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Tag: mark

  • Fire of the Living God

    Fire of the Living God

    Exodus 3: 2 And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed… God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!”

    And he said, “Here I am.”

    5 Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” 6 And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”

    And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

    Numbers 9: 15 On the day that the tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the testimony. And at evening it was over the tabernacle like the appearance of fire until morning.

    16 So it was always: the cloud covered it by day and the appearance of fire by night.

    Ezekiel 1:4 As I looked, behold, a stormy wind came out of the north, and a great cloud, with brightness around it, and fire flashing forth continually, and in the midst of the fire, as it were gleaming metal.

    Malachi 3:2 But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears?

    For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap…

    5 “Then I will draw near to you for judgment.

    I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts.

    Matthew 13: And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.”

    37 He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.

    38 The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom.

    The weeds are the sons of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil.

    The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.

    40 Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age.

    41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, 42 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

    43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.

    He who has ears, let him hear.

     Mark 1:8 KJV I indeed have baptized you with water:

    but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.

     

  • Be Still…

    “Be still, and know that I am God.
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth!”

    Psalm 37:7

    What were the instructions of the risen Christ Jesus to the Apostles for the time after He ascended once more into Heaven?

    WAIT.

    Luke 24:48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

    Even when we witness Christ crucified and resurrected, we must not get ahead of His higher purposes and timetable.

    What did the Lord say to frightened Apostles when He appeared suddenly in an upper room?

    Luke 24: “Peace to you!” 37 But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit.

    John 20:Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”

    In fact, what had Jesus spoken to His creation of the wind and sea when the Disciples in a boat with Him had thought they might perish by drowning?

    Mark 4:39 And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

    He offered the blood and sacrifice of His peace for the sake of those He loved.

    Jesus had assured that His peace will remain with those who have faith in Him.

    John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

    Jesus had often instructed the Disciples of the Source of His peace.

    Matthew 26:36 Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.”

    41 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 42 Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed…

    Be still and know that Jesus IS Lord.

    Pray to the Father and He will send you the Spirit.

    Jesus tells a parable of a great wedding feast.

    (Do Christians not expect to receive the invitation of our Lord to this glorious joining of the church to her Bridegroom?)

    One wanted to celebrate the wedding feast without an invitation. He did not wait for the invitation, but just showed up as an uninvited guest.

    Matthew 22:12 And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’

    And he was speechless.

    It’s the same word: Before the King, the man had to be still. He had nothing to say.

    13 Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14 For many are called, but few are chosen.”

    WAIT! on the Lord.

    Pray; and He will send the Spirit.

    If the Disciples of the first century always seemed so distracted, how much more the distracted christians of this twenty-first century.

    Be still. Pray. Wait for the Spirit. Then obey our Lord.

    Psalm 25

    English Standard Version (ESV)
    Teach Me Your Paths

    To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
    2 O my God, in you I trust;
    let me not be put to shame;
    let not my enemies exult over me.
    3 Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame…

    Jesus IS victorious over sin and death!

    Jesus IS Lord. Let us pray for His paths.

    4 Make me to know your ways, O Lord;
    teach me your paths.
    5 Lead me in your truth and teach me,
    for you are the God of my salvation;
    for you I wait all the day long.

     Be still, beloved believer.

    Pray and wait for the Spirit.

    16 Turn to me and be gracious to me,
    for I am lonely and afflicted.
    17 The troubles of my heart are enlarged;
    bring me out of my distresses.
    18 Consider my affliction and my trouble,
    and forgive all my sins.

    Lord, Jesus, You have died for my sins.

    20 Oh, guard my soul, and deliver me!
    Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.
    21 May integrity and uprightness preserve me,
    for I wait for you.

    We wait for You, Lord Jesus.

     

  • After the Resurrection

    After the Resurrection

    John 21:14 This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

    My purpose here is not to convince you of proof of the resurrection, but to convict you with the command of our our risen Lord.

    Mark 16:15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.

    16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned…”

    We would do well to study all of the Gospel and what Christ Jesus, our Lord, has commanded His servants, those saved by the Blood of the Cross and sent into all the world as witness of God’s compassionate love for sinners like us.

    Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord.

    13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. 14 This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

    Dr. Luke, historian recording his gospel and the Acts of the Apostles from the first hand testimonies of Peter and the Apostles probably records this with the most details:

    Luke 24: 

    Jesus Appears to His Disciples

    36 As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!”

    37 But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit.

    38 And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.”

    40 And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41 And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate before them.

    44 Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”

    Here is a lesson in Scripture from our risen Lord I would have liked to have heard.

    Trust that Luke and the other scribes of the Gospel have accurately recorded much of this as part of what we have read from the life of Jesus Christ prior to the Crucifixion and Resurrection.

    45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

    48 You are witnesses of these things.

    One witness betrayed, then hung himself. Condemned to Hell, Judas was not present for these commands.

    One witness to the dark night of Jesus’ trial did not flee, but remained near enough to have denied Jesus as His lord three times. John is witness of Jesus forgiving Peter, before sending Peter to follow in His way to the Cross.

    thomasOne witness had to place his hand in the wounds of the resurrected body of Jesus.

    But we would not have been any less skeptical than Thomas, who was also later martyred for His witness of these things.

     

    Matthew 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.

    And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”