Mark 1:1 AN
INTRODUCTION TO MARK
Introduction:
The text verse reads, “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” This message will not attempt an exposition of the text verse. Rather it will make an introduction to the whole book and to Mark, the writer of the book.
I. The
title of the book
A. The title of the book was not written by Mark
and is not a part of the inspired Scriptures.
(It was added by translators, editors and printers of the different
versions of the Bible.
B. Therefore, different versions
of the Bible give different titles to this book.
1. The King James version calls it “The Gospel According To Saint Mark.”
2. The Revised Standard version and the New English version calls it “The Gospel according To Mark.”
3. The Phillips version calls it simply “The Gospel of Mark.”
B. Most people generally refer to the book by the shorter title, calling it “The Gospel of Mark” or simply “Mark’s Gospel.”
1. Yet most who use these shorter
forms understand that it is not the gospel of Mark.
1. That is, it is not a gospel which was originated and produced by Mark. (The gospel did not originate with Mark.)
2. It was only recorded by him.
3. Thus, “The Gospel According to Mark” is a
more accurate way of describing the book.
C. The word, saint, as added by the King James
translators, is a result of Roman Catholic influence upon the
translators. The translators were
members of the Church of England, which
had split off from the Roman Catholic church.
1. Never-the-less, it is an accurate description of Mark.
2. The word, saint, as used in Scripture refers
to one who is separated from the world by being dedicated to the service of
God.
3. Therefore, it rightly describes every saved person who is dedicated to God.
II. The
name of the writer,
A. The writer’s name which is most familiar to Christians today is “Mark,” but this was only a surname and was not the name given to him at birth.
B. His real name was “John,” Acts 12:12. (A Hebrew name.)
C. But most of his ministry was among Romans and, therefore, he took the name “Mark” which is a Roman name.
D. In Scripture he is sometimes called “John,’ sometimes “Mark,” sometimes “Marcus” and sometimes “John Mark.”
III. Mark’s family background
A. His father is not named in Scripture, but he was a Jew. (This is indicated by the Hebrew name given to him at birth.)
B. His mother was also Jewish as indicated by her Jewish name “Mary,” Acts 12:12.
C. He was a nephew to
IV. Mark
not an apostle
A. He was not an apostle. (Not one of the 12 nor a special apostle like Paul)
B. He was not an eye-witness to the life and ministry of Jesus.
C. Being in the home of a godly Christian woman
he probably did witness the last days of Jesus at
D. It is not certain whether or not he saw Jesus after His resurrection. (It depends on when he got saved. Jesus appeared only to the saved and never to the unsaved.)
V. Saved
under the ministry of the Apostle Peter
A. There is strong indication in Scripture that
Mark was saved under the ministry of the Apostle Peter.
B. In the realm of possibility, it could have been before the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.
C. In all probability it was on the Day of Pentecost when Peter preached and about 3000 people were saved.
D. There was a strong bond between Mark and the Apostle Peter through the years.
1. He traveled with Peter on a missionary trip.
2. He was said to have worked closely with Peter
in
VI. One mark against him (One mark against Mark)
A. Almost everything the Scriptures say about him was good; everything but one.
B. When Paul and Barnabas started out on their
first missionary journey they took Mark with them; very soon Mark left them and
returned back home, Acts
1. Barnabas wanted to take him with them on their second missionary journey, but Paul refuse.
2. The dissension grew so strong between Paul and Barnabas about the matter that they went their separate ways.
C. In later years Mark proved to be a useful servant to the Lord.
1. He went on a missionary trip with the Apostle Peter, I Peter 5:13.
2. He also later became useful to Paul,
3. While Paul was in prison at
4. Mark did go to
5. In the later years he is said to have gone to
VII. His
qualifications to write the book
A. Although he was not an eyewitness to the greater part of the ministry of Jesus, yet he was well qualified to write about the life and ministry of Jesus.
B. For one thing, he was very familiar with the facts.
1. He had all of the apostles in his home for an extended period of time.
2. He had an especially close association with the Apostle Peter for many years.
3. One historian says that the Apostle Peter was with him when he wrote the book.
C. The thing that really qualified him was that he wrote by inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God.
VIII. A
comparison of his writing to that of Matthew
A. Matthew was a Jew and his ministry was largely to the Jews.
1. He wrote to convince the Jews that Jesus is the Messiah.
2. He showed that Jesus had the family lineage that the Messiah must have.
3. He quoted Old Testament scriptures about the Messiah to show that Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies about the Christ.
B. Mark also was a Jews, but his ministry was largely among the Gentiles. (Among the Romans to be more specific)
1. He said nothing about the birth of Jesus.
2. He cited very few Old Testament Scriptures about the Messiah.
3. What Mark did as to show miracle after miracle that Jesus did.
4. By those miracles he showed beyond any reasonable shadow of doubt to any fair-minded person that Jesus is the Savior of sinful men.
5. Matthew preached chiefly that Jesus is a Savior to the Jews, whereas
Mark preached that Jesus is a Savior to all mankind.
Conclusion:
This is a message that men today need to hear and believe. The unsaved need to hear and believe so that they will be saved. The saved need to hear and believe so that they will know more about the Lord and His will for their lives. The saved person who will pattern his or her life after the life of Jesus as set forth in this book will be a better witness for Jesus.
Mark 1:1 THE
GOOD NEWS OF JESUS CHRIST, THE SON OF GOD
Introduction:
The
title of this book is not inspired, but verse 1 is. It is an inspired caption. It sets forth in a nutshell what the book is
all about. Mark wrote this book 30 or 40
years after Christ. He had come to
A. Mark will tell in his book how the New Testament era got started got started about 30 or 40 years before he wrote this book.
1. Mark does not mean to imply that the plan of salvation had its origin at that point of time.
2. Rather he means that the record of the ministry of Jesus begins at that point of time.
B. While he will not record every detail of the life and ministry of Jesus, yet he will give a rather full account of it.
II. About
the good news of Jesus
A. The word, gospel, means “good news” or “glad tidings.”
1. It was the kind of or word used to announce victory in time of war.
2. It was a word which described only the very best of news.
3. It spoke of he kind of news that always brought joy and rejoicing.
B. This good news is about Jesus.
1. The word, Jesus, is used as the name of a person, a man, a human being.
2. Jesus is a human being. (He had a human name and a human body. He was human in every sense of the word.)
III. About
the Christ
A. The good news is that this man, Jesus, is the Christ.
B. The word, Christ, is not a name, but rather a special title given to a special man.
1. The prophets of old had foretold the coming of the Christ.
2. The Romans, to whom Mark preached, knew little about the Old Testament prophecies about His coming.
3. But they could inquire of their Jewish friends who would gladly tell them about those prophecies.
C. Mark says that Jesus is the Christ.
1. Now even those Romans had heard about Jesus.
2. They may have heard that He was born in Bethlehem of Judah.
3. But they almost surely had heard of the great miracles that He had done.
Mark 1:2-5 JOHN
THE BAPTIST, THE FIRST GOSPEL PREACHER
Introduction:
In
verse 1 Mark said that he would start at the beginning of the gospel. In this text he tells of the first preacher of
the gospel age, John The Baptist. John
was not the first man to ever present the gospel message. In John
I. Prophecy
in the Old Testament about John himself, V. 2
A. John’s life and ministry was no mere coincidence; the Old Testament prophets had foretold that there would be a forerunner who would prepare the way for the ministry of the Christ.
B. Mark identifies John the Baptist as being that forerunner whom the prophets had promised..
II. A
description of the ministry of John the Baptist, V. 3
A. Mark quotes John who quotes the Old Testament saying that the forerunner would be a voice crying in the wilderness.
B. The particular wilderness in which John cried
out was the Wilderness of Judea, just north of
C. The word, cry, in this verse does not mean “weep.”
1. John was not a weeping preacher.
2. John was a “good news” preacher.
D. The word, cry, in this verse means “To cry aloud, to shout.”
1. John was a shouting preacher.
2. He pretty well had to shout in order to preach to the large crowds which came to hear him.
3. John had no electronic speaker system; he did not need one; God gave him a built-n speaker system.
4. One writer described has said that John “Bellowed like a bull.”
III. The
purpose of John’s ministry, V. 2-3
A. In the olden days when an important person, such as a prince or king, would come to a city a crier would go before him to inform the people about his coming and to get things ready for his arrival.
1. He would summons the people to come and hear the great one.
2. He would enlist their aid in getting the way (the roadway) repaired and ready for the great one. (They would fill up the washes and, thus, make the roadway straight or level. They would also remove the fallen rocks and trees from the roadbed.)
3. This is figurative language describing the work and ministry of John the Baptist as he prepared the way for the ministry of Jesus.
