Gospel Explorations
A weekly podcast designed to dive deep into God’s Word and help answer the hard questions that life throws at us from a biblical perspective.
Episodes
80 episodes
079: What Are You Unwilling to Surrender? - Matthew 19:13-22
In Episode 79 of Gospel Explorations, Pastor Mark explores two striking encounters in Matthew 19:13–22: Jesus welcoming little children and His conversation with the rich young ruler. While the children come with nothing to offer and s...
078: What Does Jesus Say About Divorce and Remarriage? - Matthew 19:7-12
Pastor Mark continues through Matthew 19 as Jesus addresses the difficult subjects of divorce, remarriage, and singleness. Jesus calls His followers beyond the search for loopholes and back to God's original design for marriage, while acknowled...
077: God's Design for Marriage - Matthew 19:1-6
When the Pharisees try to trap Jesus with a controversial question about divorce, Jesus refuses to begin with their debate. Instead, He takes them all the way back to creation and God's original design for marriage.Join us, as we explore...
076: How Many Times Do I Have to Forgive? - Matthew 18:21-35
In Matthew 18:21–35, Jesus calls us to a radical kind of forgiveness. It's a forgiveness that keeps no record and reflects the mercy we’ve received from God. Discover why unforgiveness is so dangerous and how the gospel reshapes the way we forg...
075: How Should Christians Handle Conflict? - Matthew 18:15-20
In Matthew 18:15–20, Jesus gives a clear process for dealing with sin in the church. It's a process that prioritizes restoration, unity, and the presence of Christ. Discover with Pastor Mark what the Scriptures say about handling conflict bibli...
074: The Shepherd Who Goes After the One - Matthew 18:7-14
In Matthew 18:7–14, Jesus gives sobering warnings about offenses and sin, but also reveals the heart of the Good Shepherd who pursues the one who strays. In this episode Pastor Mark explores accountability, radical obedience, and the relentless...
073: What Does True Greatness Look Like - Matthew 18:1-6
In Matthew 18:1–6, Jesus completely redefines greatness. Instead of status and position, He points to humility by using a child as the model for kingdom citizens. In this episode, Pastor Mark explores what it means to become like a child, how w...
072: The Son, the Tax, and the Fish - Matthew 17:22-27
In Matthew 17:22–27, Jesus again reveals His coming death and resurrection, yet the disciples still struggle to understand. Then, in a surprising moment, Jesus teaches about His identity as the Son of God through a simple question about taxes… ...
071: When Your Faith Feels Too Small - Matthew 17:9-21
In Matthew 17:9–21, Jesus explains the coming of Elijah, then descends from the Mount of Transfiguration into a scene of suffering and spiritual conflict. A desperate father brings his afflicted son to Jesus after the disciples fail to help. In...
070: When They Saw Jesus in His Glory - Matthew 17:1-8
In Matthew 17:1–8, Jesus is transfigured before Peter, James, and John. His face shines like the sun, Moses and Elijah appear, and the Father declares, “This is my beloved Son… hear ye him.” In this episode of Gospel Explorations, Past...
069: What Does it Mean to Take Up Your Cross? - Matthew 16:21-28
In Matthew 16:21–28, Jesus reveals that He must suffer, die, and rise again — and then calls His disciples to deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow Him. In this episode Pastor Mark takes a look at Peter’s rebuke, Jesus’ correction, a...
068: Who Do You Say Jesus Is? - Matthew 16:13-20
In today's passage, Jesus asks the most important question anyone will ever face: “Who do you say that I am?” In this episode of Gospel Explorations, Pastor Mark invites you to join him as you explore together Peter’s powerful confessi...
067: Beware the Leaven: The Danger of Spiritual Blindness - Matthew 16:1-12
In Matthew 16:1–12, Jesus confronts spiritual blindness, refuses the demand for signs, and warns His disciples about the dangerous influence of false teaching. In this episode Pastor Mark explores why signs don’t create faith, how easily we can...
066: "Lord, Help Me:" A Faith that Would Not Give Up - Matthew 15:21-39
Jesus answers the persistent faith of a Canaanite woman, heals multitudes, and feeds four thousand. Join Pastor Mark in this episode of Gospel Explorations, as we see the mercy of Christ reaching beyond expected boundaries, the power o...
065: What Really Makes a Person Unclean? - Matthew 15:1-20
Jesus confronts the Pharisees over their traditions and exposes the danger of outward religion without inward transformation. Discover why God is more concerned with the condition of our hearts than merely keeping appearances, and learn what tr...
064: When Jesus Comes Walking Through the Storm - Matthew 14:22-33
In Matthew 14:22–33, Jesus sends His disciples into a storm, comes to them walking on the sea, and rescues Peter when his little faith begins to fail. In this episode of Gospel Explorations, Pastor Mark explores Christ's presence in th...
063: When What You Have Isn't Enough - Matthew 14:14-21
In Matthew 14:14–21, Jesus looks on a hungry multitude with compassion, takes five loaves and two fishes, and feeds thousands with abundance left over. In this episode Pastor Mark explores Christ’s compassion, the disciples’ weakness, and the p...
062: The Cost of Speaking the Truth - Matthew 14:1-13
In today's passage, Herod is haunted by guilt, John the Baptist is imprisoned and executed, and Jesus withdraws in wisdom after hearing the news. Join us as we explore the torment of a guilty conscience, the danger of fearing man more than God,...
061: The Kingdom Worth Everything - Matthew 13:44-58
In Matthew 13:44–58, Jesus tells of hidden treasure, a pearl of great price, and a dragnet that gathers every kind — then returns to Nazareth and is rejected by His own. In this episode of Gospel Explorations, join Pastor Mark as we ex...
060: Why Does God Allow Good and Evil to Grow Together? - Matthew 13:24-43
In Matthew 13:24–43, Jesus reveals that the visible outward kingdom community in this age will include both true and false, wheat and tares, visible growth and hidden corruption. Yet, in God's timing these things will be separated at the final ...
059: What Kind of Soil is Your Heart? - Matthew 13:1-23
In Matthew 13:1–23, Jesus tells the Parable of the Sower and reveals four different responses to the Word of God. Pastor Mark invites you to explore these soils with him: the hardened heart, the shallow heart, the crowded heart, and the fruitfu...
058: What Your Words Reveal About Your Heart - Matthew 12:33-50
In today's passage, Jesus exposes the heart behind our words, rebukes the demand for signs, warns of the danger of spiritual emptiness, and redefines His true family. Pastor Mark invites you to explore with him why we know that fruit reveals th...
057: What is the Unforgivable Sin? - Matthew 12:22-32
In Matthew 12:22–32, Jesus delivers a demon-possessed man, silences the Pharisees’ accusation, and gives a sobering warning about blasphemy against the Holy Ghost. Join Pastor Mark for this episode of Gospel Explorations, as we take a ...
056: The Savior Who Won't Break a Bruised Reed - Matthew 12:9-21
In Matthew 12:9–21, Jesus heals a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath — and the Pharisees respond by plotting His death. In this episode of Gospel Explorations, Pastor Mark encourages you to join us as we examine the rising rejecti...
055: When Religion Gets in the Way of Mercy - Matthew 12:1-8
In Matthew 12:1–8, the Pharisees condemn hungry disciples for picking grain on the Sabbath—but Jesus reveals something deeper: God desires mercy, not sacrifice. In this episode, Pastor Mark invites you to explore how legalism burdens the soul, ...