In a frantic culture that constantly clamors for our attention, we are often confused as to who Jesus truly is and what it means to follow him. In the Gospel of Mark, we learn that God will restore his reign through King Jesus in a radical plan to rescue the world. Yet, Jesus is a different kind of king—a suffering servant who invites us to join him along the road that leads to crucifixion. In our series from Mark’s Gospel, we follow along with the disciples and are presented with a choice: will you follow or reject Christ?
WEEK 1: The Gospel of King Jesus
June 6 Mark 1:1-20
WEEK 2: Who is This? Jesus Rebukes the Storm
June 13 Mark 4:35-41
WEEK 3: Son of the Most High: Jesus Rebukes the Legion
June 20 Mark 5:1-20
WEEK 4: The Cruciform King: Son of Man, Servant of All
June 27 Mark 10:32-45
WEEK 5: The Lord, the Law, and the Love of God
July 4 Mark 12:28-34
WEEK 6: Crucifixion, Burial, and the Resurrection
July 11 Mark 15:33-16:8
Give It All | Grace Church Worship | Apple Music | Spotify
Psalm 101:1 • Romans 12:1 • Romans 5:8 • Galatians 2:20
King of Kings | Hillsong Worship | Apple Music | Spotify
Romans 1:16-17 • Hebrews 12:1 • Acts 18
In Christ Alone | Passion | Apple Music | Spotify
Jude 1:24-25 • Philippians 3:7-11 • Romans 8:38-39
Exalted Over All | Vertical Worship | Apple Music | Spotify
Philippians 2:6-11 • Colossians 1:15-20 • Hebrews 12:2
Hallelujah for the Cross | Chris McClarney | Apple Music | Spotify
Colossians 1:13-20 • Isaiah 53:5 • Romans 2:4
Call Upon the Lord | Elevation Worship | Apple Music | Spotify
Psalm 18:3-2 • 2 Corinthians 3:17 • Hebrews 13:5-6
Only a Holy God | CityAlight | Apple Music | Spotify
Isaiah 6 • Revelation 4:8 • Philippians 2:1-11
The Lord is Great and Mighty | Grace Church Worship | Apple Music | Spotify
Psalm 40 • Ezekiel 36:26
All Things Together | 10,000 Fathers | Apple Music | Spotify
Revelation 22:13 • Colossians 1:17
Nobody Like You | Red Rocks Worship | Apple Music | Spotify
Psalm 33:6-7 • Exodus 15:11 • Phil 2:5-11 • Jeremiah 10:6
Greater Than All Our Words | Grace Church Worship | Apple Music | Spotify
Psalm 19:1 • Romans 12:1 • Job 40:4
This We Know | Vertical Worship | Apple Music | Spotify
Isaiah 55:8-9 • Hebrews 10:23 • Colossians 2:15 • 1 Corinthians 15:55-57 • 1 Peter 1:3-7
Yet Not I but Through Christ in Me | CityAlight | Apple Music | Spotify
Galatians 2:20 • 1 Corinthians 15:10 • Philippians 2:13
Mighty God (Another Hallelujah) | Elevation Worship | Apple Music | Spotify
Mark 4:39 • Revelation 19:6-8
Look What God Has Done | Corey Voss & Madison Street Worship | Apple Music | Spotify
Psalms 77 • Philippians 2:9-11
Lamb of God | Vertical Worship | Apple Music| Spotify
John 1:29 • Hebrews 4:14-16 • Romans 6:5-11
O Come to the Altar | Elevation Worship | Apple Music | Spotify
1 John 2:2 • Hebrews 13:12 • Romans 12:1-2
Son of Man | Grace Church Worship | Apple Music | Spotify
Matthew 26-27 • Isaiah 53
What a Savior | Hillsong Worship | Apple Music | Spotify
John 9:35-39 • Psalm 71:14 • Psalm 149:4
Behold | Grace Church Worship | Apple Music | Spotify
Philippians 2:6-11 • 1 Peter 3:18 • Isaiah 53:3-5 • Revelation 19:11-16
Give It All | Grace Church Worship | Apple Music | Spotify
Psalm 101:1 • Romans 12:1 • Romans 5:8 • Galatians 2:20
No Greater Love | Grace Church Worship | Apple Music | Spotify
John 15:13 • Romans 5:1-11 • Ephesians 5:2 • Galatians 5:13
Christ Our Savior | Grace Church Worship | Apple Music | Spotify
Lamentations 3:21-26 • Ephesians 2:8-9 • Titus 3:5-6
Christ Be Magnified | Cody Carnes | Apple Music | Spotify
Psalm 34:1-3 • Romans 6:3-5 • Revelation 5:11-1
Great and Mighty King | Elevation Worship | Apple Music | Spotify
Psalm 47:6-8 • Revelation 5:11-14 • Isaiah 6:1-3
Never Be the Same | People & Songs | Apple Music | Spotify
John 4:13-14 • 2 Corinthians 5:17 • Romans 8:11
Man of Sorrows | Hillsong Worship | Apple Music | Spotify
Isaiah 53 • 1 Timothy 2:5-6 • Hebrews 5:5-9
More Like Jesus | Passion | Apple Music | Spotify
John 3:30 • 1 Peter 2:21 • Romans 8:29 • Ephesians 4:22-24
O Praise the Name | Hillsong Worship | Apple Music | Spotify
Matthew 27-28 • 1 Corinthians 15:3-7 • Revelation 7:9-12 • Hebrews 9:28
Hallelujah for the Cross | Chris McClarney | Apple Music | Spotify
Colossians 1:13-20 • Isaiah 53:5 • Romans 2:4
These daily readings will help prepare you for the upcoming teaching you will hear this weekend at Grace Church. These passages will create some context for the sermon by showing you Scriptures the teacher might be quoting and some passages that contain related ideas. Our hope is that as you follow this reading plan, it will help you become more defined and directed by Scripture.
