Mark 3

Law requires no work on Sabbath                                        verse 1- 2

 And HE entered again into the synagogue

and there was a man there

which had a withered hand

And they watched HIM

whether HE would heal him on the Sabbath day

THAT they might accuse HIM

 Jesus questioned Sabbath rule                                            verse 3- 4

 AND HE said to the man which had the withered hand

Stand forth

and HE said to them

Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath day

OR to do evil?

            to save life – or to kill?

BUT they held their peace

 Jesus sad at harden of heart of leaders                               verse 5- 6

 AND when HE had looked round about on them with anger

being grieved for the hardness of their hearts

HE said unto the man – Stretch forth your hand

AND he stretched it out and his hand was

restored whole as the other

   AND the Pharisees went forth and straightway took counsel

with the Herodians against HIM

how they might destroy HIM

 Crowd followed Jesus                                                          verse 7- 8

 But Jesus withdrew HIMSELF with HIS disciples to the sea

and a great multitude from Galilee followed HIM

and from Judea

and from Jerusalem – Idumea – beyond Jordan

and they about Tyre and Sidon – a great multitude

                                    when they had heard

what great things HE did

came to HIM

 Jesus healed and cast out fallen angels                             verse 9- 12

 AND HE spoke to HIS disciples

            that a small ship should wait on HIM

because of the multitude

lest they should throng HIM

FOR HE had healed many

INSOMUCH that they pressed on HIM

for to touch HIM

                                    as many as had plagues

AND unclean spirits when they saw HIM

            fell down before HIM – and cried

saying

                        YOU are the Son of God

AND HE straitly charged them

that they should not make HIM known

 Jesus gives authority to the twelve                                    verse 13- 15

 And HE goes up into the mountain

and calls to HIM whom HE would

                        and they came to HIM

And HE ordained twelve – that they should be with HIM

and that HE might send them forth to preach

and to have power to heal sicknesses

and to cast out devils

 Jesus names the twelve disciples                                       verse 16- 19

 And Simon – HE surnamed Peter

            and James – the son of Zebedee

and John – brother of James

            and HE surnamed them Boanerges

which is – The sons of thunder

            and Andrew – Philip – Bartholomew – Matthew – Thomas

and James – the son of Alpheus

                        and Thaddeus – Simon – the Canaanite

                        and Judas Iscariot which also betrayed HIM

and they went into an house

 Jesus’ physical family reaction to HIS ministry                 verse 20- 21

 And the multitude comes together again

SO THAT they could not so much as eat bread

And when HIS friends heard of it

they went out to lay hold on HIM

FOR they said – HE is beside HIMSELF

 Religious leaders thought HE was possessed                 verse 22

 And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said

            HE hath Beelzebub – and by the prince of the devils

casts HE out devils

 Jesus gives illustration                                                     verse 23- 27

 AND HE called them to HIM

and said unto them in parables

                        How can Satan cast out Satan?

AND IF a kingdom be divided against itself

that kingdom cannot stand

AND IF Satan rise up against himself – and be divided

            he cannot stand – BUT hath an end

No man can enter into a strong man’s house

and spoil his goods

EXCEPT he will first bind the strong man

and then he will spoil his house

 Jesus warns of the unpardonable sin                              verse 28- 30

 Verily I say to you

            All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men 

and blasphemies wherewith soever

they shall blaspheme

            BUT he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost

has never forgiveness

            BUT is in danger of eternal damnation

BECAUSE they said

            HE has an unclean spirit

 Jesus’ physical family came to see HIM                          verse 31- 32

 There came then HIS brethren and HIS mother

and standing without

                        sent unto HIM – calling HIM

AND the multitude sat about HIM

and they said unto HIM

BEHOLD- YOUR mother and YOUR brethren without

seek for YOU

 Jesus tells who is HIS real family                                     verse 33- 35

 AND HE answered them

saying

Who is MY mother? or MY brethren?

