I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.

Mark 14:53-72

I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven. Mark 14:62

I continue my study of Mark, leaning on the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for Mark.  Today, my focus is per the commentary, the first division of the text from Mark 14:53-72 - vv53-65.  

• Using the Sword Bible Study Method focusing just on the text for today - vv53-65: (1) God in the text: Jesus is led to the high priest after His arrest (v53); Jesus is subjected to trial before the temple chief priests, elders, and scribes where they sought evidence to convict Jesus of blasphemy (vv53, 55); despite this questioning and false witness (v56-59), etc. there was no evidence that Jesus committed blasphemy (or any other sin) (v55); Jesus was silent in the face of all questioning except the questioning from the chief priest who sought to confirm Jesus identity as Christ the Son of the Blessed (v61) - to this Jesus said yes and pointed to His second coming (v62); Jesus was mocked, covered and spat upon (v65); (2) people in the text: Peter followed Jesus "at a distance - warming himself" focusing on his comfort vs the persecution of Jesus (v54); Peter denies Jesus just as prophesied during the Last Supper (vv26-31); the chief priests, elders, and scribes falsely accused Jesus of blasphemy against God yet ironically it was them who were blasphemous as Jesus confirms His identity to them and yet they still seek to condemn based on false charges they made up; (3) Sins to avoid, promises to claim, examples to follow, and commands to obey: we should love God first (most important commandment) and not blaspheme Him; we should claim the promise that Jesus is the Son of God and He is worthy of all worship; and also rest in the promise that He will return; we should stand firm in our faith during trials and trust in Him; we should follow Jesus example to seek God's will for our lives and follow His will.  

Excerpts from the commentary's introduction and the first (of two) division: 

• The title of this chapter of the commentary covering this text is "The Beginning of the End for the Great King," and the main idea for the entirety of the text (vv53-72) is "[e]ven amid the falling away of all His followers, Jesus remained faithful to His calling."
• The title of the first division is "Jesus Makes the Faithful Witness as to Who He Is."  
• "[Jesus'] final hours were unjust and illegal. Jesus endured six hearings in a matter of hours—three ecclesiastical trials before the Jewish In the case of our Savior, not only was life unfair; His final hours were unjust and illegal. Jesus endured six hearings in a matter of hours—three ecclesiastical trials before the Jewish religious authorities and three civil trials before the Roman political authorities (Matthew 26–27; Mark 14–15; Luke 22–23; John 18–19). It is difficult to count up all the violations of Jewish law."
• Fulfilling scripture just as written (Isaiah 53:7) Jesus remains silent as He is questioned - the only time Jesus speaks is to reveal the "messianic secret" that Jesus sought to keep under wraps during His time in ministry. He is the Son of God.   

Comment and discuss this post. 

My Prayer: Father God You are an awesome God who loves and who saves!  I am not deserving of how You love and save.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.

Mark 14:53-72

I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven. Mark 14:62

I continue my study of Mark, leaning on the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for Mark.  Today, I focus on an unassisted review of Mark 14:53-72, which is the text for the next chapter of the commentary. Observations of the text based on the Sword Bible Study Method: 

• What do we learn from the passage about God?: Following His arrest, Jesus is led to the high priest - v53.  Jesus then faces his accusers as the chief priests, etc sought evidence and testimony against Jesus - although this was challenging - v55.  The only defense Jesus puts up is to respond in v62 sharing prophecy how He will rise after death to sit at the right hand of God and then ultimately coming again on the clouds. 
• What do we learn from the passage about people?: We see some of Jesus accusers seek to bear false witness of Jesus and to blaspheme Him - vv56-58; Jesus's response to questioning v62 is seen by His accusers as blasphemy and sufficient evidence to convict Jesus to death.  Some of Jesus' accusers spat on Jesus, mocked Him, and struck Him v65.  Peter is called out as being one of Jesus' followers - three times - but Peter denies it each time - fulfilling prophecy by Jesus v30.  Peter breaks down and weeps v72. 
• Is there anything from the passage God wants us to obey (SPEC: Sins to avoid,Promises to claim, Examples to follow, Commands to obey?): We should avoid denying and betraying Jesus (all sin is betrayal), falling away and scattering in the face of persecution, temptation, and fear by putting on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6) and standing firm in our faith.  We should claim Jesus' promise that He will return v62 "coming on the clouds of heaven."  See also Daniel 7:13; Matthew 26:64; Revelation 1:7.

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who loves and saves!  Thank You for willingly taking on my sin, and the death I deserved - so that I could be saved.  I am not deserving!  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

[T]he scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “by the prince of demons he casts out the demons.”