B. Literally John’s work could be summed up in 5 things:
1. He announced that the ministry of the Christ, the Messiah, was about to begin.
2. He called upon the people to repent of their sins so get the hindrances out of their hearts which might cause them to be unreceptive to the Christ.
3. He would challenge them to trust in the coming Christ (Messiah).
4. He would ask those who repented and trusted the Christ to be baptized.
5. He would urge those who were baptized to change their way of living and to live a godly life.
IV. John’s
baptism and his preaching of repentance, V. 4
A. Some interpret this verse to mean that John is saying that baptism brings repentance and salvation.
1. It does not mean that and John does not say that it means that.
2. The Greek word which here is translated “for” means “for” in the sense of “with reference to.”
3. It does not mean “for” in the sense of “in order to get.”
4. In this verse it carries the idea of “because of.”
5. John preached that if one would repent he would baptize him.
6. On one occasion John refused to baptize some and told them that if they would bring forth evidence that they had repented he would baptize them. (If John had thought that baptism would produce repentance and remission of sins then he would have gladly baptized them.
7. He used the word “for” in the same sense that one says that he takes an aspirin for a headache. (One does not take an aspirin in order to get a headache. He takes an aspirin because he has a headache.)
B. In other words, John preached that one who repents of his sin now has remission of his sin before baptism and is a proper candidate for baptism.
C. Yet John’s preaching of repentance was not a harsh condemning message.
1. Rather it was a good news message.
2. He preached that the sinner could turn to God in repentance of sin and have his sins forgiven.
3. He preached: Repent and trust the Christ and the Christ will forgive your sins.
V. An overwhelming
response to John’s preaching, V. 5
A. At the first there must have been only a few people in his audience.
B. But these began to tell others about John and soon vast numbers were coming out of the cities and villages to that wilderness area to hear John preach.
C. A great many of those who came to hear him repented of their sin, believed his message about the Christ and were baptized by him.
VI. John’s
unusual clothing and unusual diet, V. 6
A. John did not dress in the unusual fashion nor eat the unusual diet just to attract attention.
1. In the first place, it was not unusual at all for a common man to wear clothing made of camel’s hair.
2. But it was unusual for one of John’s rank and stature to wear camel’s hair clothing. (That would be about like the preacher of this day wearing overalls to the pulpit every Sunday.)
B. John’s diet consisted of locusts and wild honey. (These were readily available to him in the wilderness, but it did mean robbing the bee hives.)
C. It was nothing fancy, but the clothing was very protective in the wilderness and the food was very nourishing. (And probably tasty. At least the honey was.)
VII. The
heart and core of John’s ministry, V. 7-8
A. John preached that one mightier than himself was coming, V. 7.
B. John, himself, was a mighty man.
1. He must have been a mighty man physically.
2. At least he had a mighty voice.
3. He was a mighty preacher. (He spoke convincingly.)
4. He had a mighty following. (A huge following)
C. But John said that there would come one after him whose shoes’ latched he was not worthy to unloose.
1. It was the custom in that day that when one entered a home that a lowly servant, a slave, would take his sandals off and wash his feet.
2. John said that he was not worthy to be a lowly servant or slave who would remove the sandals from the feet of Jesus.
D. John was mighty, but Jesus was and is mightier.
1. Jesus is the Mighty One whose coming the crier would announce. (John was only the crier who announced His coming.)
2. John could preach repentance of sin and, therefore, the forgiveness of sin, but Jesus, the Mightier One, can forgive sin. (Jesus can save the soul and, therefore, save one from the penalty of his sin.)
3. John could baptize with water, but Jesus could baptize with (or in) the Holy Spirit. (And He did. On Pentecost following His resurrection He baptized the church in the Holy Spirit. He never baptized any single individual in the Holy Spirit, but He did baptize the church in the Holy Spirit.)
Conclusion:
If John were here to preach to you today he would preach essentially the same things that he preached back then:
1. He would preach that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior of men.
2. He would call on every person to repent of his sins. (He would call on you personally to repent of your sins.)
3. He would urge you to trust Jesus Christ to be your Savior.
4. After you are saved he would urge you to be baptized.
5. He would call upon all who are saved to live right.
Since John is not here, that is what I call upon you to do. I call upon you to believe that Jesus is the Christ. I call upon you to repent of your sin. I call upon you to trust Jesus to forgive your sins and to save your soul. I call upon you who do trust Jesus for salvation to present yourself to a New Testament church for baptism and church membership. I call upon each one of you who is saved to live a godly life.
Mark 1:9-11 BAPTISM,
THE FIRST ACT IN THE PUBLIC MINISTRY OF
JESUS
Introduction:
In this text Jesus is about 30 years old and it is time for Him to launch out into His career as a preacher. He must leave His carpentry work behind and begin His ministry.
I. What
should Jesus do to get started?
A. How should He go about starting His career as a preacher?
B. Should He seek out some very sick person and heal that person?
1. Or should he find a blind person and give sight to the blind?
2. Or should he find a lame man and make Him to walk?
3. Or should He find a funeral in progress and restore life to the corpse?
4. Surely He was able to do such miraculous things and any one of these things would gain Him a lot of attention and attract a lot of followers.
C. Should He go into the synagogue and make a great speech? (With His great knowledge and wisdom He could surely attract some followers.)
D. Or should He seek out some of the leaders of the Pharisees and engage in debate with them? (He would surely attract a lot of attention that way and would gain a following.)
II. But
what did He do?
A. He got up and left
B. He started walking down to
C. Let us imagine that we stop Him and ask Him what He is doing.
1. “Sir, what are you doing?”
2. His answer:
“I about to do the first act of my public ministry.”
3. “Do you mean that by walking along this
public road you are performing the first act of your public ministry?”
4. Answer:
“Oh, no. I am going to
5. “But that is 60 miles away. Could you not be baptized closer?”
6. Answer:
“Yes, but John is the only person at this time who has authority from
heaven to baptize.” (In that day there
was no New Testament church in existence anywhere and John was the only person
in the whole world with authority from God to perform a baptism. Even in this
day not just anyone and not just any organization has authority from God to
perform a baptism. Only a New Testament
church can Scripturally baptize.)
D. Jesus spent about 3 or 4 days walking to the
place where John the Baptist was baptizing in the
III. What
happened when Jesus got to John?
A. Jesus came to John and asked John to baptize Him.
B. There is one noticeable difference between
Jesus and the others who came to John for baptism.
1. Others came to John repenting of their sin.
2. Jesus being baptized did not mean that He had repented of sin; He had never committed any sin.
C. Mark does not mention it, but at first John refused to baptize Jesus.
1. It was not because John thought there was some fault in Jesus.
2. To the contrary; John felt unworthy of baptizing Jesus.
3. But after some persuasion from Jesus, John consented to baptize Him.
D. John led Jesus down the embankment and into the River Jordan. (When he got Jesus out about waist deep in the water he baptized Him. He put Jesus down into the water so that Jesus was completely covered by the water. He immersed Jesus in water.)
E. Somebody might ask: “How do you know that John immersed Him? The Bible just says that John baptized Him and does not tell how he baptized Him.”
1. Oh, yes it does. The Greek word that here is transliterated “ baptized” always means “to dip, plunge or immerse.”
2. Thus, the Bible says that John dipped, plunged or immersed Jesus in the River Jordan.
3. Also, the Greek word which here is translated “in” means “into.”
F. After putting Jesus down under the surface of the water John raised Him up so that His upper body stood out of the water, V. 10.
1. Then is when it happened: What looked somewhat like a dove came down out of the heavens and lit on Jesus. (Yet it was not a dove. Mark said that it was the Holy Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit came down upon Jesus and by His presence sanctioned or endorsed the ministry of Jesus, V.10.) .
2. Another thing that happened: A voice came from heaven saying that Jesus is the Son of God. Thus, God the Father spoke from heaven and sanctioned the ministry of Jesus, V. 11
3. Some have expressed doubt that anyone other than John saw the dove-like appearance of the Holy Spirit and heard the voice of God the Father proclaim that Jesus is His Son and that may be right. We cannot be certain because the Bible does not say. But even if nobody else saw and heard but John, yet the fact is that John saw and he heard God the Father proclaim Jesus to be His Son and he bore record that Jesus is the Son of God, John 1:34.
4.
Thus, the baptism of Jesus was used of God to identify Jesus to
IV. How does one go about launching a career as a Christian?
A. Just as God the Father had it planned for Jesus to begin His career with the act of baptism, even so it is the plan of Gold that the Christian should begin his Christian life in the same way.
B. Getting baptized did not make Jesus the Son of God; He was already the Son of God before He was baptized. (Baptism merely identified Him as the Son of God.)
