Mark (Program #24) – The Move of the Slave-Savior’s Gospel Service (12)

The Lord Jesus said in Mark chapter 9 verses 42 through 45, “And whoever stumbles one of these little ones who believe into Me, it is better for him if a great millstone is placed around his neck and he is thrown into the sea.  And if your hand stumbles you, cut it off; it is better for you to enter into life maimed than to have two hands and go away into Gehenna, into unquenchable fire.  And if your foot stumbles you, cut it off; it is better for you to enter into life lame than to have two feet and be thrown into Gehenna.”  For a life study touching the believers reward and punishment in the next age.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: TuneIn | RSS

Mark (Program #23) – The Move of the Slave-Savior’s Gospel Service (11)

In Mark chapter 8 the Lord Jesus taught His disciples that they need to deny themselves, just as He also teaches us that so that Christ could be their replacement and become everything to them as He wants to be everything to us.

Although the disciples saw this revelation they did not practice it or live according to it. To see the revelation is one thing but to live it is another.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: TuneIn | RSS

Mark (Program #22) – The Move of the Slave-Savior’s Gospel Service (10)

Mark chapter 8 verses 27 through 29 tell us, “And Jesus and His disciples went out into the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way He questioned His disciples, saying to them, Who do men say that I am?  And they told Him, saying, John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but others, one of the prophets.  And He questioned them, But you, who do you say that I am?  Peter answered and said to Him, You are the Christ!”

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: TuneIn | RSS

Mark (Program #21) – The Move of the Slave-Savior’s Gospel Service (9)

In Mark chapter 8 verse 34, the Lord Jesus says, “if anyone wants to follow after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.”  If we would come after the Lord by gaining Him, experiencing Him, enjoying Him and partaking of Him then we need to deny ourselves. Take up our cross and follow Him. But what does it mean for us to take up our cross? This is the subject of our life study today.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: TuneIn | RSS

Mark (Program #20) – The Move of the Slave-Savior’s Gospel Service (8)

In Matthew, Luke and John the order or sequence of the stories does not necessary follow the actual time sequence in which they took place.  The gospel of Mark is unique among the four in this way. Not only so, but the sequence of the healing and the miracles in Mark’s gospel are progressive. That means in each case signifies a step in our spiritual development and maturity and we are brought onward and always
higher.

Chapter 8 beginning at verse 27 and chapter 9 may be considered the high peak of the disciples’ experience in their contact with the Lord Jesus.  After been healed by the Lord in a general way that is when there were saved, they then experience His detailed and specific dealing until their heart had been dealt with. And then their spiritual ears were opened and their tongues were filled with His word and eventually even their eyes were healed of their blindness so that they can receive the high vision portrayed in this rich portion of God’s word.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: TuneIn | RSS

Mark (Program #19) – The Move of the Slave-Savior’s Gospel Service (7)

The record in Mark is unique among the four gospels in that the events followed their actual chronological order.  With that in mind is insightful to realize that there is a marvelous progression in the cases mentioned in Mark. Spiritually speaking each case takes us as it did to the disciples a step at a time, higher and higher until a peak is reached in chapters8 and 9. In these chapters the disciples were finally be able to receive a full vision of the Lord Jesus of His divinity and His humanity. But before reaching such a place, they had to first pass through all the steps signify by these crucial cases.  Chapters 7 and 8 show us 5 of these important steps.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: TuneIn | RSS

Mark (Program #18) – The Move of the Slave-Savior’s Gospel Service (6)

At the certain point in the gospel service of the Slave-Savior, the gospel of Mark gives us a most interesting account.  Traveling far to the North of Jerusalem and even of Galilee, the Lord Jesus and His disciples came to the region of Tyre and Syden, a land not of the Jews but of the gentiles.  Mark chapter 7 and also in Matthew and in chapter 15, we have a story of one such gentile, a woman who approaches Jesus because of the sickness of her daughter. What follows is truly remarkable. It’s an account of the encounter that take place when this woman refuses to be turned away because she lack a proper understanding. And she finds a way using the Lord’s own word to get what she was so desperately seeking.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: TuneIn | RSS

Mark (Program #17) – The Move of the Slave-Savior’s Gospel Service (5)

During His earthly ministry the Lord Jesus was continuing harassed by professional opposers. These religious zealots who did not know God in reality but had only the outward trappings of religion and tradition had no way to counter the great and mighty deeds that the Lord accomplished or the rich and nourishing words that He spoke to so many seeking ones. So they were left to try and find any weakness or failure in Him that they may latched onto to discredit Him in His ministry.

Mark chapter 7 gave us such an account and a very interesting one. The opposers were convinced that they had finally discovered something that they might use against Him. Well, what was this grievest deed you might ask?   The Lord Jesus allowed His disciples to break the tradition of the elders and eat their food with unwashed hands.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: TuneIn | RSS

Ezekiel (Program #25) – The Holy Land and the Holy City

Clearly the subject and central focus of the last section of the book of Ezekiel is the temple, the house of God. Show the house to the house, the Lord tells Ezekiel and that is exactly what he does in the final chapters. Yet, there’s a very profound postscript to Ezekiel’s vision that is found in the final chapters of the book and that is the land upon which the temple sits. In fact the land and the house are the central focus of the entire Old Testament. Recall Jehovah’s words to Joshua following the death of Moses as the children of Israel were encamped at the border of the good land in Canaan, “Moses My servant is dead; now then arise, and cross over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land which I am giving to them, to the children of Israel. Every place on which the sole of your foot treads I have given to you, as I promised Moses…Be strong and take courage, for you will cause this people to inherit the land which I swore to their fathers to give to them.” (Joshua 1:2-3,6). Well if the temple typifies the church as the fulfillment of the house of God, what then does this land typify?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: TuneIn | RSS

Mark (Program #16) – The Move of the Slave-Savior’s Gospel Service (4)

Mark chapter 7 verses 5 through 7 tells us “And the Pharisees and the scribes questioned Him, Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with common hands?  And He said to them, Well has Isaiah prophesied concerning you hypocrites, as it is written, “This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart stays far away from Me; But in vain do they worship Me, teaching as teachings the commandments of men.”“

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: TuneIn | RSS