PCFC Sermons

Parma Christian Fellowship Church

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Religion & Spirituality

Welcome to the weekly podcast for Parma Christian Fellowship Church. We are a community of Bible-based believers that seek to follow Jesus in all that we do. We desire to reach the world for Jesus Christ through worship, evangelism, discipleship, prayer, and service.

Aug 24

The King Who Gave His Life / Here Comes the King

Weekend Service for August 23Scripture Readings: Mark 14-15Mark 14 and 15 bring the question back again: who is Jesus, and what is going to be done with him? The cross was not the tragic ending of Jesus’ life. The cross was the place Jesus willingly chose, the highest price paid for humanity’s sin, and the clearest answer to the question of human worth.The picture of value starts simple. A house, a car, a truck, all of it can have one number in one situation and another number in another situation. Something is worth what someone is willing to pay. Human worth is not finally measured by money, a house, success, failure, popularity, or past mistakes. Human worth is demonstrated by Jesus paying with his own life.Gethsemane shows Jesus fully aware of what is coming. His soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. He asks the Father to take the cup away if there is any other way, but he does not stop there. Jesus submits himself: “I want your will to be done, not mine.” The disciples sleep because their bodies are weak, but Jesus stands alone because only Jesus can do what he came to do.The betrayal makes that loneliness sharper. Judas comes with an armed crowd and identifies Jesus with a kiss. The disciples flee. Human faithfulness fails Jesus, but Jesus’ faithfulness does not fail humanity. Even when abandoned, betrayed, and handed over, Jesus keeps moving toward the purpose he accepted.The trial shows the innocence of Jesus and the blindness of the people around him. False witnesses cannot get their stories straight. Jesus stays silent before their accusations, but when asked if he is the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One, he speaks truth: “I am.” The innocent one is condemned, while Barabbas, the guilty one, goes free. Jesus takes the place of the one who deserved judgment, and that becomes the picture of what he does for sinners.The crucifixion shows that Jesus could save others because he refused to save himself. The crowd mocks him, the soldiers beat him, and the King hangs on a wooden cross. Darkness falls, Jesus cries out, and the temple curtain tears from top to bottom. The barrier is gone. The Roman centurion sees what others missed: “This man was truly the Son of God.”The cross was not plan B. Jesus had already told his disciples that the Son of Man must suffer, die, and rise. The cross shows God’s love, deals with sin, opens access to God, and gives hope because death is not the end. Jesus paid the highest price, and that price declares the worth of the life he came to save.[00:00] Welcome[00:25] The Cross Was Not Tragic[00:50] The Question of Jesus[01:22] What Makes Something Valuable[04:12] Cars, Trucks, and Replacement Value[05:59] Human Worth and Jesus’ Price[06:54] Gethsemane and the Cup[09:00] Disciples Sleep, Jesus Stands Alone[11:38] Jesus Chooses God’s Will[12:27] Betrayal, Arrest, and Desertion[14:58] Jesus on Trial[18:51] Barabbas and the Crowd[19:50] The Mocked King Crucified[23:15] The Curtain Torn Open[25:15] What the Cross Accomplishes[28:19] Worth Found in Jesus
Aug 17