C. Even so it is with the individual today.
1. Getting baptized is not what makes one a
child of Gold, John
2. Yet baptism is important in living the Christian life. (Getting baptized helps to identify one to others as a child of God.)
Conclusion:
There are three questions which we all face:
1. Are you saved? Are you a child of God? If not you can be. You can become a child of God by repenting of your sin and trusting Jesus Christ for salvation.
2. If you are saved, have you been Scripturally baptized? I would like to be baptized like Jesus was baptized. Wouldn’t you? (If you do not have Scriptural baptism you can get it.}
3. Are you living for the Lord as He would have you to live? (If not you can start right now.)
Mark 1:12-13 JESUS
TEMPTED OF SATAN
Introduction:
Jesus
had gone to the wilderness of
I. An exposition
of the text
A. Not the word “immediately” in V. 12.
1. “Immediately” or “straightway” is typical of the writing of Mark.
2. They have become the trademark of Mark.
3. Note: “Straightway” in V. 10; “immediately” in V. 12; “straightway” in V. 18, 20 and 21; “immediately” in V. 28.
B. The Spirit in V. 12 is the Holy Spirit.
1. The Holy Spirit had come upon Jesus at His baptism like a dove.
2. From that point of time the Holy Spirit would abide on Jesus to lead and empower Him . {Although Jesus is Deity God He is also man and as a man He does not rely upon His own Deity power and knowledge, but to depend on God the Father to lead and empower Him through the presence of the Holy Spirit.)
C. Mark said that the Spirit “driveth” Jesus into the wilderness.
1. Mark used the word “driveth” whereas both Matthew and Luke used the word “lead.”
2. Thus, Mark does not intend to say that the Holy Spirit forced Jesus to go to the wilderness against His will.
3. Rather, there was such a strong pull leading Him to go into the wilderness that only by a direct act of rebellion could He refuse to go.
4. Jesus, of course, did not refuse. (It was His most earnest desire to do the will of God the Father in all things and so He willing followed the leadership of the Holy Spirit and went into the wilderness in submission to the will of the Father.)
D. To what wilderness did He go? (Mark does not say and neither do the other gospel writers. (But it was not likely so barren that it had no vegetation or animals.)
E. There Jesus was tempted for 40 days, V. 13.
1. Although not mentioned by Mark, He had no food during that 40 day period. (This is in contrast to John the Baptist who had a good supply of food in the wilderness where he was.)
2. Also not mentioned by Mark --- there were three special temptations which came at the close of the 40 days:
a. To turn stones into bread, which He was perfectly capable of doing. (Or to bring down manna from heaven which He was also capable of doing.)
b. To jump off the pinnacle of the temple at
c. To bow down to Satan who promised to give Him the kingdoms of the world. (Satan offered to make Him ruler of the kingdoms of the world without Him having to suffer on the cross. He could bypass the cross.)
F. Mark does tell us that wild beasts were present, V. 13 (They may have stalked all around Jesus in a threatening way, but apparently they did not attack Him..)
G.. Mark said that the angels of God ministered to Him there, V. 13.
1. The angels of God must have protected Him and prevented the animals from attacking Him.
2. They did not give Him food during the 40 days, but they did once 40 days ended and the temptations by Satan were over.
II. A comparison with the temptation of Adam
A. Satan, in the body of a serpent, attacked Adam.
1. The serpent did not attack Adam by sinking his fangs into Adam, but by the power of temptation.
2. By means of temptation Satan sank the venom of sin into Adam.
3. Through Adam he sank the venom of sin into all of us.
B. Then in due time God sent the Second Adam (Christ) into the world.
1. In our text He sent Him into the wilderness.
2. There in the wilderness for forty days that Old Serpent, the Devil, tempted Him.
3. At the end of the 40 days that Old Serpent tempted The Second Adam with three special temptations.
4. Jesus was the victor; He did not yield to the temptation; He did not sin.
5. At His weakest, He was able to overcome Satan at his mightiest.
6. If Jesus had failed all mankind would burn in the fires of hell.
7. Bit since Jesus was the victor, all mankind has an opportunity to be saved.
8. Because Jesus was the victor the saved person has One who is able to help when he is tempted.
Conclusion:
1. Jesus had made provision for all to be saved, but you will have to make the decision to
trust in Him to save your soul.
2. Jesus has made it possible for the saved to overcome sin and to live a godly life, but
only you can make the decision that you will seek help from Jesus and life a godly life.
Mark
Introduction:
John
the Baptist was the first gospel preacher and he was a great preacher. Yet John said that there would come one after
him who would be greater than him. That
one is Jesus. Jesus was not only a greater preacher than John. Jesus is the greatest of all preachers.
I. Events
that had already transpired, V. 14
A. Jesus had already gone into the wilderness of
B. He had already gone into some wilderness to be tempted by Satan.
C. He had already engaged in a brief ministry in
D. He had already returned to
E. He had already performed His first miracle at Cana of Galilee, but neither does Mark mention that.
II. The
imprisonment of John the Baptist, V. 14
A. Mark does mention the arrest and imprisonment of John.
1. Herod the Tetrarch of
2. Even though John as not in
B. Herod’s motive for arresting John was retaliation against John for calling him what he knew that he was --- an adulterer.
C. Satan’s motive was to stop the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
1. From the very beginning of the gospel age Satan was opposed to the gospel.
2. He does not want Jesus to be praised.
3. He does not want God the Father to be honored by the preaching of Jesus.
4. He does not want the unsaved to hear the gospel and be saved.
D. When the Devil succeeded in stopping the preaching of John he must have been well pleased with himself.
III. The
rising of an even greater preacher, V. 14
A. Whatever victory Satan had in stopping the preaching of John was short lived because Jesus started His preaching.
B. The Devil stopped a great preacher, but an even greater preacher took his place. (The very Son of God)
C. So it is today: The Devil tries to stop the preaching of the gospel, but the preaching of the gospel goes on.
1. The Devil may get a preacher fired.
2. He may cause gossip and completely ruin the ministry of a good preacher.
3. He may break up the home of a good preacher and virtually shut down his ministry.
4. He may tempt a good preacher to do wrong and, thus, ruin his own ministry.
5. He may manage to set a good preacher on the shelf so that he has little or no opportunity to preach.
D. But he cannot stop the preaching of the gospel because for every preacher who stops two or three take his place (And sometimes, the new preacher turns out to be an even greater preacher than the former one.)
E. Satan may even close the doors of a whole nation to the public preaching of the gospel, but when he does the gospel is preached privately and is often even more effective.
F. Right today there is a whole network of organizations at work in the world trying to stop the preaching of the gospel and its related truths, but he will never be able to stop it.
IV. The
gospel of the kingdom of God, V. 14-15
A. The gospel of the
B. John the Baptist preached that the kingdom was near and that the King would follow his own ministry.
C. Jesus preached that the time for the arrival of the kingdom was at hand and that the King had already come. (He “...is at hand...” Hence, He is present, V. 15.)
D. The very clear implication was that Jesus was saying that He, Himself, is that promised King. (And He is!)
V. A
little more about the
A. One day soon Jesus will return to earth and set up His throne on earth to rule for 1000 years.
B. Those who are saved will rule and reign with Jesus, Rev. 20:4.
C. Those who are saved will never enter into the fires of hell, Rev. 20:6.
D. The good news is that you can join up now to be a part of that kingdom.
1. But you do not join by living good and doing right.
2. You do not join by keeping the Mosaic Law, Gal. 3:11.
3. You do not join by joining a church or by being baptized.
4. You can join by repenting of your sins and believing the gospel, V. 15
(Trust Jesus Christ to save your soul.)
Conclusion:
1. Would you like to be a part of God’s kingdom?
2. Are you aware that you are an unworthy sinner in the sight of God?
3. Are you aware that Jesus can save you from your sin and make you worthy in God’s sight?
4. Would you call on Jesus right now and ask Him to save your soul?
5. If you are already saved, are you willing to live your life in service to your King?
Mark
Introduction:
Satan had been successful in silencing John the Baptist, but a greater preacher than John came on the scene --- the greatest, Jesus. In this text Jesus calls four men to assist Him.
I. Jesus
walking along the seashore
A. Jesus is seen walking by the
1. This sea is called by 4 different names in Scripture. (The Sea of Chennireth, in the Old Testament; the Lake of Gennesareth, Luke 5:1; The Sea of Tibereas, John 6:1 & John 21:1; The Sea of Galilee, the most familiar name)
2. Mark does not give the location, but other
gospel writers identify the city of
B. Jesus was not out for a stroll for pleasure, relaxation or exercise. (Not out to enjoy the beauty of the scenery nor to entertain Himself by watching the fishermen)
C. He knew where He was going, who He would see and what He would do. (There were four young fishermen whom He would see.)
