Book Of Mark

Look to Jesus

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

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 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 she insists that 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!

We have allowed the hoax of evolution to dictate the rules of science for far to 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.

*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.

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.

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

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!

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 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 to 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 Him!

It is only us puny humans who have tried to defy the Almighty God!

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.

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 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!

We have allowed 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 millionairs off the pocketbooks of gullible people.

*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.

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.

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

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!

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 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 to 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 Him!

It is only us puny humans who have tried to defy the Almighty God!

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!

Amen

The Greatest Sin of All Unbelief

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

The Servant’s Victory

Book of Mark Chapter 16

The Lord Jesus Christ expressed victory for every believer with the fulfillment of His resurrection!

Jesus Christ had predicted His resurrection on several occasions, but His disciples never really understood Him.

Most of this world still does not understand the reality of the resurrected Christ today!

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.

Mat 17:22 And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them, The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men:
Mat 17:23 And they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again. And they were exceeding sorry.

Mat 20:18 Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death,
Mat 20:19 And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again.

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.

Mar 9:31 For he taught his disciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day.

Mar 10:33 Saying, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes; and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles:
Mar 10:34 And they shall mock him, and shall scourge him, and shall spit upon him, and shall kill him: and the third day he shall rise again.

Luk 9:22 Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day.

Luk 18:32 For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on:
Luk 18:33 And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again.

We also see that the Lord Jesus specified that He would rise again on the third day showing His omniscience and His obedience to the Word of God.

All the Gospels stress the “physical” resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

There were many witnesses to His resurrection.

Joh 20:1 The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.

Joh 20:2 Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.
Joh 20:3 Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre.
Joh 20:4 So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre.

Joh 20:11 But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre,
Joh 20:18 Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her.

Mat 28:9 And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him.
Mat 28:10 Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me.

Then there were the two witnesses on the road to Emmaus.

Then the ten disciples in the upper room.

Then the eleven disciples a week later.

Then the disciples who decided to go fishing.

Then eleven disciples in Galilee, where Jesus had told them He would meet them there.

Then the disciples in Jerusalem.

Let us see what Mark wrote by the Holy Spirit.

The actual words of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Luk 18:2 Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:
Luk 18:3 And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.
Luk 18:4 And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man;
Luk 18:5 Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.
Luk 18:6 And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith.
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?

Let us analyze what John wrote:

Joh 20:7 And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.

We know one meaning is that when Jesus placed His napkin aside as this verse states means, that He will return.

There is another meaning.

As John wrote he described this napkin as being still rolled up.

This napkin was retaining the circular shape as though the head of Jesus were still in it but lying in a place by itself. It was detached from the rest of the wrappings, but the shape of this head piece and the wrappings tell us that the body of Jesus passed through those wrappings and left them undisturbed.

The Body of Christ had certainly risen even through His death wrappings.

The Body of Christ, the true Church, those alive and the bodies of those in the grave, may truly rise very soon, as we witness the signs going on in our world today!

The atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ reached its climax when He arose from His death!

The Rapture of the Church will be the climax of the period of the Grace of God and period of the Jews will begin.

The Apostle wrote:

Rom 1:1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,
Rom 1:2 (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,)
Rom 1:3 Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;
Rom 1:4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:

Let us pick back up on our lesson with verse nine.

*Mar 16:9 Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.

Up until this moment no human eye had seen our risen Savior.

The Lord Jesus Christ had conquered death.

The Lord Jesus Christ had conquered the grave.

The Lord Jesus Christ proved that life “by Him” had no ending!

The Lord Jesus Christ is the Giver of 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.

God is not the God of the dead!

Later the Apostles taught the “Gospel” as the truth of the Word of God and it is, but they taught the resurrection of Christ as fact, because they were eyewitnesses to the resurrected Christ!

They became bold in the preaching to the Gospel because the “Good News” is a fact!

The key to the New Testament is the fact that the Apostles were eyewitnesses to the death and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, the true Messiah!

If you look into the scrolls of the Catholic Church, the Sinaiticus and the Vaticanus you will see that these are two of the many verses that were left out so Bibles translated from those altered scrolls do not include these words of the Lord Jesus Christ.

We know that sin is sin and we sometime try to decide which one sin is greater than another as we try to hold on to our pet sins but this is not the complete truth.

The sin of lying will be treated the same as the sin of murder though there may be different degrees of suffering for some sins.

If we look at Mary Magdalene, we see a sinner just like we are all sinners.

Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Mary felt that the Lord Jesus had forgiven her so much more than others because she felt her sins had been so great.

In fact, this Mary should be an example for us all in her devotion to the Lord after she was forgiven.

It is said that Jesus had cast out seven devils from her.

What do we see of this Mary, she was not afraid to be seen as a believer!

Mary stood by cross through the whole ordeal of the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus.
Mary was even present when the Lord Jesus was taken down from that terrible cross, another witness to His death.
Mary was the one who led in the preparations for the embalming of His body over the weekend.
Mary was the first to visit the tomb after the Sabbath.
Mary refused to leave the tomb after Peter and John verified that the body of Jesus was no longer in the tomb.
Mary was a precious saint of God who was truly devoted to the Lord Jesus Christ making her a great example for us all.

The Lord Jesus took the time to comfort His devoted follower before He met anyone else.

These things make Mary Magdalene a great witness to the death and resurrection of our Savior and a loving friend of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Joh 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

To be a Christian is to know that the Lord Jesus Christ died in our place for our sins, He had no sin.
To be a Christian is to know that the Lord Jesus Christ arose from that death to live evermore and to show each believer that death has no power over us and we will live evermore with our Savior and our Redeemer.
To be Christian is to know that the Lord Jesus is forever with us in the hour of our need, meeting every need and responding to our love for Him.
To truly be a Christian is to do our best to be like the Lord Jesus Christ in all His ways and be in the will of God for our own lives.

*Mar 16:10 And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept.
Mar 16:11 And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not.

In the fulness of believing faith, Mary hurried back to Jerusalem to inform the eleven disciples of what she had discovered at the tomb of Christ.

They were still mourning over the loss of not only their Lord but also their dear friend.

They just could not find the faith to believe what Mary was saying to them.

There is no doubt they were also mourning for every time they had let down the Lord Jesus Christ.

There was also mourning because they did not know what to do now, seeing their leader was gone.

Mary came with faith that the Lord Jesus had done what He said He would do!

We need to understand that the things that Jesus said He would do as written in the KJV, He did accomplish.

Rom 4:23 Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;
Rom 4:24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;
Rom 4:25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

All the prophecies that led to the coming of the true Messiah are fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ!

The disciples of the Lord Jesus had not believed Him when He said these things would happen, so they did not believe Mary Magdalene.

It is probably more that they could not understand rather than could not believe.

They insisted that this true believer then had to be a liar even though they highly valued her.

We should realize that as Christians today, we are not the only ones who have mourned for Christ Jesus!

We are not the only messengers who have been rejected, but we are sure beyond any doubt that the Lord Jesus arose from that tomb!

In our hearts we do not care what all the doubters believe!

We need to show the faith that this Mary had and have no doubts about our Savior!

If this happen and there was a need for a courtroom, there is more evidence that Jesus arose from His death than most any other historical event, yet the world doubts the truth of God.

Most of this world will remain lost because of this doubt.

Remember:Mat_7:14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Once these disciples knew the truth then they would die before they would renounce their faith in the truth of the Gospel.

This says a lot about the truth of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

They were slow to believe, but once they knew the truth, they could not be unconvinced and neither should we!

We have to stand on the truth of the Gospel simply because we know it is the truth!

If we want to mourn and weep let us mourn and weep for those who reject the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul wrote:

1Co 15:1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
1Co 15:2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
1Co 15:3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
1Co 15:4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
1Co 15:5 And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:
1Co 15:6 After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.
1Co 15:7 After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.
1Co 15:8 And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.

Paul could write these things because he knew they were the truth!

The Lord Jesus knew all these things would happen so; He began to show Himself to them.

*Mar 16:12 After that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country.
Mar 16:13 And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them.

We should understand that one of the proofs of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ is the immediate unbelief of His disciples.

They had to be convinced of the truth of the resurrection.

Once they realized this truth, they never doubted the Lord Jesus ever again.

All but John died because they could not be convinced otherwise.

They could have rejected the truth of the Messiah and lived!

There was a distinct change in the appearance of our Savior after His resurrection!

He was the same and yet not the same.

They knew the voice of the Lord Jesus this had not changed.

The Lord Jesus bore the marks of His crucifixion on His hands, His feet, and His chest.

He ate with His disciples, He had conversations with them, and He blessed them and yet He was not the same.

The body of our Messiah was no longer subject to the laws of space and time!

He came and went as He so chose!

One moment He was with them and another moment He would vanish out of their site.

This is what happened on the road to Emmaus. (Book of Luke 24:13-35)

Christ Jesus made Himself known to a select group of people.

We can understand these words of the Apostle Paul if we let this sink in.

2Co 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; “that every one may receive the things done in his body”, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

Paul was referring to the glorified body of our Lord Jesus.

Paul wrote to the Colossians that we would all appear with Jesus and be like Jesus when the Lord Jesus returns to claim this world.

Col 3:3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
Col 3:4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, “then shall ye also appear with him in glory”.

Again Paul was talking about this glorified body that the Lord Jesus showed to the Apostles after His resurrection, the same body He went back to Heaven with.

**The Lord Jesus had come to this earth as Spirit and took on the form of a new baby to make a point that we all must be “born again” in His Spirit.

**The Lord Jesus grew to adulthood to reach the age when He would begin His ministry.

We are to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Savior so we can become a servant of the Lord and be in His will, which is our ministry.

**The Lord died to show us that death had no power over Him and He rose again to prove it was true.

Once we are faithful believers, we know that death has no power over us ever again.

