Look Up To Jesus

 The Prominence of God's Servant

Book of Mark Chapter 9

Prominence means something or someone who stands out above all others.

The problem with humans is, just about every one of us think we are better than anyone else and this is a great sin.

When we compare ourselves to other people, we will always get a false result.

When we compare ourselves to the Lord Jesus, we will find that we always come up short!

We must understand that the Lord Jesus, the true Messiah, is exalted above all others whether they are prophets, priests, preachers, millionaires, billionaires or even angels.

We must exalt the Lord Jesus Christ in our lives in order to be saved!

In the time of Jesus, the Pharisees were guilty of exalting themselves above all others including the Lord Jesus Christ.

What were some of the things that they did?

Luk 11:43  Woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets. 

Luk 11:44  Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them. 

Those that exalt themselves are all hypocrites.

We see it in the government we have today that many of them have exalted themselves above all the common people, and it seems we are content in our roles of deplorables. When Hillary Clinton said this thing, she was referring to our stupidity to allow us to place ourselves in that position.

In other words, we are the contemptible lowlifes who have messed up our nation and our own lives and we need people such as her to take care of us.

I agree on one point only. We have voted for the wrong people to run our government. In this we have been very stupid!

She is no more than some wicked witch!

I was dumb at one time but since I gave my life to Jesus, I have the mind of Christ!

We have allowed corrupt politicians and the hoax of evolution to dictate the rules of science so long, that the common people have not realized that every so-called proof of evolution has been shot down by true science but they will not change what is written in those books.

The Bible is a Book of Faith and if we do not soon push our faith in the truth of God, we may not be able to.

A lack of faith in the Word of God is moving through the Church so fast, that many do not know what to believe anymore and they listen to the secular world for answers and to false preachers who have become millionaires off the pocketbooks of gullible people.

These false preachers will not take a stand on the truth of God and this is what the world wants to hear.

*****Mar 9:17  And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; 

Mar 9:18  And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not. 

The Lord Jesus along with Peter, James, and John had just come down from the Mount of Transfiguration.

The Lord had shown these disciples how He would appear if He removed His humanity from His being.

We call it a "glorified body"!

Mar 9:3  And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them. 

Not only did the transfiguration show the disciples how the Lord Jesus appeared without His humanity, but it also showed them what all, we that are saved, will appear like after the Rapture or after our death.

Rom 8:28  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 

Rom 8:29  For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. 

Rom 8:30  Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. 

What will we go through to get this glorified body?

Php 3:20  For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: 

Php 3:21  Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. 

Praise the Lord, this is the promise God is giving to the true Church.

The true Church are all those who follow in the steps of Jesus Christ!

As the Lord reached the bottom of the mountain, one of those who had been following Jesus and had remained at the bottom of the mount with the other nine disciples of Christ.

These disciples had performed miracles before, especially of healing. 

This was not a power they had but a power that the Lord Jesus had allowed in His name.

This man was describing some terrible things his son had been going through all his life.

We know there are many out in the world today that are called deaf and dumb and it appears that this young man was listed as dumb.

Dumb means he could not speak and I believe he could also not hear.

How did this happen? He had a dumb spirit living within him!

Now we have the power of the Holy Spirit within us once we are saved, but we are not complete without the Lord Jesus.

Col 2:9  For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. 

Col 2:10  And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: 

I believe that this is the condition of being saved, but not being Christian.

To be Christian is being like Christ!

It is a terrible situation to be like this young son and not be able to take care of yourself, but also needing someone near all the time to keep him from causing harm to himself.

No matter what we think of this thing and how it began, the one good thing was the fact that because of his condition, he was brought to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Had he not been in this condition, he would have never met Jesus, nor his father and nor could his family see what can happen when we meet Jesus.

This young man was about to be "Born Again" to new life.

None of the disciples of Christ had been able to help this young man.

The first problem I see is, that this father knew Jesus was near and he should have waited on Him before going to His disciples. 

He had no faith in the followers of the Lord.

All he needed was a little patience and a lot of faith!

When Jesus came down the mountain, He had seen this great crowd that had gathered, but He had also seen that a group of scribes were questioning His disciples and He knew this was not good.

We would probably call this intimidation and ridicule, and Jesus first delivered His disciples from this intimidation.

Before the scribes answered Jesus, this father came with his great need for his child, his son.

We should understand evil spirits did exist in the time of Christ, and they still exist today and the answer to rid them is to be saved.

This young son seemed to be deaf and dumb, but also had epilepsy and was demon possessed.

It seems that this evil spirit had made these things worse because it was in the presence of Jesus.

How did Doctor Luke see this thing?

Luk 9:38  And, behold, a man of the company cried out, saying, Master, I beseech thee, look upon my son: for he is mine only child. 

Luk 9:39  And, lo, a spirit taketh him, and he suddenly crieth out; and it teareth him that he foameth again, and bruising him hardly departeth from him. 

How did the Lord Jesus respond to them all?

*****Mar 9:19  He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me. 

With all the things that the Lord has done for us, "how can we not have faith".

Without faith we cannot be saved!

Php 1:19  For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,

It is not so much the amount of faith we have, as it is the kind of faith that we have and the fact that we have that faith!

Mat 17:20  And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. 

Mat 17:21  Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting. 

The lack of faith "grieves" the Lord Jesus Christ.

Since we have the Spirit of Christ in us, then it grieves the Holy Spirit.

Eph 4:30  And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. 

When we upset the close connection we have with the Holy Spirit, how can we expect our relationship to the Lord to get closer or get better?

This shows us how affectionate the Holy Spirit is toward us if He can be grieved by our lack of faith.

Our lack of faith shows our lack of love for our Savior!

The job of the Holy Spirit is to keep us upon that path of righteousness, that righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Lord Jesus casts out demons by the power of the Holy Spirit!

Without faith, we have no power in our lives!

The lack of faith means that the Church has no power and I believe this is the biggest problem in the modern Church today.

The Church lacks the power to stand up to this world, so the Church compromises with the world which is compromising with the Devil!

There was a multitude that followed Jesus and there was not one among them, that had the power to cast out this dumb spirit, this demon.

Not the father, not the crowd, not the disciples and not the Jewish religionist.

There was a lack of faith in this entire crowd!

The Lord was grieved at the condition of this young boy who was helpless, under the power of this evil spirit.

You see, John 3:16 describes the love Jesus Christ has for us and it is because of this great love that His heart is touched as He witnesses our suffering in this world.

Jesus cared for this father as much as He cared for his son and He knew this father was also suffering for his son, yet this father did not have enough faith that the Lord could heal his son.

Jesus asked this father all these questions to get this father to focus on his dilemma.

To focus upon his need

To focus upon Jesus who could fill his need.

To focus on Jesus so much, that his faith would increase enough that his son could be healed.

We should ask ourselves these questions every time we put a name on the prayer list. 

"Do we have enough faith that Jesus can heal these people"?

So they brought this son to Jesus.

*****Mar 9:20  And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming. 

We must understand that the earnest Love that Christ has for us is also the key to His miracles!

2Co_7:10  For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

We must understand that as Christians we are representatives of the Lord Jesus Christ!

If we cannot represent the truth of Christ Jesus then, we are not Christians and we do not reflect the truth of God!

It is really that simple!

We do not have the power of Divine healing as an individual!

We do claim the presence of Divine power in the Church!

When the Church has lost the presence of Divine power then mankind will question and despise Christianity, and we see some of this today.

The Holy Spirit has never left the true Church, but we must realize we have grieved the Holy Spirit and we must return to the Lord for Divine power to be restored to the Church.

This is why fasting and prayer is much needed in the Church today!

We must fast and pray until the Divine power of the Lord has been restored to the Church.

As Christians, we must make the world to know that we are not going to give up the raising of our children by our own standards and the standards of this wicked world.

As Christians, we must also not assume so easily that our children are innocent, good, and harmless, as they are under the control of Satan until they are led to the Lord.

