Pastor Lowell Nelson teaches through Mark 14: 26-31: The Striking and the Scattering on 10/18/2026 for our Sunday message.
Mark 14:26-31
Jesus Foretells Peter's Denial
26 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 27 Then Jesus said to them, "All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written:
'I will strike the Shepherd,
And the sheep will be scattered.' 28 "But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee." 29 Peter said to Him, "Even if all are made to stumble, yet I will not be." 30 Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you that today, even this night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times." 31 But he spoke more vehemently, "If I have to die with You, I will not deny You!" And they all said likewise.
Finding true mental peace during hard times begins when we realize our suffering is never meaningless. In this verse by verse study of Mark 14:26-31, Pastor Lowell Nelson examines the striking of Jesus and scattering of the disciples, revealing how God uses painful seasons to refine our faith.
SERMON OVERVIEW
When trials hit, fear and anxiety often tempt us to believe God has abandoned us or that our failures disqualify us from His purpose. Looking at Christ's prophetic warning on the Mount of Olives and its Old Testament roots in Zechariah 13, this teaching demonstrates that the cross and the disciples' scattering were purposeful, divine appointments. God allows the heat of trials not to destroy us, but to purge away self-reliance and pride. As we learn through Peter's fall and eventual restoration, Christ redeems our deepest failures to prepare us to comfort and strengthen others.
CHAPTER BREAKDOWN
00:00 - Mark 14:26-31: The Mount of Olives
04:32 - Judas and the Setting of the Passover
07:46 - All of You Will Stumble Tonight
13:54 - Mark 14:27-28: Meeting in Galilee
17:49 - Peter's Boast and the Warning
21:05 - Zechariah 13:7: Awake O Sword
27:06 - The Furnace of Refining and Dross
32:42 - Zechariah 13:9: Tested as Gold
36:00 - Luke 22:31-32: Sifted as Wheat
45:48 - 2 Corinthians 1:3-4: God of All Comfort
52:50 - God's Sovereign Purpose in Suffering
01:00:00 - 1 Peter 1:6-7: Faith Tested by Fire
CONCLUSION
God never wastes a trial, and your greatest failure is not the end of your story. As Pastor Lowell Nelson teaches, the Lord refines us in the fire so we can walk in humble dependence on His grace. What trial has God used to reshape your faith? Leave a comment below.
ANCHOR SCRIPTURES
"Then Jesus said to them, 'All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered. But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.'" Mark 14:27-28
Learn more at ccmilwaukee.com
#SpiritualGrowth #Mark14 #BibleStudy #ChristianFaith #FaithInTrials
