Tag Archives: #Mark

Lords Supper #Communion

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While they were eating, He took some bread, and after a blessing He broke it, and gave it to them, and said, “Take it; this is My body.” Mark 14:22

The Last Supper, The Lords Supper, or Communion, whatever you want to call it was a sacred event that declared the coming of the New Covenant! Why was Jesus and his disciples having a feast? Because it was Passover and Jesus is the Passover Lamb, Jesus is the fulfillment of the Passover as the Lamb of God

Jesus said to “Do this in remembrance of Me” taking communion is a sacred time when we reflect on Christ and what he has done for us. As the Apostle Paul says we should “Examine ourselves” (1 Corinthians 11:28)  meaning to reflect on our relations with Christ

As Jesus broke the bread he said this is symbolic of his body broken on the cross for our sins. His body he laid out for us as a atoning sacrifice for our sins not his!

And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. And He said to them, “This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. Mark 14:23-24

The wine was symbolic for his blood shed on the cross to cover us of our sins. This is the blood of the Lamb that allowed death to Passover us. Jesus said his blood is a New Covenant which is for many! God and Man has become reconciled

When you take communion, do it in remembrance of Christ and what he has done for You! Examine yourself and get right with God, repent any sin in your life and rejoice in the Lord Amen!

Cleansing The Temple

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And He began to teach and say to them, “Is it not written, ‘MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER FOR ALL THE NATIONS ‘? But you have made it a ROBBERS’ DEN.” Mark 11:17

One of the most overlooked events , I believe ,is the cleansing of The Temple. Now this wasn’t a one time event, as Jesus cleansed the Temple at the beginning of his ministry (John 2) and he also cleansed it at the ending of his ministry (Mark 11). What was the significance? What was Jesus trying to teach us here?

First you need to understand what the Temple was and its purpose. The Temple was the only place on Earth where Gods prescience existed at this time. If you wanted to worship God, you needed to come to the Temple. The Temple was the only place where the atonement of your sins could take place. If you wanted to make atonement for your sins, you needed to come to the Temple. The Temple was where the High Priests lived, you couldn’t receive atonement or come into the presence of God without the High Priest.

Jesus fulfilled all of this at the cross. The Temple was a foreshadow of Christ to come! Jesus said he would Destroy this Temple in 3 days and then raise it Up (John 2:19) He was talking about himself, his death and resurrection! Jesus fulfilled The Temple, Jesus is our atoning sacrifice, Jesus is our High Priest!

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 1 Corinthians 6:19

Jesus was cleansing the physical Temple from sin as an example to cleanse our temples from sin. When you become Born Again, your body is now the Temple of God, the Holy Spirit lives inside of you! God does not tolerate sin in the Lords House as he doesn’t tolerate sin in your body! Cleanse your temple! Amen!

First Is Last

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Sitting down, He called the twelve and said to them, “If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.” Mark 9:35

What!? The First Should Be Last? The First should be Servant of All? This is not what we are taught in this world, right? The First is always King, right? The First shall be praised, right? No, not in the Kingdom of God. If you truly want to be first you should be willing to become last

Jesus has totally flipped the tables on our understanding of who we are. In the world we grow up trying to become the greatest we can, no matter who we step on! But Jesus wants us to stop focusing on ourselves for once and focus on our neighbors, focus on our family, most importantly focus on God!

Taking a child, He set him before them, and taking him in His arms, He said to them, “Whoever receives one child like this in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me does not receive Me, but Him who sent Me Mark 9:36-37

Jesus then take a little child, sits them on his knee, and tells his disciples, “If you want to be great, be like one of these little children”! What?! The disciple’s egos are immediately broken. But we are in the inner circle of Christ! What qualities can we learn from a child?

Are children afraid to ask questions or say they don’t know? No! Are children born racist or hateful? No! Until we learn to humble ourselves like children, and see the world through the eyes of a child, we can never be first!

Deny yourself, Carry your Cross, and Follow Jesus! Then you will become great in the Kingdom of God!

All Things Possible

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and whenever it seizes him, it slams him to the ground and he foams at the mouth, and grinds his teeth and stiffens out. I told Your disciples to cast it out, and they could not do it.” Mark 9:18

When Jesus was approaching his disciples, he noticed there was a great dispute going on. A large crowd has gathered, and the disciples were arguing with the religious leaders. What was going on?

Well apparently, this man brought his son to the disciples to have a demon cast out of him. However the disciples were unable to cast out the demon, this allowed all the skeptics to start harassing the disciples. Have you ever been put into this position? Where someone asked you to pray for someone and your afraid if nothing happens, everyone will doubt your sincerity.

