Mark Pt. 11: Something Greater is Here

Something Greater Is Here


Jesus Calms the Storm

Have you ever watched a movie or been reading a book and thought, I know this story! I’ve seen this play out before. I’m not talking about the severe lack of creativity plaguing our culture now. What I am talking about is often a good thing. There is a fine line between copying and retelling. But some of the best movies are retellings of classic literature. “Oh brother where art thou” is a fun twist on Homers Odyssey. The Lion King is a modern Hamlet. When it is done right, it’s not lazy, it is an homage. 

We are going to see something like that through the next chapter of Mark. Gods story is intricate and detailed. His plan to rescue his creation from sin and darkness started long before Man ever left the garden. God orchestrated it together with perfect and purposeful. There was set-up that needed to happen in order to pave the way for Jesus. God prepared the world in specific ways by giving hints about his Character, and how he would never give up on his creation. God used a nation, of cowards, failures and idol worshipers mind you, to tell the world about him. He used kings, prophets and emancipators who loved him, but who were flawed. And then Jesus came to set things right at the exact right time. We are blessed to know that part of the story.

-Mark will show us through a series of stories that Jesus uses his life to retell some of the stories we’re familiar with in the old testament. 
-We will see parallels that show how Jesus is a fulfillment of the things God promised to his people. All the things he asked us to do, knowing that we would fall short, Jesus has come to complete. 
-Jesus is here to show that he is a better version than everyone who has come before him.

Mark written very fast paced. My study bible calls Mark a “docudrama”. It is a collection of tidbits of the life of Jesus. The tidbit we will read about today is Jesus calming the storm. 

Our text is Mark 4:35-41 

We only get 7 verses describing it in this account. We get a version of the story in all three synoptic gospels, and surprisingly this is the longest most detailed version! 

35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 

    • Jesus is traveling with his disciples through the region, and they have spent a full day in the hot sun keeping the crowds at bay as Jesus taught. He would teach the crowds with parables, and then the disciples privately. 
    • So they decide to get away
    • it would have looked as archaic as you are thinking.   
    • The boat would have been made of wood, about 25 feet long, and fit 15 or so people. 

37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

    • A “squall” means a sudden and violent gust of wind. 
    • The sea of Galilee is hundreds of feet below sea level, so apparently it was and still is prone to sudden and violent storms.
    • Danger comes out of the blue. Imagine not being able to swim. Do you know what happens when you wear loose fitting clothes in the water? Have you been on a boat when you are not in control? 
    • There is fear of death mostly, fear of losing the boat. No coast guard, no life jackets. 
    • Do not let the fact that Jesus is sleeping through this whole ordeal convince you otherwise: this was an intense moment.
    • Jesus was tired, a reminder of his humanity. He is not straight out of an action film where the characters have a seemingly superhuman source of energy.
    • They wake him up. Unclear why. Do they think he can calm the storm? From their reactions it sure doesn’t seem that way. Are they handing him a bucket to bail water out?

39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

    • As quickly as the storm was upon them, it’s over. 
    • This should immediately make clear that Jesus is no regular man or prophet
    • Throughout the scripture there is only one entity who has control over nature itself 

Job 38
8 “Who shut up the sea behind doors
    when it burst forth from the womb,
9 when I made the clouds its garment
    and wrapped it in thick darkness,
10 when I fixed limits for it
    and set its doors and bars in place,
11 when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther;
    here is where your proud waves halt’? 

    • There is no shortage of examples where God and God alone demonstrates power over nature
    • King David writes…

Psalm 29
3 The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
    the God of glory thunders,
    the Lord thunders over the mighty waters…

10 The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;
    the Lord is enthroned as King forever.
god controls even the flood, the uncontrollable. 

    • Jonah also found himself on a boat, for a very different reason, sleeping when they were caught in a deadly storm. 
    • When the crew realizes Jonah is the cause, he is thrown overboard, and God stills the storm

40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

    • He rebukes the storm, and quickly turns to rebuke the disciples. They are chastised for their lack of faith. 
    • “why are you so afraid”
    • there is an expectation that they have a certain level of faith at this point. 
    • Fear and faithlessness are connected. Fear is what manifests when we do not have faith.

41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

    • The disciples are talking amongst each other about what they just saw. 
    • Previously, when Jesus performed miracles the people around him were in awe or disbelief.
    • But this scene gives us a different reaction from the disciples than a lot of the other miracles. It says “they were terrified”. The danger is gone, usually fear is replaced by relief or shock. But their terror transfers from the storm to Jesus. 
    • They were afraid of the storm because of its power. It clicks for them here that the storm is powerless over them. But the master over the storm is still in the boat.
    • “Who is this?” Do you think it’s a real question? 

