Calvary Baltimore Weekly Sermons

There are many "hills of the Lord," both in the Old and New Testaments. Even in the very beginning, the Garden of Eden was atop a hill. Jacob met God at Mt. Bethel, Moses met him at Mt. Sinai; even Joshua was only allowed in its lower parts. David had Mt. Zion, a foreshadowing of the New Jerusalem, where God's people will live with him for all eternity. In Matthew, Jesus spoke from the Mount of Be...

Jesus is the conquering King of Glory, mighty in battle, who has defeated sin, death, and Satan! As the ark was returned to Mount Zion in victory, Christ ascended into heaven in victory! He's the conquering warrior we need in spiritual warfare, and our key to heaven. If you don't yet believe, seek him now, while you still can!

Who can approach the living God? One with clean hands, who neither plans nor does evil, whose soul isn't lifted up to the pursuit of false things or idols, and who is transparent, without deceit. David is describing the character of the godly! The reverential awe of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Once we've come to Jesus, we are called to follow his ways, to live in holiness. In our humanity...

The four miracles in Mark 4-5 all have this in common: God brings hope to hopeless situations. Jesus reveals himself as God, as creator. He is our refuge in times of trouble. In all the miracles, death was threatening, and Jesus brings life. He is the atoner! Structurally, the center of today's passage is the woman being healed, and power going out from Jesus. Jesus gives out, and we receive. Many...

Jesus is one with the Father, so the Old Testament laws of uncleanliness do not apply to him. The woman with the issue of blood simply put her faith in him to heal her, and Jesus not only healed her, but made her pure! Our Lord is the ultimate purifier; the unclean doesn't render him unclean, but is rather purified by his sheer holiness. As followers of Christ, we too were once in a terrible state...

The stories of Jairus's daughter and the woman with the issue of blood are told together, and intertwined. The girl was 12 years old, and the woman's issue of blood had lasted 12 years. The girl experienced death, and due to Levitical laws, the woman was associated with death for 12 years. Both the woman and Jairus were desperate for healing, and Jesus's touch healed them both! Jairus may have bee...

When Jesus resurrects Jairus's daughter, he shows he is Lord even over death. He says she wasn't dead, "only sleeping"... Does that mean when we die, we go into soul sleep until the resurrection of the dead? The Bible says no in multiple places. Jesus says "sleeping" as a way of describing our eternity; it's more accurate than saying "dead". Because after death, we wake up! Fall asleep in the worl...

God's love for his lost bride (humanity) is profound. We can trace it through history: creation, the fall, Abraham and Isaac, the tabernacle and priestly garments, the Song of Solomon, and our redemption through Jesus' sacrificial death and resurrection. God is committed to rescuing and restoring his people despite their unfaithfulness. His ultimate plan is to glorify us as he is glorified, bringi...

Following Jesus is challenging. The world may hate us, just as it hated him, but this persecution is essential for our spiritual growth. We're called to be the salt of the earth, preserving a decaying world even when it hurts. Our response to trials and persecution can be a powerful witness to others. Are we living for our own false glory or the true glory of God, who chose to humble Himself for...

Jesus' resurrection is centrally important to the Christian faith. The four Gospels offer distinct, non-chronological accounts of the resurrection, each highlighting particular theological themes. Mark ends with fear and confusion. Luke focuses on women's perspectives and eyewitness accounts. John emphasizes the garden setting, drawing parallels to the Garden of Eden and Jesus as the new Adam. Mat...

On this Easter Sunday, we delve into Jesus' resurrection, as recorded in John 20. This pivotal event is not just a historical fact, but the cornerstone of our faith. The empty tomb proclaims that Jesus is who He says He is - the Son of God, victorious over death! The resurrection is what sets Christianity apart from all other religions. It's not about our works, but the work Christ has done for us...

Structurally, the focus of today's passage is verse 13: "So he gave them permission." Jesus has such authority that the demons need to ask him before they act!  - Jesus has the authority. Same as the story of Jesus calming the storm.  - The opposition to Jesus in the beginning was the demons... At the end, it was the gentiles.  - At the end of Mark 4 (Jesus calms the storm), the disciples question...

