Feeding the Flock Part 1 Sermon Audio, Video, and Questions

On Sunday, September 20, 2026, at Wildwood Community Church, I preached a sermon based on Luke 8:1-3, 19-21, Feeding the Flock Part 1. Below you will find questions related to the message for personal reflection or group discussion.  You will also find audio and video of the message to listen to/watch, download, or share.

SERMON QUESTIONS:

  1. Pray
  2. Read Luke 8:1-3, 19-21
  3. What does Jesus’ movement around the cities and villages of Galilee tell you about His heart and the scope of His ministry? 
  4. Jesus’ ministry included both men and women, and people from high society and social outcasts. His followers were from all locations and strata of life in Israel in the first century.  How do we see the Gospel today also permeate different aspects of society (both in the United States and around the world)?
  5. The women also gave financially to support Jesus’ ministry.  How has the Lord led you to participate in ministry through financial giving?
  6. What is the “city” or “village” you feel the Lord leading you to share the good news with in this season of your life?
  7. Jesus invites us to be more than hearers of His sermons, but participants in His mission and members of His family.  Are you showing your family resemblance and active involvement in His work, or is your connection to Jesus more superficial?
  8. What stands out to you most from this message?  Any particular takeaway?

To access these questions in pdf format, click here.

To see the Luke Bible Reading Plans/Devos, click here.

To listen online, use media player below:

Feed the Flock 1

To listen offline, click link below to download:

To watch the stream, use YouTube:

Luke Reading Plans Update (9/18/26)

 

Beginning in late November 2025, I began preaching through the Gospel of Luke at Wildwood Community Church.  God willing, I will preach through all the verses of Luke, wrapping up the entire study through this Gospel by Easter 2028.

As is my custom, I break down each book into smaller “sub-series,” denoting key sections of the book by each individual series.  To date, I have preached Luke 1-7 over 5 series:  “Christmas Morning” (Luke 1-2), “Prepare the Way” (Luke 2-4), “Launch Day” (Luke 4-6),  “Speak Plainly” (Luke 6), and “is He the One?” (Luke 7).  Beginning this Sunday, I will begin the sixth series from Luke, “Feeding the Flock” (Luke 8-9).

To help create continuity through these series, and to help us remember where we have been in Luke’s Gospel, I have prepared a series of written devotionals to map to the series.  These devotionals have been placed on the YouVersion Bible app as a part of Bible reading plans.  Currently the reading plans are posted for “Christmas Morning,” “Prepare the Way,” “Launch Day,” and “Speak Plainly.”  You can search for them in the YouVersion app under “plans” or you can find direct links to the reading plans/devotionals beneath each graphic below.

Future series will be posted and available on the YouVersion app roughly one month after the series concludes.  So, expect “is He the One?” to be on YouVersion in mid-October.  I pray you are blessed by these studies as you continue to read through God’s Word.

In Christ,

Pastor Mark

Christmas Morning  (Luke 1:1-2:20)

Prepare the Way (Luke 2:21-4:13)

Launch Day (Luke 4:14-6:16)

“Is He the One?” (Luke 7:1-50)

Feeding the Flock (part 1) Sermon Preview

When someone wants to get their message out, they go “on the road.”  Authors do book tours. Musicians play concerts in every town.  Politicians give speeches across their jurisdiction.  Advertisers canvas the airways and social media with their message.  These movements aid in the spread of the message.

In the first century during His earthly ministry, Jesus did not stay in one location.  He traveled from town to town to get His message out.  Though the exact distance Jesus traveled is uncertain, a very conservative estimate of distance walked during His 3 years of public ministry is over 3,000 miles … and this was in a country that was only 8,500 square miles total!  Why did Jesus travel this much in such a short time?  He had a message that needed to be heard, so He “toured” with His disciples making stops in many villages.

