Open the Bible UK Daily

“Whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.”Mark 8:35You go to church, and you think, Should I really commit myself? Maybe I will, maybe I won’t. Perhaps you have been on the fence about following Jesus for a long time. What is at stake in this decision? 1. Your life is at stake. “Whoever would save his life will lose it” (8:35). Everything that you try to keep, you lose in the end. What you lose for the gospel, you keep for eternity. If you live for yourself, a day will come when you’ll wish you could have your life back and live it for Christ. 2. Your soul is at stake. What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” (8:36). Your life will never end. Even if you take your own life, you just move it to another place. Hell has many pains but one must surely be to know what you might have become, to know that you are wasting away when you could have been enjoying the life of a child of God. 3. Your eternity is at stake. “Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words… of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed” (8:38). Imagine Jesus being ashamed of you when He returns. You have been embarrassed about Him. You didn’t want your friends to think that you belonged to Him. Now He doesn’t want anyone to think that He belongs to you. Are you giving these factors the right level of importance? You may be concerned about sports, relationships, career, money, and leisure. But Jesus is speaking to you about your life, your soul, and your eternity.What level of importance are you giving these factors on a scale from (1) critically important to (10) not at all important? How could you change their priority while you still have time?

He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again.Mark 8:31Here Jesus speaks clearly about His own suffering and death for the first time. From this point on, everything is about the cross. The death of Jesus is central to the gospel. This is why He came into the world. This is how He saves His people. Those who follow Jesus Christ have to understand what He is about: “If you are going to follow me, you need to know where I am heading. I am going to die. Not just die… I am going to suffer. I am going to be rejected. Then in three days I will rise again.” If you follow Him, this is what you get yourself into: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (8:34). He says, “I’m going to the cross, and if you follow me, that’s where you are going too.” Notice, Jesus does not say that following Him might involve a cost. He says, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself.” Following Jesus means saying no to self and yes to God. It means saying no to the flesh and yes to the Spirit. It means saying no to comfort and yes to ministry. Following Jesus will cause you pain that you could avoid if you were not a Christian. Jesus makes this very clear. If you want an easy comfortable life, don’t become a Christian.Have you fully weighed the cost of following Christ?

[Jesus called] the crowd to him with his disciples…Mark 8:34In earlier verses, Jesus was speaking privately to all the disciples. In chapter 9 we will see Jesus teaching the inner circle—Peter, James, and John. But here, Jesus is speaking to the crowd: the wider pool of people who might become His followers. Look at what He says to them: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it” (8:34-35). What do you make of this as a sales pitch? “If you are going to follow me you had better be ready to march to your own death.” In most advertising, the costs and risks are hidden in small print—something like this: Do you wish that you had new energy to bounce out of bed every day? Ask your doctor if 'Super Pill' is right for you. [Low voice:] Side effects may include nausea, headaches, strokes, and heart attack. [Happy voice:] Super Pill will change your life. Start living again! We're all familiar with this formula: Maximise the benefits, minimise the risks, say very little about the costs. It would be easy to assume that this is how we should do evangelism. The problem with misrepresenting the product is that you end up with disappointed customers. The number of people who abandon Christian faith raises questions about how the gospel is being presented. Notice the absolute candour of Jesus Christ. He gives the crowd—the people who are not yet committed—a full picture of what following Him will mean. He starts with the cost.What do you think of Jesus’ “sales pitch”? Do you appreciate His full disclosure? Or do you find yourself put off by it?

“Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels… Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.”Mark 8:38; 9:1Jesus is referring to the transfiguration. When Peter, James, and John saw the radiance of Jesus’ glory. They saw Him as we will all see Him when He comes in power and glory to gather His people. "Now I know in part. Then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known", (1 Cor. 13:12). Now we believe that God works for our good in all things (Rom. 8:28). Then we will see it. On that day we will say, “He has done all things well” (Mk. 7:37). Jesus will complete what He has begun. Every question you have ever had for God will be answered. He will wipe all tears from your eyes, and you will say, “Now I see everything clearly.” That is the promise of Jesus Christ in the gospel.What do you need most today: rebuke for not seeing, correction for seeing only in part, or the glorious promise that we will one day see clearly?

[Jesus] began to teach them that the Son of Man must… be killed, and after three days rise again… Peter… began to rebuke him… [Jesus] rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”Mark 8:31-33You read Peter’s wonderful confession—“You are the Christ”—and you are tempted to say, surely the disciples are seeing clearly. But look what happens next. Peter feels confident enough to tell Jesus what He should be doing. And Jesus has to correct him. The danger for a new Christian is that you become overconfident: You feel sure that you know what God is doing and what He should do. The first lesson Peter learned was that he still had to be guided by God’s Word. He must submit all his ideas to the teaching of Jesus, to the Word of God. That's the first lesson we have to learn as well. When you come to faith in Christ you see some things, but you do not see everything. If you expect to see everything clearly, you have not understood the nature of the Christian life. “We walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7). “Now we see in a mirror dimly, but then [when Christ comes] face to face” (1 Cor. 13:12). A proper grasp of the gospel will give you: (1) a confidence that knows you can trust Christ in all things, and (2) a humility that knows many things are not yet revealed. Without faith’s humility we become arrogant, and no one will hear us. Without faith's confidence we become agnostic. and we have nothing to say. Faith's confidence trusts Christ as Saviour. Faith’s humility takes Christ as teacher.Do you have faith's confidence but not faith's humility? Or are you living in the Word enough to be corrected by it?

[Jesus] cautioned them, saying, “Watch out; beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”Mark 8:15The disciples are in the boat with Jesus crossing the lake. Nobody had thought about what they were going to do for lunch (8:14). Jesus uses the boat trip to teach the disciples about the power of evil in the world. He warns them, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod” (8:15). Yeast is often used as a figure of evil influence in the Bible, so Jesus is saying, "Watch out for the evil influence of the Pharisees and of Herod." Think about the opportunity here: God in the flesh is so near that the disciples can touch Him. Where might you have gone with that conversation? “Jesus, how should we respond to evil in the world? What should we do about false teaching or about the evils in government and business? How can we keep ourselves pure? How can we be like you?” Instead, the disciples slide into a pointless discussion about having no bread. But Jesus gives it to them straight: “Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember?” (8:17-21). Jesus reminds them of all the leftover bread after He fed the crowds (8:19-21). There must have been a long silence in the boat after that! Eventually, the disciples do see and understand. Mark tells us about Peter’s great confession after Jesus asked them, “Who do people say that I am?” At last, Peter answers, “You are the Christ” (8:27-29). This is a saving moment. When you believe in Jesus and confess Him as your Christ (your Saviour), your whole relationship with God changes.Have you, like the disciples, found yourself stuck in pointless discussions with Jesus?

[Jesus] asked him, “Do you see anything?” And he looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like trees, walking.”Mark 8:23-24We have seen what Jesus does for His people. He overcomes resistance in His people. He cleanses the hearts of His people. Now we will see how Jesus Christ gives sight—the ability to discern spiritual things—to His people. Here we see a healing begun but not yet complete. When Jesus touches this blind man’s eyes, he has some sight, but what he sees is blurry. People look like trees walking. That’s not twenty-twenty vision. So Jesus puts His hands on the man’s eyes a second time. “Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly” (8:25). We see many miracles in Mark’s gospel. In each case, the glory of Jesus is revealed through instant and complete healing. But in this one case, Jesus heals the man in two stages. First, he sees in part, then he sees clearly. Why does Jesus heal this man in two stages? Jesus is using this miracle to teach us. The story begins with a man who does not see. Then he sees in part. Then he sees clearly. This is a picture of what is happening to the disciples. First, they do not see (8:14-21). Then, they see in part (8:27-33). Then we have the promise of a day when they will see clearly (9:1-13). Jesus is teaching us that spiritual understanding is a gift from God that He brings gradually and progressively to His people. The Apostle Paul tells us that “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16). As we continue, we will see a rebuke, a correction, and a marvellous promise.Between the stages of “not seeing” and “seeing in part,” where would you put yourself today in terms of your ability to discern spiritual things?

