Mark 10- Only Jesus

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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. And he said unto them, What would ye that I should do for you? 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. Mark 10:35-37

The “sons of Thunder” asked Jesus if they could sit at his right and left hand, obviously these guys had no idea what they were asking for! The first issue we see is the Apostles were starting to feed their egos rather than feed the sheep. With all the fame Jesus experienced with his miracles and teachings, the Apostles were using this to build their own egos, doesn’t this sound familiar in today’s Church?

Secondly it shows the Apostles at this moment, didn’t understand what Jesus came to accomplish on the Earth. They didnt understand that Jesus came to die for the sins of the world, they also didn’t understand that nobody else is worthy to be in this position except for Jesus Christ alone! To believe you could sit at the right or left hand of God, is blasphemy!

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? 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: 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. And when the ten heard it, they began to be much displeased with James and John. Mark 10:38-41

Jesus told the brothers, “You have no idea what you’re talking about” Jesus asks them “Can they drink from the cup that he drinks from”? And the brothers answered “Yes”, this clearly indicates they had no idea what Jesus was talking about. The cup Jesus was referring to was the Cup of Wrath, that God poured down upon Christ on the cross

Nobody else could pay the debt for our sins except Jesus Christ, nobody else could drink from the cup, why? Because as Jesus said earlier “Nobody is good but God alone” we are all sinners, nobody else is sinless except for the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ

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. But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all. Mark 10:42-44

Jesus explains how the Kingdom of God works, it’s the opposite of this world. Those who want to be great in the Kingdom of God must be a servant of all, God wants us to humble ourselves! This is a concept difficult for us to understand, because this world is all about glorifying the flesh, God’s Kingdom is about followingThe Spirit

If you want to be a disciple of Christ, humble yourself, be a servant of all, deny yourself, carry your cross, and follow Jesus , Amen!

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!