Mark

Man of Sorrows

August 10, 2026 by Tim Sherfy

True disciples of Jesus seek to live a life that looks just like Jesus. Indeed, God’s Word commands us to walk just as Jesus walked, to live just as He did. (1 John 2:6; Ephesians 5:1-2) And yet somewhere along the line we got the idea that Jesus calls us to be happy. Jesus was called the Man of Sorrows. (Isaiah 53:3) Does that sound like He was living a life of happiness, health, and wealth?

Any preacher promising that Jesus wants you to live your best life now is ignorant of what the Word of God teaches. Jesus came to suffer and also promised us we would suffer in this life. (Isaiah 53:4-5; John 16:33; 2 Timothy 3:12) Following Jesus is about obedience, not autonomy; sacrifice, not accumulation. Our Lord promised to give us life to the fullest, but we won’t find that fullness until we reign with Him in His eternal Kingdom. (John 10:10; Revelation 22:1-5)

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Useless

July 27, 2026 by Tim Sherfy

Everything we do that is not for God is useless. No matter how noble or great our endeavors and intentions might appear, they are all futile. (Ecclesiastes 1:2-3; Psalm 127:1) No task done for any reason besides the glory of God is worth anything. (1 Corinthians 10:31; Colossians 3:17) But for glorifying God, we are useless beings doing useless activities. Except for Christ, there is no reason for any of us to live. (Philippians 1:21; Acts 17:28)

It is only when we do things for the glory of God that they have any value and, by extension, give value to us. The whole point of Heaven is to spend eternity glorifying God. (Revelation 7:9-12; Revelation 5:11-13) If that’s the plan for eternity, shouldn’t it be how we spend our lives in the here and now?

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Emulating His Death

July 9, 2026 by Tim Sherfy

We spend much of our lives trying to emulate the life of Christ, but perhaps we should be more concerned with emulating his death. God’s Word commands us to walk just as Jesus walked so long as we are on this earth. (1 John 2:6; Ephesians 5:1-2) That is how we should spend every day of our lives. But our life is but a mist, a blip on the timeline of history, and over before we know it.

What will we leave behind for the generations to come? J. C. Ryle wrote, “Christ’s vicarious death (not his life or miracles or teaching but his death) was to bring forth fruit to the praise of God and to provide redemption for a lost world.” Thus, He accomplished more in His death than He ever did in His days on earth.

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Hate or Regret?

July 6, 2026 by Tim Sherfy

When it comes to sin and evil, are they something you hate or regret? The difference is not wordplay or subtlety. It’s one thing to feel bad about disobeying God and quite another to be repulsed at the thought of ever doing so. Our sin is the reason Jesus had to suffer and die in our place as an atoning sacrifice. (Isaiah 53:5-6; 1 Peter 3:18) To come to a place of repentance requires more from us than just regretting Jesus had to go through that.

He doesn’t need you to feel bad for Him. What Jesus desires is that you recognize your need for His sacrifice. (Mark 1:15; Luke 5:32) The Lord cannot tolerate sin (Habakkuk 1:13; Psalm 5:4-5) and as we are called to look and act like Him (Ephesians 5:1-2; 1 John 2:6), we too must hate every sin and every form of wickedness. (Romans 12:9; Psalm 97:10)

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The House Is on Fire!

June 29, 2026 by Tim Sherfy

Imagine waking in the middle of the night hearing someone shouting, “The house is on fire!” There are few things more frightening and gut-wrenching than that. Fire is ravenous and unflinching. It destroys everything in its path without care or prejudice. In a flash, a lifetime of work and savings is gone, and in the most tragic cases, people lose their lives.

I’ve never lived through a house fire and can only imagine the devastation one must feel the next morning. It’s one of those events, like tornadoes and hurricanes, that bring neighbors together regardless of how well they knew each other before. No one wishes such horror upon someone else.