“This people honours me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.”Mark 7:6Look at these devastating words of Jesus. He is saying to the Pharisees, “That’s you! You do religious things, but your heart is far from me. Your life is about yourself and your money. You do not really care about people in desperate need, and you don’t really love God either.” Religion cannot change your heart. But Jesus Christ can. You can ask Him to do this for you today. When Christ gives you a new heart, you will have the desire and the power to live a new life. But you will also find yourself in a new conflict. The seeds of many evils remain within you, so be ready for this fight. If you are at peace with God, you will be fighting sin. If you are at peace with sin, then you are fighting God. The stuff hidden in your heart won’t go away when you become a Christian. You’ll be dealing with this stuff your whole life. But praise God, it’s not who you are! And it’s not what you will be. Jesus Christ will change your heart, and He will cleanse your life. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). He will begin on the inside, renewing your thoughts, affections, and desires, and He will gradually and progressively wash you clean. Jesus cleanses the hearts of His people. That can happen for you today. Measure your life by the right standard. Trace your sin to the right source. Put your trust in the right person.Do you need this prayer? "God, change my heart. I've been fighting you for too long. Let your power work within me as I fight the evils I once called friends. Then, cleanse my life. Wash me by the blood of your son, Jesus Christ. Cleanse my mind, heart, imagination, memories, desires. Cleanse me until one day, with a pure heart, I will see you and rejoice in your presence forever.”

“There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him."Mark 7:15We live in a filthy world and some of us have seen and experienced terrible things. We wonder what it will do to our own souls. These words of Jesus are full of hope. The things you see or experience may cause great trauma or great struggles, but they do not make you unclean. It helps to know this in a world where we are surrounded by sensual and materialistic advertising. Thank God that “nothing outside a man can make him unclean.” This is good news. But here’s the bad news: “The things that come out of a person are what defile him." Jesus repeats this in verse 20, and then He says, “For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts…” (7:21). Then you have this depressing catalogue of vices: theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance, and folly. “All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person" (7:21-23). Jesus is speaking about the general condition of the human heart. He is not saying that these evils are inside bad people. He is saying that they are inside all people. These things are in you. Some of them may never come out. But the seeds are all there. Bishop J.C. Ryle says, “It seems forgotten that everyone carries a fountain of wickedness within. We need no bad company to teach us, and no devil to tempt us... We have within us the beginning of every sin under heaven.” The real problem is not in the world around us. The real problem is inside us, in our hearts. This is the teaching of Jesus.Do you believe that about yourself? Do you believe that about your children?

“You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.”Mark 7:8The religious leaders of Jesus’ day were scrupulous about ceremonial washing (7:3-4). They felt that these rituals would preserve purity before God. But Jesus says, “You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men” (7:8). He gives an example: “Moses said, ‘Honour your father and your mother’… But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, “Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban”’ (that is, given to God)—then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother” (7:10-12). The Pharisees had a program in which you could declare possessions “Corban,” or restricted. It was a way of tying up money, so that it was not available for other use. You could honestly say to a person in need, “I’d love to help, but I don’t have any resources available.” Jesus described a man who declared his property Corban, so that he could no longer help his parents. Perhaps he had fallen out with them. But one day, he had a change of heart and he decided that he wanted to help them. So, he went to the Pharisees to find out how to release the money, but they would not let him. Once you declared an asset Corban, it could not be changed. The biggest stewardship decisions are not the decisions about how much you will give. They are about how much you will tie up so that it cannot be given.How much should you tie up in your house? How much should you tie up in your retirement? How much should you tie up in travel, sports, hobbies, and pleasure?

Strive for… the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.Hebrews 12:14The Bible speaks about both forgiveness and cleansing. We need to be forgiven so that we can be at peace with God. We need to be cleansed so that we can live in the presence of God. Forgiveness belongs to the realm of justification: “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1). Cleansing belongs to the realm of sanctification: without holiness “no one will see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14). Forgiveness is about restoring your relationship with God. Cleansing is about restoring your life before God. These are the two great promises of the gospel. We hear a lot about forgiveness but not so much about cleansing, so this is important for us today. A while back, the marketers of a certain shampoo coined a new word: “degunkify.” The back of the bottle explained what this means: “Lose the leftover gunk and ick of gels and sprays.” When you get up in the morning, your shampoo may degunkify your hair, but what will degunkify your heart? We’re going to discover three ways from the Scriptures that we can find cleansing for our hearts.In what areas are you feeling the need to “degunkify” your heart? What is keeping you from fully enjoying God’s presence?

[Jesus] said to them… “Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember?”Mark 8:17-18How does Jesus overcome hardened hearts and resistance in His people? Here are three ways. 1. Jesus is patient with you. “Do you not yet perceive or understand?... And don’t you remember?” (8:17-18). There was no instant solution to the hardness of the disciples and there probably won’t be for you either. What can Christ do through people who mess up this many times? Paul says, “If we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself” (2 Tim. 2:13). Think about His great patience with you and it will soften your heart. 2. Jesus will come to you. “He saw that they were making headway painfully… he came to them, walking on the sea” (Mark 6:48). Christ will not stand at a distance when you are struggling in the darkness. He will come to you, and He will bring strength: “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid” (6:50). 3. Jesus will defend you. “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?" (7:5). The Pharisees criticise the disciples, but Christ defends them. That’s what He does for us before the Father. Satan accuses you. Christ defends you. He is not ashamed to call us His brothers and sisters (Heb. 2:11). As a Christian, you will be battling sin and unbelief all your life. Christ is patient with you. Christ will come to you. Christ will defend you.How will you respond to this Christ? Will you go on resenting what He has allowed in your life? Or will you humbly accept His overwhelming mercy, grace, patience, compassion, and love?

“They did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.”Mark 6:52Some struggles in the Christian life come further down the track. You experience things that you cannot understand, and you find resentment toward Jesus growing. Here are four circumstances that can lead to hidden resentment: 1. When you are grieving. “Among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist” (Mat. 11:11). These were Jesus’ words, but now John has been brutally murdered. How could Jesus allow this? Pain and loss provoke questions that can build resentment. 2. When you are exhausted. “He said to them, ‘Come away by yourselves...’ For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat” (Mark 6:31). At last, the disciples are going to get some relief! But notice what happens next: the people “ran there on foot… and got there ahead of them” (6:33). Proverbs says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick” (13:12). 3. When you are confused. "His disciples came to him and said ... send them away to go… and buy themselves something to eat” (Mark 6:36). John dies in prison, and Jesus provides an unnecessary meal from a few loaves and fishes. This seems like the wrong miracle! Remember, the purpose of Jesus’ miracles was not so much to meet human need as to display His glory. 4. When you are disappointed. “He made his disciples get into the boat…” (Mark 6:45). The disciples want to bask in the glory of the miracle, but Jesus made them get into the boat. They find themselves “making headway painfully, for the wind was against them” (6:48).Are you feeling resentment toward God? How are you going to deal with it?

Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.Hebrews 3:12A second way our hearts can be hardened is through habitual sin. Herod knew that John was a righteous, holy man. Herod was drawn to the truth (Mark 6:20), but he followed the flesh. Herod's palace was a den of indulgence. We get the flavour of it from the story of the party where Herod, presumably having had too much to drink, saw a girl dancing and offered to give her anything she asked. The girl asked for the head of John the Baptist, and Herod agreed to the murder of the man who spoke God’s Word. Habitual sin hardens your heart. The book of Hebrews warns us against being “hardened by the deceitfulness of sin” (3:13). Deceitfulness means that sin promises a happiness it cannot deliver. Perhaps you remember an old email warning about a computer virus that read something like this: If you receive an email with a link called “Life is Beautiful,” DO NOT OPEN IT. If you do, a message will appear on your screen saying, “It is too late. Your life is no longer beautiful.” The person who sent it to you will gain access to all of your personal information. That’s what sin does. It draws you in, promising that “Life is Beautiful.” But when you open yourself to it, sin destroys you. The Christian life is a constant battle against sin and unbelief. “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God” (Heb. 3:12).Consider whether there are any areas in which you have allowed habitual sin to harden your heart. Ask God to help you overcome this sin.

“A prophet is not without honour, except in his hometown.”Mark 6:4Have you ever wondered, “Why don’t I love God more? Why don’t I have greater joy in Christ? Why is my heart so cold in worship?” There are three ways hardness grows in a person’s heart. First, we see that hometown unbelief can harden our hearts. When Jesus returned to His hometown, He followed His normal pattern of teaching, and the people were amazed at His wisdom and miracles. But they were also offended, causing Jesus to say, “A prophet is not without honour, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household” (6:4). The people who were most familiar with Jesus chose not to believe in Him. Perhaps you were raised in a Christian home and were brought to church when you were young. The greatest danger is that you learned about Jesus but do not really believe what you learned. Unbelief is the besetting sin of those who are most familiar with God’s truth. Imagine one night you can’t sleep, so you decide to go to the school sports field. It’s pitch dark, except for one spotlight that is programmed to keep moving around the field. You get in the spotlight. But the light is moving, so you have to move with it, or you find yourself in darkness. Jesus said, “Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you” (John 12:35). Unbelief is a choice not to follow the light you have received. Make sure you don’t make that choice. Unbelief hardens your heart.Has God’s truth become so familiar that you have slipped into unbelief without realising it? How could you begin walking in the light you have received?

“Let us go across to the other side.”Mark 4:35Jesus’ words lead to four miracles in Mark’s Gospel that give us a taste of the blessings of life under the rule of God. No storms (4:35-41) Imagine a world where there are no tsunamis or hurricanes, and no earthquakes or tornadoes. In the book of Revelation when John was given a glimpse of heaven, the sea was like glass—no storms. And when Jesus calmed the storm, He gave His disciples a preview. No demons (5:1-20) Now imagine a world where Satan is cast out—a world without evil, without hatred, and without temptation. That means no more guilt, no more failure, no more regrets. Imagine being free to pursue everything God has called you to do without restraint. No sickness (5:21-34) Imagine a world without sickness—no cancer, no strokes, and no wheelchairs. There are no mental disorders, and no one is deaf or blind or lame. There is no sickness at all, simply health and strength to enjoy the creation of God and to glorify Him. No death (5:35-43) Try to imagine a world with no death—no decline, no weakening of the body, no fear of the future, and no gut-wrenching goodbyes. This is how life will be for God’s people when Jesus comes! No wonder Jesus commands us to pray: “Your kingdom come” (Mat. 6:10). If you belong to Jesus, this will be your joy for all eternity. Until Jesus comes, you have the strength, comfort, and stability of knowing that He is with you in every storm, every battle, and every sickness. When you walk through the valley of death, even there you will fear no evil, because Jesus will be with you to comfort you.Take some time to pray “Your kingdom come.”

“Those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”Mark 4:20The whole point of Jesus’ parable is that where the seed is sown, there will be a great harvest. Perhaps you shared the Word of God with someone, and it fell on hard ground. That may not be the end of the story, because we don’t know where God will be ploughing next week. When the plough comes, the good seed that was sown gets tipped into the opened ground and everything is changed. What a tragedy it would be if God were to open the heart of someone near to us, but we didn’t plant the seed. The finest seed will not raise a harvest if it is still in the barn. That’s why when you do sow seed, you don’t dump it all in one place. You have to scatter it. Why? Because you don’t know where God was ploughing last week, and you don’t know where God will be ploughing next week. Jesus said that seed sown on good soil would bring a harvest thirty, sixty, or a hundred times what was sown. Thirty times what was sown would be a bumper crop. Sixty or a hundred times what was sown would be a harvest greater than anyone, at least in Jesus’ day, could imagine. Jesus is saying: God can do more in your lifetime, through the seed of His Word, than you think. He can do more than you think in the lives of the people around you. When the Word of God gets into the soil of your life, there’s no telling what God will raise up in and through you. On the last day there will be a great multitude surrounding the throne, living under the blessing of God’s rule. How did these hard-hearted, shallow, choked up people ever get there? God’s people sowed the seed. God’s Spirit ploughed up the ground. And there was a great harvest.Where do you need to start scattering seed?

When they hear the word...Mark 4:16Here is Jesus’ report on what is actually going on inside people who hear the Word: Some people are hard: “These are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word.” (4:15) The seed never penetrates this soil. Why? Because it’s been walked all over. Maybe you’ve developed a crust to protect yourself. Some people are shallow: “These are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away.” (4:16-17) These people have joy and enthusiasm, but no depth. They don’t think or feel deeply. The shallow person is always making new starts that end up fizzling out. Some people are preoccupied: “And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.” (4:18-19) These weeds leave you feeling frustrated, like there’s not enough room for everything in life. Some people will become fruitful: “Those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” (4:20) Soil can’t change. What if you’re hard, shallow, or preoccupied? Like the farmer, God can break up the hardest ground, dig out the largest stones, or pull out the most stubborn weeds: “I will give you a new heart… And I will remove [your] heart of stone…” (Eze. 36:26).Ask Jesus to give you a new heart.

“The sower sows the word.”Mark 4:14The sower’s work is unimpressive. Picture a farmer scattering the seed by hand, walking 20 miles a day, up and down the same field. He looks out over the field at night and it strikes him that after all his work, the field looks exactly the same as it did that morning. Nothing has changed. He has worked all day, and what does he have to show for it? His efforts haven’t made any observable difference. This is the hidden pressure of all spiritual work. When you’re teaching the Word to your children, you sometimes wonder if you’ve accomplished anything. You work hard to sow the seed of the Word. But what came of it? How do you keep going? By having great confidence in the seed. The sower continues to work, because he is deeply convinced that the seed he is planting will bring a harvest that’s pleasing to God. You will be greatly helped by seeing, not just what the Bible is (the Word of God), but also what the Bible does (the work of God). Psalm 19:7-8 says: The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. What does the Word of God do? It revives the soul, makes the simple wise, gives joy to the heart, and gives light to the eyes… It does these things because of what the Word of God is—“living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword” (Heb. 4:12).Are you struggling to sustain a ministry of the Word to your children? Your small group? Other ministry? Where is your confidence?

