Lesson 886

(Lesson 886)(01-31-14) Mark 6:47-56:

"And when even was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and he alone on the land. And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them. But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out: For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid. And he went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered. For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened. And when they had passed over, they came into the land of Gennesaret, and drew to the shore.
And when they were come out of the ship, straightway they knew him, And ran through that whole region round about, and began to carry about in beds those that were sick, where they heard he was. And whithersoever he entered, into villages, or cities, or country, they laid the sick in the streets, and besought him that they might touch if it were but the border of his garment: and as many as touched him were made whole."

Today's lesson tells us how Jesus walked across the sea as if it were dry land. This lesson also relates what happened when Jesus and His Apostles landed in Gennesaret. The people immediately recognized Him and went throughout the countryside gathering up the sick and bringing them for healing, wherever Jesus went. The faith of those people was such that they believed that to just touch Jesus' clothes would heal their bodies.

Wouldn't it be great if we today could be so effective at reaching people, and teaching the good news of the coming of Christ, that they would all rush to hear it?~

Lesson 885

(Lesson 885)(01-30-14) Mark 6:45-46:

"And straightway he constrained his disciples to get into the ship, and to go to the other side before unto Bethsaida, while he sent away the people. And when he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray."

Today's lesson makes a point about prayer that I believe is very important. The text says, "And when he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray."

We should make note that Jesus first sent His Apostles on their way across the sea and then went alone upon a mountain to pray.

Nowhere, that I can recall, is there New Testament evidence that Jesus prayed publicly, except, of course, when cried out to God from the cross.

In Matthew 6:5-6 Jesus said, "And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly."

In direct disobedience to what Jesus said, some form of public prayer is both taught and practiced in almost ever religious ism that is known today.

I don't think there could be a clearer message concerning how we are to pray than this. Jesus very distinctly condemned praying while "standing in the synagogues"! ("Synagogues" by the majority of "Christians" today, would be recognized as "Churches")

There are, however, examples in the New Testament whereas it would appear that some of the early Christians prayed together yet there are no clear examples that define those prayers as having been prayed aloud. We could imagine what it would be like if two or three hundred people all prayed aloud for what was in their hearts at the same time, it would be nothing more than a distraction to everyone praying.

Therefore, I believe the prayers mentioned by the early Christians, were prayed either in private as Jesus taught, or silently so as not to be heard by those assembled.
Sadly, I doubt that modern "Christianity" will ever revert back to the proper way to pray. ~

Lesson 884

(Lesson 884)(01-29-14) Mark 6:33-44:

"And the people saw them departing, and many knew him, and ran afoot thither out of all cities, and outwent them, and came together unto him. And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things. And when the day was now far spent, his disciples came unto him, and said, This is a desert place, and now the time is far passed: Send them away, that they may go into the country round about, and into the villages, and buy themselves bread: for they have nothing to eat. He answered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat? He saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? go and see. And when they knew, they say, Five, and two fishes. And he commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass. And they sat down in ranks, by hundreds, and by fifties. And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all. And they did all eat, and were filled. And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments, and of the fishes. And they that did eat of the loaves were about five thousand men."

Today's lesson relates the miracle of the "loaves and fishes" wherein Jesus fed five thousand people with five loaves of bread and two fishes.

Even though Jesus worked the miracle, defined in this lesson, it demonstrates to us how through faith, any problem that might confront those of us who believe in Jesus Christ and the power of His Holy Spirit, can easily be solved by and through our absolute faith in Him.

The days of using miracles to convince people of the authenticity of Jesus as the Son of God are over. However, the only reason many believers don't see miracles in their own lives today is because of a lack of sufficient faith. When the Apostles asked why they could not cast out a certain devil Jesus said, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me. And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour. Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you"(Matthew 17:17-20)

Many who wear the coat of Christianity today, don't seem to recognize the awesomeness of this promise! If all of us who claim to believe in the almighty power of the Holy Spirit would pull together enough faith, we could ease all the suffering, not only in our own lives, but in the lives of all of those for whom we pray.~

Lesson 883

(Lesson 883)(01-28-14) Mark 6:12-32:

"And they went out, and preached that men should repent. And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them. And king Herod heard of him; (for his name was spread abroad:) and he said, That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him. Others said, That it is Elias. And others said, That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets. But when Herod heard thereof, he said, It is John, whom I beheaded: he is risen from the dead. For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife: for he had married her. For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife. Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not: For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly. And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee; And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee. And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom. And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist. And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist. And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath's sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her. And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison, And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother. And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb. And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught. And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat. And they departed into a desert place by ship privately."

This lesson relates how king Herod had John the Baptist, a man whom he had once believed to be a righteous, beheaded because of the whim of his illegitimate sister-in-law/wife.~

Lesson 882

(Lesson 882)(01-27-14) Mark 6:7-11:

"And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits; And commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, save a staff only; no scrip, no bread, no money in their purse: But be shod with sandals; and not put on two coats. And he said unto them, In what place soever ye enter into an house, there abide till ye depart from that place. And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city."

