Mark Pt. 37: The Spirit is Willing but the Flesh is Weak

Mark 14:27-52 ESV

We Need God’s Spirit to Follow Christ

Easter is coming…4 weeks from today. What are you doing to prepare? How are you preparing your soul to celebrate? Challenge: From now until Easter read all four gospels from Palm Sunday their end. Various Gospels focus more on certain parts than others, some include this, some include that. Together they give us the BIG PICTURE! We have plenty to learn from Mark’s Gospel which He has ordained for THIS Body at THIS time.

TODAY’S PASSSAGE: We are going to see how we think we can follow Christ with our talent, smarts & will. We are wrong! [Sin Nature / Pride / Self-sufficiency] We need the work of God from start to finish to be His people. He begins the process with His birth, life, death, & resurrection. And He continues the process by placing His Spirit within us. Without the indwelling Holy we cannot & will not follow Jesus the Christ: NO WAY! Without HIS calling, redeeming, & sanctifying us we could go so far as to betray HIM! Our insufficiency VS HIS complete sufficiency Our flesh = zero His Spirit = ALL. THIS Revelation is the foundation of Biblical Salvation in Christ [Spirit Revealed]

We are the disciples, place yourself into the story…Learn by being honest about your need for Christ to provide EVERYTHING!

IT IS THURSDAY NIGHT: A lot has happened in the past day! It began with preparation: preparation for the enactment of Israel’s Deliverance known as the Passover Seder: Foot washing / Judas is outed & leaves. Jesus demonstrates the fulfillment of the Passover with announcement of the New Covenant, Lot’s of crucial teaching on the Holy Spirit, The Vine & Branches teaching as they are headed towards the Mount of Olives.

27 And Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away, for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ 28 But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” 29 Peter said to him, “Even though they all fall away, I will not.” 30 And Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” 31 But he said emphatically, “If I must die with You, I will not deny You.” And they all said the same.

  • Jesus quotes Zechariah 13:7 to demonstrate His Sovereignty over events

Sword [Justice], awake against My shepherd. And against a hero [Messiah] — My fellow, [Intimate One] An affirmation of Jehovah of Hosts. Smite the shepherd, and scattered is the flock, And I have put back My hand [of protection] on the little ones. ~ Zechariah 13:7 YLT [Italics mine]

  • You sheep / disciples, are going to be in disarray when I am struck [fall away]
  • Trust in My divinity, ‘cuz after My Resurrection, I will go before you [protect you]
  • And Peter is all indignant! NOT ME! They [him pointing] might… but NOT ME!
  • Jesus is clear: ‘truly I tell you’…by the coming morning you will deny Me 3 times
  • Peter responds by saying He will die before he denies Jesus
  • Peter has an unrealistic estimation of his power to obey God
  • He didn’t have God’s Spirit indwelling him yet, enabling him to obey [all saints]
  • They all over estimated their ability to follow Christ in hard circumstances

32 And they went to a place called Gethsemane. And He said to His disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33 And He took with Him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled. 34 And He said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch.” 35 And going a little farther, He fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him. 36 And He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Remove this cup from Me. Yet not what I will, but what You will.”

  • It stands to reason this was a familiar place to Jesus and His disciples
  • Upper room to Garden ½ a Mile / Garden to Bethany 1 ¾ Miles
  • During this week they had been staying in Bethany [Lazarus’ house]
  • He tells the nine to stay put and takes the three off to one side
  • My soul is so troubled I could DIE! STAY HERE AND KEEP WATCH
  • He goes a bit farther and collapses in prayer: Can You not have me do this?
  • But if that is not what you want, I will do what you want! [complete submission]
  • Jesus is agreeing to do all of the ‘dirty’ work to win your salvation

37 And He came and found them sleeping, and He said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour? 38 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 39 And again He went away and prayed, saying the same words. 40 And again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy, and they did not know what to answer Him. 41 And He came the third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest?”

  • After praying out this affirmation of God’s will he returns to find them asleep
  • He calls him ‘Simon’ not ‘The Rock’
  • You couldn’t stay awake ONE hour? Become aware of your vulnerability…
  • Be on guard and ask for God’s help to keep from being drawn into sin….
  • God wills that we not enter into temptation, but in our flesh, we have no shot
  • What in the world is Jesus going to do about this situation? [Give us His Spirit]
  • This same things happens two more times! The last time He is exasperated!

