Calvary Baltimore Weekly Sermons

The beatitudes (being meek, peacemakers, pure in heart, hungering for righteousness, etc.) are the Kingdom attitudes, how we should be living! As subjects of the King, he is either our Lord or our enemy. Jesus started a good work in us so we can be a blessing to each other. Our loved ones need us to act more and more like Christ! We are brought here to church for a purpose, to help each other, to...

John Mark traveled with Peter and Paul, and was the cousin of Barnabas. He was a man of good character, according to Peter, and a man of useful skills according to Paul. The Gospel of Mark is not chronologically ordered, but split into 3 sections: Jesus in Galilee, Jesus on the way to Jerusalem, and Jesus in Jerusalem. Mark likes to write chiastically. The audience of the Gospel of Mark is gentile...

Mark was written in the mid-to-late 60s AD by Mark, aka John Mark, cousin of Barnabas. He became Peter's follower, interpreter and transcriber. His writing was very accurate, though not in chronological order. He introduces John the Baptist, whose life parallels that of Elijah. John's words are full of sweetness and judgment, and his ministry points ahead to the coming Christ. When Jesus is baptiz...

When Jesus appears to Peter, he was cleaning his nets, a long and laborious process... so it was a big deal when Jesus told him to trust him and let down the nets. The yield was supernaturally large, and Peter realizes his sinfulness in the presence of God. The concept of "fishing for men" is also found in Jeremiah 16:16, Amos 4:2, Habakkuk 1:17, in a military context. So Jesus may be saying he's...

Peter, like Isaiah, suddenly realizes he's in the presence of the almighty God, and sees the depth of his own sinfulness. Jesus "fished" Peter before calling him to fish men. In Romans 5:8 we see that God showed his love for us while we were still sinners! He stepped into our lives because he first loved us-- not because we came to him. We should be the most grateful people in the world! As Peter...

Pastor Josh finds parallels between Elijah and Jesus, between Elijah and the sacrificial system, and between Elisha and Elijah's roles and the roles of the Jewish and gentile Church. All the parallels in scripture point to Jesus, the ultimate sacrifice!

The spirit of Elijah is the Holy Spirit, the spirit of truth, all about being a bold witness, a messenger. John the Baptist was a type of Elijah. In 2 Kings as Elijah passes the mantle to Elisha, Elisha is reluctant to accept, a good sign that he takes the office of prophet seriously. Elijah and Moses weren't great prophets in and of themselves; they thrived on God's grace and providence. Elijah w...

Ahab would not be broken, and he was removed. Ahazaiah wants to reach out to Baal, and he reaches out far away to Ekron, because Israel's messengers of Baal have been killed. He could have been healed like the widow of Zarephath's son if he only had the faith of the pagan widow. Structurally, the chapter is a chiasm. The central portion is verses 7 and 8. It hinges upon the king (Ahaziah) wanting...

The wicked king falls, never again to rise. Elijah, like Yahweh, rises again, never to fall! Ahaziah, when things got tough, went to false gods, just like his father Ahab. The best gift we can give our children is faith in the one true God! Elijah is described as a "Baal of hair"... Ahaziah wants to hear from a Baal, so God sends Elijah!  The Lord needs to be our safety, our high tower! God will N...

God's presence is not just found in grandiose signs and wonders, but in his voice— his Word. Elisha is anointed not by Elijah, but by God himself. These two things are what's needed for reformation in our society: God's Word and his anointing!

Elijah was "the one who came before," like John the Baptist. God even told him to appoint a new prophet to take his place. Our own effort is only a small part of the bigger picture. Every generation is tempted to think they're THE generation... humanity has finally arrived! No. We are all forerunners to those who will come after us! Elijah's job is to anoint those who will be there when he's gone....

God's ultimate desire is for humanity to be with him and witness his glory, and to do that, he's willing to sacrifice his own life for us, his sheep. The Good Shepherd takes us from living as animals, to a glorious existence with him! The Holy Spirit reveals to us the deeper things of God, and when we pray, he's not distant; we are intimately connected with our Good Shepherd.

