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 …
Continue reading Important questions to which each one of us must give our own answer
"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 …
'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, …
Mark 1- 3 With the command, ‘Follow Me’, there is the promise, ‘I will make you fishers of men’ (1:17). Jesus prayed (1:35). Jesus was mighty before men. The power of God was flowing freely. Jesus knew where the power comes from - He was humble before God. There is a world of difference between …
* The beginning of Jesus' ministry "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel" (Mark 1:15). - The kingdom has come. We need not create it in the present, and it is not merely in the future. - It is good news - "the gospel …
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 …
Continue reading The School of Discipleship (10): Salvation and Discipleship
The good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God (Mark 1:1) At the heart of God's Word, there is good news. At the heart of our response to God's Word, there is to be thanksgiving for this good news. In today's world, we search for good news. It's not easy to find. There is …
Continue reading Responding to God’s Word (38): Glory To His Name
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 …
“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 …
In these chapters, we see Jesus, looking ahead to His death and resurrection. On two occasions, He speaks to His disciples of these events, which lay ahead of Him. Following the first prophecy, Jesus emphasizes taht the way of the cross is the way of discipleship (chapter 8).
There is, in chapter 10, a third prophecy concerning Jesus' death and resurrection. Jesus, also, speaks of "the cup", which He must drink. It is "the cup" of our condemnation. He drinks from this cup so that we might drink from the cup of His salvation. Jesus enters Jerusalem (chapter 11). He is moving steadfastly …
There is a seriousness about Jesus' teaching, as He speaks of His first coming, in the parable of the wicked tenants, in chapter 12, and His second coming, in chapter 13. The Christ, who was rejected by men, has become "the keystone" (chapter 12). This will be clearly seen when He comes "in the clouds …
This is the story of Jesus. There are, however, sub-stories within it. There is the sadness of Peter and the tragedy of Judas. Supremely, however, there is the assurance of Jesus, as he faces the cross with confidence in God. The story of Jesus is a story of apparent defeat (the crucifixion), which turns out …
What does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8). Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’... Love your neighbour as yourself (Mark 12:30-31). "To act justly and …
MARK “Good News” - “the forgiveness of sins” and “baptism with the Holy Spirit” (Mark 1:1,4,8). This Good News is centred on Jesus Christ, God’s beloved Son (Mark 1:11). Jesus was empowered by “the Spirit” (Mark 1:12). He comes to us with “the Good news of God” (Mark 1:(14). He calls for our response - …
Before we move on to Jesus' resurrection and His return to heaven, we must turn our thoughts to His death and His burial. The world doesn't want to hear about death, but this is something about which we must speak. There is no Gospel, if we stop short of Jesus' death, if we speak only …
Jesus came, preaching the Kingdom, but he did not only preach. He demonstrated the Kingdom.His words were spoken with power - the power of God. We see this in the mighty miracles, which declare the coming of the Kingdom among us. This Kingdom was set against the kingdom of darkness. The coming of God's Kingdom …
What an extraordinary man Jesus was! His teaching and his miracles proclaim him to be the Son of God. Nevertheless, the Lord's power is not released where there is a "lack of faith" (Mark 5:6). The gospel calls us to faith. We are to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the way of …
The Lord’s people were in the wilderness. Nevertheless, the Lord’s presence, symbolized by the tabernacle, was with them (Exodus 25-26). Jesus’ disciples were caught in the storm. Nevertheless, the Lord was with them, and He brought peace (Mark 4:35-41). The greatest wilderness, the greatest storm is death itself. Through faith, we can say, “Even though …
Continue reading Exodus 25:1-26:37; Mark 4:30-5:20; Psalm 23:1-6
There is a world of difference between legal obedience and Gospel obedience. It is the difference between “old wine” and “new wine” (Mark 2:21-22). The religion of the Pharisees was legalistic. The obedience of Jesus was truly spiritual. These men could not stand Jesus - “the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the …
Continue reading Exodus 21:1-22:31; Mark 2:18-3:30; Proverbs 5:1-14
Mark 1:1-20 Lord, we thank You that Your Son, Jesus, has triumphed over Your enemy, Satan. To us, Satan can seem so strong. Help us to remember that Jesus is stronger than Satan. With Jesus as our Saviour, we shall triumph over Satan, our enemy. Mark 1:21-2:12 Lord, help us never to think that prayer …
"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 if …
Continue reading Go With The Wind Of The Spirit – And Be Blessed By The Lord.
