Great Bible Truths with Dr David Petts

273 Mark 11:11-33 The ‘cleansing’ of the Temple

Talk 34 Mark 11:11-33 The ‘cleansing’ of the Temple Welcome to Talk 34 in our series on Mark’s Gospel. In this talk and the next we’ll be looking at Mark 11:11-33. This passage contains two stories – the cursing of the fig tree and what is often referred to as the ‘cleansing’ of the Temple (although I shall suggest that this is not the best description of what Jesus was doing). The fact that these stories are interwoven in the text and that they both happened within the same 24-hour pe...

272 Mark 11:1-10 The Triumphal Entry

Talk 33 Mark 11:1-10 The Triumphal Entry Welcome to Talk 33 in our series on Mark’s Gospel. Today we’re looking at what is often referred to as Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. This is found not only in Mark 11:1-10, but also in Matthew 21:1-11, Luke 19:28-44, and John 12:12-19. We will be concentrating on Mark’s account, but we’ll also refer to the other accounts where they enrich our understanding of this wonderful event in the life of Jesus. But first, let’s read Mark 11:1-10...

271 Mark 10:46-52 Blind Bartimaeus receives his sight

Talk 32   Mark 10:46-52   Blind Bartimaeus receives his sight Welcome to Talk 32 in our series on Mark's Gospel. Today we are looking at Mark 10:46-52. It's the story of how a blind beggar called Bartimaeus receives his sight. It's a short passage so let's begin by reading it.   46 Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (that is, the Son of Timaeus), was sitting by the roadside begging. 47...

270 Mark 10:32-45 Jesus teaches the way of sacrificial service

Talk 31    Mark 10:32-45     Jesus teaches the way of sacrificial service Welcome to Talk 31 in our series on Mark’s Gospel. Today our passage is Mark 10:32-45 where Jesus again predicts his death and resurrection, deals with a request from James and John that they might sit next to him in the coming kingdom, and teaches us that the way to true greatness is sacrificial service. The passage is also a healthy reminder about how we should pray, and has much to say that’s relevant to churc...

269 Mark 10:13-31 The Kingdom of God

Talk 30  Mark 10:13-31  The Kingdom of God Welcome to Talk 30 in our series on Mark's gospel. Today we're looking at chapter 10 verses 13-31 where we read of how Jesus blessed the little children, and about a rich young ruler – Mark calls him a man. Matthew tells us that he was young. Luke tells us that he was a ruler – who asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. We’ll work through the passage reading each section as we come to it, so we’ll begin with verses 13-16.   ...

268 Mark 10:1-12 Jesus answers questions on divorce

Talk 29   Mark 10:1-12   Jesus answers questions on divorce Welcome to Talk 29 in our series on Mark’s gospel. Today we’re looking at Mark 10:1-12 where Jesus answers questions on divorce, and in so doing teaches us key principles about the nature and sanctity of marriage. Of course, in a talk of this length, it won’t be possible to go into the subject in great detail or to refer to the wide variety of opinions that are held on the matter.  But in my view, there are some things that st...

267 Mark 9:30-50 Self-denial and total commitment

Talk 28  Mark 9:30-50   Self-denial and total commitment Welcome to Talk 28 in our series on Mark's Gospel. Today we're looking at Mark 9:30-50 where Jesus teaches his disciples lessons that are essential for all those who would follow him. The passage begins with the statement that Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, because he was teaching his disciples (vv30-31). And, as we look at the passage, we discover that what Jesus is teaching is self-denial and total commitm...

266 Mark 9:9-29 Jesus heals a demon possessed boy

Talk 27    Mark 9:9-29      Jesus heals a demon-possessed boy Welcome to Talk 27 in our series on Mark’s Gospel. In our last talk we were considering what we can learn about Heaven from the story of Jesus’ transfiguration at the top of a high mountain. Today we’re looking at Mark 9:9-29 where Jesus heals a demon-possessed boy. In verses 9-13 we read how, coming back down the mountain, Peter, James and John ask Jesus about a verse in Malachi which said that before the Messiah came, Elij...

265 Mark 9:1-8 The Transfiguration - a Glimpse of Heaven

Talk 26    Mark 9:1-8    The Transfiguration – a Glimpse of Heaven Welcome to Talk 26 in our series on Mark’s Gospel. Today we’re looking at Mark 9:1-8 where we read of a truly awesome event in the life of Jesus and three of his disciples. It’s what is known as the transfiguration. The chapter begins with Jesus saying: I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God come with power. There has been much discussion about wh...

