Having begun His earthly ministry, and having performed several miracles along the way, Jesus called Levi to follow Him.
Levi was a publican, a Jewish man who had taken on the role of tax collector for the Roman government. For most Jews in Israel at the time, there was no lower life form. To the Pharisees, if a man became a publican, he had sold out his portion of Israel’s inheritance and his stake in the Kingdom of God. To the Pharisees, publicans could never be saved and would never go to Heaven.
Being cast out of Jewish society, many publicans took to self-indulgence and sinful lifestyles, which is why you often see sinners and publicans mentioned in the same sentences in the New Testament.
So, here you have Levi. Named after the son of Jacob who became the father of the Levitical tribe. Levi’s tribal namesake was responsible for the upkeep of the Tabernacle in the Old Testament, and for the upkeep of the Temple in Jesus’ day. The Levites were given six cities in which to live, cities that became “cities of refuge” for those trying to escape retribution from accusations over fatal accidents.
But, even with all this heritage, Levi sits at the receipt of custom, alienated from his countrymen, and a friend to sinners and other publicans.
And it was in that state that Jesus called Him to be a disciple, and Levi happily followed. He would later be renamed “Matthew,” which is a variation of the Greek word for “disciple.”
Having been called to be a disciple of Jesus, Levi holds a dinner for his sinner and publican friends. And in this passage, we see the mission of Christ on full display.
Levi’s plight reminds us of who we are, sinners who are irredeemable without the grace and mercy of God. We see what God did, in sending Jesus Christ to redeem us from sin. And, we see the proper response to the Gospel, which is repentance and faith.
One of the most forgotten attributes of Christ is His healing power.
As Christians, we love to discuss salvation, family, work ethic, and morals. However, many times people enter the doors of our churches carrying the pain that life too often brings.
Whether that pain is grief over a lost loved one, the emotional damage brought on by divorce, the fear that ensues losing a job, or the literal pain of a chronic illness.
Many live resigned to the idea that the pain will never go away, and that the scars will remain indefinitely. This resignation, however, completely overlooks the fact that Christ is the Great Physician. He heals, calms and restores.
In Mark 1, we see the power of Christ to heal physical disease on full display as the Lord heals Peter’s mother-in-law from a fever. While we at Life Point completely support the use of modern medicine and accessing the healthcare system, we have not forgotten that the Lord can, and often does, heal us of physical disease. And when He chooses not to heal, we find peace in His plan, knowing that He brings all things into our lives for good.
For the most part, the Lord has blessed us to live in a time when medicine has advanced far beyond anything it has accomplished in human history. Those living today have unparalleled opportunity to be healed of viruses, infections, heart disease and organ failure, and even cancer in many situations. Diseases that were once terminal just a few decades ago can be managed with the patient living a meaningful life.
Still, the Lord has been known to heal supernaturally. In cases when He doesn’t heal, we are often reminded that the Lord often uses disease to transition us from this life into the next, where we will be in His presence and there will be no more pain or suffering.
What most people struggle with, however, is emotional and Spiritual pain. While modern medicine is making advancements against cancer and diabetes, it has very little to offer in terms of healing emotional and Spiritual pain.
There are medications that can numb the pain and manage mood swings, but no medication can heal grief or regret. No medication can resolve an ongoing conflict or secure victory in a Spiritual battle.
However, the Lord can.
We see His power to do this on full display as He cleansed the leper in Mark 1. Now, on the surface, it may appear that healing leprosy would fall under the heading of physical healing, and on the surface, you would be correct.
But leprosy presents a far deeper symbolism in scripture. Leprosy is very similar to sin, in that it infects, scars and disfigures, and can have an affect not only on the leper himself, but on those who come into contact with him.
This is why the Old Testament law went into such detail as to how lepers were to behave, how lepers were to be treated, and if cleansed, how their cleansing was to be made official via temple rituals.
When Jesus cleansed the lepers, He not only demonstrated His power over physical disease, but He demonstrated His power to cleanse and restore us from the devastation of sin, and from the pain of grief and regret.