II. The
four young fishermen
A. These fishermen had earlier gone down to
1. They had heard John preach about repentance and faith in the coming Christ.
2. They had believed John, repented of their sin, trusted in the Christ as
Savior and had been baptized by John in
the River Jordan, Acts
3. They must have repeatedly gone back to hear John preach about the Christ.
4. All of this was before they personally met Jesus and before they knew that He is the Christ.
B. On one of those trips back to
1. Andrew heard John identify Jesus as the Christ, John 1:35-37.
2. Andrew then went and got his brother, Simon Peter, brought him to Jesus and identified Jesus to Peter as the Christ, John 1:40-42:.
3. So by the time involved in this text both Peter and Andrew knew that Jesus is the Christ.
C. If James and John had ever personally met Jesus there is no mention of it in Scripture.
1. But, like Peter and Andrew, under the ministry of John the Baptist they had repented of their sin, trusted in the Christ and had been baptized. Acts 1:21-22.
2. Yet even if they had never seen Jesus, by this time they already knew that Jesus is the Christ.
3. They were partners in the fishing business with Peter and Andrew and surely Peter and Andrew would have told them that Jesus is the Christ.
D. These four young men were busy in their trade as fishermen when Jesus came walking along the seashore where they were working. (They apparently had not known that Jesus was anywhere nearby.)
III. The
call issued by Jesus
A. He came first to Peter and Andrew, V. 16b.
1. They were not fishing just for the sport of it; they were fishing for their livelihood.
2. They were not using rods and reels, nor hook and line, but nets. (They could catch a lot more fish that way.)
B. Jesus called for them to follow Him and become fishers of men, V. 17.
1. This was a call to church membership. (They were to be followers of Jesus, members of His flock)
2. It was also a call to preach the gospel.
C. Immediately they left their nets and followed Jesus, V. 18.
1. One is made to wonder if they even drug their nets out of the water. (Verse 18 says that they had cast the nets out into the water.)
2. If they did pull them out of the water they must have dropped them and left them right there on the seashore and followed Jesus.
D. Jesus then called James and John, V. 19.
1. It appears that they were using the same boat which Peter and Andrew were using.
2. However, whereas Peter and Andrew had been out of the boat casting their nets when Jesus approached them, James and John were in the boat mending their nets when Jesus approached them.
3. Jesus, likewise, called for James and John to leave their nets, follow Him and become fishers of men.
E. Like Peter and Andrew, they immediately left their nets and followed Jesus, V. 20. (They, too, became members of the flock of Jesus and fishers of men.)
F. Mark was careful to tell us that they did not leave their father in a jam; he had hired servants to help him, V. 20b.
IV. Some things to observe
A. Jesus, at this point has a church.
1. The Greek word which is translated “church” in Scripture means “A called out assembly.”
2. Jesus at this point had a called out assembly. (He had Peter and Andrew, James and John)
3. They were believers in Jesus Christ. (They were already saved. under the preaching of John the Baptist)
4. They were already baptized. (Baptized by John the Baptist)
5. They agreed to follow Jesus and do the work which He assigned.
6. Therefore, He had a called-out assembly of Scripturally baptized believers who were covenanted together to carry out the work of the Lord.
B. Jesus not only had a church, but He had four preachers, four fishers of men.
1. Since Jesus Christ did attempt to do the work of the church alone then it would be extremely unwise for anyone else to attempt to do it all alone.
2. It should come as no surprise that pastors and other church leaders must call on others to help.
C. The Lord does call men to preach.
1. Preaching is not a profession which a man may choose; it is a calling from God..
2. The Lord calls certain men to preach and all whom He calls should surrender to that call.
3. One who is not called of God to preach should stay out of the ministry.
D. Yet there are two things which Jesus called upon those four preachers to do which He calls upon every Christian should do.
1. “Follow me:” Every Christian should follow Jesus. (Follow Him in baptism and church membership; follow Him in godly living; follow His teachings.)
2. Become fishers of men: Every Christian should become a fisher of men. (If we fail to fish for fish the fish are no worse off, but if we fail to fish for men, they will spend eternity in hell.)
Conclusion:
1. I call upon each of you who is saved to follow Jesus.
2. I call upon each of you who is saved to fish for men.
3. I call each one of you who is saved and who is in need of baptism and church membership to come.
4. I call upon each one of you who is saved and baptized and in need of a church home to come and unite with this church.
5. I call upon each one of you who is unsaved to repent of your sins and to trust in Jesus Christ to save your soul.
Mark 1:21-28 JESUS,
A MAN WITH HEAVEN’S AUTHORITY
Introduction:
In our previous text we saw Jesus walk by the Sea of Galilee and call four fishermen to become fishers of men. In this text we see Him go into the synagogue and demonstrate His authority as a teacher and His authority over demon spirits.
I. Jesus
demonstrating His authority as a teacher of God’s word, V. 21-22
A. Jesus took His new disciples and entered the synagogue, V. 21.
1. The synagogue was the house of worship much like church services today. (They had singing of hymns, prayers, the reading of God’s word as recorded in the Old Testament and an explanation of God’s word which had been read.)
2. Any adult Israelite male could discuss the Scriptures.
3. Jesus had attended such services all of His life and would continue to do so in the course of His ministry.
4. He set a worthy example for Christians to follow in their church attendance.
B. For His first time in the synagogue services Jesus arose to offer an explanation of Scripture.
1. This was His first time to teach publicly from the Scriptures.
2. Mark does not tell us what Scripture was read nor what He said.
C. What Mark does tell us is that the people were astonished, V. 22.
1. Mark does not say that they were astonished at His great oratory ability, although He could have astounded them with His ability if He had chosen to do so.
2. They were not astonished that He had risen to speak for they were accustomed to various men rising to speak.
3. They were astonished at the authority with which He spoke. (He spoke clearly, simply, in easily understood statements and what He said was so obviously right!)
4. Yet what He taught them was in sharp contrast to what the scribes and Pharisees had taught. (The scribes had long been accepted as the voice of authority when speaking about the word of God or about any religious matter.)
5. But Jesus spoke with such great authority that the people of the congregation were spellbound with amazement.
II. Jesus
demonstrating His authority over demon spirits, V. 23-28
A. The teaching of Jesus was not well received by all.
1. One man in the congregation cried out against it, V. 23-24.
2. This man was possessed by an unclean spirit, a demon spirit.
3. The voice was the voice of the man, but the words were of the demon spirit which dwelt within the man.
4. The attitude of the demon was: “Let us alone!” (That is the attitude that the Devil would like all men to have. He wants to carry on his evil work without interference from anyone.)
5. Note the pronoun “us.” (There was more than one demon in the man.)
6. They feared Jesus. (They feared that He would cast them out of the man and send them into the place of torment.)
B. Jesus rebuked the spirit and ordered him along with the others to come out of the man, V. 25.
1. Demon spirits have no business bothering and afflicting man. (Man is God’s creation.)
2. Neither does Satan, himself, have any business bothering and afflicting any man without special permission from God. (Man is God’s creation.)
3. They do afflict men, of course, but they have no inherent right to do so.
C. The unclean spirit did as much damage as he could before leaving the man,
V. 26;.
1. He threw the man into some kind of convulsion before he left.
2. So it is with Satan, himself. (He knows that he has but a short time on earth and so he does as much damage as he can while he is here.)
D. The people now had a second reason to be astonished.
1. They were already astonished at the authority with which Jesus had taught the word of God.
2. They were now astonished that He exercised authority over demon spirits, V. 27-28.
III. The thing that excites me
A. It is not just His authority to teach and His authority to command demons that excites me.
B. It is His ability and authority to speak to the lost sinner and say: “Trust me and I will save your soul. Trust me and I will keep you out of the fires of hell. Trust me and I will take you to heaven.”
1. Now that astounds me and excites me!
2. I was one of the sinners who were headed for hell; I did trust Him and He saved me!
3. I would like for every sinner in this world to hear and believe the good news: Jesus saves!
4. When I preach I have no desire to rip people up one side and down the other because of their sin. I want them all to know that Jesus loves them in spite of their sin and that He will save them from their sin if they will call on Him and trust Him.
Conclusion:
When Jesus called for the demon spirit to come out of the man that demon had no choice. He had to come out. Today you have a choice. I am going to call upon every unsaved person to trust Jesus and be saved, but if you are going to be saved you must choose to place your faith in Jesus and trust Him to save you.
I am
also going to call upon every saved person to serve the Lord, but if you are
going to serve Him as you should, you must make the choice to do so.
