North Park Baptist Church of Bridgeport CT

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Jesus Walks on the Water

July 26, 2026

The Gospel of Mark

Mark 6:45-52

Mark Smith

Jesus Walks on the Water

Date Preached: July 26, 2026

Series: The Gospel of Mark

Speaker: Mark Smith

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After getting no rest on a planned get-away, Jesus fed over 5,000 men, as well and women and children, with five small loaves of bread and two fish. As we'll learn Jesus sent his disciples ahead of him on a boat as he dismissed the crowd. This set up another miracle that only the disciples saw. Jesus walked on the water!

The significance of this and the lesson the disciples hadn't learned from the miracle of the loaves and fishes will be our focus as we examine this well-known miracle of Jesus.

Jesus Walks on the Water

Lessons in Doing the ‘Impossible’

July 19, 2026

The Gospel of Mark

Mark 6:35-44

Mark Smith

Lessons in Doing the ‘Impossible’

Date Preached: July 19, 2026

Series: The Gospel of Mark

Speaker: Mark Smith

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Jesus' and his disciples' plan for some rest was interrupted by crowds of people waiting for him when he got of the boat he had traveled in to get away for awhile. As we pointed out in the last message, the interrupted rest and Jesus' response to it led to something quite amazing that would otherwise not have occurred.

We'll see what that was in this message. It was a miracle so striking that it is the only miracle recorded in all four gospels. Jesus had a vocabulary lesson to teach his disciples through this miracle. It was about the word 'impossible'.

We'll see if we can make some progress in learning the lesson he wanted the disciples to learn.

Lessons in Doing the ‘Impossible’

Tired, but Rest Must Wait

July 12, 2026

The Gospel of Mark

Mark 6:30-34

Mark Smith

Tired, but Rest Must Wait

Date Preached: July 12, 2026

Series: The Gospel of Mark

Speaker: Mark Smith

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In our rushed society it is hard to get the rest we need, whether physical and emotional rest. In this passage in Mark we see Jesus dealing with exhaustion and pressure in a positive way. Unfortunately his good plan doesn't work out. The rest he planned for himself and his disciples had to wait. His response gives us an example to follow when our good plans are somehow interrupted or forced to be put on hold.

Tired, but Rest Must Wait

Jesus ‘Multiplies’ Himself

July 5, 2026

The Gospel of Mark

Mark 6:7-13

Mark Smith

Jesus ‘Multiplies’ Himself

Date Preached: July 5, 2026

Series: The Gospel of Mark

Speaker: Mark Smith

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Have you ever wished you could clone yourself at least for a short while so you could get done all you need to do? Imagine, then, how Jesus felt when he saw the vast crowds coming from many miles away to hear him teach and to be healed. While Jesus couldn't clone himself, he did know a way to multiply himself, at least in part. This is the story of how he did that. It also the story of how he has continued to multiply himself up to today.

Jesus ‘Multiplies’ Himself

Our Good Shepherd, Jesus

June 28, 2026

Psalm 23

David Saylor

Our Good Shepherd, Jesus

Date Preached: June 28, 2026

Speaker: David Saylor

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David Saylor, Paster Emeritus at First Baptist Church of Manchester, CT opens up Psalm 23 to give us assurance and hope knowing that Jesus is our good shepherd. He helps us see how dark valley experiences can be some of the spiritually best growing times in our life because Jesus is at our side.

Our Good Shepherd, Jesus

Rejected!

June 21, 2026

The Gospel of Mark

Mark 6:1-6

Mark Smith

Rejected!

Date Preached: June 21, 2026

Series: The Gospel of Mark

Speaker: Mark Smith

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We've all experienced rejection. As Christians we may have experienced rejection because of our faith. Jesus was rejected, too, and from what many of us would think of as an unexpected source. We'll see what happened as Jesus returned to his own hometown, Nazareth. It's found in the beginning of Mark 6.

Rejected!

No Match for Jesus

June 14, 2026

The Gospel of Mark

Mark 5:21-43

Mark Smith

No Match for Jesus

Date Preached: June 14, 2026

Series: The Gospel of Mark

Speaker: Mark Smith

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Incurable health issue? Death? Has Jesus finally met his match?

Returning from calming a raging sea and casting out a legion of demons, Jesus encounters two seemingly intractable problems. The first is an untreatable hemorrhage. The second is death.

Can Jesus do what doctors have failed to do? Can he do anything more than offer sympathy to the grieving family? We'll see as we explore Mark 5:21-43. In the end we'll discover a Jesus who has not yet met his match.

No Match for Jesus

Jesus Calms Two Storms

June 7, 2026

The Gospel of Mark

Mark 4:35-5:20

Mark Smith

Jesus Calms Two Storms

Date Preached: June 7, 2026

Series: The Gospel of Mark

Speaker: Mark Smith

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In the end of Mark 4 and the beginning of Mark 5 there are two connected stories that demonstrate Jesus' power. In both stories Jesus calms a storm, one a storm outside, and one a storm inside, and then he creates two new storms, one inside and one outside. Listen in as we discover the amazing power of Jesus and the storms he both stills and creates.

Motes for this and all our other sermons can be found here.

