St Marcus MKE Sermons

This is our 6th and final week of O Church Arise: Modern Lessons from the Story of the Early Christian Church. Much of the talk in the series has been our Christian witness, in both our words and actions. This week we see the pinnacle of a Christian witness in Stephen, the first Christian martyr (the Greek word for “witness” is actually martyrion). Fascinatingly, we seek the example of what angry, scared religious people look like in our lesson, as well as how to turn into a gracious believer, like Stephen. This week, we’ll examine Acts 7:54-60.

Today, our cities are full of diverse people from different ethnic backgrounds. Cities in Biblical times, namely Rome, had more diversity than we might have originally expected. In Colossians 4, the apostle Paul encourages us to be wise in the way that we act towards people different from ourselves. Early Jewish Christians were able to form relationships with people not like them and they set an example for us to follow today.

Week 5 of O Church Arise: Modern Lessons from the Story of the Early Christian Church. In prior weeks, we’ve seen some of the hostility that the Early Church faced from outsiders. But Satan’s attack on Christianity also often comes from within the Church. This week we’ll look at the fascinating account of Ananias & Sapphira, an account in which at first glance, we might be inclined to wonder if the punishment fits the crime. The subtlety of it makes Ananias & Sapphira’s sins equally deadly to us.

Inspired by the power of the Holy Spirit, the apostle John tells us that we are believers by looking at what God has done for us. We know we are Christians by the love that is motivated by Christ and by faith that can be only be worked by the Holy Spirit.

Week 4 of O Church Arise: Modern Lessons from the Story of the Early Christian Church. Without question, Scripture makes it clear that one of the factors of the explosive growth of the Early Church was the beauty of early Christian Community. The early believers actually lived like all of their possessions belonged to God, and they were simply managers here on earth for a while. This led them to show radical generosity to one another. We’re going to take a look at how generosity like that becomes possible when we study Acts 4:31-37, “The New Community.”

The apostle John gives us two tests before we trust that a spiritual message is actually a Christian message. The first test is "What is the message?" and the second test is "Who is the audience?"

Week 3 of O Church Arise: Modern Lessons from the Story of the Early Christian Church. Last week, we saw a snapshot of what the Early Christian Church, filled with the Spirit, was doing. This week, we’re looking at the types of things the Early Christian Church was saying – what specifically was the message of their witnessing. We find that Peter and John were sharing their faith in a pluralistic world, much like Christians in the city today. What does it sound like to be a courageous witness? We’ll take a look at Acts 4:1-14 as we worship under the theme of “Peter Heals a Beggar and Defends His Faith.”

Week 2 of O Church Arise: Modern Lessons from the Story of the Early Christian Church. This week we’ll be looking at Acts 2:40-47, the implications of Pentecost. Dr. Luke, the author of the Book of Acts, gives us an amazing portrait of the Early Christian Church. It doesn’t look exactly like the American Church today. Should it? What fueled it to be so different? This week we’ll worship under the theme of “Pentecost and Its Meaning.”

We’re starting a new series this week called O Church Arise: Modern Lessons from the Story of the Early Christian Church. This week we’ll be looking at Acts 1:1-11, the story of The Ascension. The Ascension, along with Pentecost, are actually the events which give Christians (and the Church) their life’s purpose. Put differently, if you don’t understand Ascension and Pentecost, it’s going to be impossible for you, as a Christian, to ever understand the purpose and meaning of your life on earth. And that’s exactly what I find with A LOT of young adult Christians today – life goals nearly identical to that of a non-believing world. Submitting to the teaching of Ascension will completely refocus you.

This is our final week in the Gospel of Mark series. Our theme will be the Anointing of Jesus, as we watch Mary of Bethany worship Jesus in an extravagant, offensive (to the onlookers) way. Worship, by definition, is supposed to be inordinate. It’s supposed to be excessive from the world’s perspective. Mary has some amazing things to teach to an American Christianity that sometimes wants to worship in moderation. We’ll study Mark 14:1-11.