Last, but certainly not least, the Lord demonstrated His power to forgive sin.
In Mark 2:1-13, we see Jesus in a house, surrounded by the “press,” when four friends broke a hole open in the roof and lowered their disabled friend to Jesus to be healed. Jesus first response was to tell the man that his sins were forgiven.
The Pharisees balked, saying to themselves that only God had the power to forgive sin. When Jesus perceived their thoughts, He healed the man’s disease to prove His divine power, and His power to forgive sin.
In the above posted edition of The Point, we go into greater detail about the Lord’s power to heal. He heals us on multiple levels. That fact should bring us relief, joy and peace.
Mark wrote his account of the Gospel to demonstrate to us Who Christ is, not only by recording His actions, but also by giving us a written account of His death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The ultimate goal of Mark’s writings, and the writings of any New Testament author, is to build our faith.
By recording His actions, Mark paints a vivid picture of Who Jesus of Nazareth was, makes the case that He is the Christ, the Messiah, moreover the Savior of all mankind.
He opened His Gospel by showing how Jesus was the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies concerning the messenger that would go before the Lord. While this prophesied messenger was indeed John the Baptist, Mark pointed out how John the Baptist clearly identified Jesus as being the Christ.
As he continues his opening statement, Mark demonstrates the authority of Christ by showing His authority to call the disciples into apostleship, His authority to teach, and His authority over demons.
In Mark 1:16-20, Mark writes:
Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. 17 And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men. 18 And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him. 19 And when he had gone a little farther thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets. 20 And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after him.
Here, Mark records how Jesus called Simon (Peter) and Andrew, as well as James and John, to follow Him. When the Lord called them, He called them to follow Him, to learn from Him, and to help Him fulfill His mission. Likewise, when the Lord calls us, He calls us to salvation, to learn from Him, and to join His mission of spreading the Gospel.
Now, when He called them, He told them He would make them fishers of men. To them, fishing was a labor intense occupation where teams of men would drag nets throughout the sea to gather as many fish as they could. To be a fisher of men means to drag the net of the Gospel through the sea of humanity to bring as many to Christ as possible. This was a team effort.
Throughout the early years of Christianity, we see that it was always a team effort. The apostles always worked together in groups, whether they were sent out two-by-two by Christ into the villages of Galilee, or whether they were working together in the church of Jerusalem to preach the Gospel in the Temple court.
The Apostle Paul only traveled alone when he had to flee violence. However, during his missionary journeys, he always had people with him. Barnabas and Mark accompanied him on the first missionary journey. Other teammates to Paul included Luke, Silas, Timothy and Titus. Read any of Paul’s epistles, and you will see when he signs off that he lists the individuals who were with him who also sent their greetings to the church addressed in the letter.
Like the apostles, we are called to work as a team to spread, promote, propagate, publish and share the Gospel. We promote things all the time. We share funny posts on social media, we talk about our favorite TV shows and music, and we praise the restaurants that deliver amazing meals to our table. I’ll be sharing a link to this post as soon as I finish writing it.
Why don’t we share the Gospel more?
Social media is your story to the world. Through your posts and your comments, you tell the world Who you are and what you stand for. That story needs to center on the Gospel.
Like the Apostles were called to work together as a team in the ministry of Christ, we, too, are called to work as a team. There are no lone rangers in God’s work. We are to work as a team to spread the Gospel.
This is why much of the work in the Gospel is accomplished through the local church. We gather for worship, collect offerings to fund missionary endeavors, and we perform church outreach efforts. We fish together.
It is worth noting that when the Lord called us, He called us with the same authority with which He called His disciples on the shores of Galilee. This means that following the Lord’s call is not an optional feature to the Christian life. It is something the Lord calls us to, and something He expects from us.
Ephesians 2:8-9 say that it is by grace through faith that you are saved, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. Not of works lest any man should boast. However, many Christians overlook verse 10, which says we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them.
We were created to follow the Lord’s call, and to do His will, and to make an impact for the Kingdom.
