StoneBridge Community Church
Senior Pastor Jon Saur
Storytime: Mark
Jesus often taught through parables. The term "parable" comes from the Greek and refers to "throwing alongside" one idea to make another idea clearer. In order to help his followers understand the Kingdom of God, Jesus "threw alongside" simple stories.
In January, we will be looking at Jesus' parables in the Gospel of Mark, in order to understand how Mark presents Jesus and how Jesus presented the Kingdom of God to his followers.
Mark 4:1-9 NRSV
SERMON OUTLINE:
I. The Gospel of Mark
A. Who wrote it?
B. When was it written?
C. How does it relate to the other Gospels?
D. What makes Mark unique?
1. Shorter
2. Poorer
3. Less teaching
4. Persecution
II. Parables
A. What is a parable?
B. The Kingdom of God.
C. Helps us understand.
III. The Parable of the Sower
A. The parable.
B. What is going on here?
IV. Falling Away
A. People are falling away.
B. How do we persevere in the faith?
V. Tell others about Jesus.
NEXT STEPS:
1) Set up a reading plan to read the Gospel of Mark, beginning to end, between now and Easter.
2) Commit to that reading plan.
GROWTH GROUP / PERSONAL REFLECTION QUESTIONS
1) Does the Gospel of Mark seem distinct to you from the other Gospels? What is in Mark that isn't in the others? What does Mark leave out that the others include?
2) Do you have a favorite parable of Jesus'? If so, which one?
3) Which group of people described in the parable of the sower do you identify with the most? Which group seems most common to you?
4) How do you think someone perseveres in the faith? What has helped your faith to remain strong?
5) In your opinion what is the best way of telling others about Jesus?
We encourage you to use Facebook, Instagram, and other social media to share images, quotes, links, or what you've learned from this week's message and YouVersion message notes. Social media can also be a great way of inviting your friends to worship and special events.