Sermons
The Holy Cross sermons are available in transcribed text or .mp3 audio format. Simply click on the “text” link to read the sermon or click on the “audio” link to listen and/or download the .mp3 audio file. Note: The sermons are listed by most recent. Typically, the text version is delayed by two months due to the transcription process.
December 8, 2024 – Second Sunday in Advent – Pastor Mark Bartels
“Prepare the Way of the Lord!” – Video: Vimeo, Facebook. Audio: Google
Luke 3:1–6
1 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—while Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea… the word of God came to John, the son of Zechariah, in the wilderness. 3 He went into the whole region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 4 Just as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet:
A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
“Prepare the way of the Lord! Make his paths straight.
5 Every valley will be filled, and every mountain and hill will be made low.
The crooked will become straight, and the rough ways smooth.
6 And everyone will see the salvation of God.”
December 1, 2024 – First Sunday in Advent – Pastor Piet Van Kampen
“Christ’s Coming Gives Us Hope” – Video: Vimeo, Facebook. Audio: Google
Luke 21:25-36
25 “There will be signs in the sun, moon, and stars. And on the earth nations will be in anguish, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the surging waves, 26 people fainting from fear and expectation of the things coming on the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 But when these things begin to happen, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is near.”
29 He told them a parable. “Look at the fig tree and all the trees. 30 As soon as they are sprouting leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is actually near. 31 So also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near. 32 Amen I tell you: This generation will not pass away until all these things happen. 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
34 “Watch yourselves or else your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and the worries of this life, and that day may come on you suddenly. 35 For it will come like a trap on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 Stay alert all the time, praying that you may be able to escape all these things that are going to happen and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”
November 27, 2024 – Thanksgiving Eve – Pastor Piet Van Kampen
“Giving Thanks for Faithful Mercies” – Video: Vimeo, Facebook. Audio: Google
Genesis 32:10
“I am not worthy of even a bit of all the mercy and all the faithfulness that you have shown to your servant, for I crossed over this Jordan with just my staff, and now I have grown into two camps.”
November 24, 2024 – Last Sunday of End Time — Christ the King – Pastor Mark Bartels
“Thy Kingdom Come” – Video: Vimeo, Facebook. Audio: Google
Revelation 1:4b–8
4 Grace to you and peace from him who is, who was, and who is coming, and from the seven spirits that are before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his own blood 6 and made us a kingdom and priests to God his Father—to him be the glory and the power forever. Amen.
7 Look, he is coming with clouds,
and every eye will see him,
including those who pierced him.
And all the nations of the earth will mourn because of him.
Yes. Amen.
8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, the one who is, and who was, and who is coming, the Almighty.”
November 17, 2024 – Third Sunday of End Time — Last Judgment – Pastor Piet Van Kampen
“Hear the Voice That Raises the Dead” – Video: Vimeo, Facebook. Audio: Google
John 5:25-29
25 “Amen, Amen, I tell you: A time is coming and is here now when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God,
and those who listen will live. 26 For just as the Father has life in himself, so also he has granted the Son to have life
in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man.
28 “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29 and will
come out. Those who have done good will rise to live, but those who have practiced evil will rise to be condemned.
November 10, 2024 – Second Sunday of End Time — Last Judgment – Pastor Piet Van Kampen
“Jump for Joy on Judgement Day” – Video: Vimeo, Facebook. Audio: Google
Malachi 4:1-2
1 Look! The day is coming, burning like a blast furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble. The day that is coming will set them on fire, says the Lord of Armies, a day that will not leave behind a root or branch for them. 2 But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness will rise, and there will be healing in its wings. You will go out and jump around like calves from the stall.
October 27, 2024 – Festival of the Reformation – Pastor Mark Bartels
“Courageous Witnesses for Christ!” – Video: Vimeo, Facebook. Audio: Google
Mark 13:5-13
5 Jesus began by telling them, “Be careful that no one deceives you. 6 Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am
he,’ and will deceive many.
7 “Whenever you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled. Such things must happen, but the end is not
yet. 8 In fact, nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various
places. There will be famines. These are the beginning of birth pains. 9 But be on your guard! People will hand you
over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues. You will stand in the presence of rulers and kings for my
sake as a witness to them. 10 And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations. 11 Whenever they arrest you
and hand you over, do not worry beforehand what you should say. Say whatever is given to you in that hour,
because you will not be the ones speaking; instead it will be the Holy Spirit.