Jezebel is running the country, not Ahab. She's also running Ahab's life. This is a sign of judgment on Israel. In Exodus, we see many parallels between Elijah and Moses. Elijah's concern is that the people have forsaken the covenant, they are not coming to God. He's the only one actively opposing Jezebel. God speaks in a whisper. He speaks to us intimately! The presence of God is in the preaching...

Unless God awakens someone, no amount of education will bring them to Christ! The problem isn't the eyes or mind, it's the heart.  Evangelism starts with PRAYER... Asking God to do what only he can do! King Ahab would rather have peace with his wife than with God. Many men are in this position even now. This is a toxic marriage. Wives, if you have a good husband, he desperately wants peace. He doe...

The prophets of the false god Baal are entrenched in their wrong belief. The people of Israel are "limping" between worship of Baal and following the true God. But the events in this passage seem to be describing a coming restoration of Israel, as if God is opening the door for them to come back to him... unfortunately, we'll soon see this doesn't happen.

When it comes time to decide whose god is the real God, Elijah gives the prophets of Baal as many advantages as he can, so they can't complain of unfairness when Baal loses... and to show the people who the real, living God is! God demands undivided allegiance to himself alone. Elijah mocks the prophets as they try to get "Baal" to answer them. Then they cut themselves bloody in a last ditch effor...

NOTE: Due to streaming trouble, this B-Side was presented a week later than usual. It's meant to accompany the sermon from 9/1/2024, "Elijah Part 2". For the B-Side that goes with the 9/8/2024 sermon titled, "Elijah Part 3," Pastor Josh is hoping to stream that next Monday, 9/16. Thanks for bearing with us; technology is wonderful when it works! :-D The widow of Zarephath is a woman of faith, a ne...

Obadiah was a godly insider in Israel's government, Ahab's right-hand man, who quietly protected pastors from Ahab and Jezebel. God has people everywhere doing his work, protecting his people! Yes, we need outspoken leaders like Elijah, but God uses all kinds of people to do his work. Be faithful where he's placed you! Ahab's concern for protecting his war horses over human life is similar to our...

Our God is not limited by anything; he is on the throne! Jesus is Lord, whether you believe it or not. This is the realization the whole universe will come to eventually. And prayer is acknowledging that you are not God, and that he is able to provide. He deserves our time, attention, and humility! As Elijah stretched himself out over the boy 3 times and God brought him back to life, we witness an...

Ahab was even more evil than his evil father. Israel seemed to be prospering by worldly standards, but God was disgusted. Ahab chose Baal because he thought that would bring more wealth and power. True wealth and power only come when you put God first. Though Ahab is constantly ignoring the Word of God, Elijah is consistently living his life based on the Word of God. Elijah's strength was drawn fr...

Our country isn't immune to the modern equivalent of Baal worship. We must stop pretending that Satan isn't constantly seeking to devour us, our children, our grandchildren. A nation is under judgment when the Word departs from society. God brings Elijah to a place of no food, with a brook that runs out of water, even though he was under God's grace. He was just a man like us. Tempted to question...

If you love God (because he first loved us), you'll keep his commandments. He should be first in our marriages. In all things, submit to him and see how he works things out! Jesus says simply, "Follow me."

The wisdom and rulers of this age are doomed to pass away. Hidden wisdom in the Scriptures is revealed to us by the Holy Spirit. As we are heart, mind and soul, God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We rely on the strength given to us by the Holy Spirit. Jesus' death and resurrection are a deposit, a guarantee of things to come: proof of our coming inheritance, the Kingdom of God! Along with the Son...

The Great Commission in Matthew 28 is paralleled in the Old Testament books of Ezra and Joshua: in the Great Commission, Jesus is leading his people into battle. We must both speak and live out the commands of Jesus, constantly growing in him, as an example to others. We must be strong and courageous as we live out the Great Commission!

As Christians, our mission is to point people to Jesus! Not to grow a church, but to ask how God wants church run. He honors faithful people serving faithfully, teaching what he teaches. Jesus obeyed, and from the cross, he rose to Heaven. As we too are faithful, we will follow him. Our purpose is to share the words of life with dying people!