In this lesson, Jesus granted His Apostles the power to work miracles, He also gave them power to overcome whatever challenge might confront them and assured them they would have need of nothing. Jesus gave explicit instructions as to where and to whom His twelve Apostles were to go and teach.
He made a point of telling those Apostles not to take anything with them, no food, no money, and not even an extra coat. He also told them that if they came upon someone who would not listen to their message, they were to leave and let God make judgment against them.

This last portion of the lesson is the part that has been most abused by the leadership of today's "Christianity".
Instead of simply teaching and preaching the gospel, as Jesus commanded, today's preachers and many of their followers want to enforce the gospel, which is an absolute no-no according to what Jesus said directly to His Apostles.

They were given NO right to try to force feed the the word of God to anyone! Every human being has been given his/her own independent free will to, either accept the soul saving sacrifice of Jesus Christ have eternal life, or reject it and face the inevitable wrath of our just God.
Jesus very clearly said, "whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city."

Therefore, as we strive to follow the orders Jesus gave to His disciples, as we go about to teach and preach His word, we should always remember that there will, always and inevitably, be those who refuse to hear it. They have a God given right to either accept it, or reject it. We are neither authorized, nor commanded, to force them believe it, nor is it our right or responsibility to condemn or punish them for their decision, whatever that might be.~

Lesson 881

(Lesson 881)(01-26-14) Mark 6:1-6:

"And he went out from thence, and came into his own country; and his disciples follow him. And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house. And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them. And he marvelled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages, teaching."

Today's lesson tells us how when Jesus returned to His own country, although His countrymen were astonished by His great knowledge and wisdom, even the fact that He worked many miracles, it was still not enough to convince them that He was anything more than just the guy who once lived down the street.
This lesson is very true in that it is extremely hard for someone to impress those with whom he/she was raised.
Therefore, Jesus spent little time there and after healing some of the sick, He went about preaching throughout the countryside.~

Lesson 880

(Lesson 880)(01-25-14) Mark 5:35-43:

"While he yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue's house certain which said, Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further? As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe. And he suffered no man to follow him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of James. And he cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that wept and wailed greatly. And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn. But when he had put them all out, he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying. And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise. And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment. And he charged them straitly that no man should know it; and commanded that something should be given her to eat."

This lesson relates the first example of Jesus having raised someone from the dead.

In the text from which yesterday's lesson was taken, one of the chief priests of a local synagogue, a man named Jairus, came to Jesus saying that his daughter was gravely ill and asked Jesus to come and heal her.

While Jesus was occupied with the events surrounding the healing of the woman who had touched His clothes, in yesterday's lesson, a messenger from the family of Jairus came and told them that the girl had died. Jesus, hearing what was said and after telling Jairus to "believe", went to Jairus' home and literally woke the young girl from death and commanded that she be fed.

This lesson provides yet another example of how faith alone did the healing for the young girl. Jesus did not require the man to say a bunch of magic words, or to do any special tricks. Jesus simple said "be not afraid, ONLY believe".
In order for the those who are lost without God today to be granted the power to cure the illnesses of both body and spirit, they must, "be not afraid, ONLY believe".~

Lesson 879

(Lesson 879)(01-24-14) Mark 5:21-34:

"And when Jesus was passed over again by ship unto the other side, much people gathered unto him: and he was nigh unto the sea. And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet, And besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live. And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him. And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague."

This lesson gives us yet another example of the healing power that is awarded to those who place their faith in Jesus. The woman mentioned in today's quote had tried every remedy she could find and nothing had helped her, she had faith that if she could just make personal contact with Jesus, He would heal her body. Jesus didn't see the woman touch His clothes but He felt that the "virtue had gone out of him" therefore He knew what the woman had touched Him.
Jesus is no longer physically present today, but He is still with us in the form of His Holy Spirit. His awesome healing power is still very much available to us simply for the faithful asking. All we have to do to heal whatever ails us and to assure ourselves an eternity in heaven, is to reach out to the saving power of Jesus through prayer placing all our faith in the risen Jesus Christ. Once we have done that, if its God's will that our ailments should be healed, they most certainly will be healed. "And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive"(Matthew 21:22)

When we give ourselves over to Christ in faith, at that very moment, we are assured eternal life having our spirit sealed by the Holy Spirit. "And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, WHEREBY YE ARE SEALED unto the day of redemption." (Ephesians 4:30)
Once we have placed our faith in Jesus, we are no longer capable of committing the sins that would otherwise condemn us. "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God." (1 John 3:9)~

Lesson 878

(Lesson 878)(01-23-14) Mark 5:1-20:

"And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains: Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones. But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him, And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not. For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit. And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many. And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country. Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding. And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them. And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea. And they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that was done. And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid. And they that saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil, and also concerning the swine. And they began to pray him to depart out of their coasts. And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him. Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee. And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel."

