Then he [Jesus] went home, and the crowd gathered again, so that they could not even eat. And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.” Mark 3:20-21 Some Christians seem to have the idea that Jesus lived a balanced life. But the demands on Jesus were so great that He did not even have time to eat. Missing meals and losing sleep were commonplace for Jesus and His disciples. If you’re surrounded by great ministry opportunities, don’t compl...
Oct 25, 2024•3 min
“All sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter.” Mark 3:28 Jesus Christ is ready to forgive any sin that you’ve committed. He is ready to forgive open sins, secret sins, sins from long ago, and sins repeated many times. He is ready to forgive all your blasphemous words, thoughts, and deeds. The blood of Jesus Christ is sufficient to cover every sin, including yours. Take this glorious promise and believe it. Come to Him and tell Him about your sins. Name them...
Oct 24, 2024•3 min
And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “by the prince of demons he casts out the demons.” Mark 3:22 These folks were not the local clergy in Galilee. These were the top brass religious leaders coming down from the capital city in Jerusalem. Why did they come? Because the Pharisees and Herodians were plotting to kill Jesus (3:6). What does a plot to destroy someone involve? It begins with recruiting other influential people. The Pharisees pro...
Oct 23, 2024•3 min
Whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.” Mark 3:11 Suppose an angel were to ask you: “Why should you be allowed into heaven?” and you said, “Because I believe Jesus is the Son of God.” Their obvious response would be, “Well, so do the demons. How is your faith any different from theirs?” Even more surprising than what demons believe is their obedience to Jesus: “Whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cri...
Oct 22, 2024•3 min
“Whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.” Mark 3:35 How do you know that a person has a saving faith in Jesus Christ? The answer is simple: He or she pursues a life of obedience. This theme runs through Jesus’ teaching: “You are my friends if you do what I command you” (John 15:14). “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15). “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who ...
Oct 21, 2024•3 min
He [Jesus] entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand. And they watched Jesus, to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him. Mark 3:1-2 Imagine the tension. Jesus knew that some in the synagogue were hostile towards Him. They were watching Him closely, looking for a reason to accuse Him. Then they noticed a man with a shrivelled hand in the synagogue. Jesus knew that if He healed the man, they would accuse Him of working on the Sabbath. What...
Oct 20, 2024•3 min
“Why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” Mark 2:24 In the fourth commandment, God calls us to set aside one day in seven to rest from our work and to enjoy all that He has done. That is a gift and a blessing from God. But the Pharisees had turned the blessing into a burden, with an endless list of rules about what you could and could not do. In their eyes, pulling a few ears of corn while walking along a field was harvesting and that is work. Religious systems turn God’s blessing ...
Oct 19, 2024•3 min
Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast? Mark 2:18 The Old Testament specified one day in the year when God called His people to fast—the Day of Atonement. But the Pharisees had made fasting part of their regular routine. According to tradition, they fasted Mondays and Thursdays, and encouraged others to do the same. So, the question to Jesus is: Why aren’t your disciples fasting? Jesus answered, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bride...
Oct 18, 2024•3 min
He [Jesus] saw Levi... sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” Mark 2:14 Remember, Israel was an occupied country at this time. The Roman army had marched in and made Israel part of the empire, and that meant paying taxes to Rome. The problem was that the Romans needed people to gather taxes, but who in their right mind would take money from their own people for a foreign occupying power? So, Rome offered an incentive. They set the amount collectors had to gather from each tow...
Oct 17, 2024•3 min
When Jesus saw their faith... Mark 2:5 Here are five encouragements to help you come to Jesus and receive from Him: Don’t let anything stop you. The paralysed man and his friends might have said, “We’ll never get near Him.” Don’t be put off by the apparent difficulty of getting to Jesus. Learn from the example of these men. They were determined to get to Jesus. Nothing would stop them. Don’t let anything stop you. Fix your faith on Christ alone. A man with leprosy came to Jesus, “If you will, yo...