A person could not be God. Only God has dominion over nature in that way. Yet it was a man, a tuckered out, sleep deprived man, who calmed the storm. The disciples did not know how to make sense of this.

Humans are not supposed to do what Jesus did. Even the ones that want to do good, can’t get it right. From Moses to David, they all got it wrong.
From the beginning, God knew he had to do it himself. He planned to take on flesh, and come down to show how it really should be done. 
When God called Jonah, he got up and left… in the opposite direction he was told to go. He didn’t want to go to Nineveh, it was a foreign land. It was beneath him. And after a bit of arm twisting and stomach churning, Jonah did as he was told. 
By comparison, Jesus listened. He didn’t need to be thrown overboard for God to calm the storm.

Jesus is a better Jonah in more ways than that. A little later in his ministry, the Pharisees ask Jesus for a sign. Jesus says they will only get one, and he calls it the Sign of Jonah. 

The crux is this: Jonah, after initial reluctance, preached repentance to the gentiles, and thousands listened. Jesus is greater than Jonah. He preached the same message, and it has lead to billions of gentiles around the world laying down their lives and following him. Praise God

What do we do about this? We follow suit

Jonah 3:10
10 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.

    • Where have I fallen short? What do I need to repent of right now?

Secondly, the disciples were afraid because they lacked faith

    • What do you not trust God with?
    • Do you know Gods character well enough to trust him?
    • Is your fear in the right place?

Matt 10
28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

I want to leave you this morning with verse 38. “don’t you care if we die”? Imagine looking Jesus in the face and asking him this question. How might he respond? As the disciples will find out soon enough, it turns out he does care if they die. He cares so much about them dying that he came to die in their place. He took on flesh to live a perfect life, that only he could live, and give his life for us. 

Jesus did not come to erase Jonah, he came to complete the mission
Jesus is a better Jonah. And because we aren’t stuck with the old version, we are able to know God, and repent. Thats just what we get to do together as we celebrate communion.

/by

Mark Pt. 10: Big Picture Parables

Pt. 10: Big Picture Parables

4:21-34 [NASB 1995]

Four Parables about Big Picture Principles

2 about God’s Word, 2 about The Kingdom of God

As disciples of Jesus Christ we do well to grasp and live by these principles

As context we keep in mind what Christ said about the 1st parable He told

Then Jesus said to them, “If you can’t understand the meaning of this parable, how will you understand all the other parables? ~  Mark 4:13

That was regarding the way God’s Word works in different people’s lives

These parables continue to teach us about who God is and How He operates…

God wants to transform us by the renewing of our minds

In order for us to walk closely with Him we need to understand Him

If you are a disciple of Christ, ask God’s Spirt in you for insight into His meaning

21 And He was saying to them, “A lamp is not brought to be put under a basket, is it, or under a bed? Is it not brought to be put on the lampstand? 22 For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light. 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”

  • This parable come right after the previous on the nature of God’s Word
  • This is a continuation of teaching about ‘God’s Word’
  • The purpose of light: make things more visible; light enables us to see better
  • God’s Word, [His revealed will & ways] gives us the ability to see more clearly
  • God’s Word combined the The Holy Spirit’s Illumination reveals all truth
  • If God enables you to understand this then ACT ON IT!

24 And He was saying to them, “Take care what you listen to. By your standard of measure it will be measured to you; and more will be given you besides. 25 For whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.”

  • The difference between the idea of hearing and the idea of listening
  • Again this parable has an understood context that it is about God’s Word
  • The more you live based on God’s Word the more it will be revealed to you
  • There is no middle ground here, seek and get more or don’t and get ZERO!

26 And He was saying, “The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil; 27 and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows—how, he himself does not know. 28 The soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head. 29 But when the crop permits, he immediately puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

  • God’s Kingdom operates on principals that can’t be explained by our senses
  • We have learn a lot about our natural world, yet we don’t know everything
  • The farmer doesn’t understand it all but he trusts it
  • But when we do know from experience it is time to act, we should not hesitate
  • He knows his role in the process and he plays that role

30 And He said, “How shall we picture the kingdom of God, or by what parable shall we present it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the soil, though it is smaller than all the seeds that are upon the soil, 32 yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and forms large branches; so that the birds of the air can nest under its shade.”

  • ‘How might I describe the Kingdom of God?’
  • The mustard seed appears to be part of something small, based on our senses
  • Yet in ways we can’t comprehend it becomes part of something massive
  • It grows to become support for other things; an unlikely foundation 

33 With many such parables He was speaking ‘The Word’ to them, so far as they were able to hear it; 34 and He did not speak to them without a parable; but He was explaining everything privately to His own disciples.