WEEK 1: The Gospel of King Jesus
WEEK 2: Who is This? Jesus Rebukes the Storm
WEEK 3: Son of the Most High: Jesus Rebukes the Legion
The Good News about Jesus—the gospel—is the only way for humans to find freedom from sin and be restored to fellowship with God. What is your understanding of the word, “gospel”? How have you seen the gospel at work in your life? What have you been called to sacrifice, and what were the rewards?
Being led by Jesus is not a call to self-betterment—it’s a call to obedience and sacrifice. In what ways do you tend to try and “do better” as a Christian? What does this reveal about your identity? How can you change your mindset to be more Christ-centered?
Jesus is going somewhere, and we must let ourselves be led by him. What temporary things distract you from following Jesus? What specific steps do you need to take in order to focus on Jesus’ eternal purpose above your own agenda?
After 400 years of silence, God speaks to his people through John the Baptist. In the same way that John’s message of repentance and baptism is different from past prophets, so will Jesus’ message be radically different—both to the Israelites and to us.
God is directly intervening in human history through the person and work of Jesus Christ to establish and re-establish his kingdom on earth.
Jesus’ reign as Messiah will not be about earthly rule but about eternal redemption and restoration.
Just as Jesus challenged the religious groups of his day, so also does he challenge our cultural norms. His kingdom does not depend on our work, but on him alone.
Our responsibility is to decide if we are willing to be obedient to Jesus' call—and our allegiance will have a cost, for he calls us to sacrifice our own agenda.
Like the disciples, we all struggle with fear. Take some time to reflect and consider—what are you most afraid of? What does that fear reveal about your view of God? Are you struggling to believe that he’s in control or that he loves you?
Jesus calls the disciples to trust him without understanding him. Where are you frustrated with God’s apparent indifference towards your circumstances or to the plight of the world around you? Where are you tempted to believe the worst about him?
Understanding and clarity come after obedience. How can you move towards acting in obedience even without fully understanding God’s plan? What are some simple steps you can take to be “in proximity” to Jesus and his work?
In the midst of a violent storm, Jesus sleeps while the disciples panic. This demonstrates both his humanity and his faith in the Father’s plan.
Jesus’ frailty should comfort us. His complete humanity means that he understands both our temptations and our suffering.
Like the disciples, we are often tempted to believe that God does not care when we face difficult circumstances
We must learn to trust Jesus personally even when we don’t understand him. It will take humility and faith on our part to rest in his plan and live under his authority.
As modern believers, we have seen generations of Christians whose lives have been changed by God, and we have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. These truths should encourage us to trust God fully.
Ironically, the demons in this passage beg Jesus for mercy when they have refused to extend mercy. How can we as believers live in such a way that marks us as quick to extend forgiveness, mercy, and grace? When have you been challenged to extend to someone else what you expect for yourself?
Jesus pushes us all to a point of decision—will we accept or reject him? Have you experienced a point in your life of complete surrender to God’s will? If so, how did this decision impact your life? If not, what is holding you back?
As believers, we often try to maintain control over certain areas of our lives instead of trusting in the one we know is good and powerful. Where do you have a tendency to grasp for control? What does this reveal about your fears and your view of God? How can you move towards surrendering that area to God?
When Jesus and his followers encounter a man possessed by demons, the evil spirits immediately acknowledge who Jesus is and ironically beg for his mercy.
Satan’s ultimate purpose is to steal, kill, and destroy, and he is still doing this to God’s people today. The only relief that evil experiences from its own misery is to torture someone else.
After Jesus demonstrates his power by casting the demons into the pigs, the townspeople react in fear. They understand the implications of his act—both the supernatural and the natural world obey this man. The logical conclusion is that we should obey him as well.
