Great Bible Truths with Dr David Petts

Talk 17 Mark 6:14-29   Herod and John the Baptist Welcome to Talk 17 in our series on Mark's Gospel. Today we're looking at Mark 6:14-29 which relates the terrible story of the beheading of John the Baptist. The passage is set between Jesus sending out his disciples to proclaim the good news and their return to report to him all they had done and taught (v30) . At first sight, the beheading of Joh...

Talk 16    Mark 6:1-13    Preaching the gospel in a hostile environment Welcome to Talk 16 in our series on Mark's Gospel. Today we'll be looking at Mark 16:1-13. We'll be concentrating on verses 1-5 where Mark tells us that Jesus was unable to do any mighty miracle in his home town because of the people's unbelief, and then we'll see how this relates to verses 6-13 where Jesus sends out the twelv...

Talk 15 Mark 5:21-43 More amazing miracles Welcome to Talk 15 in our series on Mark's Gospel. In our last two talks we have seen the mighty power of Jesus displayed in the calming of the storm on the Sea of Galilee and the deliverance of a man possessed by a legion of demons. We now turn to Mark 5:21-43 where Jesus cures a woman with a longstanding problem with bleeding and raises a dead girl to l...

Talk 14    Mark 5:1-20      Legion Welcome to Talk 14 in our series on Mark's Gospel. Today we'll be looking at Mark 5:1-20 where Jesus casts demons out of a man who was inhabited by a legion of them. As the story is well known I'll not take time to read through the passage in advance, but take it a verse or two at a time, beginning with verses 1-2:   They went across the lake to the region of the...

Talk 13   Mark 4:35-41 Jesus calms the storm Welcome to Talk 13 in our series on Mark's Gospel. Today our subject is the well-known story of Jesus calming the storm. We'll begin by reading Mark 4:35-41.   That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, "Let us go over to the other side." 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boat...

Talk 12 Mark 4:1-33 Jesus teaches in parables Welcome to Talk 12 in our series on Mark's Gospel. Today we're in Mark 4 where Mark records three of the parables Jesus used as part of his teaching method. A parable is an illustration taken from everyday life and used to teach a spiritual truth.   Its ultimate purpose is to make the truth clearer, but, as we shall see, sometimes people find it diffic...

Talk 10    Mark 3:13-19     Jesus appoints the first apostles Welcome to Talk 10 in our series on Mark's Gospel. Today we'll be considering Mark 3:13-19 where Jesus appoints his first apostles. I say his first apostles because there were, of course, later apostles mentioned in the book of Acts – Matthias, who was appointed to replace Judas, and, of course, the apostle Paul. I have gone into some d...

Talk 9 Mark 3:1-12 Defying the Pharisees and dealing with demons Welcome to Talk 9 in our series on Mark's gospel. Today we'll be looking at Mark 3:1-12. In previous talks we have seen how Jesus came proclaiming the Kingdom of God (1:14-15) and demonstrating with miraculous signs his authority over demons and disease. In chapter 1 he casts an evil spirit out of a man in the synagogue at Capernaum,...

Talk 8      Mark 2:18-28      Jesus Questioned About Fasting and the Sabbath Welcome to Talk 8 in our series on Mark's Gospel. Today we're looking at Mark 2:18-28 where Jesus answers questions about fasting and the Sabbath. As we shall see, these questions arose, partly from a genuine desire to know the answer, but more often from the critical attitude of the Pharisees who, like many people today,...

Talk 7    Mark 2:13-17    The Call of Levi Welcome to Talk 7 in our series on Mark's Gospel. We'll begin by reading Mark 2:13-17.   13 Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them. 14 As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him. 15 While Jesus...

Talk 6    Mark 2:1-12    Jesus Heals a Paralysed Man Welcome to Talk 6 in our series on Mark's Gospel. Today we're in chapter 2 and we'll be looking at the first 12 verses to which the NIV gives the heading, Jesus heals a paralysed man. And that indeed is what the story is about. It's about Jesus, it's about healing, and it's about a man who could not walk. But, as we shall see, it's about far mor...

Talk 5    Mark 1:29-45 Miracles of healing in Capernaum and beyond   Welcome to Talk 5 in our series on Mark's Gospel. Today we'll be looking at Mark 1:29-45. We'll begin by reading verses 29-31.   29 . As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. 30 .   Simon's mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told Jesus about her. 31 . So he we...

