Jeff Shelnutt Sermons

What does Judas' betrayal and the disciples' flight at the arrest of Jesus teach us? These things teach us about our need to practice repentance and to embrace disappointment. Not only this, but we see in the unnamed man who fled naked from the scene our need to be covered--not with a garment of our own making, but with the garment of righteousness provided through the death and resurrecti...

As Jesus prays in the Garden of Gethsemane, we observe three components of His prayer that apply to our own praying. Peter, James, and John are to be spiritually alert during this time, yet they fall asleep. Though we learn about praying in the will of God, the experience Jesus has before His Father is unique. Only Jesus will ever be called to submit to the Cross, for only He could bear the punish...

Jesus tells the disciples they will scatter when the Shepherd is struck. In doing so, they will fulfill prophecy and make their own choices to flee. But even before they fail, Jesus promises restoration. Failure may take us by surprise, but not God. He uses our missteps, mistakes, and even disobedience for our refinement.

The last Passover Jesus shared with His disciples was also the first celebration of the Lord's Supper. Jesus sets a pattern for receiving the bread and the wine, a practice that the church is commanded to regularly observe. We seek to answer three questions from this passage. Why do we eat? Why do we drink? And, why do we sing?

As Jesus sends two of His disciples to prepare for His last Passover meal, He knows exactly what is coming. God has a plan. Both Jesus and Judas choose to be a part of it. Jesus will choose to do that which is pleasing to His Father, just as it is written. Judas will choose to do that which brings condemnation down upon himself, just as it is written. Every Passover since Moses focused on freedom...

Of all the things Jesus did and said, and of all the interactions He had with people during His earthly ministry, it was the action of the woman in this passage that Jesus said would be spoken of wherever the Gospel is preached. Her pouring out the very expensive perfume upon His head was an act of worship. Its impact was the aroma of worship. And the cost of her worship gave insight into the cost...

With a parable, Jesus once more reminds His four disciples that a sign will precede the destruction the temple, a judgment on its system that came to pass in 70 AD. Jesus also speaks of the unknowability of His own return--only that it will be sudden and unexpected. To be found ready is to be found faithful.

Jesus now turns to answering the question, "What will be the sign when all these things are going to be fulfilled?" In mentioning the "abomination of desolation," Jesus refers to an event that has occurred in the past, something that will occur in the near future, and a situation that will also unfold at His second coming.

Mark 13 is a notoriously difficult chapter to interpret. Is Jesus talking about the destruction of the temple, or about His second coming.? The answer is both. Though we still must distinguish between the two as we make our way through the chapter. In this first section, Jesus is answering the question: "When will these things be?" He give three false signs, followed by a true sign--the...

This is Jesus' last recorded teaching by Mark in the temple courts. He first denounces certain scribes for bringing glory to themselves. He then contrasts this with a certain widow who brings glory to God by what she offers. Our giving is both a window into our hearts and a means of reorienting our hearts toward God.

King David suffered severe consequences for the sin he committed and covered up. Yet, when his son died according to divine decree, David did not grow bitter. Instead, he worshiped. David's reaction reveals the reality of an afterlife. His words point us to the Descendent of David who alone brings us into the presence of God.

After answering four questions in the temple courts, it is now Jesus' turn to ask a question. He actually asks two, both about how the son of David can also be the promised Messiah. What may sound strange and irrelevant to our modern ears is actually a category-bursting revelation to Jesus' hearers. Because Jesus is both a Davidic King and the Messiah, the enemies He came to defeat are not...

After three hostile questions, Jesus receives a question from what appears to be a genuine seeker. His query about the foremost commandment is not a new one. Jesus sums up the whole Law of Moses in two commands. Because Jesus was consumed by love for God and love for His neighbor, we too can be consumed by the love of God.

To reject a belief in resurrection is to deny God's power and to misread the Scriptures, so Jesus tells the Sadducees who confront Him in the temple courts. But even those who believe in resurrection often confuse and conflate this life with the reality of the next. We need a functional belief in resurrection, as well as new categories for conceiving it. In only a few short days, Jesus would r...

On Monday of Jesus' final week, He curses the fig tree on His way into Jerusalem. In a dramatic illustration of what's to come for the temple and its system, Jesus offers insight into how He is the true Temple and the only way to the Father. Nothing is impossible for God. Our prayers are not hindered by God's ability but by our lack of faith.

Jesus is confronted by Pharisees in the temple courts with a political question designed to ensnare Him. Jesus amazes everyone with His theological answer, even as He refuses to conform to the parameters they laid down. In this passage, we discover what belongs to Caesar, but more importantly, what belongs to God. Jesus' answer also gives us principles to consider when wrestling with questions...

The parable of the vineyard is less about the wicked actions of the tenants and more about the longsuffering of the owner. Jesus continues to address the question of His authority. Through this parable we see that God pursues, God loves, and, God works in unsearchable ways.

Jesus is questioned about His authority to cleanse the temple. He answers with a question of His own that seems unrelated, but is completely relevant--a question about John the Baptist. From this interaction we learn from where authority is derived, whose in control, and the light by which we see.

We often read the cursing of the fig tree and the cleansing of the temple as two separate events. But Mark in his gospel ties them together. In this way we not only learn something about Jesus in relation to the temple, but also something about prayer in relation to faith and forgiveness.

As Jesus approaches Jerusalem for the final time, He sends out two disciples on a seemingly mundane task. The significance of the moment when Jesus rides up to the gates of the city on a donkey is lost on most in the crowd. This passage teaches us about the quiet impact of humility and the hidden power of obedience.

This last healing miracle in the Gospel of Mark comes right on the heels of Jesus' extensive teaching about discipleship. Surprisingly, we find that the blind man, Bartimaeus, is the model disciple. Though he initially finds what he doesn't seek, after receiving an immediate answer to his request for sight, Bartimaeus responds by following Jesus on the road.

As Jesus continues to go up the Jerusalem, His disciples are amazed and His followers are afraid. The way up is down in the kingdom of God, as Jesus, for the third time, makes clear when He prophesies His own death and resurrection. John and James ask for positions of prominence in the coming glory of the kingdom. Though their desire to be closer to Jesus is commendable, Jesus makes it clear they...

The rich young man walks away, unable to part from his riches in order to follow Jesus. Jesus uses this opportunity to teach the Twelve about a disciple's relationship to possessions. In this passage we learn about the danger of wealth, the impossibility of salvation, and the blessing of poverty.

A young, sincere, and zealous seeker comes to Jesus inquiring about eternal life. The answer he receives sends him away sad and grieving. Though he asked the right question, he could not ultimately accept the answer. His present treasure kept him from eternal riches because it prevented him from following Jesus. The Law reveals not only our sin, but our need. The Law also points us to the only One...

This is the only time in Mark's gospel when Jesus is said to be "indignant." His disciples rebuke children brought to Him, and Jesus uses this as an opportunity to let them know why their attitude is the opposite of that which should mark a follower of His. We answer three questions about discipleship from this passage: 1) What are we called to do?; 2) How are we called to come?; and...