This week, in the Gospel of Mark, we’re looking at the theme of HUMILITY. The Greeks and Romans never saw humility as a virtue. I would argue America doesn’t either. In fact, I don’t even think we define it correctly. But Jesus says humble service is the road to glory in the Kingdom. We’ll investigate Mark 10:35-45.

This week as we look at Jesus’ “backwards” approach to glory. Not through thrones but through crosses. Received not by the wise and talented, but by the childlike. What does it mean that the Kingdom belongs to “such as these”? We’ll figure it out as we look through Mark 10:13-16.

This week in our series The Gospel of Mark: From Throne to Cross and Back, we’ll look at Jesus’ CROSS. That could be a little misleading though. Our focus this week is actually a bit more on figuring out what it means that to be Christ’s disciple, you must pick up YOUR CROSS to follow him? We’re going to discover that the cross is actually the foundation for the Christian’s identity as we look at Mark 8:34-38.

This week in our series The Gospel of Mark: From Throne to Cross and Back, we’ll look at Jesus’ SYMPATHY. The word “sympathy” literally means to “suffer with.” Jesus doesn’t promise to end all the storms of life, because a bunch of good stuff comes to us through them. But, he does promise he’ll 1) face the storms with us, 2) he’ll face the ultimate storm for us, and 3) one day these storms will come to an end. We’ll study another story of Jesus at Sea as we look at Mark 6:45-52.

This week in our series The Gospel of Mark: From Throne to Cross and Back, we’ll look at Jesus’ REJECTION. Familiarity sometimes breeds contempt. And it turns out Jesus’ hometown was really offended by him. Why? What could make Jesus so offensive? What could potentially make his followers so offensive? And what does Jesus rejection from this world do for us? We’ll get to the bottom of all of it Saturday evening as we dig into Mark 6:1-6.

We’re in our fourth week in the series The Gospel of Mark: From Throne to Cross and Back, working our way through the entire Gospel of Mark to do a character study of Jesus and his grace. This week, we gain insight into Jesus’ AUTHORITY. Wow. Occasionally God gives me a text to wrestle with in which his voice becomes so incredibly clear. Jesus demonstrating his authority over the storms of life couldn’t be more perfect for me right now. This week we’ll study Mark 4:35-41.

We’re in our third week in the series The Gospel of Mark: From Throne to Cross and Back, working our way through the entire Gospel of Mark to do a character study of Jesus and his grace. This week, we gain insight into Jesus’ PARABLES. This parable is the granddaddy of all parables, and I’ll explain why. It’s honestly one of the more fascinating insights for me on the nature of why someone does/does not receive the Word of God. Message based on Mark 4:1-20.

The Gospel of Mark: From Throne to Cross and Back. We’re working our way through the entire Gospel of Mark to do a character study of Jesus and his grace. This week, his grace is demonstrated in FAMILY. Jesus again says something incredibly provocative, that startles some people and deeply offends others. But if you submit to his teaching about family, it will make you tremendously optimistic about your family future, regardless of if you’re married or single, in a dysfunctional relationship or a healthy one. Messaged based on Mark 3:31-35.

We’re working our way through the entire Gospel of Mark to do a character study of Jesus and his grace. This week, his grace is demonstrated in healing – but not in the way you might think, not initially. Jesus, as he often does, says something provocative and offensive to modern and ancient people alike, but profoundly liberating, to a crippled man. Mark 2:1-12.

Week 5 in our “FAITH BUILDERS” series, we’re going to be looking at The Sacraments. There is a significant level of division in the Christian Community regarding what Baptism and Holy Communion are, and what they accomplish. There is also some overlap and agreement of definitions. In our worship, we’ll start with that, and examine Scripture to guide us from there to determine whether Baptism and Communion are best considered “Sacraments” or “Sacrifices.”