Now, many Christians will object, citing work obligations, financial stress, and a busy family life. It is worth noting that the Apostles had things going on when the Lord called them as well. Simon and Andrew weren’t fishing as a hobby. Their abilities to feed their families depended on them having a successful catch.
James and John were not engaged in recreational crafting when they were mending their father’s nets. Those nets needed to be repaired in order to have another successful catch.
When Jesus called, they quickly left behind their livelihoods to follow. That requires faith.
The Lord has not necessarily called you to quit your job at 3M, the school, the state, or the phone company. However, using it as an excuse to fail to follow the Lord’s calling on your life will not work. By the authority in the Lord’s call, we have to prioritize the work of the Gospel.
Mark’s attention then turned to the Lord’s authority in how He taught.
Mark 1:21-22:
And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught. 22 And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes.
When Jesus taught in the synagogue, He did not spend time quoting other rabbis, discussing tradition, and sharing thoughts and ideas. He boldly proclaimed what the scriptures actually said. And what astonished those in attendance was the authority and certainty in which He delivered His teaching.
Well, of course He taught with authority. Not only were the scriptures about His redemption of His people, but it was through His Spirit that the scriptures were inspired and written in the first place.
There is a scene in the Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, where the white witch confronts Aslan the Lion about Edmunds betrayal, citing the deep magic’s requirement for such a one to be punished. Aslan responded by saying, “Do not cite the deep magic to me, I was there when it was written.”
In his Chronicles of Narnia series, C.S. Lewis attempted to explain the Christian faith in the form of a fantastical story involving talking animals and humans. In the Narnia universe, the deep magic was their scripture. Aslan the Lion was Lewis’ Christ-like figure, who submitted himself as a sacrifice for the betrayal of Edmund (and the sins of the creation). And in this scene, Aslan reminds everyone of His divinity and authority.
Likewise, when Christ taught in the synagogues, He was not merely another rabbi or scholar. He was the One Who inspired the scriptures, He was the subject of the scriptures, and His message, embedded in the scriptures, was redemption.
John 1 tells us that Christ was in the beginning with God, and that He was God, and that He created all things. Having created all things, then revealing Himself through scripture, we learn that Christ is the ultimate authority in the universe.
The scriptures were written by His authority and they say what He wanted said.
Therefore, when we study scripture, we are not merely reading a religious text or the works of a theological writer. We are reading the very words of God. We are in no place to reconsider, retranslate, reword, or question.
After demonstrating the Lord’s authority to call and His authority to teach, Mark showed us the Lord’s authority over demons.
Mark 1:23-26:
And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, 24 Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God. 25 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. 26 And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him.
Notice that, not only did the demon fear Jesus, but had to obey what Jesus told Him to do.
God and Satan are not two divine beings who are battling each other in a struggle of similar powers. God is God, has infinite power. Satan is a created being at the mercy of God’s power. Satan, therefore, has to obey and do what God orders. The same with demons.
So, when Jesus commanded the demon to come out of the man, he was forced to comply.
Demons have no power over the Lord. Further, Satan has no power with God either. He’s not a superboss at the end of a video game. He is a glorified demon. Nothing more.
Therefore, we can quit making Satan out to be a boogeyman, and we can quit fearing His antics. Go forward in faith, trust the Lord, and trust His call on your life.
Psalm 91:1 says, “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.”
We will find peace when we learn to live close to the Lord, under His authority, and depend on Him for our purpose, beliefs and protection.
Of all the men who walked and ministered alongside Jesus, Mark may have been the most overlooked. He was a disciple, yet he was not an apostle. He provided the upper room where Jesus instituted the Lord’s supper, was present at the arrest of Christ, and remained with the apostles after the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ.
Mark’s failures are recorded in scripture, and only twice do we see his successes in the faith. The book of Acts records how Mark accompanied Paul and Barnabas on the first missionary journey. However, Mark left the journey prematurely and returned home. His abandonment of the first missionary journey created a rift between he and Paul, and when Barnabas suggested that they take Mark on the second missionary journey, Paul vehemently objected. That conflict led to the breakup of Paul and Barnabas as a missionary team.
