Grace Bible Church
Pastor-Teacher
Robert R. McLaughlin
Thursday,
July 23, 2020
Pastor Rick Kabrick
CH 1 John the Baptizer tells of one who will baptize not with water, but with the Holy Spirit. Jesus is baptized.
Jesus is tempted for forty days in the wilderness. John is imprisoned, Jesus preaches the kingdom of GOD.
HE also chooses disciples, drives out a demon, heals Peter’s mother-in-law. HE goes through the Galilee region, heals a leper.
2 Jesus heals the paralytic carried by four men. Jesus tells the man his sins are forgiven, the scribes object.
Levi the tax collector is called. Jesus is criticized by the scribes for dining at the house of Levi with sinners. Jesus says the Sabbath was made for man, not vice versa.
3 Jesus heals on the Sabbath (remember HE did 7 of them…) HE heals multitudes; he commands them not to tell anyone what he has done. Jesus answers those who attribute his work to Satan. Whoever does the will of God is Jesus’ brother and sister and mother.
4 Jesus teaches by the sea, the parables of the sower. Jesus quotes Isaiah, about those who see but do not perceive. Lamps are not to be put under beds or baskets.
Whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. The parable of the growing seed: the farmer plants the seed, but another power makes it grow. Parable of the mustard seed, which goes from something very small to something very big. Jesus rebukes the waves in a boat.
5 A possessed man who could not be restrained with chains is cured by Jesus. The demon says ‘my name is Legion’; Jesus grants permission for the spirits to enter swine, which rush into the sea and drown.
The locals plead with Jesus to depart. Jesus tells the man to reveal to others what great things the LORD has done for him. A ruler of the synagogue, Jarius, asks Jesus to heal his daughter.
A woman is healed of a hemorrhage by touching Jesus’ garment (we saw that in detail).
Jarius’ daughter is declared, but Jesus brings her back to life. Jesus tells all witnesses not to tell anyone.
6 People amazed that a mere carpenter can do such things: a prophet is not without honor, except in his own country.
Jesus sends the twelve out to preach and heal, with instructions to shake the dust from their feet as testimony against those who will not hear them.
Herod thinks Jesus is John risen from the dead – Herod has imprisoned John because he had criticized Herod’s marriage to Herodias, his brother’s wife. Herodias’ daughter asks for the head of John the Baptist after performing a dance. The feeding of the five thousand with five loaves and two fishes. Jesus walks on water.
Jesus heals many.
7 Pharisees and Scribes criticize disciples for eating bread with unwashed hands. Jesus quotes Isiah, honoring GOD with their lips, but not with their hearts.
HE replies that the Pharisees and scribes uphold the tradition of men over the commandments of GOD.
A man is defiled by what comes out of him, not by what goes into him. Jesus heals the demon-possessed daughter of a Greek woman, who says that Gentiles, although they may be a lower priority than Jews, may, like little dogs under the table, eat the children’s crumbs. Healing of a deaf and dumb man – Jesus commands him to tell nobody.
8 Jesus feeds the multitude with seven loaves and a few fish. The Pharisees ask for a sign, but Jesus says that none shall be given. Jesus warns of the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod, but the disciples do not understand.
Jesus heals a blind man. Peter confesses Jesus as the Christ, and Jesus commands him not to tell anyone. Jesus prophesies his suffering, death and resurrection.
Peter rebukes Jesus for this, and Jesus rebukes him back with ‘Get behind me, Satan’, saying he is mindful only of the things of men, not the things of GOD.
Jesus says that anyone who wishes to follow HIM must take up their Cross and follow. Whoever desires to save HIS life will lose it. Jesus says that some standing there will not taste death till they see the kingdom of GOD.
Remember Jesus had just told them that HE was to die for the sins of the world.
The event referred to here is just a glimpse of the kingdom of GOD.
Scholars have long debated what this event is. Could be the transfiguration which immediately follows, could be the resurrection, ascension, Pentecost or just the growing Church. Seems likely it was all of those events.
These disciples Peter James John are shown HE indeed is GOD. It was another reinforcement to these disciple’s faith.
Remember HE had just told them that HE would die. And then be raised from the dead, they needed a little reinforcement.
Well, HE silenced the scribes, HE comforted the father, and HE of course HE healed the boy, but what people miss is that HE instructed the disciples.
The man seemed unsure if Jesus could do anything. So, Jesus told him, if you can (believe), all things are possible to him who believes. When we trust GOD as true and all HIS promises as true, all things HE promises are possible.
Help my unbelief is something a man can only say if he has faith. While men have no faith, they are unconscious of their unbelief; but, as soon as they get a little faith, then they begin to be conscious of the greatness of their unbelief.
Think about that they just heard HE was to die, be buried and rise from the dead. A lot to absorb right?
Jesus declared that true greatness is shown not by how many serve you, but by how many you serve.
It frustrated Jesus’ disciples that these other followers of Jesus successfully cast out demons when they had just failed. I think that’s why John wanted them to stop.
This was either one of John the Baptist’s disciples, or one of the seventy Christ had sent out.
This is a warning that hell is real. And the LORD is saying if GOD has to take something in this world from you but you live with HIM forever its worth it.
The message of Jesus was clear: knowing how terrible hell is, it is worth any price to avoid.
DEU 24:1: When a man takes a wife and marries her, and it happens that she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some uncleanness in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house.
In his reply, this ruler said of himself that he had kept all these commandments, and that he has done so since his youth. This was possible according to the way these commandments were commonly interpreted but impossible according to the true meaning of GOD for these commandments.
This man might have a better response with: “There is no way I have kept or can keep the law of GOD completely. I need a savior, I need help, please help me.” That is what everyone should say as well.
Many people, like this man have almost everything, yet they are empty, something is missing. It is not always serving, you must learn Bible Doctrine, the mind of Christ.
This does not mean that this who have money, the rich cannot go to Heaven. It simply is that if money is your priority, GOD cannot be your priority. Remember money is not the root of all evil, it is however the root of all sorts of evil.
Many Jews believed that man could purchase salvation, so the more wealth one had, the more he could give, the more sacrifices and offerings he could offer, thus basically purchasing redemption.
For the first time Jesus is telling them what would happen to HIM. And now HE was heading toward the Cross at full speed. HIS Disciples would later understand that which they failed to understand at the time.
All of the disciples really felt that Jesus would set up a physical kingdom here on this earth, and He would run the Romans off. Their idea and Jesus’ idea of victory were two different things entirely.
What do you want Me to do for you? It might seem that the need of Bartimaeus was obvious. Yet Jesus had a deliberate purpose in the question. There was real power in both the asking and in the answer of Jesus. GOD may ask us the same question, and we should be able to articulate an answer that glorifies HIM.