In this lesson, Jesus cast out the many devils that plagued a man and drove them into a herd of hogs who immediately ran into the sea and drowned.
The people of the land were made afraid by what Jesus had done and asked Him to leave.
This is just one more example of the power of Jesus over Satan and His angels. The legion of demons Jesus chased away from the man, knew who He was as He approached and said, "What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not." The demons knew Jesus was the Son of God and the He could do with them whatever He chose.~

Lesson 877

(Lesson 877)(01-22-14) Mark 4:33-41:

"And with many such parables spake he the word unto them, as they were able to hear it. But without a parable spake he not unto them: and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples. And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?"

Today's lesson is, in many ways, one of the most profound that can be taken from the New Testament.

It tells us how Jesus, when speaking to the masses, used parables (analogies) to explain who He was, and how His ministry would build and spread His Church, (The kingdom of God) He deliberately confused and confounded the majority of those who were listening. Jesus wanted only those who would be His Apostles to understand the full meaning of His ministry.

The latter portion of this lesson is the profound part, to the storm that so violently tossed their ship, Jesus simply said, "Peace, be still." and the weather obeyed Him. That action is profound enough on its own, but the next thing He said is more profound and awe inspiring. Jesus, talking to His Apostles, said, "Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?" meaning that any one of those Apostles could have, at any time, made the same "peace, be still," command and the wind and sea would have obeyed them.

This is profound to me because Jesus made the same promise of power to all of us who will place enough faith in Him. If we only had enough faith, we too could command the earth, winds and seas, "verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you." (Matt. 17:20 in part)

Other than the assurance of eternal salvation of the soul, there is no greater nor more profound promise than this.~

Lesson 876

(Lesson 876)(01-21-14) Mark 4:24-32:
"And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given. For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath. And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come. And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth: But when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it."

In this lesson Jesus explains how His Church would develop and continue to grow throughout the ages. He used the comparison to the growth of a tiny mustard seed as it develops into a huge plant, likewise, His Church would grow to encompass the whole world.

Jesus didn't give much credit to those who would be tending the growth of His Church, He made it pretty clear that like seed that had merely been thrown on the ground, many would grow without the sower having tended them at all. He said that the fruit of those seed would also be gathered in that great harvest of souls when He returned to collect His own.
Those of us who are representative His Church today are the fruit of the seeds that were sown by those very disciples that Jesus spoke to in today's quote. Those who will become followers of Christ from this day forward will be the fruit of the seed we sow today.
It would serve us well to remember what Jesus said that day, "And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given. For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath. And he said, So is the kingdom of God,"
Therefore, it behooves us all to do everything we can to promote the growth of the Church by teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to all who will listen.~

Lesson 875

(Lesson 875)(01-20-14) Mark 4:1-23:

"And he began again to teach by the sea side: and there was gathered unto him a great multitude, so that he entered into a ship, and sat in the sea; and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land. And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine, Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow: And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up. And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth: But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred. And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable. And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables: That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them. And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables? The sower soweth the word. And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts. And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended. And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful. And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred. And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick? For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad. If any man have ears to hear, let him hear."

In today's lesson, Jesus relates and explains the "parable of the sower". He explains how His gospel would be spread to many, and how some would accept it and, how some would only, more of less, pretend to accept it, and how there would be those who would reject it outright.
In this quote, Jesus makes a reference to the "mystery" of the kingdom of God. We should examine closely what is meant by that statement.

He said, "Unto you it is given to know the MYSTERY of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables: That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them."

It appears that Jesus was telling His Apostles that the full understanding of His coming kingdom was reserved to them until He had completed His ministry and fulfilled His divine destiny through His crucifixion, burial, resurrection, and ascension.
The puzzling part of the quote is where Jesus says, "lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them." It seems that Jesus was avoiding having those who followed Him to prematurely commit to something they did not yet fully understand. Jesus knew that there was much left to be done before the soul saving "operation" of God, the establishment of the Holy Triune by first, the coming of the Son (Jesus) and then the coming of the Holy Ghost upon the Church.~

NOTE: The conclusions made here are those of my own making and if anyone has a suggestion as to any other explanation of this "mystery", I would love to hear it. :)

Lesson 874

(Lesson 874)(01-19-14) Mark 3:31-35:

"There came then his brethren and his mother, and, standing without, sent unto him, calling him. And the multitude sat about him, and they said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren without seek for thee. And he answered them, saying, Who is my mother, or my brethren? And he looked round about on them which sat about him, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother."

In today's lesson Jesus makes it clear that all who place their faith in Him are His brothers and sisters. By making the statement, "For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.", Jesus lets it be known that He is no respecter of persons even within His own blood family.

In direct contrast with the example Jesus set for us in this lesson, some today who profess to be followers of Christ, demonstrate prejudice toward those with whom they both associate and those with whom they worship. We should be equal opportunity teachers of the gospel and worshipers. We should go about spreading the good news of redemption to every creature, no matter their financial situation, location, or social stature.
We are all the children of God through belief in a common savior, "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together." (Romans 8:16-17)~

Lesson 873

(Lesson 873)(01-18-14) Mark 3:20-30:

"And the multitude cometh together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread. And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself. And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils. And he called them unto him, and said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan? And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end. No man can enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house. Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation: Because they said, He hath an unclean spirit."