Three times they fail…is this the beginning of a pattern???

“It is enough; the hour has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 Rise, let us be going; see, My betrayer is at hand.” 43 And immediately, while He was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. 44 Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man. Seize Him and lead Him away under guard.”

  • What was enough? The demonstration of the disciples inability to obey God?
  • More likely He had now prayerfully prepared for what was about to begin…
  • He is giving the disciples a run down of what was going to happen and BAM!
  • Judas arrives… how does he know Jesus would be there?
  • He has a small army in tow and a pre-set sign so He can mark they guy & split

45 And when he [Judas] came, he went up to Him at once and said, “Rabbi!” And he kissed Him. 46 And they laid hands on Him [Jesus] and seized Him. 47 But one of those who stood by drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. 48 And Jesus said to them, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? 49 Day after day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize Me. But let the Scriptures be fulfilled.”

  • Betrayed with a kiss…
  • Without God’s Spirit we are capable of ‘disguised betrayal’
  • Peter [we know from John 18:10] resorts to violence [swinging at head hits ear]
  • Without God’s Spirit we try to do it ourselves instead of trusting God

50 And they all left Him and fled 51 And a young man [who] followed Him, with nothing but a linen cloth about his body. And they seized him, 52 but he left the linen cloth and ran away naked.

  • Just as the Scripture Jesus quoted had predicted…They all fled!
  • They left Him, deserted Him in fear for their lives!
  • Fear makes you do desperate things… like fleeing naked!
  • Mark’s flesh was weak… but in 53 days it would begin to start to be ‘Willing’

SUMMARY:

We overrate our own ability to trust and follow Jesus Christ.

We need GOD to animate our flesh by placing HIS Spirit in us. This is Biblical Salvation / Election. This enables us to have a relationship with God. [CHANGE]

Christ invites His disciples to understand the sacrifice it took to save people from the consequences of sin / rebellion. He calls us to struggle with Him for souls.

Jesus prepared for doing God’s will with prayer, we do well to follow His example

God saw fit to be betrayed by someone He had shown grace to… [YOU & ME]

God allowed one of His inner circle to conspire with the religious establishment.

Yet He demonstrated total control of events to fulfill prophecy and give us FAITH!

Encouragement to Disciples:

You can go from being a scared, naked kid to being used by the Holy Spirit to write Scripture! Surrender your life to Christ & HE will place His Spirit in you [CHANGE]

APPLICATION QUESTIONS:

To avoid ‘spiritual blindspots’, do you intentionally let people speak into your walk with Christ? If not, how could you start to?

So you can care about people like Jesus, do you come face to face with the consequences of sin in people’s lives? If not, might you consider how that could happen?

Do you believe all the prophetic stuff in the Bible has come true, is coming true and will come true? If not, what are you going to do about that?

Do you recognize that without Christ’s saving power, you are capable of betrayal and rebellion of great magnitude? What is a practice that grows that kind of faith?

WEEKLY PRACTICE OF COMMUNAL REMEMBRANCE: The Lord’s Supper

/by

Mark Pt. 36: Jesus, Our Passover

Jesus, Our Passover

Mark 14:12-26 (ESV)

The Significance of The Lord’s Supper

And on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb, his disciples said to him, “Where will you have us go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?” And he sent two of his disciples and said to them, Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him, and wherever he enters, say to the master of the house, the Teacher says, where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples? And he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready; there prepare for us. And the disciples set out and went to the city and found it just as he told them, and they prepared the Passover.

And when it was evening, he came with the twelve. And as they were reclining at table and eating, Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me.” They began to be sorrowful and say to him one after another, “Is it I?” He said to them, “It is one of the twelve, one who is dipping bread into the dish with me. For the Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.

And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it, broke it and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. And he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant which is poured out for many.” 

Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah…..I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people….I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. (Jeremiah 31:31-34)

Truly, I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God. And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God; I will extol you. Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever! (Psalm 118:28-29)

Summary Points:

-When you choose your faith, be sure you choose based on what God has said.

-Jesus gave His life for us. He now gives His life to us.

-The blood of Christ reminds us everyday that we have peace with God…..forever!

/by

Mark Pt. 34: How Long, O Lord?

