32 “But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. 34 It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. 35 Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning— 36 lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. 37 And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.
Mark 13:32-37

“I’ll be back.” — Jesus of Nazareth.

I’m told that in the 1980s, some guy wrote a book called “87 reasons why the rapture will be in 1987”.  The year after that didn’t happen, it was revised, updated and re-published as “88 reasons why the rapture will be in 1988”.

If all the hours that had been wasted in speculating on when Jesus will return could be added up and put to some beneficial use, who know what the church might have done?  But speculation about speculation aside, it’s an example of how rubbish we can be at when it comes to listening to Jesus.

There is a question that Jesus says will not be answered.  He says he doesn’t even know the answer – it is known by the Father alone and he has chosen not to reveal it.  He has deliberately chosen not to reveal it.  It’s not that he hid it in some obscure code in the bible and if you’re clever enough you can figure it out… not unless you’re seriously trying to claim you understand the bible better than Jesus.  It’s a question that he wants us to quit worrying about, because we won’t be able to answer it.  God didn’t mysteriously reveal it to the Mayans.  He didn’t whisper it into Harold Camping’s ear.  He chose not to reveal it.

Instead he told us it would happening.  And he told us how to prepare – and surprisingly he doesn’t recommend a calculator and a Jewish calendar.  He says: “Stay awake.”

Be ready.  Don’t let your guard down.  Quit trying to second-guess God and just live ready for Jesus’ return – because he’s coming back.

He doesn’t ask us to figure out when, or to have the red carpet ready or a cake in the oven.  He just wants us to be carrying on like he’s the master.  Because he is.

So to steal a turn of phrase from the British Humanists, “You don’t know he’s coming back, so quit worrying and carry on serving Jesus.”

He sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”

(Mark 12:41-44, ESV)

What is the reason for your giving? Do you give out of compulsion, guilt or because you feel that you should? If that’s the reason, then you might as well stop, for with God it’s about the heart.

Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

(2 Corinthians 9:7, ESV)

We give to God out of love for him, a small token of our response to him. For everything we have is his and comes from him – so anything we can give is small in relation to what he has given us.

Generosity in giving flows from the motive behind our giving – if you are giving out of love, the amount or the cost doesn’t matter it’s a token of your love and response to the generosity of God. Out of everything God has given us, we are just in awe of his goodness and mercy towards us.

…who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

(Romans 11:35-36, ESV)

Today’s passage reminds us that giving isn’t about show or what others see, it should be kept quiet. Here we see the rich people coming along and putting in large amounts of money in an obvious way to those around, giving to show their wealth. Giving is between you and God, and not about how it appears to others around you. The concern should be about your heart and whether it is acceptable to God.

Does your giving flow out of your love for Jesus?

Whose Son Is the Christ? by Chris Mountain

35 And as Jesus taught in the temple, he said, “How can the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David? 36 David himself, in the Holy Spirit, declared,

“‘The Lord said to my Lord,
Sit at my right hand,
until I put your enemies under your feet.’

37 David himself calls him Lord. So how is he his son?” And the great throng heard him gladly.

Beware of the Scribes

38 And in his teaching he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces 39 and have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, 40 who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.” (ESV)

The part that sticks out for me in that passage especially is about the scribes with their behaviour towards the widows. Nowadays, they would be locked up and it would be local/national news in the newspapers/TV. But in those days, widows had nobody to turn to, they had lost their husbands and the teachers of the law should be people they can trust, right…? Erm, no! But these teachers of the law will be punished most severely says verse 40.

In the first part of the passage, Jesus ‘delighted’ the crowd with his comments while he was teaching in the temple and this would obviously have not gone down well with the Pharisees and the Herodians who weren’t his biggest fans in those days. They have been trying to trip him up and these instances can be seen in Mark chapter 12.

Hope everyone is OK and are having good weeks/end of weeks. Sorry about the delay in getting this out, uni work is extremely demanding at the moment.

God bless,

Chris.

One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’The second is this: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

“Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbour as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.

(Mark 12.28-34 NIV)

One of my greatest sorrows is to meet up with folk who are so very near the Kingdom but are just on the fringe. They do not realise that what they know is only going to take them part of the way.

This was the problem of the teacher of the law who asked the question, just like the rich young ruler in some ways in that they both knew the right words and asked the right questions

Jesus’ comment to the observation of the teacher about His reply bluntly tells us that knowing the Word is not enough; it is living the Word that makes the difference. Oh, yes! We listen to the message each Sunday and might even read the Word for ourselves but it stops there.

Read what Jesus said in Matthew.7.20-23 and 25.31-46 and ask yourself the question: What does my life and witness show as regards my position regarding the Kingdom – am I there or just near? On  a scale of 1-10 where are you?