**The Lord Jesus raised Himself in a glorified body to show us that at the moment of our death, there will be no death, but we will begin a new everlasting life and it will be in a glorified body just like that of the Lord.

The difference is, He will show His battle scars and we will be brand new!

Though He was glorified, He was still the man Christ Jesus with all His individual characteristics.

This is the body He returned to Heaven in so we can all be alike body wise in Heaven but we all will still be different.

We should never listen to anyone who tries to get rid of the form of Christ or substitute some vague image of Him as the truth.

The Apostles were not confused and they were eyewitnesses!

The “Body of Christ”, the Church will one day soon resemble Jesus Christ’s resurrection body when we return with Him.

Joh 3:34 For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.
Joh 3:35 The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.
Joh 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

The Lord Jesus continued to show Himself to His disciples.

*Mar 16:14 Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. is victory over death.

There are two major hindrances to being a true witness for Jesus Christ.

1) Unbelief.
2) The hardness of the heart.

The Lord Jesus Christ scolded these disciples for both of these things.

They had not believed the words He had taught them!

They had witnessed the power of God for about three years and there was no excuse for their unbelief.

They had seen His power over nature and disease.
They had witnessed His power over death when He raised up the daughter of Jairus and Lazarus and others.
They had witnessed the sinless life of Jesus, His purity, and His holiness. The Lord Jesus Christ was without sin therefore death had no power over Him!
They had been taught time after time that He was to die and be raised again.
They had rejected the testimony of His resurrection!

Their hardness of heart to not even believe other disciples was a very serious problem that they had to overcome!

We are all to be disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ to spread the truth of our Holy God!

These things had to be dealt with!

The cause of unbelief and the hardness of the heart is the misinterpretation of Scripture and the misinterpretation of words of Jesus Christ which today we see them in red letters if we want to.

All the Scriptures are the Word of God!

2Ti_3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

They refused to see Christ as the suffering Savior and could think only of Him as the conquering King and He will be this too when it is time!

They refused to see the Kingdom of God as a Spiritual Kingdom, thinking only of a physical kingdom, which takes place as the Millennial Kingdom of Christ, which is a temporary thing, at least for only one thousand years.

They simply did not understand the death, the burial, and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Until these things were understood completely, they could not be given the “Great Commission”.

*Mar 16:15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

All the Word of God is to be treated as the commandments of God and the “Great Commission” is as straight-forward as can be said.

The Lord used very few words but this command cannot be misunderstood.

The Lord was teaching this thing to His disciples.

If you are a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ then you are also a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ!

That word preach is used here and it means to declare the truth of God!

It means for us to declare the truth of God, especially the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The “Gospel”, meaning the “Good News” of the work the Lord Jesus Christ has done for our salvation.

The Lord Jesus has done all the work and we are to believe and proclaim what He has done for us, including all the world.

Though most of the world will ignore the Gospel, the world still needs to hear what the Lord has to say, because He is the Lord of Life!

That word preach, does not mean that only those who are called to preach are to share this message, but every child of God is to share the “Gospel” message.

We are not to preach our own thoughts about the Gospel.
We are not to preach our own ideas about the “Gospel”.
We are not to preach humanistic or man-centered beliefs about the ‘Gospel”.
We are not to preach what world religions think about the “Gospel”,
We are not to preach what philosophers think about the “Gospel”.

We are to preach the “Gospel”, just as it is revealed to us by the Lord Jesus Christ and the Word of God!

This is the Divine work that has been assigned to us.

No Christian is exempt from this duty.

None of us are excluded from the privilege and honor of taking part in this work given to us by our Savior!

The “Gospel” must be heard and it will do its own work!

The “Gospel” must be carried out into all the world.

The Great Commission was given to all the Church, to every believer!

Notice that the Lord Jesus does not give us a list of reasons why we cannot do this command.

In other words there are no excuses for anyone!

It is a permanent commission given to every believer, in every generation to do, until the Lord takes us home or He returns to take us all home on the day of the Rapture.

What is the truth to those after they have heard the Gospel?

*Mar 16:16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

What the world has a tough time believing is the fact that we are all doomed from the day of our birth.

We may look down at an innocent baby and say how can this child be a sinner, but it does not take many days until we see the truth as that child begins to lie.

We see that baptism is mentioned in this passage and we know that baptism is not part of our salvation in the sense that it is necessary.

What we must understand is, that being baptized is being obedient to the Word of God!

In the sense of that obedience, it is then necessary as becomes part of our beliefs.

We believe in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ that He has done for our salvation, the “Gospel” and we believe in the truth of all the Word of God and in this context the Lord Jesus says we must be Baptized.

To be baptized is a sign of our belief!

Baptism is an act of obedience to God’s demand just as belief is an act of obedience to God’s demand.

We should also know that believing also includes, repentance, while obeying the “Gospel”.

To be saved we must believe the “Gospel” of Jesus Christ!

If we then believe, then God demands that we be baptized!

It could be said that how can a person be saved if that person immediately rebels against being baptized?

If we are saved, then God expects obedience to all the Word of God!

This is where the so-called progressives are failing today!

If that obedience does not exist, then that salvation does not exist!

Jas 2:17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
Jas 2:18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
Jas 2:19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
Jas 2:20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

Every saved soul who believes in the Lord will not have a problem in obeying all the Word of God!

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;

Obedience is then tied to our salvation!

Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

It is by faith alone that we are saved but after that salvation then there are some works to do and baptism is that first works as is making a public confession of our sin.

We are all sinners saved by the “Grace” of God.

None of these things mean we can never fail; we will certainly fail in our service to the Lord!

We will fail, but we will not continue in sin.

We will get up out of our sin, ask God for forgiveness, and follow the Lord even more diligently.

Is it possible to be saved without following the Lord Jesus Christ which is the meaning of being a Christian?

Those who are lost are those who do not believe the Gospel!

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.

We should ask ourselves just what does this belief “in Him” really mean?

Not being baptized is not a reason that is mentioned for a reason for salvation.

What we need to understand is, that believing is making a commitment to the things that God says, the infallible Word of God.

A person is not saved if they do not believe, which is a rejection of what God says!

To believe is a Spiritual event!

To be baptized is a physical event!

The Lord Jesus then is saying in verse sixteen, that when a person is saved and filled with the Holy Spirit they will not fail to be baptized unless they are physically unable to do so.

The moment of salvation is not at the time of salvation, but is at the time of believing!

A true believer will then be baptized and be obedient to all the Word of God!

This thing is not that confusing and each believer must work through these things with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Php_2:12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

It is our Savior who started His work of salvation in us, but we are to carry it to the end with the help of the Holy Spirit and following the Word of God being obedient to it!

*Mar 16:17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
Mar 16:18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

To all those who are saved and have not grieved the Holy Spirit by ignoring the Word of God, then they will be able to work through the power of the Holy Spirit!

The pure fact of witnessing for the Lord Jesus Christ is the fact that it cannot be done under our own power, but only with the power of the Holy Spirit!

Our world has always been a dangerous place and it is even more so today.

Dangers come not only from the enemies of the Church but also natural calamities.

And we must not forget what the Word of God says.

Eph_6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

It is these things that are the most dangerous and it is also these things that we hear every day that are Israel’s enemy!

Now we must not get confused.

There will be some who become martyrs.

There will be some who will suffer major persecution, but God will not allow all His children to die, except in the fashion of the Rapture.

Things will not always be smooth for believers even here in America!

The point God is making is that as God’s people carry out the “Great Commission”, God will make some of His power known to this world.

Many of these things mentioned here were necessary when the Church had its beginning but the Lord did not mean they are all needed today.

Some are to plant seeds.

Some are to water and nourish those seeds.

Some will receive the seed and believe immediately.

Some will reject the seed and never receive the truth of God.

We know that even in the time of Paul the speaking of tongues, which have always been about known languages and not some gibberish trying to imitate this power that was given to the first Apostles and a few others in the beginning of the early Church.

1Co 14:21 In the law it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord.
1Co 14:22 Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, “but to them that believe not”: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe.

We now that Paul also seemed to have power over serpents at one time.

Act 28:3 And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand.
Act 28:4 And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live.
Act 28:5 And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm.

No evangelist has this power over serpents today.

Snake handlers are not preachers of the truth!

We can also be sure if we test God and drink any substance that could kill us then it probably will.

Today we have the complete text of the Bible and it is the Bible, the Word of God that has the power needed to reach the dark soul of each sinner!

Faith is still the key to salvation that still comes by the Grace of God!

Faith is a distinct relation between the lost soul and the believing soul!

The triumph of the believing soul is that it can now live through the power of the Lord Jesus Christ!

There is safety in “faith” in Jesus Christ and it is eternal!

Psa 91:14 Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.
Psa 91:15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.
Psa 91:16 With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.

There is safety in the Church if we remain in the Church.

Heb_10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

Amen

He Came To Die For Me

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

The Servant’s Sacrifice

Book of Mark Chapter 15

The Lord Jesus Christ will die on that cross on this day that began when the Lord Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane.

The Sanhedrin Court met in the wee hours of the morning to finalize the charges against Jesus Christ on this day.

These charges had to be strong enough to convince the Romans, so false witnesses were used.

The only charge that would work would be the charge of insurrection in which Rome could condemn Jesus to death.

They said that Jesus had claimed to be King of the Jews, which He had not because it was not time for this to be true.

Some of His disciples had used the term but not Jesus.

Pilate was the procurator of Judea.

Notice Rome still used the term Judea and Rome only changed the name of Judea to Palestinia just to get back at the Jews.

Without this change by Rome there would be no area called Palestine and no people referred to as Palestinians.

Most of these so-called people follow the teachings of the Muslim Brotherhood and this is why no other Muslim nations want them in their nation.

There has never been a nation called Palestine.

Judaea was a Roman province from 6 to 132 CE, which incorporated the Levantine regions of Judea, Samaria and Idumea, extending over parts of the former regions of the Hasmonean and Herodian kingdoms of Judea.