The end of Mark 4 ended with a question... who is this that even the wind and the sea obey him? Jesus and the disciples were already tired from the storm at sea, and they're immediately faced with a demon-possessed man! He was strong, violent, had a legion of demons, lived among the dead, and couldn't be contained.  These demons know who Jesus is, even if the disciples don't yet. They beg him for...

Structurally, Mark 4:35-41 is a chiasm, with the central point being the disciples waking Jesus and his rebuking the wind and sea. This emphasizes the faithlessness of the disciples compared to the faith of Jesus. This passage begins as Jesus gets away from the crowds to rest with his disciples; he escapes the crowd to rest with us as well. The storm is reminiscent of the one Jonah encountered in...

As he calms the storm, Jesus is the God of Genesis 1, whose voice brings order! Creation listens to his voice. In the beginning, the earth was without form, chaotic. God speaks and brings order to it all! As Jesus calms the storm, he shows that he is one with the Father. When life becomes chaotic, we need the Word of the Lord! Order will come about only through his mercy.  If our finances are chao...

This week, Mark Traeger teaches on the investments we're called to make in Jesus. God first calls us to invest our lives in him! In our Christian walk, if we want a better prayer life, we must invest time in prayer; if we want to know God's Word better, we must invest our time and effort into it. All the world offers is temporary, but an investment in God is eternal!

In the parable of the lamp, the lamp is illuminating Gospel truth throughout the world. The Word should be proclaimed, and the light of Christ should shine, openly. The Kingdom will expand, shining God's light to the whole earth. As you share the light of his Word, more will be given to you! As you reject it, more will be taken from you, until you're in outer darkness. He's generous with us so we...

The Kingdom is indeed eternal, but it's also here now. Jesus is Lord of the Kingdom, and Lord of all. Demons shudder over his authority! Satan doesn't want us to know about the Kingdom. Being in the Kingdom means we're under the King! He is our Lord! He brought the Kingdom down to us. In the parable of the lamp, we see he didn't give us a light to hide it, as he didn't give us seeds to hoard them...

Thorns (worldly concerns) grow up with the wheat; we must make sure not to let these concerns choke out our faith. Verses 10-12 are the chiastic focal point, showing that parables are like riddles, meant to teach God's people but confound unbelievers, conveying judgment on the hard-hearted. Jesus gives an allegorical interpretation of the parable of the sower, and understanding it allows the belie...

People who are like good soil... - They hear and continue to hear! They meditate on it, abide in it! They hear the word and keep hearing it. - They accept the word, welcoming the whole counsel of God, and keeping it. They don't want the word on their own terms... they adhere to its hard truths, trusting its veracity even if it doesn't agree with our human understanding. - They bear fruit! Good wor...

Mark mostly tells us what Jesus did, more than what he said, but in Chapter 4 (as well as Chapter 13) he emphasizes what Jesus taught. Here Jesus is teaching from the water, protecting him from the encroaching mob. He commands his followers to listen! In the parable of the sower, he describes the various kinds of people who have encountered his ministry. Jesus says he's given his followers the abi...

In today's passage, Jesus teaches in parables, like riddles. Parables were a language of judgment on the hard-hearted; even the apostles didn't always understand them immediately. Jesus is the chief sower, but we also sow the Word of God, the truth of Jesus' story, God's Kingdom. 1 - Seed along the well-traveled path... people have heard it before. Birds steal it, in one ear and out the other; tru...

Why did Jesus' family think he was crazy here? They never saw him perform miracles, so they struggled to believe. Mark places the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit as the center of the story. Jesus has power over the demonic, and the scribes attack Jesus, attributing his power to evil. They're trying to undercut the claims that he's Messiah. He responds with a parable, as an indictment against them! Pa...

Scribes accuse Jesus of being possessed by demons simply because he commands them. But he's binding Satan before plundering his house. Everything you've ever done can be forgiven. Christians today have the Holy Spirit. Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, the only unpardonable sin, is the repeated and final rejection of Jesus. Biblically, if you're given over to blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, you don't ca...

Pastor Rick explores the concepts of joy, peace, and fruitfulness in the Christian life, rooted in Jesus' teachings from John 14 and 15. It's essential that we as Christians abide in Christ, understand God's sovereignty, and experience the transformative power of God's love. True peace and joy come from trusting in God's plan, even amidst life's challenges, and this joy is a testament to the world...