The Widow’s Gift

August 27, 2010August 27, 2010 / Tim A. / Leave a comment

38 And he said unto them in his doctrine, Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the marketplaces, 39 And the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts: 40 Which devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayers: these shall receive greater damnation.
41 And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. 42 And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. 43 And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: 44 For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living. Mark 12:38-44 (KJV)

This sounds similar to many of the religious leaders, preachers on television who promise great dividends for sending in their offerings. They are really nothing short on theives [wolves] in sheeps clothing. They love the greetings of the people; they really love the offerings of the people. What they love most is approval, and the adulation of the crowds.

Lest someone judge me for making this judgment let me say this. Jesus is the one who is making this judgment. You need not worry about my “judgment” it is His which will hold muster in the end.

The boastfulness and arrogance of the religious leaders is astounding. As a matter of fact it makes Jesus sick. These love to have all the attention focused upon them. They like the service they do simply because it gives them notoriety and privilege. They will take the homes of the widows without remorse, and plead for the widow to continue to give unto the end.

A widow woman comes and cast “Two mites” into the “treasury”. It seems this was all that she had, and Jesus gives her more adulation than those who gave from their wealth. This woman gave all she had, the wealthy gave only a portion of what they had. It does not matter how much you give as long as you give it all to the Lord. If the Lord has it all you will guard what you have left and use it wisely for God’s glory. Does God have all that you hold in your possession? Does He have you?

Tim A. Blankenship

David’s Christ

August 4, 2010 / Tim A. / 2 Comments

“And Jesus answered and said, while he taught in the temple, How say the scribes that Christ is the Son of David? 36 For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The LORD said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool. 37 David therefore himself calleth him Lord; and whence is he then his son? And the common people heard him gladly.” Mark 12:35-37

The scribes would profess and teach that the “Messiah” was the “Son of David”, but they were not acknowledging Jesus as the Messiah. What was their problem? In the Psalms David calls the Messiah, “Lord” (Ps. 110:1). The Pharisees, scribes, and Sadducees [religious leaders] were rejecting Jesus as the Christ [Messiah]. Therefore, Jesus is putting forth a lesson they must hear and learn. If the Messiah is the Son of David, and Jesus is the fulfillment of the coming of Messiah, then He must also be Lord and God in flesh.

Jesus is not disagreeing with the premise that the Messiah is the “Son of David”, but He is strengthening it. In Psalm 110 verse 1 David is acknowledging the Messiah as Lord. “The LORD [Father God] said unto my Lord [Messiah/Christ]…”. In this passage Jesus is declaring the Messiah’s deity, and thus, His own deity.

The religious leaders did not believe the Messiah would be anything more than just a man, and that was the reason for Jesus’ question. If David is recognizing the Messiah as Lord, then He is more than “just a man”; more than “just the son of David”; He is the incarnate [in the flesh] God.

-Tim A. Blankenship

The Power Of The Ten Commandments

July 20, 2010July 20, 2010 / Tim A. / Leave a comment

“And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?
And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he: And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.
And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.” Mark 12:28-34 (KJV)

THE POWER OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

Jesus is asked by a scribe, “Which is the greatest commandment?” Jesus’ answer is one which shortens the whole of the Ten Commandments into two short commands. “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy mind, and with all thy strength…”. I have done a study of the Ten Commandments and find some very amazing thoughts of the first four commandments God gave us. The first four Commandments have to do with mankind’s relationship with God. In the first Commandment the “Heart” can have no other gods – there can be only one. In the second, the “Soul” of man cannot unite with other god’s by building an image – we are made in God’s image, not He in ours – thus the soul must be knit only to God. The third, the “Mind” of man must not think thoughts that make the mouth say vain things of God, or curse His name. In the fourth, we need “Strength” so God commanded a day of rest and so that we could devote one whole day for worshipping Him and renewing our physical and spiritual “Strength”. Just as a means of summing up these matters, we must come to the conclusion that there is no place in man’s heart and life for any other god, but the God who created all things, seen and unseen.

On the matter of the second commandment which Jesus gave, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself…” we see that the final six of the Ten Commandments have to do with mankind’s relationship to his/her fellowman. From one’s mother and father, marital faithfulness, preciousness of life, sacred ownership, speaking of others, and the possessions and being of your neighbor.

The scribe acknowledges that there is no greater law than these; to love God with all the heart, soul, mind and strength is better than “whole burnt offerings and sacrifices”. This man was a wise man, and even Jesus tells him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God”. Not by keeping commandments is one saved, but in knowing and loving God, and only God can give that to us.

For a list of other studies on the Ten Commandments you may follow this list.

-Tim A. Blankenship

Ignorance Of Scripture

June 12, 2010 / Tim A. / Leave a comment

“Then come unto him the Sadducees, which say there is no resurrection; and they asked him, saying, Master, Moses wrote unto us, If a man’s brother die, and leave his wife behind him, and leave no children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.’
‘Now there were seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and dying left no seed. And the second took her, and died, neither left he any seed: and the third likewise. And the seven had her, and left no seed: last of all the woman died also. In the resurrection therefore, when they shall rise, whose wife shall she be of them? for the seven had her to wife. And Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the Scriptures, neither the power of God? For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven. And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err.” Mark 12:18-27 (KJV)

IGNORANCE OF SCRIPTURE.

Remember the Sadducee’s did not believe in the spiritual. They did not believe in angels, and I suppose even the devil himself, nor did they believe in a resurrection of the dead. Everything is material. If you look at it that way, they could not, really, even believe in God. He is Spirit. So, this question and story they tell is to try and get Jesus twisted up and “confused”. They are trying to show people that He is a fraud. With Jesus it does not work.

It is no wonder that they are ignorant of Scripture. Not believing in the spiritual world, and most likely in God, why would they want to know the Word of God. The Sadducees accepted only the writings of Moses. The “Prophets” meant nothing to them, and that is why they and the Pharisees did not get along, except at times in political matters. It makes me wonder how they viewed the “disappearance” of Enoch in the fifth chapter of Genesis; the plagues in Egypt; the crossing of the Red Sea; the provision of water from the Rock; the daily provision of “Manna” from heaven; the judgments of the family of Korah by the ground opening up and swallowing them and all who followed them, the serpents in the camp because of excessive complaining, and their deliverance by the lifting up of the bronze serpent on a pole. These are all in the books which Moses wrote, and they have to do with the spiritual power who made them come about.

The hypothetical question posed by the Sadducees was based on what is called Levirate marriage. In Deuteronomy 25:5-6 we see the law of Moses giving the levirate marriage law, and where the question of the Sadducees came from. According to their story a man married a wife, and died without having children, the second brother took her to wife, and so on until they all had her as wife with no child. Their question, “Whose wife will she be in the resurrection?” My question, Who said they would be in the resurrection? At least the first one.

Not knowing the Scripture is a sad state for these men of the Sadducees. They were supposedly knowledgeable of the first five books of Scripture, but they would not believe the spiritual, nor anything having to do with resurrection – living again. I suppose they must have thought that anything having to do with “Living forever” only meant in a continued family after one’s death, or something.

Anyway Jesus said, “God is the God of the living.”

There is a great tragedy in being ignorant of Scripture. One can miss out on eternity with Jesus Christ, and/or be the cause of others missing out.

-Tim A. Blankenship

Mark Twelve – Thirteen through Seventeen

May 30, 2010 / Tim A. / Leave a comment

“And they send unto him certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians, to catch him in his words. 14 And when they were come, they say unto him, Master, we know that thou art true, and carest for no man: for thou regardest not the person of men, but teachest the way of God in truth: Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not? 15 Shall we give, or shall we not give? But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them, Why tempt ye me? bring me a penny, that I may see it. 16 And they brought it. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? And they said unto him, Caesar’s. 17 And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s. And they marvelled at him.” Mark 12:13-17 (KJV)

THEY TRY TO TRICK JESUS CONCERNING TAXES.

“Shall we pay taxes to Caesar or not?” That is a question many still ask this day and time.

Is it lawful, is it right, is it godly to pay taxes? Jesus said, “Render to Caesar, the things which are Caesars, and to God the things that are God’s”. What kind of society did Jesus live in? Roman rule was the law. Did Jesus protest taxes because the Romans were unjust, wicked, and boisterous? No! He said, “Pay your taxes”.

Jesus asked for a “penny”, and He looked at the image on the penny. He asserted that since Caesar’s image was on the penny then it needed to be given to Caesar. Whose image is on man? God’s. Therefore, give to God what is God’s. That means yourself.

Jeremiah the prophet told the people how they were to live as captives in Babylon, and under Babylonian captivity.

“Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all that are carried away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon; 5 Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them; 6 Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; that ye may be increased there, and not diminished. 7 And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.” Jeremiah 29:4-7 (KJV)

Also consider Romans chapter 13:1-7

Whether we as Christians want to admit it or not; like it or not; makes little difference if we are subjects of our Lord. We submit to Him, and the laws of our captive land. We are “captives” of a sort in this world until our redemption in Jesus Christ is completed at His coming.

-Tim A. Blankenship

Mark Twelve – One through Twelve

May 8, 2010 / Tim A. / Leave a comment

“And he began to speak unto them by parables. A certain man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, and digged a place for the winefat, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country. 2 And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive from the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard. 3 And they caught him, and beat him, and sent him away empty. 4 And again he sent unto them another servant; and at him they cast stones, and wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully handled. 5 And again he sent another; and him they killed, and many others; beating some, and killing some. 6 Having yet therefore one son, his wellbeloved, he sent him also last unto them, saying, They will reverence my son. 7 But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours. 8 And they took him, and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard. 9 What shall therefore the lord of the vineyard do? he will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will give the vineyard unto others. 10 And have ye not read this scripture; The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner: 11 This was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? 12 And they sought to lay hold on him, but feared the people: for they knew that he had spoken the parable against them: and they left him, and went their way.” Mark 12:1-12 (KJV)

In the fifth chapter of Isaiah, the prophet likens the nation of Israel to a “Vineyard”. It to is a parable. It is the story of a man who plants the vineyard, builds a fence around it, cleaned up the rocks, even built a tower for the vineyard, but then the vineyard does not produce anything but “wild grapes” – that is “worthless grapes”. The vineyard brought forth no useful fruit for its owner.

It seems that these religious leaders were reminded that they were the vineyard. Jesus is showing them as a prosperous vineyard, producing much fruit, but not giving the “Owner” what is due Him. In this parable Jesus speaks of a “Landowner” who prepared the vineyard, and then “leased” it out to others. The idea was that the “Owner” would collect his due when the harvest was over.

The story is really one of Israel, and their trek down through about 1500 years – from the time of Abraham. They had had prophet after prophet come to them with the message of God and His Word, but would often refuse the word of the prophet, and beat, abuse him and drive him from their presence. Just as the people leasing the land would not give the “owner” his due, these so called “People of God” would not yield to the “Messengers” which God sent them.

The message Jesus gives through this parable is that since they would not give God what was due Him, then the Kingdom would be given to others.

We might should pause and think about that. Have we heard God and surrendered to His Word and His will? Have we sent away His “Messengers” without even a thought of what He said? Are we making a mess of God’s kingdom? Have we sent His “Messengers” away empty handed, injured and bleeding? Maybe not physically, but spiritually?

Jesus tells us in the parable that these “Husbandmen” would do the same with the “son” when he would come to collect his due. The prophets of God were rejected, and ultimately the Son would be rejected and put to death on Calvary’s cross.

-Tim A. Blankenship

Mark Eleven – Twenty Seven through Thirty three

April 15, 2010April 13, 2010 / Tim A. / 2 Comments

“And they come again to Jerusalem: and as he was walking in the temple, there come to him the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders, 28 And say unto him, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority to do these things? 29 And Jesus answered and said unto them, I will also ask of you one question, and answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30 The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men? answer me. 31 And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why then did ye not believe him? 32 But if we shall say, Of men; they feared the people: for all men counted John, that he was a prophet indeed. 33 And they answered and said unto Jesus, We cannot tell. And Jesus answering saith unto them, Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things.” Mark 11:27-33 (KJV)

WHERE DOES JESUS GET THE AUTHORITY TO DO SUCH THINGS AS PURIFY THE TEMPLE?

If you are anything like me you are thinking to yourself that these religious leaders must be “fuming mad” at Jesus. Here for the second time in three years He has come into the Temple compound, and tossed tables, money, caused animals to scatter, and “offended” many of the people and upset the business of the Temple people. The thing we must realize is that God was offended by their “Business” in His house. They were more concerned with the pocketbook than with the hearts of the people. They were more upset over the money than they were with the shattered lives of the people around them.

Who gave Jesus the authority to do what He did? Who did He think He was anyway? We know the answer to that question – He was/is the Son of God, in the flesh. He is the Creator of the world. His authority came from Heaven. His authority came from His position as Creator, Son, Savior, Messiah, Lord, Redeemer, Master, Healer, Sustainer, the Almighty, and many other titles and names that is given Him. Now, where does the authority come from? Who gave Him this power? Did He need to ask permission? NO! It is all His.

These leaders would not answer Jesus’ question concerning John the Baptist. They knew what He would say if they would acknowledge John as a prophet of God. They were also afraid to answer he was just from men lest they received ridicule and rejection from the people. They would not stand on anything, so they would fall for a lie instead. They would have suffered rejection from the people because they saw John the Baptist as a prophet of God. How foolish, and how weak. It only proves they wanted only popular approval.

Why did Jesus not answer their question? If they were rejecting John’s message, they would not believe Jesus’ message of Himself. Why waste the time and effort to bother with an answer. There are times when an answer is not warranted or deserving of those who ask it. This was one of those cases.
Jesus was always willing to answer honest questions. He answered many of them. This was not an honest question. It is like you or me proving our identity, and then, having someone ask us, “Are you sure you are who you say you are?” Only with Jesus it is much more severe.

Jesus is the Son of God, became flesh, who died for our sins, carried our sins away at His burial, and after three days He rose from the dead for our justification, and He is one day soon returning for those who are His in the rapture of the Church, and then returning to earth to rule and reign for a thousand years and then for all eternity. Do you know the God/man Jesus?

