A Glimpse Of His Glory


Mark 9:1-13

Most scholars believe it is Mount Hermon.

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The Lord Jesus Christ selected Peter, James and John for this trip to the top of Mount Hermon.

Perhaps they were allowed to witness His transfiguration in preparation for the places of leadership they would later occupy.

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Suddenly the Lord Jesus Christ changed!

His face changed.

His garments changed.

He was transfigured.

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The dark mountain was instantly bathed a light brighter than the sun.

It was a special presentation!

These men were given a glimpse of the glory of God.

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Then Moses and Elijah appeared.

They came to talk with the Lord Jesus Christ about His impending death upon the cross (Luke 9:31).

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Moses and Elijah were the preeminent representatives of the Law and the Prophets.

They came to encourage the Lamb of God as He drew closer to Calvary.

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Peter was so frightened.

He didn’t know what to say.

So he just blurted out something.

He recommended putting up 3 shelters, one for Moses, one for Elijah, and one for Jesus.

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Then a cloud appeared and covered them.

Out of the cloud boomed the very voice of God Almighty: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”

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God spoke and immediately the cloud was gone.

Moses and Elijah were gone.

The disciples were alone with the Lord Jesus Christ once again.

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As the Lord Jesus Christ and His 3 disciples left the mountain, he told them not to tell what they had seen until He rose again from the dead.

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The 3 men were confused.

They wanted to know why the scribes said that Elijah must come before the Messiah, when they saw Elijah appeared on the mountain after they had seen the Messiah.

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The Lord Jesus Christ told them that Elijah would come.

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Then He turned the tables on them.

He turned the focus from Elijah to Himself.

He told the disciples that while Elijah would come, the Son of Man would suffer much and be rejected.

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Then the Lord Jesus Christ let them know that Elijah had already come, not literally, but in the person of John the Baptist, who came in the spirit and power of Elijah.

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When this great man of God came, he was put to death.

The implication here is that the Son of God came to this earth and He too would be treated shamefully.

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Thank God for the transfiguration of the Lord Jesus Christ.

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Nowhere in the Gospel record can His glory and identity be seen any clearer.

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The Lord Jesus Christ was completely man, yet He was so divine that He could let His real glory shine like the sun.

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He is the fulfillment of everything Moses and Elijah, and all the Law and prophets, said or wrote.

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He brings that fulfillment to us!

He brings the presence of God to our lives.

He illuminates our lives.

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One day, through our relationship with Him, we will rest for all eternity in the glory of our risen, sovereign Lord.

Do You Still Not Understand?


Mark 8:14-21

The Lord Jesus Christ and His disciples were on a boat sailing across the Sea of Galilee.

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The disciples still had their minds on the bread.

They realized that they had forgotten to bring along bread for themselves.

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The Lord Jesus Christ used their forgetfulness as an opportunity to teach them some lessons.

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The Lord’s Command (15)

The Lord Jesus Christ warned them to beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.

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In the Bible, yeast is a picture of sin, evil and wickedness.

It is used as a picture of corruption.

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We are to lay aside evil and spiritual corruption, and live for the Lord Jesus Christ.

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We are warned that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough.

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Sin is like yeast in our lives.

When we tolerate sin, it will soon infiltrate every part of our lives.

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The Lord Jesus Christ warned His disciples to beware of hypocrisy, worldliness and compromise.

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The Disciples’ Confusion (16)

The disciples misunderstood what the Lord Jesus Christ was trying to say.

Their minds were so focused on the material and physical world that they couldn’t see the spiritual side of thing.

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The Lord Jesus Christ wasn’t talking about real bread at all.

He was using the yeast found in bread as a metaphor, as a symbol of evil.

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The Lord’s Challenge (17-21)

The Lord Jesus Christ sensed their thoughts.

He asked them a series of questions to awaken faith in their hearts.

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Didn’t they see Him feed 5,000?

Didn’t they see Him feed 4,000?

Didn’t they hear His words and the responses of the people?

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Then He asked them specifically about how many baskets of fragments were left over in the 2 feeding miracles.

They answered that there were 12 in the first and 7 in the second.

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Our Lord’s point in this was to get them to see that it was God they were dealing with!

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A lack of bread was not the real problem.

Their real problem was a serious lack of faith!

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The heart of the issue was not the yeast of the Pharisees and the Herodians.