Jesus Christ rebuked this entire crowd for a lack of faith just as the Holy Spirit is grieved at the entire Church for a lack of faith today!

How long had this young son been in this condition?

*****Mar 9:21  And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child. 

Mar 9:22  And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us. 

Obviously, the Lord Jesus knew the answer to the questions He was asking, but he was asking these questions of the father to inspire hope and confidence in the work of the Lord.

You see, if we have faith as that of a mustard seed, then we will cry out for God's mercy and God's compassion.

There is no way that the Lord Jesus will turn away from a cry of mercy and compassion!

These are the traits of God that brought Jesus to us to begin with!

Luk 18:13  And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. 

As we see what is going on in our world, we should be grieved to a point that we act and minister just as our Lord Jesus did!

We need to show His compassion.

We need to show His mercy.

We need to show His forgiveness.

We need to show His grace.

We need to show His love.

We need to believe in all these things.

*****Mar 9:23  Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.

What does our faith mean? It means we are taking God at His Word!

All things are possible to the Son of God who has all of God's Power, but we must trust that God has this power!

We have made God to be some small God, when He is truly the God of All Power! 

We must believe that this world is full of sinners and we must include ourselves.

We must accept that there is a punishment for our sin!

We must accept that the Lord Jesus Christ is the only remedy for that punishment.

Heb 6:13  For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, 

Heb 6:14  Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. 

Heb 6:15  And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.

Heb 6:18  That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: 

Heb 6:19  Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; 

Heb 6:20  Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. 

How did this man respond?

*****Mar 9:24  And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.

We see humility and faith.

Our hearts will be moved when we understand the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ!

We see His desire to have the blessings which our faith will secure.

We know that because of faith in the work of the Lord, we can flee from the wrath that is to come to this world.

We must seek forgiveness just as this man did.

We must long for the healing of the disease of the soul!

In other words, we must have a desire for salvation!

*****Mar 9:25  When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him. 

Mar 9:26  And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead. 

The Lord Jesus healed this boy when He saw the crowd running toward them.

We notice that the Lord Jesus had pulled this father and son aside while He led this father to the Lord.

The Lord likes to get one on one with those who doubt Him to teach them the truth.

This crowd had not only followers, but also deceivers and naysayers in the mix.

It was the Words of Christ that healed this boy.

It was the Words of Christ that broke the Devil's power.

Satan cannot stand before the Word of God!

It is the Word of God and the Divine Power of God that has spoiled the principalities and the powers of evil.

These are the same things we will war with all our days!

Col 2:13  And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; 

Col 2:14  Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; 

Col 2:15  And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

How will the Lord end the evil in this world when He returns?

Rev_19:15  And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

Rev_19:21  And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.

We see that when the Lord speaks things happen!

There is nothing in all of God's creation that can disobey the Words of the Lord and get away with it!

It is only us puny humans who have tried to defy the Almighty God, the rest of His creation is in strict obedience!

Isa_40:22  It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:

Isa 40:28  Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. 

We see this evil spirit made one last effort to disrupt and discredit the power of Jesus Christ by trying to kill this boy, but the Lord would not allow his death.

*****Mar 9:27  But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose. 

Mar 9:28  And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out? 

These disciples wanted to know why they had failed, what was the cause?

The Lord Jesus had previously given them the power over evil spirits and they had been successful with it.

As Christians there is only one reason, we do not feel the power of God in our lives!

That reason is, that we are not living close enough to the Lord!

We feel like we can do spiritual things under our own power so, we see the reason the answer that Jesus gave.

They needed to pray more and fast! 

These are the ways to get closer to the Lord.

Earlier, Jesus had said that His disciples need not to fast because He was with them.

The difference now was, that they had been sent out two by two and had done some things under the power of God.

They began to feel that they had this power themselves, and they began seeking things such as food before the Lord.

The modern Church is in this same rut today!

The power of the Church is almost non-existent because they have strayed from the foundation of the Church, which is the Lord Jesus Christ.

Fasting and prayer is the only solution to this problem and of course obedience to the Word of God.

God must be so important in our lives that we are willing to give up anything that could sustain our lives and give that to the Lord.

We must place our lives in the Lord's hands and let Him dictate our life as He wishes.

Deu 4:29  But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. 

When our power from being a Christian is waning it is always because our faith is lacking!

*****Mar 9:29  And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting. 

While the Lord Jesus was up on the Mount of Transfiguration, He seem to be too far from some of His disciples who felt they could do things without the presence of the Lord and this is impossible.

It was not that this demon inside this boy was so powerful, it was because the disciples of the Lord were so weak!

It is important to see here how Satan attacks.

He will tear us and cause all sorts of bodily harm.

He will cause us to fall from the "grace" of God.

He will cause changes to our language and filthy language will come out of our mouths or nothing at all.

He will send us wallowing in the foam of our own sin.

Only the Lord Jesus can restore us if our faith in Him remains!

Remember Jesus will do no mighty works if there is no faith!

What is another one of the signs of the end times?

Luk 18:7  And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?

Luk_18:8  I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

The Church needs to earnestly pray and fast until our faith is restored!

We will not be able to do this until we know i n our minds that the Word of God is the unchanging truth!

Amen

God's Messiah Not Man's Messiah

 The Servant Acknowledged

Book of Mark Chapter 8

Most people do not object to the thought of a Messiah, but their downfall is that they are seeking some human leader who will make this place called earth a better place, a utopia.

This will be their downfall, when the Antichrist shows up to claim that he is the long-awaited Messiah. 

The people will believe they have the true Messiah, but he will be only the true Deceiver.

People are not looking for the true Messiah who comes in judgment after He has redeemed His family.

God has decided that this earth is not worth saving, even after He makes it new again seven years after the return of Jesus Christ.

No place that has been subject to sin will be considered worthy of God's children.

Even Heaven will be made new because the Devil and his angels once lived in Heaven.

2Pe 3:10  But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. 

2Pe 3:11  Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, 

2Pe 3:12  Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? 

2Pe 3:13  Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. 

2Pe 3:14  Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.

The Lord Jesus teaches many valuable lessons in Chapter 8 of the Book of Mark.

The most important lesson in Chapter 8 is that Jesus teaches His disciples about the Church and the Church Age.

Who is the true Church? Only those who confess the truth about the Lord Jesus Christ!

The Lord Jesus is the Head of the Church and the Church is the Body of Christ!

1Jn_4:15  Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.

Who is not the true Church?

2Jn_1:7  For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.

The Lord Jesus Christ is God's Messiah, not man's Messiah!

The twelve disciples needed a clear understanding of this.

This is when Judas Iscariot began to have his own doubts about the Lord Jesus.

*****Mar 8:27  And Jesus went out, and his disciples, into the towns of Caesarea Philippi: and by the way he asked his disciples, saying unto them, Whom do men say that I am?

Caesarea Philippi was a city with a rich religious history. It had once been the center of Baal worship and there were at least fourteen temples in and around this city.

Remember, a religious history does not mean a Christian history.

It was a place where it was said that the false Greek god Pan was born.

Pan was said to be the god of the shepherds.

In fact, this city was once called Panias.

The name of this city changed after Herod the Great built a temple in honor of Caesar, and his son Philip adorned this new temple making it famous world-wide.

Much of the people began to worship Caesar and many other false gods, but they knew nothing of Jehovah, the One True God.

It was Caesar's son Philip who caused this to happen, even adding his own name to this city making it Caesarea Philippi.

Caesarea Philippi was a heathen city!

This may be the reason the Lord asked His disciples a very important question.

You see, the world has many gods, but as Christians we know that there is only One True God, and He is Jehovah in the Old Testament and the Lord Jesus Christ of the New Testament both being the same person.

As Jesus and the twelve traveled from Bethsaida and around the town of Caesarea Philippi, He asked the supreme question of this life.

Jesus had taken a moment for solitary prayer and upon ending this prayer, He confronted the disciples with this question.