When Jesus was arrested, instead of trying to fight the temple guard as Peter did, Mark fled, not even taking the time to collect his garments.
Yet, despite all of this, Mark was a mighty man of God. He provided the upper room for the last supper. He remained with the apostles following the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ, taking part of a missionary journey with Paul, and ministering alongside Barnabas after that.
In his final days, the Apostle Paul wrote a letter to Timothy we now know as II Timothy. In it, he asked Timothy to come to Rome, and to bring Mark with him, because as Paul put it, he was profitable in ministry.
The Mark of II Timothy was a man who had grown from his failures in faith and his moments of weakness, and had become a mighty man of the Gospel.
We don’t know what prompted Mark to write his account of the Gospel, aside from the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. There doesn’t seem to be a specific occasion or audience. We do know that his work was an effort to record the crucial actions of Jesus leading up to the cross.
Matthew demonstrated how Christ fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies concerning Christ. Luke put together a comprehensive anthology of the actions and teachings of Christ. John recorded seven key miracles that demonstrated the divinity of Christ.
But Mark focused on an abridged collection of key actions and teachings from Jesus leading up to the Gospel.
Mark’s account of the Gospel is believed to have been the first written, and many scholars believe that Luke referenced his Gospel when writing his own. Mark’s Gospel demonstrates Who Jesus is so we can know Him, and knowing Him we can believe. The ultimate goal of Mark is to build our faith in the Lord.
Please understand, our efforts to provide historical and cultural context to books of the Bible should in no way lead the reader to think that these books are anything less than inspired scripture, thus being the actual word of God. It is through the historical and cultural context of these scriptures that we are able to hone in on what God was actually saying, and get the true message of the Bible.
So, as Mark opens his account of the Gospel, he provides us an introduction to Christ. He begins by showing the fulfillment of the scriptures, particularly pertaining to John the Baptist. John’s status of a prophet was almost universally accepted among the Jews and Judeo-Christian believing gentiles of the day. Mark showed through Old Testament prophecies that John’s ministry was to identify the Christ for us, and to prepare us to meet Him.
Mark then demonstrated that the ministry of John the Baptist was all about Jesus, preparing the people to meet Him and identifying Him as the Christ. He showed how John lived up to that prophetic purpose.
Mark then showed how God Himself witnessed to the identity of Christ at the Baptism of Jesus, saying “This is my Beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased.”
Through these words, and through the rest of the writings in the Gospel of Mark, one must come to the conclusion that Jesus of Nazareth was indeed the Christ, the Savior, the divine Son of God Who gave His life for the sins of the world, so that man could be forgiven, saved from wrath, and redeemed into the Kingdom of God.
As the disciples argued over who would be the greatest in the Kingdom, Jesus took a small child and placed him in the middle, telling the disciples that those who would receive little children would also receive Christ. In other words, if you want to honor the Lord, receive those whom can do nothing for you.
Listen to the above-posted sermon as Pastor Leland Acker discusses how we are to love others the way Christ loved us.
If you were to live up to every idealized qualification of the modern American Christian, what all would you do today? When we think of the ideal Christian, we often think of someone who:
Has a daily devotion time.
Has a daily prayer time.
Fosters/adopts children.
Donates time and money to charity.
Advocates for righteous political causes.
Reads daily devotion blogs, parenting/marriage websites, and attends seminars.
Active in church.
All of these are good things, and we do not want to discourage anyone from doing something that brings them closer to the Lord, or something that brings fulfillment and joy. However, if these things distract us from our main calling in Christ, then we are not only missing the point, we are drifting away from Him.
In Mark 9, Jesus told His disciples that some would live to see the Kingdom of God come with power. That must have been exciting news for the disciples, knowing that they stood a chance of seeing God’s glory, and having their faith validated.
The next few verses describe how Jesus then took Peter, James and John up into a high mountain, and as they were there, Christ took on His glorified form and proceeded to have a conversation with the resurrected Moses and Elijah.
These three disciples were not only witnessing the power and glory of God, but they were seeing two of their biggest Bible heroes in person. It had to be an awe-inspiring moment.
Caught up in that moment, Peter started talking.