From today's lesson we see how some of those who saw Jesus perform miracles thought He was crazy and believed He was possessed by the spirit of the devil, and that Beelzebub (Satan) had actually worked the miracles through Him.

Jesus explained that if in fact He was an agent of the devil, and had evil intent, He most assuredly would not be going about doing good deeds to demonstrate that evil intent. To do so would be defeating Satan's purpose. Jesus said explaied Himself very clearly when He said, "How can Satan cast out Satan?"

The latter part of this lesson warned those who made the claim that Jesus was not the Son of God, but rather was possessed by Beelzebub, could never be forgiven for blaspheming the Holy Spirit of God ("Because they said, He hath an unclean spirit.") and was in danger of "eternal damnation".~

Lesson 872

(Lesson 872)(01-17-14) Mark 3:13-19:

"And he goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto him whom he would: and they came unto him. And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach, And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils: And Simon he surnamed Peter; And James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and he surnamed them Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder: And Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Canaanite And Judas Iscariot, which also betrayed him: and they went into an house."

Today's lesson is a short one wherein Jesus selected and ordained His twelve Apostles. He also gave them the power to heal the sick and to cast out devils. (Jesus renamed Simon, who became Peter and, James and John who were renamed "Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder")

Some confuse the power that Jesus herein granted to His Apostles with the power of the Holy Ghost wherewith the Church (the saved) would be baptized (sanctified).

Although the power they were granted, by Jesus, to work miracles was the same in strength, the Apostles did not receive the gift (power) of the holy Ghost until He came upon the Church at Pentecost after the crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and ascension of Jesus. That is because the "Holy Ghost" is God in the Spirit, the third part of the Holy Triune.

The coming of the Holy Ghost marked the completion of the "operation" of God. First there was the God the Father, then God the Son, and finally God the Holy Ghost. (Holy Spirit)

The Holy Spirit is also the power that seals the souls of the saved until the day of redemption, "And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, WHEREBY YE ARE SEALED unto the day of redemption." (Ephesians 4:30)~

Lesson 871

(Lesson 871)(01-16-14) Mark 3:1-12:

"And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand. And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him. And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth. And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace. And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other. And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him. But Jesus withdrew himself with his disciples to the sea: and a great multitude from Galilee followed him, and from Judaea, And from Jerusalem, and from Idumaea, and from beyond Jordan; and they about Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they had heard what great things he did, came unto him. And he spake to his disciples, that a small ship should wait on him because of the multitude, lest they should throng him. For he had healed many; insomuch that they pressed upon him for to touch him, as many as had plagues. And unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God. And he straitly charged them that they should not make him known."

In today's lesson, Jesus continues to cure sickness and heal the infirm as He further established Himself as the all powerful Son of God, the "great physician".
As we learn in the first part of his lesson, the Pharisees begin the process that would lead to the eventual crucifixion of Jesus.
The example of Jesus' healing the man with the withered hand, in defiance of the law of the sabbath and knowing that the Pharisees would condemn Him for it, teaches us that we should allow nothing to interfere with our Christian duty to minister to those among us who have spiritual or earthly needs, no matter where or when that need arises.

Just as Jesus did not let the tattletale Pharisees, or the law of the sabbath, stop Him from healing the man's hand, we should not to designate only certain days or hours to devote to the worship, ministry, and service, of Jesus Christ.~

Lesson 870

(Lesson 870)(01-15-14) Mark 2:23-28:

"And it came to pass, that he went through the corn fields on the sabbath day; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn. And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful? And he said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungred, he, and they that were with him? How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the shewbread, which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with him? And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath."

Today's lesson is another example of how, Jesus' Apostles and those who place their faith in Him, were/are exempt from traditional Jewish law. (The Law of Moses).

This concept appears to be difficult to grasp for many today who contend that every word that came out of Jesus' mouth was meant for and was to be applied to, not only those who were in His presence at the time, but also to everyone of us who today read them in the New Testament. We must remember that Jesus was bound by the Mosaic law until His testament and sacrifice was complete. There were times when He said things that only applied to His own Jewish people, and there were times when He spoke to the ages.

Many of the things Jesus said related only to those to whom He was directly speaking and has no meaning to those of us who were never required to live by the rules of traditional Mosiac law.

Mosiac law defined what was, to the Jews at the time, considered "sin". Today however, true born again Christians are not bound by the rules of Mosiac law. In order for a true born again Christian to have committed a "sin" he/she must have actually done something that caused some kind of offense or harm to someone else.

Jesus made that clear when he gave the two "great" commandments, "Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." (Matt. 22:37-40)
Jesus said that if we obey just those two simple and clearly defined commandments we will have obeyed the entire Law of Moses.

Jesus and His Apostles having eaten the corn on the sabbath, harmed no one, and therefore it was not a "sin" unto them.