12 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father, his child. Children will rise up against their parents and put
them to death. 13 You will be hated by everyone because of my name, but the one who endures to the end will be
saved.
October 20, 2024 – Twenty Second Sunday After Pentecost – Pastor Dustin Yahnke
“Take My Life and Let It Be…Impressed” – Video: Vimeo, Facebook. Audio: Google
Mark 10:35-45
35 James and John, the sons of Zebedee, approached him and said, “Teacher, we wish that you would do for us
whatever we ask.”
36 He said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?”
37 They said to him, “Promise that we may sit, one at your right and one at your left, in your glory.”
38 But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink or
be baptized with the baptism that I am going to be baptized with?”
39 “We can,” they replied.
Jesus told them, “You will drink the cup that I am going to drink and be baptized with the baptism that I am going
to be baptized with. 40 But to sit at my right or at my left is not for me to give; rather, these places belong to those
for whom they have been prepared.”
41 When the ten heard this, they were angry with James and John.
42 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it
over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 43 But that is not the way it is to be among you.
Instead, whoever wants to be great among you will be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first among you
will be a slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a
ransom for many.”
October 13, 2024 – Twenty First Sunday After Pentecost – Pastor Piet Van Kampen
“A Camel Through the Eye of a Needle?” – Video: Vimeo, Facebook. Audio: Google
Mark 10:17-27
17 As Jesus was setting out on a journey, one man ran up to him and knelt in front of him. He asked, “Good teacher,
what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
18 Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except one—God. 19 You know the
commandments. ‘You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not give false
testimony. You shall not defraud. Honor your father and mother.’”
20 The man replied, “Teacher, I have kept all these since I was a child.”
21 Jesus looked at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack. Go, sell whatever you have, and give to
the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
22 When he heard this, he looked sad and went away grieving, because he had great wealth. 23 Jesus looked
around and said to his disciples, “How hard it will be for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!”
24 The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus told them again, “Children, how hard it is for those who trust
in their riches to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a
rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
26 They were even more astonished and said to one another, “Who then can be saved?”
27 Jesus looked at them and said, “For people, it is impossible, but not for God, because all things are possible for
God.”
October 6, 2024 – Twentieth Sunday After Pentecost – Pastor Mark Bartels
“God’s Gift of Marriage” – Video: Vimeo, Facebook. Audio: Google
Genesis 2:18–24
18 The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is a suitable partner for
him.” 19 Out of the soil the Lord God had formed every wild animal and every bird of the sky, and he brought them
to the man to see what he would call them. Whatever the man called every living creature, that became its name.
20 The man gave names to all the livestock, and to the birds of the sky, and to every wild animal, but for Adam no
helper was found who was a suitable partner for him. 21 The Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. As
the man slept, the Lord God took a rib and closed up the flesh where it had been. 22 The Lord God built a woman
from the rib that he had taken from the man and brought her to the man.
23 The man said,
Now this one is bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh.
She will be called “woman,”
because she was taken out of man.
24 For this reason a man will leave his father and his mother
and will remain united with his wife,
and they will become one flesh.
September 29, 2024 – St. Michael and All Angels Sunday – Pastor Piet Van Kampen
“Rejoice on the Spiritual Battlefield” – Video: Vimeo, Facebook. Audio: Google
Luke 10:17-20
17 The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name!”
18 He told them, “I was watching Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Look, I have given you authority to
trample on snakes and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy. And nothing will ever harm you. 20
Nevertheless, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names have been written in
heaven.”
September 22, 2024 – Eighteenth Sunday After Pentecost – Pastor Mark Bartels
“Wise Humility” – Video: Vimeo, Facebook. Audio: Google
James 3:13–18
13 Who among you is wise and intelligent? Let him by his good way of living show that he does things in wise
humility. 14 But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not boast and lie, contrary to the
truth. 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but it is worldly, unspiritual, and demonic. 16 In fact,
where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and every bad practice. 17 But the wisdom that
comes from above is first pure, then also peaceful, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial, and
sincere. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who practice peace.
September 15, 2024 – Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost – Pastor Piet Van Kampen
“The Cross Makes the Christian” – Video: Vimeo, Facebook. Audio: Google
Mark 8:27-35
27 Jesus went away with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?”
28 They told him, “John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others say one of the prophets.”
29 “But who do you say I am?” he asked them.
Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.”
30 Then he warned them not to tell anyone about him.
31 Jesus began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things; be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the experts in the law; be killed; and after three days rise again. 32 He was speaking plainly to them. Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But after turning around and looking at his disciples, Jesus rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! You do not have your mind set on the things of God, but the things of men.”
34 He called the crowd and his disciples together and said to them, “If anyone wants to follow me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it. But whoever loses his life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.
September 8, 2024 – Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost – Pastor Piet Van Kampen
“The Living Word Does Everything Well” – Video: Vimeo, Facebook. Audio: Google
Mark 7:31-37
31 Jesus left the region of Tyre again and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, within the region of the Decapolis.
32 They brought a man to him who was deaf and had a speech impediment. They pleaded with Jesus to place his hand on him. 33 Jesus took him aside in private, away from the crowd. He put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue. 34 After he looked up to heaven, he sighed and said, “Ephphatha!” (which means “Be opened!”) 35 Immediately the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was set free, and he began to speak plainly. 36 Jesus gave the people strict orders to tell no one, but the more he did so, the more they kept proclaiming it. 37 They were amazed beyond measure and said, “He has done everything well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak!”
September 1, 2024 – Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost – Pastor Mark Bartels
“Strong in the Lord” – Video: Vimeo, Facebook. Audio: Google Text: PDF
Ephesians 6:10–20
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can stand against the schemes of the Devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 For this reason, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to take a stand on the evil day and, after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand, then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness fastened in place, 15 and with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace tied to your feet like sandals. 16 At all times hold up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the Evil One. 17 Also take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 At every opportunity, pray in the Spirit with every kind of prayer and petition. Stay alert for the same reason, always persevering in your intercession for all the saints. 19 Pray for me also, that when I open my mouth a message will be given to me that boldly reveals the mystery of the gospel, 20for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may speak about it boldly, as it is necessary for me to speak.
August 25, 2024 – Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost – Pastor Piet Van Kampen
“We Will Serve the LORD!” – Video: Vimeo, Facebook. Audio: Google
Joshua 24:1-2, 14-18
1 Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel at Shechem, and he summoned the elders of Israel, its heads, its judges, and its officers, and they presented themselves before God.
2 Then Joshua told all the people, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, has said.”…
14 Joshua said, “Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly and faithfully. Remove the gods that your fathers served in the region across the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 But if you see no benefit in serving the Lord, then choose for yourselves today whomever you will serve—whether the gods that your fathers served beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household—we will serve the Lord!”
16 The people responded by saying, “Far be it from us to forsake the Lord in order to serve other gods! 17 For the Lord our God, he is the one who brought us and our ancestors up from the land of Egypt, where we were slaves. He is the one who performed these great signs right before our eyes and protected us on the whole journey that we made and among all the peoples through whom we passed. 18 The Lord drove out of our presence all the peoples and the Amorites who were living in the land. We too will serve the Lord, because he is our God!”
August 18, 2024 – Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost – Pastor Mark Bartels
“I Pray You, Dear Lord Jesus, My Heart to Keep and Train” – Video: Vimeo, Facebook. Audio: Google
Proverbs 9:1-6
1 Wisdom has built her house.
She has carved out her seven pillars.
2 She has prepared her meat.
She has mixed her wine.
She has already set her table.
3 She has sent out her servant girls.
She calls from the highest point in the city,
4 “Whoever is naïve, let him turn in here.”
To someone who lacks sense she says,
5 “Come, eat my food,
and drink the wine that I have mixed.
6 Abandon your naïve ways and live.
Travel the road to understanding.”
August 11, 2024 – Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost – Pastor Mark Bartels
“Imitators of God” – Video: Vimeo, Facebook. Audio: Google
Ephesians 4:30–5:2
30 Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of every kind of bitterness, rage, anger, quarreling, and slander, along with every kind of malice. 32 Instead, be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one other, just as God in Christ has forgiven us.
5:1 Therefore, be imitators of God as his dearly loved children. 2 And walk in love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself for us, as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
August 4, 2024 – Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost – Pastor Piet Van Kampen
“The Bread of Life Satisfies” – Video: Vimeo, Facebook. Audio: Google
John 6:24-35
24 When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus. 25 When they found him on the other side of the sea, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”
26 Jesus answered them, “Amen, Amen, I tell you: You are not looking for me because you saw the miraculous signs, but because you ate the loaves and were filled. 27 Do not continue to work for the food that spoils, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”
28 So they said to him, “What should we do to carry out the works of God?”
29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God: that you believe in the one he sent.”