Jesus, the Saviour, takes the place of Barabbas, the sinner. Each one of us can see ourselves in Barabbas: the sinner for whom Jesus died. "He saved others, but He cannot save Himself" (Mark 15:31): This is missing the point of Jesus' death. It was by sacrificing Himself that He saved others. We look at …
Continue reading Jesus – the Saviour – takes the place of Barabbas – the sinner.
"Who will roll away the stone ... ?" (Mark 16:3). "The stone had been rolled away" by God (Mark 16:4). What man cannot do, God has done! - Jesus "has been brought back to life" (Mark 16:6). "Shock and trembling overwhelmed them ... they were afraid" (Mark 16:8). This was the initial reaction. They came …
“Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord!” (Mark 11:9). Blessing is in Jesus. Blessing comes to us through Him. There's no direct route to God's blessing without going by way of Jesus. He is "the Way, the Truth and the Life." We come to God the Father through Him (John 14:6). …
Continue reading Blessing Is In Jesus. Blessing Comes From Him.
"When Herod listened to John, he would become very disturbed, and yet he liked to listen to him" (Mark 6:20). There are people who like to listen to God's Word, but they refuse to be changed by God's Word. Listening to God's Word is of no value, if it doesn't lead to being changed by …
"You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He isn't here! He has been raised from the dead!... Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone everywhere... And the disciples went everywhere and preached, and the Lord worked with them, confirming what they said by many miraculous signs" (Mark …
Jesus was betrayed by Judas. He was denied by Peter. Could Judas have been restored? From God's point of view, the answer is "Yes." The love of God was there - even for Judas. From Judas' point of view, the answer was "No." There was no turning again to the Lord in Judas' heart. In …
Continue reading Return To The Saviour. Be Restored By The Saviour.
Mark 3:1-19 Jesus' ministry of preaching, teaching and healing was a remarkable ministry - but He did not go it alone. He called disciples to be with Him and learn from Him. How much do we know about these men? We know quite a lot about some of them. There are others about whom we …
Mark 15:1-39 "the King of the Jews" (Mark 15:2,9,12,26), "the King of Israel" (Mark 15:32) Jesus is more than this - He's "the Son of God" (Mark 15:39). He's "King of kings and Lord of lords" (Revelation 19:16). "At the Name of Jesus everyone in heaven, on earth, and in the world below will kneel and …
Mark 6:30-44 "He saw a huge crowd and had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.Then He began to teach them many things" (Mark 6:34). Salvation comes from the love of God. We are sinners without a Saviour. He teaches and He shows us the Good News of His salvation. "This …
Mark 9:14-41 If we are to walk with the Lord in His way of holiness and wholeness, (a) our life must be based on Jesus Christ - His death for us and His resurrection for us (Mark 9:31); (b) our life is to be a life of faith (Mark 9:23); (c) our life is to …
‘The time has come,’ Jesus said. ‘The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!’ (Mark 1:15). All of us love to receive good news. What's the best news we can hear? It's this - Jesus is our Saviour. What is it that saves us? Is it our repentance? Is it our faith? …
"They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out, ‘What …
Continue reading Heaven came down, and glory filled my soul.