“Do you not understand this parable? …The sower sows the word.”Mark 4:13, 14Jesus reveals the secret of the kingdom in a simple story: A sower goes out sowing seed. The seed falls on different kinds of ground. The seed on bad ground produces nothing of lasting value. The seed on good ground produces a marvellous harvest. The seed sown in this story is God’s Word. This living seed has the power to produce life and sustain growth. If you’re inclined to think about the Word of God simply as information, think again. The Word of God has life-giving power. Any seed will produce a crop if it’s planted in the right conditions, but different seeds will produce different harvests. The seed that we sow will determine the crop that we get. So, we must choose our seed carefully. The first question is: What kind of harvest are we hoping to see? Once we’re clear about the harvest we’re looking for, we’ll be able to select the right seed. Is it a large crowd? Is it people who like the church? Many kinds of seed will produce these harvests. But Jesus is telling us that if we seek a harvest of people living under the blessing of God’s rule, only one seed will produce this crop. The Word of God has produced the same harvest of people living under the blessing of God’s rule in every culture and in every generation. It will produce godly fruit in your life, and in the lives of your children, your neighbours, and your friends. We can have absolute confidence in the power of this seed to produce a great harvest today.Are you clear about the harvest you’re looking for and what the seed is that will produce that harvest?

“The kingdom of God is at hand.”Mark 1:15"The kingdom" is simply the rule or reign of God. In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus taught us to ask that God’s kingdom would come, and that His will would be done, on earth as it is in heaven. God is sovereign. That means He reigns everywhere. He reigns in heaven, on earth, and even over hell. But in heaven, God’s rule is recognised. That’s why heaven is filled with His blessing. In hell, God's rule is resisted. That's why hell is under His judgement. On earth, there’s this strange mixture: God’s rule is partly recognised and partly resisted. That’s why we see a mixture of blessing and judgement. So, when we pray, “Your kingdom come” (Mat. 6:10), we’re asking God to make this world more like heaven than hell. And that happens as people come to submit to God’s rule in their lives. The ministry of Jesus brought a taste of heaven on earth—illnesses healed, demons cast out, and sins forgiven. Ordinary people became followers of Jesus. Troubled people were set free. The kingdom of God was coming near. But then something happened: the ministry that was bringing such blessing was rejected. Some people were plotting to kill Jesus, while others were saying that He was in league with the devil. But if the King is rejected, what hope is there for the kingdom? How can we know the blessing of Christ’s rule in this Christ-rejecting world?As you see God’s rule partly recognised and partly resisted, what does this do to your confidence level in Jesus' ability to establish His kingdom?

Then he [Jesus] went home, and the crowd gathered again, so that they could not even eat. And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.”Mark 3:20-21Some Christians seem to have the idea that Jesus lived a balanced life. But the demands on Jesus were so great that He did not even have time to eat. Missing meals and losing sleep were commonplace for Jesus and His disciples. If you’re surrounded by great ministry opportunities, don’t complain, be thankful. That’s what the Master did, and He didn’t listen to those who tried to slow Him down. When Mary saw her son missing meals and losing sleep, she became anxious for His health. The brothers took a harsher view: “He is out of His mind.” Brothers say that kind of thing, don’t they? They wanted to restrain Jesus and bring Him home. The family is connected to Jesus, and they want Him to obey them! They want to bring Him under their control. Picture Jesus’ family arriving outside: “A crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, ‘Your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you’” (3:32). Jesus asked, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” (3:33). Then Jesus said to the folks who were listening to His teaching, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother” (3:35). These words must have gone straight through Mary’s heart. Even His mother must submit herself to His will and bow before Him as her Saviour and Lord.If Jesus’ own mother could not bring Him under her control, why would you think you can?

“All sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter.”Mark 3:28Jesus Christ is ready to forgive any sin that you’ve committed. He is ready to forgive open sins, secret sins, sins from long ago, and sins repeated many times. He is ready to forgive all your blasphemous words, thoughts, and deeds. The blood of Jesus Christ is sufficient to cover every sin, including yours. Take this glorious promise and believe it. Come to Him and tell Him about your sins. Name them. Confess them and find peace with God through the blood of Jesus Christ today. This promise is followed by a grim warning: “But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin” (3:29). Many believers worry that they may have committed this sin. But rest assured, if you’re worried that you might have committed this sin, you can be certain that you haven’t. These teachers of the law were in danger of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. What is that? They saw the work of Christ and concluded that He was in league with the devil. The sin that cannot be forgiven is the sin of continuing to reject Jesus Christ and His work, accomplished in the power of the Holy Spirit. These men could pass a Bible exam and submit first-class research papers. Their knowledge was impressive, but they refused to submit to the authority of Christ. They were educated rebels. God stands ready to forgive any sin through His Son, Jesus Christ. That’s the promise. But if you go on refusing this Christ, there is no other way to be forgiven. That’s the warning.Which did you need to hear most today, the promise or the warning?

And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “by the prince of demons he casts out the demons.”Mark 3:22These folks were not the local clergy in Galilee. These were the top brass religious leaders coming down from the capital city in Jerusalem. Why did they come? Because the Pharisees and Herodians were plotting to kill Jesus (3:6). What does a plot to destroy someone involve? It begins with recruiting other influential people. The Pharisees probably sent word to Jerusalem about Jesus, and as a result of this complaint, an official delegation was sent to make an evaluation. The teachers arrived with their clipboards to check Jesus out, and they came to this conclusion: “by the prince of demons he casts out the demons” (3:22). But that doesn’t make sense: “If Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end” (3:26). Jesus gave a very different explanation of His ministry: “No one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. Then indeed he may plunder his house” (3:27). Satan is the strong man who holds many people captive in his house. Far from being in league with Satan, Jesus has come to raid his kingdom, and to set the captives free. But when these teachers studied Jesus, they concluded that He was in league with Satan. This is the same conclusion many people have come to in our country today. Apart from God’s grace, there is deep antagonism toward Jesus in every heart. When holiness takes flesh and comes near, we do not like it, because it shows us who we really are.What is your conclusion about Jesus?

Whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.”Mark 3:11Suppose an angel were to ask you: “Why should you be allowed into heaven?” and you said, “Because I believe Jesus is the Son of God.” Their obvious response would be, “Well, so do the demons. How is your faith any different from theirs?” Even more surprising than what demons believe is their obedience to Jesus: “Whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, ‘You are the Son of God.’ And he strictly ordered them not to make him known” (3:11-12). These demons are under Jesus’ authority. They confess Him and they have to obey Him. This hits pretty close to home. In his book, Family Driven Faith, Voddie Baucham reports: “70 to 88 per cent of Christian teens are leaving the church by their second year in university.” Why would 80 per cent of young people raised in church leave when they go to university? Could it be that these young people obey because they have to, and when the constraint of family is taken away, the true state of their hearts is revealed? Freedom reveals who you really are. The Lord said to Isaiah “This people draw near with their mouth and honour me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me” (Isa. 29:13). That’s the natural condition of religious people. Unless God changes your heart, you will remain a confessing rebel, conforming when you must, but indulging your rebellion when you can.Come to Christ today and say, “Lord, save me from the treason in my own heart. Don’t allow me to confess to you while continuing in rebellion against you.”

“Whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.”Mark 3:35How do you know that a person has a saving faith in Jesus Christ? The answer is simple: He or she pursues a life of obedience. This theme runs through Jesus’ teaching: “You are my friends if you do what I command you” (John 15:14). “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15). “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Mat. 7:21). Many Christians are resistant to this teaching. They reduce faith in Jesus to a formula, an event, or a prayer. But the whole purpose of the death of Christ is that you should live a new life to the glory of God: “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness” (1 Pet. 2:24). God saves you by His grace, and you receive that grace by faith alone. But the evidence that you have received this grace will be seen in your pursuit of obedience. John Calvin put it well: "We are justified by faith alone, but the faith that justifies is never alone." The gospel leads to a life of obedience: “Through [Jesus] we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith” (Rom. 1:5). Paul’s mission is to call people, not just to “faith,” but to “the obedience of faith.” If you’re not a Christian today, God calls you to the obedience of faith. And if you are a Christian today, God also calls you to the obedience of faith.What is “the obedience of faith,” in your own words?

He [Jesus] entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand. And they watched Jesus, to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him.Mark 3:1-2Imagine the tension. Jesus knew that some in the synagogue were hostile towards Him. They were watching Him closely, looking for a reason to accuse Him. Then they noticed a man with a shrivelled hand in the synagogue. Jesus knew that if He healed the man, they would accuse Him of working on the Sabbath. What would He do? Jesus could have healed the man quietly after the service, but He didn’t do that. Instead, He said to the man with the withered hand, “Come here” (3:3). Jesus was taking them on: “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” (3:4). It isn’t hard to imagine what happened afterwards: “The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him” (3:6). Thank God for Jesus’ courage! Don’t you want to be like that? Some battles are worth fighting: 1) Will we follow the Pharisees in ministry to a narrow group of people like us? Or will we follow Jesus and open our hearts to others in great need? 2) Will we follow the Pharisees in promoting a religion of discipline and duty? Or will we follow Jesus in proclaiming a gospel that brings joy and lifts burdens? 3) Will we follow the Pharisees in resisting the work of God? Or will we follow Jesus in refusing to be distracted from the work of God?Where do you feel that you most need to “change sides”?

“Why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?”Mark 2:24In the fourth commandment, God calls us to set aside one day in seven to rest from our work and to enjoy all that He has done. That is a gift and a blessing from God. But the Pharisees had turned the blessing into a burden, with an endless list of rules about what you could and could not do. In their eyes, pulling a few ears of corn while walking along a field was harvesting and that is work. Religious systems turn God’s blessing into a burden. I meet many people who have had a bad experience of religion that really alienated them from God. It was about rules and traditions that seem to have no point. It felt like a means of control, exercised by people who have very little joy in their own lives. Sometimes, religion stops people from knowing God rather than helping them. God doesn’t take that lightly. If you have suffered under a religion of rules that lacks joy and imposes great burdens, do you see that this is the very thing that Jesus is against? Jesus came to free us from these kinds of burdens, not to impose them on us. He came to break the power of dead religion. This is precisely what Jesus was doing when He said to the Pharisees, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (2:27). He leads His disciples into joy. He lifts the heavy burdens of silly rules and stuffy traditions. A Christ-centred church will be marked by joy. It will not be a place where the burdens of human rules and traditions are imposed, but rather where they are lifted. When you see this, you may have a new interest in following Jesus.What has been your experience of religion?

Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?Mark 2:18The Old Testament specified one day in the year when God called His people to fast—the Day of Atonement. But the Pharisees had made fasting part of their regular routine. According to tradition, they fasted Mondays and Thursdays, and encouraged others to do the same. So, the question to Jesus is: Why aren’t your disciples fasting? Jesus answered, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them?” (2:19). Imagine fasting at a wedding! Picture the scene… The wedding service is over, and everyone is gathered at the banquet hall. All the guests are seated at fancy tables, and everyone settles in as the father of the bride stands up to speak. To everyone’s surprise, he looks miserable. “I’m glad you are all here today on this very important occasion. I expect some of you have been looking forward to a meal, but we aren’t going to have any food today. We’re not going to have any music, and we’re not going to have any dancing. Marriage is a serious business, and we ought to take it seriously! We all fail in many ways, and so today I want us to spend some time in silence. I want us to examine our hearts. I want you to remember my daughter’s wedding as a day of repentance.” We laugh because this is ridiculous. The whole point of a wedding is that it is a celebration. And Jesus breaks the power of false religion by bringing joy to His friends. If your Christian practice has not brought you into greater joy, you have not yet experienced Jesus Christ.Ask Jesus to bring you into a greater experience of joy.

He [Jesus] saw Levi... sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.”Mark 2:14Remember, Israel was an occupied country at this time. The Roman army had marched in and made Israel part of the empire, and that meant paying taxes to Rome. The problem was that the Romans needed people to gather taxes, but who in their right mind would take money from their own people for a foreign occupying power? So, Rome offered an incentive. They set the amount collectors had to gather from each town, and then allowed them to keep any additional money they might gather. The folks who took these jobs were regarded as the scum of the earth by their own people. Levi was a tax collector, and Jesus called him to be a disciple. This choice stirred up some conflict. It wasn’t long before Levi wanted to share the new life that he had found with his friends, but who were his friends? While Jesus was having dinner at Levi's house, “many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples” (2:15). The word sinners was used to describe people who were notoriously immoral, people with bad reputations. Whatever choices you may have made, whatever stigmas you may bear, whatever regrets you may have, whatever alienation you may feel, Jesus Christ offers His friendship to you. And if you receive His friendship, it will change your life. Jesus brought tax collectors out of extortion. He brought prostitutes out of prostitution. Jesus will meet you where you are, but He will never leave you where you are. His grace will change your life. Never regard anyone as a hopeless case. Picture Jesus sitting with these despised people around His table: “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners” (2:17). God does these things to magnify His grace.Do you think Jesus is offering His friendship to you? Why or why not?

When Jesus saw their faith...Mark 2:5Here are five encouragements to help you come to Jesus and receive from Him: Don’t let anything stop you. The paralysed man and his friends might have said, “We’ll never get near Him.” Don’t be put off by the apparent difficulty of getting to Jesus. Learn from the example of these men. They were determined to get to Jesus. Nothing would stop them. Don’t let anything stop you. Fix your faith on Christ alone. A man with leprosy came to Jesus, “If you will, you can make me clean" (1:40). He ignored the disciples and fixed his faith on Jesus. Other Christians can help you, but they cannot forgive your sins or give you power for living. Come with the faith you have. “If you will, you can make me clean” (1:40). The “if” brings together the two worlds of faith and unbelief: “I believe you can make me clean; I’m not sure you want to.” Unoffended, Jesus said, “I will; be clean” (1:41), and in these words, Jesus removed the doubt. Come to Christ with the faith you have; He’ll deal with your unbelief. Draw encouragement from Jesus’ compassion. “Moved with pity, he [Jesus] stretched out his hand and touched him” (1:41). Nobody touches a leper. But Jesus did. If God is like this, wouldn’t you want to know Him? If His heart is moved by this man’s plight, why wouldn’t He have compassion for you? Get to the point. “If you will, you can make me clean” (1:40). The reason some of us have not received from Christ is that we never get to the “ask”! Bring Jesus to the point of your need.What step do you need to take?

“Son, your sins are forgiven... I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.”Mark 2:5, 11Jesus gave two wonderful gifts to this man - the gift of forgiveness and the gift of healing. Now, which of these two gifts do you think was more important? A preacher from London by the name of Dick Lucas explains it this way: Suppose we could visit with the paralysed man today and hear his story. He would probably say something like this: "It really was a wonderful day when I met Jesus—the greatest day of my whole life. It was an extraordinary experience being lowered through the roof. I had some great friends, and I will always be grateful to them. When I finally arrived in front of Jesus, He said to me, “Your sins are forgiven.” I didn’t think much about that at the time, but then He said, “Get up, take your bed and go home.” That was what I really wanted to hear! And I have to tell you that it changed my whole life. After that day I was able to get a job. I got married, had two lovely children, and lived for another thirty years… Since then, I’ve been enjoying paradise for the last 2,000 years. There’s no doubt in my mind now about which of the two things he said to me that day was most important."Do you share this man’s view of the priority of forgiveness? Why or why not?

