Link to Rev James Philip’s notes on Mark’s Gospel

Mark

Mark 1-3

MARK 1:1-20  –  This is a new ‘beginning’. The prophets had spoken. Now, the Saviour has come. This is ‘Good News.’ John has prepared the way. Now, he stands aside to make way for ‘Jesus Christ, the Son of God’ (1,11).  Following Jesus’ baptism, there was temptation. This was Kingdom against kingdom. Satan’s kingdom was …

Mark 4:1-6:13

Mark 4:1-34  -  God’s Word carries this message: ‘He who has ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says...’ (9; Revelation 2:7,11,17,29; 3:6,13,22). We must listen for the voice of the Spirit. Grace has been ‘given’ to us (11). It is God's gift. To God be the glory! Sadly, some refuse to listen. …

Mark 6:14-8:26

Mark  6:14-44  -  They were great men of God - ‘John the baptiser... Elijah... the prophets of old’ (14-15). None of them can compare with the Lord Jesus Christ. These men directed attention to the Lord (1 Kings 18:36-39; Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezekiel 36:25-27). Of Christ alone, we say, ‘There is salvation in no …

Mark 8:27-9:50

Mark 8:27-9:13  -  ‘Who do you say that I am ?’: Jesus puts this question to all of us. Some believe He is the Christ. Others do not. Some try to 'sit on the fence'. Everyone makes their response to Him. God is not deceived by outward observance of religion, when it masks an inward …

Mark 10-11

Mark 10:1-31  -  The Pharisees came to Jesus - ‘to test Him’ (2). They asked Him about divorce (2). He spoke to them about marriage (6-9). We need to be positive, well grounded in the basic principles of God’s Word. When the thorny problems come - as they surely will - we will face them …

Mark 12-13

Mark 12:1-44  -  Jesus - God’s ‘beloved Son’ (6): Rejected by men, raised by God (10-11). Jesus’ enemies tried ‘to trap Him in His talk’ (13). He spoke with wisdom - and so can we. Anointed by the Holy One, we have the mind of Christ (1 John 2:19-20; 1 Corinthians 2:14-16). Christ’s enemies knew …

Mark 14-16

Mark 14:1-25  -  Jesus was surrounded by enemies, ‘seeking to kill Him’ (1). There was also a hypocrite, preparing ‘to betray Him’ (10-11). What a joy it was to find a woman with such heartfelt love for Him (3-9). Her love for Christ must never be forgotten (9). There is something else which must never …

When the Word of the Lord is spoken in the power of the Holy Spirit

"I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit” (Mark 1:8). As we commit ourselves to serving the Lord, we must pray that the Holy Spirit will come upon us with power. How can we serve the Lord effectively if we are not filled with the Holy Spirit? By themselves, our …

Jesus changes people.

Mark 2:13-3:12 Jesus changes people. Levi became Matthew (14). He became 'a new creation' (2 Corinthians 5:17). The change of name marked his new birth (John 3:6). To be changed by Jesus you must recognize yourself as a sinner (17). There is a world of difference between legal obedience - 'old wine' - and Gospel …

Thank You Jesus. I want to be more like You, Jesus.

Mark 10:44-45 Whoever wants to be most important among you will be a slave for everyone. It’s the same way with the Son of Man. He didn’t come so that others could serve Him. He came to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many people.” We read the words, "to give …

Be Still.

Mark 4:33-5:20 Parables and miracles: In Jesus' miracles, there's a message for us. We must ask, 'What does this mean for us?' In the miracles - calming the storm (Mark 4:35-41) and driving out demons (Mark 5:1-20), there is the message: "Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalm 46;10). We look beyond the …

Compassion

Mark 8:1-26 "Compassion" (Mark 8:2): This is where everything comes from - the feeding of the crowds (Mark 8:1-10), the healing of the blind man (Mark 8:22-26). Jesus opens our eyes to see how great His love is. He feeds us with spiritual food - the Gospel of His love. Sadly, there is, between these …

Celebrating the Lord’s Supper: Psalm 23:1-6; Mark 14:1-11

Psalm 23:1-6; Mark 14:1-11 Jesus was looking forward to the celebration of the Passover. It would be the time when He would introduce His disciples to something more than the Passover - the Lord's Supper. Before we come to the Lord's Supper, we read about two very different people - one, a woman, Mary (see …

Are the Scriptures more than the words of men? Are the Scriptures the Word of the Lord?