"The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God" (Mark 1:1). When Mark begins to present to us "the gospel of Jesus Christ", what's the first thing that he tells us about Jesus? He tells us that Jesus is "the Son of God." Quite clearly, we're moving beyond the world of the …
"The people were amazed at Jesus' teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law" (Mark 1:22). What was so amazing about Jesus' teaching? His message was clear. It wasn't confusing. He didn't makes things complicated. His words didn't go over the heads of the people. He …
"The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: 'I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way', 'a voice of one calling in the wilderness, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him'" (Mark …
Continue reading Good news: it’s in the Old Testament as well as the New Testament.
"Follow me" (Mark 2:14). This is what Jesus said to Levi. How did Levi respond to Jesus' words? "He arose and followed Jesus" (Mark 2:15). This was just the beginning of Levi's new life. Immediately, after starting to follow Jesus, Levi began to play his part in bringing other people to Jesus: "As Jesus was …
Continue reading Following Jesus, and leading others to follow him
"No one pours new wine into old wineskins... They pour new wine into new wineskins” (Mark 2:22). In John's Gospel, we read about Jesus turning water into wine (chapter 2), and, then, we read about Jesus, telling Nicodemus that he needed to be "born again" (John 3:3). Here, he speaks about new wine. He's telling …
Continue reading God has given us new life. Let us live the new life.
Mark 3 In this chapter, the verse that spoke, most directly and most powerfully to me was the last verse: “Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother” (verse 35). Doing the will of God is the most important thing. This is what Jesus said to his family. This is what …
Mark 4 Are you listening? This is what Jesus is saying to us in his parables. He speaks about the seed, which is the Word of God. He asks us, 'Is the message really getting through to you.' When the Word of God is really getting through to us, it brings us out of darkness …
Mark 3:14–17 New Life For Levi (Mark 3:14). His name was LEVI. He was EVIL. He was a tax collector, making a fortune for himself at the expense of other people. He began to LIVE when he followed Jesus. What a wonderful message there is in the conversion of Levi. Our Saviour still calls sinners …
Jesus Christ is the Saviour of sinners. We are not asked to make ourselves worthy before coming to the Saviour. If we could make ourselves worthy of God's love, there would be no need for a Saviour. Jesus Christ does not merely help us to save ourselves. He is the Saviour of sinners. Jesus did …
There were many people who tried to silence blind Bartimaeus. Here was the voice of prayer – and they were saying, “Shut up’! Thank God – he didn’t shut up. He shouted out. They more they said, “Shut up”, the more he shouted out. Because our praise is loud, that doesn’t mean that it’s real …
Continue reading ‘Many warned him to be quiet, but he cried out all the more’ (Mark 10:48).
In Mark 12, we see that much of Jesus' ministry must be understood within the context of conflict. The religious leaders were out to get Jesus, and Jesus didn't miss them when He spoke of their hypocritical religion. Mark 12 ends with a deeply moving picture of true devotion. It's a call to love the …
In Mark 14:66-72, we read about Peter denying his Lord three times. Was this the end of the road for Peter? No! In John 21:15-17, we read of Peter declaring his love for Jesus - three times, once for each denial! In Acts 2:41, we read of three thousand people being brought to faith in …
Psalm 2:1-12; Mark 8:27-9:8 We're going to think together about Jesus is and what He has done for us. We're also going to think about keeping our eyes on Jesus and living for Him. (1) We begin by looking at two questions - "Who do men say that I am?" and "Who do you say that …
"Repent and believe in the Gospel" (Mark 1:15). We hear the Gospel and we are changed by it. That's where repentance and faith come from. They come from the Gospel. They are what the Gospel does to us. The Gospel brings us out of unbelief and into faith. The Gospel makes us new men and …
Mark 12:29-31 Love God. Love your neighbour. Love for God comes first, but it never stands alone. It's never just "Love God", and leave it at that. It's always "Love God" and "Love your neighbour."