Luk 9:18  And it came to pass, as he was alone praying, his disciples were with him: and he asked them, saying, Whom say the people that I am? 

How did they answer Him?

*****Mar 8:28  And they answered, John the Baptist: but some say, Elias; and others, One of the prophets. 

Many of those who had seen the Lord Jesus and those who had only heard of the Lord Jesus, saw him as just a great man.

The Lord Jesus was highly respected by many in those days, but it takes much more than this to be saved.

John the Baptist had been murdered by this time and many said that Jesus was the reincarnation of John the Baptist.

Some said that Jesus was a great Spirit of Righteousness, a Spirit that was willing to be martyred for its faith.

Herod and many in government thought this.

Mat 14:1  At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus, 

Mat 14:2  And said unto his servants, This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead; and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him

Even some common people thought that this could be true.

The prophet Malachi had written: Mal 4:5  Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: 

Mal 4:6  And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. 

Some thought that Jesus could even be Elijah reincarnated.

They had said that Jesus was the greatest prophet and rabbi of all time.

Even today the Jews feel that Elijah will return before the Messiah comes.

In fact, when the celebration of Passover, is observed, they always leave a chair vacant for resurrected Elijah to occupy.

The Jews even connect when Jesus was feeding those two great multitudes to Elijah, because of the miracle of the woman and her son.

1Ki 17:14  For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth. 

1Ki 17:15  And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days.

Many said that Jesus was just one of the prophets, whose name was not mentioned in the Old Testament, who came when Israel had a great need.

They said this because it was a fact in the Old Testament and God would send a prophet because this is the way God spoke to Israel, when the people were rebelling against the truth of God.

There are so many of those false accusations that are still said today.

The Lord Jesus is much more than just a great man. In His flesh He was the greatest of all men. In reality He is God!

The Lord Jesus is much more than some great teacher. In His flesh He was the greatest of all teachers. In reality He is Jehovah.

The Lord Jesus is much more than a prophet. He is Lord of lords and King of kings! He is the true Messiah!

1Jn 2:22  Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. 

1Jn 2:23  Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also. 

Then, the Lord Jesus asked His own disciples who they thought He was.

*****Mar 8:29  And he saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Peter answereth and saith unto him, Thou art the Christ. 

We should clearly understand that the Lord Jesus Christ will hold us accountable for the opinions we have of Him!

The Apostle Peter immediately says "Thou are the Christ" the Messiah.

We should clearly understand that if we do not believe Jesus the Messiah, the things He did and the things He says, then we are calling God a liar.

Jesus is declared to be all that God is, to possess the whole fulness of attributes which make God, God!

If the Lord Jesus was only a man, He could not have died to save this world, but because He is who He says He is, then He is of infinite value and could die in our place, each and every one of us!

Joh 1:1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 

Joh 1:2  The same was in the beginning with God. 

Notice John wrote "in the beginning" and not "from the beginning".

In fact, all the Gospels emphasize the authenticity of His claims as Messiah!

If we put all the Gospels together, we can see that more than half of all the words used, were said by Jesus Himself.

We see them as written in red letters.

When we disagree with the "Gospel" again we are calling God a liar!

Isaiah wrote, the Messiah would give sight to the blind, speech to the dumb, and healing to the lame.

Isa 29:18  And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness. 

Isa 29:19  The meek also shall increase their joy in the LORD, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

Isa 32:3  And the eyes of them that see shall not be dim, and the ears of them that hear shall hearken. 

Isa 32:4  The heart also of the rash shall understand knowledge, and the tongue of the stammerers shall be ready to speak plainly. 

Isaiah also wrote that there would be a day that vile persons would say that God is a liar and we are in that day right now!

Isa 32:6  For the vile person will speak villany, and his heart will work iniquity, to practise hypocrisy, and to utter error against the LORD, to make empty the soul of the hungry, and he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail. 

Isa 32:7  The instruments also of the churl are evil: he deviseth wicked devices to destroy the poor with lying words, even when the needy speaketh right. 

The Kingdom of God is surely at hand!

All those of this earth that walk around saying important things about God and then, deny the Messiah are the same ones who are destroying the people of this earth.

It is these words of Peter that determine if we get to Heaven or are sent to Hell!

It is these words of Peter that are the foundation of the Church, and this will never change!

The survival of our souls depends upon these words being true!

The Lord Jesus Christ is the only source of life!

The Lord Jesus Christ possesses the source, the energy, and the power of life, within Himself!

There is no other source for life!

At this time, these men who would one day turn the world upside down, were instructed not to say anything about this.

*****Mar 8:30  And he charged them that they should tell no man of him. 

Why would Jesus say such a thing, if the fact that He is the Messiah was true?

The disciples were just beginning to understand this thing themselves, and they needed to understand what Jesus being the Messiah meant!

Remember that most people of the Jews felt that the Messiah, when He came, would sit on the throne of David as King of the Jews, and push the Romans out of Israel.

It was not this time yet!

This time is still in our future, but this will happen in God's timing and not man's timing!

Any false teaching in this day of the Apostles would do much harm to the Church as it began!

We must understand that confessing that Christ Jesus is the Messiah is just the beginning of our Spiritual journey, and there is much to learn on our journey to the true Promised Land.

We must be accurate in our studies! We have already seen how false teaching is affecting the Church and our nation.

We must be accurate in what we share, making sure we share the truth of God!

This means, that we need to take the time to learn these things and it was the same for the Apostle Peter and all the other Apostles.

There is enough false teaching in the world without us adding to it!

*****Mar 8:31  And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 

Just as all the twelve chosen disciples had just agreed that the Lord Jesus is the true Messiah, the Lord Jesus begins to tell them that He must die to build His Church.

Remember, Jesus is God's Messiah and not man's Messiah.

God's Messiah could not die according to the Scriptures they had been taught.

The Lord Jesus is now in the third year of His ministry and it was time for all of them to learn about our Savior.

1) He would suffer many things.

2) He would be rejected of the elders of Israel, the chief Priests, and the Scribes.

3) He would be killed or murdered.

4) He would rise to live again three days after He was buried.

Nothing like this had ever happened!

Nothing like this would ever happen again!

How could humans ever kill God's own Son?

It was time for these twelve men to understand that God would not accept any other payment for all the world's sin, than the sacrifice of His Son.

It is not mentioned, but I wonder if the Lord Jesus told the disciples the story of Abrham and Isaac.

Gen 22:8  And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. 

You see, we will never understand the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, until we understand that the Lord Jesus is God who came down from Heaven to save His children! Immanuel, God with us.

That word "must" means that these things absolutely had to take place!

Remember John 3:16.

Joh 3:16  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 

God is love, but man is corruptible!

It is because of this great love God has for His created humans, it was absolutely necessary for our Lord Jesus to suffer and die in our place!

It is because of His great love for us that God had to provide salvation for mankind!

God is also just, so this salvation must be done in a way that justice would be done.

It is because of God's holiness, that His judgement must take place.

The penalty for sin is death and this penalty must be paid!

Death must be carried out!

Some ideal man had to die for mankind, so this penalty could be paid!

There had never been an ideal man upon this earth until the Lord Jesus Christ was born and lived a sin free life.

Heb 5:8  Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; 

Heb 5:9  And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; 

The Son of God had to become the Son of Man!

Who is this Son of Man?

Dan 7:13  I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. 

Dan 7:14  And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. 

The phrase the Son of Man refers to the work the Lord Jesus came to accomplish!

**The deity of the Son of Man.

Joh 5:25  Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. 

Joh 5:26  For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; 

Joh 5:27  And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. 

**The royalty of the Son of Man.

Dan 7:13  I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. 

**The humanity of the Son of Man.

Joh 3:14  And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 

Joh 3:15  That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 

**The glory of the Son of Man.

Joh 1:51  And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man. 

The salvation of the Son of Man.

Joh 6:53  Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. 

Joh 6:54  Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. 

Joh 6:55  For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. 