The name Judaea was derived from the Iron Age Kingdom of Judah.

It included what is now called Gaza and what is called the West Bank.

This is the land that has always belonged to Israel since the time of Moses.

Pilate despised the Jews and the Jews despised Pilate.

When Pilate first rode into Jerusalem he came showing the Roman Standard, with an eagle setting atop a pole.

All previous governors had removed the eagle because of the Jews opposition to idols but Pilate despised the Jews did many things to cause turmoil.

This is what being dominated by a foreign power means!

Pilate launched the construction of a new water supply which was needed but he stole the money for the project out of the Temple treasury.

The Jews never forgave him for these things but they set these things aside in order to murder the Lord Jesus Christ.

They needed the cooperation of Pilate to get this done!

Pilate was a weak and immoral man!

Pilate was indecisive and he rejected the Lord Jesus despite convincing evidence of His innocence.

The major charge against the Lord Jesus was that He claimed to be king of the Jews.

Everyone knew that Herod was a false king appointed to the throne by Rome.

Pilate noted that the Lord Jesus did not dress as a king.

Jesus was humble and meek in His appearance.
Jesus had no supporters or followers who could make Him king.
Jesus dressed as a peasant with no means to dress as royalty.

Pilate surmised, “how could this man be a king of any country”?

Jesus said, “what you say is true”.

Mar 15:2 And Pilate asked him, Art thou the King of the Jews? And he answering said unto him, Thou sayest it.

But Jesus said He was not a king of this earth.

Joh 18:36 Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.
Joh 18:37 Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. “Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice”.

Pilate compromised and he offered up Barabbas as a substitute, but the Jewish religious leaders and the Jewish elders convinced the crowd of that day to choose to crucify the Lord Jesus.

Most all the people did not know this was going on as it was done in the night hours and so early in the day.

We should understand that God will never compromise when it concerns His Son Jesus.

It was the religionist who swayed the people to choose Barabbas and not Christ!

Just as we see today, men who are set upon evil will try their best to influence others in order to get their way.

Morally weak men are just too weak to act justly and responsibly.

This is the theme of a certain political party today as they are morally weak men and women.

We also see this today not only in our government but in the false church.

We see this also in the war going on in Israel today.

That terrorists group called Hamas are morally weak men and truly cowards, how could we expect them act differently than they do?

It was a big deal to them that they could overpower babies and people who could not defend themselves!

This is the same thing those who profess abortion do every day.

They are really brave when they confront those who cannot defend themselves!

We are fools if we ever allow our nation to take away our defensive weapons!

Pilate could not do what was right because it went against his character!

Pilate was a man who would always give in to worldly pressure to keep his position in government!

The death of the Lord Jesus Christ upon that cross was the most phenomenal event in history, in fact the most crucial point in world history.

Eternal salvation for all men and women was secured by the death of the Lord Jesus Christ on Mount Calvary.

We can see that it was the providence of God to have the right people in place at the precise time in history, for this thing to take place!

Pilate’s soldiers first abused Jesus.

They put upon Jesus the robes of royalty and then took them back off of Him.

They stripped Him of His clothes to do this.

The Jews considered it a great sin to show yourself naked from the time of Adam and Eve and the teachings of Moses.

We can see the actions of Pilate’s soldiers were almost as depraved as those men who call themselves Hamas but even, they can be forgiven if that would turn to Christ and repent.

God will not allow men to mock Him for very long!

We can see that this world has not changed very much it its attitude toward the Lord Jesus Christ.

When Simon of Cyrene bore the cross of Jesus it was a picture of conversion.

We are all to pick up our own cross and follow the Lord Jesus Christ.

Luk 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

Simon of Cyrene was a changed man after this thing that he was forced to do!

Our lesson begins with the place that Our Lord Jesus was crucified.

*Mar 15:22 And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull.

Golgotha was known as a place of death long before the Lord Jesus was crucified there.

The Lord Jesus died just like everyone else who had been crucified upon that hill.

The name Golgotha means the place of the skull, the place of death, the place of execution.

It was a place outside the gates of the city but it was still near the city.

Heb 13:12 Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.

Joh 19:20 This title then read many of the Jews: for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city: and it was written in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin.

It was located on a thoroughfare leading into the country and there was a garden at that same location.

Luk 23:26 And as they led him away, they laid hold upon one Simon, a Cyrenian, coming out of the country, and on him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus.

Joh 19:41 Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid.

It was this place, a symbol of death, where God chose that His Son would die to deliver all mankind from the bondage of death!

*Mar 15:23 And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not.

It was the Lord Jesus Himself who refused to take this drug concoction.

The Lord Jesus wanted to feel the pains of death at its bitterest moment!

This mixture of alcohol and drugs was intended to ease the pain of death much like what is done in the hospices of today.

Jesus would have no part in it because the Lord Jesus was on a mission!

Heb 2:14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
Heb 2:15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

The Lord Jesus died for our deliverance from death!

Men who had witnessed death so many times had no concern for the property of that one who was to die.

*Mar 15:24 And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take.

The Lord Jesus was laid upon that cross.

That arms of our Savior were stretched as far as they could be on the cross beam and His feet were nailed as were His hands and He was lifted and with a jolt that cross was dropped into a hole snapping His joints into but breaking no bones.

Psa_22:14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.

Mary, the mother of Jesus was standing at the foot of the cross, but these soldiers showed no compassion whatsoever in giving her His belongings but gambled to see would get them.

The Lord Jesus wore a particular robe that was knitted without seams.

The Lord Jesus had been stripped of His clothing again exposing Him naked to the world in an attempt to convince the world that this was just a man and not the promised Messiah.

The Lord Jesus allowed His mortality to be stripped from Him so that He might abolish death and bring life and immortality to light.

2Ti 1:10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:

*Mar 15:25 And it was the third hour, and they crucified him.

The Lord Jesus Christ was crucified at 9 AM, (the third hour) and the darkness swept across the land from 12 noon until 3 PM (the sixth until the ninth hour).

God the Father demonstrated His great love for us, not sparing His Son, but allowing Him to die for the sin of all mankind.

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.

We know that Pilate had a sign placed over the head of Jesus which said “the King of the Jews” in three languages.

We know that there were two thieves who were placed one on each side of our Savior.

Isa 53:12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Then there was the mob of those who made mockery of our Lord who congregated at the foot of the cross.

There was the mockery of the two thieves.

1Pe 2:23 Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:
1Pe 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

Then the sixth hour brought darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.

It was ninth hour that the Lord Jesus cried out to His Heavenly Father this time saying, “My God” “My God” know that because of our sin, not His, he had none, that His Father had forsaken Him for a moment in time.

This is sure proof that for a moment in time the Lord Jesus was forsaken by His Heavenly Father. His Father became His God!

*Mar 15:34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

The Lord Jesus Christ cried out because He had never been separated from His Heavenly Father.

For a moment in time the Lord Jesus was just as guilty in sin as we all are, in fact more so because He carried the sin of all the world.

Jesus did not mean the suffering and the terrible treatment He had received on that cross!

We need a clear understanding of what the Lord Jesus means here.

1) The Lord Jesus sensed that God had withdrawn His presence from Him. He sensed that God was no longer with Him!

2) The Lord Jesus sensed that God had withdrawn His deliverance. God had always met His need but Jesus now felt alone for the first time!

3) The Lord Jesus sensed that He was bearing the “curse” of God by Himself.

The curse of being separated from God.
The curse of judgment.
The curse of condemnation.

Gal 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
Gal 3:14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Heb 9:26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
Heb 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
Heb 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

4) Jesus sensed that God’s holiness had left Him.

Both sin and death are things that God had never felt. God had only known life and holiness!

Psa 22:1 My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?

Psa 22:3 But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.

For a moment in time, the Lord Jesus Christ had to bear the sin for mankind, therefore He had to bear the penalty of separation from a perfect and holy God!

2Co 5:20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.
2Co 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

The only thing that could have caused God the Father to separate Himself from Christ Jesus, His Son, was sin!

Isa 59:2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

It was “our sin”, the sin of the entire world, which caused this to happen because the Lord Jesus Christ had no sin of His own!

*Mar 15:35 And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calleth Elias.
Mar 15:36 And one ran and filled a spunge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, Let alone; let us see whether Elias will come to take him down.

It was out of total darkness that the Lord Jesus had cried out and many of those standing at the foot of the cross had gotten confused and others just began to mock Him.

Someone just wanted to see if some remarkable thing were about to happen because they did not understand any of these things and they could not understand what was taking place.

The ground is level at the foot of the cross, but there must come an understanding of what the Lord Jesus Christ had accomplished.

The Lord Jesus had fulfilled the first part of His mission to provide a means of salvation for all believers!

The Age of Grace had begun for the believer, and the Age of the Curse had begun for the unbeliever!

The Lord Jesus was not calling out to Elijah, who was just a man, but now was a saint of God.

Then the Lord Jesus said that He was thirsty in a pitiful cry.

One man who had compassion of the Lord tried to give the Lord a drink.

Joh 19:28 After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst.
Joh 19:29 Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth.
Joh 19:30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

This time Jesus was offered water with just enough vinegar in it to kill the parasites in the water.

This is the way the Romans purified the water they drank in any nation where they were located.

It is also true that Elijah will return before the return of Christ, but not at that time.

The Lord Jesus Christ died at this time; His work completed but some other things happened that we also need to understand.

*Mar 15:37 And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost.
Mar 15:38 And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.
Mar 15:39 And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God.

The Lord had been timid when He asked for water, but He is now bold as He completes the work He came to accomplish.

This was a glorious triumph over the acts of the Devil.

The Lord Jesus Christ died for a specific purpose!

The Lord Jesus Christ did not die a martyr, He gave His life for all of mankind to be saved.