How Long, O Lord?

Mark 13:14-37 (ESV)

But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where he (it) ought not to be (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

….on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate…. (Daniel 9:27)

Let the one who is on the housetop not go down, nor enter his house, to take anything out, and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. And alas for women who are pregnant and for those nursing infants in those days! Pray that it may not happen in winter. For in those days there will be such tribulation as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, and never will be. 

And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. (Daniel 12:1)

And if the Lord had not cut short those days, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he shortened the days. And then if anyone says to you, “Look, here is the Christ!” or “Look, there he is!” — do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. But be on guard; I have told you all things beforehand.

But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and…..the moon will not give its light, and…..the stars will be falling from heaven, and…..the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And…..then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And…..then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.

From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. (v.30-31)

But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard, keep awake (and pray). For you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. Therefore stay awake – for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning – lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: stay awake. (v.34-37)

Summary Points

– He is coming. Unannounced. It’s not wise to be lazy and unaware.

– You want to escape final judgment. You want to stand before the Son of Man, to be welcomed by Him, embraced by Him.

– When you see the signs, you will know He is near.

– While we watch and wait, we are on a rescue mission. We use the good news of Jesus Christ to hand off people from earth to heaven.

/by

Mark Pt. 33: Expect Opposition

Mark 13:1-13

2/4/24

Expect Opposition

13 And as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” 2 And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”

3 And as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?”

 5 And Jesus began to say to them, “See that no one leads you astray. 6 Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. 7 And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet. 8 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains.

9 “But be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them. 10 And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations. 

11 And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. 

12 And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. 13 And you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

So why does Jesus tell them these things?

– They think Jesus is about to triumph once and for all, he is resetting expectations. 

– Their view of the Messiah is not quite right, even if they know Jesus is God.

– He is preparing them for the things to come

– He doesn’t want them to lose heart when the temple is destroyed.

What good does it do us to know it?

– Obviously rejoice in seeing that what he says comes true. Evidence for the legitimacy

– It reinforces God’s character, that He is in control and keeps his promises.

– How we should trust God for guidance and security, God seldom does things the way we would draw it up.

– I hope this text gives you assurance that in the face of opposition and rejection, we have the lords spirit in us and will carry us through. 

Application – three themes, pulled from the text

Endure – 13 “But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”

– How do we endure? What are the things that distract you?

– Marathon runners don’t just “not get tired”. They train. They pace themselves. They are disciplined and have a regimen. 

– They have goals. Do you know where you want to be?

– Run the race at a consistent speed, rhythm and discipline.

Hold fast to the straight path – 5 “See that no one leads you astray.”

– Surround yourself in good company. Harder to get lost in a pack. Be with Christians

– Know the truth. Study his words, don’t let the only time you open your bible be at church on Sunday. Study it on your own.

– Does the world hate you? Don’t pick fights for your own sake, but if you get along with the world, and you feel like you fit in, are you the person Jesus is talking about?

– Is your path straight at that point, if you don’t feel the tension between you & world?

Be the new temple – 11 “for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.”

– Are you living a life empowered? 

– God now lives inside you, be a light. Evangelize. 

– Jesus used the conversations of the people around him to teach. Having the holy spirit should encourage us to look for similar opportunities. 

– Jesus knew that because of the persecution the disciples would face they would be able to share the good news with very important people. When you find yourself in those situations, do you let the spirit move? 

/by

Mark Pt. 32: Aligned With God = Dependent On God

God’s Top Priorities For Us

It is still just Tuesday of Holy Week!!! Wednesday starts with Chapter 14. The final five chapter of the Gospel of mark are DENSE! GRAVITY / WEIGHT. Each day Jesus & His disciples spend in Jerusalem this Holy Week is action packed! Jesus is dealing with everything from big picture ideas to individual examples, all the while teaching directly from the Scriptures. Pay attention to who He is talking to at different times. Today’s passage has: Big Picture / Specific Scripture / Individual Example

Setting The Stage: Christ is Teaching at the Temple. Jesus just told a story that describes the spiritual state of God’s chosen people. The parable of the vineyard tenants. [Grasping for Power] Then in answer to a couple of insincere, ‘trick questions’, He points out how the political and religious leaders have lost their way so badly they are completely aligned against God! [Greg’s Sermon] Directly following this Jesus tells the religious leaders they are completely wrong about God, then He fields a question from ‘A Scribe’. But this guys is different, he is sincere and real and in response to that, Jesus teaches truth to the teachable.