Some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts… “Who can forgive sins but God alone?”Mark 2:6-7These men were right. The only person who can forgive is the one who has been offended. If you set fire to your neighbour’s house, your neighbour can forgive you. But if someone else sets fire to your neighbour's house, you cannot forgive them. The only one who can do that is your neighbour. The teachers of the law knew that sin, biblically defined, is an offence against God. Therefore, by definition, only God can forgive sins. But this is not how most people think about sin today. In a 1991 survey by Patterson and Kim in the USA, only 17% of Americans defined sin as a violation of God's will. That means 83% of people in the USA—4 out of every 5—do not know what sin is. The vast majority of people have redefined sin. But when Jesus said to the paralysed man, “Your sins are forgiven,” the teachers of the law protested: “Who does Jesus think he is? He’s acting like he’s God.” And that’s exactly what Mark is telling us: Jesus is the Son of God—He is everything that God is in the flesh. Jesus asked them: “Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’?” (2:9). Well, it’s easier to say, “Your sins are forgiven,” because there’s no way to verify if it really happened. Jesus wants them to know that this man’s sins really are forgiven, so He says: “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home” (2:11). And to the astonishment of everyone that is exactly what the man did.Have you subtly redefined sin?

“Your sins are forgiven.”Mark 2:5Mark tells us about a paralysed man who was determined to get to Jesus. Eventually, he was able to do so with a little help from his four friends who carried him to Jesus. When they arrived at the place Jesus was staying, it was swarming with people. There were so many people crammed into the house that a crowd had gathered outside waiting to see Him. These friends could not get in through the front door, so they decided to lower the paralysed man down through the roof: “When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven’” (2:5). Wait a minute! Hasn’t Jesus completely missed the point? It’s often said, “You can’t preach to a man who is hungry. You have to meet his immediate need before you can hope to preach the gospel to him.” But Jesus didn’t do that here. This man had come to Jesus because he was paralysed. But Jesus completely ignored the man’s need and spoke to him about forgiveness. Maybe you’re struggling with loss, depression, fear, anger, worry, self-esteem, loneliness, money, health, or relationships. So, when you hear about forgiveness, it seems disconnected from the realities of your life. Many people feel disconnected from the gospel because it doesn’t seem to address the issues that they are most concerned about. But, apparently, forgiveness was a higher priority than any other need in this man’s life. And, as far as Jesus is concerned, forgiveness is a higher priority than any other need in your life too.What do you think Jesus would say to you about your greatest need today?

And immediately he [Jesus] left the synagogue and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.Mark 1:29Simon and Andrew were the first to follow Jesus, and now Jesus came to their home, where Simon's mother-in-law was in bed with a fever. Nothing unusual or life-threatening about this. Which of us hasn't been in bed with a fever? But Jesus healed her. The question most often asked about this miracle is, "Why would Jesus do this? Of all the things Jesus could have done with His power, why did He choose to do this very small thing?" Surely the point of this small miracle is that when Simon and Andrew follow Jesus, blessing comes to their whole family. God's grace in your life will bring light to others around you. Mark tells us how this blessing spreads: "That evening at sundown they brought to him all who were sick or oppressed by demons. And the whole city was gathered together at the door" (1:32-33). Which city? The city where Simon and Andrew lived. This pouring out of God's mercy starts with two brothers, touches a wider family, and now reaches a whole community. Where the Gospel is preached, the Father and the Son say to the Spirit: "You go and get them." The effects of this kind of ministry will be that ordinary people follow Christ and troubled people are set free. And every time that happens, a new circle of influence is opened for the gospel. The blessing that has come to you will touch the people around you. Others will hear and the whole community will be blessed.Where have you, personally, seen the gospel have this kind of spreading influence?

When he [the Holy Spirit] comes he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgement.John 16:8Two teenage boys were downstairs after school one day. When their mum finished cooking dinner, she called out, “Dinner’s ready!” You know what happened next: The boys immediately turned off the television and the computer and came upstairs smiling, “Thank you, Mother, for preparing this wonderful meal!” No, what probably happened is… absolutely nothing! Their mum called out again, “Dinner’s ready!” Then a third time, but still no response. Then she turned to her husband and said, “You go and get them!” So, he went downstairs, “Dinner’s ready. Didn’t you hear your mum?” Think about this picture: Throughout the Old Testament, God’s Word had been going out. God was speaking through the prophets. But now, God the Father says to the Son, “You go and get them.” So, Jesus came into the world, and He preached the good news. But He did more than that. He also came and got us! Thank God that in Jesus Christ, God has come downstairs to get us. But how do people come to Christ today? When the gospel is proclaimed, the Father and the Son say to the Holy Spirit “You go and get them.” God’s Spirit lays hold of people through the Word: “You have to repent and believe. The time for you to do this is now!” You’ve heard the Word of God, but has the Holy Spirit laid hold of you? What changes are happening in your life? Are you following Christ? Can you say that He has set you free? This is what happened to Simon and Andrew. This is what happened to the troubled man in the synagogue. This is the experience of every true Christian.What effect is the Word of God having in your life?

And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out...Mark 1:23Think about it. Here is a man going to worship in the synagogue. But his life is bound by a dark power that lurks within him, and coming to the synagogue hasn’t changed that. This still happens today: A man goes to church, and his life is in the grip of a dark power that he cannot overcome. He has heard the teaching. He has sung the songs. But his life has never changed, because there’s a compulsion within him that’s too strong for him to overcome. But when Jesus went to Capernaum something extraordinary happened. He confronted the dark power that was holding this man: “Come out of him” (1:25). Mark tells us that the evil spirit “came out” (1:26). The people were astonished. Nothing like this had ever happened in their synagogue: “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him” (1:27). Many people who heard Jesus speak never followed Him. The rich young ruler would be an example. But in the Gospels, when Jesus calls someone directly, they always respond. When Jesus rebukes a dark power directly, it moves. You won't find an occasion in the Gospels where Jesus gives a command or rebukes a demon and then He is frustrated. The disciples faced this frustration, but not Jesus. You never read in the Gospels that Jesus tried to heal someone, but it didn’t work. Why? What Jesus determines gets done. What He decrees gets accomplished. When God says, “Let there be light,” there is light. And Jesus is everything that God is in the flesh.What's your level of confidence in the authority of Jesus?

Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he [Jesus] saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.Mark 1:16Here are two brothers running a small fishing business - ordinary people with ordinary lives, and Jesus spoke to them: "Follow me and I will make you become fishers of men” (1:17). That’s an amazing promise! Jesus said, “Follow me and I will make something of your life.” Notice the order: Jesus didn’t say, “Make something of your life and then you can follow me.” He said, “Follow me and I will make something of your life.” That’s the promise of Jesus to ordinary people everywhere: Follow me, and I will make something of your life. Notice what happened when Jesus spoke: “Immediately they left their nets and followed him” (1:18). When Jesus speaks, ordinary people follow Him! So, now there were three men walking on the beach: Jesus, Simon, and Andrew. They walked a little further, and Jesus saw another pair of brothers who also had a fishing business; James and John, the sons of Zebedee. These guys were the local competition. If you lived on this side of Galilee, you got your fish either from the Simon Brothers or from the Zebedees. The Zebedees weren’t doing as well as the Simon Brothers. Simon and Andrew were casting their nets, while the Zebedees were still getting their nets prepared. Jesus called them too! And Mark tells us, “They left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him” (1:20). When Jesus speaks, ordinary people follow Him.What 1 or 2 expectations would you associate with Jesus’ call to follow Him?