-Tim A. Blankenship

Mark Eleven – Twelve through Twenty six

April 2, 2010 / Tim A. / 2 Comments

“And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry: 13 And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet. 14 And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it. 15 And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves; 16 And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple. 17 And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves. 18 And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him, because all the people was astonished at his doctrine. 19 And when even was come, he went out of the city. 20 And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. 21 And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away. 22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. 23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. 24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. 25 And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. 26 But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.” Mark 11:12-26 (KJV)

IN THE FIG TREE JESUS SHOWS US THE FRUITLESSNESS OF A DEAD RELIGION AND CONFRONTS IT.
As Jesus and the disciples were leaving Bethany, back toward Jerusalem, Jesus spots a fig tree with leaves on it – advertising that it had fruit. When Jesus arrives there they discover it has no fruit. Jesus curses the fig tree. To some this may seem unnecessary for Jesus to have done, but it seems to me that there is a message we must hear and heed.

“There was a voice in it for the JEWISH CHURCH. Rich in the leaves of a formal religion, but barren of all fruits of the Spirit, that Church was in fearful danger, at the very time when this withering took place. Well would it have been for the Jewish Church if it had had eyes to see its peril!”
“There was a voice in the fig tree for all the branches of Christ’s VISIBLE CHURCH in every age, and every part of the world. There was a warning against an empty profession of Christianity unaccompanied by sound doctrine and holy living, which some of those branches would have done well to lay to heart.”
“There was a voice in the fig tree for all the branches of Christ’s VISIBLE CHURCH in every age, and every part of the world. There was a warning against an empty profession of Christianity unaccompanied by sound doctrine and holy living, which some of those branches would have done well to lay to heart.” From J. C. Ryle commentary on Mark’s Gospel.

Dead religion offers nothing but leaves, and like the “fig leaves” which Adam and Eve tried to cover themselves with were inadequate, so are the “fig leaves” of a dead religion. In Scriptures the “Fig tree” often represents the nation of Israel and/or its religion (See Hosea 9:10; Nahum 3:12; Zechariah 3:10). It is somewhat intrigueing that we have Jesus’ strong words to this fig tree just before He enters the Temple compound and finds them “Buying and selling”. You will also notice that when Jesus and the disciples pass by the fig tree again that it is dead.

Why did Jesus “curse” the fig tree. First of all “it was not the season for figs” according to the text, but it had leaves, and most usually the leaves and the figs grew together. Secondly, by having leaves but no figs it was “advertising” it had fruit when it did not.

There are many people who do not believe that Jesus ever became angry. Those who think that must have never read of the two times Jesus cleansed the temple. He cleansed the temple once when He had just began His ministry three years prior to this, and then He does it again here. You can read about the first “Cleansing” in John chapter two, verses thirteen through seventeen.

Here is what was going on in the Temple compound. It was expected that the animals brought to the Temple for sacrifice would be inspected by the priest, but it had became a practice to find fault when there was no fault. It may have been something like this – A priest would say an animal was at fault then sell the owner of the “faulty” offering an “approved” offering, and then, he would sell this man’s animal as “approved” to someone else. Some people who travelled great distances may expect to buy a Temple approved offering at the Temple. It was nothing more than theft, and dishonesty that was taking place in the name of God. There was no holiness, righteousness, or godliness in the place. The “House of prayer” had been turned into a “Den of thieves”, and Jesus would not tolerate it.

The money changers would charge great fees for exchanging Greek and Roman monies for the Temple money. They made a great deal of profit by this deed, and took advantage of many poor people by the selling of doves for an extravagant profit.

The Church of the Lord Jesus this day needs to pay careful attention to this. The things of God are not for the making of profit. Using the name of God to attach a price on things is theft, and dishonors the name of the Lord. There are business men today who attend church so as to maintain a base for their business, and to keep a good name in the community they are in. Some will even try to conduct a little business in the church. There are some who think the church should be conducted like a business, when it is not a business, nor should it be conducted as such. It is the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ and is to be conducted by His guidelines and for His purposes, and glory.

In looking at the fig tree this is how we could define “Dead religion” – 1. It offers much but delivers little; 2. It is cold and formal; 3. It seems alive by its much activity [its buying and selling], but God is not there; 4. Its leaves cover its fruitlessness, but not to God’s eyes.

In verses 20 through 26 Jesus gives us a lesson in faith. The fig tree He “cursed” the day before has already withered – it is dead. It was so dead that even its roots were dried up. “Have faith in God” is the statement Jesus issues to the disciples. It is faith in God that makes all things possible. Someone has said, “Where God guides, He provides”. Is that true. Yes! it is.

Faith is believing in what you cannot see, touch, smell, taste, or hear in the physical realm. You can see evidences of faith in God, for instance; the rising of the sun, and its setting; the order of the universe; the intricacies of the human body, and the bodies of animals as well; the singing of the birds; and all the other details of life. Faith believes in God, even when there is no possible way of something happening. Jesus’ words on prayer are strong, and is telling us to ask as if we have already received it “Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” Mark 11:24(KJV).

That is genuinely the prayer of faith. Believing you have received it before you do.

Notice the importance Jesus places on “Forgiveness”. Without forgiveness we cannot expect answer to our prayers. God is so good to forgive us, we ought also to forgive those whom we believe responsible for offending us.

Remember this, NO FORGIVENESS, NO ANSWER TO PRAYER. KNOW FORGIVENESS, KNOW ANSWER TO PRAYER.

-Tim A. Blankenship

Mark Eleven – One through Eleven

March 12, 2010 / Tim A. / Leave a comment

THE FINAL WEEK OF JESUS’ LIFE IS BEGINNING, AND HE COMES TO JERUSALEM, TO PRESENT HIMSELF AS A SERVANT OFFERING FOR SIN.

“1And when they came nigh to Jerusalem, unto Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount of Olives, he sendeth forth two of his disciples, 2 And saith unto them, Go your way into the village over against you: and as soon as ye be entered into it, ye shall find a colt tied, whereon never man sat; loose him, and bring him. 3 And if any man say unto you, Why do ye this? say ye that the Lord hath need of him; and straightway he will send him hither. 4 And they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door without in a place where two ways met; and they loose him. 5 And certain of them that stood there said unto them, What do ye, loosing the colt? 6 And they said unto them even as Jesus had commanded: and they let them go. 7 And they brought the colt to Jesus, and cast their garments on him; and he sat upon him. 8 And many spread their garments in the way: and others cut down branches off the trees, and strawed them in the way. 9 And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord: 10 Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest. 11 And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve.” Mark 11:1-11 (KJV)

This event is often called the “Triumphal Entry”, but it seems more appropriate to call it a “Servants entry”. Of course, this is the event that leads to His death, burial and resurrection, and this is exactly what He is doing. He is not coming into the city as a conquering King, but as a lowly servant.

He is riding a borrowed donkey, not a gallant steed. The donkey is known as a surefooted, strong, burden carrier, but certainly not an animal for war or for conquering anything.

This is actually a first for Jesus. He has previously been only with His disciples, and occasional crowds wanting to see His mighty works and miracles. He has not ran seeking the attention of others, but now He is coming presenting Himself as a lowly, suffering servant. For the week that is ahead the people will need to make their final dicision as to who Jesus is. Is He the promised Messiah, or is He a fraud who is faking it all?

Jesus sends two of His disciples to find a donkey colt tied just as Jesus said it would be. The events happen just as Jesus told them it would. They begin untying, and someone asked them what they were doing and they told them what the Lord said to say. Everything was fine with them then.

One of the things we can see from this text is that Jesus never owned anything in this world. He said He had no place to lay His head. Any time He was sleeping it was a borrowed place. To preach to people along the shore of the Sea of Galilee He borrowed a boat. He died and was buried in a borrowed tomb. Jesus had no earthly wealth. Who are we to castigate, ridicule, and despise the poor, when Jesus was poor when He walked among us.

As Jesus came into the city of Jerusalem the people began to pay homage to Him as He rode on this unbroken donkey. They lay their garments in His path, they cut palm leaves and lay in the path, and they were singing. What were they singing? “Hosanna!Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.” They worship and praise Him now, but in a few days, some of these same people will be crying out, “Crucify Him, crucify Him”.

The people as they sing praise to Jesus are singing Psalms 118:26. How is it that a multitude of people can praise Him one day and just a few days later, many are willing to “Crucify Him” just because their religious leaders lead it. It was ordained by God that Jesus die for the sins of mankind, that He be buried – carrying our sins away; never to be seen again; and the He rise again from death for our justification. It was the ugliness of man’s sin that caused Him to be their; it was His love that kept Him there; and it was God in His wrath toward sin that struck Him, taking His life, turning His back on His own Son. It was Joseph of Arimethea who loaned Jesus a tomb in which to be buried, and it was the power of God that raised Him to life again, coming out of the tomb after three days.

-Tim A. Blankenship

Presentation Of The King

March 5, 2010 / Tim A. / Leave a comment

The Presentation Of The King

Matthew 21:1-16

This study and message is from a study of the final days of our Lord’s life walking among mankind. This is in fact the beginning of the final week of His life, before His crucifixion. My intent is to do a study of the final week of Christ before the death on the cross.

This study will consist of about ten sermons, preached on Sunday morning and evening through the fourth of April, 2010. It will cover chapters 21 through 23; chapters 26 through 28; and must keep in mind that this will not be an exhausted study – there will be much more to learn when my study is finished on this matter. Of course, the final messages will deal with our Lord’s resurrection, and His appearances to His followers, and the Great Commission.

We see from other passages of Scripture that Jesus had a mind set for Jerusalem in those final days of His life. He saw the goal in sight; and that goal was to do His Father’s will, and glorify His name; and to provide salvation and redemption for the people of the world.

For three years Jesus had avoided being forced to be the king (John 6:15), and forced into an early death (Luke 4:28-30). Now, it is as though, He realizes that it is time to present Himself as the servant King who comes to die for His people. More than a king He is the Lamb, and will die as the Passover Lamb for the sins of the people.

OUTLINE –

I. THE KING’S REQUESTS (vv.1-5).
II. THE PRESENTATION OF THE KING FOR PASSOVER (vv. 6-11).
III. THE KING AND THE TEMPLE THIEVES (vv. 12-16).

THE KING’S REQUESTS (vv. 1-5).
The heart of Jesus from the time He was a boy was to do the will of His Father (Luke 2:49). He has lived, believed and known that all things were in His Father’s hands; even the time of His sacrifice; and trusted Him to that purpose and goal. It may not seem; to us; like much of a goal – to come to die – however, for Jesus that was His purpose for being on earth, and always to glorify the Father.

When Jesus and His disciples came to Bethphage, near the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples to a certain place where there were two donkeys tied. They were to bring them to Jesus. If the owners of these donkeys asked what they were doing, then they were to respond, “The Lord has need of them”, and the men would let them go. When the disciples arrived at the designated spot, they found the donkeys just as Jesus had said, and sure enough the owners asked, “What are you doing loosing the colt?” (Mark 11:5). This was an act of the sovereign mind and will of God; directing the affairs of His holy Son.

The requests was for the donkeys. Though there was actually no asking necessary we are not told who owned the donkeys. We do however know that God is the Owner of all things, thus, He directs their use and purpose for His glory. The thing we must realize in this matter is that Jesus’s heart was to fulfull the word of God,

“All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass” 21:4-5 (KJV) and this is a quote from

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.” Zechariah 9:9 (KJV)

THE PRESENTATION OF THE KING FOR PASSOVER (vv. 6-11).
This has been called the “Triumphal Entry”, “King’s coronation” and maybe other things as well. Those are probably two of the most popular. It is more like the “King’s Offering”, than one of triumph or coronation.

Traditionally, this day has been believed to have been on Sunday – Palm Sunday, the Sunday before we celebrate Easter. It is, however, believed by some that this was on Monday and Jesus entered Jerusalem exactly four days before Passover. Let’s consider that this was Monday 10th day Nisan [Abib] and Passover was on the 14th Nisan [Friday]. Whether it was Sunday or Monday there would still be the four days, and fulfillment of the requirements of the law according to Exodus 12:2-6. Verse 6 there tells us;

“And ye shall keep it up [the lamb] until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.” Exodus 12:6 (KJV)

When the King came into Jerusalem through the East gate on that donkey colt, never been rode before; I just suspect that colt recognized His Master; and humbly submitted to His sovereign rein on him. It appeared that the people who were present for His appearance were into the “coronation”. There was much praising, celebrating; spreading their garments on the road, cutting off palm branches for the way. The multitude who was praising Him was also shouting “Hosanna” which means “save now”; and was expecting a quick solution to their problems. It is sad to think how fickle people are, and that many of these same ones who were at this moment ready to crown Him King would in a few short days be in the crown screaming, “Crucify Him. Crucify Him” when they are asked, “What shall I do with Jesus?”.

“Son of David” is a Messianic title and the Scripture Jesus gives reference to is from Psalm 8 verse 2. Psalm two is in fact a messianic Psalm speaking of the Messiah who will come and save the world.

THE KING AND THE TEMPLE THIEVES (vv. 12-16).
Early in the ministry of Jesus He entered the court of the Gentiles and cleansed it lighting the fuses of hostility among the religious leaders. His house was being violated; and in the last days of His ministry He finds that it needs done again. He enters the court and in anger drives out the moneychangers, sellers of doves, and lambs for sacrifice, overthrew the tables. Jesus calls this house “My house” (v. 13). However in Matthew 23 Jesus says,

“Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.” Matthew 23:38 (KJV)

The court of the Gentiles was a place for all nations (Mark 11:17) to gather and learn from Israel about the Lord God, and for prayer. Now it was not anything more than a place of business for the greedy merchants taking advantage of the weary travelers who needed to buy their sacrifices for the Passover. It is quite possible that the merchants even would condemn a perfectly healthy lamb in order to sell one of theirs to the owner of the condemned lamb. Then, they would turn around and sell the formerly condemned lamb as a clean lamb to another weary traveler. They had quite the scam going, and Jesus knew it.

Those who think it is alright to take advantage of other peoples situations for profit need only see the reaction of Jesus to these acts of thievery. It is sad to admit and say, but some of this stuff goes on in “Christian” Book stores, and in some churches too. It is too often seen on what calls itself “Christian television” with “Send in your offering, and you will be healed” statements. Making extreme profit in the name of Jesus is still thievery, and Jesus is not pleased by it.

Still the religious leaders just don’t get it. They question Jesus, as though to get Him to rebuke the people for crying out to Him. Perfected praise in the mouths of “babes and sucklings”. Now that is something we must consider. The humble, dependent heart of the child is what the religious leaders of that day and our needs.

application –

i. We must hear the King’s requests or commands, obey them and also have the heart for fulfilling the word of the Lord in our lives and the world.
ii. Recognize that the King has presented Himself as a sacrifice for sin; trust Him, believe Him, yield to Him, and let Him rule and reign in your life.
iii. The house of our King is holy; our body is the temple of the Lord (1 Corinthians 3:16-17); it is the “House of prayer”; keep it from becoming a den of thieves.

