St Marcus Mke Sermons

This week we'll be studying Ephesians 4:17-5:2 under the theme "The Christian Lifestyle." After the Apostle Paul told us the basis of our salvation by God's grace in chapters 1-3, he's now giving us the details of what it looks like to apply that salvation to our daily lives. In this text, he tells us to "put off the old self" that consists of worldly values, and "put on the new self" by aiming for honesty, calm, hard work, positive talk, and forgiveness. These new behaviors do not contribute to a new status, but flow out of the new status that has been gifted to us, as "dearly loved children of God." 

This message is based on John 15:1-8.

This week we'll be studying Ephesians 4:1-16 under the theme "A Gifted Body: Principles of the Christian Walk." This week, we shift into the second half of Ephesians, which gives us careful instruction for our walk with Christ in this life. Specifically, we'll be looking at God's desire for unity amongst Christians, the reality of the Church's giftedness, and our capacity to mature, transform, and develop as his body. 

As a follower of Jesus, our citizenship first is in the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. Our allegiance lies with His values, with His family, with His heart for the world, and with His commands.  Being a Christian in America means that we can gather with the church freely, that we can speak and work for justice and truth, and that we can share my faith with others.  We celebrate today recognizing that there is beauty in America, and there is also deep brokenness to which we move towards with faith, believing the Lord can and will redeem this nation to Himself.  Pastor Jeske's bible study focuses on the theme Respect Your Government as he digs into Nehemiah 2:1-8.  

This week we'll be studying Ephesians 3:14-21 under the theme "The Experience of Christ." In this text, Paul offers his second lengthy prayer of the letter. He's asking here that the believers in Ephesus would experientially come to grips the dimensions of God's love. He's articulating the distinction between knowing about Jesus, and knowing Jesus personally. For some, this seems like an arbitrary distinction, but we'll discuss this week the importance as well as strategies to keeping the relationship.

Pastor Jeske's bible study walks through I Timothy 6:17-19. Paul encourages his readers to know that there is great gain in godliness when it is combined with content­ment in the basic necessities of life (1 Tim. 6:6, 8). Our God is a God “who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment” (1 Tim. 6:17).

This week we'll be studying Ephesians 3:1-13 under the theme "The Mystery of the Church." Paul has taught us in this letter that our salvation was God's plan executed by Jesus (Ch 1), and it's based on grace, which forms the basis of the Church (Ch 2). In Ch 3 he explains implications of grace in our relationships. Grace causes the Jew to love the Gentile and vice versa. Grace is an absolute "mystery" to the world and therefore the defining characteristic of Christ and his Church.

Today is the annual Juneteenth worship celebration. Pastor Jeske and Darlene Grams have been leading the annual celebration at St. Marcus since the 1990s. St. Marcus' Juneteenth celebration is a time honored tradition, an opportunity to include people in the central city who may not know about our Savior and a way to learn more about the African-American community through their story of freedom. President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863. But it was not until June 19, 1865, that all of the slaves in the former confederacy recognized that they had been freed. It is our Christian joy to evangelize our communities and tell people who groan in the slavery of their sins that they have already been freed by Jesus Christ, their Savior.

This week we'll be studying Ephesians 2:11-2 under the theme "Christian Unity." This lesson will clear up for so many of us why we see the divisions we see in the world. Spiritually speaking, sinful pride leads us to naturally create "dividing walls" that we deem lesser than us, to try to establish our own identity. But those of us who are "in Christ" are given unique resources to break down dividing walls of society as Jesus has broken down hostility for us. 

Today's bible study is on Genesis 3:8-15 - Promise Instead of Punishment. Pastor Leyrer focuses on two points in his message:  1) We Hide from God because of Our Guilt.  2) God Seeks Us out because of His Grace.

This week we'll be studying Ephesians 2:1-10 under the theme "The Work of God." I've said many times in the past that while John 3:16 might be still the most famous verse in the Bible, the reason I ended up theologically in the place I did is as much due to this section from Ephesians 2 as anything. Paul here counters anyone who wants to plagiarize credit from God by making their conversion, their salvation, or their life about anything other than God's undeserved goodness and love. Our old identity is dead. Our new identity rises, by grace, in Christ Jesus.

Today, Pastor Jeske's Bible Study dives into the theme Men & Women in God’s Image. The scripture reading of Genesis 1:26-31 from the story of creation describes God's perfect design of men and women:  "So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them."  The Bible study on II Samuel 13:1-20 shows us the destruction that occurs when sin and human self-interest is put over following God's perfect design.  

This week we'll be studying Ephesians 1:15-23 as we worship under the theme "A Prayer for the Church." About half of Ephesians is simply Paul's prayer. Here, Paul is asking that God help the Ephesians personally know, i.e. experience, the hope they have in his promises, and that they be used by God to unite everything under the headship of Jesus. 

This week we'll be studying Ephesians 1:1-14 as we worship under the theme "God's Divine Plan - A New Identity IN CHRIST." The Triune God had a plan for us before time even began. He knew us. He loved us. He chose us. And this was not because we were already holy, but to make us holy. This comes when we allow the Spirit to lead us to live, not for an identity, but from our new identity in Christ.

Pastor Jeske's bible study on Ephesians 5:15-20 reminds us to be filled with the Spirit - "speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

This week we'll be studying Acts 28:1-10 as we worship under the theme "It Doesn't Get Easier. You Get Stronger." We've arrived at the end of the Book of Acts. And Paul gets bit by a poisonous snake. Why is life so tough on this missionary? And why is life so tough for us? The answer appears to be that God is not simply trying to make us comfortable. He's trying to make us great, instruments of divine strength that are useful to building his Kingdom. It's an honor to be redemptive agents that cary the truth and love of Jesus our Savior.

On the final Sunday of Easter, today's service celebrates the Ascension of Jesus into Heaven. Pastor Jeske's bible study delves into The Great Commission recorded in Matthew 28:16-20. Jesus said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Koine's Brian Davison joins the Sunday Praise Band with music celebrating God's return to the throne in heaven and the call to Christians to spread the Gospel to all nations. Music includes Graham Kendrick's "Shine, Jesus, Shine", the seventh century text in "A Hymn of Glory Let Us Sing", and Leon Patillo's "Go". The Gospel Choir presents "God Wants a Yes" and "Gates of Zion".

This week we'll be studying Acts 27:1-44 as we worship under the theme "Paul Face Shipwreck." In one of the longest, most action-packed accounts of Paul's ministry, we learn the secret of finding calm in the middle of the storms of life. Paul's hopeful testimony is encouraging to everyone else in the boat. And we learn how Christians today can be a source of otherworldly optimism in a turbulent world.

Happy Mother's Day! Pastor brings us a bible study on God’s Love Through Mothers. The modern holiday of Mother's Day was first celebrated in 1907, when Anna Jarvis held a memorial for her mother at St Andrew's Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia. For those called to Motherhood and youth mentorship, may God bless you and keep you this Mother's Day and always. Thank you for your role in raising up the next generation of Christians, and for modeling what it means to fix our eyes on Jesus.

This week we'll be studying Acts 26:19​-31 as we worship under the theme "Paul's Testimony to the Roman Leaders." In our 3rd and final week on Christian testimony, Paul teaches us the art of Christian persuasion. While the credit of conversion belongs entirely to the Spirit of God, he works through very human concepts like language, logic, and personal appeals to accomplish his work. Paul here gives us a great example of how we can improve those communication components of Christian witnessing.