Mark 1:29-34 BRINGING
LOVED ONES AND FRIENDS TO JESUS
Introduction:
In this text we see the people of Capernaum bringing their loved ones and friends to Jesus Christ.
I. The impact which Jesus made on Capernaum in last the previous text
A. Jesus and His four disciples (Peter and Andrew, James and John) had gone into the worship services at the local synagogue.
B. There Jesus had astounded the people by His teaching of the word of God.
1. It had not been by His skill in delivery of the message that had astounded them, but by the content of His message and by the authority with which He spoke.
2. Maybe today we put too much emphasis upon a preacher’s delivery and not enough emphasis on the content of his message.
C. Furthermore, Jesus had astonished the people by casting the demon spirit out of a man.
II. An even greater impact made by the healing of Simon Peter’s mother-in-law
A. After the service at the synagogue Simon Peter and Andrew invite Jesus, along with James and John to their home, V. 29.
B. Jesus is informed that Simon Peter’s mother-in-law is sick of a fever, V. 30.
1. Now some folks are going to be surprised to learn that Simon Peter had a mother-in-law.
2. Do you suppose that Jesus was unaware that she was sick? (Certainly not. He already knew, but they did not know that He already knew.)
C. By telling Jesus they set a good example for us all.
1. When we have sickness in our family, we should tell Jesus.
2. You will never find Jesus to be uncaring about any problem which you bring to Him. (The hymn writer has said, “Tell it to Jesus. Tell it to Jesus. He is a Friend that’s well known. There’s no other such a friend or brother.”
D. Jesus took Simon Peter’s mother-in-law by the hand and healed her, V. 31.
1. The healing was instantaneous.
2. The healing was complete. (She arose and served a meal to Jesus and His disciples. One cannot demonstrate gratitude to Jesus without being kind and generous to His disciples.)
III. The
dilemma of the people of Capernaum
A. This news spread quickly throughout Capernaum.
B. They were already astounded by the teaching of Jesus and by Him casting the demon spirit out of a man at the synagogue service.
C. Now they learn about the healing of Simon Peter’s mother-in-law.
D. They, too, had family members and friends who were sick.
E. The problem was that carrying their sick ones to Jesus would require a lot of physical word and they were forbidden to work on the sabbath day.
IV. The
solution of the problem
A. The Jews counted dusk as the closing of one day and the beginning of another.
B. So they simply waited for the evening to come and then they headed for Simon Peter’s house bringing their afflicted loved ones, V. 32.
1. Picture the scene. (One with an arm of the sick person around his shoulder helping to carry his weight, one carrying a sick one in his arms, one sick person limping along with the assistance of a friend or relative, another being carried on a bed, etc.)
2. It was like the poster: “He ain’t heavy Lord. He’s my brother.”
C. Jesus healed them all. (He cast the demons out of those who were demon possessed and healed the sick of their afflictions, V. 33-34.
V. The picture today
A. Get the picture of a city filled with people and surrounded by country roads and homes.
B. Picture your loved ones and your friends living in these homes.
C. Picture those people being afflicted.
1. But not afflicted with the flu, pneumonia, fever, cancer or any dread disease.
2. These are afflicted with sin that can cause them to suffer great agony in the fires of hell. (Where they will suffer forever unless they get spiritual healing.)
C. But if we can just somehow get them to Jesus they will be saved.
1. Now I am not saying that if you get them to church they will be saved ----, but they might!
2. But I am saying that if you can get them to trust Jesus to be their Savior then they will be saved, Acts 16:31; Rom. 10:13.
Conclusion:
1. Some of you have loved ones and friends who right now are hell-bound. I am asking you to care enough to bring them to Jesus. (Of at least --- to try!)
2. Someone here may be hell-bound, yourself. I am asking you to care enough about your own soul to come to Jesus Christ for salvation. Cooperate with those who are trying to bring you to Jesus.
3. Someone here may already be saved but is in need of a church home. You have loved ones and friends who are interested in your spiritual well-being and would like you to place your membership in this church where you can get spiritual help. Will you come?
Mark 1:35-39 CARRYING
THE GOSPEL TO THE NEXT TOWNS
Introduction:
Back in verse 15 it was said that Jesus went into Galilee preaching the gospel. At Capernaum He went into the synagogue He astonished the people with His teaching. We can be confident that the gospel was a big part of what He taught. At the home of Simon Peter Jesus healed many people. We can be sure that He also presented the gospel there. In our text today we hear Him say that He must move on to other towns and preach in those towns. We can be sure that He preached the gospel in those towns.
I. The early departure from the home of Simon and Andrew
A. On the evening before it was not until dusk dark that the home of Simon and Andrew was swamped with people bringing their sick for Jesus to heal.
1. It must have been late that night before all the people finally went home.
2. One might expect that they would all sleep late the next morning.
B. But not Jesus; He was up and gone before anyone else arose, V. 35.
1. One might get the impression from Mark that He left about 3:00 or 4:00 o’clock in the morning. ( Mark said, “...a great while before day...”)
2. By comparing this with Luke we learn that He left at about the first crack of dawn. Daylight was near, but it was long before full daylight.
3. Surely Jesus could have turned over and gone back to sleep, but He didn’t.
C. Why? Why didn’t He? Why didn’t He at least stay in the house? Why did He slip off all alone?
1. The answer is: He went out and departed into a solitary place to pray.
2. He went out where He could spend time alone with God the Father.
D. But why couldn’t He have just quietly prayed in the house?
1. He could have. (I have done so numerous times.)
2. He could have, but He didn’t.
3. One reason was because He did not want any interruption to His prayer.
4. Also, He wanted to set an example for us to follow in our own prayer life.
E. We, too, need to spend time alone with God in prayer.
1. We need to do this daily.
2. We can pray with others around and we should. (At church, at home, anywhere, even in a big crowd. But we still need some time alone in prayer to God.)
3. Perhaps we can do this after all others are in bed asleep. (Perhaps to rise early would be a good time to do it. Or, perhaps after the others have left for the day.)
F. A word of caution: Do not get involved in transcendental meditation.
1. Many have been persuaded to practice yoga and transcendental meditation.
2. The object of transcendental meditation is to let the mind be free from self-control and to come completely under the control of the spirit world.
3. This is dangerous business. (The spirit that will control you will be a satanic demon spirit.)
4. This is not at all what Jesus was doing. (He was in full control of His faculties and was talking with God the Heavenly Father. That is what we need to do and to let Him have control in our lives.)
II. The
disciples following after Jesus
A. Someone apparently heard Jesus leave and he and other disciples followed Him, V. 36.
B. When they find Him they urge Him to return to the city saying that the people had already begun to arrive looking for Him, V. 37. (No doubt they brought more sick people to be healed).
C. Luke says that these followed the disciples who followed Jesus. (They followed --- slower, I am sure --- and that when they arrived where Jesus was, Jesus healed them.
III. Jesus
declines their request to return into the city
A. Jesus informs the disciples that He will not at this time go back into Capernaum, but will, instead, go on to other towns, V. 38.
B. For one thing, He knew that the people would come on out where He could see them and heal their sick without having to return into the city.
C. But the main reason is was that Jesus wanted to teach the disciples that His main purpose for being in the world was not to heal the sick, but to save the lost.
1. He did not leave heaven and come to earth to heal the sick, I Tim. 1:15; Luke 19:10.
2. He had already preached the gospel at Capernaum and would later return to preach there again.
3. But for now He wanted to carry the gospel to other towns and villages.
4. This was His purpose for coming into the world. (He did heal, but healing was His purpose in coming.)
D. According to Luke the crowd did come from the city and Jesus did heal them and preach to them.
E. Mark just says that they moved on and preached in synagogues throughout Galilee, V. 39. (We can be sure that He preached the gospel.)
Conclusion:
1. There is not an unsaved person in all the world that Jesus does not care about. He wants all to hear the gospel and be saved.
2. If you are unsaved He wants you to be saved.
3. If you are saved, He wants you to help Him to carry the gospel to the unsaved.
4. Jesus has assigned each local church the responsibility of trying to send the gospel message to all the world. As a church, He wants us to spread the gospel to all the world. As members of a local church that is our own responsibility. It is our mission for as long as we live.
Mark 1:40-45 JESUS
HEALING THE WORLD’S MOST DREAD DISEASE
Introduction:
Before reading our text, let me ask, “What is the world’s most dread disease?”
I. The
dread disease of aids
A. Heart disease is the #1 killer in the United States, but it is not the most dreaded disease.
B. Until recent years cancer was the most dreaded disease in the U. S. (Although it was never the #1 killer.)
C. Without question, aids has become the disease that most people dread today. (and with good reason.)
1. Many of us can remember when the first case was discovered in the
U. S.
2. Today it has reached epidemic proportions.
3. It is feared that it will become the #1 killer in the world.
4. At first in America it was confined to male homosexuals.
5. Through prostitutes, dope addicts and other means it has spread to male and female heterosexuals --- even to children.
