Tag Archives: Mark

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!

Jesus Is Risen Part 4

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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. And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept Mark 16:9-10

As we see again from the gospel of Mark, Mary Magdalene, who was freed from seven demons was the first to see the Risen Jesus. Also notice how it described the disciples, they were weeping and mourning over the loss of their Lord Jesus

However Mary went to tell them the good news (Gospel) that Jesus Is Risen! Imagine their response when they first heard this! Imagine when they thought Jesus was dead and now realized that He is Risen forever!

And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not. After that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country. Mark 16:11-12

But look what it says, even though Mary seen Jesus with her own eyes, they didn’t believe her! Even though Jesus told them countless times, he was going to be resurrected, they didn’t remember and they didn’t believe

Now for the next 40 days Jesus would make numerous appearances to his disciples and hundreds of other people. Here he appeared to two of his disciples to reveal He Is Risen

And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them. Mark 16:13

Those two disciples went back to report that Jesus Is Risen also, and guess what they still didn’t believe! Does this sound familiar? Does this sound a lot like people today? There are still many people today who still don’t believe Jesus Is Risen! What is it going to take for you to believe?

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. Mark 16:17

Later Jesus came and appeared to the rest of the disciples and notice what he did, he rebuked them! Why? Because of the hardness of their hearts! Even though they had multiple witnesses to his resurrection , they still hardened their hearts and didn’t believe

Are you still hardening your heart today? There were hundreds of eye witnesses of the resurrected Jesus, receive him today because He Is Risen!

Mark 9- Help Our Unbelief

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And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; 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. 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. Mark 9:17-19

As we know Jesus is the Lord of Lords, he is Master over everything natural and supernatural. Demons tremble and are in submission to Christ, so when they brought a demon possessed boy to Jesus, they said “we could not cast him out” Why? Do they believe this demon is greater than Christ? Do they believe Jesus is unable to heal?

Jesus called them “a faithless generation” ouch, think about all the miracles and healings these people have witnessed already, yet they still lacked faith in Christ. Do we really believe that Jesus is Lord over everything? 

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. And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child. 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. Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” Mark 9:20-23

The demon tormented the boy for a long time, the man asked Jesus to have compassion on them, remember Jesus demonstrated his love and compassion on the cross! While the suffering of this present life is difficult, the weeping and gnashing of teeth in eternity is even more frightening. Jesus had compassion on us and delivered us from sin and death

Jesus said “If you can believe, All things are possible” I know to many this sounds like a bumper sticker or cliche, but this is the spoken words of our Lord Jesus Christ, believe it!

And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. 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. Mark 9:24-25

“Lord , Help me with my unbelief” This should be the battle cry for all Christians, Help us Jesus to overcome our lack of faith and understanding. Jesus rebuked the demon and left the boy immediately, because Jesus is Lord and God

Help us Lord with our Unbelief, deliver us from our present sufferings in Jesus Name Amen!

Mark 9- The Transfiguration

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And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them. And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them. And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus. And Peter answered and said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. Mark 9:2-5

Today we take a look at the event of the Transfiguration of Christ, this event reveals many things to us. First we see Jesus transforming into his glorified state, he immediately turned white as snow, this is similar to when the Apostle John saw Jesus in Revelation also how Daniel saw Christ in Daniel 7. There should be no mistake to the Apostles that Jesus is the one who was prophesied by Daniel, Isaiah, Ezekiel, ect

Also we see Elijah and Moses standing with Jesus, for those who believe in soul sleep, how is this possible? Its obvious Elijah and Moses are alive and well, as we remember Elijah was actually raptured to Heaven. But also Elijah and Moses represent two important things here, Elijah represents the Prophets and Moses represents the Law

This is a revelation of the New Covenant, Jesus fulfilled the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 5:17) Having Elijah and Moses standing with him is obviously very significant

For he wist not what to say; for they were sore afraid. And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him. And suddenly, when they had looked round about, they saw no man any more, save Jesus only with themselves. And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead. Mark 9:6-9

Again we see our Heavenly Father confirming Jesus Christ the Son , “This is my beloved Son, listen to him” If you needed anymore confirmation that Jesus is the Christ or the New Covenant has come, I don’t know what to tell you. Notice the similarity between when Moses was on Mt Sinai when he received the Ten Commandments and this scene now

Jesus again prophecies about his death and resurrection, Christ does this over and over again throughout his ministry, yet the disciples never seemed to grasp it. Here again he says “Don’t tell anyone till the Son of Man has risen from the dead” Sounds pretty straight forward.

The transfiguration is just another glimpse into Gods Kingdom and a look at the Risen Christ who reigns forever and ever Amen!