Let us be humble and teachable in all aspects of our life.[Easier said than done] Jesus gives revelation to those who approach Him in faith: This is a massive gift!!!

Mark 12:28-44

28 One of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, “What commandment is the foremost of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The foremost is, ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord; 30 and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

  • THIS Scribe recognizes Christ’s ‘God-centric’ teaching [don’t take for granted]
  • So… He asks; ‘what is the most important thing God would have us do?’
  • Jesus begins by quoting Deuteronomy 6:4-5
  • Then He quotes the end of Leviticus 19:18
  • He says: These two things are of the highest priority
    • How you are related to God
    • How you are related to your neighbor ‘Who is my Neighbor?’
  • The kind of relationship God wants with us includes every aspect of our lives
    • Loving Him with all we have
  • The kind of relationship God wants us to have with our neighbor is loving also
    • You love yourself all the time & in ways that fulfill your needs
    • So we are to love our neighbor this way. What does that look like in ‘real life’?

32 The scribe said to Him, “Right, Teacher; You have truly stated that He is One, and there is no one else besides Him; 33 and to love Him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as himself, is much more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 When Jesus saw that he had answered intelligently, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” After that, no one would venture to ask Him any more questions.

  • The Scribe knows the Scriptures so he affirms Christ’s ‘Spiritual Priorities’
  • The Scribe agrees that these priorities are more important than ritual & religion
  • The Scribe quotes Hosea 6:6 as part of his response: ‘For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.’
  • It’s not about religious activity it’s about relationships [Vertical & Horizontal]
  • Jesus is like: ‘You are getting it and that will get you there!’ [The Kingdom]

35 And Jesus began to say, as He taught in the temple, “How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David? 36 David himself said in the Holy Spirit, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Until I put Your enemies beneath Your feet.”’ 37 David himself calls Him ‘Lord’; so in what sense is He his son?” And the large crowd enjoyed listening to Him.

  • So now that Christ has at least one teachable student [besides the Disciples]
  • He drops ‘Truth for The teachable’ [teaching in the Temple]
  • He takes on a real tricky passage… a real ‘ask the pastor’ kind of question
  • Quoting Psalm 110:1 He asks How can David’s son can also be David’s ‘Lord’
  • The answer is: If that descendant is the God-Man Messiah, The Incarnation!
  • The large crowd liked what they heard…But do they really get who HE is?
  • Then a quick pivot…

38 In His teaching He was saying: “Beware of the scribes who like to walk around in long robes, and like respectful greetings in the market places, 39 and chief seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets, 40 who devour widows’ houses, and for appearance’s sake offer long prayers; these will receive greater condemnation.”

  • He say lookout for the ‘Scribes’ who do the following things [Corrupt]
  • He is saying not all of them are corrupt.
  • What he describes are people who put on quite a show of their great position
  • Yet they steal from the most vulnerable!
  • They make a mockery of prayer, using it to get attention from people
  • They will face judgement
  • Now it is time for an object lesson, an example of the opposite of the Scribes

41 And He sat down opposite the treasury, and began observing how the people were putting money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large sums. 42 A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amount to a cent. 43 Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; 44 for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.”

  • Jesus is now teaching in the court of Women across from ‘The Treasury’
  • This was 13 trumpet shaped ‘Alms Boxes’ located in the court of women
  • He see rich people putting in many coins, lots of loot
  • And He see a poor widow putting in 2 coins; 1/64 of a Denarius [a day’s wage]
  • In today’s money, a days wage is about $130 so this would be about $2.00!!!
  • Jesus says Her offering is more valuable than all the giving from surplus
  • She gave from obedience not out of calculation
  • She gave from what she actually needed, trusting in God not herself
  • She imitated Christ’s sacrificial giving to us on the cross: HE GAVE IT ALL

TO SUMMARIZE:

Christ gives us a synopsis of what a real relationship with God looks like based on what God has already revealed: Scripture.

The guy asking the question models how we are to properly approach God. [Humble] He’s a stark & necessary contrast, to the majority of the Religious & Political Leaders.