Talk 4    Mark 1:21-28   Jesus Drives Out an Evil Spirit Welcome to Talk 4 in our series on Mark's Gospel. Today we'll be looking at Mark 1:21-28. So far we have seen how Mark introduces us to the good news about Jesus who is the Son of God. He tells us of the preaching of John the Baptist whom God sent to prepare the people for the coming of Jesus. His message was Repent and be baptised.   He tel...

Talk 3   Mark 1:14-20   Winning others for Jesus Welcome to Talk 3 in our series on Mark's Gospel. So far we have seen how Mark begins by establishing very clearly that Jesus is none other than God himself who came to make possible the forgiveness of our sins. To prepare for his coming the people were to confess their sins, repent and be baptised. But when Jesus came he would do more for them than...

Talk 2    Mark 1:9-13   The baptism and temptation of Jesus Welcome to Talk 2 in our new series on Mark's Gospel. In our first talk we saw how Mark begins by establishing very clearly that Jesus is none other than God himself who came to make possible the forgiveness of our sins. To prepare for his coming the people were to confess their sins, repent and be baptised. But when Jesus came he would d...

Galatians    Talk 10 Galatians 6:1-18   This is the final talk in our series on Galatians. We have seen that the main theme of the letter has been to show that salvation is by faith and not by works. Faith in Christ's substitutionary, all sufficient, atoning death is the only way to Heaven. Attempts to get there any other way will fail. The law of the Old Testament could not save us because no one...

Galatians   Talk 9    Galatians 5:22-23 The Fruit of the Spirit PLEASE NOTE THAT THE SUBSTANCE OF THIS TALK IS TAKEN FROM MY BOOK THE VOICE OF GOD – How he speaks to us today   In our last talk, as we were looking at Galatians 5:13-26, where Paul is contrasting the acts of the flesh with the fruit of the Spirit, we saw that we need to:   1.      Remember that even after we become Christians there'...

Galatians    Talk 8    Galatians 5:13-26 As we have seen again and again in our studies in Galatians, Paul wrote this letter to demonstrate that salvation is by faith and not by works. Last time, as we looked at 5:1-13, we saw how Paul encouraged the Galatians to stand firm in their faith in Christ and not to get entangled again with the burden of the law from which Christ had set them free.   In...

Galatians    Talk 7      Galatians 5:1-13 Let's begin with a reminder of why Paul wrote this letter to the Galatians. It was through Paul's ministry that they had become Christians, and they had believed his message that salvation was by faith in Christ and not by trying to obey the law of the Old Testament. However, since his departure, others had taught them that faith in Christ was not enough,...

Galatians    Talk 6    Galatians 4:1-31 At the beginning of this chapter Paul picks up on what he has been saying in Chapter 3:23-25 about the temporary nature of the law. He uses a mixture of metaphors to illustrate this.   In 3:23 he sees the law as a jailer keeping us in prison:   23 Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law (literally, we were being kept under the law), locked...

Galatians    Talk 5    Galatians 3:1-29 As we saw when we were studying the first two chapters of Galatians, Paul wrote his letter to them because of the dangerous teaching that had crept into the churches there – that obedience to the law of the Old Testament was essential to salvation. In chapter 1 he insists that: ·        the only true gospel is the one that he has preached to them (6-10) ·   ...

Galatians    Talk 4    Galatians 2 So far in this series we have seen that Paul's purpose in writing Galatians was to correct a serious doctrinal error. Some were teaching that faith in Christ was not sufficient for salvation and that obedience to the law of the Old Testament, especially with regard to circumcision, was required as well. The situation was so serious that Paul went so far as to say...

Galatians.        Talk 3. Galatians 1:10-24 In the first two talks w e noted that Paul's purpose in writing Galatians was to correct a serious doctrinal error that had crept into the churches since Paul had planted them. Paul had taught them that we are saved by faith in Jesus, and not by observing the law of the Old Testament, but some were now teaching that circumcision was necessary for salvati...

JESUS CHRIST, THE RULER OF THE KINGS OF THE EARTH As I was thinking and praying about the message I should bring on the weekend of the coronation of King Charles III, a phrase from Revelation 1:5 came to my mind:   JESUS CHRIST, THE RULER OF THE KINGS OF THE EARTH.   Of course, the word king is used in a variety of ways, but its general meaning is someone who rules and it's in that sense that we'l...