13 And they sent to him some of the Pharisees and some of the Herodians, to trap him in his talk. 14 And they came and said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are true and do not care about anyone’s opinion. For you are not swayed by appearances, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?” 15 But, knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why put me to the test? Bring me a denarius  and let me look at it.” 16 And they brought one. And he said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said to him, “Caesar’s.” 17 Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they marveled at him.

Mark 12:13-17

And so Jesus warns us about the danger of mixing faith & politics.  There’s the realm that is Caesar’s (or whoever happens to be ruling your land right now) – and there’s the realm that is God’s.  We need to work out what’s a religious question and what’s a political question keep the two nicely separate.

After all, who wants to live in a theocracy…?  Let’s keep church and state separate.

But is that really what Jesus is getting at?  Or is Jesus really teaching something more subversive?

Perhaps, if we pause to reflect a bit longer, we’ll find that the idea of the the political realm being somehow divorced from the religious one is dangerously unbiblical.  After all, Caesar may be king, but Jesus is King of Kings.  How can there be a domain where Jesus is not ultimately in charge?

Maybe, just maybe, Jesus point is not that church and state should be kept separate: maybe it’s that God is sovereign – even over Caesar – and that acknowledging earthly kings is one step to acknowledging that Jesus is the true king?

Maybe, just maybe, acknowledging the authority of those over us is ultimately derived from God is the most subversive view of human authority ever?  My boss, the policeman, the magistrate, parliament exercise their powers because Jesus permits them to – and that should determine my attitude towards them.  Neither slavish acceptance of everything they say, nor arrogant rebellion – but a humble recognition that God has given them a role to play.  That they will be judged for their part and I will be judged for my response to it.

So how should I respond? Carefully. Thoughtfully.  Prayerfully.  And, most of the time, obediently.

Genuine reverence for a sovereign God generates respect for human authority – but never at the expense of faithfulness to God.

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you-unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.
1 Corinthian 15:1-6

Just as here Paul reminded the Corinthians, we each need to be reminded daily of the gospel for it is not only that which brought us to Jesus originally, but also shows us that our hope is in his finished work rather than anything we do. This is the core of our faith in Jesus death – taking upon himself every sin we have committed, those that we are committing currently and all our future sins. These have all been dealt with once and for all on the cross – where Jesus took on the pain and anguish of the punishment we deserve enduring separation from the Father.

That’s not the end though for just as prophesied in the scriptures, on the third day he rose from the dead, showing us that he has conquered not only sin, but death also! Just as Jesus rose from death victorious, so will we to and then spend eternity with him.

Everything hangs on Jesus resurrection for if he wasn’t raised from the dead, what hope do we have of resurrection as Paul writes further on in v17. When Paul wrote this, he says that the witnesses to Jesus resurrection were still alive so his account could be verified first hand – would he have got away with this if it hadn’t happened?

In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots.Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!”“Have faith in God,” Jesus answered.“I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.

They arrived again in Jerusalem, and while Jesus was walking in the temple courts, the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you authority to do this?” Jesus replied, “I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. John’s baptism—was it from heaven, or from men? Tell me!” They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From men’…” (They feared the people, for everyone held that John really was a prophet.) So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.” Jesus said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”

Authority: The authority which Jesus Christ exercised came from the highest authority of all – God the Father, creator of heaven and earth. Christ’s mandate was to demonstrate the love of God by giving himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. It was also to bring in the Kingdom of God though the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of those who truly believed in him.

In last week’s passage we saw Jesus exercising his authority over people when he forcibly expelled those who were desecrating the temple. This week we see Jesus’ authority over creation when the fig tree he had previously cursed (11.12-15), because it showed no sign of bearing fruit, had withered and died.

In John 14.v14 Jesus says “If you love me, you will obey what I command.” Then following on from this we can sum up the message of John 15 which tells us that to remain in the love of Christ we must obey his commands and his main command in this passage is that we love each other as he has loved us.

So the love of Christ must not only be our personal experience but shown towards others. Our fellowship has many who are suffering, are we loving? Jesus’ great command given just before he returned to heaven was, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations…” Matthew 28.18-19. Our love must extend further than to those around us if we are to be obedient and accept the Lordship of Christ in our lives and live in accordance with his will.

As the hymn says: Trust and obey! For there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey.

Here, surely, is sufficient evidence to make us seek to be obedient to the will of God, to follow His commands. We obey the civil authorities either because we fear the consequences of disobedience or we are assured that the authorities (the laws) are for the common good. Disobedience

[12] On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. [13] And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. [14] And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it.

[15] And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. [16] And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. [17] And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.” [18] And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and were seeking a way to destroy him, for they feared him, because all the crowd was astonished at his teaching. [19] And when evening came they went out of the city.

