The Healing Touch of Jesus
January Sermon Preview
It is a new year and a new sermon theme for a new month! Daniel Kirkendall did a fine job of introducing Mark’s Gospel this past Sunday (video HERE) and giving some insights into the first chapter. We will be making our way through Mark’s Gospel through Easter Sunday, March 31, Lord willing. Another good introduction is the Bible Project’s 9-minute video on The Gospel of Mark (Here). For the month January we will be considering The Healing Touch of Jesus as a theme.
On January 7th we will focus on Mark 2:1-22 in a sermon entitled Breakthrough To Jesus. The familiar story of a paralytic let down through the roof into a crowded house. The controversy of the healing is that Jesus forgave his sins before he forgave him. No matter the objection of the scribes, the man picks up his mat and walks out of there. The second story of the text is the calling of Levi. Dinner at Levi’s house includes many people the Scribes and Pharisees disapprove of, but Jesus declares that he didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners. The Narrative Lectionary also offers Psalm 103:1-5 in connection with this text.
January 14th we plan to present a message entitled An Honest Look at Your Heart. if there is anything that needs the healing touch of Jesus, it is our hearts. We will study Mark 4:1-34, which includes the iconic parable of the Sower and the Soil. Ultimately the condition of the soil reveals the condition of the heart. After that parable and explanation, Mark offers a few more agricultural seed parables. Psalm 103:6-14 give us some hope when it comes to the heart.
“For he knows what we are made of; he realizes we are made of clay.” - Psalm 103:14 NET
January 21st finds us in Mark 5:1-20, the frightening possession of the man of the Gerasenes. In this sermon, Expelling The Enemy, we will consider the damage that our enemy causes and the only hope we have to escape his control. This could be the origin of the saying, “when pigs fly”. OK, maybe not. Psalm 126 makes the prayerful request to God, “O Lord, restore our well-being, just as the streams in the arid south are replenished” (Psalm 126:4).
On the fourth Sunday of January, the 28th, we examine the second half of Mark 5, verses 21-43. Here we find a desperate father with a dying daughter, and a desperate woman who has been bleeding for twelve years. If you could only heal one of them, which would you choose? Jesus is not constrained by those choices. Touching the Hem of His Garment is the healing touch we all need. We join with Ethan the Ezrahite in praise, “I will sing continually about the Lord’s faithful deeds; to future generations I will proclaim your faithfulness” (Psalm 89:1).
The theme of 'The Healing Touch of Jesus’ may extend into February. As we engage the text each week, I encourage you to read ahead. Try to read Mark’s Gospel in one sitting - you will see themes emerge that you miss when you just read sections. I encourage you also to ask God to help you read with wisdom and understanding.
With the beginning of a new year I typically will use a different primary translation. Many times last year I used the Legacy Standard Bible, an update of the NASB. This year I will be doing a lot of reading in the New English Translation (NET). I find value in reading different translations, but I do not quarrel with anyone who wants to stick with one particular translation. I generally compare several.
Also, I am beginning a new email newsletter on January 1 called The Holy Lens. Each day of 2024 I plan to present a photograph that I took, a passage of Scripture, and a Prayer prompt for the day. These will be brief, but I hope will inspire us to more prayer and appreciation for the beauty of God’s creation. If you are interested, you can subscribe for free:
Thanks for reading and I look forward to sharing my studies with you in the coming weeks!
I love the Book of Mark. I believe the church fathers, who attest that it is the testimony of Peter as written by Mark because it is so direct. It sort of reads like I imagine Peter would speak. Looking forward to this month’s lessons.