“Master, it is good for us to be here. Let’s build three tabernacles, one for You, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”
It was at that point that the Bible tells us that a cloud overshadowed them all, and the voice of God spoke, “This is My beloved Son, Hear Him!”
Poor Peter had a habit of engaging his mouth before his brain was in gear, but who could blame him for his excitement. We can all understand his desire to treat Moses and Elijah with respect. However, in building tabernacles to them, as well as Christ, Peter was inadvertently proposing to elevate Moses and Elijah to the same level as Jesus. That was a mistake that God corrected.
Moses and Elijah represented the Old Testament Law and Prophets. Those were the scriptures that children learned and adults were taught to live by. While there was a lot to learn from the scriptures, it must be remembered that the scriptures testified of the redemption and salvation that would come through Jesus Christ.
Today, the story of the Bible, from beginning to finish, is about the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ for our salvation according to the scriptures. That Gospel is the turning point of human history, and the foundational belief of the Christian faith.
With all the expectations thrown on us today, and all the different books, podcasts and TV shows vying for our attention, it’s easy to become overwhelmed, and get so busy that we lose sight of God’s love for us. Nothing could be further from God’s will.
If the perfect 21st Century Christian has lost sight of God’s love for him, then he is missing the one thing God wants for him. He is missing a blessed assurance that God loves him, and will welcome him into His Kingdom.
The more we understand this love, the more at peace we will have, and the more effective we will be in Kingdom work.
So take time and rest in God’s love today. Focus on what He has done for you, and turn to the scriptures for a fuller understanding.
In the Gospel according to Mark, scripture demonstrates who Jesus is by showing us what Jesus did. Throughout the book of Mark, you can see the various attributes of Christ, from His compassion, to His love, to His righteousness. You also see His power and His authority.
Mark continually demonstrates who Jesus is, culminating in two questions Christ asked His disciples in chapter 8, “Whom do men say that I am?” and “Who do you say that I am?”
Those questions forced the people, His disciples, and even us today, to consider and understand Who Jesus Christ of Nazareth is. Indeed, this question has gripped the world since His crucifixion, when even the Roman centurion confessed, “Truly this was the Son of God.”
Who is Jesus of Nazareth? Why is He addressed as Jesus Christ, and sometimes Christ Jesus? Is Jesus the Christ? And if so, what is the Christ? These questions are answered in Mark 8.
When Jesus asked His disciples, “Whom do men say that I am,” the disciples gave several answers. Some said that Jesus was the reincarnation of John the Baptist. Others said He was the reincarnation of Elijah. Yet others believed He was one of the Old Testament prophets risen from the grave.
King Herod believed that Jesus was John the Baptist, risen from the grave to exact justice for his murder. Others in Jesus’ day believed He was a revolutionary, sent to overthrow the Romans.
The debate over who Jesus is continues to this day. Muslims believe He was a prophet. Many Jews believe He was a man of wisdom. Some believe He was a great teacher. Some a wise revolutionary who changed the world with His doctrines of peace and love. And some deny His existence altogether.
The issue, however, isn’t what others think about Jesus. It’s who YOU believe Jesus to be. Hence, the question Jesus asked Peter, “But Whom do you say that I am?”
Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”
This was a huge confession from Peter. The Christ was the Anointed One God promised to Israel. This Christ would end sin, restore the Kingdom, and deliver the people from Israel. Peter understood, as scripture taught, that Christ would be the Son of God.
In this confession, Peter expressed his total faith in Jesus. The Christ, the Messiah, would deliver Israel. He was the One that the Old Testament foretold, that God promised, and through Whom God’s blessings would come.
Peter’s faith was that God would not only keep His promise, but that He had already kept His promise, and Jesus was the One through Whom God’s promises were kept. In this faith, Peter’s hope was in Jesus, and Jesus alone.
Indeed, our hope is in Jesus Christ, and Christ alone. Our hope for forgiveness of sins, for redemption, for eternal life, is all in Christ.
