Monthly Archives: April 2021

Mark 10- Are You A Good Person?

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And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother. And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. Mark 10:17-20

Are you a good person? The majority of people would say “Yes” and believe they will enter Heaven because they are a “good person” However Jesus states “Nobody is good but God” , so do you think you’re still a good person? The Bible tells us “We have all have sinned and fallen short of the glory and God” (Romans 3:) We are all sinners, this is why we all need a Savior , Jesus Christ

Notice also Jesus is declaring He is God, nobody is good but God, Jesus is the sinless Lamb of God. If Jesus isn’t God then he can’t be the atonement for your sins, think about that! How does Jesus respond to the man, he lists the Ten Commandments, why? Because the Law of God is a mirror to show how sinful we are!

Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions. Mark 10: 21-22

Jesus said “Ok you want to be my disciple, sell all your stuff, give it to the poor, and follow Me” Notice the response from the rich young ruler, he was sad and walked away, why? Because he loved his life, he loved his money more than he loved Christ

Jesus said “Deny yourself, carry your cross, and follow him” Are you willing to do that? Are you willing to pay the price of being a Christian? Secondly , nobody is a good person, we are all sinners and have transgressed a Holy God, we can only be justified and forgiven by the blood of Jesus Christ. Nobody goes to Heaven except through Christ! Amen!

Mark 10 – Covenant of Marriage

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And Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept. But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. Mark 10:5-8

Often people will say Jesus didnt address homosexuality or same sex marriage, they must of forgot to read this Chapter. Here Jesus addresses the issue of divorce, while addressing he affirms the covenant of marriage established by God in the book of Genesis 2. God created us male and female, to marry, and whatever is bound by the covenant of marriage shouldnt be seperated. 

So how does this address homosexuality? Simple, any sex outside the covenant of marriage is immoral. What is the covenant of marriage, simply a man and a woman just as Jesus explained. This goes beyond homosexuality, any sex outside of marriage is a sin, period. 

What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. And in the house his disciples asked him again of the same matter. And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her. And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery. Mark 10:9-12

Jesus teachings on divorce are not any softer, as the Bible tells us “God hates divorce” (Malachi 2:16) Now we know this is a very complex topic and there are alot of circumstances that can ruin a marriage, but God’s original design was for marriage to be a man and a woman to last forever

Now we live in a fallen world, due to sin, so living a perfect life is not attainable. However we should strive to live a life pleasing and honoring to God. In Matthew 5:32 Jesus says that you can get a divorce due to sexual immorality. So God is understanding that sometimes a covenant in marriage needs to be dissolved, but of course that wasn’t his original design, but due to the sinful nature of the world God made exceptions.

The Bible is clear, God made Man and Woman, there is no transgender or gender confusion, any confusion is caused by Satan. Biology and Science is pretty clear, they can identify the gender of a person before they leave the womb. God will not be mocked, serve him with all your heart, mind, and soul in Jesus name Amen!

Mark 9- Hell Fire

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And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. Mark 9:43-46

In today’s Christianity, people like to downplay the place we know as Hell (Gehenna) , people like to see it’s just figurative or that it’s a temporary place, but this isn’t what Jesus teaches. In fact if you focus on what Christ is teaching you see it’s a permanent place and your still alive there

Jesus said it’s better to cut off your hand or foot if they cause you to sin then to go to Hell forever. Is Jesus suggesting you cut off your body parts, no? Hes trying to make a point, that it would be better for you to cut out the sin in your life then to go to Hell for it. Cut out the drugs, alcohol, pornography, greed, hatred, ect whatever is consuming you to sin, its better to cut it out now then to go to Hell forever

Notice Jesus says “The Fire is Not Quenched”, this is not annihilationism or conditional immortality, the Hell Fire never stops. Jesus is quoting Isaiah 66, proof that Hell is not a New Testament concept, this was taught in the Old Testament also

And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. Mark 9:48-49

Ask yourself if Hell was temporary or just symbolic , why would it be better to cut off your body parts then to go there? What about judgement for our sin? We would agree God is Just, so how will Hitler pay for his evil acts? When he died did he just cease to exist? No , hes in Hell right now paying for the wages of his sins. God is eternal, when you sin against a eternal and holy God, you will have eternal consequences

This is why the gospel is so important, that we need to become Born Again (John 3) by the blood of Jesus Christ, Hell is real but you dont have to go there, because Christ is the atonement for our sins , trust in Jesus Amen!

Mark 9- Who Is The Greatest?

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And he came to Capernaum: and being in the house he asked them, What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way? But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest. And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all. Mark 9:33-35

While Jesus taught his disciples to deny themselves, carry their crosses , and follow him, they were arguing who was the greatest of the Apostles. Does that sound familiar? How many Churches or ministries have become more “self-centered” than “Christ-centered”? 

Jesus said “If anyone wants to be first then need to be the servant of everyone”, ouch, that should bruise the ego of many big named pastors and theologians. We need to continually remind ourselves to stay humble, regardless of what position we are in or how prosperous, we need to remain humble and remember we are servants of Jesus Christ!

And he took a child, and set him in the midst of them: and when he had taken him in his arms, he said unto them, Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me. Mark 9:36-37

Jesus used a child to demonstrate the humility and innocence that he expects from us, children are typically not egocentric or driven by power or money like adults. Children are typically innocent and are curious , they are willing to listen and learn new things. Children will typically be friends and play with anyone, regardless of your race or money status, wish we could say the same for adults or even Christians

Deny ourselves, carry our crosses, and follow Jesus, these were the simple 3 steps Christ commanded us, however for the human flesh they seem very difficult to obey. Take the example of a child, they are considered the greatest in God’s Kingdom Amen!

Romans 12- The Resurrection of Christ

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But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. Romans 8:11

As we just finished celebrating the Resurrection of Christ this Sunday, it’s time to ponder, the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is living inside of You! As we are already amazed how Jesus defeated sin and death forever, rising eternally , God has promised as Christians we are to have the Holy Spirit living inside of us!

First thing as Holy Week should be fresh in everyone’s minds, none of this would be possible without Jesus willingly going to the cross to pay the debt for our sins, and rising on Easter Sunday morning! 

But now that you are Born Again in Christ, the Holy Spirit is living inside of You. Reminds me of when Jesus cleansed the Temple before going to the cross. As a Christian you cleansed your body of sin by the blood of Christ and now are filled with the New Wine, the Holy Spirit

Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.  Romans 8:12-13

The struggle with sin is still real, even though you are a new creature in Christ, you are imprisoned by the flesh. Sinful desires and thoughts haunt us, however we have an Advocate, The Holy Spirit, who will empower us to overcome our sin. And we have the blood of Christ to cleanse us from our sin!

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. Romans 8:14-15

Because of what Christ accomplished at the cross and the tomb, we are now Children of God! We can now call God “Abba Father” because we have been adopted through the blood of Christ

When you understand all of this, you understand how glorious the Resurrection of Christ is and why its the central theme of our faith , Amen!