The King Has Come / Here Comes the King

Weekend Service for August 16Scripture Readings: Mark 11-13Mark keeps asking the same question: who is Jesus, and what will be done with that knowledge? Mark 11 through 13 gives the answer with real weight. Jesus is truly the king, but he is not the king the crowd thought it was getting. The donkey says it before anyone else understands it. Jesus does not come riding in on a warhorse to raise a flag, crush Rome, or make life easier. Jesus comes humbly, moving toward suffering, because he has not come merely to fix circumstances. He has come to transform the heart.The fig tree and the temple belong together. The fig tree has leaves but no fruit, and the temple has activity but no relationship. Jesus curses the tree and clears the temple because religion has been turned into a game. Sacrifices, money changing, and outward motions have filled the space that was meant to be “a house of prayer for all nations.” Jesus is not impressed by busy religious systems that use people instead of serving people. He is looking for fruit.Mark then shows the religious elites growing more angry because Jesus threatens their power. The questions about taxes, resurrection, and authority are traps, but Jesus keeps exposing the heart underneath the trap. The coin bears Caesar’s image, so Caesar can have it. Human beings bear God’s image, so God desires the whole life. God is not after a pile of things. God desires the person.The greatest commandment cuts through the whole structure. Jesus says the center is love for the Lord with all the heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love for the neighbor as oneself. The teacher of the law who receives that word stands in a risky place, because his own group is against Jesus. Yet Jesus says he is not far from the kingdom of God. Head knowledge matters, but head knowledge without love and relationship leaves the heart empty.The widow’s two coins show what whole devotion looks like. The rich give a tiny part of their surplus, but the poor widow gives everything she has to live on. Jesus sees what looks insignificant to everyone else and calls it greater. Chapter 13 then turns the disciples’ eyes away from magnificent stones and toward faithfulness. Jesus says the buildings will fall, trouble will come, false messiahs will rise, and his people must stay awake and be on guard. The king has arrived, and his throne will be a cross. His crown will be thorns. His victory will look like defeat, but three days later this king will rise.[00:00] Welcome[01:30] Jesus Deserves Wholehearted Devotion[03:34] The King Arrives On A Donkey[06:51] The Fig Tree And The Temple[09:30] Activity Without Fruit[14:33] Religious Leaders Try To Trap Jesus[16:43] Give To God What Bears His Image[18:04] The Greatest Commandment[24:01] Beware Of Empty Religious Show[26:36] The Widow Gives Everything[31:03] Stay Awake And Be On Guard[35:29] The King Goes Toward The Cross
Aug 10

The Way of the Cross / Here Comes the King

Weekend Service for August 9Scripture Readings: Mark 8:31–10:52Mark moves Jesus and his disciples toward Jerusalem, and Jesus gets really intentional with them. Jesus is clearly the Messiah, but he is not the kind of Messiah they had already figured out in their heads. Jesus tells them plainly that the Son of Man must suffer, be rejected, be killed, and rise three days later. Peter has the right title for Jesus, but the wrong plan for Jesus, so his attempt to protect Jesus turns into the same old temptation to avoid the cross.Jesus answers Peter with strong words because Peter is seeing things from a human point of view, not from God’s. Jesus does not ask for followers who invite him to bless the path already chosen. Jesus calls people to give up their own way, take up the cross, and follow him. The cross means surrender, not just adding a little Jesus onto life.The transfiguration shows Peter, James, and John a glimpse of who Jesus really is. The Father says, “This is my dearly loved Son,” and the call is simple: listen to him. Faith is not always understanding every piece of what Jesus is doing. Faith is trusting Jesus enough to listen and change.Mark keeps showing the disciples learning slowly, and sometimes they just look like idiots. Jesus talks about betrayal, death, and resurrection, and they start arguing about which one of them is the greatest. Jesus answers by putting a child in front of them and saying that the first must take last place and become the servant of everyone else. The world says climb the ladder, but Jesus says get off the ladder and hold it for someone else.Jesus also takes sin seriously. The hand, foot, and eye language is intentionally strong because anything pulling a person away from Jesus needs to be dealt with, not managed casually. Sometimes following Jesus means asking not only for more of God, but for God to strip away what makes no room for him.Mark 10 keeps pressing the same question: what is too important to surrender? Marriage, children, wealth, status, and comfort all come under the call of Jesus. James and John still ask for seats of honor, but Jesus says his kingdom is different. The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many.Bartimaeus finishes the picture well. The blind man cries out while others try to quiet him, but Jesus calls him near, heals him, and sends him on. Bartimaeus can see, and he follows Jesus down the road.[00:00] Welcome[01:04] Slow Disciples Still Serve[04:31] Jesus Predicts His Suffering[08:51] Take Up the Cross[10:01] The Transfiguration Reveals Jesus[12:21] Jesus Teaches the Twelve[14:07] Arguing About Greatness[18:07] Get Off the Ladder[20:25] Taking Sin Seriously[22:57] What Must Be Surrendered[27:12] The Ransom for Many[32:37] Bartimaeus Cries for Mercy[37:03] Following the Right Guide
Aug 2