And they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and was teaching.Mark 1:21News about Jesus spread, and the crowds gathered: “That evening at sundown they brought to him all who were sick or oppressed by demons. And the whole city was gathered together at the door. And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons” (1:32-34). Notice, a large crowd had gathered around the house of Simon and Andrew, where Jesus was staying, and “very early in the morning” (1:35) Jesus slipped out of the house. Why? Picture the scene: As the sun comes up, the crowds are banging on the door, looking for Jesus. Simon and Andrew are embarrassed; they don’t know where He is. Eventually they find Him: "Everyone is looking for you" (1:37). Notice the priority of Jesus: “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out” (1:38). Why would you want to go somewhere else when there’s a large crowd right here looking for you? “Because I came to preach.” Let’s pause to learn from the example of Jesus. Anyone who gets involved in ministry will quickly find themselves surrounded by great need, and they’ll say, “How can I meet all these needs?” You can’t. You cannot meet all the needs of your children, your parents, your neighbours, and your friends. You cannot carry the burden of all the people who cross your path. Only God can do that. That’s why we trust God to work through His Word.When was the last time you said (or thought) to yourself, “How can I meet all these needs?”

“I have baptised you with water, but he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit.”Mark 1:8This is an amazing promise—that God’s presence, God’s power, and God’s own Spirit should come into your life. Maybe you find yourself thinking, “How could the Holy Spirit of God come into the life of a person like me?” Answer: Because you are forgiven. You’re in Christ! The good news of the gospel is much more than repentance and forgiveness. Jesus will give you the Spirit— God’s power and God’s presence, poured out into your life, making you a new man, a new woman, and giving you new birth, new life, new power, new peace, and new joy. All of this is found "in Christ." When you find Christ, you will find repentance in Him. When you find repentance, you will find forgiveness through Him. When you find forgiveness, you will receive the Holy Spirit from Him. These things are all found together in Christ. What we have here are the marks of a true Christian. Ask yourself, “Are these things true of me?” If you are a true Christian, you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, you know that you are a sinner and you repent of your sins, you know that you are forgiven and washed by the blood of Christ, and you know that the Holy Spirit lives in you. All these things are found in Christ. If you are in Christ, these things are true of you. If these things are not true of you, then you need to come to Christ and you will find them in Him.Are these four marks true of you?

John appeared, baptising in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.Mark 1:4When you come near to Jesus, He will show you your need, but He won’t leave you in despair. He will show you your need, so that in Him you will find forgiveness. This is the reason He came into the world. Baptism is a wonderful picture of what happens to you when you come near to Jesus Christ. When you come to Him in faith, you become aware of your own sinfulness, you see that you are a sinner, and Jesus Christ washes you. The Son of God forgives you, and if the Son of God forgives you, who’s going to condemn you? You are forgiven. You are washed. You are clean! Baptism is a wonderful sealing of this. Baptism is a wonderful way of you saying to God, “I am a sinner who needs to be washed. I need to be forgiven. I see so much that is wrong in my life, and I need you to put it right.” And in baptism Jesus Christ says to you, “I am the Saviour who forgives you. I am the Saviour who washes you.” Never forget that it is the Son of God who washes you. Forgiveness isn’t just a matter of saying a quick prayer. It’s coming to the realisation that you need to change and realising that that change is only possible through Jesus Christ.Are you struggling to find forgiveness? Does it seem far away from you? Where are you hoping to find it?

“I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way, the voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord...’”Mark 1:2-3What if you knew you were going to meet with God? It’s true, you know. You are going to meet with God. You will see Him. You will stand before Him, and you will have to give an account of your life to Him. Some people would say, “I’m going to meet God? Great! I’ve got some questions for Him.” Or, “Great, I could use some help.” Other people might yawn and say, “So what? Who cares?” That’s not what these people did: “All the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to [John] and were being baptised by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins” (1:5). John said, “You are going to meet with God,” and these people responded by confessing their sins. Why did they do that? Because they knew enough about God to realise that if they were going to meet Him, they had better get ready. So, they came in droves. What about you? Would you have gone out with them? The gospel is about Jesus Christ and in Him you will find repentance. The first sign of knowing God is that you become much more aware of your own sinfulness. When you come near to God’s Son, you see that you’ve fallen short. You feel that you need to change. Your pride starts falling away and you begin to say, “Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.”Which of these responses is closest to your own? 1. “Lord, have mercy on me.” 2. “Lord, why did this happen to me?” 3. “Lord, help!” or 4. Other.

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.Mark 1:1What is the gospel? Here is the simple answer that Mark gives us: The gospel is about Jesus Christ, in whom we find repentance, forgiveness, and the gift of the Holy Spirit. The first thing to notice is that Jesus is the teacher, but He is also the message. Jesus Christ is the announcer of the good news, but He Himself is the good news that is announced. This makes Jesus different from every other prophet. A prophet has a message, but he does not fulfil it himself. A prophet always points away from himself to someone else who will fulfil it. Jesus is more than a prophet because He points, not away from Himself, but to Himself. In our journey through Mark’s gospel, we will learn many things. But more than that, we will get to know a person—Jesus Christ. That’s why the resurrection is central to Christianity: You can learn about a figure of history, but you cannot know him or her directly. But if a person is living, then you can know him, speak to him, love him, and enjoy him. So, when you read Mark’s gospel, you won’t just be saying, “What a fascinating person Jesus was.” No. You will say, “This Jesus I am reading about is the Son of God who, right now, sits at the right hand of the Father. And I can come to Him!”.When you think about your own approach to Jesus, does it look more like how you'd approach a historical figure or a living person?

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.Mark 1:1Someone might read Mark’s words and say, “Well, the confession that Jesus is the Son of God is just one man’s opinion…” Is it? It’s the unanimous confession of the New Testament “These are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God” (John 20:31). Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, and Peter all say the same thing—check it out! It's the confession of heaven As Jesus was being baptised, “A voice came from heaven, ‘You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased’” (Mark 1:11). Maybe you think it would be easier to believe if you heard a voice from heaven. Well, there was a voice from heaven! It's the confession of hell “Whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, ‘You are the Son of God’” (Mark 3:11). People on earth may have had problems figuring out who Jesus was, but they knew who He was in hell. It's Jesus' own confession After Jesus was arrested, the High Priest asked Him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” Jesus said, “I am…” (Mark 14:61-62). Jesus’ answer could not have been clearer. It's the confession of those who believe “When the centurion… saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, ‘Truly this man was the Son of God!’” (Mark 15:39). If you confess that Jesus is the Son of God, you are agreeing with the unanimous witness of the New Testament, the one thing on which heaven and hell agree, the testimony of Jesus about Himself, and you’re identifying yourself with the faith of every true Christian.So, what do you say?