6. Some experts predict that eventually there will be no way to safely protect yourself from it.
7. Some say that it can threaten entire nations.
II. Leprosy,
in some respects, worse than aids
A. The man in this text who came to Jesus did not have aids; he was a leper, V. 40
B. With aids the victim will die relatively quick (a few years), but a leper could live as long as 50 years..
1. Some would say, “That is good; he will live much longer than with aids.”
2. But no! That is not good. (The longer the leper lives, the more intense his suffering becomes.
C. Leprosy first shows up with spots around the nose and eyes.
1. The spots may be red, white or black and may resemble pimples.
2. They grow larger and more numerous until they cover the body.
D. The nostrils swell shut and sometimes a part of the flesh of the nose falls off.
E. Joints of the fingers and toes separate. (The flesh around the joint rots, the digits of the finger or toes fall off, and the open sore never heals.)
F. The pain becomes excruciating.
G. There was in that time no medical cure. (Even today it is very difficult to cure medically.)
III. Seeing
the man come to Jesus, V. 40
A. Jesus and His apostles were still on the tour of Galilee which began in our previous text. (There was now a greater number of disciples.)
1. Jesus has already delivered His famous “Sermon On The Mount.”
2. He has come down from the mount and is in a nearby city.
3. He was there when the leper came to Him.
B. A leper could not live within a city, but he could enter a city.
1. He must wear clothing which would identify him as a leper.
2. If anyone came near he must loudly cry, “Leper! Leper!” (How would that rule work today for carriers of the aids virus?” Many people would object on the grounds that this rule is an invasion of privacy. They would ignore the fact that it would be for the protection of other people.)
C. I can envision the man coming to Jesus coming
to Jesus crying, “Leper! Leper!”
1. Everybody must have scattered with the
exception of Jesus.
2. The man fell to his knees before Jesus, but was very careful not to touch Jesus.
IV. Seeing
the man made whole, V. 40-41
A. He said, “If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean, V. 40.
1. What faith!
2. Nobody else in the world could heal him, not even the best doctor.
3. But he believed that Jesus could.
B. It was a faith well justified, V. 41.
1. Jesus touched him and it was with great compassion.
2. Jesus said, “I will; be thou clean,”
C. As the hand of Jesus moved forward the man was still full of leprosy, but the instant Jesus touched him, there was not one spot of leprosy, V. 42. (He was healed instantly,)
V. Seeing him after he was healed, V.
43-45
A. After the man was healed there was something that the Lord wanted him not to do. (Jesus told him not to tell anybody, V. 43-44.)
B. There was something the Lord wanted him to do. (The Lord wanted him to go to Jerusalem and make the sacrificial offering which the law required, V. 44b)
C. He disobeyed the Lord and messed up the Lord’s chances of ministering to others in that town, V. 45.
VI. Taking
another look at the man before he was healed
A. I want you to take another look at him before he was healed.
1. However, I do not want you to envision his face.
2. I want you to envision your face instead of his.
3. Your face, however, is not filled with leprous sores.
B. You are infected with something far worse than leprosy.
1. You are infected with sin. (We all are. We all are!)
2. Sin, like leprosy, produces death, Rom. 3:23.
3. The suffering caused by leprosy is before death and it ends there, but the suffering caused by sin continues after death --- and gets far worse. (Death does not end the suffering; it greatly increases the suffering.)
4. It never lets up. (It never gets better. It never ends.)
C. I want you to envision yourself in another scene.
1. Envision yourself coming to Jesus and kneeling down before Him.
2. Envision yourself crying out to Him, “Sinner! Sinner! I am a sinner!”
3. Envision yourself saying to Jesus, “I know that you can make me whole. I know that you can save my soul. I know that you can cleanse me from every sin.”
4. Envision yourself asking Jesus to save you and to keep you out of hell, and imagine yourself trusting Him to do just that.
5. Envision Him saying to you, “I will; be thou clean.”
Conclusion:
1. Will you now bow your head and do it for real?
2. If you have trusted Jesus as your Savior, there is now something He wants you to do for Him. He wants you to join a good Bible believing church and live for Him. (Will you do that, too?)
Mark 2:1-12 JESUS, HAVING THE POWER TO FORGIVE SIN
Introduction:
I am talking about having the power to wipe the slate clean so that before God in heaven one stands “Not guilty.” Jesus had repeatedly demonstrated His power to heal the sick. In this text He demonstrates His power to forgive sin.
I. The
return to Capernaum, V. 1
A. Jesus and His apostles had left Capernaum and had gone through Galilee preaching the gospel.
B. They were on that tour when Jesus healed the man of leprosy.
C. Now they have returned to Capernaum.
II. The
gathering of the people, V. 1-2
A. Before they had left Capernaum Jesus had caused quite a stir among the people.
1. He had astonished the people with His teaching in the synagogue.
2. Also, in the synagogue on the sabbath day He had cast the demon out of a man.
3. At the house of Simon Peter He had healed Simon Peter’s mother-in-law, who was sick of a fever.
4. In the evening He healed many sick folk and cast out more demon spirits.
B. When Jesus and His disciples returned to Capernaum from their tour through Galilee, the news spread fast and a great crowd gathered at the house where Jesus was.
1. Mark does not tell whose house Jesus was in.
2. Perhaps it was Simon Peter’s house, from which He had left to go on the tour. (Perhaps it was some other house).
3. Most homes in that day had one large room plus some smaller ones. ( Jesus would meet with people in the large room.)
4. Suddenly there were so many people who came in that there was standing room only.
5. The room was filled and people were packed in and around the doorway trying to see Jesus and to hear Him speak.
6;. There were so many that newcomers could not get near the door.
C. He preached the word unto them.
1. If any sick were brought in up to this point of time , Mark does not mention it.
2. What Jesus was doing was preaching the gospel to the people.
3. What Jesus was interested in was saving souls. (He had come to seek and to save that which was lost.)
III. The
bringing of the paralytic, V. 3
A. At this point some people brought a man to the house who was a paralytic.
B. Since the man was unable to walk they brought him on a bed. ( A small pad or small mattress. There were four men carrying the man --- one man at each corner of the bed.)
C. The men who carried him were convinced that if they could somehow get him to Jesus then Jesus would him.
IV. The
problem of getting him in to Jesus,
V. 4
A. They could not get to the door to get him in because of the crowd. (I’m sure they tried, but couldn’t.)
B. So they went up to the roof. (Stairs in that day were built on the outside of a home and they just went up stairs carrying the man.)
C. Once they were up on the roof, they tore a big hole in the roof and let him down before Jesus.
D. They were very determined. (Would it not be good if people today were that determined to get the unsaved to Jesus? Would it not be good if we were that determined to bring the unsaved to Jesus?)
V. The
pronouncement of forgiveness, V. 5
A. Jesus pronounced “Thy sins be forgive thee.” (Five
of the sweetest words ever spoken!)
B. Apparently this man’s sins had caused his paralysis. (Therefore, forgiving his sins would open the way for the paralysis to be removed.)
C. Jesus pronounced his sins forgiven.
1. That means that all of his sins were forgiven.
2. This means that before God in heaven he was no longer held guilty of any sin.
3. It also meant that the way was now open for him to be made whole.
VI. The
silent opposition, V. 6-7
A. There were certain scribes in the room who, in their thoughts, challenged the idea that Jesus forgave the man’s sins.
1. They raised the question, “Who can forgive sin, but God?”
2. They thought, “He is not God and, therefore, He cannot forgive sin.”
B. This marks the beginning of the opposition to the ministry of Jesus.
1. At this point the opposition was silent. (There was not one word spoken against Him nor one deed done against Him.)
2. But the opposition was very real.
C. Ironically, the charge against Him in their minds was “Blasphemy.”
1. This was the same charge that would later be brought against Him at His trial
2. Blasphemy under the Mosiac law was punishable by death.
3. Thus, in their minds, He was already considered to be worthy of death. (They never changed their minds even after the miracle which followed. They never changed their minds throughout His life on earth.)
VII. The
healing of the paralytic man, V. 8-12
A. Jesus revealed their thoughts and pointed out clearly that He does have the power to forgive sin, V. 8.
B. Then so that the people could know for sure that He does have the power to forgive sin He told the man to arise, take up his bed and walk, V. 9.-11.