In Mark 8, Jesus then expounded on Peter’s answer by explaining that Christ must go to Jerusalem, be betrayed, turned over to the Gentiles, and crucified. However, on the third day, Christ would rise from the grave. It was at that point that Peter rebuked Jesus, saying “Be it far from you, this will not happen!”
Jesus then rebuked Peter, calling him Satan, and telling him that he loved the things of man, not the things of God.
Peter’s hope and faith was in Jesus. Peter trusted Jesus in all things, and knew without a doubt that Jesus was the Christ who would come and redeem Israel. Peter was a saved man.
However, instead of savoring the Spiritual salvation and eternal redemption Christ would purchase on the cross, and instead of resting in the love of God and seeing how all other blessings flow from that love, Peter desired the earthly victory of seeing Jesus crowned King, and the Romans overthrown.
Peter was a saved man, but his mind was still on earthly things. He wanted to see his nation restored. He wanted to serve in the King’s court. He wanted to be somebody. Though he were a saved man, his mentality was not really that different than the rest of the world. That’s the mentality that Christ confronted.
Like Peter, we too can become preoccupied with the things of the world. We look to the Lord to deliver us from an overbearing boss at work, or to provide us with the next promotion. We think that if we can just live up to God’s standard, God will bless us with an upper-middle class lifestyle.
We count our victories in terms of checks cashed, promotions earned, recognition given, and status symbols won. A significant amount of Christian literature and Sunday sermons teach that God will reward faith by giving us these victories. But, if checks cashed, promotions earned, recognition and status symbols are what we’re after, then how are we different from the rest of the world? We’re not!
What separates the Spiritual Christian from the worldly Christian, and from the rest of the world, is that we are content to endure whatever state God places us in, knowing that our true reward is when Christ returns and establishes His Kingdom. Our focus is not on this world, but on the next.
This focus brings us hope. That hope is built on the fact that when Christ died on that cross, He took the punishment for our sins. When He rose from the grave, He conquered death so that we can have eternal life.
That’s who Jesus is to us. He is the Only Begotten Son of God who freed us from condemnation by giving Himself for our sins, and rising again to conquer death. Therefore, He is the deliverer who will rescue us from the pain of this world and take us into His Kingdom where there will be eternal peace.
Are church traditions inherently bad? Does a traditional worship service indicate that a church is Spiritually dead? Does a contemporary service indicate Spiritual life?
Or is it the opposite? Does a traditional service demonstrate a commitment to the Word, while a contemporary service indicates a willingness to compromise truth?
To pose these questions is to ignore the one thing that God actually assesses, the condition of the human heart.
1 Samuel 16:7 says, “The LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” In all we do, God examines our heart.
We can be the most religious, most progressive, most forward thinking, or most moral people in the world, but if our heart is not right toward God, none of it matters. If our heart is far removed from God, we are at odds with Him regardless of our actions.
No place is this better illustrated than in Mark 7:1-23, where Jesus is confronted over the fact that His disciples do not participate in ritual hand-washing before eating.
In His rebuttal to their criticisms, Jesus chastised the Pharisees for disregarding the commandment of God in favor of the traditions of men (Luke 7:8). This verse, combined with the restlessness of Christians anxious to see change in their churches, has led to many using Mark 7 to attack ALL traditions in church.
Those who see tradition as the problem use Mark 7 to criticize the use of hymnals in church, the presence of pews and not chairs in the sanctuary, the lack of audio/visual aids to the sermon, and even the way others dress themselves. Such criticisms, however, miss the basis for the Lord’s contempt for the traditions of the Pharisees.
In Mark 7:6, Jesus said, “Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.”
The issue was not that the Pharisees had traditions. The issue ran deeper than the fact that the Pharisees elevated their traditions to the same level as scripture. The real issue was that the Pharisees’ hearts were far from God, yet they portrayed an aura of righteousness by hiding behind their traditions.
In learning from the mistakes of the Pharisees, we see that we must evaluate the condition of our hearts. To do this, we’ll apply three tests:
If we are more focused on our own traditions than the Word of God, we have a heart problem.
If our traditions lead us away from the commandment of God, we have a heart problem.
