IBCD Sermon Weekly

The Gospel of Mark has Jesus calling his disciples “without delay” and disciples following “at once”. This calling becomes iconic within the church. The Gospel of Mark is the first writing to include the clever line from Jesus: 17 "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men.”

Mark presents the open of Jesus’ ministry by pointing to three actions: 1. Jesus’ baptism. 2. Jesus’ desert temptations. 3. Jesus taking over the message of God’s Kingdom from John the Baptist. Hardly any details are given to fill out these passages. As we read this passage, instead of comparing it to the other gospels try and think about the Old Testament passages to which Mark’s gospel points. M...

In the Gospel of Mark, the motif of the wilderness is one which the author goes back to again and again when describing the ministry of Jesus. The wilderness is a place of reckoning. It is where we consider our past and prepare for the future. Mark 1:4 4 And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

Today we are going to be looking at one of the four Gospels, and that is the gospel of Mark. While it is the shortest gospel, it is deep and revealing in its own way. Today we are going to be looking at a brief introduction to the author, his writing style, and the message of the gospel before getting into the text itself which will then take us several weeks, probably into next year.

Jesus prayed for His followers not to be taken out of the world, but to be protected and sent into it. In this sermon, we will look at how Christians often struggle between the extremes of isolating from culture or conforming to it, and how the truths of Creation, the Fall, and Redemption offer a better way. God calls us to live in the world but not be of it, illuminating the culture with His grac...

Love is not just the greatest thing we can receive or give, it is also the only thing that can truly change us. You rarely see true and significant change happen in someone's life, even among Christians. But when it happens, it is through beholding God's love. 2 Corinthians 3 18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degr...

“God loves you” is one of the most repeated phrases in modern Christianity, but have we lost the true meaning? In this sermon, we try to understand God’s love by explored the unpopular love story of Hosea. God commanded the prophet to marry an unfaithful woman to serve as a living illustration: Hosea represented God, and his unfaithful bride represented God's people. The world tells us that love i...

Love is one of the most addressed topics, in movies, songs, and stories. It is the deepest emotion we can feel. As Christians we are called not just to feel it, but to practice it. We are meant to love each other the way that Jesus loves us. 1 Corinthians 13 4–5 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable...

Loving God is something we often sing about and hear about. But what does it actually mean, and why is it so important? Many passages in the Bible emphasize it in their writings as more important than anything else. Revelation 2:1–5 2 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands. 2 “ ‘I know...

One of the big questions of life is “Why do bad things happen to good people?” This is a more complex question than people generally think. We are going to look at the answers to this question using Job’s story for context.

Today is our final sermon on the life of Jacob. We are going to be looking at how this man who craved the blessing of others then blessed his family at the end of his life. Blessing in the Bible is more than just saying nice words about a person. It was a combination of prophecy, destiny, and evaluation of character. Genesis 49:28 28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what thei...

When we read about lives like Jacob, we have a tendency to think that we will never have any kind of part in the purpose and plan of God. But the truth is that, through Christ, the promise to Abraham, Issac and Jacob to be a blessing to all nations has found its fulfillment in you. You have been included, chosen, to be part of a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you...

Jacob wrestled with God. We are called to do the same. Not physically, but spiritually and emotionally. We are called to bring our questions, doubts and frustrations to God instead of keeping them to ourselves. If we work them out together with Him our faith will be strengthened instead of weakened. Genesis 32:28 Then he said, "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have st...

I think one of the things we tenuously grasp as Christians is how different life is intended to be for those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ. The resurrection of Christ is not just an event meant to impress, but it is intended to change everything about the human experience. It transforms the expectations of life lived now and our expectations of what it is to come.

Today is Palm Sunday where we celebrate Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. It is a homecoming of a sort. Many of us have experienced “homecomings” and it can sometimes be great, but sometimes bittersweet. Today we will look at Jacob’s homecoming and Jesus’ homecoming. Genesis 33:4 4 But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept. Matthew 21:9...

Today we continue the life of Jacob. So far, he has not been a model of good behavior! Today we look at a famous story of a dream he had of angels ascending and descending and what this means to us today. Genesis 28:16-17 16 When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, "Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it." 17 He was afraid and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none...

Today we are looking at how Jacob stole the blessing of the firstborn from his brother Esau. Again, we are reminded that God works through sin and imperfection to bring about redemption and holiness. The blessing stolen from Esau eventually led to the blessing of Christ in our lives. Genesis 27:36 36 Esau said, "Isn't he rightly named Jacob? He has deceived me these two times: He took my birthrigh...

Today we are beginning a sermon series on the life of Jacob. Jacob, like many of the “heroes” of the Bible is a very flawed character. However, God uses him and, in the process, transforms his life and makes him the leader of the family from which the Savior of the world would come. Genesis 25:25-26 25 The first to come out was red, and his whole body was like a hairy garment; so they named him Es...

One of the things I have struggled with in my life of being a follower of Christ is being able to communicate to people the importance of the gospel message in a way which they could hear and really understand. The reason for this difficulty is not that I do not know what to say, but rather I find people are very guarded when the topic of faith comes up. So how can we effectively communicate about...

Today we are looking at the place of Baptism in one’s obedience to following Christ. I want those of you who are part of the family of IBCD who have not taken this step, often because of your church background in state churches which teach the practice of infant baptism, that I love you and am not attacking you. However, it is both my duty and privilege to share with you why I think it is an impor...

Today we are looking at "Care". In doing this we are going to ask a few questions. One is, "Who is supposed to do the "caring" within the church body?" and "How is this supposed to take place?" “Care” is one of the areas which is easy to talk about but hard to do. To say we should care for others is simple. To care for others effectively is very difficult. The main reason is because we are all dif...

When Jesus was on the cross, He had many concerns. But His concerns were not about His own pain and suffering; instead, He was focused on others. One of them was Mary, His mother. This reveals a lot about His character. Ruth 1:16 16 For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.

Today we are continuing our journey through the 5 C’s with Connect. We are called to be in fellowship with Christ and one another. Through this we have the power to overcome the enemy, rejoice in community and live lives which give God glory. Romans 12:4-5 4 Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we who are many form o...

Today we are beginning our journey for the 5 C’s which are the purposes of the church. The C for today is “Celebrate” which is describing our purpose to worship God.

As we kick off the new year, we are going to be taking a walk through the “5 C’s” which make up the purposes of the church. But before we get there, this week we are looking at our Mission and Vision as a church. Matthew 28:18-20 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the...