From the Outside In / Here Comes the King

Weekend Service for July 26Scripture Readings: Mark 7:1–8:30Mark keeps meandering with purpose through chapter seven and into chapter eight, and the big question stays the same: who is Jesus, and what is a person gonna do in response to him? Jesus does not come to wipe out bad people and try the Noah plan again. Jesus comes to give spiritually dead people something new, to change hearts, to open eyes, and to transform people into something they were not.The truck with the beautiful body and the little orange warning light tells the truth about the heart. The outside can look clean, strong, and put together, while the inside has an engine misfire that keeps the whole thing from being right. The house without a real foundation says the same thing. The floor may hold for a while, but cracks eventually show because the thing nobody sees matters more than the thing everybody sees.Mark shows the crowds loving Jesus, the religious leaders feeling pressure, and the disciples growing slowly. The Pharisees come after Jesus because his disciples do not follow the Jewish hand-washing tradition. Jesus answers with Isaiah and calls their worship a farce, because their lips honor God while their hearts are far from him. The hand-washing is not the problem. The problem is placing man-made tradition where God’s word belongs, then using that tradition to dodge obedience.Jesus makes the issue painfully clear: food does not go into the heart. Evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, deceit, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness come from within. The church look can become a shield, and nice clothes, steady attendance, service, Bible verses, and Sunday seats can all cover a heart that is not actually being changed by Jesus. God is not calling people to just look like Christians. Jesus is calling people to be transformed from the inside out.The Syrophoenician woman and the deaf man do not fit the clean religious mold, but they seek Jesus. Jesus heals the outsider’s daughter and then heals a man in a strange, personal, spit-and-fingers kind of way. Their background does not define them. Their reaching for Christ matters.The feeding of the four thousand shows the disciples still not understanding. Jesus had already fed five thousand, yet hunger in the wilderness still looks impossible to them. Jesus asks again, blesses again, breaks again, gives again, and abundance remains again. The question lands hard: “Don’t you understand yet?” Jesus has power for the situation, but he keeps calling for faith, changed hearts, and eyes fixed on who he truly is.[00:00] Welcome[00:30] Jesus Came To Transform[01:50] The Outside Can Look Fine[04:34] Mark Exposes The Heart[06:20] The Hand-Washing Conflict[08:00] Tradition Replacing God’s Word[09:26] What Really Defiles A Person[12:10] Changed From The Inside Out[17:12] Jesus Heals The Outsiders[19:03] Feeding The Four Thousand[22:26] The Disciples Still Forget[25:14] Don’t You Understand Yet[27:13] Jesus Above Every Tradition[28:02] Closing Prayer
Jul 26

Sent / Here Comes the King

Weekend Service for July 26 Scripture Readings: Mark 6 Mark six turns a corner in the life of Jesus. Jesus has been showing and showing and showing that he has power and authority beyond what the disciples can understand. Right when they think they have seen the biggest thing, he does something bigger. Now Jesus begins to send them out, and the question becomes simple: who is Jesus, and what is anybody going to do about it? Jesus is revealed as the provider. He gives what is needed, and he equips the people he sends. The people he calls are not impressive people. Fishermen, tax collectors, the lowly, the pushed aside. Jesus does not call the qualified to do his work. He qualifies the people he calls.Nazareth shows the pain of rejection. Jesus comes home, and his own people do not celebrate him. They see only the carpenter boy, the son of Mary, the kid who grew up around them. Jesus does not hang his head or lash out. He just keeps doing the next right thing. Then, right after rejection, Jesus sends the disciples out two by two. The disciples go with almost nothing. No food, no money, no extra clothes. Jesus gives them a simple message and real authority. If a place refuses them, they are told to shake the dust from their feet and move on. Faithfulness is not measured by popularity. Faithfulness is measured by obedience, by showing up when staying in bed would feel easier.John the Baptist shows the cost of telling the truth. Herod knows John is a good and godly man, but Herod loves power and image too much to do what is right. John is killed because a king would rather protect his reputation than protect a righteous man. Power can know the truth and still refuse to obey it. The feeding of the five thousand shows that Jesus is not asking first about what is missing. The disciples see a crowd, hunger, no money, no food, no plan. Jesus asks what they have. Five loaves and two fish are not enough in their hands, but they are enough in his hands.The storm on the water shows that even after miracles, the disciples still do not understand. Jesus walks on the water, and they think he is a ghost. Their hearts are too hard to take it in, yet Jesus still climbs into the boat and calms the wind. Their weakness does not stop him from sending them. Jesus still sends people who do not have all the answers, all the confidence, or all the tools. He asks for what they have, and he provides what is needed. [00:00] Welcome [00:26] Halfway Through Mark [01:46] Jesus Our Provider [03:00] Feeling Not Enough [04:49] Jesus Qualifies the Called [06:12] Rejected in Nazareth [10:08] Faithfulness Is Obedience [11:29] Sent Out Two by Two [16:25] John the Baptist and Herod [21:59] Feeding the Five Thousand [24:14] What Do You Have? [25:59] Jesus Walks on Water [29:42] Sent Before Fully Ready [31:41] Willing to Go [32:07] Closing Prayer
Jul 19