Jesus Calms Two Storms

Three Parables About the Kingdom of God

May 31, 2026

The Gospel of Mark

Mark 4:21-32

Mark Smith

Three Parables About the Kingdom of God

Date Preached: May 31, 2026

Series: The Gospel of Mark

Speaker: Mark Smith

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Mark records three additional parables that Jesus taught. While the parable of the sower or the soils dealt with why there were so many different responses to Jesus, these parables explain different aspects of the Kingdom of God that Jesus came to proclaim.

We'll learn that the Kingdom of God reveals everything, grows mysteriously but certainly, and that its final size far exceeds its small beginning. We should be warned, encouraged, and impressed after carefully considering these three parables.

Three Parables About the Kingdom of God

Jesus Teaches in Parables

May 24, 2026

The Gospel of Mark

Mark 4:1-20

Mark Smith

Jesus Teaches in Parables

Date Preached: May 24, 2026

Series: The Gospel of Mark

Speaker: Mark Smith

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So far in Mark's gospel we've seen so many different responses to Jesus that we might wonder, "How could people who've seen the same thing, heard the same words, and met the same person come away with so many different responses to him?" In Mark 4 Jesus begins a new phase of ministry, He begins to speak through parables. In this opening section of the chapter Jesus explains to his disciples why he is doing that, He tells one of the best-known parables and interprets it to them.

This parable not only explains why Jesus experienced so many different responses, but it tells us why God's Word may not be producing the same fruit in us as it is in other believers' lives.

Notes for this sermon can be found here.

Jesus Teaches in Parables

Misunderstanding Jesus

May 17, 2026

The Gospel of Mark

Mark 3:20-35

Mark Smith

Misunderstanding Jesus

Date Preached: May 17, 2026

Series: The Gospel of Mark

Speaker: Mark Smith

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Being misunderstood is a universal experience. It is a common experience for followers of Jesus to sometimes have their actions, beliefs, and motives misunderstood. How do we respond? What do we do?

Jesus was misunderstood. In this passage of Mark's Gospel we find him misunderstood in a more-or-less innocent way and then in a more sinister way. Since we follow Him, we can learn from his responses how to respond when we are misunderstood, something that will certainly happen.

Misunderstanding Jesus

Jesus Calls the Twelve

May 3, 2026

The Gospel of Mark

Mark 3:13-19

Mark Smith

Jesus Calls the Twelve

Date Preached: May 3, 2026

Series: The Gospel of Mark

Speaker: Mark Smith

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With mounting opposition but experiencing huge popularity, Jesus calls his disciples aside for a ministry-changing moment. One author calls what Jesus is about to do the most important event in his life other than his death and resurrection.

Jesus is about to ensure that his message can be carried far beyond the sound of his voice and be heard long after his death. It would all depend on twelve ordinary men.

Jesus Calls the Twelve

Jesus the Healer

April 26, 2026

The Gospel of Mark

Mark 3:7-12

Mark Smith

Jesus the Healer

Date Preached: April 26, 2026

Series: The Gospel of Mark

Speaker: Mark Smith

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In Mark 3:7-12 we find Jesus again healing large numbers of people and casting out demons. This is the last such account that Mark will give, though he'll tell us of individuals that Jesus subsequently healed.

Mark wants us to discover that Jesus is the healer. He remains so in our day as we'll discuss in this message.

Jesus the Healer

Jesus – Lord of Compassion

April 19, 2026

The Gospel of Mark

Mark 2:23-3:6

Mark Smith

Jesus – Lord of Compassion

Date Preached: April 19, 2026

Series: The Gospel of Mark

Speaker: Mark Smith

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Jesus just can't seem to stay out of trouble. Today we find out that he (or his disciples) got in trouble over observing one of the most sacred of Israel's distinctives, the Sabbath. What Jesus defends and does infuriates the Pharisees who see themselves as the keepers of God's commandments for the nation of Israel.

We hardly care as they did about the Sabbath as it was prescribed in the Old Testament, but what Jesus was willing to do despite the censure of others sets an example for all of us as his followers today. Join us as we discover Jesus, the Lord of compassion, and see how his example challenges us.

Jesus – Lord of Compassion

New Wineskins Needed

April 12, 2026

The Gospel of Mark

Mark 2:18-22

Mark Smith

New Wineskins Needed

Date Preached: April 12, 2026

Series: The Gospel of Mark

Speaker: Mark Smith

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Besides wondering why Jesus would eat with tax gatherers and 'sinners', some watching what was happening in Levi's house wanted to know why Jesus and his disciples were feasting rather than fasting. To understand this question we have to look into the customs of the Pharisees and the disciples of John in Jesus' day. Then from Jesus' response we'll learn something about how he saw himself and the Kingdom of God he was proclaiming. We'll close by learning how Jesus' well-known teachings about patching garments and using old wineskins has application today.

Bottom line: Jesus is still looking for new wineskins to pour himself and his life into today.

New Wineskins Needed

What’s Jesus Been Up to Since His Resurrection?

April 5, 2026

Acts 1:1-3, 9-11

Mark Smith

What’s Jesus Been Up to Since His Resurrection?

Date Preached: April 5, 2026

Speaker: Mark Smith

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Once Easter was over, has Jesus done anything? Is he doing anything now? Will he do anything in the future? The answer to all these questions is an emphatic 'Yes'. In this message we'll learn what Jesus did right after his resurrection, what he's been doing in heaven and on earth since his ascension, and what he will do one day in the future. He may not be physically present on the earth but he is active and what he is doing and will do will make an eternal difference to each of us.

What’s Jesus Been Up to Since His Resurrection?

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