            AND HE looked round about on them

which sat about HIM – and said

            BEHOLD MY mother and MY brethren

                        FOR whosoever shall do the will of God

                                    the same is MY brother – sister – mother

  

COMMENTARY:           

DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers 

            : 5        And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he said unto the man, Stretch forth your hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other. (4818 “grieved” [sullupeo] means feel sympathy, feel sorry for, be deeply distressed, share one’s grief, or sorrow on account of someone.)

DEVOTION:  Jesus looked at HIS world while HE was living here on this earth. HE saw that the religious leaders were taking the people in the wrong direction. HE saw people who were searching for truth. HE found people who were willing to listen to HIS message as long as they received healing and food. It was a generation much like our own today. We have people who are looking to God to make them healthy and wealthy and answer all their prayer requests for more.

Here Jesus looked at the religious leaders who were just following HIM to find fault and they didn’t care if someone who was sick needed help. They only thought of how they could catch Jesus in a sin, so that, they could kill HIM.

What did this do to Jesus? It caused him to feel sorry for them that their heart was not right with God and they were going to spend eternity in the lake of fire. They were unwilling to learn or listen to the message HE was giving. They were unwilling to genuinely care for the people that were around them. They were just fault finders to make them look good.

Jesus worked in spite of the religious leaders and HIS works amazed the people. They were not used to finding a religious leader who cared about people.

We need to be a people like Jesus Christ who care for those who are dying and going to hell for eternity. We need to have a burden to help those who are in need. We need to be praying for those who need the LORD’S healing touch in their life.

CHALLENGE: Care about the people who are around you today. Help all those you can without finding fault in them. Encourage them where they can do things for themselves. Set the example in these areas for others.

 

DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers 

: 6        And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against HIM, how they might destroy HIM. (622 “destroy” [apollumi] means to put out of the way entirely, abolish, render useless, kill, or ruin.)

DEVOTION:  Here we have two groups of people getting together to look into ways that they can hurt Jesus. Who are these two groups?

One group we know a lot about because they followed Jesus throughout HIS ministry to find fault with HIM. They were called Pharisees who were part of the Sanhedrin that made up the ruling body of the Jews at the time period when Jesus was walking the earth. They made up rules for others to follow but they didn’t follow themselves. They were the ones who were self-righteous and looked down on everyone else. They thought they had a special place reserved for them in heaven because they were better than everyone else. They were WRONG!

The second group we meet only once in a while. They are the politically correct people who were ones who loved the Roman Government and did anything they could to please the government over pleasing the LORD. They were loyal to Herod who was the ruler of the area. They were more politically minded. They didn’t want to cause any conflict between their religion and their government. If there was a choice they would always side with whatever Herod said was right.

There two groups, religious and political, got together to harm Jesus. They didn’t like what HE doing to the common people. They were beginning to put their beliefs over the control that the religious and political leaders had in mind for them.

This can happen even today with many people who claim they are believers trying to please the government and fake Christian individual over what the LORD taught and what the Bible continues to give direction concerning. Don’t fall into their traps. Satan seems sometimes to be an angel of light but he is true darkness. He is a fake who likes to have believers mix their religious beliefs with current social standards in our world. They don’t mix!!!

CHALLENGE: Watch that you don’t join the group that likes to lower the standards in their actions and beliefs.

DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers

: 29      But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation. (987 “blaspheme” [blasphemeo] means to speak reproachfully, rail at, revile, calumniate, to be evil spoken of, reviled, or railed at.

DEVOTION:  Have we ever had a difficult time in our lives? Has it seemed that nothing was going right? Do we think that Jesus had days when HE wondered what was going on? NO!! Remember HE knew the beginning from the end but this chapter gives us a time period in the life of Christ when it would frustrate us.

First, HE is in the synagogue and there is a man that needed healing on the Sabbath. HE asks, if it is right to do good on the Sabbath.  The Pharisees would not answer HIM. HE was GRIEVED at the hardness of the hearts of the religious leaders. That wouldn’t happen today would it???