Faith Over Fear / Here Comes the King

Weekend Service for July 19Scripture Readings: Mark 4:35 - 5:43Mark puts four impossible situations side by side: a storm no fishermen could control, a demon no town could tame, a disease no doctor could fix, and a death no human being could reverse. The thread running through all of them says faith is not the absence of fear. Faith is choosing to trust Jesus because of who he is.Jesus sleeps in the boat while the Sea of Galilee is coming apart around the disciples. The disciples read his sleep like he does not care, but Jesus knows his authority. Jesus wakes up, rebukes the wind and waves, and the storm stops dead in its tracks. The disciples move from fear of the storm to fear-filled wonder: “Who is this man?” Even the wind and waves obey him.Jesus steps next into a place nobody else wanted to go. The man in the tombs is violent, isolated, naked, cutting himself, and filled with a legion of demons. The town had tried chains, restraint, and distance, but none of it could restore him. Jesus speaks, the demons leave, and the man is found sitting, clothed, and in his right mind. Jesus does not just make people slightly better. Jesus sets people free from chains that nobody else can break.Jesus then meets a woman who had bled for twelve years. Doctors had taken her money, her condition had gotten worse, and her uncleanness had pushed her outside normal life. Her faith presses through the crowd with the thought that just touching his robe would be enough. Jesus heals her immediately, but he does not let her disappear into the crowd. Jesus calls her “daughter,” giving her dignity along with healing.Jesus also meets Jairus, a synagogue leader whose daughter is dying. Jairus has status, knowledge, and position, but none of those things can stop death. When the news comes that the girl has died, Jesus answers fear with a simple command: “Don’t be afraid. Have faith.” Jesus takes the little girl by the hand and says, “Little girl, get up,” and death obeys him.Mark’s stories press one question into every fear: is fear shaping the view of Jesus, or is Jesus shaping the response to fear? Spiders, sickness, storms, loss, cancer, and death are not the same size, but the answer is the same. Jesus has authority over all of it.[00:00] Welcome[00:28] Faith Is Choosing Trust[01:12] No Fear Beyond Jesus’ Authority[03:00] The Everyday Power of Fear[07:24] Jesus Calms the Storm[11:46] The Man in the Tombs[16:21] From Chains to a Right Mind[17:49] Twelve Years of Suffering[21:05] Daughter, Go in Peace[23:08] Jairus Brings Helpless Fear[25:01] Little Girl, Get Up[26:15] Questions Fear Has to Face[27:10] Dave Loomis and Faith[31:22] Prayer for Faith Over Fear
Jul 12

Hearing Then Following / Here Comes the King

Weekend Service for July 12Scripture Readings: Mark 3:7 - 4:34Mark places Jesus in the middle of growing crowds, but the crowds are not all the same. Some people come because sickness has made them desperate. Some people come because miracles are interesting. Some people come because Jesus has traction now, and everyone wants to see what this Jesus guy is doing. The crowd can gather around Jesus and still not become disciples.Jesus withdraws from the noise and appoints the twelve. The list of names matters less because they are famous and more because these men stop being just part of the crowd. They are being called to give up their lives, their trades, their plans, and their ordinary way of seeing the world. Jesus is not gathering people to sit around and watch him do everything. Jesus is forming people who will become his hands and feet.Mark then shows the different hearts around Jesus. His family says he is out of his mind. The religious leaders accuse him of working by Satan. The crowds stay fascinated. The disciples keep learning what it means to stand in truth. Jesus answers the accusation with simple force: Satan does not cast out Satan, and a divided kingdom collapses. The stronger one has come into the strong man’s house, tied him up, and begun plundering what evil once held.Jesus then redefines family around obedience and discipleship. His brother and sister and mother are those who do the will of God. Faith brings people into the family of God, not as spectators, but as those who serve alongside him.The parable of the soils brings the whole thing down to the condition of the heart. The seed does not change. The word of God does not need improvement, polishing, or a better bag. The soil is what changes. The hard path never lets the seed get in. The rocky soil receives it quickly but has no root. The thorny soil allows worries, wealth, habits, desires, scrolling, busyness, and distractions to choke out life. The good soil is cultivated, watered, softened, and ready to receive.Jesus is the Word made flesh, the ultimate seed planted in the world. Some rejected him, some treated him like a fad, and some left everything to follow. The lamp is not meant to sit under a basket or under the cabinet. The life of Christ growing in good soil is meant to shine into a hurting, empty world.[00:00] Welcome[00:13] Hearts That Respond to God’s Word[02:21] Preparing Soil for the Seed[04:32] The Seed Does Not Change[05:25] Crowds Come From Everywhere[07:51] Jesus Appoints the Twelve[09:25] Crowd or Disciple[12:22] Jesus Accused by His Family and Leaders[13:24] A Divided Kingdom Cannot Stand[15:08] Jesus Defines His True Family[16:03] The Parable of the Four Soils[20:01] Thorns, Worry, Wealth, and Distraction[23:28] Good Soil and Slow Growth[25:46] The Lamp on the Stand[32:30] Jesus as the Ultimate Seed[36:13] Dusty Bibles and Prepared Hearts
Jul 5

