Lesson 1664

(Lesson 1664)(04-30-16) Mark 10:17-31

"And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother. And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions. And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved? And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible. Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee. And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life. But many that are first shall be last; and the last first."

In the beginning of today's quote, Jesus demonstrated that it was virtually impossible for a person of great wealth to gain eternal salvation under the Law of Moses. As Jesus instructed that rich young man mentioned in today's quote, he had, not only obey all the rules of the Law, he had to give his fortune to the poor and follow Jesus in order to remain in good standing with the Law.

After Jesus told His apostles that it would be easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter into heaven under the Law, the apostles asked, "who then can be saved". Jesus, in essence referring to His, soon to be enacted, new law of salvation by grace through faith, then explained that with God all things are possible.

Today, Thank God, since Jesus laid down His life for the sins of the all the world, even the rich can easily obtain eternal life simply by having absolute faith in the life, death, burial, resurrection and ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ and obeying the two "great" commandments that Jesus put into place instead of the old Law; "The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:29-31 in part.)

Ephesians 2:8-9, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." In this passage of scripture we are assured that the restrictions and demands of the old Law no longer apply, salvation now comes by grace through faith, not the works of the Law.~

Lesson 1663

(Lesson 1663)(04-28-16) Mark 10:13-16

"And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them. But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them."

Today's quote relates that children are just as important to the church as are adults.

As Christian people, and in many spiritual ways literally children ourselves, we are to lift up our children to God while they are young, teaching them the full gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ before they are hardened by the ways of the world.

I shudder to think where my life would be today had my mother not taught me from a very young age that Jesus Christ is the savior of all those who will put their faith in Him.~

Lesson 1662

(Lesson 1662)(04-8-16) Mark 10:1-12

"And he arose from thence, and cometh into the coasts of Judaea by the farther side of Jordan: and the people resort unto him again; and, as he was wont, he taught them again. And the Pharisees came to him, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? tempting him. And he answered and said unto them, What did Moses command you? And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away. And Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept. But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. And in the house his disciples asked him again of the same matter. And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her. And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery."

In today's quote Jesus made it vividly clear that divorce is not an option to end a marriage among the children of God. He said that when a man and woman are married, they literally become one person and cannot be separated by any law or decree of man. However, in Matthew 5:21-22, in part, Jesus said, "I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.

In the Matthew quote, Jesus allowed for divorce but only if one party was guilty of "fornication", or adultery. I have been unable to find any other reference to divorce that further clarifies this seeming contradiction, therefore, I would suppose that it is up to the individual bible student to prayerfully decide which of these accounts is the true answer to the possibility of ending a marriage.~

Lesson 1661

(Lesson 1661)(04-27-16) Mark 9:38-50

"And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us. But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me. For he that is not against us is on our part. For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward. And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea. And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt. Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another."

Today's quote instructs the children of God to accept the efforts of those who work toward the ultimate will of God, even if their philosophy doesn't exactly match up with our own.

Today's lesson also warns of the consequences that await those who allow the desires of the body to override the intent of the spiritual mind. We should conduct ourselves as the "salt" of the earth in every thing we do and in every action we take. "Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them." (Matthew 7:19-20)~

Lesson 1660

(Lesson 1660)(04-26-16) Mark 9:30-37

"And they departed thence, and passed through Galilee; and he would not that any man should know it. For he taught his disciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day. But they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask him. And he came to Capernaum: and being in the house he asked them, What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way? But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest. And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all. And he took a child, and set him in the midst of them: and when he had taken him in his arms, he said unto them, Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me."

In today's quote, Jesus announced the coming of His supreme sacrifice. He said; "The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day."

Upon learning that Jesus was leaving them, His apostles began to squabble about which one of them would be the leader, or the greatest among the twelve. Knowing what they were thinking, Jesus made it very clear to them all that there was to be no one of them greater in prestige or political stature than any of the others. He said; "If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all."

The above text, along with many other New Testament examples, makes if vividly clear that the Roman Catholic contention that Peter was to be the supreme leader of the church on earth, is totally unfounded by the words straight out of the mouth of Jesus Himself.

In the last part of today's quote, holding a child in His arms, Jesus said; "Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me."

This passage means that the children of God are NOT to think of themselves as being above any other human being, especially the innocent children. We are to humble ourselves and lift up those who are the weakest among us, always remembering the two "great" commandments: "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." (Matthew 22:37-40 in part.) ~

Lesson 1659

(Lesson 1659)(04-25-16) Mark 9:14-29

"And when he came to his disciples, he saw a great multitude about them, and the scribes questioning with them. And straightway all the people, when they beheld him, were greatly amazed, and running to him saluted him. And he asked the scribes, What question ye with them? And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not. He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me. And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming. And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child. And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us. Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him. And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead. But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose. And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out? And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting."

Today's quote relates how Jesus removed the "dumb and deaf spirit" from a young boy who had been afflicted since his birth.

It is interesting to note that in Mark's account, after Jesus' apostles asked why they weren't able to remove the evil spirit from the boy, Jesus said, "This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting." Yet in the Matthew account, Jesus said they could have removed the spirit if they had only had sufficient faith; "I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him. Then Jesus answered and 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. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting." (Matthew 17:16-21 in part.)

It appears that simply by commanding the evil spirit to leave, you or I, with sufficient faith should be able to remove it, without prayer and fasting. The interesting point is that in the Matthew account, the use of prayer and fasting appears to be presented as a question, rather than as a clear instruction as in the Mark account.

If someone of you has an explanation for this apparent conflict, please let me know.~

Lesson 1658

(Lesson 1658)(04-24-16) Mark 9:1-13

"And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power. And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them. And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them. And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus. And Peter answered and said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. For he wist not what to say; for they were sore afraid. And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him. And suddenly, when they had looked round about, they saw no man any more, save Jesus only with themselves. And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead. And they kept that saying with themselves, questioning one with another what the rising from the dead should mean. And they asked him, saying, Why say the scribes that Elias must first come? And he answered and told them, Elias verily cometh first, and restoreth all things; and how it is written of the Son of man, that he must suffer many things, and be set at nought. But I say unto you, That Elias is indeed come, and they have done unto him whatsoever they listed, as it is written of him."

In today's quote, Jesus is meets with Elias a Moses on a mountain where Jesus was also recognized as the Son of God; "a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him."

In the latter part of this quote and much to the confusion of His Apostles, Jesus declares that He is that same Elias that was spoken of in the prophesies and that He must suffer death at the hands of His brethren (The Jewish hierarchy.) to be raised again in holy transformation on the third day. That great and wonderful resurrection assures eternal life to all who will deny all others and accept that supreme and divine sacrifice.~