Next, HE was crowded out by a crowd that wanted HIM to heal them and cast out demons. The demons knew who HE was. Amazing!!

Thirdly, HE sets apart twelve disciples to do ministry. They are to preach, heal the sick and cast out demons.

The Scripture tells us that they are so busy that can’t even take time to eat. That is busy.

After doing so much good, it seems like they should not have to worry about people being negative. Wrong! Along come “friends” of Jesus who say HE is crazy. Almost as good as the friends of Job, right!

Of course, the next ones on the scene are the scribes. They accuse Jesus of casting out demons by the power of Satan or the leader of the demons. Demons are fallen angels. Some of these fallen angels want to possess a human body for their own benefit. Some of these fallen angels are in chains. There are many demons because one third of the angels followed Satan out of heaven in their fall before the creation of the world. There is only one devil but many demons or evil angels. The KJV translators were emphasizing whom the demons were following by translating the word “devils.”

Now that Jesus has successfully cast out demons, the scribes had to give an answer to the people as to who gave HIM HIS power. Their answer was Satan.

Jesus tells them that if Satan is divided against Satan – his kingdom of demons would fall apart. HE then goes on to tell them that if they take the work of God and attribute it to Satan, they are in danger of eternal damnation. They are in danger of never being forgiven. What is this unpardonable sin? It is speaking evil of the work that Jesus did on this earth and on the cross. Jesus was doing the work of God on this earth. The scribes didn’t believe it. They were hard hearted. Those who remain hard hearted to the work of God will spend eternity with the Devil and his angels.

The place is real. It is a lake of fire for eternity for those who commit this unpardonable sin. We are here to warn our friends and family of this outcome to life. If they refuse to listen – their blood is on their own hands. If we don’t tell them – their blood is on our hands. The only unpardonable sin is not becoming a genuine follower of Jesus Christ. We need to be busy for the LORD.

CHALLENGE: After a long day, do we complain or give praise to the LORD? We should be giving praise to the LORD. Never give credit to anyone but the LORD for all the good you do in your world.

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: 35      For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is MY brother, and MY sister, and mother. (2307 “will” [thelema] means desire, pleasure, purpose, decree, active volition, good pleasure, delight, or favor.)

DEVOTION:  Jesus redefines HIS family. HE was born to Mary and HE had a number of half-brothers who were the sons of Joseph and Mary. HE had sisters. We don’t have a number for all of HIS siblings. We know Mary had four more sons and at least two daughters besides Jesus (Matthew 13: 55, 56). So, HE was part of a family of at least seven children. Each of the children helped their parents while they were growing up.

Mary followed the ministry of her Son but didn’t fully understand what it was all about. HIS half-brothers didn’t become followers of HIM until after HIS resurrection. They thought HE just needed to come home and rest.

Jesus redefined HIS family as only those who did the will of God in their life. Part of doing the will of God was to be part of HIS ministry. They were not a part of it until after HIS death. Two of HIS half-brothers wrote books of the Bible: Jude and James.

Today we have many who might come to church and say the right things and even do some of the right things but they are not true followers of the LORD. HE wants us to be consistent servers of HIM. That means we have to do the will of God in our life.

If the Holy Spirit is given full reign in our hearts, HE will instruct us in what the LORD wants us to do with our life. This only happens when we yield to the Holy Spirit and ask for HIS anointing us with fresh oil each day.

CHALLENGE:  We have to ask ourselves if we are yielding to the Holy Spirit or to our own selfish, lazy desires. We will know the difference with the help of the Word of God and our prayer life.

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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:

BODY

Chastity (Purity in living)

Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)

Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)

Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)

Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)

SOUL

Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)

Frugality (wise use of resources)

Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)

Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)

Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)

SPIRIT

Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)

Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)

Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)

Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)

Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group) 

Synagogue                                                                       verse 1

Sabbath day                                                                    verse 2, 4

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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:

Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)

God the Father (First person of the Godhead)

God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)

                           Healed man with withered hand                               verse 1- 6

                                    Question: Is it lawful to do good on

                                                Sabbath days, or to do evil?