He gave up the Ghost, which means that He willingly gave His life and His Spirit so that we can be saved.

While the body of Jesus lay in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, He was busy with a few other important things in His Spirit.

On the cross and after His death:

1Pe 3:19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;
1Pe 3:20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.

After His death:

Eph 4:8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.
Eph 4:9 (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?
Eph 4:10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)

The Lord Jesus Christ died at 3 PM and His body had to be buried before 6 PM by Jewish law.

The veil of the Temple was rent into from the top to the bottom, not the bottom to the top.

This showed that it was God who had done this thing and not some man or group of men.

This now meant that there would be unrestricted access into God’s presence, into the throne room of God.

This is the curtain which separated the Holy of Holies from the Holy Place, the most sacred part of the Temple.

Up until this time, only the High priest could go beyond this curtain and this only one time a year on the Day of Atonement.

At the very hour of the death of Christ, the High Priest was rolling back the outer curtain in order to expose the Holy Place for worship and they were amazed when they saw the inner veil was torn right down the middle from the top to the bottom.

Being torn from top to bottom means that it was God Himself who had ripped this veil.

Heb 9:24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:

Now through the body of Christ, any believer can enter into the presence of God, at any time and at any place.

Heb 10:10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

With all the things that happened, the Roman Centurion in charge of the crucifixion of Christ realized that the Lord Jesus Christ was indeed the true Messiah!

This man was a Gentile and in type, he symbolized all those who would confess the Lord Jesus in the coming generations and there have been a great many who now trust Jesus.

Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Rom 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Because of what is going on in Israel today we may be at the end of the time of Grace which began with the resurrected Christ.

Amen

Standing On the Promises of God

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

The Servant’s Promise

Book of Mark Chapter 13

What is a promise? We should understand that the Bible itself, is the “word” of promise!

The Bible is a Book of Promises and those promises from our Holy God and His Son!

That word promise includes everything that has respect to the life that is now and the life that is to come.

The Holy Trinity that forms the GODHEAD forms the subject and the substance of this is God’s “promise”.

God the Father is the promise!

Eze_11:20 That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.

2Co_6:16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

This promise includes the Lord Jesus Christ!

Joh_14:20 At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.

All the promises of life given by God are in the Lord Jesus Christ!

2Ti 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus,

2Co 1:19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, even by me and Silvanus and Timotheus, was not yea and nay, but in him was yea.
2Co 1:20 For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.
2Co 1:21 Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God;
2Co 1:22 Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.

Notice this passage in Second Corinthians list all the Holy Trinity, The Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit.

God’s promises are real and most important, God never breaks a promise!

*Mar 13:1 And as he went out of the temple, one of his disciples saith unto him, Master, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!

At this time, the Temple in Jerusalem was one of the great Wonders of the World.

We can see that the Temple in Jerusalem was still standing when Mark with the aid of the Holy Spirit wrote the Book of Mark.

The Jewish historian Josephus said that the Temple wanted for nothing that the eye and the mind could admire.

The size of those foundation stones was enormous, some being forty-five feet long with five feet in height and six feet broad, made of white marble, a limestone.

This is the same material which many statues are made of.

Marble can be found in shades of pure white which were used in the construction of the Temple, but can also be in shades of grey, brown, black, and green.

Marble is so hard that it can be polished.

The Temple was certainly a beautiful building according to man’s standards.

We know that God sees things differently than we do!

Man cannot build to the standards of Heaven so, to the Lord Jesus the Temple of Jerusalem was no great marvel at all.

To Jesus, the Temple was to function as God’s house of prayer, but it had been turned into a den of thieves.

Most all the Gospel writers included this quote of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Mat_21:13 And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.

Mar_11:17 And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.

Luk_19:46 Saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves.

We could say that the Temple in Jerusalem was nothing great in the eyes of the Lord.

What this Temple stood for was of far greater importance than the way it looked to the world!

This Temple was built and dedicated to the worship of Jehovah!

By the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, each individual Christian is now the Temple of God!

Each individual Temple of God is far greater than any building on this earth could ever be!

1Co 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
1Co 3:17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

1Co 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
1Co 6:20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

2Co 6:16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
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.

As the Lord Jesus walked with His disciples, He showed His disciples that this great Temple in Jerusalem had little importance to the Church and would soon be destroyed.

The Lord Jesus began to deal with the great prophecies of the end times.

*Mar 13:2 And Jesus answering said unto him, Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

The return of the Jews to Israel and recognized as a nation again, happened on May 14, 1948, and this return to Israel could be considered a sign of the end times.

Isa_66:8 Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.

The six-day war in 1967 was also a sign of the end times.

The war that is going on in Israel at this time can also be considered a sign of the end times!

The restoration of Israel to its homeland was also prophesied.

Deu 30:1 And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath driven thee,
Deu 30:2 And shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul;
Deu 30:3 That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee.

Isa 43:5 Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west;
Isa 43:6 I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth;
Isa 43:7 Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.
Isa 43:8 Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears.

Israel is a nation of the people of God.

God Himself says right now the eyes of the children of Israel are blind to the truth of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.

They spiritually blind to the truth of their own God, Jehovah!

The true Christians are also the people of God.

Eze 34:11 For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out.
Eze 34:12 As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.
Eze 34:13 And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country.

In order for these things to be true, then Jerusalem and much of the nation of Israel would have to be destroyed and that destruction began in 70 A.D. with the destruction Jerusalem and this Temple, referred to as Herod’s Temple.

Many of the Jews had already been scattered throughout the nations by Nebuchadnezzar.

Herod had spent 46 years building this Temple into a showcase in Jerusalem.

How did our Lord Jesus describe this destruction?

Jesus simply said, “see these great buildings there will not be left one stone upon another”.

This Temple had so much gold used in its construction that it was destroyed and burnt by those trying to obtain that gold.

The Lord Jesus was comfortable with speaking of doomed things and what happens to a doomed people!

We should understand today that all those who reject the Lord Jesus Christ are doomed people and are condemned to an eternity in the Burning Lake of Fire!

It does not matter what other people say!
It does not matter what religionists say!
It does not matter what philosophers say!
It does not matter what the secular world has to say!

Jesus was not happy talking about these things, it is just the truth!

We cannot sugarcoat the end times, they will be very terrible, beginning with the Tribulation period that will last seven years.

The world as we know it right now, is building up to these days called the end times!

This secular world is a doomed thing!

All the great buildings of this secular world are doomed things.
All social distinctions are doomed things.
All religious systems are doomed things.

We already know that things are already getting worse for the people of God today and this will continue until God removes His Church and the time of doomed things will then begin.

2Ti 3:12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
2Ti 3:13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

This Second Temple of the Jews had been in existence for more than five hundred years but its time would soon end.

What had the prophets said?

1Ki 9:6 But if ye shall at all turn from following me, ye or your children, and will not keep my commandments and my statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them:
1Ki 9:7 Then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and this house, which I have hallowed for my name, will I cast out of my sight; and Israel shall be a proverb and a byword among all people:
1Ki 9:8 And at this house, which is high, every one that passeth by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss; and they shall say, Why hath the LORD done thus unto this land, and to this house?

Did God destroy this Second Temple? No, but He did allow it to happen!

These twelve disciples had to be taken aback to hear the Lord Jesus saying such a thing.

The generation that existed in Israel during the days of the Lord Jesus, the true Messiah, and had rejected Him, would see a great destruction and many of them would also die.

Luk 11:49 Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute:
Luk 11:50 That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation;
Luk 11:51 From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation.

Those that reject the Lord Jesus Christ have no defense from the wrath of God and no way to escape the vengeance of God!

The disciples of the Lord wanted more answers because they now had many more questions.

*Mar 13:3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives over against the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately,
Mar 13:4 Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled?
Mar 13:5 And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any man deceive you:

It is a fact that God’s concealment of our future is a great blessing!

Those that know the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior, should have no concern for an exact date for the return of Jesus Christ.

We must understand that God knows what He is doing and His act of sending the Lord Jesus to die for our sins, show us that He has our best interest in mind!

We must not be led astray by false teachers and we must listen to what the Lord Jesus has to say on this topic!

There is always a danger of being led astray by the sermons we hear!

This is also true of the Bible we use, other books that we read, and others who we may listen to, who seem sincere.

This is why it is so important to go to a Bible believing church with Pastors who preach the truth of the Gospel.

Jesus says to take heed that we are led astray by no man, in doctrine, in morals, in false standards of conduct, or in the false interpretation of God’s Word.

This is exactly what is happening today!

Just so we are clear, there is absolutely no such thing as a Progressive Church nor a Progressive Christian!

Pro_24:21 My son, fear thou the LORD and the king: and meddle not with them that are given to change:

Mal_3:6 For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

We must guard against being deceived!

We can be easily deceived when dealing with end-time prophecies!

We can be easily deceived when facing end-time events!

We can be easily deceived into thinking that certain cataclysmic events are infallible signs that the end is at hand.

We must place all our trust in the true Word of God!

God has no reason to deceive us, because it is His wish that all people 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.

It is just as clear that God will sometimes save many people from catastrophic calamities, and then destroy them because they reject the Lord Jesus.

Jud_1:5 I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.

Just as we stated the other week, it is not God’s love that should be questioned in these events!

It is God’s holiness that provides the need for all people to be holy.

God’s vengeance will be upon all those who refuse to be holy!

Our example is still the Lord Jesus Christ without whom we will see and feel the wrath of God on unbelievers.

*Mar 13:6 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

Jesus said there would not a few but many false Messiahs come and that they would deceive many.

We know that this is true and it was occurring before the time of Christ and has continued after the time of Christ.

Act 5:36 For before these days rose up Theudas, boasting himself to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves: who was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered, and brought to nought.
Act 5:37 After this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of the taxing, and drew away much people after him: he also perished; and all, even as many as obeyed him, were dispersed.