Week 4 in our “FAITH BUILDERS” series, we’re going to be looking at The Revealed God. The way we best know God is how he revealed himself in the person of Jesus. Jesus, the God-Man, is IT. He’s the central character of the Bible. He’s the one who holds the universe together. He’s the one essential in your life. And meeting with his body is the axis of the believer’s week. I hope you don’t get tired of admiring Jesus, because that’s what we’ll be doing for all eternity. This week in worship, we’re going to briefly look at how the entire Old Testament prefigured Christ in the roles of Prophet, Priest, and King. Our message will be based on Acts 3:11-26.

Week 3 in our “FAITH BUILDERS” series, we’re going to be looking at The Mysterious God. Why would not being able to comprehend much about the working of God be an asset to our relationship with God, not a detriment? We’ll find out as we echo with the Apostle Paul some words of praise from Romans 11:33-36.

Week 2 in our “FAITH BUILDERS” series, we’re going to be looking at Biblical Interpretation. THIS, more than anything, is the explanation to why we have over 200 different denominations (and non-denominational churches) in the country today. We all use the same Bible, but it boils down to an issue of correct interpretation. If you’ve never wrestled with biblical interpretation, it’s an enlightening insight into why you believe what you believe. While our message will once again be a survey of biblical teaching, our root text will be found in 1 Cor. 2:6-14.

This week, Peter will teach us from 2 Peter 1:12-21 that the Bible really is God’s Word, not man’s words, and therefore we should be asking ourselves what it looks like to treat the Bible as the ultimate authority of our lives.

This week we're going to take advantage of the seasonal opportunity to share the Bible’s teaching on demonic activity. While the Bible says our primary struggle as Christians is against spiritual forces of evil, many Christians, patterning the secular world, seem to believe our biggest struggles are related to worldly circumstances. We’ll look to renew our hearts and minds by watching Jesus cure a demonized man, the account of Mark 5:1-20.

This week Pastor Leyrer will be leading worship with a message on Matthew 22:15-21, a lesson where Jesus avoids the Pharisees’ trap about paying taxes to Caesar. Jesus again teaches us how to navigate the tricky issue of imperfect earthly authority.

This Sunday we're looking at Matthew 21:28-32; the story of two sons who say one thing and do another.

This week James teaches us about Mature Priorities. A child cannot think beyond instant gratification. One of the evidences of maturity, then, is when someone begins to think consequentially, long-term, eternally even. This week, we’ll study James 4:13-5:6 and see what the gospel does to our life priorities.

This week James teaches us about Mature Desires. The modern person doesn’t tend to think our feelings are really ever wrong, but that feelings and desires are simply the product of who we are. But the Bible says that sin is so pervasive in the world that it’s even corrupted our desires. This week we’ll contrast our natural desires with our designed desires and see how the gospel helps us bridge the gap. We’ll study James 4:1-10.

This week James teaches us about Mature Speech. Sticks and stones can only break bones. Words are MUCH more powerful. They can shape – build up or destroy – your entire sense of self. Even more, they shape our opinion of God. This week we’ll study James 3:1-12.

The Book of James: For Maturing Audiences Only. This week James (Jesus’ brother and the 1st Bishop of the Christian Church in Jerusalem) is teaching us about not showing favoritism. The goal is that Christians would evaluate people on the basis of grace, not like the world, which judges people on the basis of what others can do for us. This week, under the theme “Mature Kindness,” we’ll study James 2:1-13.

The Book of James: For Maturing Audiences Only. James is a massively practical book of the Bible that teaches us what our lives would look like if we fully believed, i.e. took to heart and put into practice, the gospel of Jesus Christ. This week’s focus will be on James 1:19-27, as we look at what prevents us from “Mature Actions.”

The sinful nature kicks back against earthly authority, but God’s design for submission is a beautiful thing that channels many blessings. We’ll examine Romans 13:1-7.