Joh 6:56  He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. 

Joh 6:57  As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. 

Joh 6:58  This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever. 

These are things that the Lord Jesus Christ saw in Himself.

The Lord Jesus Christ had to suffer in our place, so that all these things would be true!

These were things that the twelve disciples, chosen by Jesus were having a tough time absorbing.

*****Mar 8:32  And he spake that saying openly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him. 

Mar 8:33  But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.

We should be aware that the other disciples were just as confused as Peter, so they encouraged Peter to confront the Lord.

Peter then spoke without hesitation.

The truth is that most of mankind wants another way to get to Heaven, than the cross of Calvary.

They get confused about the death of the Lord Jesus Christ because they see this as a weakness in a God that cannot die.

Most of the world wants some other way to remove their sin and they think they find it in false gods.

The idea of a suffering Savior does not sit well with the lost!

Peter's attempt to stop the plan of God did not set well with our Lord Jesus Christ.

We must understand that this is God's plan and we can be a part of His plan or we can just get out of God's way!

Those who think of God as only our grandfather who we can call upon for great advice, miss the meaning of a true God.

The cross is much more than an emblem of God's love!

The cross is an emblem of suffering, and sacrifice, and self-denial!

These are the things that the Lord Jesus did for us, because of His great love for us!

Yes, the rebuke of Peter was harsh, but Peter was saying things that were like those of Satan.

Yes, the Lord Jesus had the power to refuse to go to that cross and had He chosen to use that power, there would be no salvation for anyone!

Jesus was being tempted to bypass God's will for His life!

We are all tempted to bypass God's will for us from time to time, but the greatest point of God's will is for us to be saved.

1Ti 2:3  For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; 

1Ti 2:4  Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. 

1Ti 2:5  For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; 

1Ti 2:6  Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. 

Then Jesus gathered all those who were in the reach of His voice.

*****Mar 8:34  And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

Who is the leader of the Church? He is the Lord Jesus Christ!

Who is the true Church? Those who deny themselves and follow the Lord Jesus Christ!

To follow the Lord Jesus Christ is to expect hardships.

There will be times of self-denial.

There will be cross bearing.

There will be scorn.

The rewards and eternal rest come later!

We must make a deliberate choice to follow Jesus by doing these three things.

1) We must disregard our own desires (deny self).

This means saying yes to Jesus Christ and let Him rule in our hearts and in our lives.

We must let Jesus Christ completely have His way with us!

2) We must become a follower, a companion, a disciple, of the Lord Jesus Christ.

We must be in union with the Lord Jesus no matter the costs!

3) We must see that His steps led to His death before they lead to glory.

Mat 16:21  From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. 

Why are these things so important?

*****Mar 8:35  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it. 

What does this verse really mean?

All those who abandon their lives for the sake of the Lord Jesus, will in the end save their lives.

Those persons who keep to their own lives and seek increasingly more of this life, shall lose that life completely and eternally.

The call of Jesus Christ is just what He says, a life of denying self and takes up the cross of Jesus and follow in His steps.

It is the same for the "Gospel's sake."

When we are willing to sacrifice this life and give all we have to the spreading of the Gospel, then we shall save our life eternally.

Then Jesus asked a question.

*****Mar 8:36  For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? 

Mar 8:37  Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? 

Mar 8:38  Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels. 

There are two stages of life that we must examine.

There are two beings and two existences to this same life!

1) Fact: Once a person is born into this world he or she will live forever!

The problem is that after this short life is over our being, our soul still lives forever.

Our choices are to be with God or to be without God!

All the power, all the riches, all the pleasure, and all the fame are nothing compared with our soul!

Nothing we gain in this world can we take with us!

What is a life of 60, 70, or 80 and a few with more years than this, compared to eternal life?

Everything in this life just fades and then passes away.

1Ti 6:7  For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 

It is certain that anything we gain in this world stays in this world.

Most people turn these things over to some family member even before their death.

The human soul is eternal; it never dies, never ceases to exist.

Our human souls are more valuable than the entire world!

If we are ashamed of the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ, then we are deciding that our soul will live in a place without God and there is only one such place, it is called Hell.

The Lord Jesus Christ is God's Messiah.

All prophecy in the Old Testament has been fulfilled in Jesus!

During our time of life in this life, we must decide if we accept the truth of the Lord Jesus or if we accept the falseness of this world.

We must never deny God's Messiah!

This world we live in makes it very hard on us to accept the truth of Christ.

It seems that fewer and fewer people want to confess the Lord Jesus Christ, because this world is an adulterous and sinful place, full of lies and deceit.

You would have to be locked away in a vacuum to not recognize this.

Most people just want to keep control of their lives even when life is falling apart or is aging out of existence.

Whether we believe the Messiah or not, the fact remains that the Word of God is true and one day soon, the Lord Jesus will return and reveal His glory and the world will see Him as He really is, but it will be too late for them at that time.

He will have already removed those who were not ashamed of Him!

When the Lord returns in His glory to this world, all those who are ashamed of the Messiah will be more ashamed of their own behavior where it really counts, before God Himself, but the Lord will say, "I never knew you".

Mat 7:23  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. 

How can anyone believe that life is some accident and they live to just die?

Even some animals and insects live more than seventy years.

We are not accidents, but we are the created beings of God and life is our opportunity to choose His magnificence or misery.

To not choose at all is to choose misery forever and ever!

Amen

How To Stand Before A Holy God

The Persistent Servant

Book of Mark Chapter 7

We could say our lesson today is about true holiness. It seems that not much is said about holiness today. 

I know my Pastor mentions holiness often but it is not mentioned much anywhere else.

What does God say about holiness?

Heb 12:14  Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: 

1Pe 1:15  But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; 

1Pe 1:16  Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

The basic meaning of holiness is "to be set apart" or "separation".

Holiness is the greatest attribute of God because it is consistent with everything that He does!

Many people say that God is a God of love, which He is.

They say a God of love would never allow anyone to go to Hell and we would certainly not see His wrath.

God is a God of love, but above that He is Holy and we are to be holy.

It is God's holiness that dictates His actions toward the unholy not His love!

This being true, then how could we ever think that we should not also be looked upon as holy.

We cannot even worship the Lord properly without being able to raise holy hands!

1Ti_2:8  I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.

It is holiness that keeps God distinct from all His creation.

It is holiness that says God is exalted above all His creation in infinite majesty!

Our Holy God is separate from all moral evil and sin!

Holiness points to the Lord's majestical purity!

It is because Jehovah is morally pure, that He cannot condone evil or have any relationship with it!

God's holiness has nothing to do with His love for us!

I love all my family but I cannot make them accept the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior and without this they will never see Heaven.

Psa 11:4  The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD'S throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men. 

Psa 11:5  The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth. 

Psa 11:6  Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup. 

The Lord's deity is that He is holy, entirely set apart and separated from sin and sinners.

The most common name for God's Spirit is the "Holy Spirit" because He is certainly Holy!

This indicates to us that "holiness" is the primary attribute to the Holy Trinity, the Triune God!

How could we ever think we could stand before such a Holy God? There is only one way!

Heb 10:19  Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, 

Heb 10:20  By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; 

As we grow in the ways of the Lord Jesus Christ, we must cleanse ourselves of all the filthiness of this world and we cannot do that without the Holy Spirit.

2Co 6:17  Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 

2Co 6:18  And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

2Co 7:1  Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

Our lesson today shows how important it was for the Lord Jesus to teach the disciples about holiness and how important it is for us to practice holiness today.

*****Mar 7:14  And when he had called all the people unto him, he said unto them, Hearken unto me every one of you, and understand: 

The Lord Jesus had just finished teaching the Pharisees the wrong in their traditions.

Mar 7:13  Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye. 

Traditions make the Word of God have no effect!

Many people are satisfied that they are right before God, when they put ceremonies and confessions in the place of the righteousness of the heart and a life walking with Jesus Christ.

Ritualism is disastrous to holiness!