Act 8:9 But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one:
Act 8:10 To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God.

We know of many more in our own lifetime.

Many claim to be the One who can lead the world to a utopian state, who are all liars!

Rom 16:17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.
Rom 16:18 For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.

Our president is one amongst many politicians and religionists whose promises point to them, as the personal answer to our hopes, our dreams, and our problems.

They are all liars!

All these have the God syndrome and they are powerless to do the things they say they will do.

They are deceivers.

2Jn 1:6 And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.
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.
2Jn 1:8 Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward.

They greatest deceiver of all will be the Antichrist!

Mere men have no such power!

Only the true Messiah has this power!

As far as the Church is concerned, we have no reason to listen to any of them, because we already have the promise of the Rapture and we will not be on earth unless we return with Jesus the true Messiah.

The Rapture is the next important thing on God’s timeline along with the beginning of the signs of the end times which are being seen today and for several years.

Israel at war is just another of the sign that the rapture of the Church is very near.

These things are important to the Jews because they will go through the Tribulation period along with our children and family and friends if we have not reached them with the Gospel truth.

The Jews will survive but few if any Gentiles will survive those seven years.

*Mar 13:7 And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet.
Mar 13:8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.

There should be no doubt that these things are going on today.

War is almost worldwide today and the next world war could begin at any moment now!

We are to expect troublous times!
We are to expect the many disturbances in our own nation, as we see today. Divided more than we have ever been.
We are to expect international disturbances just as we see today in this carnal and immoral world.

We used to be a nation against terrorism but now many in America get on the side of brutal, wicked, and evil terrorism.

Many innocent people get caught up in these things and are harmed or killed.

It is a very rare occasion to see any good news today and even if there were some good news it would still not be good news to the Christian.

News sources print or broadcast lies and even when they know they are wrong, they refuse to correct their statements or broadcasts.

We also know that there are earthquakes in places where they have never occurred before and many of them are really strong and devastating.

We know that many people are suffering from famine and the world sits by without helping because some rich and powerful men say the world has too many people to feed them all, which has never been true.

We know there are people having troubles all over this world and the world does not try to help or does not care to help.

The Lord Jesus says that these are just the beginning of sorrows, things are going to get much worse, but the Lord also says for His children not to worry about these things.

We know that Christian unfaithfulness is growing because many in the Church have abandoned the Word of God and allowed the world to come into the Church and the mighty ship of Zion is sinking in many places.

God says do not let these things trouble us, for there is nothing we can do about them, and all these things are in His hands.

As Christians, we get overly affected by the news of world affairs and turmoil.

Even though it is interesting and captivating, we cannot allow it to dominate our lives.

Most of the news we get is not the whole truth to begin with!

Many have allowed these things to be more important than the Word of God!

The dark side of mankind will always come to the forefront on the world scene!

None of these things mean the end is near according to our Savior!

Luk 21:33 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.
Luk 21:34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.
Luk 21:35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.
Luk 21:36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

Natural disasters are going to happen and even as technology has improved there are still far too many places who are not warned before these things take place, where that information is available and far too many perish uncalled for.

Famine is going to become worse as the rich and the brutal horde the commodities and keep them from the poor.

We see people every day leave behind all the things they have collected all their lives and seek to live in a better place because their own governments will not meet their needs and do not care to do so.

They become easy targets for those who will abuse them in many ways!

We now see how the Church has come under attack because the Church that sticks to the never changing Word of God, now becomes the enemy of these governments because we stick to the truth and Jesus says this is also a sign of the end drawing near.

*Mar 13:9 But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them.
Mar 13:10 And the gospel must first be published among all nations.

Do we want to see a true sign of the end times then it is in these two verses.

This is much more than just persecution!

It was less than fifty days after Christ had returned to Heaven, that the Apostles began to suffer major persecution.

In other words, the government and the religious leaders tried their best to silence the message of the Lord Jesus Christ before it even got off to a good start.

Religion is deadly to the Christian but the Church where the Lord Jesus is the Head cannot be stopped!

We know that James the Apostle was slain with a sword, murdered for preaching Jesus Christ shortly after His death.

We know of the many times they went after Peter and others of the Apostles were sentenced to death in a short amount of time.

The Book of Martyrs can explain these things better then I.

Jesus had explained these things to His Apostles, but what is going on today is what the Lord Jesus was speaking of.

Paul wrote:

2Co 11:23 Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft.
2Co 11:24 Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.
2Co 11:25 Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;
2Co 11:26 In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;
2Co 11:27 In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.
2Co 11:28 Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.

Luke wrote that these things that happened to the Apostles would happen before the signs we are to look for today.

Luk 21:12 But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name’s sake.
Luk 21:13 And it shall turn to you for a testimony.
Luk 21:14 Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer:
Luk 21:15 For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.

These things are just examples of what we are seeing today as the world tries to stop the message of the Lord Jesus Christ.

These are the things that will get worse for the Church so, we must not fail the Lord Jesus Christ!

We are very close to the return of our Lord and Savior!

You see since the invention of the computer and Wi-Fi and as some say, “the cloud”, evangelism has just about been published all around this world.

Of course the Gideons have helped, and the many missionaries, and the many churches all those who give their testimonies and the changed lives because of the power of the Gospel.

This is one of the “must” signs and it is very near to completion, if not complete today.

This proves that everyone will get to hear the Gospel message so they cannot stand at the White Throne Judgment and tell the Lord they had never heard of Jesus the Messiah.

Some say this promise was fulfilled in the First Century but I do not think so.

All nations of the world will hear the Gospel Message before the return of Jesus Christ!

*Mar 13:11 But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost.

This is also one of the signs that the return of Christ is near.

Those who are called before the government heads and the religious heads will speak as supernatural witnesses.

Believers will never be left alone during these things!

We will not have to worry about what to say in defense of ourselves or of our testimony!

Mat 10:19 But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.
Mat 10:20 For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.

If God is your Father, then your Father will speak for Himself!

Luk 21:15 For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.

We may feel incapable of defending ourselves, but our Heavenly Father speaks with the voice of thunder.

We need to trust God here in this passage, for it is also a promise!

Only God will know the hearts of the persecutors so, He alone knows what needs to be said that will touch their hearts and however they react will serve as their own testimony in their time of judgment.

This does not mean we should not be praying and thinking if this happens to us, but we are to be assured that God will do the speaking!

Some of our own family members may also persecute us.

*Mar 13:12 Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death.
Mar 13:13 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

We had better understand that these things can happen and it will also be a sign of the return of Jesus Christ.

Remember, Jesus is talking to His disciples and we should know He is speaking to all His disciples because those with Him on this day knew that they would be dead and gone before He returned.

He had not left at this time but the cross was just a few days away.

We must not miss the fact that we need to bear up under these things.

If we have not reached our friends and family with the Gospel by now, we need to ask for help from some of the Church as time certainly grows short.

We have a tough time imagining things getting this bad, but the Lord Jesus would not say these things if they were not important and if they were not true.

We do not have to consider these things as a test from the Lord, but we must still stand firm on the Word of God even if it leads to our death.

We know the day of our death is the first day we go to Heaven for an eternity.

We do not have to fear death anymore!

Jas 1:12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

1Pe 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
1Pe 2:10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

2Co_5:6 Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:
2Co_5:8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

Amen

Contend For Our Faith

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

The Servant’s Commandments

Book of Mark Chapter 12

We should not forget that the Lord Jesus is in His last week before He faces His physical death at Mount Calvary.

Spiritually, Jesus is in every Saint of God at all times and will be forever!

Joh 14:19 Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.

Joh 14:20 At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.

Joh 14:23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

Another thing we must understand is, that the Word of God is a Book of Commandments and not a book of suggestions.

Many today are doing their very best to discredit the Word of God and the translation to English that we have today, the KJV.

In reality, just as our lesson states, we must contend for our faith.

Jud 1:3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

To contend, is to struggle in opposition to those who discredit the Word of God!

To contend, is to use earnest efforts to obtain, to defend, and to preserve the Word of God.

The Lord promises us that His Word will always be with us so, we must do our part to contend for our faith in the things He has said to us!

Mat_24:35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

We are judged according to the Word of God!

The Word of God will judge this world!

Joh_12:47 And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.

Joh_12:48 He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.

Those that reject the Word of God will be judged by the same words they reject in the day of their judgment!

At the beginning of the last week before the murder of our Lord Jesus, the Sanhedrin had plotted how they might find things against the Lord Jesus.

The head of the Sanhedrin was always the High Priest of that day and he was a wicked man who held that position because he sided with Rome.

He was not in that position by the Laws of Moses, nether was the King of Israel at that time.

There were a few of the Sanhedrin who were not enemies of Jesus Christ but it was very few.

We know of Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea and there may have been others, but they all were afraid to speak up in favor of Jesus Christ.

*****Mar 12:13 And they send unto him certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians, to catch him in his words.

The Pharisees were strict religionists.

The Pharisees were a group that started out for the good of Judaism to save the Jewish religion by practicing the Jewish law in the strictest sense.

They felt that by carrying out every detail of the Jewish Law and by teaching others to do the same they could save Jewish religion.

They were the orthodox of their day!

They were strict literalists.

This caused the Jewish Law to be expanded into thousands of little rules and regulations by the Scribes.

These things became known as the Oral Law and these things grew to take more than fifty volumes of books to hold all those regulations.

They became zealous religionists.

They were self-righteous, heartless, and hypocritical!

These men were the main opponents of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Herodians were not religious at all. They were the political party of King Herod.

They supported Rome and compromised on everything they could to preserve their power and influence.

They had even allowed pagan temples in Judah.

They were made up of Sadducees and therefore they opposed all Messianic claims.

They insisted that taxes must be paid to Rome before tithes were paid to Jehovah God.

These are the people who thought they could catch the Lord Jesus Christ in His words.