  • The Word, God’s Word is communicated by Christ through examples / parables
  • The crowd understood them to varying degrees…[w/ Holy Spirit Illumination]
  • To the Disciples: Personal Jesus Illumination! [this is what it means to ‘walk’]
  • Christ reveals things to His disciples that not everyone gets to understand 
  • This right here, right now is that sort of debrief, as we gather, HE is among us!

SUMMARY:

Parable #1: A lamp is ‘God’s Word’ being revealed / illuminated to people, explaining reality about God or to show what the truth is about something. 

God’s influence in our lives is light: There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.  ~  John 1:9

Parable #2: What you listen to is a reflection of what you value. The way you value God’s Word is proportional to how much understanding of it will be given to you. Abundance will be multiplied and lack of will become total.

“For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away.”  ~  Matthew 25:29

Parable #3: A foundational principle of God’s Kingdom is that HE makes all the growth happen that is necessary to enter into the Kingdom and harvests [saves] those who become ready. WE get to participate in the harvest: “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”  ~  Matthew 9:37&38

Parable #4: The mustard seed represents the otherworldly nature of the Kingdom of God. What can seem insignificant to our senses can be used by God to become so important it supports other things.  ~  And looking at them Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”  ~  Matthew 19:26

Jesus’ words to the general population are unexplained parables, to many they are without meaning. God allows Christ’s disciples to understand the spiritual significance of His parables. “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”   ~  Matthew 11:15

APPLICATION:

What specific parts of YOUR LIFE could use some of God’s light shined on them?

What actions can YOU take to honor God’s Word and treat it as more valuable than you currently do?

What are some ways YOU can make yourself more available to join God in His work going on around you?

What resources can YOU use to evaluate what is valuable based on God’s point of view?

What are some ways YOU can be actively grateful for the spiritual understanding God has given you?

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Mark Pt. 9: Responding To The Word of God

MARK 4:1-20 ‘THE 4 SOILS’

There is nothing more important you will do in this life than respond to God’s Word. What does Jesus mean when He uses the term ‘God’s Word’? God’s Word embodies who He is. It is the revelation of His character, His will for mankind and the ways in which He calls us to relate to Him.

God’s Word is given to us though Scripture, by The Holy Spirit in various ways and Christ was the living Word. The Biblical Gospel of Jesus Christ is God’s Word. God’s Word has a purpose in our lives; through recognition, surrender and obedience to IT we are reconciled and united with Our Creator. Biblical Salvation!

The gravity of this passage is immense! Jesus states it’s importance clearly…Christ is basically going to say; If you can’t understand how the Word of God works in this world with different people you will not understand anything else about God.

What happens with my response to God’s Word determines my eternity.What I do with God’s Word on a daily basis is a measure of my stewardship of that Word.

Mark 4:1-20

1 Once again Jesus began teaching by the lakeshore. A very large crowd soon gathered around him, so He got into a boat. Then he sat in the boat while all the people remained on the shore.

  • The Sea of Galilee, NW shore
  • They had prepared for this day [mark 3:9]
  • Instead of clamoring to touch Him, they chilled, and became teachable

2 He taught them by telling many stories in the form of parables, such as this one: 3 “Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seed. 4 As he scattered it across his field…

  • The way HE taught was with real life situations, relatable examples…
  • You don’t need to be a farmer to understand, just need to have seem ‘ground’
  • He begins with ‘Listen’! He is declaring this to everyone
  • The farmer starts with intention: desire is to plant what he has so it bears fruit
  • He has seeds from the previous crop

some of the seed fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate it.

  • 1st Soil, not even soil…
  • Part of the field he was planting in had a path [exposed ground]
  • Birds eating it is finality…

5 Other seed fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seed sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. 6 But the plant soon wilted under the hot sun, and since it didn’t have deep roots, it died.

  • 2nd Soil, there is dirt there but rock below [field clearing = rock removal]
  • It started strong, but over time and in normal conditions…
  • No roots = No Future…for plants and people

7 Other seed fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants so they produced no grain.

  • 3rd Soil. Plant can grow in this soil…problem is…
  • Other plants were using that soil, and they were there first!
  • They were more established and dominated the resources
  • There were little seedlings that did not reproduce
  • All mature things reproduce

8 Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they sprouted, grew, and produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”

  • 4th Soil, fertile soil: Receptive / Prepared / Positioned
  • They not only sprouted they grew to the point of reproducing [giving off seed]
  • They continue to reproduce maturity that reproduces…multiplication of maturity

9 Then he said, “Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”

  • Those who The Holy Spirit gives the gift of ‘Illumination’ do well to pay attention
  • Do you have ears to hear?