People have to reject the Word of God to keep their religious traditions, and God will never be pleased with those who teach these things and those who do these things. 

So, the Lord Jesus says listen and understand what He is about to teach.

We must understand that all impurities within us come from the heart and unless the heart is cleansed from the inside, there is no amount of cleansing from the outside that can cleanse our soul and make it holy enough to be in the family of God!

We are not defiled by what enters into our bodies!

We are defiled by what comes out of our hearts!

What is in our hearts will make it into our minds and we will react to it!

*****Mar 7:15  There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man. 

Mar 7:16  If any man have ears to hear, let him hear. 

Notice how the Lord Jesus emphasizes how important it is for us to realize this.

We must hear what our Lord has to say and then we must understand it!

Just like many are today the disciples were spiritually dull.

They were slow to learn what these things meant in their service to the Lord Jesus Christ!

Things that enter by the mouth, which should be food and nourishment, do not defile us.

To defile is to make unclean.

To defile is to make impure.

To defile is to pollute.

To defile is to corrupt.

What we eat or drink does not defile us!

Therefore eating with unwashed hands cannot defile us, at least not spiritually.

There is no connection to what we eat and our spirituality!

This does not mean that eating certain foods or drinking certain drinks are sometimes wrong.

Surely, we are to be conscious of the things we eat or drink as they relate to our good health.

It is a sin to eat till we are obese!

But there is no morality or virtue in the food we eat!

The Lord says, it is what we do with things, what our heart does, that makes us either good or bad, spiritual, or carnal!

1Co 8:8  But meat commendeth us not to God: for neither, if we eat, are we the better; neither, if we eat not, are we the worse. 

We must understand that the traditions of men make the Word of God of no effect!

Ceremonialism substitutes washing with water for the purity of the heart!

It substitutes the traditions of the elders for the commands of God!

So many today look at the Word of God as suggestions to live by when what God says are God's commands.

We need a clean heart to serve God and this cannot be done without the intervention of the Holy Spirit who brings with Him the mind of God!

1Co 2:14  But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 

1Co 2:15  But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. 

1Co 2:16  For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. 

Unless we understand what, the Lord Jesus is saying, we may never understand the whole plan of Gospel salvation.

This is the reason, upon our confession of "faith" and our "repentance" led by the Holy Spirit comes to each child of God, at the first, rather than at the last so, we can understand the Gospel Message and grab onto our salvation.

Since the Holy Spirit will never leave us nor forsake us, then we can never lose our salvation!

The Holy Spirit will never live inside a wicked soul!

No tradition and no ceremonial offering can make these same promises!

It took a while for the disciples who followed the Lord daily to realize what the Lord was saying, and it takes a while for disciples today, and many remain babes in Christ because it is almost too simple to believe.

*****Mar 7:17  And when he was entered into the house from the people, his disciples asked him concerning the parable. 

Mar 7:18  And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him; 

Mar 7:19  Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats? 

Sometimes we need a little more explanation on the things of God and it is the Lord Jesus Christ we need to go to for those answers.

We will come to realize that there are no unimportant questions that we can ask the Lord!

We must understand that the Lord Jesus is talking about our moral state and not necessarily our physical state.

Some of the Pharisees were offended by what the Lord Jesus was saying and this bothered some of the disciples.

We need to understand that the truths of the Lord Jesus Christ cannot be compared to the religion of traditionalist!

Christianity cannot be compared to religion at all! They are two different things!

It was Peter who asked the question and then the Lord's response.

Mat 15:15  Then answered Peter and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable. 

Mat 15:16  And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding? 

Mat 15:17  Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? 

Mat 15:18  But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. 

Mat 15:19  For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: 

Mat 15:20  These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man. 

Mark was Peter's disciple and very close to him, and would never try to make Peter look bad.

Mark usually went straight to the point without adding much of his own thoughts.

We should understand that the Sermon on the Mount had already taken place at this time, and the Lord Jesus had not left anything out about purity and impurity.

As far as nourishment for the body, it is that part that goes out in the draught that purifies what remains.

The body had separated the needed part from the unneeded part, so the part that nourishes the bodily system is already moving through the bodily system doing what God designed the body to do to sustain life.

It is by this process that our life preserving blood is formed!

What the blood does not need passes away by the draught.

Jesus teaches us that no food, of whatever kind, when received with thanksgiving, can make us spiritually unclean making any meat that is consumed clean.

The Jews would not eat pork and many other things but even pork received in thanksgiving would not make them spiritually unclean but they have never understood these things.

This was a new thought to the disciples, but also easily understood even though maybe not well received.

These things eaten entered into the belly and passed out of the bodily system.

In truth: Act 10:15  And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common. 

It is the things that enter into the heart not the stomach that makes us unclean!

*****Mar 7:20  And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. 

Mar 7:21  For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 

Mar 7:22  Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: 

Mar 7:23  All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

As we read the Scriptures, we will see that references to the heart can mean the major organ of our body and also to the most important part of each person, man's most innermost being.

Our heart can be said to be the center of our life!

The heart is our inward life and contains the inner man or some would say the real man.

1Pe 3:4  But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. 

We see that once Peter understood all these things, he was no longer the old fisherman, but He became the leader of men who would turn this world upside down.

Of course this includes women and most of us realize that the inner most life of women seems to be more tender than that of a man.

It is the heart that determines what we do whether good or bad!

The heart is the source of our reasoning.

Mar 2:6  But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts,

The heart is the source of our understanding.

Mat 13:15  For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. 

The heart is the source of our thinking.

Mat 9:4  And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? 

The heart is the source of our desires.

Mat 5:28  But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. 

The heart can also be the source of our spiritual being!

Our conscience: Act 2:37  Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? 

Our will: Rom 6:17  But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. 

Our faith: Mar 11:23  For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. 

Rom 10:10  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 

But also of evil: Jer 17:9  The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? 

What is the progress of sin within us?

1) Sin begins with our human nature, within, but out of the heart.

2) Sin develops in our minds in evil thoughts. We all have evil thoughts that we do not know where they came from, but from our sin nature.

3) Sin is expressed in the things we do that go against the Word of God!

Evil thoughts are things that should not guide us because they are wrong, they are wicked, and they are immoral.

These are things we see in the world around us and our mind just cannot shake them all off because they are carnal.

They must be replaced with thoughts that are uplifting and edifying and we get these from the study of the Bible, preaching of the truth, and open prayer with the Lord as our guide along with the conviction of the Holy Spirit.

Our thoughts can be sin against the commandments of God!

Rom 8:6  For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 

Rom 8:7  Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 

Rom 8:8  So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. 

Rom 8:9  But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. 

Rom 8:10  And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 

2Co 10:5  Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; 

2Co 10:6  And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.

Php 4:8  Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.  

**Adultery is unfaithfulness. We think of a man and his wife when we hear of adultery.

Adultery includes lusting after someone else other than our spouse, even if the act of adultery never takes place.

Adultery includes lusting after someone even in a picture this is why porn leads to sin.

We commit spiritual adultery when we forsake the Lord Jesus Christ and lust for the ways of this world!

**Fornication includes all forms of immoral and sexual acts!

It is the will of God that we abstain from fornication!

1Th 4:3  For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: 

Going against the will of God is sin!

**Murder is taking the life of another person.

Murder is sin!

The Bible says that whosoever hates his brother is the sin of murder. So hatred then is sin and the same as murder.(1 John 3:15)

God says, "thou shall not kill".

**Thefts. 

To cheat someone is stealing from them.

To cheat someone is stealing whether we do it according to the law or against the law.

**Covetousness.

We have seen this word a lot in the last couple of weeks.

Covetousness is the lust for more.

It is like a starving appetite for something that we do not have or we cannot have.

It includes not only possessions, but also power, pleasure, and fame.

Covetousness is a lust and craving so deep that a person finds his happiness in things, rather than in the God of the Bible.

This is what makes covetousness idolatry and such a terrible sin!