30 Then they asked him, “So what miraculous sign are you going to do, that we may see it and believe you? What miraculous sign are you going to perform? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, just as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”
32 Jesus said to them, “Amen, Amen, I tell you: Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the real bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
34 “Sir,” they said to him, “give us this bread all the time!”
35 “I am the Bread of Life,” Jesus told them. “The one who comes to me will never be hungry, and the one who believes in me will never be thirsty.
July 28, 2024 – Tenth Sunday after Pentecost – Pastor Eugene Kock
“Make the Comparison!” – Video: Vimeo, Facebook. Audio: Google
Isaiah 40:25-31
25 To whom can you compare me as if we were equals?
says the Holy One.
26 Lift up your eyes to the heavens,
and see who created these things.
See who brings out their army in great number
and calls them all by name.
Because of his great strength and mighty power,
not one of them is missing.
27 Why do you speak, O Jacob?
O Israel, why do you say,
“My way is hidden from the Lord,
and justice for me is ignored by my God”?
28 Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the eternal God.
He is the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired, and he will not become weary.
No one can find a limit to his understanding.
29 He is the one who gives strength to the weak,
and he increases the strength of those who lack power.
30 Young men grow tired and become weary.
Even strong men stumble and fall.
31 But those who wait for the Lord will receive new strength.
They will lift up their wings and soar like eagles. They will run and not become weary.
July 21, 2024 – Ninth Sunday after Pentecost – Pastor Mark Bartels
“Tending the Flock” – Video: Vimeo, Facebook. Audio: Google
Mark 6:30–34
30 The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all that they had done and taught. 31 He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while.” For there were so many people coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat. 32 They went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. 33 But many people saw them leave and knew where they were going. They ran there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. 34 When Jesus stepped out of the boat, he saw a large crowd. His heart went out to them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. He began to teach them many things.
July 14, 2024 – Eighth Sunday after Pentecost – Pastor Piet Van Kampen
“Speak God’s Word Faithfully” – Video: Vimeo, Facebook. Audio: Google
Amos 7:10-15
10 Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent a message to Jeroboam king of Israel:
Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel. The land is not able to endure all of his words. 11 This is what Amos says: “Jeroboam will die by the sword, and Israel will certainly go into exile away from its own soil.”
12 Then Amaziah said to Amos, “You seer, get out of here! Flee to the land of Judah. You may eat food and prophesy there. 13 But you must never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the sanctuary of the king and the national temple.”
14 Then Amos responded to Amaziah: “I was not a prophet, nor was I a son of a prophet. Rather, I was a sheep breeder and I took care of sycamore fig trees. 15 But the Lord took me from tending flocks, and the Lord said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’”
July 7, 2024 – Seventh Sunday after Pentecost – Pastor Mark Bartels
“Strength in Weakness” – Video: Vimeo, Facebook. Audio: Google
2 Corinthians 12:7–10
7 Therefore, to keep me from becoming arrogant due to the extraordinary nature of these revelations, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me, so that I would not become arrogant. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that he would take it away from me. 9 And he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, because my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will be glad to boast all the more in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may shelter me.
10 That is why I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties, for the sake of Christ. For whenever I am weak, then am I strong.
June 30, 2024 – Sixth Sunday after Pentecost – Pastor Piet Van Kampen
“The Lord’s Compassion Never Fails” – Video: Vimeo, Facebook. Audio: Google
Lamentations 3:22-33
22 By the mercies of the Lord we are not consumed, for his compassions do not fail.
23 They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness.
24 My soul says, “The Lord is my portion. Therefore, I will hope in him.”
25 The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.
26 It is good to hope quietly for the salvation of the Lord.
27 It is good for a man that he bears a yoke early in his life.
28 Let him sit alone and be silent, because the Lord has laid this upon him.
29 Let him stick his face in the dust. Perhaps there still is hope.
30 Let him turn his cheek toward the one who strikes him. Let him be filled with disgrace.
31 For the Lord will not push us away forever.
32 Even though he brings grief, he will show compassion on the basis of his great mercy.
33 Certainly it is not what his heart desires when he causes affliction, when he brings grief to the children of men.
June 23, 2024 – Fifth Sunday of Pentecost – Pastor Ilars Plume
“Jesus Calms the Storm” – Video: Vimeo, Facebook. Audio: Google
Mark 4:35–41
35 On that day, when evening came, Jesus said to them, “Let’s go over to the other side.” 36 After leaving the crowd behind, the disciples took him along in the boat, just as he was. Other small boats also followed him. 37 A great windstorm arose, and the waves were splashing into the boat, so that the boat was quickly filling up. 38 Jesus himself was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. They woke him and said, “Teacher, don’t you care that we are about to drown?”