Mark 3:22-30

[T]he scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “by the prince of demons he casts out the demons.” Mark 3:22

I continue my study of Mark, leaning on the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for Mark.  Today, I focus on a commentary-assisted review of Mark 3:22, which is the text for the first (of three) division of 3:22-30 per the commentary. Excerpts from the commentary's introduction to 3:22-30 and for the first division:

• Main idea of 3:22-30 per the commentary: "Some are so hardened in their rejection of Jesus as God’s true Messiah that they attribute to Satan the works of the Holy Spirit done through Jesus, and they will never be forgiven."
• The concept of an eternal sin - where forgiveness is never available - is discussed.  "Whatever this sin is, we must approach it with the greatest possible gravity and seriousness. When God effectively says, “Commit this sin and I will never forgive you,” there is then no longer any hope for heaven and eternal life."
• Demonstration of this eternal sin - blasphemy against God - "reveals a hardened heart that calls good evil."
• This sin is defined as "a persistent rejection of and declaration against what the Spirit of God is doing in and through Jesus."
• "Those who move in the direction of the unpardonable sin are aware of the miraculous works of Jesus that cannot be denied. The scribes at no point deny He has cast out demons! In addition, this unpardonable sin is characterized by consistently rejecting the obvious and logical conclusion that these spiritual works are done by the Spirit of God."     

There are many who mock God.  It is not my place to identify who these people are but only to believe in the Bible that shares that since the Fall, sin and brokenness exists and God is allowing Satan and sin to persist until He finally defeats Satan as described in Revelation 20:10.  My response to sin and brokenness is to stand on Truth and to put on the whole armor of God as described in Ephesians 6:10-20.  I know what Jesus has done for me with 100% certainty and what He continues to do - His mercies never cease and are new every morning and He continues to intercede on my behalf with the Father daily.  He gives me the Holy Spirit and will never leave or forsake me. He goes before me and leads me.  Without Him I am nothing.  The rich blessings go on and on...

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My Prayer: Heavenly Father, You are an awesome God and You are SO good to me - You save, and You forgive as Your mercies never cease and and are new every morning - for those who believe.  Thank You Jesus for my salvation and for the blessings that You pour out in inexhaustible supply.  I am not deserving of my salvation, nor any of the blessings You pour out for me.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day. 

“Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”— for they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”

Mark 3:22-30

“Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”—  for they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.” Mark 3:28-30

I continue my study of Mark, leaning on the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for Mark.  Today, I focus on an unassisted review of Mark 3:22-30, which is the text for the next chapter of the commentary. Observations of the text based on the Sword Bible Study Method: 

• What do we learn from the passage about God?: God is Holy and His Name is worthy of worship; He does not tolerate any blasphemy. 
• What do we learn from the passage about people?: People are so concerned about themselves and what they have that they are willing to do anything that get in the way of what they perceive as a threat - including evidence to the contrary.  The scribes were clearly concerned about the threat Jesus posed to their positions and status as arbiters of the law.  Be aware of people who stand between what is Truth and question their motives - what are they protecting?  
• Is there anything from the passage God wants us to obey (SPEC: Sins to avoid, Promises to claim, Examples to follow, Commands to obey)?:  We should NEVER blaspheme God's name.  God promises to eternally punish those who do blaspheme His name. We should be unified as a church globally and avoid divisions that are meaningless - even in the face of disagreement, we should strive to be peaceful about resolving conflict.  Scripture lays out how to deal with disagreement in the church.  

While Jesus' words in the text focuses on division among Satan's minions and how Jesus is not Satan because this would mean Satan's house is "divided" and "cannot stand," for similar reasons, the church must be unified.  This post from about a year and a half ago on church unity is apt, as it emphasizes unity in diversity based on 1 Corinthians 12:11-31.  Here is another post worth a read on this topic based on Ephesians 4:1-3, 15-16. 

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My Prayer: Father God, thank You so much for my brothers and sisters in Christ and how You knit us together as a global church.  It is incredible to see and experience and of course a blessing in my own journey with You.  I am not deserving of my salvation, nor any of the blessings such as these that You pour out for me.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.  

By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith, among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.

1 Timothy 1:18–20

By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith, among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme. 1 Timothy 1:19b-20

John Piper has posted a new video lab of 1 Timothy 1:18-20 (Part 3) on DesiringGod.com, so I resume my study of this book. Excerpts from this video:

• Note the connection of faith and a good conscience, and if you reject one you reject both; further exploring the connection of conscience and faith, Piper shares that if we reject a good conscience, we are thereby rejecting things that are good for us.
• Paul seeks to fix Hymenaeus and Alexander by teaching them not to blaspheme; see also 1 Timothy 1:10-11 where Paul discusses how the law is being misused and not used for healthy teaching which "accords with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God."  Faith is wrecked by rejecting healthy teaching as described.  You are also blaspheming - essentially saying that the Good News is not good.  
  
• Paul's remedy is to hand over Hymenaeus and Alexander to Satan which is discussed in the forthcoming part 4 lab video on this text; in the meantime, pursue both a faith and a conscience that aligns with the gospel as Good News. 

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, the Good News is good indeed!  All of what comes from You is good, true, and perfect.  Thank You for my salvation and for the blessings You pour out for me.  I am not deserving of such blessings nor my salvation.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.