And He answered them and said, “O unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him to Me!” Mark 9:19

Jesus has been putting up with the skeptics for awhile. But notice what he says to them “You unbelieving generation” The reason the disciples couldn’t cast out the demon was because nobody there had any genuine faith.  Without faith nothing is possible, but with faith anything is possible!

And Jesus said to him, “‘If You can?’ All things are possible to him who believes.” Mark 9:23

This man brings his son to Jesus and says “If you can do anything, have compassion on us” Jesus is like What? “If there is anything I can do”?  Obviously this man really didn’t know or believe who Jesus was. Obviously this man really didn’t have much or any faith.  But Jesus says to those who do believe “All Things Are Possible”!

And He said to them, “This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer.” Mark 9:29

The disciples asked Jesus why they were not able to cast out the demon? Jesus said this demon could only be cast out by prayer. Meaning we personally cant cast out anything only God has the power to cast out demons or heal people. But our true faith activates Gods power and makes all things possible!

Kingdom of God

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And Jesus was saying to them, “Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.” Mark 9:1

Its often been debated about what Jesus was talking about here. Many conclude that Jesus was referring to the Transfiguration, because it happens typically right after this event. And I agree the transfiguration was a glimpse into the power and glory of Gods Kingdom to come. As we see Moses representing The Law and Elijah representing the Prophets come together under Jesus to be fulfilled

But when did we see the Kingdom of God come into power? We saw it on the cross, when Jesus defeated sin and death, Jesus fulfilled The Law, Jesus defeated Satan forever. The power of Gods Kingdom was displayed at Calvary.

As they were coming down from the mountain, He gave them orders not to relate to anyone what they had seen, until the Son of Man rose from the dead. Mark 9:9

Notice what Jesus says to Peter, James, and John after the Transfiguration. “Don’t tell anyone until after the Resurrection” Why? Because it was then the Kingdom of God has come into power here on Earth. Sin, Death, and Satan have all been defeated at the cross!

 

Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit. John 19:30

When Jesus said “It Is Finished” he fulfilled his mission to save humanity. The Heavens and the Earth shook when the power of Gods Kingdom came to Earth through Jesus Christ Amen!

Carry Your Cross

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And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. Mark 8:34

What does it take to be a Christian? A lot of people would say, well you repeat a few words, maybe get dunked into water, and then your good! Accepting Christ is not just a one-time event, it’s a daily walk. Of course you should come to Christ, repent of your sins, and get baptized. However what is after that?

Jesus said “If anyone wishes to come after Me” meaning If anyone wants to follow me (hence be a Christian) They must deny themselves, carry your cross, and follow Christ.

I think John the Baptist said it best “He (Jesus) must Increase, I must decrease” (John 3:30) How many churches or ministries seem to be self centered rather than Christ centered? A lot of these “Christian”books and sermons, its hard to even tell if they are Christian

For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. Mark 8:35

 If you truly want to be saved, your old self must die first. Your life no longer belongs to you, you were bought by the blood of Christ (1 Corinthians 6:20) So why do you keep acting like you own yourself? Why do we continue to try and puff ourselves up and feed our egos? Why do we continue to live like the world?

For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? Mark 8:36

The world will profit you nothing! However you will lose everything, including your soul! Whatever your doing for Christ, remember who your master is, Jesus! Nobody receives pride from carry a cross, carry it daily! Humble yourself before The Lord Amen!

No Bread

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They began to discuss with one another the fact that they had no bread. Mark 8:16

The disciples have just witnessed Jesus feed 4,000 people with 7 loaves of bread, however when they were leaving they forgot to bring the leftover bread (7 baskets) with them on their next journey.

Instead of marveling over the miracle they just witnessed, they continued to focus on the fact they only had 1 loaf of bread for all of them to share.

And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you discuss the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet see or understand? Do you have a hardened heart? Mark 8:17

Jesus is perplexed how these men could witness all of these miracles and listen to tall his teachings, yet no apply it to their lives. God just demonstrated that he would provide by feeding 4,000 people with 7 loaves, however the disciples are worrying about their lack of food

We are like the disciples also, we know all the stories about the miracles of Jesus. We know all the promises from God throughout the Bible, yet we worry about our basic needs, our hearts have been hardened

when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces you picked up?” They said to Him, “Twelve.” “When I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of broken pieces did you pick up?” And they said to Him, “Seven.” And He was saying to them, “Do you not yet understand?” Mark 8:19-21

Jesus is reminding them of the miracles that they have witnessed, the feeding of the 5,000 and the 4,000. Jesus asks them “Do you not yet understand”? Do we still not understand that nothing is impossible for God? Do we still not understand God will provide for all our needs? Don’t allow your heart to be hardened to Jesus Amen!