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The real issue was the lack of faith among the disciples.

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We read God’s Word, but many of us do not believe it.

We experience God’s power, but many of us are not convinced that we can trust Him completely.

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The Lord Jesus Christ challenges us to examine our lives in the light of His work in us.

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He is calling us to have radical and total faith in Him.

He is calling us to remember what He has done in our lives.

He is calling us to faith.

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He is challenging us to come to Him for salvation.

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He is calling us to purge the yeast of hypocrisy and worldliness from our lives.

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He is calling us.

We need to come to Him now!


Eating With Unwashed Hands


Mark 7:1-23

The Problem Confronted (1-5)

The Pharisees and the scribes saw the disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ eating with unwashed hands.

They confronted the Lord Jesus Christ.

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This washing had nothing to do with cleaning the hands.

It was a ceremonial cleansing.

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It involved someone pouring water out of a jar onto another’s hands, whose fingers must be pointing up.

As long as the water dripped off at the wrist, the person could then proceed to the next step.

He then had the water poured over both hands with the fingers pointing down.

Then each hand was to be rubbed with the fist of the other hand.

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The problem with this ritual cleaning was that it was not from God.

It was the tradition of the elders.

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The Problem Condemned (6-13)

The Lord Jesus Christ condemned their legalism.

He called them hypocrites.

He accused them of elevating their traditions far above the Word of God.

He told them that they had laid aside the commandments of God in favor of their man made rules and traditions.

He told them that they had actually rejected the commandments of God so that they could keep their traditions!

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The Lord Jesus also exposed the liberties they took with the Law.

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He talked about the practice of “Corban”.

That word means “a gift to God”.

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God said in the 5th commandment, “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you."

"And he who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.”

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Part of the idea of honoring our parents included the necessity of providing for their needs as long as they lived.

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But the Jews found a way around it.

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They said that their money or possessions was “Corban”.

They could only use them in sacred matters.

Thus they didn’t have to provide for their parents.

They would just tell them that their stuff was dedicated to the Lord and they wouldn’t be getting anything.

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The Lord Jesus Christ told them that they had made the Laws of God ineffective by their traditions.

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The Problem Clarified (14-23)

The Lord Jesus Christ told the crowds that it is not what comes into the body, like eating with unwashed hands, that causes spiritual defilement.

It is those things that arise from within the heart of a person that defile him or her.

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The disciples were confused.

They asked the Lord Jesus Christ about the matter.

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The Lord Jesus Christ reminded them that what went into the body passed through the body.

It did not affect the heart, or the inner man.

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External things cannot cause spiritual defilement!

Spiritual defilement is always the result of a defiled heart.

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Every sin we commit has its origin in our heart.

We do the things we do because of defilement within.

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Keeping external rules will not change the heart.

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The heart can only be changed, and spiritual defilement cleansed away, by the new birth.

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The Lord Jesus Christ is able to take a defiled sinner and wash them in His blood.

He is able to make them a new creature.

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The Lord Jesus Christ then gave them some attitudes and actions that could cause spiritual defilement.

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The problem with mankind is a problem of the heart.

It is a place where sin originates.

That is the part of man that needs to be changed!

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Are we hypocrites?

Are we legalists?

Do we have defiled heart?

Have we truly been born again?

Has the Lord Jesus Christ saved our soul and changed our lives?

Or, have we just been pretending to be believers?

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Let us look into our heart now.

What do we find there?

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What dwells in our hearts is what we really are!

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Let’s obey the voice of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Let us come to Him now.

Only Him can change our heart!

The Death Of A Conscience


Mark 6:14-29

Herod’s Confusion (17-20)

Herod Antipas heard about the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ and His miracles.

He thought that the Lord Jesus Christ was John the Baptist raised from the dead.

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Herod Held John

Herod had John the Baptist arrested for preaching against his sins.

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Herod had fallen in love with his sister-in-law, Herodias.

They had an affair.

They both left their spouse and married one another.

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John the Baptist repeatedly condemned their action.

Herod was upset.

So was Herodias.

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Herod had John thrown into prison.

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Herod Helped John

Herod disliked John the Baptist’s message.

But he protected him from the murderous ambitions of Herodias.

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Herod Heard John

Herod didn’t like John the Baptist exposed his sin.