"What the Scriptures say must come true." (Mark 14:49) Why? It's because the Scriptures come from God, and God is the God of truth. When God speaks, He speaks the truth. Whenever we are tempted to doubt the Scriptures, let's not forget that this means that we are questioning God. We are saying, "Has God …

Keeping the Lord at the centre of all that we do

Leviticus 1:1-3:17; Mark 9:33-10:12; Psalm 27:1-6, The offerings were to be “made to the Lord”. They were to be “pleasing to the Lord.” These recurring phrases emphasize the importance of keeping the Lord at the centre of all that we do. We are not to argue about who is the greatest (Mark 9:34). There is …

Jesus Is The Way To Eternal Life.

Mark 10:17-34 In Exodus 20, following the Ten Commandments, there is distance and darkness (Exodus 20:18-21). The law shows us how far we are from God. It shows us how much we have failed God. Is this what we see in this man? No! It's not. We see pride - "Teacher, I have kept all …

Important questions to which each one of us must give our own answer

For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? (Mark 8:36) Each of us must make choices. Which world are we going to live for: the world that is passing away, or the world that will remain forever? Which world is most important to us? That is the question …

We can’t say, "This is what we want Jesus to be." We must let Him be who He is.

"Hosanna!" (Mark 11:9-10) - This was a day of celebration, but the celebration didn't last long. The cursing of the fig tree (Mark 11:12-14,20-21) and the throwing out of the moneychangers (Mark 11:15-17) showed people that Jesus was different from what they wanted Him to be. We can't say, "This is what we want Jesus …

Salvation And Discipleship

Jesus brings us salvation - “Friend, your sins are forgiven” (Mark 2:5) - and He calls us to discipleship - “Follow Me” (Mark 2:14). We cannot be His disciples without, first, coming to Him for salvation. We must emphasize that salvation leads to discipleship. Our discipleship demonstrates the reality of our salvation. We must hear …

Grace has been given to us.

22nd June : Mark 4:1-34 God's Word carries this message: 'He who has ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says...' (9; Revelation 2:7,11,17,29; 3:6,13,22). We must listen for the voice of the Spirit. Grace has been 'given' to us (11). It is God's gift. To God be the glory! Sadly, some refuse …

More than a servant, Jesus is our Saviour.

"For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45). Jesus was a servant - but He's much more than that. He's our Saviour. Jesus shows us how we are to serve - but He does much more than that. He …

Forgiveness And New Life

Mark 2:1-17 "He was speaking the message to them" (Mark 2:3) - and there were "signs following" (Mark 16:17). Preaching and miracles: we see this pattern in Mark 1 - preaching (Mark 1:14-20), miracles (Mark 1:21-34,40-45). In Mark 1:39, we see both - preaching and miracles. Along with preaching and miracles, there is prayer (Mark …

Jesus loved them – and he loves us.

"Jesus ... saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things" (Mark 6:34). There were so many people - and Jesus loved every one of them. He loved them, he prayed for them - and he gave himself, …

Love For God

Mark 12:28-37 What is love for God? How do we learn to love the Lord? We begin with listening to Him. He speaks to us. We listen to Him. He speaks to us of His love for us His love for us is so much greater than our love for Him. The love of God …

Jesus Christ – The Risen Lord

Mark 16:1-20 "Who will roll away the stone ... ?" (Mark 16:3) - They were looking for men to do this. God had already done it! "Jesus was crucified. Jesus is risen" (Mark 16:6).   "Go, tell His disciples and Peter" (Mark 16:7). "He is going ahead of you" (Mark 16:7) - Jesus is already ahead …

Jesus didn’t give up on Peter.

A confession of faith in Jesus (Mark 8:29) is followed by a rebuke from Jesus (Mark 8:33). How did Peter get from confession to rebuke? - Satan slipped into his heart and mind, leading him away from the Lord Jesus. Did Jesus give up on Peter? - No! Jesus was still speaking to all of …

A new beginning, based on what had gone before (Preaching The Word Of The Lord: Mark 1:1-20)

This was a new beginning (Mark 1:1), but it was based on what had gone before (Mark 1:2-3). Those who speak of Jesus Christ, their Saviour, are "voices crying in the wikderness", but their ministry is blessed by the Lord (Mark 1:3,5). We must never forget this, and we must pray that we will be …

Wars, Earthquakes, Famines – Don’t Be Alarmed!

Mark 13:7-8 “When you hear of wars and rumours of wars, don’t be alarmed! These things must happen, but they don’t mean that the end has come. Nation will fight against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes and famines in various places. These are only the beginning pains of the end. Wars, earthquakes, …

An unusual Communion service

Since this service is a Communion service, we turn our attention to the 14th chapter of Mark's Gospel, where we read about the last supper Jesus ate with his disciples. We begin by thinking about Jesus' triumphal entry into the city of Jerusalem. We read about this in the beginning of chapter 11. We remember …

The Son of Man is going to die as the Scriptures say He will (Mark 14:21).