39 Then he got up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” The wind stopped, and there was a great calm. 40 He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still lack faith?”
41 They were filled with awe and said to one another, “Who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obey him!”
June 16, 2024 – Fourth Sunday of Pentecost – Pastor Piet Van Kampen
“Plant the Seeds of God’s Word” – Video: Vimeo, Facebook. Audio: Google
Mark 4:26-34
26 He said, “The kingdom of God is like this: A man scatters seed on the ground, 27 and while he sleeps and rises, night and day, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 28 The ground produces fruit on its own: first the blade, then the head, then the full grain in the head. 29 When the crop is ready, he swings the sickle without delay, because the harvest has come.”
30 Then he said, “To what should we compare the kingdom of God? Or with what parable may we picture it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which when sown on the ground is one of the smallest of all the seeds planted in the ground. 32 Yet when it is planted, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches so that the birds of the sky can nest under its shade.”
33 With many similar parables he continued to speak the word to them, as much as they were able to hear. 34 He did not speak to them without a parable. But when he was alone with his disciples, he explained everything to them.
June 9, 2024 – Third Sunday of Pentecost – Pastor Mark Bartels
“The Family of God” – Video: Vimeo, Facebook. Audio: Google
Mark 3:20–35
20 They went into a house. A crowd gathered again so that they were not even able to eat a meal. 21 When his own people heard this, they went out to take control of him, because they were saying, “He is out of his mind.”
22 The experts in the law who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “He drives out demons by the ruler of demons.”
23 Jesus called them together and spoke to them in parables. “How can Satan drive out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26 And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand but is finished. 27 On the other hand, no one can enter a strong man’s house to steal his possessions unless he ties up the strong man first. Then he can plunder his house. 28 Amen I tell you: Everything will be forgiven people, their sins and whatever blasphemies they may speak. 29 But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin.” 30 Jesus said this because they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”
31 Then his mother and his brothers arrived. While they were standing outside, they sent word to Jesus, calling for him. 32 A crowd was sitting around him. They began to tell him, “Look, your mother and your brothers are outside looking for you.”
33 He replied, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” 34 He looked at those who sat around him in a circle and he said, “Look, my mother and my brothers! 35 For whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”
“The Day of Rest” – Video: Vimeo, Facebook. Audio: Google
Deuteronomy 5:12–15
12 Observe the Sabbath day by setting it apart as holy, just as the Lord your God commanded you. 13 Six days you are to serve and perform all of your regular work, 14 but the seventh day is a sabbath rest to the Lord your God. You are not to do any regular work, you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant or your ox or your donkey or any of your livestock or the alien who resides inside your gates, in order that your male servant and your female servant may rest like you. 15 Remember that you were slaves in the land of Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out from there with a strong hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the day of rest.
“Holy, Holy, Holy Is the Lord” – Video: Vimeo, Facebook. Audio: Google
Isaiah 6:1-8
1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each one had six wings. With two they covered their faces. With two they covered their feet. With two they flew. 3 One called to another and said,
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Armies! The whole earth is full of his glory!
4 The foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of the one who called, and the temple was filled with smoke.
5 Then I said, “I am doomed! I am ruined, because I am a man with unclean lips, and I dwell among a people with unclean lips, and because my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Armies!”
6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, carrying a glowing coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs. 7 He touched my mouth with the coal and said, “Look, this has touched your lips, so your guilt is taken away, and your sin is forgiven.”
8 Then I heard the Lord’s voice, saying, “Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?”
Then I said, “Here I am. Send me!”
“God Will Put His Spirit in You” – Video: Vimeo, Facebook. Audio: Google
Ezekiel 37:1-14
1 The hand of the Lord was upon me. He brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of a valley, which was full of bones. 2 He had me pass through them and go all over among them. There were very many on the valley floor, and they were very dry.
