August 16, 2020
Passage:  Acts 12, 13; 2 Timothy 4
Speaker:  Bill Knepper
Main Point:  Failures cannot prevent the work Christ is ready to do in us.

I. Defeat can lead to despair.
            A. John Mark stumbled despite great opportunities.
                        1.  He was an eyewitness to the start of Christianity.  (Acts 12:12, 25)
                        2.  But he deserted the team before the mission was done.  (Acts 13:13)
            B. We all will stumble on our personal journey.
            C. Sometimes our mistakes cause others to distrust us.  (Act 15:3-40)

II. Perseverance can lead to progress.
            A. John Mark appears years later as a blessing.
                        1.  He is helping Paul during Paul’s first imprisonment. 
(Colossians 4:10, Philemon 23-24)
                        2.  He is helping Paul during the second imprisonment. 
(2 Timothy 4:10-11)
            B. God is not done with me yet. (Bumper Sticker)

III. God does not discard damaged saints.
            A. John Mark authored the Gospel of Mark.  (Mark 10:45)
            B. God is not defeated by our defects.  (Mark 14:50-52)