We look at Jesus. In everything, he lived his life "as the Scriptures says." What about us? Are we becoming more like him? Are we learning to live the way he lived - "as the Scriptures say"?

Be Open To The Life-Changing Love Of Christ.

"Jesus ... was deeply hurt because their minds were closed" (Mark 3:5). "Whoever curses the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. He is guilty of an everlasting sin" (Mark 3:29). "Whoever does what God wants is My brother and sister and mother" (Mark 3:35). These are challenging verses, They call us to be open to …

Parables, Power And Peace

Parables: Where does understanding come from? It comes from the  Lord. Before there can be "harvest" (Mark 4:29), there needs to be sowing (Mark 4:26). We are not to say, "This one is good soil. Here, there is bad soil." Following some parables, we have Jesus calming the sea (Mark 4:35-41) - "Be still" (Mark …

“Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will” (Mark 14:36).

Doing the will of God wasn't easy for Jesus. It won't be easy for us. It's always better to do God's will rather than insisting on getting our own way. For Jesus, there was more than crucifixion. There was resurrection. Whatever may lie ahead of us, may we never forget this - God is our …

Before You Can Be The Lord’s Servant, He Must Be Your Saviour.

“Whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant … For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:43,45). Do you want to be the Lord’s servant? Remember that He is your Saviour. Do you want to serve the …

The Upward Look And The Outward Look

God is calling us to move forward into His future. He's calling us to move forward with Him. He's calling us to move forward for Him. How are we to move forward with God? How are we to move forward for Him? If we are to move forward with God and for God, we must …

Let’s Eliminate Negative Thinking about Jesus Christ.

Mark 8:27-9:8 I've borrowed part of this title from Robert Schuller. He used the letters of the word, Lent, to say something that we all need to hear - Let's Eliminate Negative Thinking.  * Let's Eliminate Negative Thinking about Jesus Christ. In his short three-year ministry, Jesus encountered much criticism and controversy. The religious leaders, known …

The Son Of God

“Truly, this Man was the Son of God” (Mark 15:39). Jesus Christ was no ordinary man. He was special. He was unique. He is God’s ‘only Son’ (John 3:16). He is God’s ‘beloved Son’ (Matthew 3:17; Luke 9:35). He is not only the greatest Man who ever lived. He is ‘greater than the angels’ in …

The storm is raging. Jesus draws near. There is peace.

“They were in a lot of trouble … because they were going against the wind” (Mark 6:48).  We make a lot of trouble for ourselves when we go against the wind of the Spirit. John 3 and Acts 2 compare the Spirit to the wind. We need to go with the wind of the Spirit …

Amazing Grace

"Their unbelief amazed Him" (Mark 6:6). The Lord has done so much for us. Why do we persist in unbelief? There is no real answer to this question, other than this: "The heart is deceitful and desperately wicked. Who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9). Our unbelief may be amazing. His grace is so much more …

Let’s Build On Christ.

Mark 12:1-11 Then, using this illustration, Jesus spoke to them. He said, “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, made a vat for the winepress, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to vineyard workers and went on a trip. 2 “At the right time he sent a servant to the …

The Solid Rock

“Have you never read the Scripture passage: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. The Lord has done this, and it is amazing for us to see’?” (Mark 12:10-11). Jesus is the Cornerstone of our faith. We build on Him, the solid Rock. He’s the sure Foundation. He died for us. He …

Whatever our feelings are telling us, may God give us the faith that keeps on believing that Jesus still loves us.

He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Peace! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm (Mark 4:39). We cannot take this in. It's too much for us! We think about our own lives. We think about the storms that are raging around us. We think about the …

A new song

'Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today”' (Mark 5:26). Jesus was special. He was very different from the religious leaders of his day. Jesus changed people. He brought them closer to God. He inspired them. "He put a new song in my mouth, …

Wherever the Good News is spoken

"Wherever the Good News is spoken in the world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her" (Mark 14:9). The Good News tells us about Christ's love for us. It tells us about what Christ has done for us. It also calls for our response to His love, our response to …

We’re always being pulled in different directions.

