Feeding the Flock (part 4) Sermon Preview

Are there things in the world that look dangerous?  Things that feel threatening?  Things that scare us?

Yes, there are.

You may be scared of rattlesnakes or grizzly bears or mountain lions.  You may be frightened by tornados or hurricanes or flash floods.  You may be unsettled by financial ruin or job loss or social security running out of money.  You may be terrified by the state of the world or the upcoming election or a city council vote.  You could be shaken by a divorce or a wayward child or an aging relative.  You could be floored by cancer or heart disease or chronic pain.

Are there things in this world that scare us?  Yes there are, so let’s be honest about that.  There are things that are dangerous and destructive all around us.  Fear is not just “in our heads.”  There ARE frightening things in this world, so are we doomed to live our lives afraid?

The solution to our fears is not to think there is nothing to be afraid of, for that will only last so long.  As Mike Tyson said, “everyone has a plan until they get hit in the mouth,” and this world can throw some wicked punches.  The solution to our fears is to know how to be at peace EVEN WHEN THERE ARE THINGS TEMPTING US TO BE AFRAID.

This Sunday, October 11 at Wildwood Community Church in our 8:30, 9:45, and 11:00 service we will look at Jesus’ disciples during a dangerous and scary situation as recorded in Luke 8:22-25.  As we see their struggles, we will remember we are in the same boat … but we will also remember WHO ELSE IS IN THE BOAT WITH US that tells us not to fear!  Join us for part 4 of our “Feeding the Flock” sermon series.  See you there … and bring friends!

 

Feeding the Flock (part 3) Sermon Audio, Video, and Questions

On Sunday, October 4, 2026 at Wildwood Community Church, I preached a sermon based on Luke 8:16-18.  This message was part 3 in the “Feeding the Flock” sermon series.  Below you will find questions related to the message for personal reflection or group discussion.  You will also find the audio and video of the message to listen to/watch, download or share.

SERMON QUESTIONS:

  1. Pray
  2. Read Luke 8:16-18
  3. What are some examples in your life of things that you have LISTENED to, but did not heed?  What are things you LISTEN to more intently?  What makes the difference in how you listen?
  4. Does God’s Word find a receptive home in your soul or are you resistant?  Why do you answer the way you do?  What would a receptive soul to God’s Word look like in your life?
  5. Jesus does not want us to keep the Gospel a secret, but to live it out and to share it with others.  Is your faith more “visible” or “invisible” to those in your life both inside and outside the church?
  6. What is an example of a time in your life recently when you verbally shared the Gospel with someone?  Has it been a long time?  Why is that?
  7. Who is one who you can share the Gospel with this week?
  8. What stands out to you most from this message?  Any particular takeaway?

To access these questions in pdf format, click here.

To access the Luke Bible Reading Plans on YouVersion, click here.

To listen offline, click the link below to download audio:

Feeding the Flock 3

 

To listen online, use the media player below:

 

To watch the service, use YouTube online:

Feeding the Flock (part 3) Sermon Preview

What a difference in perspective one word makes.

In Luke 8:18, Jesus says, “Take care then HOW you hear …”  Trouble is, too many of us act like He said, “Take care then THAT you hear.”  Just one word difference, but oh what a difference it makes!

If I think Jesus is most concerned THAT I hear, I might be tempted to read my Bible just so I can say THAT I read my Bible, attend church just so THAT I can say I attended church, pray just so THAT I can say I prayed, volunteer just so THAT I can say I served, or give an offering just so THAT I can say I gave.

But Jesus didn’t say, “Take care then THAT you hear,” He said, “Take care HOW you hear.”  What a difference it is to ask:

  • HOW did I read my Bible?  Did I fly through it mindlessly or was my heart engaged, believing and acting obediently upon what we read?
  • HOW did I attend church on Sunday?  Was I worshipping the LORD from the heart, and prayerfully considering how God intends me to respond to the truth shared in song and sermon, or was I preoccupied with other things so that my body was in church but my mind was someplace else?
  • HOW did I serve?  With a joyful heart, seeking other’s best interests or with a critical spirit and a selfish attitude?
  • HOW did I give?  Did I give with the same enthusiasm as filing my taxes, or was I giving back to the Lord remembering all He has blessed me with and excited to partner together with others in His work?

Just two little words … THAT or HOW.  Which one describes the way you view the Christian life?

This Sunday at Wildwood Community Church, we will be in part 3 of our “Feeding the Flock” sermon series as we look at Luke 8:16-18, and see Jesus help us understand HOW to hear His Word.  Now THAT is something we all need to hear!  Make plans to join us Sunday, October 4 in our 8:30, 9:45, or 11:00 service … and bring friends!

Feeding the Flock (part 2) Sermon Audio, Video, and Questions

On Sunday, September 27, 2026 at Wildwood Community Church, I preached a sermon based on Luke 8:4-15.  This message was part 2 in the “Feeding the Flock” sermon series.  Below you will find questions related to the message for personal reflection or group discussion.  You will also find the audio and video of the message to listen to/watch, download or share.

SERMON QUESTIONS:

  1. Pray
  2. Read Luke 8:4-15
  3. Had you ever heard the background of the “sower” statue on the University of Oklahoma campus?  Did it surprise you when you first heard it?  Why would this be a great representation for a University?
  4. Identify from the verses who the sower, the seed, and the soils represent?  What does this tell you about each?
  5. How does this passage help you understand people’s response to Jesus, both in the first century and today?
  6. Of the four soils Jesus mentioned, which best represents your life right now?
  7. Do you have a  soft heart before the Lord today?  Do you need the work of His rake and His Living Water to prepare and soften you to receive His blessing and produce His fruit in your life?
  8. What stands out to you most from this message?  Any particular takeaway?

To access these questions in pdf format, click here.

To access the Luke Bible Reading Plans on YouVersion, click here.

 

To listen offline, click the link below to download audio:

Feeding the Flock 2

 

To listen online, use the media player below:

 

To watch the service, use YouTube online:

 

Feeding the Flock (part 2) Sermon Preview

Guarding the entrance to the South Oval at the University of Oklahoma is a statue of the “sower.”  This statue mirrors the image that fills the center of the University’s official seal.

Though a symbolic image, the sower’s face was patterned after David Ross Boyd, OU’s first President, who arrived in Norman in 1892, and found not a single tree around campus.  The story goes that President Boyd spent nearly half of his salary those first few years planting seeds that would turn into nearly 10,000 trees, turning our city from clay soil prairie to what is nationally recognized as one of the most beautiful University campuses in the United States.

President Boyd, a Christian man, held a chapel service each day on campus.  During one of these chapel services, he compared the University’s mission as sowing seeds of knowledge in students’ hearts, using the “Parable of the Sower” from Jesus’ teaching as his inspiration.

This Sunday at Wildwood Community Church, we will be looking at the “Parable of the Sower” from Luke 8:4-15 in part 2 of our series “Feeding the Flock.”  In this message we will see that Jesus sows God’s truth in us with a desire to turn the “barren prairie” of our lives into beautiful landscapes of His righteousness.  As this seed is sown, however, there are three enemies that will attempt to prevent this intended transformation in our lives.  We will see what Jesus says about this Sunday in our 8:30, 9:45, and 11:00 services.  Hope to see you there … and bring friends!

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.