264 Mark 8:27-38 The Challenge of the Cross

Talk 25   Mark 8:27-38   The Challenge of the Cross Welcome to Talk 25 in our series on Mark’s Gospel. If you listened to my Easter Sunday message recently (which was not part of this series), you will remember that we concentrated our attention on the repeated emphasis on the use of the word must in connection with Jesus’ death and resurrection.  One of the verses we referred to is found in today’s passage: 31 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things a...

263 It had to happen - or did it?

It had to happen – or did it? This week, as I was reading through the Gospel accounts of the resurrection of Jesus, I was struck by a statement in John 20:9 which tells us that the disciples did not yet understand the Scripture that Jesus must rise from the dead.   I found myself asking: ·      Why didn’t they understand? ·      What was the scripture that John was referring to? ·      Why did Jesus have to rise from the dead? We’ll deal with the first two questions ...

Announcement The Home Call of Eileen Petts My tribute to my wife

About Eileen – a tribute to my wife by David Petts Eileen was born on 6th January 1939 in Stockport, Cheshire. Her parents, Cecil and Sarah Littlewood, were from a Methodist background but were not regular church goers. However, they did send Eileen to Sunday School, and when they moved to Dagenham their nearest church was Bethel Full Gospel Church (Assemblies of God or AoG) and it was there that, at the age of seven, Eileen accepted Jesus as her Saviour. From that moment on she never doub...

262 Mark 8:22-26 Jesus heals a blind man at Bethsaida

Talk 24   Mark 8:22-26  The Healing of a Blind Man at Bethsaida Welcome to Talk 24 in our series on Mark’s Gospel. Today we’re looking at Mark 8:22-26 where Jesus heals a blind man at Bethsaida. Jesus healed many blind people during the course of his ministry. Luke 7:21 tells us that he gave sight to many that were blind and the healings of Bartimaeus in Mark 10 and of the man born blind in John 9 are well known examples. But this incident, which is found only in Mark’s Gospel, is part...

261 Mark 8:1-21 Feeding the Four Thousand

Talk 23  Mark 8:1-21 Feeding the Four Thousand Welcome to Talk 23 in our series on Mark's Gospel. Today we are looking at Mark 8:1-21. This passage includes the story of Jesus feeding the 4,000, which is similar in many ways to the account of the feeding of the 5,000 recorded in Chapter 6. As a result, liberal scholars have suggested that this is just a variant account of the same miracle rather than a totally separate one.   So today we’ll begin by looking at the biblical evid...

260 Mark 7:31-37 Jesus heals a man who is deaf and mute

Talk 22   Mark 7:31-37 Jesus heals a man who is deaf and mute Welcome to Talk 22 in our series on Mark’s Gospel. Today we’re looking at the story in Mark 7:31-37 of how Jesus heals a man who is deaf and mute. But before we turn to the passage, let me begin with a testimony of a similar healing that happened in my own family.   From my earliest years I can remember being told of how one of my aunts had been miraculously healed in answer to prayer . Her name was May and in the 1...

259 Mark 7:24-40 The Faith of a Syrophoenician Woman

Talk 21   Mark 7:24-40   The Faith of a Syrophoenician Woman Welcome to Talk 21 in our series on Mark's gospel. Today we will be considering Mark 7:24-40 where Jesus casts a demon out of the daughter of a Syrophoenician woman. In recent talks we have seen how Jesus often tested the faith of his disciples, and today we will see him testing the faith of a Gentile.   The story is also recorded in Matthew 15:21-28 where Matthew adds some details that are not mentioned in Mark’s acc...

258 Mark 7:1-23 Beware of the Pharisees

Talk 20   Mark 7:1-23 Beware of the Pharisees Welcome to Talk 20 in our series on Mark’s Gospel. Today we’re looking at Mark 7:1-23 where the Pharisees see some of Jesus’ disciples eating food without first giving their hands the ceremonial washing that was required by Jewish tradition. So they ask Jesus about this. Jesus replies by quoting a passage from Isaiah where God says: These people honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; th...

257 Mark 6:45-56 Jesus walks on water

Talk 19 Mark 6:45-56 Jesus walks on water Welcome to talk 19 in our series on Mark's gospel. Today we are looking at Mark 6:45-56 where we read the remarkable story of Jesus walking on water.This story, which takes place just after Jesus had fed the 5000, is a wonderful example of how Jesus continues to challenge and to strengthen the faith of his disciples. In it we see how: ·      The disciples were very slow to learn and to believe. ·      Jesus deliberately challenges their fai...