FINAL WEEK in the series. We started the series with a summary of the gospel as it relates to the city and we’ll end the series with a concluding piece of wisdom on how if God’s people are doing what they’re supposed to be doing, the city will be blessed. Our worship this week will be anchored in Proverbs 11:10-11.

Sermon based on Colossians 3:22-24.

This week we’ll worship under the theme of “Social Healing: The gospel creates alleviates social brokenness.” and we’ll be studying Amos 5:7-15. Amos is the main prophet that God used to call his people to repentance on social injustice. This isn’t an ancient issue – it’s relevant today and important that we at St. Marcus be leaders on this.

This week we’ll worship under the theme of “Transformation: The gospel creates changed lives” and we’ll be studying Acts 10:27-35. The Apostle Peter struggled a bit with what could maybe best be considered “cultural elitism”, or worse, racism. But God converted him out of this through occasions like meeting Cornelius, a Roman centurion. This lesson teaches us not only how to transform out of any latent racism of our own, but also how to change in general.

This week we’ll worship under the theme of “Community: The gospel creates a new community” and we’ll be studying Ephesians 4:29-5:2. This is a natural extension of our discussion last week on “Other-Focus.” A bunch of people living together with other-focus creates the City of God that Jesus designed Christians to be.

Other Focused: The gospel makes us a people for others.” The natural inclination of the fallen human spirit is to be self-focused. And our world only stokes those me-first flames. But the gospel means that I’m taken care of by Jesus and can now turn my attention outward, boasting in our Lord along the way (1 Cor. 1:26-31).

This week, Pastor Dan Leyrer is preaching on the theme, “Lord, Give Me the Strength to Speak,” based on Jeremiah 20:7-13.

This week we’re taking a look at how the gospel changes our attitude toward the city. If you’re wondering why we’re doing a series on gospel work in the city, or why you’ve never heard a worship series focused on “the city” before, this will be the lesson that explains it. We’re doing this series not merely because St. Marcus is in heart of MKE, but because God wants his people to have a proper Theology of City. The often-cited Scripture passage for Theology of City is Jeremiah 29, which we’ll be digging into on Sunday.

This week we’ll be starting our summer worship series, “Renewed Church. Renewed City.” It’s essential that the members of St. Marcus, in the heart of MKE, possess a proper theology of City. What does that mean? For starters, it means we must be moved by the gospel, which tells us that Christ has done everything necessary to save us, so that we are now freed to serve others. So why are we still so obsessed with ourselves? We’re not yet resting in the righteousness of Christ. This sermon is based on Galatians 2:16-3:3.

Pastor Paul Steinberg shares a message about discipleship based on Matthew 7: 15-29.

Pastor Dan Leyrer will be sharing a message from 2 Cor. 13 about What an Extraordinary God We Have.

This week is Pentecost Sunday. That’s the anniversary of the Christian Church – when Jesus sends his Spirit down. And so we’ll be looking at the work of the Spirit. Jesus teaches us in John 16:5-11 that there are 3 life-altering things the Spirit exposes to us.

“I pray. It doesn’t always seem to help. What am I doing wrong?” This week we get to listen in on God speaking to himself and can learn some powerful truths from noting how Jesus prays to his Father. If you’d like to prep, we’re digging into John 17:1-5.

“Jesus died for my sins. So why am I still so sad?” Almost every careful thinking Christian I know has wondered this at some point. And the answer lies within something Jesus calls “Another Advocate.” We’ll find out more this week as we dig into John 14:15-21.

This Sunday we encounter the disciples on the Road to Emmaus. They have a very common, relatable problem – they don’t see the world through the lens of the Resurrection, and it’s making them terribly depressed. We’ll learn what gets them over that as we study Luke 24:13-35.

The Sunday after Easter is traditionally marked as a time to highlight “Doubting Thomas.” I’m not sure that name is super fair, but we certainly benefit from Thomas’ skepticism. But is our struggle of faith the same as that of Thomas. We’ll take a look this week (John 20:19-31) as we start up our new series, Jesus Always Shows up.