This is a difficult lesson to explain because there are so many elements all mixed together. If anyone has a particular question that might help clarify this lesson, please don't hesitate to ask.~

Lesson 869

(Lesson 869)(01-14-14) Mark 2:13-22:

"And he went forth again by the sea side; and all the multitude resorted unto him, and he taught them. And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him. And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they followed him. And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners? When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast: and they come and say unto him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not? And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days. No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse. And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles."

In today's lesson, Jesus sits down to eat with "publicans and sinners". A publican, during that age, was a tax collector and most were hated and by the Jewish people.

By eating with them, Jesus was violating the custom of the Jews whereby they were not allowed to associated with anyone who was considered to be "unclean".

The lesson herein lies in what Jesus said when responding to that accusation, "Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast."

Jesus was telling those people that while He was teaching the groundwork for His Church and Christianity all together, He could not spend all His time with those whose belief ran totally contrary to what He was teaching.

He further stresses this point when He talked about old wine in new bottles and new cloth on an old garments.

The religious belief system those Jews had lived with all their lives was about to be up ended and replaced with a totally new system wherein Jesus does all the work and makes the ultimate sacrifice for all who would simply place their faith in Him. The two systems were like water and oil, they could not be mixed together.

Jesus was saying that they must either hold on to the letter of the Law of Moses in its entirety, or they must repent, join in with the "publicans and sinners" by placing their faith in Jesus and His new doctrine.

In this lesson, Jesus was dining with only those who were willing to abandon the old law, and accept His new law of faith. Jesus was making it clear that His new doctrine applied to ALL who would believe.

Today, the majority of the "Christian" faith, on some level, still tries to intermingle the rules of the law of Moses with the doctrine of absolute faith which was taught by Jesus Christ. They are, in essence, putting "old wine" into "new bottles" and adding "new cloth" to "old garments".

I can't imagine why today it is just as hard as it was then to understand that in order to receive complete remission of sins, one must do nothing more than place one's faith in the life, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Eternal salvation for those who seek it, is there simply for the taking just as Paul and Silas said:
"And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house."(Acts 16:31)~

Lesson 868

(Lesson 868)(01-13-14) Mark 2:1-12:

"And again he entered into Capernaum, after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house. And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them. And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four. And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay. When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only? And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts? Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house. And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion."

As Jesus preached about the coming of the kingdom, more and more people began to gather around to hear Him. He continued to baffle many, including the Jewish leadership, by casting out devils and by healing the sick.

In the example we find in today's quote, the palsied man and those who brought him had demonstrated great faith in who Jesus was by what they had gone through to get to Him, they knew that Jesus could cure the man's palsy. Jesus, in turn, rewarded the man for his faith, "When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee." This statement has significance in two ways. First, Jesus did NOT say, be cured, He said "thy sins be forgiven thee". that demonstrates that sin was the cause of the man's illness and that if that sin is removed the illness is also removed. Secondly, it demonstrated that Jesus, the Son of God, has power over sin and is capable of remitting it, and thereby curing the sickness.

Although Jesus explained to the accusing scribes that it made no difference how He went about healing the man, the end result would be the same. Being the Son of God with all power over all things, Jesus could have just as easily said, take up thy bed and walk, as He indeed did eventually say, and the result would have been the same.

Jesus knew the minds of the scribes and also knew it was inevitable that eventually they, along with the rest of the Jewish hierarchy, would conspire to kill Him. He also knew that this event was just one step in the process that would lead to His soul saving sacrifice on the cross.

The secondary lesson that comes from this quote is that Jesus forgives sin because of faith, and because of faith only. Forgiveness of sin did not then, nor does it now, require us to do anything other than have faith in Jesus Christ for it's remission.~

Lesson 867

(Lesson 867)(01-12-13) Mark 1:29-45:

"And forthwith, when they were come out of the synagogue, they entered into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. But Simon's wife's mother lay sick of a fever, and anon they tell him of her. And he came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them. And at even, when the sun did set, they brought unto him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed with devils. And all the city was gathered together at the door. And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him. And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. And Simon and they that were with him followed after him. And when they had found him, they said unto him, All men seek for thee. And he said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth. And he preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils. And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean. And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed. And he straitly charged him, and forthwith sent him away; And saith unto him, See thou say nothing to any man: but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them. But he went out, and began to publish it much, and to blaze abroad the matter, insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into the city, but was without in desert places: and they came to him from every quarter."

This lesson tells of the many miracles Jesus performed in Galilee as He established His ministry across the land.

In the last part of this lesson, Jesus did something that might seem odd to some. He told the "leper" to go, show the priest that he had been cleansed, Jesus also told him to make the required offering. Jesus said, "go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them."

The action Jesus told the leper to take reflects us back to the intent of the lesson wherein Jesus was "baptized" in water in order to fulfill the Law of Moses. Jesus instructed the leper to also obey the law of Moses by demonstrating to the priest that he had first been cleansed (baptized) and was fulfilling the third required step, required by the law,to enter into worship by making an offering as was required of him.

The example in this lesson is very important because it demonstrates that after the coming of Jesus, and after he had finalized His soul saving sacrificial ordeal, the water cleansing step (baptism in water) that had been required under the law, would no longer be required since faith in Jesus would do the necessary cleansing.

