corinthians 11:23–32, Mark 14:12–25, John 6:53–56, John 10:18

For as long as Christianity has existed, so has the Eucharist (The Lord’s Supper, Communion). Christians are called to gather at one table and receive the only food and drink that can give us true and everlasting life.

Part 46: A Beautiful Gift from a Beautiful Heart

February 18, 2024 • Brian Stanley • Romans 12:1, Mark 14:1–11, John 12:4–6

As Jesus prepares for His sacrificial offering on the cross, Mary prepared a sacrificial offering for Him through an alabaster jar. As followers of Jesus, there is no gift too extravagant to lay before our Savior.

Part 45: The Return of the King

February 11, 2024 • Brian Stanley • Mark 13:24–37, 1 Thessalonians 4:18

For millennia people have been speculating on the details of certain foretold prophetic events; especially the return of Jesus Christ. People have been divided and entire movements have been created because people want so badly to have their interpretation of these things shown to be true. However, Jesus Himself makes it abundantly clear: what is important are not the details, but our readiness. Join us this week as we unpack the second half of the Olivet Discourse.

Part 44: It's The End of The World as We Know it (and I feel fine)

February 4, 2024 • Brian Stanley • Philippians 3:14, 2 Timothy 3:12, Mark 13:1–23, 1 John 3:13, John 16:33

There are many arguments for the divinity of Christ, not least of which is where the gospel writers (such as Mark) capture a number of prophecies given by Jesus himself and they come to fulfillment down to the last detail. What’s more, He has given us prophecies that are both unfolding in the present and are yet to be seen in the future. The call for all believers everywhere is not to anxiety or uncertainty, but to a confident hope that drives us to action in the present.

Part 42: The Two Most Important Tasks in Life

January 21, 2024 • John Weber • Mark 12:28–34

Join us this Sunday as John explores Mark 12 and an instance in which Jesus was asked an honest question. What does He say the two more important tasks are?

Part 43: The Greater Gift

January 28, 2024 • Brian Stanley • Isaiah 9:7, Jeremiah 23:5, Mark 12:35–44, Psalm 110:1, 2 Samuel 7:12

The philanthropy and spending exploits of the world’s billionaires’ pales by all comparison to the most famous of givers ever documented in human history. The poor widow from Mark’s gospel, whom according to Jesus gave not out of her abundance, but out of her lack – spending everything she owned to express love and obedience to her creator.

Part 41: Marriage in Heaven?

January 14, 2024 • Brian Stanley • Mark 12:18–27, Daniel 12:1–2, 1 Corinthians 15

The next group of religious leaders attempt to trip up Jesus in His theology by posing what they think is an unsolvable problem concerning marriage and the afterlife. Jesus responds by showing them just how little they understood about scriptures they said they accepted and just how powerful the power of God truly is.

Part 40: Whose Image?

January 7, 2024 • Romans 13:1–7, 1 Timothy 2:1–2, Mark 12:13–17

This famous passage has been suggested to be the single most influential political statement ever made in the history of the world. The Apostles even expound upon Jesus’ teaching here. However, were Jesus’ words intended to simply instruct us about political or civic responsibility? Or perhaps we have missed here, His greater message?

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