Calvary: the Hill Sermons

The end times promise hardship, persecution, and pain. Jesus advises His disciples that when comes the Abomination of Desolation comes, it's go time and although all preceding trials of the Tribulation may be just signs toward the end, this Sign will be time to act and the time to run (Mark 13:14-27).

God tells Jeremiah to buy a field in Israel even though the city is under siege. This is God's way of promising a future restoration of the nation. Yet God further promises judgment upon king Zedekiah, that he will die in Babylon. In utter rejection of Jeremiah's words, King Jehoiakim orders the burning of Jeremiah's scroll, but Jeremiah has another drafted.

The disciples see the temple in awe, but Jesus tells them that the temple is going to be destroyed. In shock, the disciples ask Jesus when these things will be and Jesus instead tells them what signs will precede His return (Mark 13:1-13).

Jesus criticizes the scribes' money practices and points out a widow's donation to the temple in contrast. We see in this passage how Jesus would have us approach finances under His discipleship (Mark 12:38-44).

After a gauntlet of questioning, Jesus has taken the floor and takes this as the opportunity to better instruct His listeners on the identity of the Messiah. Much like the scribes of Jesus' day, we too often underestimate the supremacy of the Christ and in so doing deprive ourselves of the full gift offered to us in Jesus (Mark 12:35-37).

Are all of God's commandments equal or is there one supreme one? Jesus answers this question to the agreement of a sincere scribe and although this agreement brings this scribe near to God's kingdom, it does not admit him in entirely. Jesus shows how He calls us to an arrangement deeper than religion (Mark 28-34).

Jeremiah, by the Lord's direction, sends out a letter to those in exile in Babylon. This letter tells these people to build lives in Babylon and lead reputable lives that would bear witness to the goodness of God. In response, the prophet Shemaiah authors a false prophetic letter calling for the ceasing of Jeremiah's ministry. God tells His people that this exile will not last forever, but there w...

When the Sadducees propose to Jesus a cleverly-smithed question to illustrate the supposed inconsistency of the after life. Jesus not only corrects their misunderstanding of the afterlife, but also displays His experiential authority over heavenly matters (Mark 12:18-27).

Jeremiah's ministry and Jeremiah himself continue to inconvenience the rulers in Judah. As he continues to prophesy judgment by Babylon, Jeremiah is sentenced to death but spared in the last minute. To symbolize the surrender to Babylon, God has Jeremiah dawn a yoke. During this spectacle, the prophet Hananiah challenges Jeremiah with a conflicting prophecy.

In another attempt to entrap Jesus, the Pharisees and Herodians ask Jesus whether the Jews should pay taxes to Caesar. Jesus turns this seemingly unanswerable conundrum into a dissertation of eternal and heavenly truth (Mark 12:13-17).

God assures Judah that they will be sacked by Babylon. He also expresses a complete rejection of the line of Coniah, yet still promises a coming faithful branch. Lastly, Jeremiah has a vision of two baskets of figs. God surprisingly explains that the those that remain in Jerusalem are, in fact, the bad figs.

On the day following Jesus' cleansing of the temple, the chief priests, scribes, and elders band together to accuse Jesus of undue usurpation of authority that they may deem Him a blasphemer. Jesus, unshaken by their weight-throwing jettisons the conversation taking the discussion of authority to His own conclusions (Mark 11:27-12:12).

God's indictment on His people continues, including their disregard for His holy Sabbath day. Jeremiah still perseveres in his ministry, but when he's arrested, he curses even the day he was born.

Jesus, having already seen the state of the temple, returns with a plan. Before entering, he curses a fig tree for its fruitlessness, then drives out the money changers. We too must not be found fruitless upon His visitation (Mark 11:12-26).

God sends Jeremiah to dawn, bury, then recover an unsightly loin cloth to display the ruin of Israel. God tells His people that famine and exile are to come, but the lying prophets continue to contradict God's word through Jeremiah. In this context, God becomes weary of constantly enduring and relenting for His people, yet He will continue nonetheless. God gives comfort to a complaining Jeremiah,...

Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem marks His holy presentation as King. This prophecy-fulfilling moment draws us ever nearer to the truth that Jesus is not the Messiah the people expected (Mark 11:1-11).

An uphill hike to Jericho is interrupted by a desperate man named Bartimaeus pleading with Jesus to have mercy on him. In Bartimaeus' example, we see a profound example for how one must submit oneself into Jesus' discipleship (Mark 10:46-52).

Jeremiah continues his ministry of prophecy but he's met with a new opposition -contradicting prophets. Jeremiah's prophecies are rivaled by those who claim that judment is not coming and that all will be well. Even in Jeremiah's own town, he's dismissed and despised, but God maintains that His words will still come to pass.

James and John, the sons of Zebedee make enemies when they ask Jesus to grant them places on His left and right in His kingdom. Jesus uses this as an opportunity to teach them how authority in His kingdom (Mark 10:32-44).

For hundreds of years, God has been sending Israel prophets to warn them about His coming judgment. Jeremiah has been called to be a tester of metals, but God continues to only find straw.

Heads turn when one approached Jesus with sincerity and desperation. Kneeling before Jesus, this man asks a deeply personal question which launches Jesus' dissertation on the economy of His kingdom (Mark 10:17-31).

Jeremiah is called to ministry when judgment is close at hand. God has looked upon His people and found them astray. Jeremiah was appointed for a time such as this.

Our discipleship to Jesus affects every aspect of our lives. In this passage, we see how Jesus has a stern opinion on how we operate of members in our family households (Mark 10:1-16).

The book of Isaiah ends with God's judgment, but we see that God's ultimate reconciliation is as much a mark of judgment as it is of salvation. God's resolution of all things is both in justice as well as in mercy.

Jesus uses provocative language to bring gravity to the discussion of sin in the life of a believer. In this passage we learn how replacing our objects of temptation lead to life but nurturing means to sin leads to death (Mark 9:42-50).