                                    Looked around in anger, being grieved

                                                For the hardness of their hearts

                       Righteous anger                                                             verse 5

                        Grieved                                                                          verse 5

                         Jesus                                                                             verse 7

                        Healed many                                                                 verse 10

                        Fallen angels worshiped Jesus                                     verse 11

                        Son of God                                                                    verse 11

                        Charged unclean spirits to not make HIM

                                    known                                                               verse 12

                        Ordained twelve disciples                                            verse 14- 19

                        “Friends” came to lay hold of HIM

                                    saying “He is beside himself”                           verse 21

                        Casts out devils                                                             verse 22

                        Taught in parables                                                        verse 23- 30

                                    How can Satan cast out Satan?

                                    Kingdom divided against itself

                                                that house cannot stand

                        Teaching regarding relatives                                       verse 31- 35

                                    Who is MY mother and my brethren?

                                    HE looked around and said

                                                Behold My mother and My

                                                            Brethren!

                                                Whosoever shall do the will of God,

                                                            the same is my brother,

                                                                        sister and mother 

God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)

                            Holy Ghost                                                                verse 29 

Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)

                         Will of God                                                                   verse 35           

Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)

                        Unclean spirits (evil angels)                                         verse 11, 30

                                    Fell down before Jesus and cried

                                    “You are the Son of God

                        devils (demons – evil angels) only one Devil              verse 15, 22

                        Beelzebub (evil angel)                                                 verse 22

                        Prince of devils (demons –evil angels)                       verse 22

                        Satan–evil leader of evil angels                                  verse 23, 26

                                    Rise up against himself and be

                                                divided he cannot stand

                                                but has an end 

Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation) 

Multitude come together to Jesus and disciples

            so that they could not so much as eat

            bread                                                                  verse 20

Strong man’s house                                                       verse 27

Sons of men                                                                   verse 28

                 Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels) 

Accuse Christ                                                                 verse 2, 30

Evil                                                                                 verse 4

Kill                                                                                  verse 4

Lack of speech                                                               verse 4

Hardness of heart                                                          verse 5

Destroy Christ                                                                verse 6

Sins                                                                                verse 28

Blasphemy                                                                     verse 28

Blasphemy against Holy Ghost                                     verse 29

Never forgiven                                                              verse 29 

Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins) 

Good                                                                              verse 4

Save lives                                                                       verse 4

Righteous anger                                                            verse 5

Grieved                                                                          verse 5

Ordained                                                                        verse 14

Preach                                                                            verse 14

Power                                                                             verse 15

Forgiven                                                                        verse 28, 29

Doing the will of God                                                   verse 35 

Israel (Old Testament people of God) 

Man with withered hand                                              verse 1- 6

Pharisees                                                                       verse 6

Wanted to destroy Jesus
Herodians                                                                      verse 6

Wanted to destroy Jesus

Galilee                                                                           verse 7

Judaea                                                                           verse 7

Jerusalem                                                                      verse 8, 22

Idumaea                                                                        verse 8

Jordan                                                                           verse 8

Tyre                                                                               verse 8

Sidon                                                                            verse 8

Scribe came down from Jerusalem to say

            Jesus had Beelzebub and by

                     the prince of the devils

        casts he out devils                                     verse 22

                        Scribes said Jesus had an unclean spirit                    verse 30

Jesus mother                                                                verse 31,32

Jesus’ half brothers                                                      verse 31, 32 

Church (New Testament people of God) 

Disciples                                                                       verse 7, 9

Ordained twelve                                                           verse 14

Disciples sent forth to preach                                     verse 14

Disciples power to healsicknesses                               verse 15

Disciples cast out devils (demons)                              verse 15

Simon (Peter)                                                               verse 16

James the son of Zebedee                                           verse 17

John –brother of James (Boanerges)                          verse 17

Sons of thunder= James and John                             verse 17

Andrew                                                                        verse 18