Oct 16, 2024•3 min
“Son, your sins are forgiven... I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” Mark 2:5, 11 Jesus gave two wonderful gifts to this man - the gift of forgiveness and the gift of healing. Now, which of these two gifts do you think was more important? A preacher from London by the name of Dick Lucas explains it this way: Suppose we could visit with the paralysed man today and hear his story. He would probably say something like this: "It really was a wonderful day when I met Jesus—the greatest...
Oct 15, 2024•2 min
Some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts… “Who can forgive sins but God alone?” Mark 2:6-7 These men were right. The only person who can forgive is the one who has been offended. If you set fire to your neighbour’s house, your neighbour can forgive you. But if someone else sets fire to your neighbour's house, you cannot forgive them. The only one who can do that is your neighbour. The teachers of the law knew that sin, biblically defined, is an offence against God. The...
Oct 14, 2024•3 min
“Your sins are forgiven.” Mark 2:5 Mark tells us about a paralysed man who was determined to get to Jesus. Eventually, he was able to do so with a little help from his four friends who carried him to Jesus. When they arrived at the place Jesus was staying, it was swarming with people. There were so many people crammed into the house that a crowd had gathered outside waiting to see Him. These friends could not get in through the front door, so they decided to lower the paralysed man down through ...
Oct 13, 2024•2 min
And immediately he [Jesus] left the synagogue and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Mark 1:29 Simon and Andrew were the first to follow Jesus, and now Jesus came to their home, where Simon's mother-in-law was in bed with a fever. Nothing unusual or life-threatening about this. Which of us hasn't been in bed with a fever? But Jesus healed her. The question most often asked about this miracle is, "Why would Jesus do this? Of all the things Jesus could have done with His p...
Oct 12, 2024•3 min
When he [the Holy Spirit] comes he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgement. John 16:8 Two teenage boys were downstairs after school one day. When their mum finished cooking dinner, she called out, “Dinner’s ready!” You know what happened next: The boys immediately turned off the television and the computer and came upstairs smiling, “Thank you, Mother, for preparing this wonderful meal!” No, what probably happened is… absolutely nothing! Their mum called out again, ...
Oct 11, 2024•3 min
And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out... Mark 1:23 Think about it. Here is a man going to worship in the synagogue. But his life is bound by a dark power that lurks within him, and coming to the synagogue hasn’t changed that. This still happens today: A man goes to church, and his life is in the grip of a dark power that he cannot overcome. He has heard the teaching. He has sung the songs. But his life has never changed, because there’s a com...
Oct 10, 2024•3 min
Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he [Jesus] saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. Mark 1:16 Here are two brothers running a small fishing business - ordinary people with ordinary lives, and Jesus spoke to them: "Follow me and I will make you become fishers of men” (1:17). That’s an amazing promise! Jesus said, “Follow me and I will make something of your life.” Notice the order: Jesus didn’t say, “Make something of your life and then ...
Oct 09, 2024•3 min
And they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and was teaching. Mark 1:21 News about Jesus spread, and the crowds gathered: “That evening at sundown they brought to him all who were sick or oppressed by demons. And the whole city was gathered together at the door. And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons” (1:32-34). Notice, a large crowd had gathered around the house of Simon and Andrew, where Jesus was staying, and ...
Oct 08, 2024•3 min
“I have baptised you with water, but he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit.” Mark 1:8 This is an amazing promise—that God’s presence, God’s power, and God’s own Spirit should come into your life. Maybe you find yourself thinking, “How could the Holy Spirit of God come into the life of a person like me?” Answer: Because you are forgiven. You’re in Christ! The good news of the gospel is much more than repentance and forgiveness. Jesus will give you the Spirit— God’s power and God’s presence, po...
Oct 07, 2024•3 min
John appeared, baptising in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Mark 1:4 When you come near to Jesus, He will show you your need, but He won’t leave you in despair. He will show you your need, so that in Him you will find forgiveness. This is the reason He came into the world. Baptism is a wonderful picture of what happens to you when you come near to Jesus Christ. When you come to Him in faith, you become aware of your own sinfulness, you see that...