-Tim A. Blankenship

Daniel 2:1-23

February 12, 2010February 12, 2010 / Tim A. / 4 Comments

GOD WILL TAKE CARE OF YOU…
1 Peter 5:7

…When The Challenge Seems Impossible

Daniel 2:1-23

purpose – To display the need for Christians to be sober, courageous, and bold enough to seek the Lord’s guidance, and information from Him in difficult situations and circumstances.

In this the second chapter of Daniel we find that Nebuchadnezzar is a man of troubled dreams. What we will find later, by the power of God, through the prophet Daniel is that this is a dream related to the history of the Gentile nations throughout human history from Nebuchadnezzar until the appearing of Jesus Christ as King of kings and Lord of lord.

In this first message from chapter two we will see an enormous requirement put on the “wisemen” of Babylon. It is so impossible it leads the Chaldeans to respond that no one can give the dream, “…except the gods”. The enormous task was that, before they could interpret his dream they had to first, tell him his dream, and then he would know they were being truthful about its interpretation. Pretty smart of the king; at least I think so.

INTRODUCTION OUTLINE –

I. THE KING IS TROUBLED BY DREAMS (v. 1).
II. THE KING ASK FOR THE “WISEMEN” TO TELL HIM HIS DREAM THAT HE HAD DREAMED (vv. 2-9).
III. THE KING SENDS OUT A DECREE TO KILL ALL THE ‘WISEMEN’ (vv. 10-13).
IV. THE MAN OF GOD (DANIEL) SEEKS THE KINGS DELAY WHILE HE AND OTHERS PRAY (vv. 14-18).
V. GOD REVEALS THE DREAM AND ITS INTERPRETATION TO DANIEL (vv. 19-23).

I. TROUBLING DREAMS, FEARING WHAT MAY BE AHEAD (v. 1).
With a world in economic, political, and moral failure there are many who are having troubling dreams, even fearing what may lie ahead. Many of us may have dreams while sleeping that we don’t even remember, and some we do, however, Nebuchadnezzar was troubled by his dream. His dream was one that God had given him.

There should be no trouble in understanding the meaning of “the second year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign”, and the three years of training for the Hebrew children; as it is possible to have three years involved in two years of reign. In some reckonings of time a part of a year is counted as a year. In school years of out time we have one school year taking place in two parts of different years. You have a school year beginning in August 2009, ending in May 2010; another schoold year beginning in 2010 and ending in 2011; then, another school year beginning in 2011, and you have three years. I think that is enough to give some understanding in this matter.

In the commentary by his name Matthew Henry writes of Nebuchadnezzar, “Nebuchadnezzar was a troubler of God’s Israel, but God here troubled him; for He that made the soul can make His sword to approach to it” If there is ever a proof of the love of God it is or should be seen in the trials everyone endures; if indeed they endure them. Maybe it should be said every trial we go through. Can we not see the wondrous love of God?

In history we can learn from our mistakes; but looking ahead to trouble is only anguish. Learning from history is great; if indeed we learn, and then don’t repeat the past. Looking ahead in faith is not troubling, but peaceful. When you know who holds tomorrow, and leave the outcome to the One who is in charge you will have peace with the past and the future. No matter what dreams you dream.

“For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities: but fear thou God.” Ecclesiastes 5:7 (KJV)

II. WHEN THE SEEMING IMPOSSIBLE REQUIRES TRUSTWORTHY PEOPLE (vv. 2-13).
The supposed wisemen of Babylon were wise in the ways of the worship of demons; yet not knowing they worshipped demons (1 Corinthians 10:19-21). Thus the wisdom of the world has no power but will be pulled down by the mighty power of Almighty God.

The challenge which went out to the magicians, sorcerers, Chaldeans; and whatever else they were called was one they nor any other Gentile sorcerer had been asked before. “Tell me my dream”. Who can tell another man what they dreamed? No man can. Only the God of all creation; the God of the universe; the God of all the things; who holds the worlds in His hands. Only He can tell a man what He has dreamed.

It is my belief that the king lies about not remembering the dream only to check out the response of the “wisemen”. It is a thing of God to elevate His man to the position to bring glory to Himself. The king is dependent still upon the old witchcraft, and demonism of the day; and God is preparing Him to hear from God, drawing the king to Himself.

Matthew Henry writes concerning the Chaldeans, The “…confession of the divine omniscience is here extorted from these idolaters, to the honour of God and their own condemnation, who though they knew there is a God in heaven, ‘to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secret is hid,’ yet offered up their prayers and praises to dumb idols, that ‘have eyes and see not, ears and hear not.”

The Chaldeans; which probably includes all these titles referred to in the text could not believe the king would ask such a thing and even confess “There is not a man upon the earth that can shew the king’s matter: therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked such things at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean. And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can shew it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.” vv.10-11 (KJV). The king is furious and he seeks to have all these people killed; and do away with any who are connected with this lying sect.

The king was angry with a “trusted” group of men who were being tested for their honesty, and not proving worthy of trust. He understood that if anyone could tell him what he had dreamed they would actually be able to give him its true interpretation. However, he was hasty in ordering the destruction of this sect of people. He had either forgotten about Daniel and his friends or it didn’t really matter to him.

By this hasty decree the lives of Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were threatened as well; but by the sovereign hand of God He worked and got the attention of the king; and the king gave Daniel time to consult with the King of kings.

“For, lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought, that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, The LORD, The God of hosts, is his name.” Amos 4:13 (KJV)

“Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.” Psalms 139:2 (KJV)

III. THE TRUSTWORTHY ARE PEOPLE OF GOD AND ARE PRAYING PEOPLE, AND DEPEND ON ONE ANOTHERS BACKING (VV. 14-18).
It is certain that the Chaldeans were “praying” and “praising” in the wrong heart, the wrong way, and wrong place. There is one correct way of worship; true worship; and that is through the Son of God, God become flesh, whose precious blood was shed for our salvation. Daniel asked the king’s captain who was sent to kill them, “Why is the decree from the king so urgent?” (v. 15) This is one example of “haste making waste”; because it would have been waste to kill Daniel and his friends; and it was a waste of the time already put into the effort.

Daniel shows character and goes directly before the king. He asks the king for time to pray and seek the face and will of God concerning the king’s dream; and the king gives it. Would to God that God’s people; Christians; of the day were so bold as to approach the king concerning the matters of life and death. Concerning the matters of morality. We must, however, have the integrity and character of Daniel, and his prayer life.

Just as Daniel did not approach this matter alone, but went to his friends; Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; and asked them to pray with him; so to must we realize that we must pray together. Daniel asks, “…that they might seek the mercies from the God of heaven concerning this secret”, knowing the message would be coming from Him.

“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 (KJV)

One of the things we must learn from Daniel is the power of prayer. Do you have something that may seem like a trite matter, a small matter in your heart yet it troubles you? Then go to God in prayer, seeking His face and His will in the matter. Another thing; get others to join you in praying about the matter. Of course this was a life and death situation for Daniel, his friends and many others too.

In the time which we live with the rapture of the church, and the second coming of Christ drawing nearer with every minute we must be walking with God, praying, praying, and praying even more. We must be praying for our walk with God to be ever closer; for the witness of Christians; for the life changing power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to be proclaimed with the power and authority of God and His Word; and the drawing power of His Spirit to work gloriously. We don’t need mushy stories, with heart breaking effort; we need Holy Spirit conviction convicting men and women and boys and girls of their sins to the point of repentance and belief in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross proven by the resurrection from the dead.

If we want to see the power of God to affect change in our life, church, community, State, and federal governments; then, we must pray, work and witness in the power of the Spirit depending on the Spirit to convict of sin and convince of the power of God to save.

IV. GOD OF THE IMPOSSIBLE REVEALS HIS SECRETS TO THOSE WHO LOVE HIM (vv. 19-23)

“Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.” Amos 3:7 (KJV)

The prophets of God knew that they knew nothing but what God revealed it to them. There was and still is no message from God if He does not reveal it. When God is silent His prophets are silent as well. God was not silent in the days of Daniel. He spoke through Daniel and His friends and He still speaks through them. Do you hear Him?

The LORD asked Jeremiah the prophet, “Is there anything too hard for Me?” Jeremiah 32:27 (KJV) What seems impossible to the human eye is possible with God. When the situation seems hopeless and all seems lost; God, the LORD, who holds the universe in His hands can do what we cannot do; “exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20), and He will do it for His own glory; not any glory of any human or humanity.

God revealed the secret to Daniel. It is not of man’s invention or intervention to tell other men their dreams. In a world filled with those who want to tell you your future there is only One who can. His name is Jehovah -YHWH. He reveals Himself to us through His Word, the Bible, and through His Son Jesus Christ and His death, burial and resurrection.

“But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation. Thus shall ye say unto them, The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens. He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion.” Jeremiah 10:10-12 (KJV)

Do you know the God of the impossible? The One who knows your thoughts and dreams? He does know you. Four times in the gospels Jesus used the phrase, “all things are possible” twice “with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26; Mark 10:27); and He uses it two other times, “If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.” Mark 9:23 (KJV); and “Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.” Mark 14:36 (KJV)

Magnify the LORD. Lift up the name of the LORD.

Application –

i. Know that the LORD is Lord of all dreams and knows your heart and your fears and dreads.
ii. Believe the LORD when it seems as though the task, or challenge ahead of you seems impossible, and know that God takes care of you.
iii. When you are having trouble pray and ask others to join you in prayer; know also that when your community or nation is in dire straits that prayer is a cry to God for His action.
iv. Know that what lies ahead is revealed to us by God in His written Word through faith in His Living Word, and Holy Son Jesus Christ.

-Tim A. Blankenship

Mark Ten – Thirty Two through Fifty Two

February 1, 2010 / Tim A. / Leave a comment

“32 And they were in the way going up to Jerusalem; and Jesus went before them: and they were amazed; and as they followed, they were afraid. And he took again the twelve, and began to tell them what things should happen unto him, 33 Saying, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes; and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles: 34 And they shall mock him, and shall scourge him, and shall spit upon him, and shall kill him: and the third day he shall rise again. 35 And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, come unto him, saying, Master, we would that thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall desire. 36 And he said unto them, What would ye that I should do for you? 37 They said unto him, Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory. 38 But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask: can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? 39 And they said unto him, We can. And Jesus said unto them, Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of; and with the baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized: 40 But to sit on my right hand and on my left hand is not mine to give; but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared. 41 And when the ten heard it, they began to be much displeased with James and John. 42 But Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them. 43 But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: 44 And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all. 45 For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” Mark 10:32-45 (KJV)

There are at least three things we should note that Jesus taught. First of all, He taught that he would be delivered over to the spiritual leaders of Jerusalem and be put to death, and then the third day he would rise from the dead. Secondly, when the disciples were asking to sit on His right and on His left hand in His kingdom, He taught them that they were asking something difficult for them, and that it was not for Him to grant their petition, but would be given to the ones for whom it had been prepared. Thirdly, Jesus taught that even He had not come to be served by the masses of people, but to serve them and to give His life for the salvation of all who would believe in Him.

It is amazing how easily the idea of servanthood is lost and so quickly among political leaders and sometimes even church leaders. The idea can get into a persons head that they are in that position because they deserve to be, and every body else is there to serve them.

Jesus would teach the disciples contrary to this when He would wash their feet and dry them with a cloth. Jesus: What a Servant – What a Savior.

“46 And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging. 47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. 48 And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. 49 And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise; he calleth thee. 50 And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus. 51 And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight. 52 And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.” Mark 10:46-52 (KJV)

A blind man or any blind individual is one who cannot see. That is a clear statement that everyone should understand. There are some who are blind, and do not realize it. That is, those who cannot see the truths of God, and of His Son Jesus Christ. There were probably many in the crowd who were following Jesus who did not realize who He was, but were following Him merely because they wanted to see His miracles, or they wanted something from Him.

Here was a blind man who was known as the “son of Timaeous” or “Bar-Timaeus”. He had been cared for by his parents probably most of his life. Now his parents have probably died, and he has to beg to get anything to eat, or for clothing and shelter. He has heard of Jesus. He has heard Him called, with contempt, “Jesus of Nazareth”. He has heard the stories of how Jesus has, caused the lame to walk, healed the lepers, cast out demons, and caused the “dumb” to speak, and the deaf to hear. He has even heard of Jesus raising the dead to life again.

He has probably only hoped to one day get any where near Jesus and ask him to open his eyes that he might see. Now, He is passing near to where he is sitting by the roadside begging. His anticipation is bubbling over. He is anxious, and can hardly wait. He calls out to Jesus. Others try to silence him, and that only makes him call out louder and bolder. Note, he does not call out the name of contempt – Jesus of Nazareth – rather he cries, “Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me.” He sees Him for who He is without eyes to see the physical, he sees the spiritual, and recognizes Him as the Messiah who was promised years and years earlier, even before anyone who was present was ever conceived in their mother’s womb.

This man used the term “Jesus, thou Son of David.” twice. The first time to call Jesus’ attention to himself, and it seems, the second time, to inform the crowd that Jesus, the Son of David was the only one who could opern his eyes and give him physical sight.

O, what a thrill and honor it is to have Jesus call your name, and say “Come”. Jesus calls us to come to him. We were, before we knew Jesus, without sight, and we could not see the things of God. When Jesus called to us to “Come” and we went, then we received our sight and we saw Jesus as the virgin born Son fo God, without sin, holy, blameless, undefiled, righteous, and worthy of praise.

I just imagine that when Jesus called to Bartimaeus, he would have ran to him as best he could. He was thrilled to hear the Master’s voice. He was thrilled to hear that the Master had called to Him. Even though the theme of Mark is Jesus as a Servant, we see Him performing a great kindness to this man in great need.

When Jesus asked Bartimaeus what he wanted Him to do for him, he said, “That I might receive my sight”. O, how blind are those who see, and yet, do not see.

Jesus did not touch him, He only told him, “Go thy way, Thy faith hath made thee whole.” The Scripture tells us, that as he was leaving the eyesight came and he was healed, and he followed Jesus “…In the way”. Was he only following Jesus as He walked this road? He was following Jesus, “…In the way”; that is the life of Jesus. In every way He would follow Jesus.

-Tim A. Blankenship

Mark Ten – Seventeen through Thirty One

January 16, 2010 / Tim A. / Leave a comment

“17 And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? 18 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. 19 Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother. 20 And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. 21 Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. 22 And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions. 23 And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! 24 And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. 26 And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved? 27 And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible. 28 Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee. 29 And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s, 30 But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life. 31 But many that are first shall be last; and the last first.” Mark 10:17-31 (KJV)

There is an inheritance which we have through Jesus Christ, but it is not obtained, it is given as a gift. It is not earned, or purchased. It is a gift that has been paid for in full by its giver.