Philip                                                                            verse 18

Bartholomew                                                               verse 18

Matthew                                                                      verse 18

Philip                                                                            verse 18

Thomas                                                                        verse 18

James the son of Alphaeus                                         verse 18

Thaddaeus                                                                   verse 18

Simon the Canaanite                                                   verse 18

Judas Iscariot (betrayer)                                             verse 19 

Last Things (Future Events) 

Eternal damnation                                                       verse 29 

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DONATIONS:

Remember that all donations to Small Church Ministries are greatly appreciated. The treasurer will send a receipt, at the end of the year unless otherwise requested. Please be sure to make check out to “Small Church Ministries.” The address for the treasurer is P.O. Box 604, East Amherst, New York 14051. A second way to give to the ministry is through PayPal on the website: www.smallchurchministries.org.  Also, if you can support this ministry through your local church please use that method.  Thank you.

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QUOTES regarding passage

35 Jesus’ true family is not limited to the Twelve. It includes all who obey the will of God. It can easily be imagined what this statement meant to the original readers of Mark’s Gospel. “In place of broken family relations, ostracism and persecution, was the close and intimate relation to the Son of God” (Grant, p. 694). In view of the Jewish attitude toward one’s parents—an attitude adopted by the church—the authenticity of vv. 31–35 is unimpeachable. (Wessel, W. W. (1984). Mark. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke (Vol. 8, p. 646). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)

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Whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother. The words “brother,” “sister,” and “mother,” are modified by the personal pronoun in the genitive case, and according to Greek practice, are usually preceded by the definite article. But in this case they are without the article, showing that the nouns in this case are used figuratively. Expositors says of this statement of our Lord’s; “This saying and the mood it expressed would confirm the friends in the belief that Jesus was in a morbid state of mind.” Robertson says; “One’s heart goes out to Mary who has to go back home without even seeing her wondrous Son. What did it all mean to her at this hour?” (Wuest, K. S. (1997). Wuest’s word studies from the Greek New Testament: for the English reader (Mk 3:33). Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.)

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3:33–35. Jesus’ rhetorical question (v. 33) was not a repudiation of family relationships (cf. 7:10–13). He was highlighting the far deeper issue of a person’s relationship to Him. It is qualitative in force: “Who are the sort of people who are My mother and My brothers?” Then looking (from periblepomai; cf. 3:5) at those seated in a circle around Him (His disciples in contrast with those standing outside, v. 31), Jesus asserted that their kinship went beyond natural family ties.

Jesus broadened the reference beyond those present by stating that whoever does God’s will is a member of His family. The words brother and sister and mother, all occurring without an article in Greek (thus qualitative), figuratively denote Jesus’ spiritual family. Doing God’s will (e.g., 1:14–20) characterizes those who are Jesus’ spiritual kinfolk. (Grassmick, J. D. (1985). Mark. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 118). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)

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Our Lord was not being rude to His family when He remained in the house and did not try to see them. He knew that their motives were right but their purpose was definitely wrong. If Jesus had yielded to His family, He would have played right into the hands of the opposition. The religious leaders would have said, “See, He agreed with His family—He needs help! Don’t take Jesus of Nazareth too seriously.” Instead of giving in, He used this crisis as an opportunity to teach a spiritual lesson: His “family” is made up of all those who do the will of God. Our Lord’s half brothers were not believers (John 7:1–5) and Jesus felt closer to the believing publicans and sinners than He did to James, Joses, Judah, and Simon, His half-brothers.

Our Lord was not suggesting that believers ignore or abandon their families in order to serve God, but only that they put God’s will above everything else in life. Our love for God should be so great that our love for family would seem like hatred in comparison (Luke 14:26). Certainly it is God’s will that we care for our families and provide for them (see 1 Tim. 5:8), but we must not permit even our dearest loved ones to influence us away from the will of God. When you consider the importance of the family in the Jewish society, you can imagine how radical Christ’s words must have sounded to those who heard them.

