The Forgiveness of the Servant King

Sixth in a series on the Gospel of Mark by Pastor Craig Diestelkamp

Scripture: Mark 2:1-12

Click to play the message or right click to save to your computer.

As Mark begins chapter two, Jesus’ ministry is in full swing. His words were commanding and persuasive. Not only is He a great teacher, but He ministers in power. He casts out demons and heals the sick. The result is, His fame grows almost overnight. Where ever Jesus goes large crowds gather. Jesus is committed to preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom. The miracles were wonderful, but Jesus came to offer something even greater, the forgiveness of our sins.

Forgiveness ls God’s greatest gift.

• When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.” (Mark 2:5 NKJV)
• If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You, That You may be feared. (Psalm 130:3-4 NKJV)

Forgiveness is God’s deeper work.
Jesus is also helping this man get in touch with his deepest desires and longings by driving him deep. Jesus is saying; By coming to Me and asking for only your body to be healed, you’re not going deep enough. You have to understand the depths of your longings, the longings of your heart. Jesus says, When I heal your body, and if that’s all I do, I know you think that is all you need and everything will be right again. But trust me, within two months, the euphoria will be lost. The roots of discontentment of the human heart will surface again and so we must go deeper.

Forgiveness is a team effort.
Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men. And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying. (Mark 2:3-4)

Forgiveness is a very costly work.
But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, “Why do you reason about these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise, take up your bed and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralytic, “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” (Mark 2:9-11)

The Authority of the Servant King

Fifth in a series on the Gospel of Mark by Pastor Craig Diestelkamp

Scripture: Mark 1:21-34

Click to play the message or right click to save to your computer.

As Mark begins to give us the account of the ministry of Jesus, he highlights one very important aspect. Jesus has come to bring the Kingdom of God and He ministers with divine authority. Mark shows how must be able to exercise authority over the fallen condition of mankind; He must minister a message of authority that gives life transforming power to lost souls. He must exercise power over Satan to break the bondage that he and his demons hold over the souls of sinners; and He must be able to demonstrate His power and authority over the physical realm, delivering men from the suffering of sickness, disease, and all kinds of maladies.

Capernaum, the headquarters of His ministry
Capernaum was called Kaphar-Nahum; meaning the village of the prophet Nahum. It was located at the northwest edge of the Sea of Galilee and became the largest city on the lake because it was at the crossroads Jewish and Gentile territory. It became Jesus‘ headquarters during His Galilean ministry. It was considered to be a very evil and wicked city (see Matthew 11:23-24)

The Synagogue, the gathering place for His ministry
Synagogue was a practice that emerged during the Babylonian captivity. “Synagogue” simply means to come together, to collect together. By the time of Jesus, for example, the Talmud says there were 500 of them in Jerusalem alone. Synagogues were like local assemblies and it became the primary place for Jesus to interact with the Jewish community.

Jesus’ teaching with authority brings life and freedom to the human soul
“If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:31a-32 NKJV)

Jesus’ deliverance with authority sets the captive free
Notice the stark difference between the response of the demons to Jesus‘ authority and the response of the people. His authority amazed the people, but it terrified the demons. Why? Because they know who Jesus is. (Mark 1:23-24)

His healing with authority brings restoration to the entire human condition
So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her. And she served them. (Mark 1:31 NKJV)

Spirit Connected Church

GracePoint held a combined worship with Christ the King church this morning.

Click here to go to the website to hear the message by Dr. Michael Peters.

The Good Shepherd – Part 1

Message by Christoph Zurcher

Scripture: Psalm 23

Click to play the message or right click to save to your computer.

The LORD is my shepherd;

I shall not be in want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside quiet waters.

He restores my soul.

He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.