Mark 8- The Passion of The Christ

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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. And he spake that saying openly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him. 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. Mark 8:31-33

The hour is coming for Christ to go to the cross and pay the penalty for our sins and give us eternal life. Jesus prophesied about his death and resurrection multiple times throughout his ministry. Still the disciples often didn’t understand what Jesus was saying to them. They didn’t understand the Christ was also the Lamb of God who took away the sin of the world

Peter didn’t understand this either, and actually rebuked Jesus! Imagine that rebuking The Lord, Jesus in turn called Peter Satan and told him to get out of his way. What was going on here? Peter didn’t understand God’s plan for salvation, so instead of him trusting in The Lord, he devised his own plan, does that sound familiar? Often we don’t understand the ways of The Lord so we make our own way. 

But its important to understand that Jesus is the only one who could deliver us from our sin, nobody else could go to that cross and pay the debt for our transgressions. This is the gospel message

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. 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.For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Mark 8:34-37

Jesus has some heavy lessons here for us, if you really want to be a Christian “Deny yourself, Carry your cross, and follow Jesus” How many Christians are really doing this? When modern day Christianity seems to be more “Self-Centered” than “Christ-Centered” its time to repent and turn to The Lord, carry your cross meaning suffer and endure, and have faith in Jesus Christ

Many people want to be rich and famous, what does that profit you when your soul is going to Hell? The pleasures and traps of this world are temporary and won’t bring you salvation, only Christ can give you salvation, follow him with all your heart, mind, and soul

Is there anything worth selling your soul for? Temporarily you might think so, but eternity is a long time to be wrong, Christ has died, Christ is Risen, Christ will come again for you! Amen!

Mark 8- Unleavened Bread

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Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, neither had they in the ship with them more than one loaf.And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod. And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have no bread. And when Jesus knew it, he saith unto them, Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? perceive ye not yet, neither understand? have ye your heart yet hardened? Mark 8:14-17

Jesus has just completed feeding 4,000 people with just 7 loaves of bread, notice the symbolic number of 7 for completion. However the disciples were upset because they forgot to take the leftover bread with them to eat later. Jesus became very annoyed with their lack of faith, here they just witnessed an amazing miracle, and yet they are already worrying about their next meal

Jesus said to them “Why don’t you understand, why did you harden your hearts”? The disciples know Jesus provided bread for 4,000 people and yet they worry about where their next meal is coming from, does this sound familiar? We know Jesus is Lord, we know he defeated sin and death, so why do we doubt he will provide for us?

The bread here is symbolic of sin, notice the disciples are worrying about real bread and Jesus references for the leaven bread of the Pharisees, the leaven is symbolic of sin, that’s why communion is supposed  to have unleavened bread

Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? and do ye not remember?When I brake the five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? They say unto him, Twelve.And when the seven among four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? And they said, Seven.And he said unto them, How is it that ye do not understand? Mark 8:18-21

Jesus references the two events of feeding the multitudes with only a few loaves of bread, the disciples all witnessed these miracles, even ate, yet they already forgot and are low on faith. How does this happen? It happens to all of us, our flesh overcomes us with fear, worry, and anxiety, we need to cling to Jesus, we need to remember what he has already done for us!

Jesus asks “How do we not understand”? Jesus wants to know what is our excuse, why do we keep doubting him? We need to truly trust in Jesus with all our mind, heart, and soul. Not just say we are Christians but truly live it, Amen!

Mark 8- The Sign From Heaven

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And straightway he entered into a ship with his disciples, and came into the parts of Dalmanutha. And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven, tempting him. Mark 8:10-11

I want a sign from God! This is what most of the world decrees, they claim if only God would send them a sign, then they would believe, is that really true? From a naturalist perspective we see signs and wonders all around us on a daily basis, the universe, the sun, the moon, the stars, these are all realities that can’t be explained without God, however they are not good enough

People want miracles, they want cures, they want revelation! Can you honestly say in your lifetime, you have never seen a miracle? Have you never experienced or witnessed anything that was beyond the naturalistic explanation? Of course you have, however we like to dismiss these events, further testing God

If someone did witness a miracle, would that automatically convert them to Christianity? Probably not, when you look at the ocean or stand on a giant mountain, does that lead you to repentance of your sin and then have faith in Christ? Of course not, so why are you using signs and wonders as an excuse to reject God? I heard a popular atheist say “Even if he witnessed God parting the Red Sea in Jesus name, he would still not believe” Case and point, salvation is not about signs and wonders

And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation. And he left them, and entering into the ship again departed to the other side. Mark 8:12-13

The religious leaders were doing the same thing back in Jesus day, they really didn’t care if he was the Messiah or if he was the Son of God, they were playing games, challenging him to show them a sign. Jesus knew their deceitfulness and hardness of hearts, and he rejected them. Jesus said “There will be no sign given to this generation” why? Because they were not sincerely seeking God

Now we know there were many healings and miracles performed by Christ during his ministry, most importantly his resurrection, so why would they need more signs and wonders?  Because the truth is they didn’t really care about God , they cared more about feeding their egos and justifying themselves

Romans 1 tells us that God has provided enough evidence with his creation, that we are without excuse! Don’t let signs and wonders be your crutch because it won’t save you from Hell, seek Christ with all your heart, knock on the door and he will answer you Amen!

