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Mark 4:35-41 – Learn to read the Bible #17

Posted on by Phill Sacre

I’ve just published the next part of the Learn to read the Bible series on Mark’s Gospel. This week we are looking at Mark 4:35-41, where Jesus calms the storm.

For those who are coming to this new, the idea behind this series is not for me to simply explain everything to you, but rather to give you things to think about yourself. This is about training you to read the Bible for yourself, rather than just giving you all the answers!

See this page if you’d like a few pointers for how to use these videos. Don’t forget to pray!

You can read the passage online here (although I’d suggest it’s better in a physical Bible). You may also want to have a pen and paper handy to jot down notes and things you want to look into more.

Key points from Mark 4:35-41

  • They get into a boat: remember where we’ve seen boats before – some of the disciples were fishermen. They would have known their way around boats and the lake!
  • A furious squall came up, and the disciples were scared: it says something about how bad the storm is!
  • Think about the kind of storms you face in your own life – what causes you to be scared?
  • Jesus simply speaks and instantly the wind dies down and it becomes completely calm. It’s amazing – it speaks about Jesus’ power and authority.
  • Why does Jesus rebuke the disciples for having no faith? Do you think they should have known better by this point? What does that say about us and our own circumstances?
  • The disciples were terrified. How would you feel if you were in the same situation, and someone had calmed a storm simply by speaking?
  • We’re left with the question “Who is this?” – that’s the question we all need to answer. How we answer that question will affect the rest of our lives.

Take a few moments to re-read the passage, think, and pray.

Looking for more?

You can see the rest of the videos in this series on the this page. If you’d like a more focussed series teaching the Christian faith, check out the teaching programme.

You might also want to see the previous episode in the series on Mark 4:26-34.

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Who is God? – Westminster Shorter Catechism #4

Posted on by Phill Sacre

“Who is God” is one of the most important questions which people never ask. Many people say “I believe (or don’t believe) in God” – but which God? In this session we look at who God is and what he is like.

This is part of the weekly Thought for the Week series. This series is designed to give a short, 10-15 minute ‘thought’, including a Bible reading and a prayer. Currently I am working through the Westminster Shorter Catechism. You can see all videos on the catechism on this playlist.

Do subscribe to the mailing list if you want to get these delivered in a weekly email, or subscribe directly on YouTube if you want to see them there.

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Only Jesus can make us well – John 5:1-15 Sermon

Posted on by Phill Sacre

Over the last year we’ve been thinking a lot about being well. In this third sign from John’s Gospel, he makes a man well at a pool called Bethesda. But wellness goes beyond a physical healing.

This is part three of the ‘Seven Signs in John’ series. See the previous sermon ‘How do you believe in Jesus?’ on John 4:43-54 here.

Enjoyed this sermon? See more on the sermons page.

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What the Bible says about Resilience

Posted on by Phill Sacre

People have been talking about mental health a lot recently. Resilience is an important part of mental health and a lot of scientists have looked into it recently. The Bible has a lot to say about what we would call resilience.

Here I bring together eight points (briefly!) from a book called Resilience: A Spiritual Project by Kirsten Birkett. They are:

  1. Adversity leads to strength
  2. A sense of meaning and purpose
  3. Transcendence
  4. Hope and optimism and positive emotions
  5. Altriusm
  6. Self- (God-) efficacy
  7. Forgiveness
  8. A social network

The Bible actually dovetails really well with the modern concept of resilience. If you are growing in the Christian faith, you are also growing in resilience.

Explore further

If you’d like to learn more about Christianity, you might like to begin with the What is Christianity? course.

If you want to see how this works out in practice, you might like to see the videos I’ve been doing on mental health during the lockdown. The most recent one was on Psalm 37, but they are all available on this playlist.

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What is baptism? (Heidelberg 26)

Posted on by Phill Sacre

In this session we start looking at baptism – what baptism represents and how it links in with the gospel. Baptism is one of the sacraments, which we started looking at last time. In that session we started to think about how the sacraments have been given to help us understand the gospel. This is exactly what baptism is about.

There are three questions in this session:

  • Q69: How does baptism signify and seal to you that the one sacrifice of Christ on the cross benefits you?
  • Q70: What does it mean to be washed with Christ’s blood and Spirit?
  • Q71: Where has Christ promised that he will wash us with his blood and Spirit as surely as we are washed with the water of baptism?

This last question gets to the heart of a sacrament: it reminds us that the spiritual cleansing from sin offered in Christ is as real as taking a bath or shower! Jesus cleanses us truly on the inside, as surely as water cleanses us on the outside.

Want more?

If you enjoy this, you can do the whole series right here on the website, or on the app (see links on the right hand side of the page). Alternatively, I am uploading them regularly to YouTube and Facebook. All sessions on YouTube are available on this playlist.

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Lockdown Mental Health Support – Psalm 37

Posted on by Phill Sacre

Last night, I did another Lockdown Mental Health Support livestream. This time the Bible passage was Psalm 37. I chose this Psalm because it speaks into feeling powerless and at the mercy of forces beyond our control. Some people get fearful, or some people get angry – I can sympathise with both of those responses. But the best thing to do is trust God and accept that he is in control of things we can’t control.

I found these verses particularly helpful:

Stop being angry!
   Turn from your rage!
Do not lose your temper—
   it only leads to harm.
For the wicked will be destroyed,
   but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land.
(vv8-9)

I am aiming to do a session each Friday night during lockdown. I find that it’s helpful for my own mental health, let alone anyone else’s!