How does one enter into the family of God? By means of a new birth, a spiritual birth from above (John 3:1–7; 1 Peter 1:22–25). When the sinner trusts Jesus Christ as Saviour, he experiences this new birth and enters into God’s family. He shares God’s divine nature (2 Peter 1:3–4) and can call God “Father” (Rom. 8:15–16). This spiritual birth is not something that we accomplish for ourselves, nor can others do it for us (John 1:11–13). It is God’s work of grace; all we can do is believe and receive (Eph. 2:8–9). (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, pp. 120–121). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)

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3:35 Jesus made a decisive and comprehensive statement on true Christian discipleship. Such discipleship involves a spiritual relationship that transcends the physical family and is open to all who are empowered by the Spirit of God to come to Christ in repentance and faith and enabled to live a life of obedience to God’s Word. (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Mk 3:35). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)

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Jesus affirmed that his true family is not his biological family, but those who follow the will of God (Luke 11:27–28). Placed in this context and followed by the parables of the Kingdom, the point is to be responsive to Jesus’ message about God and his plan, a message his mother and brothers were apparently struggling to accept. The account might be especially poignant if others who were responding to Jesus were facing the same lack of acceptance from family members (Marcus 2000:285–286). In effect, Jesus affirmed a new family and a new community. Since the family was the most significant of ancient relationships, this point was important. Even the most fundamental human relationships are not as central a defining point for identity and action as is loyalty to God. (Turner, D., & Bock, D. L. (2005). Cornerstone biblical commentary, Vol 11: Matthew and Mark (p. 432). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.)

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Ver. 35. For whosoever shall do the will of God, &c.] By believing in Christ, receiving him as a Saviour and Redeemer, and submitting to him in all his ordinances, as King of saints: the same is my brother, and my sister, and my mother: such are openly, and manifestatively related to Christ in a spiritual sense; and are as dear to him, and more so, than such persons are who stand in such a relation to others, or did to him according to the flesh. And this shews not only the near relation, and strong affection which Christ has for his people, but that he is not ashamed of them; and it may be concluded, that he will resent, in the keenest manner, every injury that is done them; see the note on Matt. 12:50. (Gill, J. (1809). An Exposition of the New Testament (Vol. 1, p. 398). London: Mathews and Leigh.)

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For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother. (3:35)

Anybody could become related to Him in a family tie that was nearer and dearer than any forged by natural birth. Natural ties would be swallowed up in spiritual ties. Henceforth, He would regard anyone who had the same relationship with His Father as He had as being in the new family. His relationship to the Father, while here on earth as a Man among men, was one of obedience (Heb. 10:7). All who were willing to accept the yoke of obedience would be kin to Him!

By natural birth, we are “children of disobedience.” We are children of Adam, of whom it is written that it was by one man’s disobedience that sin entered and death by sin. To become, instead, children of obedience calls for a new birth, a spiritual birth (John 1:11–13), as the Lord explained to Nicodemus (John 3:3). The Lord did not elaborate to His listeners on the “how,” just on the “what.” The principle of obedience, which characterizes the new family and its relationships, is illustrated in the conversion of Saul of Tarsus. The moment his eyes were opened, he enthroned Jesus as Lord. He said, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” (Acts 9:6). (Phillips, J. (2009). Exploring the Gospel of Mark: An Expository Commentary (Mk 3:35). Kregel Publications; WORDsearch Corp.)

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FROM MY READING:

 Franklin Graham says America is living in “dark days” morally and spiritually as more same-sex couples get married, marijuana cigarettes are lit up in public places, and television is awash in blatant immorality. The “sin-sickened” state of America will have far greater consequences than a “fiscal cliff,” the evangelist warned. “For the past few weeks, the media has been focused on what has been termed as the nation’s ‘fiscal cliff.’ Our country’s financial problems, however, are nothing compared to the spiritual and moral cliff that is far more destructive to our nation than any economic concerns,” Graham said in a public letter last week. Head of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, Graham pointed to the November election results and culture as examples of the moral dive he is seeing in the states. Same-sex marriage was approved in three states (Maine, Maryland and Washington) by popular vote for the first time in U.S. history in November. Also, an amendment in Minnesota that would have defined marriage as between a man and a woman was defeated. The November election also saw the legalization of marijuana for recreational use in Colorado and Washington State by popular vote. Even before the election, Graham’s father, Billy Graham, had expressed how much his heart aches for America as it moves farther away from God.