Jesus with a teachable audience, gives a short lesson on how there are some important details to understand regarding how God’s revelation all comes together in The Christ / Messiah. In this, Christ calls His ‘followers’ to lifelong learning = Discipleship [Scripture Study]

Christ then gives US [teachable disciples] two ends of the spectrum as to how people response to God’s revelation of Himself [Scripture]. First we have the Religious Elite, they are immersed in God’s revelation and yet live fake, self-dependent, all show no go lives before God…arrogant and shameless [think vineyard tenants]. Then Jesus points out one person living by trust in God alone… as Our Lord would have each of His followers live.

Theology: What God has revealed to us [Biblical] about Himself that we can comprehend.

Doxology: How one lives in response to [Biblical] ‘Revelation’ / The Gospel. The term Doxology carries the connotation of ‘Worship’ A Response to The Holy…

When you trust who Christ is, and that He, God Himself offers eternal life… You can now live in a state of dependance on God that resembles this poor widow.

What are the top priorities of the life Jesus calls us to?

~ A committed love relationship with your Creator and Savior that is Spiritual, Emotional, Physical, and Intellectual.

~ A lifestyle of consistently, effectively caring for those you are in community with.

Why do we seek to understand the Scriptural Messiah / Jesus The Christ?

~ To properly surrender our lives and worship God we must understand Him as He is revealed in Scripture.

~ The revelation of Christ that leads to salvation and the life of a disciple requires our diligent seeking of Scripture: an ongoing investigation of the Truth.

What does Christ Jesus teach HIS followers regarding generosity?

~ We are to give to the kingdom in ways that place us into dependance upon God.

~ Our giving has a spiritual value, not just dollars and cents value. Biblical obedience strengthens our alignment with God.

/by

Mark Pt. 31: The Enemies of the Lord Unite

Mark 12:13-27 (ESV)

And they sent to him some of the Pharisees and some of the Herodians, to trap him in his talk. And they came and said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are true and do not care about anyone’s opinion. For you are not swayed by appearances, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?” But, knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why put me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” And they brought one. And he said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said to him, “Caesar’s.” Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they marveled at him.

And Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection. And they asked him a question, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife, but leaves no child, the man must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. There were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and when he died left no offspring. And the second took her, and died, leaving no offspring. And the third likewise. And the seven left no offspring. Last of all the woman also died. In the resurrection, when they rise again, whose wife will she be? For the seven had her as wife.”

Jesus said to them, “Is this not the reason you are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God? For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and  the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living. You are quite wrong.”

Application Points:

God has ordained government and civil authority.

-Pray for authorities (I Tim 2)

-Submit to their authority (Rom 13)

-Obey God and humbly accept the world’s hostility (Acts 3)

-The world’s laws and taxes are crumbs. Give them the crumbs. The riches are the Lord’s.

Resurrection is very real.

-We cannot die.

-The body will rest.

-The spirit goes to the Lord (II Cor 5)

-When He comes back, we are all coming back. (I Cor 15, I Thess 4)

Are you alive? Really alive? Alive in the Lord….alive?!?!

/by

Mark Pt. 30: Grasping for Power

Grasping for Power
Mark 12:1-12 (ESV)
1/14/24

12 And he began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a pit for the winepress and built a tower, and leased it to tenants and went into another country. 2 When the season came, he sent a servant to the tenants to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. 

•The master has an expectation for the tenants, they are to watch over and protect the property and the crop.
•There is a season where the tenants are put in charge for a time, and then they will need to pay the master his portion, give him what he is due.

3 And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 4 Again he sent to them another servant, and they struck him on the head and treated him shamefully. 5 And he sent another, and him they killed. And so with many others: some they beat, and some they killed. 

•They think they own something; they are possessive. By their actions they do not recognize the master as the rightful owner of the vineyard. 
•The patience of the master is wild!

“Woe to you shepherds of Israel who only take care of yourselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock? 3 You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock. 4 You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally. 5 So they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild animals.”
Ezekiel 34:2-5

Jesus has been calling them hypocrites his entire ministries. Jesus called the people sheep without a shepherd. And just now when Jesus cleared out the temple, these are all indicators that the religious leaders have failed badly. 

6 He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 7 But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 8 And they took him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard. 