Last week’s one was on Psalm 29. They will all be available on the playlist.

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Mark 4:26-34 – Learn to read the Bible #16

Posted on by Phill Sacre

I’ve just published the next part of the Learn to read the Bible series on Mark’s Gospel. This week we are looking at Mark 4:26-34, two short parables about the Kingdom of God.

For those who are coming to this new, the idea behind this series is not for me to simply explain everything to you, but rather to give you things to think about yourself. This is about training you to read the Bible for yourself, rather than just giving you all the answers!

See this page if you’d like a few pointers for how to use these videos. Don’t forget to pray!

You can read the passage online here (although I’d suggest it’s better in a physical Bible). You may also want to have a pen and paper handy to jot down notes and things you want to look into more.

Key points from Mark 4:26-34

  • This is a continuation of the line of thought Jesus began in the parable of the sower. (You might like to refresh your memory about what the Kingdom of God is!)
  • The parable of the growing seed (v26-29): what is the main point Jesus is making? You might like to think about what it’s like to grow plants from seed. Can you make it grow? What point is Jesus then making about God’s kingdom?
  • The second parable of the mustard seed (v30-32): what is the main point Jesus is making about the mustard seed? The smallest thing can grow into the biggest thing. Christianity has grown from one man to being the world’s largest religion.
  • It’s an encouraging thought – maybe you could just spend a moment reflecting on those parables and taking some encouragement from them!
  • Jesus spoke in parables “as much as they could understand” (v33). Have you found that the Bible has made more sense to you as you’ve grown in understanding?
  • Jesus explained everything to his disciples. Why? Maybe because he wanted them to teach everyone what the parables meant – but when you grasp who Jesus is, the parables really start to make sense on their own.

Take a few moments to re-read the passage, think, and pray.

Looking for more?

You can see the rest of the videos in this series on the this page. If you’d like a more focussed series teaching the Christian faith, check out the teaching programme.

You might also want to see the previous episode in the series on Mark 4:21-25.

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What does the Bible teach us? – Westminster Shorter Catechism #3

Posted on by Phill Sacre

In the third part of the WSC we look at what the Bible actually teaches us. Why is it important to look at the Bible – don’t we just know it all already?

This is part of the weekly Thought for the Week series. This series is designed to give a short, 10-15 minute ‘thought’, including a Bible reading and a prayer. Currently I am working through the Westminster Shorter Catechism. You can see all videos on the catechism on this playlist.

Do subscribe to the mailing list if you want to get these delivered in a weekly email, or subscribe directly on YouTube if you want to see them there.

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How do you believe in Jesus? John 4:43-54 Sermon

Posted on by Phill Sacre

A lot of people say they believe in God or Jesus – but what does that really mean? What kind of belief does God want us to have? A short sermon looking at what it means to believe. Part two of the ‘Seven Signs in John’ series.

See the previous sermon on John 2:1-11 (Jesus turns water into wine) here.

Enjoyed this sermon? See more on the sermons page.

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Main difference between Protestants and Catholics

Posted on by Phill Sacre

What is the main difference between Protestants and Roman Catholics? When I ask people if they have any questions about Christianity, one thing which often comes up is what the differences are between denominations. It’s a good question! It would take far too long to go into all the distinctions – some of them are more important than others. The most important one (in my opinion) is the main thing which divides Catholics and Protestants. It is justification by faith alone.

The key points

  • There are lots of different denominations with lots of differences. This is a question people often ask. Some differences are small and insignificant, some are bigger.
  • In this session, we’ll focus on the most fundamental difference between Protestants and Catholics – there is one which is most significant.
  • It is justification by faith alone (I should have made clearer in the video: it’s a doctrine which Roman Catholicism rejects – see the books below for more information about that).
  • It is taught in the Bible in places such as Ephesians 2:8-10, which teaches:
    1. We are saved by God’s grace – his unmerited favour (GRACE = God’s Riches at Christ’s Expense);
    2. Through faith – our faith is the empty hand which clings onto God’s promises (“nothing in my hand I bring, simply to thy cross I cling” – Rock of Ages);
    3. This is not from ourselves – we cannot even claim the faith that we have to be something good which we’ve done ourselves;
    4. So that no-one can boast.
  • The reason this doctrine is so important is for two reasons. Firstly, because otherwise we could become proud. The Bible does not allow us to take any personal pride in achieving our salvation! It is not at all down to us.
  • Secondly, because of where it leads. If you go down the ‘we deserve salvation’ road, you will end up in a very different place. Ultimately only justification by faith alone frees us to love God and others.

Explore further

I appreciate this is only a brief introduction! If this is a topic which interests you, you might like to read further.

The book I mention in the video is called Freedom Movement by Mike Reeves. It’s a (VERY) short and readable introduction to the Reformation and is available from 10 of those.

For a more detailed book you might also like Why the Reformation Still Matters by Mike Reeves and Tim Chester, available here.

The Heidelberg Catechism course is available here, but the specific video I mention is part #24 – Why are good deeds not enough? This deals with the issue of why it’s so important to believe in ‘faith alone’.

Your questions answered

This is part of the Your questions answered feature. See that page for more videos in the series.

If you have a question about Christianity or the Bible, please send them in or comment below.

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