If we express anger, bitterness, illicit lust, or other forms of darkness, we have a heart problem.
Our heart is the problem if we are more focused on our traditions than what the Bible teaches. In Jesus’ day, the Pharisees had the entire Old Testament, with its numerous passages teaching God’s love, grace and redemption. Yet, if you attended a Bible class taught by a Pharisee, you would be more likely to hear a lecture on proper hand-washing technique than you would about repentance and faith.
If our churches are spending more time teaching their viewpoints on Bible translations, politics, financial management or social justice, rather than the Gospel as revealed in scripture, then we are more focused on tradition than God’s word. If that’s the case, we have a heart problem.
Our heart is the problem if our traditions lead us away from the commandment of God. That brings up the question, “What is the commandment of God?”
In Matthew 22:36-40, Jesus said the greatest commandments of God are to love God, and to love your neighbor. Basically, the commandment of God is love.
The Pharisees abandoned the idea of loving one another when they challenged who was actually one’s neighbor, and when their tradition of Corban allowed them to neglect their aging parents. The Pharisees failed to follow God’s commandment to love, and this was expressed in how they observed their traditions. But make no mistake, their heart was the problem.
If our traditions hinder our love toward God, or our love to others, we have a heart problem. If we see people as the problem, different groups as opponents, or disdain those who don’t meet our expectations, we have a heart problem.
Finally, if we express darkness in our lives, it’s an indication that we have darkness in our hearts. Jesus explained that our problems have more to do with what’s going on inside us, rather than what happens around us. In Mark 7:20-23, Jesus said:
And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.
If we find ourselves focused on evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications (sexual immorality), then we have darkness in our hearts. If we hate someone to the point that we’d like to kill them, if we desire to steal, or if we desire others’ possessions, we have darkness in our hearts. If we rebel against God, we have darkness in our hearts.
That darkness within our heart is the problem. That’s what separates us from God. How we treat our traditions are merely the symptom.
Once we learn to examine our hearts, we can correct our thinking to return us to where God wants us. God wants us to learn from His Word, love others, and express the righteousness He has placed within our hearts. When we follow this plan, we’ll be too busy glorifying Him and reaching others to be concerned with what color the carpet in the sanctuary is. That will be a beautiful day.
If the only gift God gave us was salvation, He went above in beyond in demonstrating His love toward us. But God loves us beyond salvation.
God’s love for us did not end when Jesus went to the cross, it was just beginning. Christ went to the cross to purchase our salvation, then He rose again to give us eternal life in His Kingdom.
This act of salvation was not a momentary act of mercy where God merely offered an escape hatch from His wrath. It was an act of redemption, whereby Christ saved us and began an eternal relationship with us.
The love of Christ goes beyond the cross. His compassion toward us extends in all of life. Scripture says in Hebrews 4 that He was in all points tempted like as we are, meaning Christ has experienced every human trial and temptation that we do. He empathizes and understands.
That being the case, He works in our lives to alleviate our struggles and provide for our needs.
In the message posted below, Pastor Leland Acker discusses how the compassion of Christ prompted Him to give His disciples rest, and likewise He gives us rest.
In Mark 5, multitudes of people are following Jesus. They come to Him for healing and deliverance. A crowd had met Jesus in Capernaum when Jairus came to beg Him to heal His daughter. A woman with an issue of blood came to Him to be healed. Crowds listened to Jesus teach and preach as the One who authored the scriptures they had spent their lives learning.
Yet, in His hometown of Nazareth, the people were unimpressed. In Mark 6:1-13, Jesus returned to His hometown synagogue, and began to teach. His ministry and teaching had stirred up controversy, and the people began to question His authority.
They said things like, “Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son? Aren’t all His brothers and sisters here? Where did He get this wisdom, and how is He doing these great works?”
Basically, their reaction was, “Who does Jesus think He is? He ain’t no better than the rest of us!”
The people of Nazareth had a front row seat to the arrival of Christ. They watched Him grow. They were told of His virgin birth. They were among the first to hear Him preach, and to see Him work miracles.