Like all those who encounter Jesus, we must also realize that he is disruptive and unpredictable. If we follow him, we release the illusion of control we have in our lives, but we also experience freedom.
The possessed man experiences true freedom through his redemption, and he is willing to obey Jesus even when Jesus commands him to act differently than he desires.
We can trust God because he is both good and powerful, and he took on our unique sins in the process of redeeming us. While his plan may be different from ours, we can trust that it is best.
Jesus is a good king with ultimate power and authority; however, his reign is marked by suffering and sacrifice for the sake of his people. How can this truth encourage us? How should it influence our trust in and obedience to Christ?
Like the disciples, we often miss the point of what it means to follow Jesus and focus on pursuing our own personal kingdoms. What are you pursuing in an effort to promote yourself or provide for your own comfort? What do you think about the idea that much of our anxiety is related to an over-focus on self?
Jesus redefined greatness as being a servant. In what ways are you serving those in your sphere of influence (family, coworkers, church, community)? What would it look like for you to pour more energy into sacrificing yourself and leveraging your resources in order to bless those around you?
As Jesus and his disciples approach Jerusalem, Jesus explains that his coronation will be marked by betrayal, suffering, and death. As king, he will use his power to save people through his sacrificial death and resurrection.
The fact that we serve a king who is both good and powerful should bring us great comfort, strengthen our trust, and inform the way we live our lives.
The disciples fail to understand Jesus’ mission. Instead, they view Jesus as a way to pull themselves up in pursuit of promotion and status. We also often use our roles in ministry to elevate ourselves.
In response, Jesus does not rebuke their ambition. He does, however, redefine what greatness is. To be great in God’s kingdom is to be a servant.
As believers, we must also realize that the cross is not just the way of salvation—it is the way of life for followers of Jesus.
We were created in God’s image in order to execute his will. This means we must follow Jesus’ model of servanthood.
Jesus makes it clear that God wants all of us—heart, soul, mind, and strength. Yet, we are often distracted by things the world promises will fulfill us. What are you tempted to trust in or pursue in place of God (prosperity, security, relationships, comfort, etc.)?
As you consider what it means to love your neighbor, take some time to reflect on how God has loved you. How can you intentionally focus your energy on remembering what God has done for you and how it has changed your life?
Who is your neighbor? Consider your family, friends, coworkers, or others whom God has placed in proximity to you. What would it look like for you to love them as you love yourself?
Evaluate your spiritual health. We all have work to do, but does the call to love God and love your neighbor seem out of reach? If so, what next step can you take towards getting spiritually healthy?
When asked about the most important commandment, Jesus begins by reminding the Jewish leaders of a familiar truth—there is only one God. We should also reflect on the reality that God is all we need.
The command to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength is compelling and multi-faceted. We see three truths here:
We know that the term neighbor is all-inclusive. Jesus wants us to love all we come in contact with, even our enemies. And the extent to which we love our neighbors reveals the depth of our love for God.
Jesus further instructs us to love our neighbors as ourselves. This means we should be willing to make the same effort and sacrifice for others that we make to gain our own desires
When Jesus suffered on the cross, he was able to look beyond the present moment of pain and trust in God’s sovereignty. Do you struggle to trust God when you are experiencing difficulty? How can you express sorrow honestly to God and still move towards faith and trust in his divine purposes?
Many of Jesus’ followers missed the purpose of his death because they were evaluating a divine power from a human perspective. We often do the same when we tell God what we would do if we had his power. In those difficult moments, how can you remind yourself that God is at work in a way that is much bigger than you can comprehend?
Take some time to reflect on all we have learned about Jesus and the gospel through this series. How should this information affect your mission—your purpose in life? In what area of your life do you struggle most to do this? What steps do you need to take to filter your beliefs, thoughts, and actions through the lens of the gospel?
When suffering on the cross, Jesus quotes Psalm 22, crying out to God in his pain. Even in this moment of utter loneliness, he’s able to move from an expression of sorrow to one of trust in God.
Like Jesus, we should be compelled by God’s mission and divine purpose through every moment of our lives, even the most difficult ones.
Through Jesus’ death, demonstrated by the torn veil, we are given divine access—a new way to relate to God and be made right with him. This is the foundation of our hope.
When a Roman officer confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, we see the transformative power of the gospel at work. If we have full understanding of Jesus’ identity, confess our sins, and place our faith in him, it should transform our lives as well.
Mark makes it abundantly clear that Jesus has died. Indeed, the resurrection has no power or meaning apart from Jesus’ death. It is the lynchpin of our faith—without it, there is no good news.
As believers, we are the next chapter of Jesus’ story. This truth should inform our mission on earth. If we believe and are transformed by the power of the gospel, then we will have freedom to give our time, energy, and resources to God.