9 What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others. 10 Have you not read this Scripture:
“‘The stone that the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone; 
11 this was the Lord’s doing,
    and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”

•God is not a military leader who can be overthrown through a political coup, their mission is in vanity and destined to fail.

12 And they were seeking to arrest him but feared the people, for they perceived that he had told the parable against them. So they left him and went away.

•they get that the story is about them but they don’t react accordingly. They still act the part of the tenants, trying to get him arrested and killed. 
•There is a disconnect between how they see themselves and reality. They think they are preserving the faith from a rouge blasphemer. But their actions betray them

Application

Obey the master
•Listen to those who God sends
        •God speaks and directs us through others. Are you paying attention?
•Produce the fruit and give him the glory
        •we are to produce the fruit. Are you? 
        •We are to take care of that which God has entrusted to us. 
        •What has God placed in your care? Are you caring for it?

Keep an eye on the return of the master
•Would you rather he not return because you want to do things your way?

Make Jesus the cornerstone
•Is he the center piece of all that you do?
•We are called to set aside our ambitions and agenda. It’s not about us, it never has been. We are only fooling if we think we can control the situation ourselves

God’s patience had been misunderstood to be aloofness. 

Exodus 34
 6 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.”

/by

Mark Pt. 29: The Shadow of Calvary Looms

The Shadow Of Calvary Looms

Mark 11:20-33

As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. And Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” (v.20-21)

And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” (v.22-24)

Application point 1: There are situations/seasons of life when the Lord appoints an obstacle in our way to develop our faith and/or put His power on display.

And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive your trespasses. [But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your trespasses.] (v.25-26)

Application point 2: Be careful removing scripture from its context. An unforgiving spirit is a great hindrance to effective prayer. An unforgiving spirit blocks our prayers and isolates us from the blessing of His presence and awareness of His grace.

And they came again to Jerusalem. And as he was talking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to him, and they said to him, “By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?” (v.27-28)

Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? Answer me.” (v.29-30)

And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, from heaven, he will say, why then did you not believe him? But shall we say, From man?” they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John really was a prophet. (v. 31-32)

So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.” (v.33)

Application point 3: They rejected Jesus just as they rejected John. And He rejected them.

In Summary:

-Our failures are a usual way God grows us, but often He appoints hardships for us to grow our faith, purify us, or protect us (perhaps even from ourselves).

-While v.24 appears to be a broad promise, it is contingent that we approach heaven, exercising faith with a humble forgiving spirit. Being right or getting right with our brothers and sisters!

-The Lord did not argue with His enemies. He did not seek to enlighten them. To them, He had nothing to say. Likewise, to the mockers and skeptics, we are not the ‘fixers’ of them all. We must be Spirit-led and filled. Recognize those He has given to us and move along from those He may appoint to others.

/by

Mark Pt. 28: Christ is Lord of All, Big or Small

Does Christ control all history and each moment of your life?

The Gospel of Mark:

So far it has taken 10 chapters to cover 3 yrs of Jesus’ life on earth…The rest of the book is 6 chapters to cover 8 days!!!

We just finished Advent, Christ entering our world as one of us.On what we know as ‘Palm Sunday’, Christ entered the city where He would be sacrificed for you and me as one of us. The wonder of Advent for me is that God was willing to come as one of us…And now we see Christ headed towards dying as one of us. Christ enters the city surrounded by thousands…Five days later Christ is Crucified.

Every week until Easter we will be looking at what things were a priority for Jesus to show His Disciples & The World during that last week of His pre-Cruxified life. In our text today He is showing His Disciples that He is in control of it all; Big & Small, The contrast of the Majestic and the Minute. This Scripture declares: Big or small, Christ is Lord of all!

The New year is good time to order your life to reflect a Biblical view if Jesus Christ.

Mark 11:1-18 NASB 1995

1 As they approached Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples, 2 and said to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, on which no one yet has ever sat; untie it and bring it here. 3 If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ you say, ‘The Lord has need of it’; and immediately He will send it back here.”