"Lord, I believe; help my unbelief" (Mark 9L24). Which one of us has perfect faith? Are not all of us pulled in different directions? We're pulled in the direction of faith. We're pulled in the direction of unbelief. Which way are we to turn? Is our faith ever really a strong faith? Are we not …

The Parable of the Sower (Mark 4:1-20)

Here, Jesus is saying to us, 'There is a way that leads to fruitfulness' - and he's also saying, "There's a way that will not lead to fruitfulness.' Jesus speaks about the sower, the seed and the soils. He's speaking about God's Word. He's inviting us to think about our response to God's Word: What …

The power of a new life

"‘The time has come,’ Jesus said. ‘The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!’" (Mark 1:15). Jesus draws near to us. He brings to us the power of a new life. It's not a new life that's created by our faith. It's a new life that comes to us from Jesus, our …

The work of God is shared by many different people with many different gifts.

Exodus 35:1-36:7 The work of God is shared by many different people with many different gifts. The work is done according to (a) the Lord's command (35:1,4,10; 36:1,5); (b) heartfelt obedience (21; 36:3,5-7); (c) the God-given abilities (24-25; 36:2,4,8). There is something for 'everyone' to do - everyone 'whose heart is stirred whose spirit is …

The End

In Mark 13:1-2, Jesus speaks about the destruction of the Temple. In Mark 13:7, He speaks about "the end." There are events which point us to the end. These events make us think about the end. There's another "end" that we must think about - "the person who endures to the end will be saved" …

Jesus Is For Everyone – He’s Such A Great Saviour!

In Mark 5, we learn that Jesus is for everyone - a demoniac called Legion, a synagogue leader named Jairus, a child,  a woman who had been suffering from chronic bleeding for twelve years. The more we learn of Jesus, the more we learn that He is for everyone. Each of us needs Him. He …

Where Does Salvation Come From?

"It's impossible for people to save themselves, but it's not impossible for God to save them" (Mark 10:27). "Salvation is of the Lord" (Jonah 2:9). Salvation doesn't begin with us. It begins with God - "God so loved the world" (John 3:16). We begin with the eternal love of God. It leads to eternal life …

In today’s world, there’s plenty of bad news – but there’s, also, Good News.

In today's world, there's plenty of bad news - but there's, also, Good News (Mark 13:10). In Mark 13:7, we read about the end - "the end is not yet." In Mark 13:8, we read about a beginning - "These are the beginning of sorrows." Beyond "the beginning of sorrows", there is "the end." The …

First Sunday after the Epiphany (Baptism of the Lord): Genesis 1:1-5; Psalm 29; Acts 19:1-7; Mark 1:4-11

First Sunday after the Epiphany (Baptism of the Lord): Genesis 1:1-5; Psalm 29; Acts 19:1-7; Mark 1:4-11 Getting our priorities right ‘Genesis’ means ‘beginning’. These opening verses challenge us to get our priorities right - (a) The priority of God (Genesis 1:1). God comes first. Before anyone else is mentioned, He is there. (b) The …

Glimpses of our Saviour

 "Then Judah went up to him and said: “Pardon your servant, my lord, let me speak a word to my lord. Do not be angry with your servant, though you are equal to Pharaoh himself... Now then, please let your servant remain here as my lord’s slave in place of the boy, and let the …

O for a closer walk with God

"Peter followed Him at a distance" (Mark 14:54). Following Jesus at a distance - this is always a dangerous thing to do. Before long, Peter was denying that he even knew Jesus (Mark 14:66-72). "O for a closer walk with God ...  ", walking on "the road that leads me to the Lamb" (William Cowper).

The Feeding of the Five Thousand (Mark 6:30-44)

 * The first thing we notice is the timing of the miracle. It didn't come at a time when Jesus was looking for a crowd to whom he could preach, a crowd he could teach, a crowd to whom he could bring healing. Jesus was looking for "a lonely place" - "a place of rest" (31). This great …

The authority of Jesus Christ

Mark 11:1-33 Here we learn of the authority of Christ. Calling the 'colt' into His service, He says, with authority, 'The Lord has need of it' (3). With authority, He speaks to the fig tree (14) - a 'visual aid' of His teaching: 'Every branch of Mine that bears no fruit, He takes away' (John …

A New Year Sermon: 2 Chronicles 30:6-12; Mark 1:1-13

2 Chronicles 30:6-12; Mark 1:1-13 "Then the runners went throughout all Israel and Judah with the letters from the king" (2 Chronicles 30:6). A message had been given to them. They passed the message on. They "spoke according to the command of the king" (2 Chronicles 30:6). What we see here, in 2 Chronicles 30, …

Standing Up For Jesus

"Don't let anyone separate what God has joined together" (Mark 10:9). "Don't stop the children from coming to Me" (Mark 10:14). In today's world, people often devalue the things that were very important to Jesus. When we speak about standing up for Jesus, we must remember that this means more than speaking His Word to …