 Again, we see that these are things that come from the heart so, it is these things from the heart that defile us and not the things we eat or drink.

A polluted heart is our greatest enemy!

 We are not unclean because of the things we have; we are unclean because of what we do with those things.

Our hearts will lead us to sin against God unless the Holy Spirit can regenerate our heart.

Tit_3:5  Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

Regeneration is making something anew!

The source of evil within us before we met the Lord Jesus Christ was our heart!

Evil comes from our heart and it is the heart that dictates what is on our mind and then how we use our bodies!

If we multiply this evil by a number of about eight billion, which is close to the number of people in this world, we can see that we live in an evil world.

Only a small portion of these 8.1 billion people have a new heart regenerated by the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit!

Today, our judges can only judge the acts of the body not the sinfulness of the heart.

In today's world, a person who has never broken the law is seen as a perfect person but this is not how God sees us.

Society fails to see that somehow a man's heart needs to be reborn.

Only God can see these things!

This is the problem that is solved by the work of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Amen 

We Must Be Heavenly Minded

 The Servant's Disciples

Book of Mark Chapter 6

In the time of Jesus upon this earth every teacher had his own company of disciples.

There were two types of disciples who followed the Lord Jesus Christ.

1) A disciple of Jesus Christ would be someone who believed in Him though they remained where Jesus found them, but they confessed their allegiance to Him and testified of His Grace.

2) Then there was the inner circle the Twelve whom the Lord Jesus later called the Apostles.

These were called to forsake their old lives and follow Jesus wherever He went and aided Him in His ministry and they were also trained to carry on His work after He was gone back to Heaven.

The Lord Jesus had been in His ministry for a little more than a year when He again came to Nazareth, His hometown, the place where He had been raised.

The Lord Jesus had not attended any of the Rabbinical schools that were available at that time and the elders of Judaism were astonished at His doctrine, His wisdom, and especially His mighty works, His miracles.

They all knew He was but the stepson of a Carpenter, and His mother was Mary, whose fidelity was questioned, and that He had four stepbrothers and more than one stepsister all fathered by Joseph.

Joh_8:41  Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.

Mat 13:55  Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? 

Mat 13:56  And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?

They rejected the Lord because He was not from their own inner circle!

The Lord Jesus stated: Mar 6:4  But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.

The Bible says: Joh_1:11  He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

Not only were the towns people rejecting Him, but His own brothers and sisters were rejecting Him.

His mother knew the truth!

Luk_2:19  But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

All the town of Nazareth turned their back on Jesus the Messiah!

We know He soon left never to return again because these things hindered Him from doing any mighty work.

He did lay His hands on a few sick folks and healed them.

The Lord Jesus marveled at their unbelief.

What is the truth? The sinner cannot understand nor endure the saint of God, not then and not now!

It is obvious that there is no room for Jesus in the places where Satan rules!

God's greatest blessings cannot come without "faith"!

There was in fact no excuse for their lack of faith because many had known Him from a child and that He had been a perfect child.

They should have at least listened to what the Lord Jesus had to say, but they were too caught up in their own sin!

This is the way of the world today.

The world's people are afraid of the Gospel because they might have to give up their sin! 

Those that heard Him teach had heard the truth of the Scriptures and had witnessed His wisdom and His moral authority.

Jesus was right down the line with the Word of God, as we would say.

Because there were some questions in His family, of His origin, and the fact that He had not attended rabbinical schools, they just rejected Him.

Jesus just went to other villages and towns and taught there, anywhere where people would listen.

They could then make their own choices.

It is fatal to reject the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ!

The Lord Jesus had prepared the chosen twelve disciples for their first mission assignment.

The Lord Jesus did not send them out unprepared.

*****Mar 6:7  And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits; 

These men are those whom the Lord had called to walk and associate with Him, to live with Him, to constantly be in His presence.

This is what Jesus expects of us and all the Church today!

We will one day live in His presence evermore!

By being with Him, they could see how the Lord Himself walked with God!

This is the only way we can be like Him.

We must walk with Him.

We must associate with Him.

We must live with Him, Spiritually.

We must constantly be in His presence by gathering with others who walk with Him.

Mat_18:20  For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

At the first, the Lord Jesus had taught only to the Jew and this is whom the Lord would first send His disciples.

The Lord wanted His disciples to feel comfortable with people of their own nationality, rather than first send them to the Gentiles.

The Lord sent them out two by two so they did not have to travel alone.

This is an idea still used by the Church.

This was not necessarily for their protection for He would protect them.

This again, was to keep them in their comfort zone to travel with someone they knew pretty well.

There was another important reason; "Every word was to be established"!

Mat 18:16  But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. 

They also were sent out with a dose of the power of God.

Mat 10:1  And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease. 

You see, no one can have this power unless given to them by the Lord Jesus Christ!

You cannot go to some school to learn these things!

They were also given the power to preach the Kingdom of God.

They were not to preach any other message!

Luk 9:1  Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases. 

Luk 9:2  And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.

Why did Mark not mention these other things?

It seems that Mark is writing to the Gentiles about God's true Servant to them.

The Gentiles needed to be aware of the unclean spirits that lived amongst them, and their need to be cleansed in the eyes of God.

Thank goodness the Lord included the Gentiles in His ministry.

What is the central purpose of our Lord Jesus Christ?

To conquer our spirit of evil by giving us His Spirit? To destroy the works of the Devil that is within us!

1Jn 3:8  He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. 

Rev 20:10  And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

Each disciple was to follow the commands of the Lord Jesus Christ, just as we are today!

The Bible is not a book of suggestions, it is a book of commands!

*****Mar 6:8  And commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, save a staff only; no scrip, no bread, no money in their purse: 

Mar 6:9  But be shod with sandals; and not put on two coats. 

What Jesus was saying was "just go as you are".

We are never to try to be something that we are not!

We can see the words, humble and simple, proclaimed in the words of our Lord.

1) They could take their staff, which was a shepherd’s staff which did allow them some protection, but it was also a symbol of a hardworking and simple people.

2) They were to take no scrip "or we would say a wallet", no bread, and no money to buy bread.

They had to have faith that the Lord would provide these things as needed.

3) They were to wear sandals to protect their feet and provide some comfort. The wearing of those sandals also meant they had not been deprived of the simple things of life. To be barefoot would mean they were in search of gifts to help them.

The Lord says He will provide all our needs. We should never appear that He has not done this!

4) They were not to wear two coats.

The Jews in the days of Christ wore two principle garments. An interior coat, sometimes called a tunic and a more costly exterior coat or a cloak. This cloak was used not only as a jacket or overcoat, but also as a covering to sleep under at night if they had to spend the night outside.

As a rule a Jew had at least two complete suits in his possession that he might be able to change often.

As missionaries for Christ, to have this second suit of clothing could display extravagant and wasteful spending.

The whole idea is that a servant of God is to live a simple and humble life just most as ordinary people live.

Why? We are to be heavenly minded!

Col 3:1  If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 

Col 3:2  Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 

Heb 11:14  For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. 

Heb 11:15  And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. 

Heb 11:16  But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.

As the servants of God, our minds should be centered on the "preaching of the Gospel" and telling everyone we see about the love of Christ Jesus.

We must show that we are dependent on the Lord Jesus Christ to provide our needs!

*****Mar 6:10  And he said unto them, In what place soever ye enter into an house, there abide till ye depart from that place. 

Mar 6:11  And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city. 

The disciples were not to show they were desperate. In whatever place that accepted them, they were to remain with that host until it was time to go to some other town.

They were not to seek more comfort or luxury. There are always those of good reputation and those of bad reputations in every place.

A worthy host would have good morals. Living with someone who did not have good morals, would jeopardize the message of the Gospel.

2Pe 2:6  And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly; 

2Pe 2:7  And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: 

They were to reach out to these people but not stay with them.

Christians should always be careful in choosing close friends!

A worthy host was a person who had the fear of God!

A worthy host would be hospitable.