  • Everyone but the 12 were fearful of Jesus going to Jerusalem [10:32]
  • He gives very detailed instructions… like He is in control of… Everything!
  • The God of Creation & The God of intricate details!
  • He is staging a massive gathering and yet gives attention to tiny details
  • I wounder if God is like that in each of our lives?
  • God wants to involve us in the Big and Small
  • God is Big yet willing to be small…

4 They went away and found a colt tied at the door, outside in the street; and they untied it. 5 Some of the bystanders were saying to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” 6 They spoke to them just as Jesus had told them, and they gave them permission. 7 They brought the colt to Jesus and put their coats on it; and He sat on it. 8 And many spread their coats in the road, and others spread leafy branches which they had cut from the fields.

  • People don’t just let someone take a valuable animal like that…
  • Key thing for the disciples: ‘They spoke to them just as Jesus had told them’
  • Obedience to Jesus’ Words & Ways is central to Biblical Christ Discipleship!
  • They covered the donkey & the road…Why?

Specific Fulfillment of Old Testament Prophecy: The coming King!

Rejoice, O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your King is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet He is humble, riding on a donkey riding on a donkey’s colt. ~ Zechariah 9:9

9 Those who went in front and those who followed were shouting: “Hosanna!
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord; 10 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David; Hosanna in the highest!” 11 Jesus entered Jerusalem and came into the temple; and after looking around at everything, He left for Bethany with the twelve, since it was already late.

  • ‘Hosanna’ means: ‘O Save Us!’
  • The use of this language by the Jewish people was reserved for The Messiah
  • This is the only time Jesus is truly recognized as who He is
  • He checks out the temple, perhaps making a plan for tomorrow
  • They leave and go to Bethany, most likely staying with Mary, Martha & Lazarus

12 On the next day, when they had left Bethany, He became hungry. 13 Seeing at a distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to see if perhaps He would find anything on it; and when He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14 He said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” And His disciples were listening.

  • It’s Monday and they get up and head back into the city
  • Interaction with the fig tree is contrasted with being hailed as the Messiah
  • No one is there to see Him come into the city
  • The text makes a point to say His Disciples were listening
  • At this point they are paying attention to EVERYTHING…after what the’ve seen

15 Then they came to Jerusalem. And He entered the temple and began to drive out those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves; 16 and He would not permit anyone to carry merchandise through the temple.

  • The 1st thing He did once He entered the city was to address a big wrong
  • Christ was doing a big object lesson about justice
  • The people who were getting ripped off the most were those coming from afar
  • Selling sacrifice animals at inflated prices & giving them a bad exchange rate!
  • Besides the ‘Sacrifice Scam’ they were also turning it into a ‘Flea Market’!!

17 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.” 18 The chief priests and the scribes heard this, and began seeking how to destroy Him; for they were afraid of Him, for the whole crowd was astonished at His teaching.

  • After getting everyones attention He teaches
  • Jesus quotes Isaiah 56:7 ‘…For All Nations’
  • The context of this passage is about God not excluding foreigners
  • Read Isaiah 56:1-8
  • It angered the priests & scribes because He was condemning their set-up: They were in charge.

We end with people reacting to Jesus with fear & astonishment. What is your reaction to Jesus today? The whole crowd was astonished, the religious leaders were fearful…and His Disciples were listening and obeying!

What is the Scripture teaching US and what are WE go going to do with it?

What Jesus is showing us:

God controls all circumstances in our lives, as His Disciples we become obedient to Christ’s words and ways. When we do things with His heart & actions, He is glorified and Scripture will come alive in our lives!

Application Action:

Do three small things this week that are specifically obedient to the Words of Christ.

Examples: Turn the other cheek. Store up treasure in heaven. Forgive your Bro or Sis 70 X 7. Receive The Kingdom like a child.

What Jesus is showing us:

Jesus specifically fulfilled prophecies to demonstrate His Messiahship and His personal attention to EVERY detail, that means every detail of your life. Christ’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem is prophetically foreshadowing His second coming. He holds all history & every moment of each of our lives in His hands.

Application Action:

Make a BIG choice that reflects the Big Picture of being Christ’s Disciple, not the ‘American Dream’ of Success, Security & Status. Remember He is coming back!

What Jesus is showing us:

God is paying attention to the Big & Small; from every plant to nations and churches. He is concerned with what we do as individuals and Members of His Body. As His Disciples we do well to listen carefully and apply such principals to our daily lives.

Application Action:

Ask someone in leadership here at Midtown how YOU can be obedient to play a part in making Midtown Church glorify God more.