Until the Lord Jesus Christ came as a Babe in Bethlehem, the average person did not know these things about any of these religious groups.

What a joke they were!

*****Mar 12:14 And when they were come, they say unto him, Master, we know that thou art true, and carest for no man: for thou regardest not the person of men, but teachest the way of God in truth: Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not?

The Pharisees believed all loyalty should be shown to God, which is right, but it must be done in God’s way which they refused to do.

They were strongly against paying taxes to a foreign king!

They said paying taxes to a secular government was an infringement upon God’s right.

The Herodians, which most were Sadducees was that the state is supreme.

They believe that taxes should be paid to Caesar rather than to God.

These two groups were enemies to each other but joined together to get rid of the Lord Jesus Christ.

They actually thought that they could trip up Jesus using His own words.

This is a character of Satan and we have seen how Satan used a twisted-up version of the Word of God to try to trip up Our Lord Jesus.

Both of these groups hated Jesus.

This was no innocent question they had asked the Lord!

If Jesus chose the side of the Sadducees, He would be called a traitor and the people would have abandoned Him.

If Jesus chose the side of the Pharisees, He would have been labeled an insurrectionist, arrested, and killed.

This is the charge that was eventually used to murder the Lord Jesus.

They at first tried to use flattery to cause Jesus to think they were sincere, but Jesus knew what they were attempting to do because He knew it was hypocritical flattery.

They would never honor the Lord Jesus as the Messiah even if they knew for certain that He was.

We have already seen that selfish ambition can lead to all sorts of sin and we see it here.

We see that it was the religionist who were the greatest enemies of our Lord Jesus Christ, just as it is in America today and most of this world that reject the truth of the Word of God.

Religionists will cause you to go to Hell!

But we see the goal of religionist is to paint Christians as the enemy of government and cause the government to try to silence the Christian saying Christians are the true enemy of the state and we see this play out right before our eyes today right here in the America we love.

As Christians, we have no choice but to defend the Word of God at all costs, because we are commanded to do so or we sin against the One True God.

We can stand on the Word of God because we know that this battle is the Lord’s, and He will solve this issue also according to the Word of God.

Eph_6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

Eph_6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

It is these same things that cause confusion in the general public which the government relies on along with the lies of religionists.

Deception is the main character that the Antichrist will use when he presents himself and he may be on the scene today and probably is.

First, everything they said about the Lord Jesus was very true.

Jesus is certainly the Master teacher being Master and Lord of this entire universe.

Jesus is certainly the most truthful person to have ever lived.

Jesus did certainly teach the way of God.

Jesus certainly did not care what men said about Him, they were already condemned.

Jesus certainly does not regard any man’s person; He never shows favoritism or partiality to anyone.

These men did not mean a word that they were saying.

The one thing they missed is, that Jesus cannot be fooled by anyone because He is God!

Psa 5:9 For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; their inward part is very wickedness; their throat is an open sepulchre; they flatter with their tongue.

Pro 29:5 A man that flattereth his neighbour spreadeth a net for his feet.

Was it lawful to give tribute to Caesar or not?

*****Mar 12:15 Shall we give, or shall we not give? But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them, Why tempt ye me? bring me a penny, that I may see it.

Mar 12:16 And they brought it. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? And they said unto him, Caesar’s.

We must understand that our life in this world and our necessities, depend upon God.

This is seen in the fact that Jesus did not even have a penny.

If Rome was taking care of its people, then why did Jesus not have a penny.

We could ask this same thing today about America.

The fact that there are people starving in America shows that our government does not have its own people on their mind.

It is only shameful to our government that there are people starving in America!

Jesus was living in the state of Israel and Israel was under the rule of Rome.

It seemed that Jesus was a citizen of two governments, yet He still did not have a penny so what was the benefit of this?

We know that the life of Jesus rested in the hands of God just like it is for the Church here today.

Our government is not necessary for life, but God is!

Our government could help us, but it is not necessary because we do not live by bread alone.

We will not have an abundant life without the Lord Jesus Christ!

With the Lord we will have purpose!

Without the Lord we have no purpose!

What is God promise?

Deu 11:13 And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul,

Deu 11:14 That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil.

Deu 11:15 And I will send grass in thy fields for thy cattle, that thou mayest eat and be full.

A penny was shown to the Lord Jesus.

Keep in mind that a penny in that day and time was the wages paid for a day’s labor.

*****Mar 12:16 And they brought it. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? And they said unto him, Caesar’s.

Mar 12:17 And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s. And they marvelled at him.

We know that governments are ordained of God.

Those governments are to provide law and order, community services, and protection for its citizens.

No man is an island within the state so, we are to pay a share to the state to provide these things.

Citizenship also has its own responsibilities.

In other words, we should pay our taxes simply because it is a command of God!

The Lord Jesus proves to us that when we are questioned by our government, we need to understand why they are asking a question before we respond to it.

Most of the time we just answer too quickly without thinking about the reason for the question.

With the image on this coin being of Caesar it was obvious that it belonged to the government of Rome.

We may owe taxes and other things to the government for services rendered, but we owe our worship to the Lord Jesus Christ the God of the Bible.

Our obligations are to God first and the things of God second.

In reality, the entire earth belongs to God, therefore all we possess belongs to the Lord, but the only portion that is valuable to God is our souls.

After this our bodies and our time have importance.

When we withhold these things from God, we are committing sin.

As we join the Church, which is also a command of God, then we owe the performance of our duties to the other members of the Church.

These are also things we owe to our families.

There are things a husband owes to his wife and vice versa.

As Christians we also have a dual citizenship.

We are citizens of Heaven.

We are citizens of this world.

If we use the benefits of the government, then we have an obligation to that government.

Rom 13:1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.

Rom 13:2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.

As citizens of Heaven, we owe our Born-Again life to the Lord.

Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

These things are not that hard to understand.

The government is limited in its power but God is not limited in anything!

God is due the things that are His!

The Herodians in most ways worshipped the Roman government, but Jesus pointed out to them the fact of a spiritual world.

God is real and God’s rule is supreme and everlasting!

Act 17:24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;

Act 17:25 Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;

Act 17:26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;

Act 17:27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:

We are never to forget the Lord God who saved us.

Psa 100:3 Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Psa 100:4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

Having closed the mouths of the Pharisees, then came the Sadducees.

*****Mar 12:18 Then come unto him the Sadducees, which say there is no resurrection; and they asked him, saying,

Mar 12:19 Master, Moses wrote unto us, If a man’s brother die, and leave his wife behind him, and leave no children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.

Mar 12:20 Now there were seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and dying left no seed.

Mar 12:21 And the second took her, and died, neither left he any seed: and the third likewise.

Mar 12:22 And the seven had her, and left no seed: last of all the woman died also.

Mar 12:23 In the resurrection therefore, when they shall rise, whose wife shall she be of them? for the seven had her to wife.

Why is this world working so hard to discredit the Lord Jesus Christ?

Why is this world working so hard to discredit the Word of God?

If what the Lord Jesus says is true then:

All the teachings of evolution are lies.

All the teachings of climate change are lies.

All the insistence of transgender movement are lies.

All the man-made laws of the Pharisees are lies.

All the teachings of the Sadducees are lies.

All the teachings of a true interpretation of the Scriptures are the truth!

Then the Koran is wrong.

Then the books a of Hindu are wrong.

And it goes on and on with all false religions.

Every book on religion without Jesus Christ is wrong!

Guess what, the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ are true and He is God!

The Sadducees were the religious and political liberals in the day of Jesus Christ.

They were wealthy.

They were the aristocrats.

They were the governing class of leaders in Israel.

These things sound so familiar today here in America.

Today we call them Democrats and people like Soros and others who finance socialism and immorality.

The Chief Priest himself was usually a Sadducee in the times of Roman domination.

It was the Chief Priest who was the leader of the Sanhedrin and the Sanhedrin ruled the people on behalf of the Roman government and not the laws of God.

The Roman government made sure the Sadducees were placed in all positions of leadership in Israel.

What had Moses written?

Deu 25:5 If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child, the wife of the dead shall not marry without unto a stranger: her husband’s brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of an husband’s brother unto her.

Deu 25:6 And it shall be, that the firstborn which she beareth shall succeed in the name of his brother which is dead, that his name be not put out of Israel.

This law assured that the line of that family would continue and that the property holdings would stay in the hands of that family as according to the Laws of Moses.

The Sadducees used this law to try to catch Jesus off guard.

Remember the Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection of the body.

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.

If the Lord Jesus would not be resurrected, then He could not return to take us home to Heaven.

They were just mocking the Lord Jesus and He knew it, because they did not understand the truth of the Scriptures.

You cannot fool God!

You will not mock God for very long!

*****Mar 12:24 And Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God?

What is the major problem with those who are lost?

They do not understand the Scriptures and they cannot understand them without the Holy Spirit!

The resurrection is based on the Scriptures and the power of God!

The Lord Jesus tells those who deny the power of God that they are in error.

The Scriptures leave no doubt that there is a spiritual world and that a resurrection into that spiritual world will take place!

1Th 4:14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

1Th 4:15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

1Th 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

1Th 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

1Th 4:18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

People, even God’s people, do not study the Scriptures as they should.

So many, in this world just do not believe what the Word of God says.

So many, just do not take the Word of God literally for what it says.

Most all of this world believes the lies of evolution and deny the power of God.

They are ignorant of God.

Some do not believe God nor His power.

Some believe but they believe He is a weak God because they see so much evil in this world.

It is a fact that the Spiritual world is perplexing to the natural man and even to some so-called Christians.

Because of a belief in evolution, the world does not understand the makeup of mankind.

We are a body, a soul, and a spirit!

Not some descendant of an ape or any other animal.

It is the Word of God that reveals to us the reality of the spirit world and the fact that of the resurrection of our bodies will take place after our death, to join our soul that is already in Heaven or in Hell.