10 Later, when Jesus was alone with the twelve disciples and with the others who were gathered around, they asked Him what the parables meant.

  • Debrief time: The twelve & others…what others? [audience]
  • They all wanted to know… They were teachable

11 He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secret of the Kingdom of God. But I use parables for everything I say to outsiders, 12 so that the Scriptures might be fulfilled: ‘When they see what I do, they will learn nothing. When they hear what I say, they will not understand. Otherwise, they will turn to me and be forgiven.’” [Isiah 6:9b-10]

  • Permitted to Understand = Spiritual Illumination [Matthew 16:15-17 [‘not flesh..]
  • Secret = Mysteries [mysteries ARE Knowable by nature]
  • God’s Word says some people will not get it!
  • When God himself speaks [Jesus on Earth] it will go over people’s head
  • The opposite of not understanding is turning to God, [repenting] being forgiven

13 Then Jesus said to them, “If you can’t understand the meaning of this parable, how will you understand all the other parables?

  • The way of the Word of God is rudimentary
  • The basic method of a parable is to apply the principle of the example
  • Only parables so far were about garment patching & wineskins [2:21-22]
  • This really is the ‘Intro To Parables’ portion of Christ’s school of God’s Word
  • Recognize pattern of ‘spiritual application’ Jesus shares, use it as an example

14 The farmer plants seed by taking God’s word to others. 15 The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message, only to have Satan come at once and take it away.

  • The farmer has something [God’s Word / Gospel] and HE wants to reproduce it
  • Soil #1 is given the Word of God, they ‘HEAR’ it
  • But it is taken before they ‘LISTEN’
  • Seed on a footpath is exposed to the birds / people live exposed to satan / evil
  • It is too easy for the birds to find and devour…

16 The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. 17 But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word.

  • Soil # 2 ‘Rocky Soil’
  • The conditions were nothing extraordinary: [problems & persecution normal]
  • Is God’s Word too hard when life happens?

18 The seed that fell among the thorns represents others who hear God’s word, 19 but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced.

  • Soil # 3 among the thorns…[thorny crown]
  • Things that were there before the Word, established things, suck up all the life
  • Worry about material needs, wealth, and status take priority over God’s Word
  • God’s Word can’t get healthy enough to produce fruit in this person…
  • Whatever is not healthy enough to reproduce, dies!

20 And the seed that fell on good soil represents those who hear and accept God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!

  • Soil # 4 ‘The Good Soil’ What makes it good? Rather WHO makes it good…
  • The seed / Word of God falls, they hear it AND accept it
  • God’s Word Planted in ‘fertile / good’ soil produces more of the same
  • IT REPRODUCES!
  • Not addition, Multiplication!

SUMMARY:

Jesus Christ teaches there are four distinct ways the Word of God works in people’s lives. Christ says this parable is foundational in understanding His message.

The ‘Farmer’ spreading seed is God reveling His ‘Word’ [His Will & Ways]

The ‘Field’ [Our World] has four distinct ‘Soils’ [Geographic Areas] representing different people receiving God’s Word.

Soil 1: A path that has no chance of growing seed. Exposed to the enemy, the seed / Word of God dies. This person lives without acknowledging or obeying God’s Word.

Soil 2: Soil that has rocks beneath. Unable to establish roots, the plants cannot endure ‘normal life’. The seed / God’s Word, is emotionally received but has no future. This person is open to God’s Word for a season, not eternity.

Soil 3: Soil that grows stuff. Choked out by ‘needful things’, this seed does not get the resources needed to thrive, it does not mature and reproduce. This person cannot prioritize God’s Word over material and emotional lusts.

Soil 4: Soil made to grow ONE particular thing. The seed / God’s Word is able to mature and reproduce, multiplying what was planted. This person is the ‘Good Soil’. One who is fully surrendered to God’s Word & Will. This is what Biblical salvation looks like.

APPLICATION:

Since Jesus says this parable is so important, let us make it the topic of conversation for the next week.

What principals in God’s Word have you at times been a footpath or rocky soil to? How might you change that?

Get with someone you trust and evaluate each other on how much the cares of this world impact your discipleship to Christ, then hold each other accountable to change.

How can you be a bigger part of multiplying the Gospel? Initiate change today.