For the next three months we are going to examine the last last SIX chapters of this book, events that take place over just SEVEN days! As Christ’s Disciples… As His Body… may we LISTEN & OBEY!

/by

ADVENT: The Fullness of Love

CHRISTMAS LOVE FROM ABOVE

Advent: Hope / Peace / Joy / LOVE

Today, tomorrow this whole season is about love. It’s why God was incarnated. Today is about real love, the fullness of love. NOT what passes for love [affection]. To understand love you have to start with GOD…At God’s essential core He IS love. The Trinity is the perfect expression of love for others [prefect relational community].

God defines LOVE by who HE is & what HE has done! The final Word on love would come at the cross…But it BEGINS with the Birth of Jesus The Christ! The Advent of the Messiah, the coming of The God Man, Jesus of Nazareth…

He came to demonstrate and define The Fullness of Love. God made it personal: He came HIMSELF, incarnated as one of us…He came to complete the story of our redemption. What we call ‘The Bible’. This Christmas let us joyfully receive the gift of LOVE as explained in God’s Word.

Let us learn and apply it with all of our heart, souls, mind and strength!

1st John 4:7-21 NASB 1995

7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

  • The love John has for his audience comes from intimate knowledge of Christ
  • God’s essence is love. The Triune Godhead defines love!
  • KNOW GOD, KNOW LOVE…
  • Humans cannot truly love without God empowering it [just affection]

9 By this, the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

  • The ultimate expression of God’s love for His people was the sending of Jesus
  • God defines love as sacrifice for others / Doing for us what we could not do!
  • ‘Live through Him’ = eternal life with God we have by giving our life to Christ
  • ‘In This IS Love’ WE don’t make it happen… He loved & loves us {ponder}
  • ‘This Love’ is God condescending to be one of us, becoming the payment for our sin

11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us.

  • Our love for each other flows from God’s love for us [responsibility & privilege]
  • As we cannot see the wind, we can’t see God…We can see His effect: LOVE
  • God coming to us… as one of us… is the perfect expression of what love is
  • That God would live in us so that we could love like Him… HIS love perfected!

13 By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. 14 We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us.

  • He says: Here is how we know this love, how we have this love in us: HIS Spirit
  • Only through Biblical Salvation does God give His chosen people His Spirit
  • The Biblical Gospel results in Biblical Confession and indwelling Holy Spirit
  • Faith in Christ as God & Savior leads us to believe and begin to live by love

God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world.18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.

  • Love is the heart of God’s being!
  • Its the defining aspect of His character, from love flow all the other ways of God
  • God’s Love is born in us by the Holy Spirit [Eternal Security]
  • That confidence is lived out through sacrificial love that overcomes fear
  • If you know that you are ‘Heaven Bound’… you don’t fear death
  • If you know there will be NO punishment for your sin, you live by love, not fear

19 We love, because He first loved us. 20 If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.

  • The initiator of all love, of all redeemed relationship… is God Himself!
  • True love of God cannot coexist with hatred of members of of Christ’s body
  • It is commanded of Christ’s followers that we are to love our Christian family
  • If we truly share the love we also share in the abolition of hate in Christ’s Body

BIBLICAL TRUTH

The fullness of love is only found in knowing God [Knowing who Christ is] & being born of God [Indwelt with God’s Spirit]. The Biblical definition of a Christ Follower.

BIBLICAL TRUTH

As Christ’s followers we are hardwired to the definitive source of perfect love; unconditional, self-sacrificial and pure.

BIBLICAL TRUTH

As Christ’s followers, God’s love in us is proven by the gift of His Spirit, which enables us to fully trust Him for today & eternity.

BIBLICAL TRUTH

As Christ’s followers we do not fear judgement for our sin from God because we have experienced the full extent of His Love demonstrated in Christ’s coming to us.

BIBLICAL TRUTH

As Christ’s followers, God’s love in us is not compatible with hatred for other Biblical followers of Christ.

APPLICATION ACTIONS:

Get involved in more intentional scripture study to increase your faith in Christ.

Don’t settle for any other definition of love other than God’s definition of love [Christ].

Ask God to give you assurance of Eternity with HIM by His Spirit so you can live uncontrolled by fear.

Eradicate any place for hate you might have in your life for other Biblical Christians.

/by