Mark 7-Blind and Deaf

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And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him. And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue;And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain. Mark 7:32-35

When we look at the healing of a blind and deaf man, this healing is more than just a physical healing, this healing is a confirmation that Jesus is the Messiah (Christ) As it is prophesied by Isaiah “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped” (Isaiah 35:5)

Jesus was demonstrating that He is the Messiah, Jesus was demonstrating that the New Covenant is a Better and more powerful Covenant! Jesus is demonstrating his Deity, that He is God in the flesh and can not only heal , forgive sin, and has authority over the natural and supernatural. 

And he charged them that they should tell no man: but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it; And were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well: he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak. Mark 7:36-37

Jesus asked everyone not to talk about his healing and miracles yet, why? Because the hour has not yet come, for Christ to be glorified (John 12) The hour had not yet come for Jesus to go to the cross and pay the debt for our sins, the hour did not yet come for Christ to be risen , defeating sin and death forever!

However people were so astonished but his power and authority, that his fame spread throughout the regions. Jesus has not yet professed himself to be Christ, why? Because he wanted people to realize it for themselves. He wanted them to witness what he was doing and compare it to the scriptures of Isaiah, Daniel, Psalms, ect and say “Yes Jesus is the Messiah”

But we know, the world hates the light and loves the darkness, and Christ will be crucified because of the sin of the world, because of that loving sacrifice we can become Children of God Amen!

Mark 7- Crumbs From The Table

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For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet: The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter. But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it unto the dogs. Mark 7:25-27

Here we see a Gentile Woman coming to Christ for healing, this is significant as the New Covenant hasn’t been instituted yet, therefore this is a foreshadow of the New Covenant to come (Jeremiah 31) Jesus said “Let the Children (Israel) be filled first” Jesus was explaining to the Gentile Woman that he came to save the Jew first then the Gentile

Notice the language Jesus uses to describe Gentiles, “cast it unto the dogs” This was the view of the Gentile world in Israel at the time. It’s another demonstration of how amazing the New Covenant is, where Jew and Gentile are united together by the blood of Christ!

And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children’s crumbs. And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter. Mark 7:28-29

Notice the humility of the woman, her response “The dogs under the table eat the crumbs” He faith in Christ was so strong that she was willing to humble herself, this is what true repentance looks like. Jesus was impressed by her response and demonstration of faith he said “For saying this I cast out the demon in your daughter”

Because of this great faith of the Gentile Woman, Jesus healed her daughter. Also notice the great demonstration of the New Covenant, as Christ has authority over the demon. Jesus is Lord over the supernatural and natural world

And when she was come to her house, she found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed.  Mark 7:31

The Gentile Woman went home and found her daughter free from the demon. Her faith in Christ has made her well. This is a demonstration of the New Covenant, the woman received Christ because of her faith not because of her nationality. 

Are you willing to eat the crumbs from The Lord’s table? God draws near to the humble and resists the proud Amen!

Mark 7- What Defiles Us

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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. If any man have ears to hear, let him hear. And when he was entered into the house from the people, his disciples asked him concerning the parable. Mark 7:15-17

Jesus made the statement “You are defiled by what’s within You” The Religious leaders were very careful to make sure they didn’t defile themselves from the outside by washing their hands, staying away from outsiders or lepers, ect, However Jesus is talking about a heart issue, not a cleanliness issue. 

As Jesus taught in Matthew 5 “Anyone who has already lusted after a woman has committed adultery in their heart” (Matthew 5:28) or “Anyone who hates his brother has already committed murder in their hearts “ (Matthew 5:22) Sin is a heart issue, its not a ritual issue. This is why Jesus stated we defile ourselves from within, Sin begins in our hearts. This is why we need to become Born Again, and have a clean heart and mind

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; Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats? And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. Mark 7:18-20

The disciples didn’t understand what Jesus was teaching them, remember they were raised in the Mosaic Law, therefore their mindsets were focused on the food laws and the customs. However Jesus is demonstrating the New Covenant here, by declaring that all foods are clean. Who else could do this but God alone?

For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man. Mark 7:21-23

Jesus revealed to his disciples what he was talking about, its the evil from within that defiles us. Our thoughts, lust, blasphemy, pride, ect. These things contaminate  our hearts and make us perform evil deeds, this again is why we need to become Born Again (John 3)

The religious leaders thought they were righteous based on their outside works, but as Jesus stated they were “Whitewashed Tombs”, nice looking on the outside but dead on the inside, why? Because their hearts and minds were filled with evilness, they were defiled from within!