Oct 06, 2024•2 min
“I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way, the voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord...’” Mark 1:2-3 What if you knew you were going to meet with God? It’s true, you know. You are going to meet with God. You will see Him. You will stand before Him, and you will have to give an account of your life to Him. Some people would say, “I’m going to meet God? Great! I’ve got some questions for Him.” Or, “Great, I could use some help.” Other people mig...
Oct 05, 2024•3 min
The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Mark 1:1 What is the gospel? Here is the simple answer that Mark gives us: The gospel is about Jesus Christ, in whom we find repentance, forgiveness, and the gift of the Holy Spirit. The first thing to notice is that Jesus is the teacher, but He is also the message. Jesus Christ is the announcer of the good news, but He Himself is the good news that is announced. This makes Jesus different from every other prophet. A prophet has a mess...
Oct 04, 2024•2 min
The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Mark 1:1 Someone might read Mark’s words and say, “Well, the confession that Jesus is the Son of God is just one man’s opinion…” Is it? It’s the unanimous confession of the New Testament “These are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God” (John 20:31). Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, and Peter all say the same thing—check it out! It's the confession of heaven As Jesus was being baptised, “A voice came ...
Oct 03, 2024•3 min
The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Mark 1:1 It is important to remember that God the Father did not gain a Son when Jesus was born. God sent the Son, who was already at the Father’s side, into the world. The Son shared the Father’s glory, the Father’s life, and the Father’s love before He came into the world. “[The Son] is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature” (Heb. 1:3). Jesus even said, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14...
Oct 02, 2024•3 min
The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ… Mark 1:1 Jesus was a common name among the Jews until the beginning of the second century, but Christ is a title, telling us what this person named Jesus came into the world to do. Today, we might speak about Dave “the plumber,” or Diane “the teacher.” Plumbing is what Dave does. Teaching is what Diane does. Similarly, Jesus is “the Christ.” This means He is “the Messiah,” or “the Deliverer.” Confronting what is wrong and putting it right is what Jesu...
Oct 01, 2024•3 min
Now to him who is able to... present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy… Jude 24 Try and imagine what this will be like. First, you will be presented before God’s glorious presence… blameless. The word translated “blameless” is the same word that was used to describe a sacrificial animal in the Old Testament that was acceptable to God. It had to be blameless, without defect or fault. Can you imagine yourself faultless? Every one of the effects of sin will be healed. No...
Sep 30, 2024•3 min
Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling… Jude 24 God is able to give you victory over the power of temptation. Do you believe this? No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. (1 Cor. 10:13) What temptation do you think Jesus is not able to deliver you from? This goes to the heart of whether we believe...
Sep 29, 2024•3 min
Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling… Jude 24 This doesn’t mean that when you become a Christian you will never fail. We all fail in many ways. But God is able to keep you from falling. When Jesus was going to the cross, He said to Peter, “Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail” (Luke 22:31-32). Peter did fail. He denied the Lord three times. He called down curses upon himself. But the prayers of Jesus we...
Sep 28, 2024•3 min
To the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. Jude 25 Jude says that there is only one God, and this God is the Saviour God. Now if God is the Saviour, what does this saving look like? There are three dimensions. 1. God is our Saviour from sin's penalty. When you came to faith in Jesus, God forgave your sins. He freed you from guilt, condemnation, and hell: “There is therefore now no condemnation...
Sep 27, 2024•3 min
Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling… Jude 24 Jude has been telling us that we need to watch ourselves, because we live this Christian life in the body, but we are also to find our rest in God. Verses 24 and 25 are all about God. That's significant because the first six workouts have been all about you: “But you, beloved, [build] yourselves up in your most holy faith” (Jude 20). Notice where the responsibility lies: Who is to do this? You are. Who is to pray in the Holy Spirit? You ...
Sep 26, 2024•2 min