256 Mark 6:30-44 Feeding the Five Thousand

Talk 18   Mark 6:30-44   Feeding the Five Thousand Welcome to Talk 18 in our series on Mark’s Gospel. Today we’ll be looking at Mark 6:30-44 where we read of the amazing miracle of how Jesus fed over 5000 people with five small loaves and two small fishes. Mark tells us that these people were, as so many are today, like sheep without a shepherd, and today I want to concentrate on what the passage shows us about the people, about the disciples, and about Jesus.   But first let’s...

255 Mark 6:14-29 Herod and John the Baptist

Talk 17 Mark 6:14-29  Herod and John the Baptist Welcome to Talk 17 in our series on Mark’s Gospel. Today we’re looking at Mark 6:14-29 which relates the terrible story of the beheading of John the Baptist. The passage is set between Jesus sending out his disciples to proclaim the good news and their return to report to him all they had done and taught (v30). At first sight, the beheading of John the Baptist might seem to be something of a digression, but, when we remember the theme of ou...

254 Mark 6:1-13 Preaching the gospel in a hostile environment

Talk 16   Mark 6:1-13   Preaching the gospel in a hostile environment Welcome to Talk 16 in our series on Mark’s Gospel. Today we’ll be looking at Mark 16:1-13. We’ll be concentrating on verses 1-5 where Mark tells us that Jesus was unable to do any mighty miracle in his home town because of the people’s unbelief, and then we’ll see how this relates to verses 6-13 where Jesus sends out the twelve apostles. We’ll begin by reading verses 1-6.   1 Jesus left there and went to his ...

253 Mark 5:21-43 Two more amazing miracles

Talk 15 Mark 5:21-43 More amazing miracles Welcome to Talk 15 in our series on Mark’s Gospel. In our last two talks we have seen the mighty power of Jesus displayed in the calming of the storm on the Sea of Galilee and the deliverance of a man possessed by a legion of demons. We now turn to Mark 5:21-43 where Jesus cures a woman with a longstanding problem with bleeding and raises a dead girl to life. As today we won’t be working through the passage verse by verse, we’ll begin by readi...

252 Mark 5:1-20 Legion

Talk 14   Mark 5:1-20    Legion Welcome to Talk 14 in our series on Mark’s Gospel. Today we’ll be looking at Mark 5:1-20 where Jesus casts demons out of a man who was inhabited by a legion of them. As the story is well known I’ll not take time to read through the passage in advance, but take it a verse or two at a time, beginning with verses 1-2:   They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. 2 When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an unclean spirit came from ...

251 Mark 4 35-41 Jesus calms the storm

Talk 13  Mark 4:35-41 Jesus calms the storm Welcome to Talk 13 in our series on Mark’s Gospel. Today our subject is the well-known story of Jesus calming the storm. We’ll begin by reading Mark 4:35-41.   That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, "Let us go over to the other side." 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that...

250 Mark 4:1-33 Jesus teaches in parables

Talk 12 Mark 4:1-33 Jesus teaches in parables Welcome to Talk 12 in our series on Mark’s Gospel. Today we’re in Mark 4 where Mark records three of the parables Jesus used as part of his teaching method. A parable is an illustration taken from everyday life and used to teach a spiritual truth.  Its ultimate purpose is to make the truth clearer, but, as we shall see, sometimes people find it difficult to grasp the intention behind it. So we’ll not only be looking at the meaning of the para...

248 Mark 3:13-19 Jesus appoints the first apostles

Talk 10   Mark 3:13-19   Jesus appoints the first apostles Welcome to Talk 10 in our series on Mark’s Gospel. Today we’ll be considering Mark 3:13-19 where Jesus appoints his first apostles. I say his first apostles because there were, of course, later apostles mentioned in the book of Acts – Matthias, who was appointed to replace Judas, and, of course, the apostle Paul. I have gone into some detail about this in my book Body Builders where I also mention Barnabas and James, the Lord’s ...

247 Mark 3:1-12 Defying the Pharisees and dealing with demons

Talk 9 Mark 3:1-12 Defying the Pharisees and dealing with demons Welcome to Talk 9 in our series on Mark’s gospel. Today we’ll be looking at Mark 3:1-12. In previous talks we have seen how Jesus came proclaiming the Kingdom of God (1:14-15) and demonstrating with miraculous signs his authority over demons and disease. In chapter 1 he casts an evil spirit out of a man in the synagogue at Capernaum, heals Simon's mother-in-law of a fever, and cures a man with leprosy, and in chapter 2 he...

Mark 2:18-28 Jesus questioned about fasting and the Sabbath

Talk 8     Mark 2:18-28     Jesus Questioned About Fasting and the Sabbath Welcome to Talk 8 in our series on Mark’s Gospel. Today we’re looking at Mark 2:18-28 where Jesus answers questions about fasting and the Sabbath. As we shall see, these questions arose, partly from a genuine desire to know the answer, but more often from the critical attitude of the Pharisees who, like many people today, were only looking for a reason why they should NOT believe the claims of Jesus.   In...

