Ovilla Road Baptist Church

This week we continue in Mark and we land on the passage where the Gentile woman fell at Jesus' feet, begging Him to heal her demon possessed daughter. In this passage, we see how the bread of life is for all people and it never runs out. There is perfect abundance in Him.

This passage this week begins with Jesus responding to a question from the Pharisees: "Why do your disciples not follow the traditions of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?" In His answer, Jesus dismantles the notion that external actions can make a person clean or unclean, revealing the true doctrine of sin. Listen as Pastor Matt delves into the text and points us to the One who offers true...

This week we continue in our Mark sermon series and our discussion lands where Jesus heals the sick at Gennesaret. We often want Jesus to be the Savior we want, rather than the Savior we need. Will you allow Jesus to be God in your familiar places? Listen today to Sunday's sermon. 

This week's sermon centered on the powerful story of Jesus walking on the water toward His disciples. It reminds us how often we rely on our own strength, thinking we are sufficient, when in reality, we are called to acknowledge our complete need for our Savior. Instead of striving, we are invited to humbly proclaim our insufficiency and find true rest in Him. Don't miss the full message—listen to...

Today, we return to the Gospel of Mark after the Advent season. The feeding of the 5,000 is one of the most well-known stories in the Bible, but there's more to it than meets the eye. Join us as we explore what it means to stop trying to make Jesus fit our own expectations and instead allow Him to be the King He truly is. Let's submit to Him and allow Him to fill us up while we live in green pastu...

In the final sermon of our Advent series, we reflect on Christ's ascension to the Father and the glorious promise that one day we will see His face. Join us as we explore the profound tension of the "already, but not yet"—the reality of being spiritually united with Christ while longing for the physical consummation of all things. When Christ returns, our bodies will be resurrected, and the earth...

Continuing in our Advent series entitled, "From Heaven He Came and Sought Her" we see the pattern continue. Jesus followed his people from the presence of God all the way into death, and we will follow Him out of the grave and back into the presence of God. One with Himself, I cannot die. My soul is purchased by His blood, so my life is hid with Christ on high, my Savior and my God. 

Continuing in our Advent series, "From Heaven He Came and Sought Her" Jesus continues in this movement, chasing after His people. In Genesis 3, death is introduced to the world and right away, God reveals that He will send Someone to do something about it. Jesus was born to die and to kill death from within, to bring up a host of captives from Sheol, and that man no more may die. 

From heaven He came and sought her: His bride who left the garden in sin. Jesus, who was alive from eternity past as God the Son, left from heaven to be in the likeness of the "created" to seek us. We so often worship the created over the Creator- would we fix our eyes on the Creator who chased after us? 

Advent 2024 is entitled, "From Heaven He Came and Sought Her". We'll see the movement of humanity and that Jesus followed this pattern, and Christians follow the pattern of Jesus. So as Jesus was with God in the beginning, we were with God at the beginning of creation. 

Pastor Matt continues our study in Mark as we come to an interesting passage, acting as somewhat of a bookend between the previous two chapters. In light of the parable of the sower, we learn and are encouraged by Jesus' example, even despite his rejection from his hometown.

We see in the "Markan sandwich" found in the story of the raising of Jairus' daughter, that Jesus makes us clean in a faith that keeps us. We remember that Jesus has completely saved us and leaves no work to be done. The work of the cross is finished and complete, so we continue in the faith that has us. 

We're taking a one week break from Mark to talk about the qualifications of Elders, prescribed in the books of 1 Timothy, Titus, and 1 Peter. This is important for us as we look to those who shepherd the people of our church, and that we would live like Elders are called to. 

Continuing in Mark, Jesus shows us that He is not only Lord over demonic powers, but that He is Lord over governments. His kingdom is the only kingdom that will be everlasting, that no king of earth could stand against. We do not tether ourselves to this country, but to the new heavens and new earth

This Sunday, we look at Mark's contrast of Jesus and Jonah. One sleeps on the boat amidst the storm to run away from God's calling- the Better One sleeps in peace under God's sovereignty. Jesus cares that we are perishing and because of this, calms the waves of judgement. 

Understanding the book of Mark means studying a lot of Isaiah. Pastor Matt helps us see Mark's intent of using the form of Isaiah to show that the King that was prophecied and His kingdom are fulfilled in Jesus Christ- so we find rest in that grand picture of Jesus. 

Continuing in Mark 4, Jesus uses the illustration of the lamp, being Himself. God has given light to a people who walked in darkness. That light is His Word revealed to us in Jesus Christ, and it will shine on us forever as our eternal light. We live by that light and we live to reflect the light.

We're back in Mark, right where we left off! The parable of the sower teaches us how Jesus disciples, how we are to disciple, and how God has revealed Himself to those who are in Him. We're reminded that we sow everywhere because God is the One who brings growth, so we should trust Him to grow where we might never imagine. 

This is the last week in our Everyday People sermon series; Pastor Matt is talking about the unexpected beauty we find that God built into the prescribed christian life through the church. We find this unexpected beauty as we purposefully commit to the Lord, His Word, the Family, and the Family Business because it points us back to Himself- our ultimate good. 

Being purposefully committed to the family business is our last measure of how we live as everyday people revealing the unxpected beauty of a life committed to Christ in all we do. Jesus made disciples that made disciples. We follow his example- this is part of the Christian life.

Our next measure of being "everyday people" would be that we are committed to our local church family. God has prescribed a way that christians are to be supported by one another and belong to each other, and that takes place in church membership.

This week Pastor Matt talks through our second measure of being everyday people, purposefully committed to God's Word. We can only commit to the Lord by knowing Him how He has taught us to know Him through His Word, so we anchor ourselves to the book.

We're continuing in week 2 of our Everyday People series and hitting our first measure for ourselves as everyday people: are we purposefully commited to the Lord? Is the Lord our treasure? As we experience our great salvation, we delight in him to endless measure.

This week starts our first of a six week vision series we're calling Everyday People. We come to the church to be strengthened to go back out to our mission fields: the shops, kitchens, and tanneries.  

The bread and wine of the Lord's Supper point us to Jesus' fulfillment. We're reminded who we are, as adopted children of God, unified in Christ and His body, the church. It helps us look forward to the feast that is to come.