Now echoing the words of his father, Franklin Graham believes all hope is not lost if repentance and revival happen. “These are indeed dark days … but there is hope,” he said. “No question our country’s foundations are being destroyed, but I am reminded of an era in the Old Testament where the Lord moved in a dramatic way to bring godly change to a spiritually dark and depraved nation like Judah, whose moral foundations had been seriously eroded.” Comparing America to the days when Manasseh ruled over Judah, Graham noted that even though Judah was full of evil with the shedding of innocent blood, witchcraft and the worship of false gods, revival came. Manasseh’s grandson, Josiah, led the land to repentance after uncovering the book of the law (first five books of the Bible). “For far too long, as a nation we have neglected-and even rejected-the Word of God and His commands. Yet the Scriptures are mighty, able to penetrate even the most hardened and darkened hearts with convicting, life-giving power,” said Graham. “They are God-breathed, and any new season of repentance and revival in America can only come through a renewed focus on the great truths of God’s Word. “Just as the Lord used an 18-year-old king to begin revival in a corrupt nation more than 1,500 years ago, He can use us as we earnestly seek Him, stand for His truths, and pray for America. This is the only cure for a sin-sickened country that is about to slip into a moral abyss, and it is why we must proclaim the Good News.”

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Old Testament WORDS for Today by Warren W. Wiersbe

 I heard about a church member who prayed long at each prayer meeting and always closed by saying, “And, Lord, take the cobwebs out of my life.” One of the men in the group had gotten weary of hearing this and one night called out, “And, Lord, while you’re at it, kill the spider!” That’s what this text means (Isaiah 1: 16).

We should follow Christ’s example and be generous toward others.
INSIGHT

One of the marks of maturity is the ability to put off immediate reward for the sake of a future goal. Likewise, the willingness to put off temporal reward for the sake of eternal reward is a good mark of Christian maturity. The Scriptures teach that someday we must all appear before the bema seat of Christ. In ancient Greece, the bema was the grandstand where judges gave out honors to the winners of athletic competitions. Thus, it is before the divine “bema” that we will all appear. If we compete according to the eternal rules, we will gain the honor of reward from the eternal Judge. As Paul wrote, we must set our minds “on things above, not on things on the earth” (Colossians 3:2). (Quiet Walk)

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LIARS

Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. 1 John 2:22
The language used in this verse is very strong; John does not hesitate to refer to these antichrists as liars. Some say, “Here is the man who appears as the great apostle of love and who talks so much about love in this particular epistle. So how is it that he should thus describe these people who had gone out, and those who had seduced them, as liars?”

What we have here is in many ways very characteristic of the New Testament. John is not the exception; John did not use language like this because he was Boanerges, one of “the sons of thunder” (Mark 3:17); you find others doing the same thing. Listen to the apostle Paul using language like that to the Galatians: “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:8). You cannot imagine anything stronger than that. Or listen to him as he writes to the Corinthians: “If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema” (1 Corinthians 16:22).
Remember, too, the preaching of John the Baptist when he looked at his congregation, which consisted of Pharisees and others, and said, “O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” (Luke 3:7). Think also of the words of our blessed Lord Himself as He addressed the Pharisees toward the end of His life; He referred to them as “whited sepulchres” (Matthew 23:27).
Now I emphasize all this merely because we must be careful lest we put ourselves into a position in which we claim that we are more Christian than the Lord Jesus Christ Himself and His blessed apostles. The New Testament uses strong language. Here it is in its essence—liars.
A Thought to Ponder: We must be careful lest we put ourselves into a position in which we claim that we are more Christian than the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.
            (From Walking with God, pp. 131-133, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)

