Pastor Shaun Marksbury

One of the more deceptive elements of our Christian walk arises from our own sense of performance .  Because God commands obedience and holiness, we often forget that only Christ can provide the righteousness we need for salvation.  We work, which isn't bad, but we focus on our striving. Let's consider this another way.  We may intellectually accept the premise that we are saved by grace through faith, and we would not openly boast, we sometimes live as though salvation is by works (cf. Eph 2:8-9).  We tend to either neglect or forget the good news of the gospel in our Christian walk. We confuse the categories of justification and sanctification in our lives. Consider this quiz (from here ) to examine how well you hold to the gospel.  With which are you absorbed? (Answer A or B)  1 (A) your personal righteousness, (B) The vicarious righteousness of Christ?  2 (A) the condition of your faith (B) Christ’s faithful obedience on your beh...

Many of us deal with the Psalms completely in English, and that's fine.  If you decide, however, to compare those Psalms to the Hebrew for the first time, you may get confused.  As I was looking at Psalm 13 for this weekend's study, I decided to write a quick post on what to look for if you are comparing the English and the Hebrew for the first time. The verse numbers don't always line up. The first thing we notice with this psalm is that it has a title, which is translated in the NASB, "For the choir director. A Psalm of David."  This is actually verse one in the Hebrew.  Verse one in English starts, "How long," but that is the start of verse two in the Hebrew.  So, you may end up with a verse more than you anticipated in the Hebrew. Incidentally, that means that the titles in Hebrew are canonical.  Different scholars will debate whether that means the titles are inspired.  I'm of the camp that believe they are; if they are preserved by God in ...

9  And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10  So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead might mean. 11  And they asked him, “Why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” 12  And he said to them, “Elijah does come first to restore all things. And how is it written of the Son of Man that he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt? 13  But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him.” From its dystopian novels to its films chronicling robot revolutions, our society has an obsession with end-of-the-world stories.  It seems to be in our nature to imagine apocalyptic scenarios.   In the case of the disciples, they were awaiting the exaltation of Israel over the other nations, as the Old Testament promised.  Still, there was som...

Seeking the Kingdom of God | Mark 8:38–9:1 Shaun Marksbury | Grace Bible Church Sunday Morning Service | January 7, 2018 It was right and proper for the disciples to be expecting an earthly kingdom.  What wasn’t right or proper was their resistance to God’s use of suffering to build the kingdom.  They believed that they should have an easy path now that the Messiah has arrived, and they certainly had no room for a crucified Jesus.  However, as Jesus explains in these verses, there is a near and far element to the kingdom, an already and not-yet fulfillment that alters how they follow Him.  So, in these verses, we can also see how we are to seek the King’s business in our lives as kingdom citizens. Audio: Video: Manuscript: I.                Introduction Sometimes, chapter breaks are helpful.  They’re not part of the inspired text.  They were simply added to the B...

2  And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3  and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them. 4  And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. 5  And Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6  For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified. 7  And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” 8  And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only. We can only imagine what the glory of the moment was like for the disciples.  Peter had certainly put some information together.  He knew that Jesus is the Messiah (8:29), and that Jesus had just been teaching on the coming kingd...

2  And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3  and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them. 4  And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. 5  And Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6  For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified. 7  And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” 8  And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only. Jesus follows up His promise in v. 1 with the most spectacular demonstration.  Jesus, Peter, John, and James ascend Mt. Hermon near Caesarea Philippi, and He is there transformed.  The sight is so memorable that Peter writes about ...

For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” 9  And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.” Sometimes, chapter breaks are helpful.  They were added to the Bible in the Middle Ages to help readers easily navigate Scripture.  Sometimes, though, it’s tough to tell if whether those breaks occur in the best places.  In this case, it seems that this text transitions from speaking of complete commitment as a disciple to the power present in the kingdom of God, teaching us why and how we can seek first the kingdom (cf. Mt 6:33). The kingdom of God has a future of power.  Despite the current state of our Lord, the disciples dare not think that there isn’t a glory to come.  There approaches a d...