But he had a reverential fear of him.

He knew that John the Baptist was a holy and righteous man of God.

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When He heard John the Baptist preached, it caused him great conflict of soul.

But He heard him gladly.

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Herod’s Crime (21-29)

It Involved A Sinful Dance

Herodias had been waiting for an opportunity to put John the Baptist to death.

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She saw her chance at Herod’s birthday.

When Herod and his men were drunk with wine, Herodias sprung her trap.

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She sent in her teenage daughter Salome to dance for them.

It was a suggestive, sensual, sexual dance designed to inflame their passions.

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Her dance had the desired effect, for Herod and those with him were captivated by her.

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It Involved a Senseless Declaration

Herod promised to give her anything she desired, up to half his kingdom!

It was a foolish boast designed to make him look good in front of his guests.

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The girl ran to her mother to seek her advice.

Her mother, without hesitation, told her to request the head of John the Baptist.

The girl ran back and told Herod she wanted John’s head.

She added her own twist to the request by telling him that she wanted it now and she wanted it served up on a plate.

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It Involved A Shameful Deed

Herod realized immediately that he had made a mistake.

But he was afraid of losing face in front of his guests.

So he sent the executioner and John the Baptist was immediately beheaded.

It was then presented to Salome.

His disciples then came and took his body away for burial.

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Herod’s Conscience (14-16)

His Contrition

As soon as Herod heard about the miracles, the message and the ministry of the Lord Jesus, He immediately assumed that the Lord Jesus Christ was John the Baptist resurrected from the dead.

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His Confession

Herod was convinced that the Lord Jesus Christ was none other than John the Baptist whom he beheaded.

Herod was confessing his guilt.

But there was no repentance!

Herod was not saved!

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The death of a conscience is a tragic event.

It usually leads to the death of a soul.

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When we refuse the Lord Jesus Christ and the Gospel, there remains no hope for our salvation.

There is nothing in our future but the terrible effects of sin and the horrors of Hell.

Never be like Herod!


The Amazing Power Of Simple Faith


Mark 5:21-34

The Woman’s Disease (24-26)

Her Ailment

The woman suffered from an issue of blood.

She was bleeding from her body.

It was a continual flow of blood.

Her Agonies

The constant flow of blood caused her much suffering.

She Suffered Physically

She was weak and pale.

The least of efforts would wear her out.

She Suffered Medically

She had tried all the remedies of all the physicians.

And she suffered under their care.

She Had Suffered Socially

She could not work around others because of the danger of defilement.

She Had Suffered Emotionally

She had lived her life moving from one rejection to another.

She was always lonely, isolated and desperate!

She Had Suffered Religiously

She could not go to the Women’s Court of the Temple.

She was unclean.

She Had Suffered Financially

She had spent all she had.

She has been left penniless and destitute.

Her Anguish

She was living under a death sentence.

She would not get better.

She would only die from this disease.

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The Woman’s Desire (27-28)

The Witness She Heard

This poor woman heard about the Lord Jesus Christ.

She had heard that there was power in His touch.

The Will She Held

She knew that the Lord Jesus Christ was her only hope!

She was desperate to approach Him!

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The Woman’s Deliverance (29-34)

Her Deliverance Was Powerful

She reached out her trembling hand.

She touched His garment.

Instantly she was healed!

Her Deliverance Was Personal

The Lord Jesus Christ felt her touch.

It was a touch accompanied by faith.

He sought her out to bring her to salvation.

Her Deliverance Was Profound

The woman was brought into a soul saving relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

She was in the family of God!

Her Deliverance Was Permanent

The woman had done the right thing in coming to the Lord Jesus Christ and touching Him.

She was healed.

Her battle with this dread disease was finished!

She had received a brand new life from the hand of the Lord.

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This woman experienced healing that day.

It was not because she touched His garment.

It was because she exercised faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His power.

When her faith touched His power, His power changed her life.

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In that crowd that day, there were many people with physical, spiritual, and emotional needs.

But only she got help.

Many touched the Lord Jesus, but only she was transformed.

Only she looked at the Lord Jesus Christ through the eyes of faith.

She believed He could help her.

She did whatever she had to do to touch Him.

When she touched Him, she was made whole!

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If we need help, we must come to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Only He has the power to change our situation.

If we need help, we must get to Him and touch Him by faith.

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