245 Mark 2:13-17 The Call of Levi

Talk 7   Mark 2:13-17   The Call of Levi Welcome to Talk 7 in our series on Mark’s Gospel. We’ll begin by reading Mark 2:13-17.   13 Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them. 14 As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him. 15 While Jesus was having dinner at Levi's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" were eating with...

244 Mark 2:1-12 Jesus heals a paralysed man

Talk 6   Mark 2:1-12   Jesus Heals a Paralysed Man Welcome to Talk 6 in our series on Mark’s Gospel. Today we’re in chapter 2 and we’ll be looking at the first 12 verses to which the NIV gives the heading, Jesus heals a paralysed man. And that indeed is what the story is about. It’s about Jesus, it’s about healing, and it’s about a man who could not walk. But, as we shall see, it’s about far more than healing. So let’s read it. A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the...

243 Mark 1:29-45 Miracles of Healing in Capernaum and beyond

Talk 5   Mark 1:29-45 Miracles of healing in Capernaum and beyond   Welcome to Talk 5 in our series on Mark’s Gospel. Today we’ll be looking at Mark 1:29-45. We’ll begin by reading verses 29-31.   29. As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. 30.  Simon's mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told Jesus about her. 31. So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wa...

242 Mark 1:21-28 Jesus drives out an evil spirit

Talk 4   Mark 1:21-28  Jesus Drives Out an Evil Spirit Welcome to Talk 4 in our series on Mark’s Gospel. Today we’ll be looking at Mark 1:21-28. So far we have seen how Mark introduces us to the good news about Jesus who is the Son of God. He tells us of the preaching of John the Baptist whom God sent to prepare the people for the coming of Jesus. His message was Repent and be baptised.   He tells us of Jesus’ baptism in the River Jordan and how, immediately after his baptism i...

241 Mark 1:14-20 Winning others for Jesus

Talk 3  Mark 1:14-20  Winning others for Jesus Welcome to Talk 3 in our series on Mark’s Gospel. So far we have seen how Mark begins by establishing very clearly that Jesus is none other than God himself who came to make possible the forgiveness of our sins. To prepare for his coming the people were to confess their sins, repent and be baptised. But when Jesus came he would do more for them than baptism in water ever could. He would baptise them in the Holy Spirit.   I also pointe...

240 Mark 1:9-13 The baptism and temptation of Jesus

Talk 2   Mark 1:9-13  The baptism and temptation of Jesus Welcome to Talk 2 in our new series on Mark’s Gospel. In our first talk we saw how Mark begins by establishing very clearly that Jesus is none other than God himself who came to make possible the forgiveness of our sins. To prepare for his coming the people were to confess their sins, repent and be baptised. But when Jesus came he would do more for them than baptism in water ever could. He would baptise them in the Holy Spirit. ...

239 Mark 1:1-8 The Message of John the Baptist

238 Galatians 6:1-18

Galatians   Talk 10 Galatians 6:1-18   This is the final talk in our series on Galatians. We have seen that the main theme of the letter has been to show that salvation is by faith and not by works. Faith in Christ’s substitutionary, all sufficient, atoning death is the only way to Heaven. Attempts to get there any other way will fail. The law of the Old Testament could not save us because no one, except Jesus, has ever kept it in its entirety. But Jesus’ death has set us free from...

237 Galatians 5:22-23 - The Fruit of the Spirit

Galatians  Talk 9   Galatians 5:22-23 The Fruit of the Spirit PLEASE NOTE THAT THE SUBSTANCE OF THIS TALK IS TAKEN FROM MY BOOK THE VOICE OF GOD – How he speaks to us today   In our last talk, as we were looking at Galatians 5:13-26, where Paul is contrasting the acts of the flesh with the fruit of the Spirit, we saw that we need to:   1.     Remember that even after we become Christians there’s still a tendency to sin in our flesh. 2.     Recognise that we cannot o...

236 Galatians 5:13-26

Galatians   Talk 8   Galatians 5:13-26 As we have seen again and again in our studies in Galatians, Paul wrote this letter to demonstrate that salvation is by faith and not by works. Last time, as we looked at 5:1-13, we saw how Paul encouraged the Galatians to stand firm in their faith in Christ and not to get entangled again with the burden of the law from which Christ had set them free.   In verse 1 he had said: It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm,...