3 He said to me, “Son of man, can these dry bones live?” I answered, “Lord God, you know.” 4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.’”
5 This is what the Lord God says to these bones.
I am about to make breath enter you so that you will live. 6 I will attach tendons to you. I will put flesh back on you. I will cover you with skin and put breath in you, and you will live. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
7 So I prophesied as I had been commanded, and as I was prophesying there was a noise, a rattling, as the bones came together, one bone connecting to another. 8 As I watched, tendons were attached to them, then flesh grew over them, and skin covered them. But there was no breath in them.
9 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the wind. Prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind that this is what the Lord God says. From the four winds, come, O wind, and breathe into these slain so that they may live.”
10 So I prophesied as he commanded me. Breath entered them, and they came back to life. They stood on their feet, a very, very large army.
11 Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They are saying, ‘Our bones are dried up. Our hope is lost. We have been completely cut off.’ 12 Therefore, prophesy and say to them that this is what the Lord God says. My people, I am going to open your graves and raise you up from your graves and bring you back to the soil of Israel. 13 Then you will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and raise you up from your graves, O my people. 14 I will put my Spirit in you, and you will live. I will settle you on your own land, and you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.”
“Called to Serve” – Video: Vimeo, Facebook. Audio: Google
Acts 1:15-26
15 In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty) 16 and said, “Brothers and sisters,[a] the Scripture had to be fulfilled in which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus. 17 He was one of our number and shared in our ministry.”
18 (With the payment he received for his wickedness, Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out. 19 Everyone in Jerusalem heard about this, so they called that field in their language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.)
20 “For,” said Peter, “it is written in the Book of Psalms:
“‘May his place be deserted;
let there be no one to dwell in it,’[b]
and,
“‘May another take his place of leadership.’[c]
21 Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us, 22 beginning from John’s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection.”
23 So they nominated two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. 24 Then they prayed, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen 25 to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs.” 26 Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.
“Facing the World as a Friend of Jesus” – Video: Vimeo, Facebook. Audio: Google
1 John 4:1-11
Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see if they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit who confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 and every spirit who does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard is coming and is already in the world.
4 You are from God, dear children, and you have overcome the false prophets, because the one in you is greater than the one in the world. 5 They are from the world. That is why they speak from a worldly perspective and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God. The one who knows God listens to us, but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. That is how we can distinguish between the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
7 Dear friends, let us love one another, because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 The one who does not love has not known God, because God is love. 9 This is how God’s love for us was revealed: God has sent his only-begotten Son into the world so that we may live through him. 10 This is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, if God loved us so much, we also should love one another.
“The Vine and the Branches” – Video: Vimeo, Facebook. Audio: Google
John 15:1–8
1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he is going to cut off. And he prunes every branch that does bear fruit, so that it will bear more fruit.
3 “You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, and I am going to remain in you. A branch cannot bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Likewise, you cannot bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5 “I am the Vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him is the one who bears much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is thrown away like a branch and withers. Such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 My Father is glorified by this: that you continue to bear much fruit and prove to be my disciples.”
“How to Recognize the Good Shepherd” – Video: Vimeo, Facebook. Audio: Google Text: PDF
John 10:11-18
“I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired man, who is not a shepherd, does not own the sheep. He sees the wolf coming, leaves the sheep, and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the sheep and scatters them. 13 Because he works for money, he does not care about the sheep.
14 “I am the Good Shepherd. I know my sheep and my sheep know me 15 (just as the Father knows me and I know the Father). And I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I also have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. Then there will be one flock and one shepherd. 17 This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life so that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. I have the authority to lay it down, and I have the authority to take it up again. This is the commission I received from my Father.”
“The Fingerprint of God” – Video: Vimeo, Facebook. Audio: Google
Luke 24:36–49
36 As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
37 But they were terrified and frightened and thought they were looking at a ghost.
38 He said to them, “Why are you troubled? Why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself. Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” 40 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41 While they still did not believe it (because of their joy), and while they were still wondering, he said to them, “Do you have anything here to eat?”
42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish and some honeycomb. 43 He took it and ate in front of them. 44 He said to them, “These are my words, which I spoke to you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms.”
45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. 46 He said to them, “This is what is written and so it must be: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things.