This man, asking Jesus what he must do to “inherit” eternal life, is assuming that he must do something to earn it. Sadly, that is an assumption that many people make in this day and time. Jesus asks the man if he knew the commandments. The one’s which Jesus mentioned all have to do with our fellow man, not one had to do with God – the first four of the commandments. The man says, “I have observed these from my youth”. Had he? Jesus did not question him about it, but put him to a test. “One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. Mark 10:21 (KJV)”.

If this man would have followed the Lord in these words this man would have eternal life – the very thing he was asking for – but he would not put Jesus Christ in first place. He would not put God first in his life. There can be nothing between those who have eternal life and God. If there is something between there is another God whom that one is trusting. This man went away grieved because he had “great possessions” and was not willing to surrender them to the Lord.

There are some people who believe that the “Eye of the needle” to which Jesus is referring is a spot in the wall of Jerusalem where if a person was to enter through that “gate” – with his camel – he would need to unload his camel, then take the camel through. It is my belief that Jesus was referring to the eye of a needle – as for sewing clothing. With the former interpretation it is possible for a man to get the camel through the eye of “The needle”, with some effort. With the sewing needle’s eye it is impossible for man, but with God “Nothing is impossible”. As long as an individual is looking to his wealth and his own efforts there is absolutely no way to enter the Kingdom of Christ Jesus, but with God, and his laying his burdens down he may enter in. In this man’s case his burdens were his riches which he would not give up.

There are wonderful blessings to those who give their all for the glory and life of Jesus Christ. There is nothing this world can offer that can take the place of faith in Him. He has promised to those who have given up all for Him; and for this time, houses, family, and land. We must note, however, that He does mention that there will be persecution, and they will have eternal life.

Jesus’ last sentence here may be further mention of servanthood (v. 31).

-Tim A. Blankenship

Mark Ten – Thirteen Through Sixteen

January 4, 2010 / Tim A. / Leave a comment

“And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them. 14 But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. 15 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. 16 And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them.” Mark 10:13-16 (KJV)

Jesus loves children. There is much adults could learn from children, if we would only listen and watch them. We could learn to trust again.

Our area of the world collapses at times; friends forsake us by lying about us, betraying us, and our parents even can let us down at times. As parents we get disappointed by our children’s behavior at times, and we need to discipline them to show them the right and correct way. We can learn from them when we don’t see them as being in the way.

Little children are not without sin, because we are all born into sin. One thing we can learn from children is “Trust”. When a child trusts their parents, mother or father, they rely on them completely. If a dad says to his son, “Come on now and jump off the end of the porch, and I will catch you.”; most of the time the boy will jump into his daddy’s arms (unless daddy has caused the son not to trust him). That is the kind of trust we must put in our Heavenly Father, and the finished work of Jesus on the cross. Children are dependent upon their parents. They trust them to provide their food, shelter, clothing, and security. Children are secure with their parents. The only way this would not be so is, if the parent(s) are brutal, mean and abusing to their children. I think it would be a bad parent who would teach a child not to trust anyone; even themselves.

When we become adults we often forget about trusting God. Troubling things happen, and we can find no help in our own abilities, our own strength; like in a sickness, a debilitating accident, a major life changing event; something we had no control over. When these things happen we need the “faith of a child”, and put our trust completely in the Lord.

“Receiving the kingdom of God as a little child” would be trusting so completely that they look no where else for security or any other need. Is God able to supply our need for salvation? Most assuredly. Is He able to supply our “Daily bread” [our daily needs]; again, most assuredly. Some of us get a little off on this latter thing, though. We can believe that God is able to provide our salvation, but when it comes to meeting daily needs, we kind of tend to leave that in our own hands. Is that the heart of a child. These verses are not talking of remaining immature in faith, but having that unwavering trust in the Lord no matter what the case may be.

Without this kind of faith no one can enter the kingdom of God.

-Tim A. Blankenship

Mark Ten – One Through Twelve

December 19, 2009 / Tim A. / 10 Comments

MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE QUESTION AS A TRAP FOR JESUS.

“1 And he arose from thence, and cometh into the coasts of Judaea by the farther side of Jordan: and the people resort unto him again; and, as he was wont, he taught them again. 2 And the Pharisees came to him, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? tempting him. 3 And he answered and said unto them, What did Moses command you? 4 And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away. 5 And Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept. 6 But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. 7 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; 8 And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. 9 What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. 10 And in the house his disciples asked him again of the same matter. 11 And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her. 12 And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery.” Mark 10:1-12 (KJV)

This question and answer is a very important one for the 21st century and all centuries ahead. How we view marriage will affect the society and culture we live in. When God and His Word are honored, obeyed, and heeded then love and respect for others will be prominent in the marriage, home with the children and in governments.

Though this question is put to Jesus to trap Him, it is one Jesus answered, and no other answer is valid, but that of Jesus. Always looking for a way out, instead of a way to improve, or to make a relationship better; is a cowards way. The best way is not the easy way, and because something is hard does not make it the wrong way. Let no one think that God approves of divorce and remarriage. As a matter of fact He still hates it.

In Matthew’s account (19: 3); the Pharisees came to Jesus and asked the question this way, “Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?” In asking the question it shows what mentality the Pharisees were of. It was the belief and practice of that day that a man could “Put away” [divorce] his wife for what ever reason he desired. If she burnt the toast one morning he could divorce her. If she looked cross eyed at him he could give her a writing of divorce, and send her hiking out the door of his home.

Here is what the Old Testament says of this,

“When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house. 2 And when she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another man’s wife. Deut 24:1-2 (KJV)”.

The idea of this law was to protect the woman from a life of torment, loneliness, and poverty. Jesus said, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment.” Mark 10:5 . The “God idea” of marriage was one woman, one man, for a lifetime. Due to the sin in mankind’s heart God gave provision for divorce.

We must remember that by Old Testament law adultery was punishable by death. Any man or woman found guilty of adultery was subject to public stoning, unto death. Who ever, for no reason other than a “want” of change divorces their spouse and marries another is guilty of “adultery”. That is the message Jesus is giving to these Pharisees. Thus, showing them the fallacies of their beliefs, and teachings that divorce was okay, no matter the reason. It is important for us in this day to remember what God says in Malachi about divorce;

“Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth. 16 For the LORD, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away: for one covereth violence with his garment, saith the LORD of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously.” Mal 2:15-16 (KJV)

J. C. Ryle gives us three rules for marriage,

“The first is to marry only in the Lord, and after prayer for God’s approval and blessing. The second is not to expect too much from their partners, and to remember that marriage is, after all, the union of two sinners, and not of two angels. The third rule is to strive first and foremost for one another’s sanctification. The more holy married people are, the happier they are. “Christ loved the church, and gave Himself for it, that He might sanctify it.” (Eph. 5:25, 26.)”

Let us strengthen our nation, our cities, and our churches by strengthening our faith in God, and His Word; and let’s begin at home in our marriages by loving our spouse with the heart of God.

-Tim A. Blankenship

Mark Chapter Nine

November 27, 2009 / Tim A. / Leave a comment

Mark 9:1-50

“And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power. 2 And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them. 3 And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them. 4 And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus. 5 And Peter answered and said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. 6 For he wist not what to say; for they were sore afraid. 7 And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him. 8 And suddenly, when they had looked round about, they saw no man any more, save Jesus only with themselves. 9 And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead. 10 And they kept that saying with themselves, questioning one with another what the rising from the dead should mean. 11 And they asked him, saying, Why say the scribes that Elias must first come? 12 And he answered and told them, Elias verily cometh first, and restoreth all things; and how it is written of the Son of man, that he must suffer many things, and be set at nought. 13 But I say unto you, That Elias is indeed come, and they have done unto him whatsoever they listed, as it is written of him.” Mark 9:1-13 (KJV)

THE GLORY OF JESUS IS SEEN BY A FEW WHILE JESUS SPEAKS TO ELIJAH AND MOSES ABOUT HIS DEATH (Luke 9:31).

In verse 1 Jesus is most likely speaking of those who would see His “Transfiguration” which is about to happen, and it happened only before the three disciples – Peter, James, and John. In Luke’s account of this glory the three disciples had fallen asleep. There are times to sleep and times to fight going to sleep, and this seems like it was one of those times to fight sleep. They almost missed it.

The two to whom Jesus was speaking were considered dead and gone. Moses died and Elijah had just “gone” by the power of a “chariot of fire”. Moses represents the “Law” of God, and Elijah represents the “Prophets” of God. It is important for us to catch the message which the “Voice from Heaven” speaks. “This is my beloved Son: hear Him.” Those words tell us that the most important thing we can hear is Jesus. The “Law” and the “Prophets” speak of Jesus. John the apostle wrote in the Revelation of Jesus Christ, “…For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” (REV. 19:10).

According to Luke 9:31 Jesus was speaking to Moses and Elijah of His coming death. No other of the gospel writers mention this. It tells us clearly that was the direction Jesus was headed – to Jerusalem to die, and make atonement for the sin of mankind.

In Matthew and Luke the text tells us it was “Moses and Elijah”. Mark is the only one who writes “Elijah and Moses”. It is important for us to remember the history of these two men. Moses died and was buried by God, and no one knew where he was buried (DEUT. 34:5-6); and Elijah never died. He was carried to Heaven by a fiery chariot (2 Kings 2:11), and Elisha, his pupil in the prophetic ministry, received a “double portion” of Elijah’s spirit. There is quite a picture given here to us. That is that at the future coming of Jesus Christ in His glory all that know Jesus, the living and the dead, will be raised to share in that eternal glory with Him.

“And when he came to his disciples, he saw a great multitude about them, and the scribes questioning with them. 15 And straightway all the people, when they beheld him, were greatly amazed, and running to him saluted him. 16 And he asked the scribes, What question ye with them? 17 And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; 18 And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not. 19 He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me. 20 And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming. 21 And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child. 22 And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us. 23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. 24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. 25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him. 26 And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead. 27 But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose. 28 And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out? 29 And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.” Mark 9:14-29 (KJV)

ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE TO THEM THAT BELIEVE.

It is apparent by our text that the young man of whom it is speaking was afflicted by an “evil spirit”. He has been afflicted for several years, even from early childhood. We can see from this that children are not exempt from evil or even the devil or his demons. Children can be susceptible to Satan from a very early age, but then, all are born into sin, and none are without sin.

This boy had often been thrown into the fire, and into the waters. This demon hated this boy, and that is something we all need to remember that the devil and his hordes hates mankind, and will do whatever it takes to destroy the human race.

Notice, Jesus’ rebuke of the “Faithless generation”. He is probably referring to “scribes” who are there in argument with the disciples, accusing and excusing their own actions and accusing the disciples of not having power to help this boy.

When Jesus calls for the boy and they bring him to Him the boys goes into a “fit”; falling on the ground and foaming at the mouth. You will notice the father is not only asking Jesus to help his son, but also himself; he says, “Have compassion on us, and help us.” The father later says, “I believe; help thou mine unbelief”. This father new to whom to bring his son, but he had not witnessed the power of Jesus before, but he was about to. He had the faith to bring his son to Jesus, and that was a good starting point.

There are many psychologists who probably would reckon this boy to have epilepsy, or some neurological disorder, but not demon possessed. Notice though why it must be demon possession; 1) this personality recognized Jesus because he did not want to come before him, thus causing the boy to throw himself on the ground and foam at the mouth; 2) Jesus spoke to the spirit and commanded him to come out, and to stay out; 3) the spirit cried out through the boy and wreaked havoc on him one last time, evidently fighting for his “territory” but could not fight against his creator and win.

Note Jesus’ final words on this matter, “This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting. Mark 9:29 (KJV)”. The matter of this boy’s well being hinged on the battle of two worlds, and who was to overcome. There is a spiritual warfare we must wage everyday. It is not an easy fight. We must commit ourselves to prayer, and at times we must give ourselves to it diligently even to the point of forsaking our food and nourishment for the day or a period of time. We cannot win spiritual battles if we are weak in the Spirit of God. That was the problem with the disciples, and why they could not help this man or his son. It is a battle we wage to keep the souls of men from eternal torment. We must pray for them to have opened eyes to see the death of Christ on the cross, his resurrection; and that they will have an open heart to receive the glorious salvation of God through Jesus Christ.

It is an imperative that we remember the words of Jesus, “All things are possible to him/[her] that believeth”. It is not just believing in the event as history, but in the person of Jesus Himself.

“And they departed thence, and passed through Galilee; and he would not that any man should know it. 31 For he taught his disciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day. 32 But they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask him. 33 And he came to Capernaum: and being in the house he asked them, What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way? 34 But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest. 35 And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all. 36 And he took a child, and set him in the midst of them: and when he had taken him in his arms, he said unto them, 37 Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me. 38 And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us. 39 But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me. 40 For he that is not against us is on our part.” Mark 9:30-40 (KJV)

A GRASPING FOR POWER BRINGS A REBUKE FROM JESUS, AND AN ANSWER TO THEIR PROBLEM.

Jesus is teaching a valuable lesson in these verses about service and “Greatness” or power and position. He says He is going to die and then He will be glorified by resurrection. He will die for our sins, and then by resurrection be given all that was His from the beginning. By His death Jesus was serving the human race by providing our eternal salvation.

There are many people today looking for a longevity to life; they look for power and prestige, and position; but they look to themselves, when all that is needed is to bow at the feet of Jesus and call Him Lord, and wash the feet of our fellow man by service. What great privilege it is to serve the Lord and bless our fellow man.

Jesus does enlist a small child as an illustration of humility and service. A child will subject themselves to an older person, and most of the time trust in their care. We are to come to Christ as little children, and we are to always receive our fellow man as if they were “little children”. In receiving the “child” we receive Jesus and the One who sent Him. And that is the Father.

When we see others working in the name of the Lord do we grow jealous, protective of our own work, or do we say, “Great! Someone else is working in His vineyard.” The latter should be our attitude and we should be an encouragement to all who are serving the Lord, and living for His glory. This is not to be a blanket statement that approves of all who claim to be working in the name of Jesus, but to those who are Biblically sound, and those who are truly in Christ Jesus.

“For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward. 42 And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea. 43 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: 44 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. 45 And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: 46 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. 47 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: 48 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. 49 For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt. 50 Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.” Mark 9:41-50 (KJV)

THE HORRENDOUS, ETERNAL CONSEQUENCES OF SIN.