I know it seems I might harp too much about water baptism and the fact that it is NOT a required part of the doctrine of Christ, but we must realize that the vast majority of "Christians" place some portion of their "faith" in water baptism as a necessary factor in the salvation of their souls.

Jesus is now the cleansing agent, there is no longer a necessity to take a water bath before worship, or as step toward eternal salvation.

(Acts 4:12), "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."~

Lesson 866

(Lesson 866)(01-11-14) Mark 1:16-28

"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. And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men. And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him. And when he had gone a little further thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets. And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after him. And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught. And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes. And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, 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. And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him. And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him. And immediately his fame spread abroad throughout all the region round about Galilee."

The first part of this lesson conveys how Jesus went about selecting the first four of His Apostles. Simon (Peter), Andrew, James and John. Peter was the first selected and therefore the first member of the Church.

The second part of the lesson tells how Jesus went into the Temple boldly teaching the word of God to all who were gathered in the temple. The priests were astonished that this man, of whom they had never heard, was more knowledgeable about the word of God than were the high priests and scribes.

(Note: A scribe was a man who made written copies of, or written changes to Mosaic law as the high priests determined the changes necessary. They were also considered to be experts concerning both the content and the intent of Mosaic law.)

Jesus also performed His first miracle by calling the evil spirits out of a man. That spirit knew Jesus was the Son of God, "thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God."
This lesson marks the beginning of the ministry of Jesus and first establishes Him, to the people, as the Son of God.~

Lesson 865

(Lesson 865)(01-10-14) Mark 1:12-15;

"And immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness. And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel."

The first part of today's lesson tells about the forty day temptation of Jesus. That temptation was described in much more detail in the lesson of Matthew 4:1-11, for those who would like to refer back for those details.
The latter portion of today's quote tells us that after the death of John the Baptist, Jesus entered into Galilee "preaching the gospel of the kingdom".

It is important to note that John, Jesus and His Apostles, all preached the exact same message. (Jesus) Matt. 4:17, "From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, REPENT: FOR THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS AT HAND."

(John)Matt. 3:1-2, "In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, And saying, REPENT YE: FOR THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS AT HAND."

(The Apostles) Matt. 10:5-7, "These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as ye go, preach, saying, THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS AT HAND."

The "gospel" message that Jesus taught never changed from the beginning of His ministry through His ascension.

In verse 15 of today's quote, Jesus says, "And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel."

Strong's bible dictionary defines the word "gospel", as it is applied in this quote, as 'good news'. Therefore, Jesus was preaching 'good news' the time had come to begin preparation for the coming of His kingdom. (Salvation and His Church).

Until Jesus came, all Jews believed that in order to stay on good terms with God and to eventually get to heaven, one must strictly obey the laws that were handed down to Moses. (Those who practice the Jewish faith today, still believe they must adhere to the Law.)

The "good news" Jesus brought to those Jews, and eventually to the Gentiles as well, was that His perfect sacrifice would fulfill all the requirements of that law for those who would turn away from having faith in themselves under the Law, and place their faith in Him.
Sadly, there are still those today who claim to be Christians, and still believe they must obey the old law after they have been "saved", and thereby unwittingly place their faith in themselves instead of in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

The "good news" of the coming of the kingdom of God was some of the most wonderful news that has ever been spread.~

Lesson 864

(Lesson 864)(01-09-14) Mark 1:9-11;

"And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him: And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

There has been much written and taught about why Jesus went to John the Baptist for water baptism. Most of the scholarly conjecture is just that, conjecture, most New Testament "scholars" have no clue as to why Jesus was baptized in water.

The answer is a simple one if we do the proper research. I don't claim to be a "bible scholar" so therefore I must rely on the most knowledgeable and respected source of information available.
The source for my reasoning was provided by a Jewish scholar from around 1200 AD named Maimonides, who was and still is, among the most respected Torah (The Old testament history of the Jews) scholars ever born.

Maimonides determined that Hebrew law, dating to Genesis, required all new proselytes (Gentiles) to be circumcised, thoroughly washed (Maimonides used the term "baptized") in pure running water, and offer some form of sacrifice before they would be converted to Jews.

That water "baptism" was part of that same ritual cleansing process that had to be undergone before any Jew could approach the alter for any form of worship.
Jesus was a Jew, He was about to actually become a (one time fits all) sacrifice for all who would believe in Him, therefore, He was subject to all the laws that applied to the Jews of that day.

Jesus went to John the Baptist to be washed (baptized), as required under Jewish law, its just that simple, He did it to fulfill the law and so that He could be wholly obedient under the law of that age and therefore be a perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world.

Because Jesus underwent the complete ritual of the law, and went on to be a perfect sacrifice, He fulfilled the requirements of the law for all of us who believe in Him.

Upon completion of Jesus' water baptism God said, "Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." God would not recognize Jesus as His Son until He had completed the requirements of the Law.~

Lesson 863

(Lesson 863)(01-08-14) Mark 1:8;

"I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost."

