Trinity Church of Portland - Sermons

This week we continue in our series Follow The Son from the Gospel of Mark. This sermon from Pastor Andrew Pack preached from Mark 13:1-37 draws attention to Jesus’s discourse on the Mount of Olives. This text as well as much in our Bible has a lot to say about the future. The main takeaways for us is that Jesus wins, Jesus’s people win, and Jesus is coming—so we are to be ready as people who stay awake. If you’re a person who isn’t living in light of these truths ask yourself, what is the first and main thing you need to do to wake up and be ready?

This week we continue in our series Follow The Son from the Gospel of Mark. This week Pastor Thomas Terry preaches from Mark 12:28-40. This sermon draws attention to what it means to love. Jesus using the Old Testament lays out The “Who” and the “How” of what it means to love. The call from Jesus is to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength and to love our neighbor as ourselves. This command actually condemns us because we cannot do it perfectly. But God, has provided Jesus to give his life in order to save us from our lawbreaking, to rescue us from our lovelessness—forgiving all of our sins.

We continue in our series Follow The Son from the Gospel of Mark. This week Pastor Andrew Pack preaches from Mark 12:18-27. This sermon draws attention to a big question. What happens when you die? As the answer to this question gets unpacked we learn that Jesus is alive, Jesus makes dead people alive, Jesus makes living people live, and Jesus will make living people who have died live again.

This week we return to our series Follow The Son working our way through the Gospel of Mark. In this sermon Pastor Thomas Terry preaches from Mark 12:1-17. This sermon draws attention to the first time Jesus uses a parable to reveal truth to the religious leaders, in fact he tells a parable about them and they know it. The parable of the tenants is a call to recognize that God will remove and judge the religious authorities who refuse to submit to God. This parable also draws our attention to God’s long-suffering with sinners, and that he sent his one and only Son to save his people. After the parable discussion, the religious leaders withdraw from Jesus yet return to try to trap Jesus using a political strategy, that if successful would put Jesus in conflict with the Romans. But Jesus diffuses their strategy and leaves the people marveling at his answer and logic.

Andrew Pack preaching from Mark 11:12-26. In this text, Jesus curses the fruitless fig tree and cleanses the fruitless temple. Jesus then commands us to have faith in God, to pray for very large things, and to forgive one another. Apart from God and his power these things are impossible and it is right for us to ask for the impossible and seek his power and help to make sure our accoutrements match the foundation of God’s design.

Andrew Pack preaching from Mark 11:1-11 the story of Jesus’ triumphal entry when the people shouted, Hosanna—which means “Save Us.” This is a text that demands a response when we consider Jesus is our faithful Savior, our humble Savior, and our worthy Savior. What would it look like if we actually lived like we trust in Jesus's faithfulness, took more seriously His humility, and if we counted Him worthy of our trust? Instead of the frequent delays in trusting Jesus we would be quick to trust and obey Him, and it would change how we pray, how we evangelize, and how we spend the time and resources He has entrusted to us. Jesus is indeed our faithful Savior who longs to help His people, and to save sinners.

Pastor Thomas preaching from Mark 10:46-52 about the interaction between Jesus and Bartimaeus, the blind beggar. Despite the crowd seeking to hinder Bartimaeus, he confidently shouts to Jesus in search of mercy he knew only Jesus could provide. Bartimaeus receives his sight becoming physically well, he also receives from Jesus spiritual salvation and becomes a follower of the Lord Jesus. This is a beautiful example of the Lord using suffering in the life of a person in order to bring them to saving faith. Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus calls out to the Son of David and becomes a son of God.

Trinity Church Pastor Cristian Boanca preaching from Hebrews 12:3-13 about one of the ways we can know we are walking with God. We can know we are one of God’s children when we experience the discipline of the Lord in our lives. God disciplines his children because we need discipline, and God always does it perfectly. God uses his heavenly discipline to make us more dependent upon him and to grow into greater holiness.

Thomas Terry preaching from Mark 10:32-45, Jesus shares the future he faces to complete God's redemptive plan and make the gospel a reality for sinners—his death, burial, and resurrection. It should be easy for Christians to answer the question, “What Is the Gospel?” But this is not always the case because the true gospel has been hijacked in our day, leading to confusion for many people. There are many so-called gospels that add or subtract something from the true gospel, and thus have no power to save. The Apostle Paul taught that any corruption of the gospel must be resisted at all cost. Then our text turns to the ridiculous and insensitive request James and John make of Jesus as they jockey for position. Jesus responds by telling them they will suffer after him, but he kindly withholds any details. Jesus then teaches that servanthood for His glory is what real greatness looks like. The proper gospel of Jesus as our ransom should drive everything we do, especially that we become servants for his glory.

Ryan Lister preaching from Mark 10:17-31 about Jesus's interaction with the Rich Young Ruler. In this sermon we learn how not to follow Jesus, how not to be like people who walk away from Jesus because they misinterpret Jesus, or misinterpret themselves or misinterpret their desires. Jesus offers an invitation by calling people to follow him, to properly understand who Jesus is, who we are, and be able to discern our true desires. Accepting the call to follow Jesus will have a worldly cost but that cost will pale in comparison with what Jesus offers us—eternal life.