From Luke 8:1-9:17 we see several stops on Jesus’ Galilean Tour.  In these verses Jesus shares the famous “parable of the sower,” calms a raging storm on the sea, heals a man filled with a “legion” of demons, raises a young girl from the dead, heals a woman with a chronic disease, and feeds 5,000!  Jesus was no “one hit wonder”!  He had a pantheon of platinum records, and He sung many of them on this tour.  Over the next two months at Wildwood Community Church in our Sunday services, we will be studying them.

In the midst of it all, though, Jesus was also training His committed core to join the mission spreading the Good News worldwide.  In this Sunday’s message (part 1 of the new sermon series “Feeding the Flock”), we will see a remarkable group of women who were a part of Jesus’ Galilean Tour, and we will see an interaction between Jesus and His earthly family.  Along the way, you and I will see our invitation to join His mission, but also to join His family! Join us in our 8:30, 9:45, and 11:00 service on September 20 as we look at Luke 8:1-3, 19-21.  See you Sunday … and bring friends!

“is He the One?” (Part 4) Sermon Audio, Video, and Questions

On Sunday, September 13, 2026, at Wildwood Community Church I preached a sermon based on Luke 7:36-50 titled “is He the One? Part 4.” Below you will find questions related to the message for personal reflection or group discussion.  You will also find audio and video of the message to listen to/watch, download, or share.

SERMON QUESTIONS:

  1. Pray
  2. Read Luke 7:36-50
  3. Can you think of any examples from your life or the lives of those you know where being forgiven by another inspired love in you for the one who forgave you? 
  4. In these verses we see Simon the Pharisee and a woman known as a “sinner”?  As you read and interacted with this text, who in this account most resembles your heart and attitude?  Are you more like the woman or like Simon?
  5. Simon was not forgiven and his lack of forgiveness showed up in his lack of love for Jesus and the woman.  The woman was forgiven and it showed up in the way she treated Jesus.  Would you say that your life most resembles a life of loving God and others or not loving God and others?
  6. Take some time to confess your sin to God and meditate on the forgiveness He has made available to us in Christ.  Based on that forgiveness, how are you inspired to respond differently to Jesus and to other people?
  7. What stands out to you most from this message?  Any particular takeaway?

To access these questions in pdf format, click here.

To see the Luke Bible Reading Plans/Devos, click here.

To listen online, use media player below:

is He the One 4

 

To listen offline, click link below to download:

 

To watch the stream, use YouTube:

is He the ONE (part 4) Sermon Preview

Jean Valjean was a sinner … a thief who had done time in prison and was now out on parole.  Trouble was, life on parole was difficult, as no one wanted to house or hire a former convict!  Because of these difficulties, Valjean ends up on the run when a Bishop invites him to sleep in his guest room.  Frustrated by his situation and his prospects, Valjean leaves the Bishop’s home in the middle of the night, but not before stealing the silver dishes.  Now a repeat offender and on the run, Valjean is stopped by two constables who return him to the Bishop’s home because Valjean told them the silver was a gift.  Upon returning to the home, however, amazingly the Bishop backs up Valjean’s story, and hands him the precious candlesticks (the last of the silver the Bishop owned) saying, “But my friend, you left so early, surely something slipped your mind.  You forgot I gave these also, would you leave the best behind?”

With this stroke of grace, Valjean is stunned.  Why would the Bishop do such a thing?  The Bishop continued, “But remember this, my brother, see in this some higher plan. You must use this precious silver to become an honest man. By the witness of the martyrs, by the Passion and the Blood, God has raised you out of darkness.  I have bought your soul for God!”

This story, told in Victor Hugo’s classic work “Les Miserables,” is a beautiful picture of the transformative power of grace.  Jean Valjean was forgiven much, and it changed his life.

What about you?  Have you been forgiven much?  Do you need to find forgiveness?  Where could you turn to find this kind of grace?

This Sunday at Wildwood Community Church in the fourth and final part of our “is He the ONE” sermon series, we will look at Luke 7:36-50 as we see the account of a woman who found forgiveness, where she found it, and what it did to her life.  Join us this Sunday as we celebrate the Lord’s supper and dive into this text in our 8:30, 9:45, and 11:00 worship services.  See you Sunday … and bring friends.