God offers us a chance to avoid Hell!

If we study the Scriptures with the help of the Holy Spirit, we will trust the Word of God and the Power of God!

This resurrection will take place!

*****Mar 12:25 For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven.

The Sadducees did not know anything about the Scriptures!

Our future in the glory world will exceed all earthly relationships including marriage.

This future life will be like that of the angels and the Lord.

The Sadducees did not believe in angels.

There is nothing in Heaven that will resemble our present mortal existence!

1Co 15:40 There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.

Our love will be perfected and that love will be directed toward the Lord first, and then to each other on a much higher plain than marriage.

Angels are already above that plain and angels do not marry and angels are not and have not been involved with humans in an immoral way no matter what some teach.

That would only show a weakness that God does not have.

Selfishness and sin will not exist.

Jealousy will not exist.

Immorality will not exist.

All the things that cause relationship problems will be non-existent!

All our relationships in Heaven will be eternal!

God will change our brief time we have together now, into an eternal time for us to be together.

Will we recognize each other?

1Co 13:12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

1Co 13:13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

Yes, we will be known as we are known now but on a higher plane than resemblance and knowledge of each other.

It is that giving love that will prevail in Heaven!

1Co 15:42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:

1Co 15:43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:

1Co 15:44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.

1Co 15:49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.

1Co 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

We are mistaken and in error when we try to materialize Heaven!

We are mistaken and in error when we try to humanize eternal life!

Heaven is much more than just a glorified world!

With our glorified body we will be on a higher plane than even the angels.

If you can see it here in this lifetime, you will not see that thing in Heaven!

As touching the dead:

*****Mar 12:26 And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?

Mar 12:27 He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err.

We should understand that our resurrection is a living relationship that cannot be broken!

God’s relationships are with all His children that have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior!

There is no other way to have a relationship with God other than through the Lord Jesus Christ!

There are no other Gods!

God is eternal and God maintains active eternal relationships!

When we arrive in Heaven, God will say I have been expecting you at any moment because time is a human necessity.

Abraham, Jacob, and Isaac are not dead but more alive than they have ever been and so are all those who have gone on before us as believers in Christ Jesus.

God is the God of the living not the God of the dead!

God is not the God of decaying corpse.

There will be a resurrection!

Questions, questions, questions.

*****Mar 12:28 And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?

The Bible is a book of commandments and not a book of suggestions.

These scribes are sometimes called lawyers.

Maybe he was beginning to understand the truth of the Scriptures that he had made so many copies of.

Through the years the Jews had six hundred and thirteen commandments.

So to ask such a question would be reasonable.

So many people get stuck on commandments and miss the truth of the Scriptures.

One could say which commands are more important than the others.

What is that answer? James writes:

Jas 2:8 If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:

Jas 2:9 But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.

Jas 2:10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

Jas 2:11 For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.

Now Jesus will explain that royal law.

*****Mar 12:29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:

Mar 12:30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

Mar 12:31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

It is that law of love, the love we will live by in Heaven that should be leading us now, if you have a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

These are the laws that will guide us in Heaven but on a much greater plain of love!

The Lord our God is one Lord!

This is the foundation of the first commandment and truly all commandments are based upon this first commandment.

The Lord our God, the God of all men is one God. He, through three persons, forms the unity of the One True God!

1Jn 5:7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.

1Jn 5:8 And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.

1Jn 5:9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son.

We owe all our love to Him!

Deu 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:

Deu 6:5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

Deu 6:6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:

The Lord Jesus quotes the first commandment as containing the principle of all commandments.

God simply says not to love pleasure but to love Him!

If we do not take time to seek the Lord, we will spend too much time feeding our body and satisfying our appetite for sin.

Without our love for God, we are no more than animals as evolution teaches.

With the love of God, we are more like the angels who serve God without questioning Him.

Those confined to man-made religion do not understand that we are to love God with all our heart.

The Lord must be the focus and concentration of our life!

The Lord must be the only subject of our devotion!

The Lord is the One God who come and will live within each believer!

Eph 4:6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

The Lord God is our Creator!

Isa 45:18 For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.

Our Lord God is to be loved!

A loving relationship involves commitment and loyalty!

True love does not allow lustful behavior.

It is lustful behavior that drives sin in our world today.

Abortion, HIV, and many other things and many other diseases are driven by lustful behavior and this behavior has consequences that foolish people think of as rights.

True love of God leads to a desire to be united and joined to God.

True love of God leads to obeying the Will of God.

True love of God leads to joy and delight in the duties of worship and of service.

This love is only possible through the Lord Jesus Christ!

It is Christ who reveals to us the Almighty, Incomprehensible, Creator!

It is the love of God that teaches us how to love one another!

This love should extend throughout all God’s creation.

This love extends to our families, our friends, our neighbors (all mankind), our countrymen, and our planet.

This love also extends to our enemies.

How can we lead a lost soul to the Lord if we cannot show love to them, our enemies?

A loving relationship involves trust and respect for all those God says to love.

Remember, this is a command of the Lord Jesus Christ and our love begins with Him.

The Lord Jesus demands that we love our neighbors as ourselves!

Love is an action word.

The Lord tells us to love the Lord God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind, and all our strength and we prove this to Him when we love our neighbors as ourselves.

God Himself demonstrated this command for us!

Rom 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

We can love ourselves once we realize that we are the object of God’s love!

In all these things showing the Love of God to others is showing God’s Mercy to us all!

How did this scribe react?

*****Mar 12:32 And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:

Mar 12:33 And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.

Mar 12:34 And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.

The religion of this scribe had been tied up into offerings and sacrifice and he had dedicated his life to these things and he had never given thought to the command of love even though he knew Scripture.

When we are settled on the fact of God’s love, then how can we not live for Him.

Jesus told this scribe that by understanding the love of God it gets us real close to salvation.

The thing lacking to him “accepting the work of the Lord Jesus” as the means of our salvation, and this love the Lord Jesus described to us, is our means of salvation and our only means of salvation.

If all those who are so tied up in religion would understand the love of God, they would not be far from salvation, lacking only faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Pro_3:5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

Remember, God looks into the heart and what He is looking for is to see if there is love in that heart.

Most of us have a filthy heart and the Lord Jesus is the only one who can solve this problem.

Psa_26:2 Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart.

Rom_10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

We have to be open and honest in our relationship with God, to be part of His family and that family has the Lord Jesus Christ as the first-born Son.

Amen

What Are Your Ambitions

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

The Servant’s Mandate

Book of Mark Chapter 10

The time that the Lord Jesus had left upon this earth was growing short and He was making His last trip to Jerusalem.

What the Lord Jesus had come to do, to die for the sin of the entire world, was about to take place in a few short days and the world would never be the same.

We should understand that at this time, the Jews were praying for the coming of the Messiah.

They were tired of the dominance of Rome and the evil that had come to the Jews.

Under the Romans, the people felt that God could not wait much longer before He sent the Anointed One, the Messiah.

We have this same feeling today on the return of the Messiah.

The Messiah was the promised answer to all their problems!

Some men had come claiming to be the Messiah and many Jews had fallen into the trap believing them, when nothing in the Scriptures had said they were true.

These things had caused more problems with Rome.

Barabbas was one of those who had been an insurrectionist and was now in prison.

How did these Jews see the Messiah?

1) He would be the leader from the line of David who would free the Jewish state and establish Israel as an independent nation and lead Israel to become the greatest nation this world has ever known.

2) The Messiah would be the greatest military leader to have ever lived and would lead the armies of Israel to victory.

3) The Messiah would be that supernatural figure straight from Jehovah and bring righteousness to all the earth.

4) The Messiah would be the One who would bring peace to all of this world.

We can see that the Antichrist will have no problem convincing the people of the secular world that he is the true Messiah.

There should have been no doubt that this Jesus was indeed the promised Messiah because He had fulfilled the Scriptures associated with Him.

The name Jesus shows Him to be 100% man.
The name Christ (Messiah) shows Him to be 100% God.
In one person the anointed One of God the true Messiah.

Mat 16:16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Mat 16:17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

Mar 14:61 But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?
Mar 14:62 And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.

Joh 4:25 The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.
Joh 4:26 Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.

Jesus Christ, is God’s very own Son.

The promised Prophet:

Deu 18:15 The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;

The promised Priest:

Psa 110:4 The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.

The priest that lives forever.
His priesthood cannot be transmitted nor interrupted by death.
His priesthood is unchangeable.

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.

The promised King:

2Sa 7:12 And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.
2Sa 7:13 He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.

God said Jesus was His Son

Mat 3:16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
Mat 3:17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

All the Gospels say that the Heavens opened with this message to the Lord Jesus.

All these things being, true plus the fact that the Lord Jesus had told all His disciples what would happen during this time in Jerusalem, we would expect those twelve men to be more serious about the role they would play in God’s plan of salvation.

All these men could think of was that the Lord Jesus was about to free Israel and set up His kingdom upon this earth.

Two of the disciples, James, and John, with the help of their mother wanted to get the upper hand over the other disciples and they allowed their ambitions to take over good judgment.

Luk 9:46 Then there arose a reasoning among them, which of them should be greatest.

We see that the love of the Lord came second to personal ambition.

The Lord Jesus Christ must be first in our lives!

*Mar 10:35 And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, come unto him, saying, Master, we would that thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall desire.

The Lord Jesus Christ was just a few days from His death upon a nasty old cross, and He was faced with the foolish tactics of humans trying to outdo each other!

This is one of our greatest pitfalls.

We must understand that most of the time our desires will get in the way of our relationship with our Savior!

Desire means concupiscence and concupiscence means any improper or illicit desire; sensual appetite; especially, lustful desire or feeling; sensuality; lust.

We could also say that desire could mean our ambitions.

This sort of desire is sinful because our desire should be to be like the Lord Jesus Christ!