What is the price of sin? “Sin will take you farther than you want to go; slowly but wholly taking control; sin will leave you longer than you want to stay; sin will cost you far more than you can ever pay.” ANON. It is something that Jesus took quite serious. He took it so seriously that He went all the way to the cross and died, taking all our sin on Himself, paying the price that was mine and yours to pay.

How seriously does Jesus take sin? Let us look at these verses. Do not offend a “little one” for it would be better that a millstone were tied around your neck and be thrown into the sea. “If your hand offends you, cut it off”; “If your eye offends you pluck it out”. It seems to me like Jesus takes sin quite seriously. He was willing to pay the price for our sin that we might have eternal life in His eternal presence. Jesus is not advocating the torture, or destruction of our bodies, but He is showing us the degradation of sin and its costliness and the price we should pay. Simply cutting off a hand will not keep you from sinning. Plucking out an eye will not keep you from the sin of lusting. We saw in chapter seven that it is in the heart of man where we must deal with sin. How much are you willing to pay to rid your life of sin? Jesus was willing to give His life.

Jesus uses here the illustration of Gehenna – the garbage, trash, waste dump of the city of Jerusalem – that burned continually and the fire was never out. There is an eternal fire that burns, where no desires are ever met, and there is nothing but pain, sorrow, hatred, vileness, hostility, and war. Is that the place you want to be? Is that the place where you want your friends and neighbors to spend eternity? It is the place Jesus described as “Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. Mark 9:46 (KJV)”. He mentions this twice. Is there a Heaven? If Jesus said He was preparing a place for us, and that He was coming to take us to that place; then, yes there is a Heaven. Is there a place called Hell? Jesus mentions more about Hell than He does about Heaven. He spent a whole story of a rich man and a poor man named Lazarus to tell us of the reality of Hell. He describes it as a place of flames, torment, and a place you would not want to be. This is in Luke chapter sixteen.

Hell is the place we all deserve to be. We do not deserve Heaven, but because of the gift of Jesus’ death on the cross and by the power of His resurrection we can go to Heaven for all eternity, but not without Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior.

In the beginning of this chapter we see Jesus in His glory and speaking with Elijah and Moses. In between this picture of the glory of Jesus and this warning of Hell we find a child being tormented by a demon, disciples arguing about who is the greatest will be the greatest among them, and one disciple wondering about a man who is doing the work of Jesus who is not a part of their group. These are the things that happen between Heaven and Hell. As a matter of fact when Jesus died on the cross His head was toward Heaven and His feet were toward Hell, and His arms were outstretched to the world in invitation to come to Him.

What a Servant. What a Savior. For His arms are still outstretched to all so we may come to Him.

-Tim A. Blankenship

Mark Chapter Eight

November 19, 2009 / Tim A. / Leave a comment

Mark 8:1-38

From J. C. Ryle, for verses 1 – 13, “Let us observe in this passage how great is the kindness and compassion of our Lord Jesus Christ.” “Let us observe, in the second place, from this passage, that with Christ nothing is impossible.” “Let us observe, in the last place, how much sorrow unbelief occasions to our Lord Jesus Christ.”

“In those days the multitude being very great, and having nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples unto him, and saith unto them, 2 I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat: 3 And if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way: for divers of them came from far. 4 And his disciples answered him, From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the wilderness? 5 And he asked them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven. 6 And he commanded the people to sit down on the ground: and he took the seven loaves, and gave thanks, and brake, and gave to his disciples to set before them; and they did set them before the people. 7 And they had a few small fishes: and he blessed, and commanded to set them also before them. 8 So they did eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets. 9 And they that had eaten were about four thousand: and he sent them away.” Mark 8:1-9 (KJV)

There are some who want us to believe that the feeding of the “five thousand” and the feeding of the “four thousand” are actually the same feeding “Miracle”. If they were they would not be mentioned back to back with one another. Mark 6:34-43 contains the miracle of the feeding of the “five thousand”, and then Matthew 14:15-21 does as well. Then, we have the feeding of the “four thousand” here in chapter 8 of Mark with the feeding of the “four thousand” also mentioned in Matthew 15:32-38. The questions of the legitimacy of Scriptures only come from those who do not want to believe it. I am not talking of “honest” questions which are for information and not for placing doubt.

We see that Jesus had “Compassion” on the people who were following. His heart was moved with sympathy and called for them to be fed. The question came up again, “How are we going to feed them?” “How many loaves have we?” was the question Jesus asked. Their answer was “seven”.

As I sit and study this passage I find myself wondering why these disciples were wondering how these people were going to be fed. Then, I stop to think about how many times I have seen the wonder of the power of God in Christ and I wonder no more at the “doubts” of the disciples. It is “hardness of heart”. Why is it we can witness the power of God and His intervention in our lives one day, and then, just a few days later we are in doubt again and wondering, “Where is God in all of this?”

We must note that in Matthew’s Gospel of this account he writes in verse 38, “Now those who ate were 4,000 men, besides women and children. Matt 15:38 (HCSB)”. Seeing how there were four thousand men it would be quite reasonalble to assume there could have been 12,000 – 15,000 or more there to eat of the bread and fish of the Creator. That would only be a wife and one child for every man who was present.

The compassion of Jesus is wonderful, and it is sure that nothing is impossible for Him.

“And straightway he entered into a ship with his disciples, and came into the parts of Dalmanutha. 11 And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven, tempting him. 12 And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation.” Mark 8:10-12 (KJV)

The unbelieving will not believe even though they see a sign. If they will not believe “Moses and the Prophets” they will not believe though one has risen from the dead. Jesus made a similar statement in Luke 16:31.

Jesus had done many mighty works and the Pharisees were witnesses to many of them. Their problem was jealousy. Jesus had a following and they did not. Jesus was doing mighty works, and they could not. Jesus lived a life without fault, and they did not. Jesus lived a life without sin, and they did not. Jesus was the Son of God, and they were the children of Satan.

In Matthew 12:38-40 Jesus said, “An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: 40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Matt 12:39-40 (KJV)”. When these religious leaders were not even believing the Scriptures (Moses and the Prophets), why would they believe even though they had the Son of God standing before them doing miracles. They “Could not see the forest for the trees”. As we saw in the last chapter (chapter 7) they added their tradition to their laws, thus, in effect cancelling out the Scriptures – at least for themselves. Because of that the Word of God had no effect on their lives, and it would not have any effect on others as they looked at the Pharisees. The sign of the prophet Jonah was that he had been three days and nights in the “Fish’s belly”, and Jesus would be three days and nights in the “Heart of the earth”.

Jesus rose from the grave after three days, and rather than believe it they tried to make it into a lie, by telling lies, and bribing officials to tell lies. They were blind, so they could not see. They were deaf, so they could not hear.

Seeing miracles does not give faith. They may assure it, but faith comes by hearing the word of the Lord (Rom. 10:17). Faith stands when there is no miracle. Faith grows without a miracle, and by the word of the Lord.

“And he left them, and entering into the ship again departed to the other side. 14 Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, neither had they in the ship with them more than one loaf. 15 And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod. 16 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have no bread. 17 And when Jesus knew it, he saith unto them, Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? perceive ye not yet, neither understand? have ye your heart yet hardened? 18 Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? and do ye not remember? 19 When I brake the five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? They say unto him, Twelve. 20 And when the seven among four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? And they said, Seven. 21 And he said unto them, How is it that ye do not understand?” Mark 8:13-21 (KJV)

(SEE Matthew 16:12).

As we saw in the last chapter the Pharisees made themselves “loopholes” in order to escape the clear teachings of the law. Only the religious leaders knew these “loopholes”, thus the people knew nothing of them.

The “Leaders” had a Sabbath law of a “Sabbath days journey”. By this they limited the distance a person could travel on the Sabbath. They exempted themselves by interpreting that law to mean from your property, so they could take a chair, stool, saddle, sandal, piece of clothing out a normal “Sabbath days journey”, then take another piece of personal property another “Sabbath days journey”, and place another item, and could go on and on. These actions were, thus, a form of “False doctrine” and “False living”. They were condemning themselves by their very lies and the lives they lived.

J. C. Ryle on verses 14-21, 1)

“Let us notice the solemn warning which our Lord gives to His disciples at the beginning of this passage.” 2) “Let us notice the dull understanding of the disciples, when our Lord gave the warning of this passage.”

“And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him. 23 And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought. 24 And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking. 25 After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly. 26 And he sent him away to his house, saying, Neither go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town.” Mark 8:22-26 (KJV)

J. C. Ryle gives us four thoughts concerning these verses,

1) “it is well to remember, in reading passages of this kind, that the Lord is not tied to the use of any one means.”; 2) “One thing in the passage demands our special observation. That thing is the gradual nature of the cure which our Lord performed on this blind man. He did not deliver him from his blindness at once, but by degrees.”; 3) “Let us see then in this gradual restoration to sight, a vivid illustration of the manner in which the Spirit frequently works in the conversion of souls. We are all naturally blind and ignorant in the matters which concern our souls. Conversion is an illumination, a change from darkness to light, from blindness to seeing the kingdom of God.”; 4) “Finally, let us see in the gradual cure of this blind man, a striking picture of the present position of Christ’s believing people in the world, compared with that which is to come. We see in part and know in part in the present dispensation. We are like those that travel by night. We know not the meaning of much that is passing around us.”

“And Jesus went out, and his disciples, into the towns of Caesarea Philippi: and by the way he asked his disciples, saying unto them, Whom do men say that I am? 28 And they answered, John the Baptist: but some say, Elias; and others, One of the prophets. 29 And he saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Peter answereth and saith unto him, Thou art the Christ. 30 And he charged them that they should tell no man of him. 31 And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 And he spake that saying openly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him. 33 But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.” Mark 8:27-33 (KJV)

Things J. C. Ryle writes that we as Christians need to observe,

1) “Let us observe the variety of opinions about Christ, which prevailed among the Jews. Some said that He was John the Baptist–some Elijah–and others one of the prophets. In short every kind of opinion appears to have been current, excepting that one which was true.”; 2) “Let us observe the good confession of faith which the apostle Peter witnessed.”; 3) “Let us observe the full declaration which our Lord makes of His own coming death and resurrection. We read that “He began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.”; 4) “Finally, let us observe in this passage the strange mixture of grace and infirmity which may be found in the heart of a true Christian. We see that very Peter who had just witnessed so noble a confession, presuming to rebuke his Master because He spoke of suffering and dying.”

“And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 35 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it. 36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? 37 Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? 38 Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” Mark 8:34-38 (KJV)

J. C. Ryle’s commentary on these verses,

1) “We learn, for one thing, from these verses, the absolute necessity of self-denial, if we would be Christ’s disciples, and be saved. What says our Lord? “Whoever will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.”; 2) “Let us often ask ourselves whether our Christianity costs us anything? Does it entail any sacrifice? Has it the true stamp of heaven? Does it carry with it any cross? If not, we may well tremble and be afraid. We have everything to learn. A religion which costs nothing, is worth nothing. It will do us no good in the life that now is. It will lead to no salvation in the life to come.”; 3) “We learn, for another thing, from these verses, the unspeakable value of the soul. What says our Lord? “What shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” These words were meant to stir us up to exertion and self-denial. They ought to ring in our ears like a trumpet, every morning when we rise from our beds, and every night when we lie down. May they be deeply engraved in our memories, and never effaced by the devil and the world!”; 4) “We learn, in the last place, from these verses, the great danger of being ashamed of Christ. What says our Lord? “Whoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him also shall the Son of Man be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.'”

-Tim A. Blankenship quoting much from J.C. Ryle

The Servant, The Word, and Traditions of Men

November 2, 2009 / Tim A. / Leave a comment

Mark 7:1-37

“1 Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem. 2 And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault. 3 For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders. 4 And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables. 5 Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands?” Mark 7:1-5 (KJV)

If there is fault to find the fault would be with those who seek to find fault with that which is perfect. The disciples, or followers of Jesus are not perfect, but they do follow a perfect Lord and Savior. The “Nay-sayers” and “fault finders” are simply without any evidence of truth, and so object to any one who is living out the truth; which is the life of Jesus.

In the day we live in there are good health reasons for washing of hands. To wash hands after using the restroom is certainly a means of preventing disease, illness, or sickness. Washing one’s hands after using a handrail or shaking hands with people is a good idea, to prevent colds, the Swine flu [h1n1] threat of the day, or other sickness. There is much sickness that is passed from one person to another just by the hands, so washing them often is a good idea, but let’s not be obnoxious about it.

There are a lot of people who believe the saying, “Cleanliness is next to godliness” is in the Bible. It is not. I think the religious leaders of Jesus’ day must have thought that it was. They had developed a tradition of “Handwashing” which they had elevated over Scriptures. Not only had they done that, but they had neglected to practice the practical teachings of Scripture concerning caring for parents (vv. 10-11).

Verse 3 – “except they wash”

G3538
νίπτω
niptō
nip’-to
To cleanse (especially the hands or the feet or the face); ceremonially to perform ablution: – wash. Compare G3068.

v. 4 – “except they wash”

G907
βαπτίζω
baptizō
bap-tid’-zo
From a derivative of G911; to make whelmed (that is, fully wet); used only (in the New Testament) of ceremonial ablution, especially (technically) of the ordinance of Christian baptism: – baptist, baptize, wash.

In verses three and four we have the word “wash” used in two different ways. The one in verse three has to do with the washing of hands before eating their meal in a ceremonial fashion.

“The ceremony 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 proceed to the next step. He then had water poured over both hands with the fingers pointing down. Then each hand was to be rubbed with the fist of the other hand.” FROM MACARTHUR STUDY BIBLE pg. 1473.

Verse four is our word for “Baptism”, and it leaves us with the idea that after these men had been to the market, around a lot of people, they were required to take a ceremonial bath [it could be only the immersing of their hands in water] before they could even eat a meal. That seems like a whole lot of trouble to eat a meal.

The disciples were eating without the ceremonial cleansing of their hands. The question was brought up by the Pharisees as to why this was so. Nit pickers is the word I would use concerning them. Eating without washing the hands defiles no one.

The Pharisees were actually accusing Jesus of teaching the disciples against the “traditions of the elders”.
For verses 1 – 13 J. C. Ryle wrote, 1)

“The first thing which demands our attention in these verses, is the low and degraded condition of Jewish religion, when our Lord was upon earth.”; 2) “The second thing, that demands our attention, is the uselessness of mere lip-service in the worship of God.”; 3) “The last thing that demands our attention in these verses, is the tendency of man’s inventions in religion to supplant God’s word.”

