Oak Hall Talks Outline
Oak Hall is a great great idea. Praise God for the vision he has given to Ian Mayo and the many others involved over so many years, and for their obedience to Him!
I have just been in Engelberg (Switzerland) for two trips: walking in the hills all day, via a few cable cars and coffee shops, then preaching in the evening: winner! God has, needless to say, been great and faithful, speaking by his powerful Word - what a joy...
We studied Mark, and here's a vague outline of what I said:
Introduction (Mk 1:1)
i) Brief overview of Mark - three confessions: Mark's (1:1), Peter's (8:29) and the Centurion's (15:39), with the first half teaching on who Jesus is, the second on what he came to do.
ii) Brief explanation of each clause.
iii) Reminder of how serious it is to believe Mk 1:1 [remember Antipas in Rev 2:13] and what it looks like in our lives to say Mk 1:1 and live it.
Session 1 (Mk 2:1-12)
i) Everyone's greatest need is forgiveness of sin - the surprise in vv 1-5 is what Jesus doesn't do. It is better to be crippled on earth and saved for eternity than saved on earth and crippled in eternity. Application: we mustn't just 'do nice things for people' but must tell them the gospel; Francis of Assisi is just wrong when he says "preach the Gospel; if you must, use words"!
ii) What is sin? Rejecting God as Ruler of our lives. Sin leads to death.
iii) Jesus has God's power to forgive sins. Jesus does the visible to prove the invisible. Application: come to Jesus & be forgiven; tell your friends the Gospel - how horrible to lend someone a fiver, give them a meal at your house, or whatever, and leave them crippled for eternity.
Session 2 (Mk 4-5)
i) Kingdom parables (4:1-34). Chat through 1-20, hearing the challenge of vv 5-7 & great encouragement of vs 8. Word ministry leads to kingdom growth despite the majority response being rejection - here's a pattern for us individually and communally. Note similar themes of kingdom growth in vv 26-29 and 30-32. Is this just big talk? Haven't loads of people claimed extraordinary things?
ii) Jesus is the powerful King of the kingdom (4:35-5:43). Not just big talk - there's big proof. That's a King to trust in! Be encouraged: the kingdom will grow!
Session 3 (Mk 6:31-8:10)
i) Jesus is YHWH who feeds Israel (6:30-52). Looked at sheep/shepherd, desert, manna, mountainside and "I am" from Exodus. Jesus is Redeemer and God of Israel
ii) The Kingdom is Expansive (7:24-8:10). Not just for Jews, but Gentiles too. Gentile woman says 'please can I eat with you, King Jesus?' and he says yes! [Brief reminder of Jesus' compassion from 1:40-41.] He then heals and offers the Gentiles a Messianic banquet. Look how generous the King is! Look how expansive the kingdom is!
Session 4 (Mk 8:31-10:52)
i) Peter's confession = assent to all that we've seen from Mk 1-8. What do you think?
ii) Jesus must suffer (8:31). Four things are necessary: suffering, rejection, death & rising again.
iii) So must we too (8:34-9:1). Call to be Cross-carrying Christians: 3 demands (34), a reason (35-37), a warning (38) and a promise (9:1) [following NIVAC outline here]; we looked at each in some detail.
iv) Disciples must serve (9:33-35). Particular application to Christian leadership and positions of responsibility in church.
v) Bartimaeus is a model disciple (10:46-52). Sight: he has it. Faith: so he sees. Result: follows Jesus on the way - which is the way of 8:31, the only way for him and the only way for us too. Will you follow? Will you do 8:34?
Session 5 (Mk 15)
Why watch the Titanic, or Romeo & Juliet? We know the story. Ans: to see that director's emphasis. Need to be sensitive to Mark - there's loads of other stuff on the cross we don't see here...
i) Mark teaches by irony (15:1-32). Looked through the passage at the sad sad ironies, seeing how they teach us about who Jesus is, and why he came. Three cries to him on cross possibly the most poignant moments in this section: Build the temple - he is! Save yourself - he can't save himself and us! Give us a sign - he is the sign!
ii) The cry, the cup, the curtain (15:33-39). Cry of being under darkness of God's judgement. Can God punish the same sin twice? Cup drunk is cup of God's wrath. Who drinks your cup? Curtain is torn - no separation between God and humans. The Gentile centurion sees and enters that great house of prayer for all nations. You've seen: where are you?
Session 6 (16:1-8)
i) Peter had been a public muppet; he is called by name to follow. If you are or have been a Peter, get up and follow.
ii) Jesus leads out into Gentile territory; he is going before us back home, back to the mission field. Will you follow?
iii) Fear. You can be afraid of Jesus or everything else (4:39 cf 41, 5:3-5 cf 15, 5:33 cf 36). They did nothing because of fear. What will you do? Will you follow?
I have just been in Engelberg (Switzerland) for two trips: walking in the hills all day, via a few cable cars and coffee shops, then preaching in the evening: winner! God has, needless to say, been great and faithful, speaking by his powerful Word - what a joy...
