THE STORY OF JESUS: Mark 4:1-9 “Jesus said, ‘Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.’” (Mark 4:9) Or imagine a minister giving sermon like this, with no explanation. Just, ‘if you really want to hear God, then pay attention!’ The Lord continues to speak in parables to us, life lessons. Experiences, circumstances, news stories, movies, books,…
Jesus’ missionary family
THE STORY OF JESUS: Mark 3:31-35 “Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.” (Mark 3:35) Jesus loves all people, His creation family and His biological family. But he has a special place in His heart for those who obey God’s will. Technically, except for Adam and Eve before they sinned, that is… no…
Refusing the Spirit of Jesus
THE STORY OF JESUS: Mark 3:28-30 “Whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.” (Mark 3:29) Jesus came to restore creation and humanity. He came to restore the Spirit of life (Genesis 2:8, John 20:22). “And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to…
More than conquerors
THE STORY OF JESUS: Mark 3:28-30 “No one can enter a strong man’s house without first tying him up. Then he can plunder the strong man’s house.” (Mark 3:27) Everything about Jesus, what He said and did, was so contrary to Satan’s agenda. You have to be pretty confused to attribute love, compassion, mercy to Satan. The…
As crazy as Jesus!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Mark 3:20-22 “He is out of his mind.” (Mark 3:21) Following Jesus should require a warning label: ‘May result in people thinking you are crazy!’ Jesus changes our priorities and behaviours. With Jesus, people matter more than personal gain or comfort. With Jesus, forgiveness matters more than anger or bitterness. With Jesus, mercy trumps…
Wanted for Jesus’ team!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Mark 3:13-19 “Called to him those He wanted.” (Mark 3:13) Do you remember picking teams as a kid? I was rarely the one picking, I was not sporty enough. Which means, I was not one of the ones the captains usually wanted. I was usually divided up with the remainders than no one…
Why do you call me ‘Son of God’?
THE STORY OF JESUS: Mark 3:7-12 “Whenever the impure spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.” (Mark 3:11) The crowds are starting to wonder, is this the One we’ve been waiting for? The Son of David, the Son of Man, the Son of God, the Messiah? The…
Devoted to doing good!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Mark 3:1-6 “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” (Mark 3:4) Do any of God’s laws prohibit doing good for others? Goodness is the goal of God’s will for us, the restoration of the ‘very good’ of creation. (Genesis 1:31) Our hearts…
Jesus is Lord!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Mark 2:1-12 “But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” (Mark 2:10) “So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:28) In Daniel 7, the coming Messiah is described as a “Son of Man”: “In my vision at night I looked,…
Called to bless, not oppress!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Mark 2:23-28 “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27) The Sabbath day was a prescribed day of rest in the Moses Law. In order to protect the Sabbath Law, the religious leaders had added laws over the years. If harvesting your crops was work, then plucking grain…