C. The man was healed immediately at the word of Jesus.
1. This showed that the sins which had caused the paralysis were forgiven.
2. It further showed that Jesus is the One who forgave his sins.
D. This means that He would have to shed His blood , Heb. 9:22.
1. His blood would not be shed until later.
2. But the man’s sins were already forgiven and that they were forgiven on the basis of His blood which would later be shed on the cross.
E. This showed that Jesus is God.
1. God keeps His own records of a man’s sin. (Man does not do that for God.)
2. Only God could forgive that man’s sins and wipe God’s records in heaven clean.
VIII. The
matter of your sins
A. You, too, are guilty of sin. (We all are, Rom. 3:23.)
B. The chances are that your sins will never cause you to be paralyzed. (They might, but probably won’t.)
C. But they can cause you immeasurable agony in the fires of hell. (There you will suffer forever unless you receive forgiveness.)
D. Wouldn’t you like to have your sins forgiven?
1. Wouldn’t you like to have your slate wiped clean?
2. Wouldn’t you lie to stand before God without one sin against you?
E. You can, I John 1:7; Acts 16:31; Rom. 10:13.
Conclusion:
Right here, right now, today you can get this matter settled with God by trusting His Son, Jesus Christ, to save you from your sins.
Mark 2:13-17 JESUS,
CALLING SINNERS TO REPENTANCE
Introduction:
Our text gives the record of Matthew (Levi) being called to the ministry. It is also a record of the banquet which Matthew hosted for Jesus. Matthew, Mark and Luke all place these events after the Galilean tour.
I. Jesus,
teaching by the seaside, V. 13
A. Jesus had become very popular and the crowds were growing.
B. The open spaces, such as the seaside could more easily accommodate the larger crowds.
C. Mark says that Jesus taught the people.
1. This does not necessarily mean that He did not heal anybody.
2. It does mean that Mark considers the teaching of God’s word to be more important than healing.
II. Jesus,
passing the office of Matthew, V. 14
A. Matthew :(Levi) was a Jew who held an office as a publican, a tax collector for the Roman government.
B. Matthew’s office was at Capernaum on a road between two Roman districts. (Custom was paid on all merchandise that passed from one district to the other.)
C. Matthew had already been to Judea to hear John the Baptist preach. (He had already been saved and baptized.)
D. Being at Capernaum where Jesus had already performed great miracles, he surely had already heard about Jesus.
1. He must have wondered if Jesus is the Messiah.
2. If Jesus was the Messiah, then that meant that He was also the Savior. (It mean that Jesus was his Savior.)
E. All of a sudden a great crowd of people approached.
1. When the crowd got near he learned that Jesus is in the crowd.
2. Jesus stopped right in front of his office and called for Matthew to leave his work as a publican and to follow Him. (Much like the call of the fishermen)
F. Matthew immediately left his office and began to follow Jesus.
III. Jesus attending a feast at Matthew’s home, V. 15
A. Matthew then gave a great feast inviting a large number of his friends, V. 15. (No doubt, he intended to introduce them all to Jesus, hoping that they would all get saved.)
B. The friends of Matthew were a group of undesirables, V. 15. (Mark calls them “publicans and sinners.”)
C. The result was that many of them did get saved and became followers of Jesus, V. 15.
D. Another result was that Jesus received some sharp criticism from the scribes and Pharisees, V. 16. (They were present and saw Jesus sit with the publicans, but, were not seated with the publicans as Jesus was. They had probably refused to sit with them.)
IV. Jesus
criticized by the scribes and Pharisees
A. Earlier these scribes and Pharisees had silently criticized Jesus; now they speak out against Him.
B. They still do not face Him directly with their charges.
C. Rather, the disciples catch the brunt of their attack.
D. They clearly imply that something is wrong with Jesus or He would not sit with sinners.
V. Jesus’
answer to the scribes and Pharisees, V. 17
A. Jesus confronted the scribes and Pharisees openly, as He had done before. (He did not change their minds, but He publicly exposed them as being wrong.)
B. The heart and core of the matter is: Why would Jesus eat with these men? Did He not know that they were outcasts? Did He not know that they could not enter the temple at Jerusalem? Did He not know that they could not worship in the local synagogues?
1. Why would He call Matthew to be His disciple, His follower, His associate, His companion, His spokesman?
2. And why would He eat and fellowship with the other publicans and sinners?
C. The answer:
1. The well do not need a doctor, but the sick do.
2. Jesus had not come to call the righteous (the self-righteous) to repentance, but sinners.
3. Technically, Jesus would have all men to come to repentance, but He knows that a man will not repent who thinks of himself as being already righteous in God’s sight.
4. Only when a man realizes that he is a sinner will he repent.
Conclusion:
What about you? Have you ever taken God’s name in vain? Have you ever taken anything that did not belong to you? Did you ever get drunk? Did you ever tell a lie? Did you ever commit adultery? Did you ever think adultery? Did you ever hate anybody?
You may not have done all of these things, but you have done some of them. You need to repent and trust in Jesus to save your soul?
I, too, am a sinner, but I am a saved sinner. I call upon you to repent and be saved. Jesus is the Savior. He knows that you are a sinner, but He loves you anyhow and wants to save your soul. Call on Him now and trust Him to save your soul.
Mark 2:18-22 CHRISTIANITY,
A WHOLE NEW SYSTEM OF WORSHIP
Introduction:
The scribes and Pharisees were becoming increasingly critical of Jesus. First, their critical attitude was silent. Second, they voiced their criticism to His disciples, but not to Jesus. In our text today, they voice it boldly to Jesus Himself.
Their chief problem was that they could not understand that Christianity is not under the Law of Moses. Even the disciples of John had a problem with that. Some do even today.
I. A
question put to Jesus, V. 18
A. It was the practice of the disciples of John and the Pharisees to fast.
1. Both Matthew and Luke say that they fast often.
2. That is the intend of the Old English in V. 18. (It means that they habitually fasted.)
B. Both the disciples of John and the Pharisees worshipped under the Old Testament law system.
C. Fasting was requited by the Law of Moses, but only once each year. (Not often as the Pharisees and the disciples of John practiced.)
D. The Jewish fathers added 5 more annual fasts to the one required by the law of Moses. (Yet even that would not be fasting often.)
E. The Pharisees, however, fasted twice each week, once on the second day of the week and again on the fifth. (That is often.)
F. The disciples of John also had come to fast often. (Perhaps because John had been imprisoned and slain. The Scripture does not say that John, himself fasted often.)
G. Both groups came together to ask the question. (In all probability, the Pharisees were the ones who prompted the disciples of John to come with them to question Jesus.)
H. The question is: “Why do your disciples not fast as we do?”
II. Consider the question from the Pharisees point of view
A. The Pharisees thought that the keeping of the law of Moses was necessary in order to get to heaven.
B. They thought that their traditions were just as binding as the law itself. (They considered them a part of the law.)
C. Therefore, they considered it a great sin for the disciples of Jesus not to fast --- and fast often as they did.
D. Thus, in effect, they were asking: “Why do you sin greatly by allowing your disciples not to fast?”
1. They were not so much interested in blaming the disciples of Jesus, but rather were anxious to find something to blame Jesus about.
2. They already considered Jesus to be a blasphemer because He clamed to forgive the sin of the paralytic man; now they wanted to find something else to use against Him.
III. Consider
the question from the view of the disciples of John
A. They, like John the Baptist, had great respect for Jesus.
B. Thus, they were not asking from a critical point of view.
C. They simply had an honest question about a matter of which they were puzzled.
IV. The
answer given by Jesus, V. 19-20
A. Jesus used an illustration about the children of a bride chamber.
1. The children of a bride chamber would rejoice greatly at a wedding feast.
2. There was no weeping nor mourning what-so-ever. (It was not fitting for them to do so.)
B. Jesus said that it was likewise not fitting for His disciples to mourn while He was still with them.
1. Fasting was associated with mourning.
2. Thus, it was not fitting for them to fast or mourn while He was still with them.
C. The time would come when He would no longer be with them and they would fast and mourn. (He would be gone from them and, therefore, it would be fitting for them to mourn and fast.)
V. The
real issue, V. 21-22
A. The real issue was not fasting; the real
issues were the Law of Moses, the customs of man and the word of the Lord.
1.
The Pharisees thought that the keeping
of the Law of Moses was necessary in order to get to heaven.
2. Likewise, they thought that the customs and
traditions of men were binding and must be followed.
B. The truth is that the keeping of the Law of Moses is not necessary for salvation.
1. It never was.
2. Men were saved by faith before the Law of Moses was ever given.
3. Men were saved by faith during the Law Age --- not by the keeping of the law..
4. Men are saved by faith now --- not by the keeping of the law.
C. Furthermore, the customs and traditions of the fathers are not binding.
1. The rule of faith and practice for the disciples of Christ during His life on earth was His word --- His teachings.
2. The rule of faith and practice for Christianity today is still the teachings of Christ as set forth in The New Testament.