49 Look, I am sending you what my Father promised. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
“Easter Peace Unlocks Our Joy” – Video: Vimeo, Facebook. Audio: Google
John 20:19-31
On the evening of that first day of the week, the disciples were together behind locked doors because of their fear of the Jews. Jesus came, stood among them, and said to them, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. So the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you! Just as the Father has sent me, I am also sending you.” 22 After saying this, he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 Whenever you forgive people’s sins, they are forgiven. Whenever you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
24 But Thomas, one of the Twelve, the one called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples kept telling him, “We have seen the Lord!”
But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands, and put my finger into the mark of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will never believe.”
26 After eight days, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and look at my hands. Take your hand and put it into my side. Do not continue to doubt, but believe.”
28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”
29 Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
30 Jesus, in the presence of his disciples, did many other miraculous signs that are not written in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
“The Victory is Ours!” – Video: Vimeo, Facebook. Audio: Google
1 Corinthians 15:51-57
51 Look, I tell you a mystery. We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the blink of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For this perishable body must put on imperishability, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54 But once this perishable body has put on imperishability, and this mortal body has put on immortality, then what is written will be fulfilled:
Death is swallowed up in victory.
55 Death, where is your sting?
Grave, where is your victory?
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!
“Your King Comes to You” – Video: Vimeo, Facebook. Audio: Google
Zechariah 9:9-10
Rejoice greatly, Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem!
Look! Your King is coming to you. He is righteous and brings salvation.
He is humble and is riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
10 I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem.
The battle bow will be taken away, and he will proclaim peace to the nations.
His kingdom will extend from sea to sea, from the River to the ends of the earth.
“Jesus – Our Perfect High Priest” – Video: Vimeo, Facebook. Audio: Google
Hebrews 5:7–9
7 In the days of his flesh, he offered prayers and pleas with loud cries and tears to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. 8 Although he was the Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered. 9 After he was brought to his goal, he became the source of eternal salvation for everyone who obeys him.
“For God So Loved the World…” – Video: Vimeo, Faceboook. Audio: Google
John 3:14-21
14 “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 so that everyone who believes in him shall not perish but[a] have eternal life.
16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 The one who believes in him is not condemned, but the one who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God. 19 This is the basis for the judgment: The light has come into the world, yet people loved the darkness rather than the light, because their deeds were evil. 20 In fact, everyone who practices wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, or else his deeds would be exposed. 21 But the one who does what is true comes toward the light, in order that his deeds may be seen as having been done in connection with God.”
“The Temple Cleansed” – Video: Vimeo, Facebook. Audio: Google Text: PDF
John 2:13–22
13 The Jewish Passover was near, so Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
14 In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and money changers sitting at tables. 15 He made a whip of cords and drove everyone out of the temple courts, along with the sheep and oxen. He scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16 To those selling doves he said, “Get these things out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a place of business!”
17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”
18 So the Jews responded, “What sign are you going to show us to prove you can do these things?”
19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up again.”
20 The Jews said, “It took forty-six years to build this temple! And you are going to raise it in three days?” 21 But Jesus was speaking about the temple of his body. 22 When Jesus was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this. Then they believed the Scripture and what Jesus had said.
“While We Were Still Helpless, Christ Died” – Video: Vimeo, Facebook. Audio: Google
Romans 5:1-11
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we also have obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand. And we rejoice confidently on the basis of our hope for the glory of God.
3 Not only this, but we also rejoice confidently in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces patient endurance, 4 and patient endurance produces tested character, and tested character produces hope. 5 And hope will not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, who was given to us.
6 For at the appointed time, while we were still helpless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 It is rare indeed that someone will die for a righteous person. Perhaps someone might actually go so far as to die for a person who has been good to him. 8 But God shows his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Therefore, since we have now been justified by his blood, it is even more certain that we will be saved from God’s wrath through him. 10 For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, it is even more certain that, since we have been reconciled, we will be saved by his life. 11 And not only is this so, but we also go on rejoicing confidently in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received this reconciliation.
“Temptation Defeated” – Video: Vimeo, Facebook. Audio: Google
Mark 1:12–15
12The Spirit immediately sent Jesus out into the wilderness. 13He was in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels were serving him.
14After John was put in prison, Jesus went to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God. 15“The time is fulfilled,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near! Repent, and believe in the gospel.”
“Praise the ‘Double Glory’ of Christ” – Video: Vimeo, Facebook. Audio: Google
Mark 9:2-9
2 After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John with him and led them up a high mountain where they were alone by themselves. There he was transfigured in front of them. 3 His clothes became radiant, dazzling white, whiter than anyone on earth could bleach them. 4 And Elijah appeared to them together with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.