Exodus 39:1-40:38; Mark 9:2-32; Psalm 26:1-12 “The glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle” (Exodus 40:34-35). There is, however, an even greater demonstration of God’s glory - in Christ. Concerning Christ, God says, “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to Him!” (Mark 9:7). The glory of God, revealed through the ministries of Moses …
Mark 6 verses 1-6a In Jesus' "hometown" (v.1), many people were "amazed" at his teaching (v. 2), but "they took offence at him" (v.3). Why did they not accept Jesus and his teaching. They had known Jesus since he was a wee boy. They knew his family. They couldn't let Jesus grow up, and become …
Continue reading Let us learn about how much Jesus loved people, and how much he loves us.
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 under …
Mark 5 "Don't be afraid. Only believe" (verse 36). Jesus says to us, 'Don't stop believing.' He says to us, 'Keep on believing.' Throughout life, each of us is involved in a battle. It's a battle against fear. It's a battle for faith. How are we to win the victory? "Perfect love drives out fear" …
The power of the Lord Jesus is seen in His miracles. It is the power of His love. His power is seen in His resurrection. This power is the power of life. Life triumphs over death. When we seek power for ourselves, we do not glorify the Lord. There is power in humility. We recognize …
"… the seed shall sprout and grow, he himself does not know how …" (Mark 4:27). God has given us a great promise – “my word that goes out from my mouth… will not return to me empty” (Isaiah 55:11). When we feel that God’s Word is returning to us empty, we have this Word …
We already know about Judas: what He was planning to do. Of the other eleven disciples, Peter wasn't the only one who failed the Lord: "All the other disciples said the same thing as Peter" (Mark 14:31), and, like Peter, they let the Lord down. They kept well out of the way, making sure that …
Mark 7 "The heart of the matter is the matter of the heart." That's the message that comes to us from the first part of Mark 7. This is what the Lord is saying to us. How are we to grow in our love for the Lord? Let's hear what Jesus said to the crowd: …
Continue reading Listening to Jesus, learning from him and living for him
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" …
Continue reading The Lord will return. Make sure that you’re ready for Him.
We already know about Judas - what He was planning to do. Of the other eleven disciples, Peter wasn't the only one who failed the Lord - "All the other disciples said the same thing as Peter" (Mark 14:31), and, like Peter, they let the Lord down. They kept well out of the way, making …
"Jesus was going to Jerusalem" - to be "betrayed", "condemned to death" and to "come back to life" (Mark 10:32-34). Hallelujah! What a Saviour! "Teacher, we want you to do us a favour" (Mark 10:35) - This sounds so self-centred. What does Jesus say about this? - "Whoever wants to be great among you will …
Wisdom Seeker
Following Jesus while Seeking Joy and Contentment in the Christian Life
In The Beginning Man Tried Ascending To Heaven via The Tower Of Babel. Now He Tries To Elevate His Existence To A Heavenly State of Consciousness Thru The Use Of Hallucinogenic Drugs. And, Since The 20th Century, He Continually Voyages Into Outer Space Using Spacecrafts. Prayer Thru Christ Is The Only Way To Reach Heaven.
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There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true. —Soren Kierkegaard. "...truth is true even if nobody believes it, and falsehood is false even if everybody believes it. That is why truth does not yield to opinion, fashion, numbers, office, or sincerity--it is simply true and that is the end of it" - Os Guinness, Time for Truth, pg.39. “He that takes truth for his guide, and duty for his end, may safely trust to God’s providence to lead him aright.” - Blaise Pascal. "There is but one straight course, and that is to seek truth and pursue it steadily" – George Washington letter to Edmund Randolph — 1795. We live in a “post-truth” world. According to the dictionary, “post-truth” means, “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” Simply put, we now live in a culture that seems to value experience and emotion more than truth. Truth will never go away no matter how hard one might wish. Going beyond the MSM idealogical opinion/bias and their low information tabloid reality show news with a distractional superficial focus on entertainment, sensationalism, emotionalism and activist reporting – this blogs goal is to, in some small way, put a plug in the broken dam of truth and save as many as possible from the consequences—temporal and eternal. "The further a society drifts from truth, the more it will hate those who speak it." – George Orwell “There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.” ― Soren Kierkegaard
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