“6 He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. 7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. 8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. 9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. 10 For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death: 11 But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free. 12 And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother; 13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye. 14 And when he had called all the people unto him, he said unto them, Hearken unto me every one of you, and understand: 15 There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man. 16 If any man have ears to hear, let him hear. 17 And when he was entered into the house from the people, his disciples asked him concerning the parable. 18 And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him; 19 Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats? 20 And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. 21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: 23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.” Mark 7:6-23 (KJV)

When the traditions of men become as important or in the case of the Pharisees more important than the clear teachings of God’s Word, then hypocrisy had crept in and the Word of God has no affect on the heart. These were, in effect, honoring God with their lips, but their heart was unclean and far from God – “Wherefore the Lord said, ‘Forasmuch as this people draw near Me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor Me, but have removed their heart far from Me, and their fear toward Me is taught by the precept of men…” (Isaiah 29:13).

The Pharisees were teaching the traditions of men as though they were “doctrine” with the same authority and inspiration of Scriptures. They were wrong. Are there ways by which we can put “traditions” above Scripture? How about some rules concerning our buildings, area of worship, music in worship, giving of offerings in worship, our dress, physical appearance, etc.? Can a born again/Christian be a hypocrite? NO! Can we be hypocritical? YES!

G5273
ὑποκριτής
hupokritēs
hoop-ok-ree-tace’
From G5271; an actor under an assumed character (stage player), that is, (figuratively) a dissembler (“hypocrite”): – hypocrite.

A “Hypocrite” is, “an actor under an assumed character”. Basically someone pretending to be something they are not. They can boast long and loud of their faith and character, but there is no fruit, proof, or evidence of it. Jesus called these men “You hypocrites…”. They were “Hypocrites” not just hypocritical. They put on a good religious front, but had nothing of the heart.

They had even taken the commandment of God which says, “Honor your father and mother” and put a tradition with it which allowed them to withhold support from their elderly parents if they had designated the support need as “a gift”. “Corban” was the phrase they used to exonerate themselves from supporting their parents. That is one of their traditions which had taken the place of Scripture. They had in affect made of “None effect” by their traditions.

The heart of man is desperately wicked. It is from the heart that man is defiled and made unclean. Nothing from without us can make us unclean. It is due to an unclean heart that we stand condemned by God, to a Christless eternity. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? Jeremiah 17:9 (KJV)”. Can we hear the words of Jesus as He tells us that He is more concerned with the depraved heart of man than He is with “sacrifice”; “And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king. 1 Samuel 15:22-23 (KJV)”. Although this is Old Testament it certainly portrays the depraved heart, in thinking that an act of “sacrifice” is greater than the written Word of God.

J. C. Ryle writes for verses 14 – 23, 1)

“We see in the beginning of this passage, how slow of understanding men are in spiritual things.”; 2) “We see, in the second place, from this passage, that the heart is the chief source of defilement and impurity in God’s sight.”; 3) “We see, in the last place, from this passage, what a black catalogue of evils the human heart contains.”

“24 And from thence he arose, and went into the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and entered into an house, and would have no man know it: but he could not be hid. 25 For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet: 26 The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter. 27 But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it unto the dogs. 28 And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children’s crumbs. 29 And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter. 30 And when she was come to her house, she found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed.” Mark 7:24-30 (KJV)

The “dogs” to which Jesus refers is not a derogatory term of meaning “mean, vicious, or mangy”, but most likely a family pet. Jesus ministry was to be to the household of Israel, and this woman was a Gentile, “And a Canaanite woman from that region came out and began to cry out, saying, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is cruelly demon-possessed.” Matthew 15:22 (NASB)”, and He viewed this woman and her child as part of the household, but not a prominent part of it. The “dogs” were under the table.

This was a test of the woman’s faith. How would she respond? Would she leave disappointed or would she keep on believing, and trust the Savior to do His work in her and her daughter? She would believe. The woman’s daughter was another one who was demon possessed. It does not go into any details to tell us the situation of the daughter – how this demon effected her life – it just simply tells us she “had an unclean spirit”.

Just by His Word Jesus delivers the daughter, and the mother leaves believing the saying to be true. That is a wonderful faith. Concoction of rules does not a righteous person make. Believing the Word of God and obeying is the path of righteousness.

J. C. Ryle on verses 24 – 30,

1) “In the first place, this passage is meant to encourage us to pray for others.”; 2) “In the second place, this passage is meant to teach us to persevere in praying for others.”

“31 And again, departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, he came unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis. 32 And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him. 33 And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue; 34 And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. 35 And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain. 36 And he charged them that they should tell no man: but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it; 37 And were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well: he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.” Mark 7:31-37 (KJV)

Someone has said, “We have two ears and one mouth, so that means we are to do twice as much listening as we do speaking”. That is really good advice. It is with that that it seems Jesus may have thought the same thing, because He opened up his hearing first. Part of that would be because most people who do not hear cannot speak, or cannot speak well also.

It is important that we listen; especially to the Word of the Lord; so that we might faithfully and powerfully proclaim it to a world that is lost and condemned by sin. Hear the Word of God then proclaim it. Jesus said above, “If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.” (v.16). All that Jesus said and taught is worth our hearing and doing.

The Lord opened the ears so me might hear the Gospel of Christ and be saved, and He gave us speech so that we might praise Him, and sound forth the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. Do you have redeemed ears, and a redeemed mouth? If you are in Jesus Christ you have.

Ryle wrote,

1)”The first thing that demands our notice in these verses, is the mighty miracle that is here recorded.”; 2) “The second thing which demands our notice in these verses, is the peculiar manner in which our Lord thought good to work the miracle here recorded.”; 3) “But there is one simple lesson to be learned from our Lord’s conduct on this occasion. That lesson is, that Christ was not tied to the use of any one means in doing His works among men.”; 4) “We see the same thing going on still in the Church of Christ. We see continual proof that the Lord is not tied to the use of any one means exclusively in conveying grace to the soul.”; 5) “The last thing which demands our notice in these verses, is the remarkable testimony which was borne by those who saw the miracle here recorded.”

If we do not do what we hear we are hypocrites and do not glorify the Lord of life. The miracle of your changed life is what others will see.

-Tim A. Blankenship

Rejected and Proven

October 28, 2009 / Tim A. / Leave a comment

“And he went out from thence, and came into his own country; and his disciples follow him. 2 And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands? 3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him. 4 But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house. 5 And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them. 6 And he marvelled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages, teaching.” Mark 6:1-6 (KJV)

We look at the life of Jesus in red, white and black and can believe and know that He is a great man, a great teacher, a great prophet – even greater than John the Baptist, a great preacher, but even so much more. We learn from these letters that He is the very Son of God, and in fact is the very God incarnate – God come to us in flesh. He is the Savior of the world.
Those who grew up around Him and those who saw Him growing up put no stock in Him. They were witnesses of His life, but it was not important to them that He had never done anything wrong, had never sinned, never spoken back to his “parents”. He in fact had never caused those who were raising Him any grief whatsoever, unless it was the things which Mary “pondered in her heart”. To the people of Nazareth Jesus was nothing more than a carpenter, and did not deserve any credit as a teacher.
Here is what J. C. Ryle had to say of this matter. 1) “We see, in the first place, how apt men are to undervalue things with which they are familiar.” 2) “We see, in the second place, how humble was the rank of life which our Lord condescended to occupy before He began His public ministry.” 3) “We see, in the last place, how exceedingly sinful is the sin of unbelief.” Unbelief is still sin. It is actually the very first sin that was committed. Eve did not believe God when He had said “The day you eat of this tree you will surely die”, and she believed a lie. It is because of the sin of “unbelief” that Jesus could do no mighty work in Nazareth. Even Jesus was surprised “amazed” by their unbelief.

“And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits; 8 And commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, save a staff only; no scrip, no bread, no money in their purse: 9 But be shod with sandals; and not put on two coats. 10 And he said unto them, In what place soever ye enter into an house, there abide till ye depart from that place. 11 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city. 12 And they went out, and preached that men should repent. 13 And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.” Mark 6:7-13 (KJV)

Mark notes that Jesus sent them out “two and two”. It is important that we remember that, because their is strength in twos. When one is discouraged the other can be a source of encouragement. They can learn from one another. They sharpen one another, “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend. Prov 27:17 (KJV)”. One is there to keep the other from falling, and if one does fall the other can pick him up.
Jesus told them they were to take nothing with them, except their staff, and the clothing on their backs. It was to be a journey and ministry of faith. (The word “scrip” could be seen as what we would call a “backpack”.) When people heard their words, and saw their works they would support and care for their needs. When they entered a city or village they were to stay in one home, and not be moving from home to home. If they were not received they were to leave shaking the dust from their feet, “as a testimony against them”. They would have rejected God’s messengers, thus God’s message, so judgment could be coming their way. The shaking of the dust from the feet is almost as to say, “Since you will not listen and hear the Word of God you have no hope”, thus it is time to move on to other people and places.

“And king Herod heard of him; (for his name was spread abroad:) and he said, That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him. 15 Others said, That it is Elias. And others said, That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets. 16 But when Herod heard thereof, he said, It is John, whom I beheaded: he is risen from the dead. 17 For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias’ sake, his brother Philip’s wife: for he had married her. 18 For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother’s wife. 19 Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not: 20 For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly. 21 And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee; 22 And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee. 23 And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom. 24 And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist. 25 And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist. 26 And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath’s sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her. 27 And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison, 28 And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother. 29 And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb.” Mark 6:14-29 (KJV)

“For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he. Luke 7:28 (KJV)”
Herod hears of the great and mighty works of Jesus, and begins questioning the identity of Jesus. “Who is this Jesus?” “Is he John the Baptist come back from the dead?”; “…John reincarnated?”. You can tell by this that Herod was a troubled man. He had been troubled in his heart by the preaching of the prophet.
Mark goes into some details to tell us why he is troubled about John. The Baptist had warned Herod that “It Is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” Herodias was her name. Herod’s brother was Philip known as “Herod Philip II”. Herodias was a nephew to Herod Antipas (the Herod of our text). John the Baptist, prophet of God hated to see sin even in a Gentile ruler, and he told him so. John got thrown into the dungeon for it, but yet Herod would not harm him, because the words rang true.
One of the main things a minister of God ought to do is rebuke sin wherever he sees it. When it is seen in the ungodly it should be rebuked. When it is seen in the redeemed it should be rebuked. Sin is the problem that infects and causes problems in every society. For a man to take his brother’s wife is adultery, and that is the charge that John brought against Herod. It matters not if it is a king, or the man in the gutter, sin must be rebuked.
What was the charge leveled against John? It was for proclaiming the Word of God and rebuking the sin of the lands governor.
We see in Herod, “The amazing power of truth over the conscience”. He has heard the words John preached and he is haunted by them, even after he has killed the man. We can also see “How far people may go in religion, and yet miss salvation by yielding to one master – sin”. In John we see, “How boldly a faithful minister of God ought to rebuke sin. We see finally, “How bitterly people hate a reprover, when they are determined to keep their sins”.
When the Word of God is proclaimed it will accomplish that which God pleases. It caused Herod to be very troubled. For someone to even think that Jesus was John the Baptist risen from the dead, or “reincarnated” is on the border of lunacy.

“And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught. 31 And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat. 32 And they departed into a desert place by ship privately. 33 And the people saw them departing, and many knew him, and ran afoot thither out of all cities, and outwent them, and came together unto him. 34 And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things. 35 And when the day was now far spent, his disciples came unto him, and said, This is a desert place, and now the time is far passed: 36 Send them away, that they may go into the country round about, and into the villages, and buy themselves bread: for they have nothing to eat. 37 He answered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat? 38 He saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? go and see. And when they knew, they say, Five, and two fishes. 39 And he commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass. 40 And they sat down in ranks, by hundreds, and by fifties. 41 And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all. 42 And they did all eat, and were filled. 43 And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments, and of the fishes. 44 And they that did eat of the loaves were about five thousand men.” Mark 6:30-44 (KJV)

Jesus knowing the disciples needed some rest and food led them to leave to go to a deserted place, and get some rest. There was so much ministry activity that they had not even had time to eat.
The disciples and Jesus leave by “boat” to go someplace quiet but then are overwhelmed by a great multitude of people. The disciples have not yet learned what Jesus can do. Evening [“the day was now far spent”] was coming on them quickly now, and there was no food, and there were thousands and thousands of people to feed. It must have been going through the disciples minds, “There is no way these people can be fed; we need to send them home”. Jesus had another idea, though. He with the Shepherd’s heart had compassion on them and taught them. When evening had come and the disciples were doubting and scheming on how to get rid of these people Jesus just said, “Let’s feed them”.
According to the Gospel of John there was a boy who had his “lunch” with him. Would he share it with the multitude? Here is what John says,

“One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said* to Him, 9 “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?” John 6:8-9 (NASB)”.

Stand back and see what Jesus can do. When it seems like the chips are down, and there are too many people to feed, and the world is against you, just let Jesus move in and take over.
Jesus as the Shepherd that He was and is commands the people to sit down in the “green grass”. In the twenty third Psalm it says, “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures”, an assurance of plenty for “sheep” to eat. It would not surprise me to find out that there was a still, calm body of water near by also. Mark’s Gospel is the only one of the gospels which tell us that Jesus “With compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd” (v. 34). That is Mark’s way of declaring Jesus as the Shepherd of God’s sheep and He will tend and care for those who are His.
The number of men is all that is given. The word “men” in verse 44 is not a generic term for all humanity; it is specifically refering to the male gender. If these men came with their wives and children which most probably did with a few exceptions, then this number could range from 15,000 to 20,000 or more. This was of Divine origin. If anyone doubts the origin of the earth and all created things, then they will doubt the miracles of Jesus. If God can create from nothing, then He can easily perform a “miracle” – that is what we call it – because during “miracle” the laws of nature are suspended; God overrules. He has the power to take the molecules, atoms, protons, neutrons, etc. – all those unseen elements which He created, and turn them into more bread, and more fish, and He did it to feed thousands of people.