“is He the One?” (Part 3) Sermon Audio, Video, and Questions

On Sunday, September 6, 2026, at Wildwood Community Church I preached a sermon based on Luke 7:18-35 titled “is He the One? Part 3.” Below you will find questions related to the message for personal reflection or group discussion.  You will also find audio and video of the message to listen to/watch, download, or share.

SERMON QUESTIONS:

  1. Pray
  2. Read Luke 7:18-35
  3. What is the most important thing about a person?  Why would Tozer and Lewis (in the quotes shared in today’s introduction) indicate that how you identify Jesus is the most important thing about you? 
  4. Why do you think John had his disciples ask Jesus if He was the ONE (based on all John already knew about Jesus)?  Has there ever been a time in your life where you were doubting Jesus or your faith was wavering due to the circumstances you were facing?
  5. How does examining the life of Jesus in the Gospels encourage you to trust Him more (even if you are experiencing difficult circumstances or have unmet expectations)?
  6. Are you rejecting Jesus or embracing Him in faith?  What are reasons you (or people you know) say are why they are not following Jesus?  If you are following Jesus, why have you chosen to follow Him in faith?
  7. What stands out to you most from this message?  Any particular takeaway?

To access these questions in pdf format, click here.

To see the Luke Bible Reading Plans/Devos, click here.

To listen offline, click link below to download:

is He the One? 3

 

To listen online, use media player below:

 

To watch the stream, use YouTube:

is He the ONE? (part 3) Sermon Preview

In his book “Knowledge of the Holy,” A.W. Tozer famously emphasized the priority of knowing God by saying, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”

Do you think this is true, or do you think Tozer overstates it?  After all, we often think there are many “most important things about us.”  We might think our family, our finances, or our career are the most important things.  We might value most what school we attend, what fraternity/sorority we are a part of, or the status of our physical health.  No doubt these things all have varying degrees of weight in our lives, but are they the MOST important thing?  Tozer says “no, they aren’t the most important thing” … and I agree with him.  I also believe that what we think about God is most important as it shapes not only our lives but also our eternity.

So what do you think about when you think about God?  Who is God and what is He like?  Do you trust Him?

Going further, Jesus Christ self asserts that He is God.  That means that what is most important about us is who we know and believe Jesus to be.  So who do you say Jesus is?  Of this question, 70 years ago C.S. Lewis heard many arguing that Jesus was just another great moral teacher from history.  He felt like (and I agree with Lewis) it was not an option to simply say Jesus was JUST a moral/religious teacher because Jesus claimed to be so much more.  In his classic work, “Mere Christianity” Lewis argues:

“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg—or else He would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to. … Now it seems to me obvious that He was neither a lunatic nor a fiend: and consequently, however strange or terrifying or unlikely it may seem, I have to accept the view that He was and is God.”

To say it another way, the evidence of history points to Jesus being more than a carpenter.  Neither lunatic or liar, Jesus is Lord, the Son of God, and the Savior of the world.

Who do you say Jesus is?  Is He the ONE?

This Sunday at Wildwood we will be in part 3 of our sermon series, “is He the ONE?” as we look at Luke 7:18-35 and see John the Baptist (and some of his disciples) ask Jesus if He is the One or if they should expect another to come.  Their question and Jesus’ answer is instructive for us today.  Join us Sunday as we worship at 8:30, 9:45, or 11:00 … and bring friends!

August 31 Robinson Family Update

It has been a couple of months since we provided an update on Kimberly’s health.  For this month’s update, I’ll let our son Josh share with you the news …

[from Josh’s Instagram story]

Almost exactly a year ago, our lives began to shift a little. My mom started to have health concerns and symptoms that eventually turned into a lung cancer diagnosis. Our life changed, but God remains the same. Through the cycles of chemo, radiation appointments, daily medication, and natural uncertainty, He is Jehovah Rapha, the Lord who heals. My mom has gone through a lot this past year and I’m proud of her strength, but in reality her strength comes from the Lord and nowhere else. We have been trusting that God’s plan is best and praying that a part of that is healing and PRAISE GOD IT IS! The cancer is stable to the point that my mom is DONE WITH CHEMO!