235 Galatians 5:1-13

Galatians   Talk 7     Galatians 5:1-13 Let’s begin with a reminder of why Paul wrote this letter to the Galatians. It was through Paul’s ministry that they had become Christians, and they had believed his message that salvation was by faith in Christ and not by trying to obey the law of the Old Testament. However, since his departure, others had taught them that faith in Christ was not enough, and that circumcision was necessary for salvation.   So Paul writes to them to corre...

234 Galatians 4:1-31

Galatians   Talk 6   Galatians 4:1-31 At the beginning of this chapter Paul picks up on what he has been saying in Chapter 3:23-25 about the temporary nature of the law. He uses a mixture of metaphors to illustrate this.   In 3:23 he sees the law as a jailer keeping us in prison:   23 Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law (literally, we were being kept under the law), locked up until faith should be revealed.   In 3:24-25 he sees the law as a ...

233 Galatians 3:1-29

Galatians   Talk 5   Galatians 3:1-29 As we saw when we were studying the first two chapters of Galatians, Paul wrote his letter to them because of the dangerous teaching that had crept into the churches there – that obedience to the law of the Old Testament was essential to salvation. In chapter 1 he insists that: ·       the only true gospel is the one that he has preached to them (6-10) ·       he had received it by direct revelation from God and not from any human source (11...

232 Galatians 2

Galatians   Talk 4   Galatians 2 So far in this series we have seen that Paul’s purpose in writing Galatians was to correct a serious doctrinal error. Some were teaching that faith in Christ was not sufficient for salvation and that obedience to the law of the Old Testament, especially with regard to circumcision, was required as well. The situation was so serious that Paul went so far as to say that if anybody preached a gospel other than the one that he had preached and which the Gala...

231 Galatians 1:10-24

Galatians.      Talk 3. Galatians 1:10-24 In the first two talks we noted that Paul’s purpose in writing Galatians was to correct a serious doctrinal error that had crept into the churches since Paul had planted them. Paul had taught them that we are saved by faith in Jesus, and not by observing the law of the Old Testament, but some were now teaching that circumcision was necessary for salvation, and Paul was amazed that they had so quickly turned away from what he had taught them. ...

230 Coronation Message - The Ruler of all kings

JESUS CHRIST, THE RULER OF THE KINGS OF THE EARTH As I was thinking and praying about the message I should bring on the weekend of the coronation of King Charles III, a phrase from Revelation 1:5 came to my mind:   JESUS CHRIST, THE RULER OF THE KINGS OF THE EARTH.   Of course, the word king is used in a variety of ways, but its general meaning is someone who rules and it’s in that sense that we’ll be looking at it today. But first, let’s read Revelation 1:4-8.   4...

229 Galatians 1:6-9

Galatians   Talk 2.  Galatians 1:6-9   In our first talk we began by looking at three reasons why Galatians is important:   It has made a significant impact on the history of the church It’s the first thing Paul wrote explaining that salvation is by faith and not by works It's of practical relevance to our daily lives.   We then made a start on the text by reading the first 6 verses:   1. Paul, an apostle - sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Ch...

228 Why Galatians is important | Galatians 1:1-6

Paul’s letter to the Galatians.    Talk 1. Why Galatians is important Welcome to a new series of talks in which we will be studying Paul’s letter to the Galatians. In this talk we’ll be looking at the first five verses, but I’ll begin by giving you three reasons why Galatians is important. 1.      It has made a significant impact on the history of the church It's clear from what Paul writes in the letter that the young Christian Church was facing very real problems. Christianity had i...

227 Hope! - Romans 15:13

Dr David Petts preaching at Brixham Community Church, 19th March 2023. "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13

226 It Is Finished! (John 19:30)

It is finished (John 19:30) The Death of Jesus 28 Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty." 29 A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips. 30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.   IT IS FINISHED   What was?   Hi...

225 When you come together - Putting it all into practice

When you come together Talk 12   Putting it all into practice As we now turn to suggesting how we can put Paul’s teaching into practice, it will be important first to consider exactly who is responsible for doing so.  And, as we look again at 1 Corinthians 14:26, it becomes immediately apparent that the verse is addressed to everyone in the church: What then shall we say brothers and sisters? When you come together, everyone has… So everyone has a responsibility in this matter. But ...

224 When you come together - Underlying principles

When you come together Talk 11   Identifying Underlying Principles We have now completed our examination of 1 Corinthians 12-14 with a view to seeing how Paul’s teaching in those chapters might help us better understand the verse upon which this series has been based, 1 Corinthians 14:26. In our consideration of chapter 12 we saw from the first part of the chapter that we should expect the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit in our meetings and that the baptism in the Holy Spirit is t...