WOW! Do not doubt, but be believing what God can do, and what He has done, and what He is going to do.
There are some who profess Christ as Savior who want to dismiss all the miracles with human understanding, by saying things like, “Jesus already had the food hidden away in a nearby cave”, or “The little boys generosity inspired all the others to bring out what they had, and so all were fed”. None of that explains the “twelve basketfuls” that were left over. Now, you talk about the Lord providing for His disciples. Now they each had a basket of bread and fish to take home with them. Remember they had not eaten, so they must have been hungry.
There did not have to be five loaves and two fish, there could have been nothing, or stones. Remember when Jesus was being tempted by the devil in the wilderness for forty days. The first temptation was to fill His need for sustenance. “If you are the Son of God, turn these stones into bread”, but Jesus did not yield to the temptation. He said instead, “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word which proceeds from the mouth of God”. For Jesus to turn the stones to bread would have been to yield to the devil, and now, as then, He is yielding to the leadership of the Father. He is acting as a Shepherd toward His caring for the sheep.
JESUS CARES FOR YOU.

“And straightway he constrained his disciples to get into the ship, and to go to the other side before unto Bethsaida, while he sent away the people. 46 And when he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray. 47 And when even was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and he alone on the land. 48 And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them. 49 But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out: 50 For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid. 51 And he went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered. 52 For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened. 53 And when they had passed over, they came into the land of Gennesaret, and drew to the shore. 54 And when they were come out of the ship, straightway they knew him, 55 And ran through that whole region round about, and began to carry about in beds those that were sick, where they heard he was. 56 And whithersoever he entered, into villages, or cities, or country, they laid the sick in the streets, and besought him that they might touch if it were but the border of his garment: and as many as touched him were made whole.” Mark 6:45-56 (KJV)

Jesus sent the disciples away by boat while He sent the people on their way. After that had been accomplished he departed to a “Mountain to pray”. There is a lesson here for all of us who are His; there is a time to be alone with God and Him alone. Jesus, in human flesh, needed to recoup and spend time with His Father. So do we. Where Jesus could communicate with the Father face to face we must rely on the written Word, so it is wise to communicate with God while you have His Word at hand, and open before you.
As the disciples were rowing across the Sea of Galilee a boisterous wind came up, and it was a head wind which caused them to fight against it and evidently not gain much if anything in distance. Jesus saw them rowing and struggling against the wind and went out to help them, and what a way He travelled to help. It was sometime after midnight when Jesus came to them walking on the water.
This passage of Scripture even tells us that He “Would have passed by them”. He came “Along side” of them to check their faith. Would they recognize Him in His supernatural power and walking on the water? They thought He was a ghost. They still were dealing with a lot of personal superstition, if they were believing in ghosts.
Jesus recognizes their fear and assures them it is Himself, and He went up into the boat and it tells us that the wind ceased.
Jesus comes to us in the midst of our storms, but do we recognize Him or do we depend on our own methods and strength? How would we react, even this day and age, if we were on the water in a boat and someone came walking in the midst of the night on the surface of the water, across a deep hole?
Many times, we as human beings, fear what we do not understand. Seeing Jesus, and not knowing who it was is only a thing which is innate in every human being – fear of the unseen, unknown beyond. Which is only evidence that God put in each of us the desire for that which is eternal.
In verse 52 Mark reminds us of the miracle of the loaves and fish, “For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened. Mark 6:52 (KJV)”. Had they really understood about the miracle of the loaves and the fish they would not have been “amazed” about Jesus’ ability to walk on water. Both actually show His power and authority over nature [as we call it], and that He was and is the Creator of all that is.
When Jesus and the disciples arrive at Gennesaret [the other side] the people there knew who Jesus was and they began to bring the sick, and they thinking, “I only need to touch the hem of His garment”, and all who touched Him were healed. This faith they showed was very similar the lady in chapter 5 who had had the bleeding for 12 years. Jesus and the disciples minister to them, and great things are done

-Tim A. Blankenship

Full Joy

October 25, 2009September 8, 2010 / Tim A. / Leave a comment

Full Joy

1 John 1:1-4

OUTLINE –
I. THAT WHICH WAS FROM THE BEGINNING (v. 1).
II. THAT WHICH WE HAVE HEARD (v. 1).
III. THAT WHICH WE HAVE SEEN (v. 1).
IV. THAT WHICH WE HAVE HANDLED (vv. 1-3).
V. WRITTEN THAT YOUR JOY MAY BE FULL (v. 4).

The time of John’s epistle was probably at or near the beginning of the influences of the Gnostics who appeared to have a “deeper understanding” of God and spiritual things. At least they thought they did. Their “deeper understanding” even exceeded that of the prophets and apostles; so they stressed.
These Gnostics, however, equated the physical as being evil, and God as good, thus God and evil, ie., the physical were not compatible; thus, God could not dwell in the flesh. This denied the physical body of Jesus.
John does not deal directly with this by naming, however, he does approach it from his own experiences with Jesus and by the Holy Spirit. The apostle is one who gives us quite clearly, in John’s gospel, that Jesus is God incarnate (John 1:1, 14).
John deals with the evil gnostics by calling the churches to remember the things written, and other, concerning the Christ called Jesus:

I. THAT WHICH WAS FROM THE BEGINNING (v. 1).
A. In the beginning God created… (Genesis 1:1).
B. In the beginning was the Word… (John 1:1).
C. …And the Word was made flesh… (John 1:14).

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” Gen 1:1 (KJV)
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1 (KJV)
“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” John 1:14 (KJV)

II. THAT WHICH WE HAVE HEARD (vv. 1, 3).
A. His sheep “hear His voice” (John 10:3).

His sheep know His voice (10:4).
His sheep follow Him (10:4).

B. His sheep will not follow a stranger (10:5).

They “know not the voice of strangers” (10:5).

C. He knows those who know His voice (10:27).

They follow Him (10:27-28).
No one is able to pluck them from the Father’s hand (10:29).

D. Those who love Him hear and keep His words (John 14:21-24).

“3 To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.
4 And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.
5 And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.” John 10:3-5 (KJV)

“27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.” John 10:27-29 (KJV)

“He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. 22 Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? 23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. 24 He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.” John 14:21-24 (KJV)

III. THAT WHICH WE HAVE SEEN (v. 1).
A. Jesus knowing Nathanael before meeting Him (John 1:43-51).
B. Jesus cleansing the temple (John 2:13-17; Matthew 21:12-13; Mark 11:15-19) two times.
C. Calming storms on the sea; as well as Peter walking on the water (Matthew 8:23-27; 14:22-33).
D. Jesus turning water into wine (John 2:1-11).
E. Jesus feeding thousands (John 6:5-14).
F. Jesus gives them transportation (John 6:16-21).

“And when even was now come, his disciples went down unto the sea, 17 And entered into a ship, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was now dark, and Jesus was not come to them. 18 And the sea arose by reason of a great wind that blew. 19 So when they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they see Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the ship: and they were afraid. 20 But he saith unto them, It is I; be not afraid. 21 Then they willingly received him into the ship: and immediately the ship was at the land whither they went.” John 6:16-21 (KJV)

IV. THAT WHICH WE HAVE HANDLED (vv. 1-3).
A. John could have Thomas’ experience in mind (John 20:24-29).
B. Peter’s experience of walking on the water, beginning to sink, and the Lord taking his hand (Matthew 14:31).
C. The woman with the impurity for 12 years reached out and touched [handled] His garment (Mark 5:25-34).
D. Holding fast the faithful Word… Word of life (Titus 1:9; Philippians 2:16).

“And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?” Matthew 14:31 (KJV)

“Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.” Titus 1:9 (KJV)
“Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.” Philippians 2:16 (KJV)

V. THAT YOUR JOY MAY BE FULL (v. 4).
A. Real Joy is only with the Father.

Joy which no one takes from you (John 16:22).
Joy which is full [complete] (John 16:24).

B. According to Nehemiah “the joy of the LORD is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10).
C. Found only in the work of Jesus Christ on the cross (John 6:29).
D. Freedom is related to Joy; Joy is related to freedom – Freedom’s Joy is through Jesus Christ (John 8:36).
E. Full Joy comes when we see God and His Son Jesus for who they fully are.

“And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.” John 16:22 (KJV)
“Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.” John 16:24 (KJV)
“Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.” John 6:29 (KJV)
“If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” John 8:36 (KJV)

-Tim A. Blankenship

Jesus – Servant Of Freedom Seekers

October 18, 2009 / Tim A. / Leave a comment

Mark 5:1-43

“And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains: Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones. But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him, And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not. For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit. And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many. And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country. Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding. And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them. And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea. And they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that was done. And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid. And they that saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil, and also concerning the swine. And they began to pray him to depart out of their coasts.” Mark 5:1-17 (KJV)

SEEKING FOR FREEDOM FROM A DEMONIC POWER AND PRESENCE. (Mark 5:1-17). If you look at the state of this man he is in a miserable condition. If you want to know what Satan can do for you just take a look at this man and you will see. He will leave you naked, hungry, poor, desolate, isolated, cold, deserted, lonely, and hopeless. Is that the kind of life you want? Is that the kind of life you want for a family member? Is that the kind of life you want for a neighbor? I would think not.

We live in a period of time where even some Christians are doubtful of demonic existence. If we are to believe God and His Word, then we have no contrary opinion on the matter. We believe it or we do not believe God or His Word. There are some who want to equate this to what could be called “epilepsy”, “lunacy”, or “frenzy”. How does one who does not believe in demonic influence explain “broken chains” and “cords”, and that no one could control him.
You will notice that the demon who is speaking to Jesus knows who Jesus is. He calls Jesus, “Son of the most high God”. It seems to me that it is the man who comes out, and seeking Jesus. It was not just “coincidence” which brought Jesus to this side of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus said in chapter 4, “Let us go to the other side”, and there was this man waiting there to be freed from this terrible bondage.

It seems this place is made up of Gentiles, because no Jewish people would be raising swine, and they have very little concern that a man has been freed from the bondage of a demon, and he is now in his “right mind”. They were more concerned with the 2000 pigs that perished than they were for the man. If we are not careful we can get so worldly minded we are of no heavenly good. Jesus cares for the man, not material possessions.

J. C. Ryle points out these things about the situation:

‘The possession of a man’s body by the devil, was a real and true thing in the time of our Lord’s earthly ministry.

What an awfully cruel, powerful, and malicious being Satan is.

How complete is our Lord’s power and authority over the devil.”

As born again people – born from above and into the kingdom of God – we have no need to fear demons, hell or the devil. He is a mighty foe, and he does seek to steal, kill and destroy anything of God’s he can get his hands on. The apostle John tells us, “Greater is He who is in you, than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).

“And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him. Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee. And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel.” Mark 5:18-20 (KJV)

A FREED PEOPLE SEEK TO TELL OTHERS HOW TO BE FREE. (Mark 5:18-20). This man who had been possessed by a “Legion” of demons is now free and He desires to go with Jesus as He is leaving. Jesus knows the best position for one to be in. He tells the man to go to his home, and to tell his family and friends “how great things the Lord has done for you”.

It would only take a moment. He had been enslaved by demons and many tried to control him with chains, and various types of bonds, but none would do. Finally, he meets Jesus and is freed by the mere words of Jesus. I cannot begin to think I could know how this man felt to have a clear mind, to be free from the invisible chains which drove him to such “insanity”, and “gross behavior”. In any case it is similar to the freedom we all experience when we first trust Jesus as our Lord and Savior. We were bound by chains of sin and darkness, and condemned to an eternity without Christ to the fires of Hell, and when we met Jesus He set us free, and gave us eternal life in His presence.

We have much to tell our friends and family. Let us do it with such excitement and enthusiasm as our friend in the tombs did. We have been freed by Jesus, just as the man in the tombs was, let us be as free to share our testimony with our friends and loved ones. They need to know.

“And when Jesus was passed over again by ship unto the other side, much people gathered unto him: and he was nigh unto the sea. And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet, And besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live. And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him. And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.” Mark 5:21-34 (KJV)

A WOMAN SEEKS FOR FREEDOM FROM HER TWELVE YEAR PHYSICAL AFFLICTION. (Mark 5:21-34). It so happens that Jesus and His disciples have gone back to the West side of the Sea of Galilee now and there is a multitude waiting for them there. Jairus, a “ruler of the synagogue” has approached Jesus concerning his “deathly ill” daughter. As Jesus is walking through the crowd there is a woman who has been ill for twelve years with an “issue of blood”. She has spent much of her money for “Physicians” to try and find out what is wrong with her, but to no avail. She sees her only hope as being Jesus as he is in the crowd. Her faith says, “If I may but touch the hem of His garment I will be healed”.

When she touches Jesus’ garment she “felt in her body that she was healed of that plague”. Only thing Jesus realized there had been some “Power” go out from Himself, and He turned to see who had “touched Him”. Was He angry? No! It seems to me that He was very much impressed with this woman of “Faith”. Jesus asked, “Who touched my clothes?” Well! My goodness many said and we would do the same. Lord, You are in a crowd of people, of course someone touched You. It was a purposeful touch, not a accidental touch one might get while walking in a crowd of people. It would be like being in a large mall and you have someone come up and purposefully grab your shirttail or coattail and you turn to see who it is and it is a friend. I doubt the touch was as vigorous as that, but it would have a little similarity to it.

Can you imagine being afflicted with a plague such as this woman has endured for twelve years. Can you imagine her desperation to find a cure, healing, help in any fashion. This could not have been good for her health. It is really kind of a marvel that she has not died.

Jesus commends her for her “Faith”. “Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague. Mark 5:34 (KJV)”. Then, Jesus goes on with the man [Jairus] who came for Him concerning His daughter.

Do we have the faith of this woman. Willing to risk it all knowing that Jesus is our only hope for healing, health, life and eternal life. Put your faith in Jesus, He will see you through it all.

“While he yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house certain which said, Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further? As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe. And he suffered no man to follow him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of James. And he cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that wept and wailed greatly. And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn. But when he had put them all out, he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying. And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise. And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment. And he charged them straitly that no man should know it; and commanded that something should be given her to eat.” Mark 5:35-43 (KJV)

THE DAUGHTER DIES, BUT DO NOT BE AFRAID – JESUS RAISES HER TO LIFE AGAIN. (Mark 5:35-43). Certainly, as we look at this event, of this “ruler of the synagogue” and his daughter we can learn at least two things. First of all sin, illness, disease, death, and sorrow does not play favorites with age, and secondly, they do not play favorites with religious or political stature. This child was twelve years of age. The same period of time as that of the woman who was healed of her affliction. It is bound to happen to any of us. Death, disease, sickness, and plague hits us all, and it is to us all that the Scripture says,

“And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:” Hebrews 9:27 (KJV)

The only sad part about this event is that this young lady of twelve years would one day die again, and this time it was without Jesus raising her again. It is sure that one day we will die, and our age or social stature will have no way of prevention in it.