Authority Like No Other / Here Comes the King

Weekend Service for July 5Scripture Readings: Mark 1:21-3:6Mark brings Jesus into Capernaum without fanfare, without gold chains, without a big white robe, without Jesus filling out a “hello my name is” badge. Jesus shows who he is by showing up, doing what only he can do, and building relationship slowly and over time. His authority does not come from religious branding or a loud announcement. His authority is evident because darkness, brokenness, sin, and false religious systems all have to answer when he speaks.Jesus teaches in the synagogue with “real authority,” not like the teachers of religious law. The evil spirit recognizes him before most people do and cries out, “I know who you are.” Jesus does not argue with the demon or put on a show. Jesus simply says, “Be quiet, come out,” and the spirit obeys. Mark shows that knowing who Jesus is and trusting Jesus are not the same thing. Even demons believe, but disciples surrender.Jesus also shows authority over brokenness. The religious system had rules, and those rules had a purpose, like telling a little kid to stay away from the stove because the stove is dangerous. But the system had turned God’s good commands into a game with straight lines and narrow definitions. Jesus heals on the Sabbath because doing good does not violate the heart of God. Jesus touches the leper, spends time with broken people, and refuses to steer clear of the ones everyone else avoids. His pattern is not a repeatable method. His pattern is that he sees people for who they are and loves them where they are.Mark 2 becomes a turning point when four friends lower a paralyzed man through the roof. Jesus sees their faith and says, “My child, your sins are forgiven.” The religious leaders are right that only God can forgive sins, but they miss who is standing in front of them. Healing a body matters, but healing only lasts for this lifetime. Forgiveness lasts forever. Every miracle validates the greater miracle of who Jesus is.Jesus redefines what religious life looks like. He calls fishermen, tax collectors, regular everyday people, people who do not look polished, people whose language and lives are not cleaned up yet. The crowds watch, the demons recognize and fear, the disciples follow and change slowly, and the religious leaders resist because they do not want to lose power. Mark presses the real question: whose authority is being trusted? Jesus has the skill and authority of the true doctor, but surrender is required. His authority is not just something to admire from a distance. His authority calls for a life changed from the inside out.[00:00] Welcome[00:18] Mark Introduces Jesus’ Authority[01:22] Authority Built Through Relationship[04:36] Living Under Someone’s Authority[07:36] Jesus Teaches in Capernaum[08:41] Evil Spirits Obey Jesus[11:44] Authority Over Brokenness[14:35] Jesus Seeks Broken People[17:09] The Paralyzed Man Lowered Down[18:05] Only God Can Forgive Sins[20:23] Miracles Point to the Greater Miracle[22:26] Jesus Redefines Religious Life[25:37] Four Responses to Jesus[28:16] Whose Authority Is Being Trusted[30:18] Surrendering to the True Doctor

Welcome to the weekly podcast for Parma Christian Fellowship Church. We are a community of Bible-based believers that seek to follow Jesus in all that we do. We desire to reach the world for Jesus Christ through worship, evangelism, discipleship, prayer, and service.

Creator

Parma Christian Fellowship Church
Years Active

2019 - 2026
Episodes

431
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© Parma Christian Fellowship Church
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