We studied Mark, and here's a vague outline of what I said:
Introduction (Mk 1:1)
i) Brief overview of Mark - three confessions: Mark's (1:1), Peter's (8:29) and the Centurion's (15:39), with the first half teaching on who Jesus is, the second on what he came to do.
ii) Brief explanation of each clause.
iii) Reminder of how serious it is to believe Mk 1:1 [remember Antipas in Rev 2:13] and what it looks like in our lives to say Mk 1:1 and live it.
Session 1 (Mk 2:1-12)
i) Everyone's greatest need is forgiveness of sin - the surprise in vv 1-5 is what Jesus doesn't do. It is better to be crippled on earth and saved for eternity than saved on earth and crippled in eternity. Application: we mustn't just 'do nice things for people' but must tell them the gospel; Francis of Assisi is just wrong when he says "preach the Gospel; if you must, use words"!
ii) What is sin? Rejecting God as Ruler of our lives. Sin leads to death.
iii) Jesus has God's power to forgive sins. Jesus does the visible to prove the invisible. Application: come to Jesus & be forgiven; tell your friends the Gospel - how horrible to lend someone a fiver, give them a meal at your house, or whatever, and leave them crippled for eternity.
Session 2 (Mk 4-5)
i) Kingdom parables (4:1-34). Chat through 1-20, hearing the challenge of vv 5-7 & great encouragement of vs 8. Word ministry leads to kingdom growth despite the majority response being rejection - here's a pattern for us individually and communally. Note similar themes of kingdom growth in vv 26-29 and 30-32. Is this just big talk? Haven't loads of people claimed extraordinary things?
ii) Jesus is the powerful King of the kingdom (4:35-5:43). Not just big talk - there's big proof. That's a King to trust in! Be encouraged: the kingdom will grow!
Session 3 (Mk 6:31-8:10)
i) Jesus is YHWH who feeds Israel (6:30-52). Looked at sheep/shepherd, desert, manna, mountainside and "I am" from Exodus. Jesus is Redeemer and God of Israel
ii) The Kingdom is Expansive (7:24-8:10). Not just for Jews, but Gentiles too. Gentile woman says 'please can I eat with you, King Jesus?' and he says yes! [Brief reminder of Jesus' compassion from 1:40-41.] He then heals and offers the Gentiles a Messianic banquet. Look how generous the King is! Look how expansive the kingdom is!
Session 4 (Mk 8:31-10:52)
i) Peter's confession = assent to all that we've seen from Mk 1-8. What do you think?
ii) Jesus must suffer (8:31). Four things are necessary: suffering, rejection, death & rising again.
iii) So must we too (8:34-9:1). Call to be Cross-carrying Christians: 3 demands (34), a reason (35-37), a warning (38) and a promise (9:1) [following NIVAC outline here]; we looked at each in some detail.
iv) Disciples must serve (9:33-35). Particular application to Christian leadership and positions of responsibility in church.
v) Bartimaeus is a model disciple (10:46-52). Sight: he has it. Faith: so he sees. Result: follows Jesus on the way - which is the way of 8:31, the only way for him and the only way for us too. Will you follow? Will you do 8:34?
Session 5 (Mk 15)
Why watch the Titanic, or Romeo & Juliet? We know the story. Ans: to see that director's emphasis. Need to be sensitive to Mark - there's loads of other stuff on the cross we don't see here...
i) Mark teaches by irony (15:1-32). Looked through the passage at the sad sad ironies, seeing how they teach us about who Jesus is, and why he came. Three cries to him on cross possibly the most poignant moments in this section: Build the temple - he is! Save yourself - he can't save himself and us! Give us a sign - he is the sign!
ii) The cry, the cup, the curtain (15:33-39). Cry of being under darkness of God's judgement. Can God punish the same sin twice? Cup drunk is cup of God's wrath. Who drinks your cup? Curtain is torn - no separation between God and humans. The Gentile centurion sees and enters that great house of prayer for all nations. You've seen: where are you?
Session 6 (16:1-8)
i) Peter had been a public muppet; he is called by name to follow. If you are or have been a Peter, get up and follow.
ii) Jesus leads out into Gentile territory; he is going before us back home, back to the mission field. Will you follow?
iii) Fear. You can be afraid of Jesus or everything else (4:39 cf 41, 5:3-5 cf 15, 5:33 cf 36). They did nothing because of fear. What will you do? Will you follow?
posted by Andrew at 9:28 am
2 Comments:
Sounds like a great series. Glad you had a good time, hope it's not too much of a shock being back at college!
Incidentally, had I another talk it would have been Mk 11-12 and the judgement of the temple - which would have made the stuff about Jesus as 'house of prayer for all nations' much clearer in Mk 15.
I'm not sure how many more nights I'd have needed to dare open Mk 13. Maybe DF's eschatology course might sort me out on that - or at least force me to do some more work on it!
Post a Comment
<< Home