It is evident that this “ruler” had respect for Jesus. Note the words of his servant, “Why troublest thou the Master any further?” This “Ruler” had evidently been teaching about Jesus or this man knew who Jesus was too. It is amazing what people will do to find healing – even in our day. People who have the means have been known to look the world over for a cure for cancer, or any other long, drawn out illness. What if you do not have the “Means”? What do you do then? You can find rest, peace, security in Jesus.

The life of this young lady is not over yet, as long as Jesus can see her. The real faith is seen in the girls father. Despite the possibility of suffering ridicule from his peers in the “Ministry” he seeks out Jesus. He risks his religious reputation to find Jesus to heal his daughter.

What is the life of a lost loved one worth? That is a question we must ask ourselves and ask it every day.

The girl had died, but Jesus says to Jairus, “Be not afraid, only believe”. Jesus is laughed to scorn by those who are there to “Mourn” the death of the child. They are most likely paid mourners who have come for this purpose of mourning the dead for the family. Jesus says that she is only asleep. Cannot be a funeral if she is only asleep. Jesus “Puts them all out”, and then He takes those who will believe with Him. He “Put them all out” sounds as though He used a little force to do it. “Get out! Get out!” Can you see it? And people are always saying Jesus was always without anger. Not so. He is angry with the wicked, and everyday according to the Psalmist (Psalm 7:11).

-Tim A. Blankenship

He Goes Before You…

October 13, 2009 / Tim A. / Leave a comment

“…Go your way, tell His disciples and Peter that He goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see Him, as He said unto you” Mark 16:7

Have you ever done something wrong, and you felt ashamed about it? I really believe the answer to that question is, that all of us have. We feel there is no way of recovering that friendship that was lost. There is no way of restoring the personal credibility which was thrown away because of a word that was spoken; or words that were spoken. There is no way they will ever trust me again.

You know? Those thoughts are all lies. Especially when it comes to the Lord Jesus. You see Jesus had warned the disciples that they would flee from Him (Mark 14:27-28), but Peter had said, “If I should die with Thee, I will not deny Thee in any wise.” (Mark 14:29, 31).

When it had happened; just as Jesus had said (Mark 14:66-72), Peter went and, “he wept” (v. 72). He was grieved for his denying His Savior. He probably felt as though there was no going back, there was no hope. However, when Jesus has risen from the grave, the angel says, “Go… tell His disciples and Peter…”. Jesus was still including Peter in the group. He will with you and I as well.

Isn’t it wonderful and marvelous to know that even when we have fallen, Jesus is there to pick us up and set us back in His way.

-Tim A. Blankenship

What Manner Of Man – Worthy Of Worship

October 12, 2009 / Tim A. / Leave a comment

“And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick? For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad. If any man have ears to hear, let him hear. And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given. For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath.” Mark 4:21-25 (KJV)

For the second time in chapter four Jesus uses the phrase “If any man have ears to hear, let him hear”. What we have been given by God’s grace can be seen by all. Our life, our work, our play, our family, is a witness to all around us. How bright is that light shining from me? How about with you? Is the light of Christ clearly displayed for all to see.

Jesus says that what has been in secret will be revealed. The Gospel is to the unbelieving something hard to understand and is “hidden” until the Spirit of God turns on the light. To the unbelieving the preaching of the cross is foolishness; to the Jew it is a stumbling block.

God has given to every believer the light to shine for all to see. We have been given much, so much is required of us. Let us not lose what God has blessed us with. The blessed gift and privilege of sharing Christ with others can be lost if we are not sharing the story. The more you share the gospel with others the more you will enjoy it and the better it will get. To have a gift and not use it is to lose it.

“And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.” Mark 4:26-29 (KJV)

It is a marvel of God’s creation how a seed can be dropped onto the earth’s soil and it spring up and bring forth life. Only God really knows how that happens. It is a matter of life.

The farmer knows what he is to do, and that begins with plowing the ground – for a good crop – and preparing it for the seed. He will then sow the seed, and wait patiently for it to grow into a harvest. That seed will struggle and push its way up through the soil, it will grow to its highest potential, with “blades” of the plant it is supposed to be and eventually bring forth its fruit. After reaching its time of harvest the farmer then will proceed to gather the harvest, and usually with much joy.

The good farmer knows the right time to harvest the grain. When that time comes he puts in the “sickle” and brings in the harvest.

“And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth: But when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it. And with many such parables spake he the word unto them, as they were able to hear it. But without a parable spake he not unto them: and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples.” Mark 4:30-34 (KJV)

The growth of this mustard plant is not normal. It even shelters the “Fowls of the air” which are seen in the previous “parable” as being representative of the devil.

There is a tree which is seen in the fourth chapter of Daniel where it is said of it that the “birds of the air” rested in its branches. This can be found in Daniel 4:11-12.

“The tree grew, and was strong, and the height thereof reached unto heaven, and the sight thereof to the end of all the earth: The leaves thereof were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was meat for all: the beasts of the field had shadow under it, and the fowls of the heaven dwelt in the boughs thereof, and all flesh was fed of it. Daniel 4:11-12 (KJV)”

The “Mustard seed” is one of the smallest seeds known to man. When Christ started the church He began with only twelve, and over the years it has grown and flourished. It is not without problems or problem people, but it still continues to grow. Within this Kingdom there is good and evil, and the good will triumph because Jesus Christ is its Head. Warren Wiersbe states, “The growth of the kingdom will not result in the conversion of the world. In fact, some of the growth will give opportunity for Satan to get in and go to work!” It is imperative that we understand that the church is not perfect. It is basically a “Hospital” with “sick” people. Someone once made the statement, that “If you find a perfect church, and you go there, it is no longer perfect.” There are members within many churches who are not genuinely Christian. They “came forward” during an invitation, “took the preachers hand” or someone else’s, they filled out a card and there was no giving of self to Christ as Savior or Lord. When the local church is made up of saved and lost people it is no wonder there will be problems in the congregation.

We must note that the “birds” who are resting in the branches of the tree are not part of the tree. They only find solace, security, and some sanctimoniousness.

What Jesus started with only twelve people has grown to be millions. The Church of Jesus Christ will not fail. She will prevail, because Jesus has already conquered sin, death, hell, the devil, and the grave.

“And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” Mark 4:35-41 (KJV)

After giving the parables and teachings he had given on this same day he got in one of the boats and said, “Let’s go to the other side”. Now, what is on the other side? Gadara. There is a need for Jesus to go there, and He goes.

On the way to the “Other side” Jesus goes to sleep in the stern of the boat. While He sleeps a storm that frightens even the seasoned fishermen – Peter, Andrew, James and John. Even these guys are afraid that they are going to die. Jesus is still sleeping. Unafraid, unencumbered with the weights of this incident He sleeps. There are three reasons a man or woman can sleep during storms of life. First of all, physically exhausted, or dead. Secondly, emotionally drained or depressed due to a rebellious attitude toward God. Thirdly, they are at perfect peace with God. Which one of those categories did Jesus fit into? That is really a crazy question. He is Deity, God in Flesh. Of course He was at perfect peace with God. He knew His destiny. He knew God’s plan for His life. How about you?

One thing we as Christians need reminded of from time to time is that we are still going to have some storms in our lives. We are not exempt from them at all.

These seasoned fishermen saw that this storm was different or they would not have been so afraid as they were. Because they were afraid they went to the right person. They went and roused Jesus from His sleep. Jesus was somewhat disappointed with their faith – or lack thereof. They must not have been sure of their destiny, or God’s plan for their lives, or Jesus’ life for that matter. If they would have believed Jesus’ previous words they would not have been afraid of the storm. They would have kept on rowing; knowing and believing that they would reach their destination on “The Other side”. Jesus had an appointment in Jerusalem He had to keep, and nothing would deter Him from that meeting.

At the storm they were afraid of it, now they suddenly turn their fear toward Jesus. They really were not afraid of the storm; rather they were afraid of dying. Now they have their eyes opened, and they receive a proper fear. A fear of God, for here, standing with them is the One who made the elements, which causes the storm, and now calls them to be at peace. Now the disciples can be at peace.

WHAT MANNER OF MAN IS THIS? That is the best question. He is the God-man. Jesus Christ the incarnate One; worthy of praise, honor and glory. It is to Him alone that we owe our complete allegiance, and to no other.

-Tim A. Blankenship

The Sower And The Hearts Of Humanity

October 4, 2009 / Tim A. / Leave a comment

“And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables? The sower soweth the word. And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts. And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended. And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful. And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.” Mark 4:13-20 (KJV)

It is to be understood that the “field” where the seed is sown is the world. The seed that is being sown is the Word of God. When the Word of God falls on hard soil – the walkway, pathway, etc. – then the devil comes along and carries it away. This hard soil is a hard and unaccepting [unbelieving] heart toward God.

The “stony ground” is the heart of an individual who hears the Word of God and seemingly receives it, but because there is no depth for growth, troubles, trials, and heat come along and he wilts away, because there is no root. This individual has “gladly received” the Word of God, but with no true heart for it.

The “thorny soil” is the person who has heard the Word of God, and like the previous one receives it gladly, but due to worldly influence, greed for riches, and other distractions is choked off from receiving the life giving rays of Son light.

The “good ground” hears the Word of God, gladly receives it and goes on and bears fruit. Each area of the soil will bear a different amount of fruit, but it bears fruit none the less. That is evidence of a genuine believer/follower of Jesus Christ. He/She will bear fruit. A changed life is the first evidence, a burden for the lost, condemned and dying, and being a witness are evidences of fruit. All of these will lead to souls coming to faith in Christ. Christians will bear fruit.

Here is a summation of the conditions of “hearts” of men:

The first kind are those who hear the Word, but it has no affect on them and so the devil snatches away the Word;
The second kind are those who seem to receive the Word of God gladly; they may even seem excited about it, but the troubles of persecution and rejection of friends, and such come along, and they take off to sights unknown;
The third heart is much like the second, but it is not persecution or trouble that causes them to turn away from the truth, it is rather, the desire for wealth, riches, pleasure, etc.. None of these first three are even redeemed. They are all still condemned, dying, and without hope. Is there any hope for them.
The fourth heart is the blessed heart that has genuinely been saved, changed into the image of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), and it brings forth fruit. It is the fruit which brings honor and glory to the sower.

Yes! We can pray for people who are in such a condition, as those of the first three, that God may continue to prepare their hearts and get rid of the thorns, and give depth to the soil that they might bear fruit. After the sowing of the seed it is God’s work alone.

-Tim A. Blankenship

What Manner Of Man – Communicator

September 25, 2009 / Tim A. / Leave a comment

“And he began again to teach by the sea side: and there was gathered unto him a great multitude, so that he entered into a ship, and sat in the sea; and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land. And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine, Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow: And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up. And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth: But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred. And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable. And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables: That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.” Mark 4:1-12 (KJV)

Someone defined a parable as “An earthly story with a heavenly meaning”, and I think that is a good definition if I do say so. They may or may not be fictional to point out a truth. Jesus used many of them to make points, and even to conceal the truth from some.

From what I have seen I know people like a good story. That is why novels sell so well. The Christian novel market is booming. Christian fiction is one of the hottest selling items going. When Frank E. Perretti wrote “This Present Darkness” and “Piercing The Darkness” it started the boom in Christian fiction novels. Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins co-authored the “Left Behind” series and it was and is a wonderful story of the last days. Many years ago a man in Southwest Missouri wrote “The Shepherd of the Hills” and it is a wonderful story. Harold Bell Wright wrote the story for his church and that book has become more popular in recent years.

When I was in school I would be assigned a novel to read and all I would do is scan it. I would read the first page of a chapter, a middle page and the final page of a chapter and then I would write a composition on it. It is no wonder my grades were no better than they were. Until I decided to read “This Present Darkness” I did not know what I had been missing. Now I will read at least one novel per year and sometimes even more.

The greatest story ever told, though, is the story of God, His creation, man and his fall away from God, God’s pursuit of fallen man through the death burial and resurrection of His Son, and bringing it all to a conclusion in that great day when we will all be forgiven, cleansed, and in the presence of Jesus for all eternity. That story tells us of the wickedness of fallen mankind, and the wonderful grace of Almighty God who created all that is.

Jesus tells the story of the soils and the seeds. For the people to whom He was speaking agricultural language, because that is the language they would understand. It is probably best called the “Parable of the Sower”. He was faithful in sowing the seed and leaves the results to God.

There are four types of soil represented here. In the first place some seed fell by the “wayside” onto hard ground, and the birds came and ate it up. The second type of soil was “stony ground” which had shallow soil and no way for the crop to take root. The third place where the seed fell was on “thorny soil”, and when the seed came up from the ground it was choked out by the thorns. It received no light from the sun, therefore could not grow as it ought. The fourth and final type of soil was good. The seed fell upon the good soil and brought forth an abundant crop.

Jesus uses parables to teach those who really want to know Him. If they are not interested in Him they will not understand the parables. “He that has ears to hear, let him hear” is the statement of such. Those who love Jesus or who are wanting to really know Him will listen, hear and obey what He has to say.

The parables Jesus told us many years ago are still applicable to the day we live and everyday in the lives of those who are willing to hear them and obey.

This same Jesus died on the cross for you, was buried carrying away all the sins of the world and the weight of guilt, and its condemnation, then rose from death’s grave overcoming the power of sin, death, and hell. Call on His name today. Trust His work He did for you.

-Tim A. Blankenship

	Tim A. on The Work of the Shepherd
	Ray on The Work of the Shepherd
	The Judgment You Jud… on Judging
	Tim A. on The Time Had Come
	Cameron Cloud on The Time Had Come

The Fire and Hammer

"Is not My Word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?" Jeremiah 23:29

Mark

The Widow’s Gift

David’s Christ

The Power Of The Ten Commandments

Ignorance Of Scripture

Mark Twelve – Thirteen through Seventeen

Mark Twelve – One through Twelve

Mark Eleven – Twenty Seven through Thirty three

Mark Eleven – Twelve through Twenty six

Mark Eleven – One through Eleven

Presentation Of The King

Daniel 2:1-23

Mark Ten – Thirty Two through Fifty Two

Mark Ten – Seventeen through Thirty One

Mark Ten – Thirteen Through Sixteen

Mark Ten – One Through Twelve

Mark Chapter Nine

Mark Chapter Eight

The Servant, The Word, and Traditions of Men

Rejected and Proven

Full Joy

Jesus – Servant Of Freedom Seekers

He Goes Before You…

What Manner Of Man – Worthy Of Worship

The Sower And The Hearts Of Humanity

What Manner Of Man – Communicator

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