This doesn’t mean that the cancer is gone, as it possibly never will be, but outside of daily medication there’s nothing more that needs to be done! We are trusting God and praising Him as we enter into a new normal, knowing that whatever God’s will is, it will be done and no matter the result we can trust in Him and glorify Him! I love you mom

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, l will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me” – Psalm 23:4

 

“is He the One?” (Part 2) Sermon Audio, Video, and Questions

On Sunday, August 30, 2026, at Wildwood Community Church I preached a sermon based on Luke 7:11-17 titled “is He the One? Part 2.” Below you will find questions related to the message for personal reflection or group discussion.  You will also find audio and video of the message to listen to/watch, download, or share.

SERMON QUESTIONS:

  1. Pray
  2. Read Luke 7:11-17
  3. What has been your experience with death as a persistent and painful enemy?  How has its sting impacted your life? 
  4. Jesus has authority over death.  Jesus has made a way for our resurrection into an eternity with Him if we place our faith in Him.  Have you placed your faith in Jesus Christ?  If you have, how has that changed the way you view death?
  5. Jesus’ compassion and grace are on display in the events of Luke 7:11-17.  How does His response here encourage you as you contemplate death and its “sting”?
  6. In 7:15, the “dead man” talks.  In 7:16-17, the living can’t stop talking about what Jesus has done!  How comfortable are you in talking about what Jesus has done for you to others?  Dead men tell no tales … but the living do!!!
  7. What stands out to you most from this message?  Any particular takeaway?

To access these questions in pdf format, click here.

To see the Luke Bible Reading Plans/Devos, click here.

To listen offline, click link below to download:

is He the ONE 2

 

To listen online, use media player below:

 

To watch the stream, use YouTube:

 

is He the ONE? (part 2) Sermon Preview

There is a problem we all face, a common enemy that will always track us down.  What is this universal problem and enemy?

Death.

We live in a world with a sobering statistic:  100% of people will die.  1 out of 1.  It may be death by disease or disaster; by murder or mischief; by age or apathy … but eventually all will die.  Death is the most persistent problem in this world.

Furthermore, death is painful. Often the process leading to death is painful for the one dying, but we also know the ongoing pain of those grieving a loss, and the pain often lingers for many years to come. Wildwood has an entire ministry (Grief Share) to help people through these moments because death is so painful.

Given this reality, is there any relief we can find?  Is there any hope?

Resurrection is the ultimate solution to the world’s most persistent and painful problem. The “last enemy” (as 1 Corinthians 15:26 calls death) is defeated by Jesus in the resurrection.

Which resurrection am I referring to?  Well, Jesus’ resurrection from the dead is where the battle was won, BUT His resurrection ensures the resurrection of all who trust in Him!  If you are truly a Christian, then you have a promise from God that just as Jesus was raised from the dead, so you too will walk about in newness of life (Romans 6:4). To say it another way, Jesus’ resurrection was the first fruit of a resurrection hope for all who are in Him (1 Corinthians 15:23).  Though we will die in this life, yet we shall live forever with Him in the resurrection (John 11:25).

This Sunday, August 30, 2026, at Wildwood Community Church in our 8:30, 9:45, and 11:00 services we will be in part 2 of our study “is He the ONE?” as we look at Luke 7:11-17.  In these verses we will see the first resurrection of Jesus’ public ministry … the resurrection of a widow’s only son in the small village of Nain.  This resurrection is full of hope for you and me, and I am excited to look at these verses together this Sunday.

Death is a universal and painful problem … Jesus and His resurrection power is the solution.  Let’s remind each other of all these things as we gather for worship this Sunday!  See you there … and bring friends!