Just hours before his crucifixion, Jesus spent time praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. In this study of Mark 14, we learn…

• How God’s children are sometimes called to suffer deeply
• A quick overview of the layout of the city of Jerusalem
• How the cross is the ultimate expression of God’s love
• The privilege of prayer in times of trouble

Here’s the audio link:

And here’s a copy of the handout:

This lesson was taught at the median adults Bible Study Community at Immanuel Baptist Church on Sunday, November 5, 2023. We ran out of time to talk about principles of prayer found in the passage, so I started class the following Sunday, November 12, talking about prayer and filling in these blanks.

For a full list of sermons and Bible studies I have taught, arranged topically and by scripture passage, please visit my teaching page.

Jesus is coming soon. Are you ready? One of the most important passages in the Gospels on end times prophecy is found in the Olivet Discourse. In Mark 13, Jesus responds to the question, “When will these things be, and what will be the sign when all will be accomplished?” In this lesson, we discuss…

• Apocalyptic signs that will lead up to the “last days”
• Jesus’ helpful analogy of labor pains
• How human history can be broken up into five worlds
• The best way to handle differences on eschatology
• The wonderful promise that believers are not under condemnation

Here’s the audio recording from Sunday’s Bible Study:

And here’s a copy of the handout.

Thanks for listening. For a complete list of sermons and Bible studies arranged by topic and book of the Bible, please visit my teaching page here.

Once, the temple in Jerusalem had been a place of prayer, singing, and sacrifice. But by the time of Jesus, it had degenerated into a raucous gathering, with all the commotion of a Middle Eastern bazaar. In Mark 11, Jesus finally “cleans house,” and we learn…

• How you are now God’s temple
• How Jesus’ behavior is a model for righteous anger
• What is the significance of Jesus cursing the fig tree?
• Does does faith enable you to “move mountains”?

Here’s the audio recording:

And here’s a copy of the lesson handout:

Thanks for listening! For a complete list of sermons and Bible studies, please visit my Teaching page.

Image credit: Special thanks to Gloris Young for sketching this week’s illustration

Faith is necessary to receive the free gift of salvation. But God also wants us to keep growing in faith, even after we are saved. How many problems in life are due to a lack of faith?

• We lack faith, so we forget to pray
• We lack faith, so we worry about the future
• We lack faith, so we try to fix problems on our own
• We lack faith, so we refuse to obey God’s word

Faith is not something we get in full at the moment of salvation. We’re expected to build it — like a muscle — making measurable progress. All of us should cry out to God like the apostles, “Increase our faith!” (Luke 17:5).

In yesterday’s study of Mark 9, we saw the faithlessness of the Jews, and a weak but growing faith in the heart of a man whose son was tormented by a demon. It’s a sad story, but one with a heartwarming ending. We learned together about…

• A great commotion as Jesus returns from the Transfiguration
• A young boy tormented by a demon
• The dangers of magic, witchcraft, ghosts, and demons in society today
• Jesus’ authority over Satan and demons
• God’s will to help your faith mature, like building a muscle
• The most important thing is not the size or quality of your faith, but placing that faith in Jesus alone

Here’s an audio recording of the lesson:

And here’s a copy of the handout.

Thanks for listening! For a list of other sermons and Bible studies organized by Bible passage and topic, please visit my Teaching page.

^{Image courtesy: special thanks to Gloris Young for sketching the picture in this week’s handout}