In the above quote, John essentially declared that water baptism had nothing to do with what Jesus was coming to accomplish when he said "I indeed have baptized you with water BUT: He" (Jesus) "shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost". By using the word "but", John established that aside from the traditional Jewish requirement of preparatory flowing water washing, Jesus was coming to "baptize", or permanently wash away ALL the sins, of those who would believe in Him, by placing their souls within the eternal security of the Holy Ghost (Spirit). The cleansing agent that remitted the sins of those who believe, was the sacrificial ordeal of Jesus Christ, the solution into which saved souls were forever altered, through the "baptism" that Jesus would accomplish, was the everlasting security of the Holy Ghost. The entity we all know is the third part of the Holy Triune and that power that seals our salvation.

Jesus' coming, His death, burial, and resurrection, would provide the "baptism" Peter reiterated in 1 Peter 3:21, "The like figure whereunto even BAPTISM doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) BY THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST:"

In this quote Peter is also careful to establish the difference between the two "baptisms" by, declaring that the "washing" of the flesh had nothing to do with the cleansing or remitting of sin, "NOT the putting away of the filth of the flesh", Peter went on to establish that the remitting of sins was accomplished by the sacrificial ordeal of Jesus, "by the resurrection of Jesus Christ."~
NOTE: This subject will be discussed in much more detail as these lessons progress.

Lesson 862

(Lesson 862)(01-07-14) Mark 1:1-8;

"The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins. And John was clothed with camel's hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; and he did eat locusts and wild honey; And preached, saying, There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose. I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost."

Today's lesson is Mark's account of the coming of John the Baptist. As this lesson clearly demonstrates, it was the divinely appointed duty of John to "prepare" the Jewish people, and the world, for the coming of our Lord Jesus.

John preached, "the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins". We should pay very close attention to what Mark said John did, he preached the baptism OF repentance, not FOR repentance.

It is "repentance", or the act of changing one's mind from the rules of the Law, and thereby taking on the new law of faith in Christ that provides the "remittance" of sin.

Almost ALL religious isms, teach that the term "baptism", as it is applied in the lesson, implies some form of a water bath can remit sin. Nothing could be further from the truth. If you carefully analyzes this statement it becomes clear that that particular use of the term "baptism" has nothing to do with water.

One cannot "preach" a water baptism, something that is preached is simply something that is taught. One can however "preach" a message. Therefore the "baptism of John", as it appears many times in the New Testament, most often refers to the message John taught, which was that those Jews should come to "repentance". Which is to change one's way of thinking, or to alter one's way of approaching their commitment to God.

In essence, John taught those Jews that the way they had been approaching God was about to be completely changed and that they should spiritually and physically, prepare themselves for that change. Now in order to approach, or draw near to God for prayer or worship, the Law of Moses provided that the Jews were to ceremonially wash themselves with pure running water in advance of that prayer of worship.

John did indeed also administer water "baptism"(baths). However, that water "baptism" was simply provided so that those Jews could remain obedient to the Law as they approached the coming of the Messiah. (The Law of Moses remained in effect until Jesus completed His divine sacrifice, His death, burial, resurrection and ascension.) As is very clearly demonstrated, the water portion of John's "baptism" had nothing to do with either repentance or remittance of sin, it was simply a preparatory action taken so as to remain in obedience to the Law of Moses until that law was changed, through Christ, into the new law of grace through faith.~
NOTE: Tomorrows lesson will be taken from this same text and will deal with John's having said,"I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost."

Lesson 861

(Lesson 861)(01-06-14) Today's lesson concerns the nine times it is attributed to Jesus as having used some grammatical form of the term "baptize", and what that term refers to in each of the nine different applications.

The word "baptize is a transliteration of the original Greek word "baptizo". The English form simply drops the "o" and inserts an "e".

To transliterate a word is to simply replace it by creating a new word in the language to which the original word is being transliterated. This means that the new word, which in this case is "baptize" bears the exact same definition as the did the word "baptizo" from which it was transliterated.

Both our English word "baptize" and the original word "baptizo" mean to place one item, or entity, into another item or entity for the purpose of altering the state of that item or entity.

An example is placing a cucumber into brine so as to change it into a pickle.

An item that has been "baptized" will be forever altered. Another example is that a person who has been baptized into Christ (Put on Christ like a robe) has been eternally saved.
I will provide further examples as this lesson progresses.

I will list the verses in which Jesus is said to have used the term baptize in the order they appear in the New Testament: Matthew, 20:22-23, "But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be BAPTIZED with the BAPTISM that I am BAPTIZED with? They say unto him, We are able. And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be BAPTIZED with the BAPTISM that I am BAPTIZED with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father."

As we can see a form of the term baptize is used six times.

Matthew 28:19, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:" This usage brings the total to seven number of times Jesus used the term to seven.(I will explain this usage at the end of this lesson.)

Mark 10:38-39, "But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask: can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be BAPTIZED with the BAPTISM that I am BAPTIZED with? And they said unto him, We can. And Jesus said unto them, Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of; and with the BAPTISM that I am BAPTIZED withal shall ye be BAPTIZED:"
As we can see these usages are duplicates of the Matthew account and therefore can't figure into the total.