5 Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 6 He did not know what to say because they were terrified.
7 A cloud appeared and overshadowed them, and a voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him.”
8 Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus alone.
9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
“Christ Reveals His Glory Through Our Troubles” – Video: Vimeo, Facebook. Audio: Google
Mark 1:29-39
29 They left the synagogue and went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. 30 Simon’s mother-in-law was lying in bed, sick with a fever. Without delay they told Jesus about her. 31 He went to her, took her by the hand, and raised her up. The fever left her, and she began to serve them. 32 That evening, when the sun had set, the people kept bringing to him all who were sick and demon-possessed. 33 The whole town gathered at the door. 34 He healed many people who were sick with various diseases and drove out many demons. But he did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew who he was.
35 Jesus got up early in the morning, while it was still dark, and went out. He withdrew to a solitary place and was praying there. 36 Simon and his companions searched for him, 37 and, when they found him, they said to him, “Everyone is looking for you!”
38 He told them, “Let’s go somewhere else, to the neighboring villages, so that I can preach there too. In fact, that is why I have come.” 39 Then he went throughout the whole region of Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.
January 28, 2024 – Fourth Sunday after Epiphany – Pastor Piet Van Kampen
“May the Wicked Foe Have No Power Over Us!” – Video: Vimeo, Facebook. Audio: Google
Mark 1:21-28
21Then they went into Capernaum.
On the next Sabbath day, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. 22They were amazed at his teaching, because he was teaching them as one who has authority and not as the experts in the law. 23Just then there was a man with an unclean spirit in their synagogue. It cried out, 24“What do we have to do with you, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”
25Jesus rebuked the spirit, saying, “Be quiet! Come out of him!”
26The unclean spirit threw the man into convulsions, and after crying out with a loud voice, it came out of him. 27Everyone was so amazed that they began to discuss this with each other. They said, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He even commands the unclean spirits, and they obey him!” 28News about him spread quickly through all the region of Galilee.
“Hold On. Tightly or Lightly?” – Video: Vimeo, Facebook. Augio: Google
1 Corinthians 7:29-31
29 I also say this, brothers: The time is short. From now on, let those who have wives live as if they have none; 30 those who weep, as if not weeping; those who rejoice, as if not rejoicing; those who buy, as if not possessing; 31 and those who use the world, as if not getting any use out of it. For the way of life that belongs to this world is passing away.
“When the Lord Speaks, His Servants Listen” – Video: Vimeo, Facebook. Audio: Google Text: PDF
1 Samuel 3:1-10
1 The boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli. The word of the Lord was rare in those days. Prophetic vision was not common.
2 Now it happened that Eli’s eyes had begun to grow dim, so that he could not see. Once when Eli was lying down in his place 3 and God’s lamp had not yet gone out, Samuel was lying down in the Lord’s temple, where God’s ark was. 4 The Lord called Samuel, and Samuel said, “I am here.” 5 He ran to Eli and said, “I am here, since you called me.”
Eli said, “I did not call. Lie down again.” So he went and lay down.
6 Then the Lord called once more, “Samuel!”
So Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “I am here, since you called me.”
He answered, “I did not call, my son. Lie down again.”
7 Now Samuel had not yet experienced the Lord’s presence, that is, the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.
8 The Lord called Samuel for the third time. So he got up and went to Eli and said, “I am here, since you called me.”
Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the young man. 9 So Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’”
So Samuel went and once again lay down in his place. 10 The Lord came and stood there and called as he had the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”
Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”
“Jesus’ Baptism and Mine” – Video: Vimeo, Facebook. Audio: Google. Text: PDF
Acts 16:25-34
25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. Instantly all the doors were opened, and everyone’s chains came loose. 27 When the jailer woke up and saw that the prison doors were opened, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, because he thought that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul shouted with a loud voice, “Don’t harm yourself, because we are all here!”
29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in, and fell down trembling in front of Paul and Silas. 30 Then he brought them outside and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
31 They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 They spoke the word of the Lord to him and to everyone in his home. 33 At the same hour of the night, he took them and washed their wounds. Without delay, he and all his family were baptized. 34 Then he brought Paul and Silas into his house and set food before them. He rejoiced, because he and his whole household had come to believe in God.