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:

Pray
Read Luke 8:4-15
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?
Identify from the verses who the sower, the seed, and the soils represent? What does this tell you about each?
How does this passage help you understand people’s response to Jesus, both in the first century and today?
Of the four soils Jesus mentioned, which best represents your life right now?
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?
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!

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 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 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 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!

is He the One? (part 1) Sermon Preview

This month my wife and I are celebrating our thirtieth wedding anniversary. Three decades of marriage that followed nearly four years of dating. We have been together for so long, I can honestly say that I hardly remember life without her … and I don’t want to try. She is the most remarkable person I know, and I know a lot of people. It is pretty unbelievable that someone so pretty and kind would choose to spend this life with me. I am so thankful to God that in His grace He has allowed me to be with someone who endures difficulty with grace, someone who cares for those around her well and wants to leave no person behind, and someone who is a remarkable wife, mother and friend.

I first noticed Kimberly in the 7th grade as she caught my eye across the room in Algebra class. (It only took me one year to finally have a conversation with her!) Over the years of high school we were always good friends, and that foundation of friendship – anchored to the Cornerstone of Christ – has allowed us to weather many storms together over the years. I continue to get to know her better, and continue to say that she “is the one” for me.

I sincerely hope you have found “the one” for you.

BUT, here is the thing. There are some who God has called to live a life of singleness. There are others whose “one” passed away before a thirtieth anniversary was experienced. There are others whose spouse abandoned them or abused them. And even for those with a marriage that is in a good spot, it is not an everlasting relationship. Certainly God intends that marriage is “’til death do us part,” but death will come, so what happens in the next part (in eternity)?

There is a “One” that all of you simply must meet. Regardless of your marital status or future romantic hopes, there is One who is unlike all others. There is One who has pursued us in His grace. There is One who died for our sins to reconcile us to God. There is One who has prepared an eternal dwelling where all His people can be with Him forever. There is One who will never (ultimately) let us down. There is One who is committed to sanctifying our soul. There is One who is always good. There is One who is all powerful, all knowing, and sovereign. There is One who is worthy of our trust. There is One and only One Jesus Christ.

In Luke 7, John the Baptist asks his disciples, “is He (Jesus) THE ONE?” The evidence of Luke 7 (and all of Luke’s Gospel) is that Jesus IS in fact THE ONE, the Savior of the world.

I sincerely hope you are trusting in “THE ONE” today.

Over the next four weeks at Wildwood Community Church we will continue our study through the Gospel of Luke as we work our way through Luke 7:1-50 in a four part series entitled, “is He the ONE?” This Sunday we are in part 1 of this series, looking at Luke 7:1-10 as salvation by grace through faith is visually played out in the healing of a centurion’s servant. Hope you make plans to be with us Sunday, August 23 in our 8:30, 9:45, or 11:00 service … and bring friends! You don’t want to miss this ONE.