D. Christianity is not a remodeling of the Old Testament system of worship; It is a whole new system of worship with instructions originating from Christ
Himself and passed on to us through the writings of the New Testament.
1. Men do not put new cloth on an old garment to patch it up, V. 21.
2. Neither did men in Christ’s day put new wine in the old brittle skin- bottles which would break under the pressure of gasses formed by fermentation, but in new skin-bottles which would expand and not break by the pressure, V.22.
Conclusion:
!. If you want to go to heaven, you must look to Christ and not to the Law of Moses. Likewise, you must look to the traditions of men.
2. If you are saved, then you need to follow the system of worship which Jesus Christ, Himself established on earth, the New Testament church system of worship --- not the Old Testament law system of worship. .
3 Yet this does not mean that the Old Testament is to be discarded, It is still very profitable to the Christian today, II Tim. 3:16-17
Mark 2:23-28 ACCUSED
OF BREAKING THE LAW OF THE SABBATH
Introduction:
This
is now the fourth encounter between Jesus and the Pharisees which Mark has
recorded. First they criticized Him only
in their thoughts for Jesus claiming to have power to forgive sin. Secondly, they criticized Him to His
disciples because He ate with publicans and sinners. Thirdly they criticized Him to His face
for not teaching His disciples to fast.
Now, fourth, they criticize Him for allowing His disciples to ---
as they say --- break the law of the sabbath day.
I. What
actually happened, V. 23
A. Jesus passed through the cornfields on the sabbath day.
1. This was not the kind of corn that grows on a cob.
2. The Greek word which here is translated “corn” simply means “grain.”
3. The Jews commonly grew wheat, rye or barley, but not Indian corn.
B. The disciples plucked some grain as they passed through the field.
1. The “ears of corn” were what we would call “heads of grain.”
2. Both Matthew and Luke say that they were hungry.
3. So what they did was to pluck a few grains, rub their hands together so as to rub the husks off and eat the uncooked grains.
C. That is all they did, but the way the Pharisees reacted you would think they had committed murder.
II. The
accusation by the Pharisees, V. 24
A. The Pharisees go to Jesus and express their stern disapproval.
B. They accuse the disciples of breaking the law of the sabbath.
1. Yet they are not after the disciples.
2. They are striking at Jesus through the disciples.
C. Question: Did the disciples break the law of the sabbath as given by Moses?
1. They did pluck grain on the sabbath.
2. They did rub the husks off in their hands.
D. Answer:
1. The law of Moses does forbid harvesting a field on the sabbath.
2. The law of Moses does also forbid gathering sticks on the sabbath for the purpose of cooking..
3. The law of Moses does also forbid doing manual labor on the sabbath.
4. Yet the disciples of Jesus did not break any of those commands.
a. They did not harvest the field.
b. They did not gather sticks nor cook any food.
c. Surely rubbing their hands together should not be considered to be manual labor.
III. The
Lord’s answer to the Pharisees, V. 25-28
(The Lord gave a three-part answer to their accusation.)
A. The law was not as strict as the Pharisees made it out to be, V. 25-26.
1. Technically, Abiathar was not high priest at that time, but was here called by a title which he would later have. (He was at that time already serving as priest in the temple along with his father who was high priest at the time.)
2. He gave David and his men shewbread to eat.
3. The law of Moses provided that after the shewbread had lain on the table in the temple for the required amount of time that it could be taken by the priests and eaten by the priests and their families.
4. The law of Moses did not specifically forbid the priests to pass this bread on to anyone other than their family members, but it was commonly interpreted to mean that nobody other than the priests and their families were to eat of this bread.
5. Yet Abiathar did not interpret the law to be so strict as to forbid him from giving this bread to hungry men who needed something to eat.
6. The point that Jesus was making was that neither should the Pharisees interpret it so strictly as to forbid His hungry disciples to pull and eat a few grains on the sabbath day.
B. The sabbath was not set up to be a handicap to man, but to be a help to man, V. 27.
1. I t was not even established under the law of Moses, but originated at the close of God’s 6 days of creative labor.
2. God, Himself, rested (refrained from labor) on the 7th day and set an example for man to follow.
3. Man was not created for the sabbath, but the sabbath was established for man. (It was established to benefit man.)
4. The sabbath day was later incorporated into the Law of Moses, but its original purpose did not change. (It was never intended to hinder man, but was to help man.)
5. Therefore, it was not intended to prevent hungry men from plucking a few grains of wheat or rye or barley and eating on the sabbath day.
C. The Son of Man is the Lord of the Sabbath, V. 28.
1. The term, “Son of man” was used in reference to the Messiah, the Christ.
2. Jesus here implies that He is the Messiah, the Christ and that, therefore, He is the Lord of the Sabbath.
3. If His disciples had broken the law of the sabbath He would surely know it and He would judge them. (The Pharisees had no business judging them.)
IV. Some
lessons for us
A. What is in this passage for us? (There is more in the passage than just to show that Jesus got the better end of the argument.)
B. It teaches u s that man today still needs a day of rest each week.
1. In Old Testament times people were to rest on the 7th day of the week in commemoration of the creative work of God. (In addition to this, the Hebrew people were to rest on the 7th day in obedience to the Law of Moses.).
2. New Testament Christians are to rest on the first day of the week in commemoration of the resurrection of Jesus which took place on the first day of the week.
3. It would also be of great benefit to all mankind if all people would observe this a day of rest each week. (We would have healthier bodies, would be able to do more work, would have less crime, would have less divorces, and would have longer happier lives.)
C. It teaches us that man needs a time each week to come together and worship God.
1. One can worship God when he is alone and should do so daily, but there is a distinct advantage in coming together to worship with others. (And it should be done on a weekly basis.)
2. Anybody who fails to do so cheats himself and his family out of blessings.
D. It teaches the Christian not to have such a critical attitude toward others.
1. The Pharisees set an example of what we should not be like.
2. When we start seeing something wrong in almost everybody else it is a sure sign that something is badly wrong with us.
E. It teaches the unsaved not to be so critical of Christ and Christians.
1. The critical attitude of the Pharisees toward Jesus and His disciples prevented them from every trusting Jesus and being saved.
2. Today they are in the fires of hell.
3. It is too late for them, but it is not too late for you.
4. At least it is not too late ---- yet!
Mark
3:1-5 MORE CONFLICT ABOUT THE
SABBATH
Introduction:
In this text Jesus heals a man on the Sabbath. This brings on more conflict with the Pharisees. Mark gives more attention to the conflict than he does the healing. This is the 5th conflict between Jesus and the Pharisees: #1 was about Jesus telling a man that his sins were forgiven. #2 was because Jesus ate with publicans and sinners. #3 was because Jesus had not taught His disciples to fast. #4 was because the disciples plucked grain on the sabbath. #5 is now because Jesus healed on the Sabbath day.
I. The
place where the conflict occurred, V. 1a
A. Jesus went back to the synagogue at Capernaum which He customarily attended. (It had long been His practice to attend the worship services at the house of God on the Sabbath day.)
B. Luke says this was on the Sabbath following the conflict about the disciples pulling grain.
C. Jesus knew that the leaders of the opposition would be there, but He did not let that stop Him going.
II. The
man used by the Pharisees to start the trouble, V. 1b
A. There was a man in the synagogue who had a withered hand.
B. He would not deliberately cause any trouble for Jesus, but the Pharisees used him to cause Jesus trouble.
C. They used the presence of that man as a trap for Jesus.
III. The
purpose of the Pharisees, V. 2
A. The Pharisees watched Jesus to see if He would heal the man on the Sabbath. (They were virtually sure that He would and they were hoping that He would.)
B. They intended to accuse Him of breaking the Sabbath.
1. They were not interested in merely slandering His name.
2. The Law of Moses called for the sabbath breaker to be stoned.
3. They intended to formally accuse Him and have Him stoned to death.
C. The question comes: If Jesus were to heal the man, would that really be breaking the Sabbath?
1. No. The law of God did not forbid healing (doctoring) on the sabbath.
2. God knew that people would get sick on the Sabbath and on the sabbath would need to be healed or, at least, treated for their illness..
3. But the Jewish fathers considered the treatment of a sick person on the Sabbath day to be breaking the Sabbath unless it was a matter of life or death.
D. In the case of the man with the withered hand, it was not a case of life or death and they would consider healing him to be a blatant transgression of the law.
IV. Jesus healing the man with the withered hand, V. 3
A. Jesus called for the man with the withered hand to stand forth.
B.