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.Mark 1:1It is important to remember that God the Father did not gain a Son when Jesus was born. God sent the Son, who was already at the Father’s side, into the world. The Son shared the Father’s glory, the Father’s life, and the Father’s love before He came into the world. “[The Son] is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature” (Heb. 1:3). Jesus even said, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). You might be like your father in many ways, but no one would say these kinds of things about the two of you. In the ancient world names described character. This is very different from our normal understanding of a father and a son. For example, the apostles nicknamed Joseph “Barnabas,” which means “son of encouragement” (Acts 4:36). Joseph was encouragement personified, encouragement in the flesh, so they called him "son of encouragement.” When Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Mat. 5:9), He was saying that God is the great peacemaker, and that when you make peace you reflect His character. So, when Mark tells us Jesus is “the Son of God,” he is telling us that Jesus is everything that God is in the flesh. The more you think about this, the more staggering it gets. The great mystery at the centre of all true Christian faith is this: Jesus is the Son of God. The disciples didn’t pretend to understand it. But they did believe it. They followed Jesus with a faith that seeks understanding, and that is how we must follow Him too.Are you following Jesus with this kind of faith?

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ…Mark 1:1Jesus was a common name among the Jews until the beginning of the second century, but Christ is a title, telling us what this person named Jesus came into the world to do. Today, we might speak about Dave “the plumber,” or Diane “the teacher.” Plumbing is what Dave does. Teaching is what Diane does. Similarly, Jesus is “the Christ.” This means He is “the Messiah,” or “the Deliverer.” Confronting what is wrong and putting it right is what Jesus does. The Old Testament tells the story of the great human disaster—that our human sinfulness has fouled up God’s world, and it keeps happening. The idea that we have the ability to restore this world, and become what God calls us to be, has been disproved by thousands of years of human experience. But back in the garden of Eden, God promised that someone would come into the world, destroy the work of our enemy, and put things right (Gen. 3:15). And now, Mark is telling us that He has come, and His name is Jesus. He is “the Christ.” If you hear someone say "Jesus Christ!" in a fit of anger, you might like to say to them: “Do you know what you just said? You just confessed that Jesus is God’s promised deliverer. Is that what you believe? What is it that you need Him to deliver you from?” The centre point of Mark’s gospel comes when Jesus asks the disciples: “Who do you say that I am?” and Peter says, “You are the Christ” (Mark 8:29). “You are the promised One who has come to confront what is wrong and to put it right.” Jesus is “the Christ.” Even His name is full of hope.What would you say if Jesus were to ask you, “Who do you say that I am?”

Now to him who is able to... present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy…Jude 24Try and imagine what this will be like. First, you will be presented before God’s glorious presence… blameless. The word translated “blameless” is the same word that was used to describe a sacrificial animal in the Old Testament that was acceptable to God. It had to be blameless, without defect or fault. Can you imagine yourself faultless? Every one of the effects of sin will be healed. Now you are like a burned stick pulled from the fire. Sin has done damage to us all, but when you are presented to God, you will be healed from every scar, every wound, every effect of sin. Your mind will be faultless. You will know God even as you are known. Confusion, uncertainty, and doubts will be gone forever. You will be faultless in your soul. Fears will be gone. You will love God with all your mind and strength. Your desires will be undivided. Your body will be faultless—no more pain, disease, or medication. You will live at the height of your redeemed and perfected physical powers. And you will be able to offer yourself fully to God. You will reflect the perfect Lamb of God who loved you and gave Himself for you. You will be in a position to offer your whole self to God, who will embrace and welcome you. Second, you will be presented by God the Son to God the Father with great joy! Imagine what the joy of God is like. Jesus endured the cross for the joy set before Him (Heb. 12:2). He saw the joy of the last day, and it was so great that He counted it worth the agony of the cross. When He looked at the cross and He looked at the joy, He said, “It’s worth it!” If His suffering was so great, what must this joy be like?God “will exult over you with loud singing” (Zeph. 3:17). Try to imagine this.

Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling…Jude 24God is able to give you victory over the power of temptation. Do you believe this? No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. (1 Cor. 10:13) What temptation do you think Jesus is not able to deliver you from? This goes to the heart of whether we believe the gospel. Some of us simply do not believe that Christ can break the power of cancelled sin and set the prisoner free. Think about a boxing title fight. There is always a great deal of “trash talk,” and nobody was better at this than Muhammad Ali, who said about himself, "I float like a butterfly, sting like a bee." Imagine his challenger saying, “He is much bigger and faster than me. He punches harder. And, besides, he’s the champ. I don’t really have a chance.” This is how some of us talk when it comes to sin. It’s the language of unbelief. You need to make up your mind if you believe in the God who is able to keep you from falling. Many people believe that Jesus can forgive their sins, but they’re not convinced that He can give them victory over temptation. We sometimes say, “You can talk the talk, but you have to walk the walk.” That’s true, but here is a new spin: “If you want to walk the walk, you have to talk the talk.” Don’t talk defeat before you even get in the ring. Sin shall no longer be your master. The Spirit of God lives in you. God has put you in a position to fight, so use the power He's given you. Fight!Are you fighting your sin? Or are you trying to walk the walk without talking the talk?

Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling…Jude 24This doesn’t mean that when you become a Christian you will never fail. We all fail in many ways. But God is able to keep you from falling. When Jesus was going to the cross, He said to Peter, “Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail” (Luke 22:31-32). Peter did fail. He denied the Lord three times. He called down curses upon himself. But the prayers of Jesus were answered. Peter's failure was not final. If you have fallen into serious sin, you need to know that this is not the end. Imagine two climbers scaling a sheer cliff face. They are roped together. As they are climbing, one of them slips and falls. If he was climbing alone, he would have fallen to his death. But he is roped to his friend, and his friend is in a secure position. Being a Christian means that you are roped to Jesus Christ. If you have fallen you need to know what kind of Saviour you have. If you fall, He is able to hold you. Your fall will not overwhelm Him. He will not cut the rope. He will not let you go. Maybe you can picture yourself dangling. Get back on the rock face, and start climbing from where you are. Failure is never final in the Christian life. The Saviour looks down and He says, “Get back on the wall and follow me.” That’s what Peter did after his big failure, and God used him in wonderful ways. God is able to keep you from falling when you have failed.Are you focused on some failure of yours right now? Will you get back on the rock face today and follow Jesus?

To the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.Jude 25Jude says that there is only one God, and this God is the Saviour God. Now if God is the Saviour, what does this saving look like? There are three dimensions. 1. God is our Saviour from sin's penalty. When you came to faith in Jesus, God forgave your sins. He freed you from guilt, condemnation, and hell: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1). This is the beginning of your salvation but is not the end. 2. God is our Saviour from sin's power. When you become a Christian, you are no longer under sin’s power: “Sin will have no dominion over you” (Rom. 6:14). Think of it like a boxing match. Before you came to Christ, sin was your master. Your hands were tied and you were blindfolded. You were defenceless. You were in no position to fight back. But now, in Christ, God has put you in a position to fight. He takes off your blindfold and frees your hands. You are on an entirely different footing. Though you will bear the scars of battle, in Jesus Christ you will prevail. 3. God is our Saviour from sin's presence. Imagine yourself in the ring. You have been sparring for ten rounds, and you’ve landed some blows, but your opponent just won’t go down. He just keeps coming back. That’s a picture of your battle against temptation. The longer the fight goes on, the more you long to see the enemy hit the canvas. One day he will. When Jesus comes again in glory, sin will be knocked out. Your battle will be over, and you will receive the crown of victory.God is our Saviour. He saves us not only from sin’s penalty but also from its power, and one day He will save us from its presence. Which of these is clearest to you now?