Mark 16:16, "He that believeth and is BAPTIZED shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." This usage is Marks account of what Jesus said just before He ascended and is a duplicate usage of the term applied in the account given in Matthew 28:19.

Luke 12:50, "But I have a BAPTISM to be BAPTIZED with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished!" These two usages make nine the total number of times Jesus used any form of the term "baptize".
All six of the usages in Matt. 20:22-23 are clearly referring to the upcoming sacrificial ordeal Jesus was about to undergo, none of those six, in any way refer to the use of water.

In Luke 12:50, by using the terms "baptism" and "baptize" it is obvious that Jesus is again referring to His upcoming sacrificial ordeal.

The ninth time Jesus used a form of the term baptize appears in Matthew 28:19 wherein He says, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, BAPTIZING them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:"

In this usage Jesus is simply commanding His Apostles to go and teach, to make new disciples and to teach them to obey all things He had told them.

The term "baptizing" as it is applied in this verse, means to place, by teaching, those newly converted disciples into the security of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. (As being "baptized into Christ" or to "put on Christ".

There is NOTHING in the context of this text that implies that one should be baptized into water and thereby baptized into the Father, the Son, and the Holy ghost. That assertion makes no sense.

Jesus used some grammatical form of the term "baptize" nine total times during His entire ministry, NOT ONCE did He use it in reference to water.~

NOTE:There will be other discussions of this same subjest as these lessons progress.

Lesson 860

(Lesson 860)(01-05-14) Matthew 28:16-20;

"Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen."

　

Today's text includes the final and most important instructions Jesus gave to His Apostles just before He ascended back to heaven.

He first established that He had been given the power and authority over all things, "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth." This meant that Jesus had completed His earthly mission and had received all power from God.

He then made one of the most misinterpreted statements that exists in the New Testament, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, BAPTIZING them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: TEACHING them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you:"

Most religious isms contend that the phrase "baptizing them" means that water is somehow implied as the medium into which we are to "baptize" or secure those we teach. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

The action intended by this use of the verb "baptizing", as it is applied herein, is a burying, implanting, immersing, or placing within the NAME OF, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.

In Greek, (the language this text was originally written in), the term "baptize" simply means to place one item into another item to affect some form of a change in the first item. To place within, or immerse into, so as to alter the state of. It's use does NOT demand that water be the medium into which a "baptism" must occur. One can "baptize" a potato into gravy to change its flavor. Or, as best describes the affect of the "baptizing" mentioned in todays lesson, to "baptize", or place, something into a safe for security purposes as placing believers into the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. (Altering the state from insecure to secure.)

Again, the word "baptize", in Greek, simply means to place one item into another item to affect some kind of a change in the first item.

How does this alter the common understanding of the text, "baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:"? It simply means that, as the disciples of Jesus Christ, we are to immerse, or submerge, those we teach into the concept of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. NOT WATER.
How do I know thats what this means, and how can teaching be "baptizing"?

In Acts 8-12 Philip is said to have PREACHED" (taught) "the name of" Jesus Christ, "But when they believed Philip PREACHING" (teaching) "the things concerning the kingdom of God, AND THE NAME OF Jesus Christ, they were baptized" (they had learned and were placed into the security of Jesus Christ), "both men and women" (Acts 8-12)

As I previously said, Philip preached (taught) the NAME OF Jesus Christ, just as we are to baptize (immerse) those who believe into the NAME OF the Father, and the Son and the Holy Ghost.

Jesus is said to have only used some grammatical form of the term "baptize" nine total times during His ministry. (Those nine times do not include the duplications describing the same events in the four separate gospel accounts.) Of those nine uses Jesus never once solely referenced water as the medium into which a "baptism" is to be done. Example: Luke 12:50, "But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished!"

There are two of the nine uses within this one verse, neither reference water, both refer to the upcoming death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, as most of His usages did.~
NOTE: In tomorrow's lesson I will list all nine times Jesus use the term baptized and demonstrate the what I have said here is true.

Lesson 859

(Lesson 859)(01-02-14) Matthew 28:9-15:

"And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him. Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me. Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and shewed unto the chief priests all the things that were done. And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers, Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept. And if this come to the governor's ears, we will persuade him, and secure you. So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day."

This lesson relates the deception the Jewish authority attempted to contrive on the day of Jesus' resurrection, which by the way didn't work. The word of Jesus' resurrection spread like wildfire.
Each of the "four gospels" Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, give a different account of what exactly happened that great and glorious day. Matthew's account seems to relate a much shorter version of events than the others but is careful to highlight all the important points. The very most important of all those points is that Jesus had indeed risen to go about establishing His kingdom.~

Lesson 858

(Lesson 858)(01-01-14) Matthew 28:1-8;

"In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you. And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word.

Today's lesson contains the three most precious and cherished words that the world has ever heard. "He has risen"!

By conquering the grave Jesus conquered sin forever for those of us who have placed our faith in Him. Those three little words mean everything to me.~