1Pe 4:9  Use hospitality one to another without grudging. 

1Pe 4:10  As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

Simply put, the disciples were not to seek out the wealthy or the leading citizens as host.

They were not to seek out the best accommodation.

The good people in any town are usually known, especially in the time of Christ when most people traveled by foot.

We know the things that happened to Sodom and Gomorrah are true or they would not be mentioned!

This period in the time of Abraham teaches many things that we see today.

People who will use violence to have things their way at the cost of all others are not good people!

We see today, where a small percentage of people try to dictate the rules for all of society.

We see an industry that is filled with this sort of people and they have great influence on a government, who also have low morals and immoral leadership and councilors.

This is the standard of our nation today!

Remember the Bible uses the people of Sodom and Gomorrah was an example of the worst sinners throughout God's creation.

It all boils down to God creating human beings for higher goals than these sinful things!

The example of the burning of Sodom and Gomorrah is an example of suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. 

Those people are still burning today because the fire of God never goes out!

How can we expect God to be different in His treatment of America or at least in the places where these things are taking place?

Jesus says with authority, that it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for these places doing the same thing today.

All I can say is that we have been warned!

So, these twelve disciples went out and preached repentance, a word that sinners want to ignore and still say they are believers.

*****Mar 6:12  And they went out, and preached that men should repent. 

Mar 6:13  And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them. 

A missionary's work is to break up the fallow ground so the Gospel Seed can be planted!

What we see is, that no servant of God is to have his own message!

We are all called to repent!

Act 17:30  And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: 

Act 17:31  Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.

Repentance is necessary for receiving the Holy Spirit!

Act 2:38  Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 

We have seen many who have prayed the sinner’s prayer, but they never repent of their old lifestyle, which means the Holy Spirit did not move in to them. 

The Holy Spirit will not live in such a person who is not sincere. Remember God sees within the heart of all!

This was the Apostle Paul's message:

Act 20:21  Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Failure to repent will lead to the "Judgment" of God!

Rev 9:20  And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: 

Rev 9:21  Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.

We should be ashamed if we cannot change our lifestyle and walk with Jesus Christ!

2Co 7:9  Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. 

2Co 7:10  For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. 

We must repent to be in the family of God!

The Holy Spirit will help us to repent and be Born Again, but the Holy Spirit will not move in unless God looks into our heart and sees the faith that is required  in the Lord Jesus Christ.

This is not complicated!

While preaching this message in those cities, the disciple also ministered to the people and cast out evil spirits.

They ministered to the body and the soul!

They ministered to those who were sick and also to those who were suffering and hurting.

When we see "Oil" in the Bible it is a symbol of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit has all the power of God and there is no sickness He cannot heal!

The Holy Spirit allows us to concentrate on the truth of the Scriptures.

Those who are hurting and suffering with pain do not have good concentration. The Holy Spirit can solve this problem, but these things are in our hands and it is called "FAITH"!

Oil is also a symbol of God's care, God's comfort, and God's joy, of His "mercy" on us.

Heb_1:9  Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

The fame of Jesus began to spread and even some of those in government became afraid.

King Herod was stricken by his own conscience.

How did King Herod see his guiltiness?

1) Herod had a guilty conscience because of an inadequate religion. He did want to hear the preaching of John the Baptist, but he never yielded to his conscience. He had kept John locked up for over a year, without hearing his message of repentance.

2) Herod had a guilty conscience because of his partying and his drunkenness, along with suggestive and passionate dancing.

3) Herod had a guilty conscience because he would seek social approval, above honoring God and respect for the Word of God.

Remember all Jewish Kings had a copy of the Word of God.

4) Herod had a guilty conscience because he was afraid of what people might say.

We can see these same things in Washington D.C. today and in many other governments.

We need the fame of Jesus to spread in our government today!

We need our government to read the Word of God and not just talk about a few passages that they use and do not understand.

It seemed that everyone had an opinion of the Lord Jesus Christ just as they do today, but not many seek the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ!

John the Baptist was murdered because of a woman's vengeance! 

John the Baptist stood firm on the Word of God and it cost him his life!

It could happen to any of us or all of us today, but we must stand firm on the Word of God no matter the situation we find ourselves in.

If we have work to do God will save us!

If our work is complete, we can go on to Heaven where none of these things can ever happen!

*****Mar 6:30  And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught. 

Mar 6:31  And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.

Mar 6:32  And they departed into a desert place by ship privately.  

The disciples returned and gathered to the Lord Jesus Christ.

They reported what they had done and what they had taught.

Jesus knew the first thing they needed was rest, but the rest they needed could not happen where they were.

The Lord Jesus took them to a deserted place where they should rest physically.

We know this is true because our own pastor cannot find rest at home with his family and he and his family have to travel to places where he is out of contact range.

Even if some people knew where he was going, they would make sure to be there before he got there and he would then get no rest.

We have to make sure our pastor gets the rest he needs!

There is great danger in not taking time to rest for every one of us!

We may never understand all of God's creation, but the earth spins upon its axis to bring the stated seasons, but also because it gives us a time to rest.

Our minds need to take time to look away from things we are doing and to things that do not occupy our minds for more than a moment!

It is not the work of God's servant alone that makes us tired, we must make sure to take time to be alone with God, and sometimes other people will not allow us this time.

We need to have a good reason to disturb the man of God who is busy with the work of the Lord, especially in his times of rest!

We should be able to see how the Lord will care for His children!

We must know that while we try to do the work God has given us to do, we must still take the time to sit down at the feet of Jesus in a quiet place!

A wise man once wrote: "The flame of devotion will not burn very long or very bright, unless you have oil in your vessels with your lamps".

Without rest, the body slowly dies and we shorten our life spans or we reach a point where we can just no longer go.

God said we are to enjoy our lives and we will not without taking time to rest!

Our journey from Earth to Heaven need not be a dull life, but a life of joy and excitement.

We can also fine refreshment in Bible reading if we stick to it!

True rest does not come if there is no true work!

Overall, we must put God first and overwork takes away from us being able to serve God with all our heart so, it is then sin not to take time to rest so, we can be at our best!

Amen

The Authority of Our Lord Jesus

The Servant's Authority

Book of Mark Chapters 4 and 5

Before we get to Chapter 5, we get to read about the authority and the deity of our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ.

We read of the many parables that give us some of the truths of Heaven in ways we can understand.

The miracles the Lord did and the lessons He has taught us attest to the absolute authority of our Creator.

The four Gospels contain many Scriptures reflecting upon the absolute authority of the Messiah, our Savior.

Every miracle is backed up by Scripture such as, the miracle of healing the blind man.

Psa 146:8  The LORD openeth the eyes of the blind: the LORD raiseth them that are bowed down: the LORD loveth the righteous:

The water to grape juice in Cana. We should understand that the Lord Jesus would never make wine!

Isa 12:3  Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. 

The feeding of the five thousand.

Isa 30:23  Then shall he give the rain of thy seed, that thou shalt sow the ground withal; and bread of the increase of the earth, and it shall be fat and plenteous: in that day shall thy cattle feed in large pastures. 

The Lord's authority over the animal world.

Isa 11:6  The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. 

Isa 11:7  And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 

Isa 11:8  And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den.

The raising of the dead.

Isa 65:20  There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed. 

We should consider these things that only God can do, as we take a closer look at the miracle when the Lord raised a young female child from death.

*****Mar 5:21  And when Jesus was passed over again by ship unto the other side, much people gathered unto him: and he was nigh unto the sea. 

The Lord Jesus had now crossed by over the Sea of Galilee again, to a location near Capernaum which had become His base after he had left Nazareth again according to Scripture.

Mat 4:13  And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim: 

Mat 4:14  That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, 

Mat 4:15  The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; 

Mat 4:16  The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up. 

We can find these things prophesied in the Book of Isaiah.

Isa 9:1  Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations. 

Isa 9:2  The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. 