Yet, their advantage in seeing Jesus grow up was also their stumbling block. Having seen Him grow up among them, and being home to His carpentry shop, Jesus had become too familiar to them. As a result, they took Him for granted and overlooked His divinity. So, they reacted to His ministry with incredulity.
Jesus was familiar to them. Familiarity breeds contempt, and contempt breeds rejection.
This is a real danger to us today. It is possible for us to become too caught up in the day to day activities of life, and the weekly activities of church, that we forget Who our Lord is.
We can fall into a routine of religious habits, begin living by our works rather than the grace of God, and start thinking that we have somehow elevated ourselves to a place where we have earned God’s favor.
We can get caught up in trying to build a church, expand a ministry, and improve our lot in life that we forget about our Lord, who should be the center of it all.
We can continue this trend until our Lord finds Himself on the outside of the church, and on the outside of our lives, knocking on the door in hopes that we’ll open up, and let Him in. We can forget our first love. (Incidentally, this was the same sin committed by the church at Ephesus in Revelation 2, and the Lord threatened to take their candlestick.)
When we do that, we commit the same sin as the synagogue in Nazareth.
We must never forget God’s love, and we must never discount the effect His love has had upon us. We most never forget how His love redeemed us and transformed us, and we must never forget that His love is our primary motivation in life.
In Mark 6, Jesus goes on to send the apostles out two-by-two. They went through the villages, preaching the Gospel, calling the people to repentance, and ministering to their needs by healing them and casting out devils. Likewise, we understand that the Lord has sent us into this world to spread the Gospel of His death, burial and resurrection for our redemption from sin.
It’s a mighty calling, and one God has blessed us with. Our primary purpose as Christians, and as a church, is to publish and preach that Gospel wherever we have opportunity, as the Lord commanded us to “preach the Gospel to every creature.”
Scripture tells us in 1 Corinthians 13 that if we are not motivated by God’s love for us, our love for Him, and our love for others, our preaching will be in vain. Furthermore, if love is not our motivation, then our message will stray.
All too often, church social media pages, Web sites and blogs will contain more information about why the church is different, or better, than other churches. Many churches have replaced the message of the Gospel with the message of themselves. In this regard, many church Web pages, social media accounts and blogs don’t differ that much from the local car dealership, furniture store and insurance office. It becomes about branding, and not carrying forth God’s message.
The same holds true for Christian Web sites which debate issues within Christianity (pews vs. chairs, powerpoint vs. hymnals, to politic or not, etc). We spend so much time talking among ourselves and promoting ourselves that we fail to do what God told us to do… to preach the Gospel to every creature. This happens when we forget our first love, Christ becomes a mere theological concept, and we become like the synagogue in Nazareth.
As we wrap up our exploration through Mark 6:1-13, we see the apostles anoint the sick with oil. This is how they applied medicine. The olive oil they used had medicinal qualities, and proper medicine was all but non-existent. The people who came to the apostles were in agony, and the apostles did what they could to alleviate that pain as they preached the Gospel.
These actions reflected the love of Christ. You see, Christ is not only concerned with our Spiritual well-being, He is interested in our physical well-being also. Christ does not merely sympathize with our pain, He empathizes with us.
You see, Hebrews 4:15 tells us that Jesus was in all points tempted like as we are. This means that as He lived the human experience on earth, He experienced all the same problems we do. Financial problems. Family problems (His brothers initially rejected the idea that He was Messiah). Social problems (many rejected Him). Rejection. Betrayal. Persecution. Hunger. You name it.
He knows what you’re going through, and He knows by experience.
After experiencing the worst that society had to offer, He gave Himself over to the Pharisees, who gave Him to the Romans, who crucified Him. As He hung on that cross, He endured the wrath of God for the sins of the world so that we can all be spared, if you repent and believe.
The Lord loves you immensely. Not only that, but He is concerned for your well-being also. When the apostles ministered to the physical needs of the people as they preached their Spiritual needs, they reflected the love of Christ.
Jesus loves us. He told us to love our neighbor as ourselves. He also told us to love each other as He loved us. May we never lose sight of His love.
The Point... 