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Walking in the Spirit
“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” (Romans 8:1)
This promise in our text is followed in a later Pauline epistle by two nuanced commands in the letter to the church at Galatia.
“This I say then,” Paul says, “Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16). Then again, “if we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25).
Although they appear to be the same command in English, there is a significant distinction in the original Greek language in which Paul penned the letters.
Both the Romans 8:1 and the Galatians 5:16 passages use the word perepeto, which carries the connotation to “walk around” and to “be at liberty.”
The second iteration in Galatians 5:25 uses stoicheo, which means to “step precisely,” to “march,” or to “go in procession.” Same command but different emphasis.
The context of Galatians 5 stresses the difference between a lifestyle of fleshly behavior and a life controlled by the Holy Spirit. The “fruits” of the flesh and the “fruit” of the Spirit are diametrically opposed. They cannot exist together; they are not harmonious (Romans 8:5-8). We either “mind” the things of the flesh or the “things of the Spirit” (Romans 8:5).
The Christian walk has great liberty (Romans 8:21), but that liberty must “step precisely” in honesty (Romans 13:13), good works (Ephesians 2:10), and in truth (2 John 4-6). Our walk is expected to be by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7), and we are to conduct a spiritual warfare in the Holy Spirit’s power (2 Corinthians 10:3-5) protected by the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18).  (HMM III, The Institute for Creation Research)

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Kasper put on Facebook (MD): A Son’s last wish…
😭😭😭😭😭😭
A prisoner sentenced to the death penalty awaiting execution, asked for a pencil and paper as a last wish. After writing for several minutes, the condemned called the prison guard and asked that letter be delivered to his birth mother.

The letter said…

Mom, if there was more justice in this world we would both be executed and not just me. You’re as guilty as I am for the life I’ve been taking.
Remember when I stole and took home a boy’s bike like me?
You helped me hide it so my dad wouldn’t find out.
Remember when I stole money from the neighbor’s wallet?
You went with me to spend it at the mall.
Remember when you had a fight with my dad and he left?
He just wanted to correct me because I stole the final result of the course I ended up being expelled.

Mom, I was just a child, soon after I became a troubled teenager and now I’m a very poorly trained man.

Mom, I was just a child who needed correction and not approval. But still I forgive you…
I just ask you to make this letter reach the most parents in the world, so they know that what makes all men become people of good or evil… is education.

Thank your mom, for giving me life and for helping me lose it.

Ass: your criminal son

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DAILY HOPE

Today’s Scripture

Exodus 16-18 

Going on road trips with children could be a lot of fun but also, a lot of questions can be asked. One question repeatedly asked on our trips was, “Are we there yet?” It seemed that no matter how long the trip took, it was always too long! 

Israel also had a knack for asking questions as they traveled. Their questions were more directed towards God’s ability to sustain them, even though they had repeatedly seen God’s provisions. The Israelites accused Moses of bringing them to the wilderness to die of hunger and thirst. While they constantly saw the Lord’s provisions through providing manna to eat and safety from people that attacked them, they continued to question the Lord’s hand of protection. In Exodus 17:7, the people contended with the Lord by asking Moses, “Is the Lord among us or not?” 

When Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came for a visit he observed how Moses sat in judgment of the people. From morning till evening, the people stood before Moses awaiting his decisions. Jethro warned Moses that this practice would wear out both himself and the people if it continued. His advice was to appoint judges to counsel and teach the people regarding minor, less severe issues. Moses listened to his father-in-law and developed leaders under him.  As a result, the nation of Israel prospered. 

We are all tempted to complain and have a perspective that sees only the negative side of situations.  Instead of having skepticism or an argumentative attitude, take time to find a mentor to help you navigate through difficult times. Their friendship and wisdom can keep us from asking, “Are we there yet?” 

Expectant Hope,   Pastor Miller

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