We begin to see that the Lord Jesus could be no one else, but the Messiah come from Heaven!

There were so many things that the children of Israel had missed from the Old Testament, and much of the reason was that the Priests refused to teach the truth of the Word of God just like so many are doing today.

From this point to the end of this chapter, we will see how the support of the multitude will always change.

We will also see how those who should have supported Jesus refused to do so.

His friends said that Jesus had gone mad and insane. 

We must believe Jesus and show our faith in Him. 

We may have to go against our friends.

The religionists said that Jesus was demon possessed. 

Religionist do not really know the truth of God.

His own family said He was an embarrassment to them. 

We must surrender to Jesus regardless of what our families think of us!

These things will always be said about the true Christian and we will have to deal with them all our lifetime, without sin.

As soon as the feet of the Lord Jesus touched the shoreline one of the rulers of the local synagogue came running to Him.

The fame of our Lord Jesus had spread everywhere.

*****Mar 5:22  And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet, 

Mar 5:23  And besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live.

Mar 5:24  And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him. 

We might ask ourselves, was it just his lucky day? 

We know the Lord did not heal everyone He came in contact with, and we know He knew ahead of time who had ailments and who did not.

We must know there was a reason behind every move the Lord made, but we already know of His great compassion for all humans.

Joh 3:16  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 

Joh 3:17  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 

Joh 3:18  He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Some people say that Jesus had to be very careful that He did not go against the teachings of the Old Testament, the Laws of Moses, and all the things written by the prophets but this is simply not true!

The Lord did not need to put forth effort, because these are all things that He just did because He is the True and Living God!

If Jesus had not done the things, He did then, He would be outside His character!

This father was desperate and he knew there was no other means to save his daughter than the Lord Jesus Christ!

But Our Lord will not do anything if there is a lack of faith!

1) This man exhibits humility and falls at the feet of Jesus.

2) This man exhibits believing, because he knows Jesus is omnipotent, has all power and the power to heal and bring new life.

3) This man boldly goes to the Lord Jesus in the face of all the people, many of whom would not react well, because he was a ruler of the synagogue.

None of the synagogues recognized the Lord Jesus as the Messiah.

The Lord Jesus went with him because these are the actions, we must all take to be saved! It is called faith!

Eph 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 

Eph 2:9  Not of works, lest any man should boast. 

The Lord Jesus will meet the needs of the desperate if they have that saving faith!

A crowd was gathered including the twelve disciples and they all went toward the place of Jarius.

*****Mar 5:35  While he yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue's house certain which said, Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further? 

Mar 5:36  As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe. 

Our lesson skips right over the woman who had an issue with her blood for twelve years, who just touched the robe of our Savior and was immediately healed.

This was also a message of faith from someone desperate for life!

Even though there was great rush for the Lord Jesus to get to this child before she died, the Lord Jesus did not have to rush and took the time to heal that woman.

If Jarius had the faith that he said he had, he would have known that there is no need to rush the Almighty God.

He is the giver and the taker of life!

Did Jesus know this child would die if He did not get there in time? Sure He did!

Though we cannot always understand why the Lord does what He does, we can understand that there is reason and purpose in every move that Jesus made while He was upon this world.

One of those was the fact that He wanted to establish His resurrecting power!

The Lord Jesus also wanted to show the difference between little faith and true faith.

True faith has no feeling of hopelessness!

True faith has nothing to do with fear and despair!

While the Lord Jesus Christ was still talking to that woman who did have that blood issue, someone from the home of Jairus came with some terrible news, his daughter had died.

Did the Lord Jesus cause this death? No

We can only imagine how Jairus felt having just witnessed the healing power of the Lord Jesus Christ, and realizing had Jesus not stopped to do this, that He may have made it to his daughter before she died.

Jairus was devastated and crushed and believed it was now too late to save her life.

We know that the Lord Jesus is never too late, but that He is always on time!

What did the Lord Jesus say to him? What happened to your faith?

"be not afraid, only believe."

Fear is the exact opposite of faith!

Believing God eliminates fear!

Believing that God actually cares and will deliver us through all of our fears, is essential in our relationship with the Lord.

The Lord certainly cares about our feelings and our times of despair.

Without believing that God cares for us, will lead to fear!

We should understand that we will face things in our life that no other human being can help us with, but then there is Jesus who cares for us if we only trust Him.

For those who do not know the Lord in a personal way, they have no one to go to and they will be filled with fear and despair.

The Christian should never feel this way!

Though we cannot help it, there is little need to mourn over the death of a Christian as they have returned to the God who created them!

There is very little mourning in faith!

If we mourn, let us mourn for those who do not know the Lord our Savior.

There is never a time that the Lord Jesus can do nothing!

There is never a time that God is twiddling His thumbs or even wondering what He should do next!

There was no need for the crowd to go any further because so many of them had no faith at all.

*****Mar 5:37  And he suffered no man to follow him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of James. 

Mar 5:38  And he cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that wept and wailed greatly. 

Mar 5:39  And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth.

Here we see the first time that the Lord Jesus only took Peter, James, and John, with Him, to be witnesses of things not permitted to be seen by the other nine.

Jesus did the same thing at His Transfiguration.

Jesus did the same thing when He was under agony in the Garden of Gethsemane.

The thing that Jesus was about to do, to raise this child from the dead, did not need to have those that might have doubt in the same room!

We should understand that the family of this child would surely mourn for her, but most of those remaining were hired to mourn.

It was a belief of the Jews, that those that were hired to mourn would make it easier for those in the family.

Notice Mark writes that it was tumultuous and more like a commotion, but it also tells us that the child had already died before Jesus had arrived.

Jesus first words were: Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth.

Jesus Christ is the Lord of Life because He is Life!

Joh 14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. 

We will learn as Christians that a believing faith will be scorned by this world and we see this more today than at any other time in history.

We will also be abused and persecuted by those who have no faith!

*****Mar 5:40  And they laughed him to scorn. But when he had put them all out, he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying. 

The Lord let them have their laughter because He knew they were about to be silenced!

The Lord Jesus and Peter, James, and John, along with the two parents, entered into the room where the dead child was lying.

All the rest were deemed unworthy to witness the power of the Messiah.

The reason that no one sees the miracles that happen in today's world, is the fact that there is no faith!

Even in the Church there is a great lack of faith today and the Church has lost its power!

It is no wonder we seldom hear of the miracles of God anymore.

The power of Jesus Christ over all evil spirits, over incurable sickness, and over death itself, demonstrates His deity and how He honors simple faith above all other of our characteristics.

Jesus walked over to the child to do what He came to do.

*****Mar 5:41  And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise. 

Mar 5:42  And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment. 

The Pharisees had concluded that the Lord Jesus had a devil living within Him.

The relatives of Jesus had said Jesus was a mad man and beside Himself.

The Lord Jesus had begun teaching by parables so people could see without perceiving and hear without understanding.

But the Lord Jesus proves He is the Master of all the forces in this life.

The Lord Jesus proves that He is not only the Master of Life, but also the Giver of Life!

Mark preserved the actual words that Jesus said here, no doubt getting them from Peter the eyewitness.

We all know that our children are special to us at any age and we know that they grow so fast, but that age just before they blossom into adulthood is truly a special time.

This young lady was twelve years old preparing to take on the world when for some reason, she had succumbed to death, but as we know Jesus changes things!

Straightway this child rose up and walked and all that were in the house of Jarius, were astonished.

The Lord said, feed this child for she is hungry.

*****Mar 5:43  And he charged them straitly that no man should know it; and commanded that something should be given her to eat. 

By eating, she could prove to all that she was no spirit but had returned to normal existence.

Even when this child was restored to life, then she would have to return to the things of this life that sustained life, such as food and water.

It was for the sake of these parents that Jesus brought this girl back to life!

Her life in no way could change the providence of God for this world.

This is why God can answer prayer!

This child completed her growth in a home of saving faith and at death she returned to Heaven because this home had faith!

Amen