These two presented their desires to the Lord in secret because they thought they could get ahead of the others who they felt wanted the same thing, to be closest to the Lord Jesus when He was King of Israel.

Luk 9:46 Then there arose a reasoning among them, which of them should be greatest.

They even tried to take advantage by using the relationship of their mother to the Lord.

James and John came from a rich family.

Remember there were certain women who provided funds and support of this ministry of Christ Jesus.

One of those was their mother!

Luk 8:3 And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance.

John and James came from a family that were financially able to help the Lord Jesus Christ.

The ambitions of these two disciples of the Lord were sinful, because it came from their heart and we know the heart is deceitful.

It also caused them to use other people to fulfill their ambitions.

Notice their words: “we would that thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall desire.”

They tried to get the Lord Jesus to commit to their requests before they revealed what their request was all about.

They knew their desire might be sinful!

They were blinded by their own lust to be honored above the other disciples.

Many a Preacher today will not preach some truths because it might cause some well-off persons to contribute to their ministry or it may lead them to cease to give their support.

When we have a great desire to fulfill some ambition that we should not have, but are determined anyway, then it is sin!

Joh 5:44 How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only?

Oba 1:3 The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground?
Oba 1:4 Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the LORD.

The Lord Jesus, even though He knew what was in their hearts asked “what are you asking of Me”.

*Mar 10:36 And he said unto them, What would ye that I should do for you?
Mar 10:37 They said unto him, Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory.

James and John fully believed that when Jesus reached Jerusalem, He was going to set up His promised Kingdom.

They wanted to be the top ministers of this new government of Christ.

What makes our ambitions to be good or bad?

It is the motive behind that ambition!

**They wanted Christ to prove that they were His favorite disciples.

We know that upon three occasions, the Lord had separated Peter, James, and John from the others so it seems they wanted to get ahead of Peter.

They felt like they were special, the inner circle of Christ’s ministry, therefore they were due some recognition.

This is sinful pride and a great lesson for us all to learn.

When we feel like the Lord owes us something great for the work we do in His ministry, we should realize that He has already given us the greatest gift of all and it is salvation and an eternal home in Heaven.

What is the truth of God?

God is no respecter of persons!

Act 10:34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:
Act 10:35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.

We also know that pride goes before destruction!

Pro 16:18 Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.
Pro 16:19 Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.

Coming from a wealthy family did carry some weight with the rulers of that day, but not with the Lord Jesus Christ!

Wealth can make a person to be self-centered.

It can cause selfishness.
It can cause some to seek more attention than others.
It can cause some to expect more honor.
It can cause some to expect more favor to be shown to them.

But it can also cause some to be selective in using the Word of God!

Mar 4:19 And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.

It would seem to others that they thought they were on the same level of importance as the Messiah.

These things are detrimental to the Church.

Church leaders who seek honor and recognition seldom help a church!

It is the same for anyone who wants to be on a level equal to Jesus Christ!

Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church and we are the body of Christ.

What is the truth? Some will be the heart of the Church and some the mind of the Church, but some will also have to be the rear end of the church and most of us will be the feet of the Church, and the Lord honors them all exactly the same, except for the true Preacher.

The Lord Jesus informed James and John that they did not really understand what they were asking Him.

*Mar 10:38 But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask: can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?

The Lord Jesus pulled no punches and asked these two disciples, “can you go through the things and suffer through the things I am about to go through”?

Can you drink the cup of agony?

**That cup refers to what we can take and bear ourselves.

That cup means drinking the bitterness of agony of trials and the pain and the suffering of those trials, and the disappointment the Lord Jesus Christ has in us, if we have not been saved.

How much suffering can we take until we say, “that’s enough”?

This is more than just outward suffering and it includes inward suffering which is many times worst.

**That baptism Jesus refers to, is the suffering that Jesus felt that happened to Him on the outside of His body.

Isa_52:14 As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:

When we truly live for Jesus Christ and witness for Him, we are saying we accept that we must go through these things and some of us may become martyrs.

Jesus Christ demands all that we have and all that we are, if we are to carry His message of salvation to this world!

We must live so differently from this world we live in, that this world sees us as different, even peculiar!

We must live for God rather than live for ourselves!

What do we know? James the brother John was the first Apostle to die just because he accepted the Gospel of Jesus Christ and witnessed for Him.

His death had nothing to do with what he was doing with his brother on this day.

Over time, all the others but John, the brother of James, suffered their death just because they refused to stop preaching the Gospel!

John lived to be around one hundred years old and we do not know just how he died.

John suffered in ways the others did not.

John witnessed the suffering of our Lord Jesus Christ.
John lived through the murder and the deaths of all the other Apostles.
John lived a long life of banishment and exile.

The Lord Jesus warned them that these things could happen to them.

*Mar 10:39 And they said unto him, We can. And Jesus said unto them, Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of; and with the baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized:
Mar 10:40 But to sit on my right hand and on my left hand is not mine to give; but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared.

Have you noticed that every time we elect a new president that when that person gets in office, the first thing he does is fire all those from the previous administration that he is able to and put in place those who have supported him, who have donated to him, and those who think the same as he thinks.

These are acts of favor!

The Lord Jesus firmly says that this is not the way His kingdom will be!

Jesus says, “it is not mine to give”.

Jesus did say that someone would sit on His right and on His left!

Jesus did say these things would be given to those for whom it is prepared.

The part of Jesus in the flesh could not know who these persons would be.

The Jesus part that is God certainly knew who these persons would be.

We can see that God is preparing to bestow such an honor on some persons that may seem to be above others!

Some say these points toward degrees of glory in Heaven.

Some say this will take place in the time of the Millennial Kingdom.

We should understand that there will be some places of agony in Hell much worse than other places in Hell.

Jesus Christ is the Giver of life and the Giver of eternal life, but He never gives by way of favoring one above another.

The Apostle Paul wrote:

1Co 9:24 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.
1Co 9:25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.
1Co 9:26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:
1Co 9:27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

How are we to run in this race for the prizes of Heaven?

Heb 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
Heb 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

What I know is, that everyone who is saved from the wrath of God, has a mansion prepared for them in Heaven and I believe they all will be the same and will be covered with the beautifulness of Heaven.

These are things we are not to worry about, but as Paul says by the Holy Spirit, just get in the race and do what the Lord has called upon us to do.

We must be sure to be in the will of God for our lives!

Joh 14:1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
Joh 14:2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
Joh 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
Joh 14:4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.

Jesus also said that some of those who came first will be last and some of those who came last would be first.

Mat 19:28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Mat 19:29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.
Mat 19:30 But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.

The main thing is, let us not let our ambitions get in the way of our serving the Lord!

By this time, the other ten disciples found out what was going on with James and John.

*Mar 10:41 And when the ten heard it, they began to be much displeased with James and John.

We may not know how these others found out how this thing was going, but when they did, it certainly caused problems with the disciples.

We do know that James and John came from a family that lived in a better social position than most of the rest and they were well aware of how things worked in government and religious circles, so rightly so these men were upset.

Anger was aroused.
Tempers flared.
Arguments became inflamed.

The Church of Jesus Christ was in jeopardy because of petty issues that should not have taken place, but we are all humans with our sin nature intact.

What did the Lord Jesus do? He gathered them all together to settle this issue at once.

*Mar 10:42 But Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them.
Mar 10:43 But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister:
Mar 10:44 And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all.

First, the Lord Jesus did not find fault with ambition and He does not today.

We need some part of ambition in our service to the Lord.

Jesus did not find fault with power or authority.

What Jesus condemned, is the way leaders and tyrants use this power today, such as we see in our own government.

The way judges are selected, the way officers of government are selected, is what caused the Lord Jesus to condemn this practice.

Let us call this the principles of lordship.

These things are done simply to show that they have the power to do this to us.

It really came out in the period of Covid 19.

This government would take all our freedoms away, if we allowed these things to continue.

They do not have this freedom according to our Constitution and we must stand against them.

The truth is, if people are left to themselves, the systems that they will construct will be centralized and monarchical.

There will be those who think of themselves as lords over the people.
There will be those who think they are dukes or equivalent.
There will be that one who thinks of himself as king.

We see this every day in our own nation!

The Lord Jesus says the Church, the people of God, will not operate this way.

Jesus said ambition is good when it does not seek to rule and exercise authority.

Jesus says that true ambition is not desiring the chief positions.

It is not self-centered.
It is not selfish.
It is not worldly minded.

The closer we are to be like our Lord Jesus, the greater a witness we can become.

The better we are at being obedient to the Word of God, the greater we will become.

The more we look for people who need help to be saved, the greater we will become.

The greatest, are those who witness for the Lord Jesus Christ.

The chieftest, are those who are the servants of God!

To be the greatest person is to be the greatest servant.

Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

To be the greatest, is to walk in the ways of the Lord Jesus Christ!

*Mar 10:45 For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

The greatest example of ambition in the Bible for the Church is the Lord Jesus Christ, who would not rest until He faced the cross for us.

Isa_50:7 For the Lord GOD will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.

Jesus faced humiliation far above what we can understand.

Php 2:6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
Php 2:7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
Php 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

The Lord Jesus secured His kingdom by becoming a servant to those who would follow Him.

The Lord Jesus became the ransom that God required for our sin!

2Co 5:14 For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:
2Co 5:15 And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.
2Co 5:16 Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.
2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

If we have a great ambition, then let that ambition to be more like the Lord Jesus Christ and to walk in His ways.

Besides for me, I am like the Psalmist.

Psa_84:10 For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.

Amen

Exalting the Lord Jesus in Our Lives

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

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 for many years but then I met the Lord Jesus Christ and I am no longer dumb!

We have allowed 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

It Is Time the World Recognized Jesus

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

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? 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 Malichi 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

Our God of Holiness

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

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

The World Is Afraid of the Gospel of Jesus Christ

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

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 son 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