Defiled

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there is nothing outside the man which can defile him if it goes into him; but the things which proceed out of the man are what defile the man. Mark 7:15

I heard some “Christians” today say we must follow a Kosher diet otherwise we are “sinning against God” Jesus himself said “Its what comes from within us that defiles us, not what comes from the outside” What is Jesus talking about?

Sin is a heart issue and not a legal issue. Before you sin, your intentions come from your heart, this is what defiles you, YOURSELF! As Jesus taught anyone who lusts after a women in his heart has already committed adultery (Matthew 5:28), why? Because Sin is a heart issue. Anyone who hates his brother has already committed murder, (Matthew 5:21) why? Because Sin is a heart issue!

And He said to them, “Are you so lacking in understanding also? Do you not understand that whatever goes into the man from outside cannot defile him, because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and is eliminated?” (Thus He declared all foods clean.) Mark 7:18-19

Yet people still today want to argue that eating pork has defiled us, as Jesus said “Are you so dull or lack understanding to believe this?” The New Covenant is about circumcision of the heart (Jeremiah 4:4, Ezekiel 36:26) we are not under the Law but under Grace

And He was saying, “That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. Mark 7:20-22

The legalist will say “ How can I live under Grace without the Law?” Because if you a truly Born Again (John 3) then you have been baptized by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit lives inside you and has written the Law on your heart (Jeremiah 31:33, Romans 2:15)

The Holy Spirit cant live in you if you continue to defile yourself with Sin, these are not the Fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5) Your evil heart is what defiles you, not what you eat! Amen!

Traditions of Men

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The Pharisees and the scribes asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with impure hands?” Mark 7:5

Jesus was eating with his disciples when the Pharisees were quick to condemn them because some of them were eating with dirty hands. The Pharisees were probably waiting for this moment, to find something to condemn “the Christians” for, however Jesus is going to turn this into a teaching moment for them

And He said to them, “Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME. ‘BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.’  Mark 7:6-7

Jesus quotes the prophet Isaiah, to show these guys God already foretold about them. While these men believed they were in the “God club” , God was not impressed with them at all. Why? Because their hearts were not pure.

Instead of Loving God and Love Your Neighbor as God commanded us, they tried to earn their salvation by works. This was a moral issue and not a legal issue, like they believed

“Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men.” Mark 7:8

The Pharisees neglected the basic laws of God, they elevated themselves through traditions. Jesus used the example of “Honor your Mother and Father” (Mark 7:10) The Pharisees claim to be righteous yet don’t even care for their own parents, even though the Mosaic Law says they should be put to death for disobeying this Law (Leviticus 20:9)

The Pharisees created a tradition called “Corban” ( Mark 7:11) which they believed vainly overrode Gods Law. The Pharisees would keep money for themselves , which they labeled “Corban, instead of providing for their elderly parents because they wanted a greater status among men.

Jesus is telling them their tradition doesn’t honor God, in fact it breaks Gods Law. So before we go around condemning people, what are our intentions? Are we just trying to be legalist or is there a moral issue going on here?

Remember Jesus commanded us to Love God with all our mind, hearts, and soul and to Love our Neighbor as ourselves, this fulfills all the Laws of God Amen!

5 Loaves + 2 Fish

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But He answered them, “You give them something to eat!” And they said to Him, “Shall we go and spend two hundred denarii on bread and give them something to eat?” Mark 6:37

The disciples had a dilemma, send all the people home or spend a years salary to feed them. The answer was pretty simple for the disciples, especially since none of them had any money! So they started telling the people to all go home, but Jesus said “You give them something to eat!”

The disciples were probably thinking , how are they going to give 5,000 people something to eat! They had very little food for themselves, very little money, it was getting dark in a remote location. By our practical standards this was turning into a bad situation.

And He said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go look!” And when they found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.” Mark 6:38

Jesus asked them “What do you have?” Meaning instead of complaining about what they didn’t have, use what they did have and allow God to bless it. We can relate to this as Christians, we focus on what we don’t have and not on what we have already to offer God

And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He blessed the food and broke the loaves and He kept giving them to the disciples to set before them; and He divided up the two fish among them all. Mark 6:41

Jesus took what they did have, which was 5 loaves and 2 fish , and blessed it. God then multiplied what they had and used it to bless all the people. Whatever we have , we should give thanks to God and allow him to bless it and use it for his glory!

Don’t allow your circumstances or lack of resources prohibit you from serving God Amen!