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Mark Pt. 8: The True Family Of Christ

Supernatural Reality & Spiritual Family

Jesus tied up Satan and plundered his house. What He took was my soul, perhaps your soul. Jesus has the Spiritual Authority to constrict the Enemy & a Spiritual Family love for His followers. Christ exercises His Spiritual dominion over the kingdom of satan throughout the Gospel of Mark.

Today, all over the world, Christ is plundering the strong man’s house and claiming souls as HIS. But ‘The Strong Man’ is not without weapons to try to guard His house…The world and it’s citizens will claim all sorts of wrongs things about the one true God. It’s goal is to depict God falsely…to undermine His authority, grace & goodness.

Ignorance of God is forgivable…but if Christ has revealed Himself to you and yet you deny who He is, specifically His Supernatural / Spirit nature…Let’s see what our Lord says in our text today…

It is that supernatural nature, specifically The Holy Spirit, through who we become part of the family of ‘The One True God’ when we believe The Biblical Gospel of Jesus Christ. Surrender of one’s life to Christ, and recognition of His Lordship makes people a part of a supernatural family. [Bond of The Spirit]

In our passage today it’s Homecoming for Jesus…

Mark 3:20-35

20 And He came home, and the crowd gathered again, to such an extent that they could not even eat a meal. 21 When His own people heard of this, they went out to take custody of Him; for they were saying, “He has lost His senses.”

  • At this point Jesus travels to Nazareth and it is a BIG deal [celebrity]
  • His extended family, think He has lost His marbles… [Messiah Complex???]

22 The scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons.”

  • Once again the Law of Moses worshiping religious leaders are watching Him
  • They claim Jesus is possessed by Satan, who is then commanding his minions
  • They can see no way that this is God…has to be something else…

23 And He called them to Himself and began speaking to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.”

  • For the rest of the passage the Scribes are who Jesus will address
  • So Jesus said ‘come here all you scribes and listen to me’…
  • He points out their argument makes no sense
  • When He refers to Kingdoms & Houses, this represent absolute loyalty
  • Satan minions always work for Him

26 “If Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but he is finished! 27 But no one can enter the strong man’s house and plunder his property unless he first binds the strong man, and then he will plunder his house.”

  • If it comes to the point where Satan is taking out his own guys, it’s over
  • What is really happening in the supernatural realms is WAR!
  • In a war you have to take the leader out of commission to take his stuff

28 “Truly I say to you, all sins shall be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter; 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”— 30 because they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”

  • Jesus uses the phrase: ‘truly I say to you’, prior to dropping serious truth
  • Blaspheme: to speak evil of, to disrespect, mock and show contempt for
  • The Scribes were claiming the supernatural power was of evil origin
  • They would not know holiness if it smacked them in the face!

31 Then His mother and His brothers arrived, and standing outside they sent word to Him and called Him. 32 A crowd was sitting around Him, and they said to Him, “Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are outside looking for You.”

  • The extended family went and got Jesus’ immediate family
  • The ‘they’ is the Scribes who are trying to discredit Jesus
  • Instead of hearing what Jesus is saying they move on to the next tactic

33 Answering them, He said, “Who are My mother and My brothers?” 34 Looking about at those who were sitting around Him, He said, “Behold My mother and My brothers! 35 For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother.”

  • He answers ‘them’ which is the Scribes…with a question
  • The family relationship flows from putting your faith in Christ
  • It is a Spirit Bond; that comes from doing God’s will [surrendering to Christ]
  • When we are rightly related to God we can be rightly related to each other
  • What is real family about? What makes family?

BIG IDEAS:

Walking with God will be mistaken by most as a loss of common sense.

Nonsensical spiritual things will be attributed to Christ. [Non-Biblical things]

There are only two Kingdoms, they have nothing in common & are at war constantly.

Christ engages in supernatural spiritual battle to ‘plunder’ your soul out of darkness.

Denial of the Holy Spiritual Essence of God places one into eternal un-forgiveness.

God’s family is based on the spiritual connection of shared faith in the Biblical Christ.

TRUTH INTO ACTION:

Use Ephesians 6:14-17 to detect and reject false claims about Christ & His Body.

Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. [NLT]

Using 1 John 1:5-6 as a guide, what do you see that is shared between God’s Kingdom and the Kingdom of darkness?

This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. [NLT]

How does Colossians 1:13-14 combine with this passage to define Biblical Salvation?

He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. [NKJV]

Based on this passage and Christ’s words in Matthew 12:30-31, what constitutes ‘The Unforgivable Sin’?

“He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters. Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven.”

Based on Christ’s words & Ephesians 2:19-22, what defines the connection that makes people part of God’s family?

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone, in Whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In Him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. [ESV]

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