Ovilla Road Baptist Church

We're taking a quick break from Mark and this week Pastor Matt talks about baptism and how it forms our identities as beleivers. We have died in God's judgement through Jesus to be made new creations in Him, uniting us to Him so that we are no longer searching for an expressed identity but now identify as children and heirs to the Kingdom of God. 

This week, Pastor Matt guides us through our first "Markan Sandwich" of the book of Mark as we see Jesus teach and identify the family of believers that we get to identify with. 

Like the disciples we are made people, sent to preach and go to war with the dominon of darkness. Listen as we continue our sermon series in the book of Mark. We will be focusing on Mark 3:7-19.

We so often create a religion for ourselves, but in doing that we are just like the pharisees. Leaning into the Gospel means coming under the protection of our Good Shepherd and throwing off the bonds of our self-made, sinful religion of rules to live throughh the all sufficient merit of Jesus.    

Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath. This means that we rest in His healing of our sinfulness and our bodies, and we rest in Him as the one that our souls long for. This declaration of Jesus, that echoes David, ties together all of Mark chapter 2 to say: this is who He is, rest in Him. 

This week, Joe Zinkgraf, our minister of family discipleship, speaks on this next passage in the book of Mark- a question about fasting. We wait for Jesus and the uniting of Himself with His people. 

Pastor Joe Mike Etter leads us through Jesus' calling of Levi the tax collector in Mark chapter 2. Jesus was a friend to sinners but we don't live comfortably with sin, we repent and cling to the Gospel. 

In Mark chapter 2, we see Jesus heal the paralytic and say, "Your sins are forgiven." Redemption in Christ will purge all sin, redeeming our bodies and forgiving us our sins. 

Jesus' indignation at the effects of the Fall reminds us that He hates sickness, sin, and death. Jesus is willing to take our place to bring us back in. We respond, singing "thank you Jesus for the blood applied!"

This Sunday, Pastor Matt continues in our study of the book of Mark- we see that Jesus goes to a solitary place to be one with the Father and we see that he does this so that He can continue His teaching. Our response is to follow His example. 

Jesus shows us through his healing, that where he walks, he's showing glimpses of heaven because in Him is light. His healing reminds us that we must be people who live for the kingdom that is coming where healing won't be temporary, but eternal. 

Jesus begins teaching and casting out demons throughout the region, and we see that this is the same act- Jesus is turning darkness to light. As Christians then, we are people of truth; people of the Word. 

Happy Mother's Day! This Sunday, we are continuing in our study of Mark and looking at Jesus calling every day people to himself. We respond by trading in our plans to be disciples of Jesus in our every day lives. 

This morning, Pastor Logan Garrett teaches on this short but heavy declaration: that the Kingdom of God is at hand to which we respond by repenting and believing this Gospel.

The Gospel of Mark teaches us about Jesus in light of the Old Testament. Join us as Pastor Matt teaches the temptation of Jesus through this lense.

Continuing our study in the book of Mark, we arrive at the baptism of Jesus. Pastor Matt helps us see how John Mark wrote such beauty into this passage, showing Jesus as God, the True King, the New Creation, and as God's Son. Being baptized into Christ means that we are made sons, and that we are baptized into the new creation. 

John the Baptist coming as the fulfillment of the ministry of Elijah shows us that the One, that every prophet longed to see, has come. And He has called us into a kingdom of repentance. 

What is this gospel of Jesus Christ and why should you listen to it? Pastor Matt Bowles starts us off in our new study through Mark making the claim that this gospel is worth listening and responding to. 

What a beautiful day of celebrating the light that shattered the darkness on the first day of the first week of the New Creation. Listen back to the Good Friday message if you haven't listened, as Matt discusses why it was done on Friday and why we celebrate now on Sunday!

Pastor Matt Bowles speaks to us on this Good Friday about a people walking in darkness and the good news that "it is finished". 

Jesus arriving into Jerusalem on a donkey to be received as King is the second time this happens in scripture. And we know the second is better than the first. Matt brings us to look at the first time and see how Jesus' arrival on Palm Sunday points us away from functional idols, and point us to His kingdom. 

When we see a geneology in scripture, we can be reminded that God has been soverignly weaving a beautiful "scarlett thread" through history that placed Jesus exactly where He wanted Him, and placed us exactly where He wanted us, from before the foundations of the world. 

We can look at the admonishment of Naomi in a modern lense and see how we are constantly seeking justification by works. We can take the same admonishment and see how our Redeemer has brought life and has satisfied so we should not call ourselves Bitter but Pleasant. 

Looking further at this interesting act of the sandal handed over, we see a man abdicating what he could not do to a redeemer that gladly took it. We abdicate what we are able to offer to a Redeemer who gladly took it upon Himself. 

In chapter 4, we learn about the namless man who was more concerned with his name than doing the right thing. We, in Christ, are brought in to the heritage of Jesus and are given His Name.