(Mark 11:12-19 ESV)

Suppose I had a heart for drug addicts.  I set up a live-in house to help them beat the addiction.  Somewhere to help them get clean; turn over a new leaf.  And one day I turn up at the house and find the front room is full of pot heads who fund their habit by ripping off the very people the centre was set up to help.

Jesus turns up in the temple – and probably for the second time (cf John 2:13-17) – and lets rip.  This was meant to be the missionary heart of the planet – the place from which God’s self-revelation and message of reconciliation and renewal was to be spread to every corner of the globe.  This was a place for worshippers to come and offer sacrifices and worship the living God.

And it had become a home for rip-off merchants.  A place that was designed for the worship of God had become a place where profit was valued over piety.  A place where you must pay through the nose before you can worship from the heart.

Jesus is enraged:  he is turn-the-tables smash-the-furniture drive-the-scumbags-out furious.

The temple was meant to be there to serve the recovering sin addicts, to help them re-connect with God.  To kick the habit of sin and walk the path of righteousness.

You can’t love someone and not care when they’re being exploited – and Jesus is passionately and whole-heartedly committed to rescuing and transforming sinners; to adopting the lost; to binding up the broken hearted and healing the wounded soul.  And his compassion towards the vulnerable means that he is ruthlessly committed to crushing the obstacles that get between them and God.

Let’s pray that, for those around us who don’t yet trust Jesus, we would be stepping stones, not stumbling blocks.

Now when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it. If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately.’” And they went away and found a colt tied at a door outside in the street, and they untied it. And some of those standing there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” And they told them what Jesus had said, and they let them go. And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it. And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!”
And he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. And when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.

Mark 11:1-11 ESV

Here we see Jesus entering Jerusalem as a king would – greeted by crowds rejoicing and waving palm leaves and laying their cloaks down before him – a suitable and expected welcome for a king. There’s something different though, this king isn’t riding a horse – no he’s riding on a small donkey. In this Jesus fulfills the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9:

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your king is coming to you;
righteous and having salvation is he,
humble and mounted on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Zechariah 9:9 ESV

Here we something of the nature of Jesus’ kingship – although he is the ultimate sovereign, King of kings and Lord of lords, he comes in total humility and submission as he heads towards Jerusalem, knowing what lies ahead, preparing to give his life in our place on the cross.

As Tim Keller writes: “In Jesus we find infinite majesty yet complete humility, perfect justice yet boundless grace, absolute sovereignty yet utter submission, all sufficiency in himself yet entire trust and dependence on God”.

;

    And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” And he said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?” And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” And they said to him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized, but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.” And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John. And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
And they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.” And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.

(Mark 10:35-52 ESV)

The two disciples asked Jesus if they could be on his side of him on the throne. This obviously took some guts for them to ask Jesus (not that they were right to do this). Jesus could have got angry…we know how Jesus got angry in the temple (tables overturning etc) but he didn’t, he gently told them that it was not his decision to make. The disciples were angry/indignant (probably because they didn’t ask first!) with the two disciples but Jesus tells them that whoever wants the most will be the servant of the others. Even after spending all that time with Jesus, the disciples were still not ‘clued’ in!

It’s a difficult time at the moment for various members of the church but we just need to remember that God knows the plans he has for us all.

Over and out.

Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.” “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked. They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.” “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?” “We can,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.” When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10.35-45 NIV

Many would say that the spirit of our age and the driving force of much of what happens is “What’s in it for ME?” Imagine the scene in the context of verses 32-34! Jesus and his disciples are on the way to Jerusalem and there is fear in Jesus’ followers as to what will happen to them. Jesus then tells them that He is going to be betrayed, abused and put to death. The general atmosphere must have been very heavy with fear and sadness.

But in the minds of James and John (and their Mother as mentioned in Matthew 20.20) possibly two thoughts came to mind: 1. That Jesus is going to die and return to his Father’s side (they, at least, had learnt something from Jesus’ teaching); 2. What is in it for us, what can we get out of it?

Without wasting any time they made their move in a very guarded way because there had already been discussions about ambition amongst the disciples (9.33-37 and further teaching by Jesus in 10.31). James and John asked for a “blank cheque” but Jesus knew all about their thoughts and asked some very pointed questions to which they answered in the affirmative – just like the rich young ruler in 10.17-20. But just like him James and John had a lesson to learn that if they want to become great they must be both servant and slave.

Jesus is telling them, and us, that in Him there is no distinction of persons, that our “ambition” must be to be like Him remembering His example when he took the towel and washed the disciples feet. John the Baptist points the way when he states in John 3.30 – He must become greater; I must become less.

An old chorus goes like this:
​Be like Jesus this my song,
In the home and in the throng,
Be like Jesus all day long,
I would be like Jesus!

32 And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. And they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him, 33 saying, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles. 34 And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he will rise.”

Mark 10:32-34 (ESV)

So there was the bunch of unruly kids who turned up that the disciples wisely sent away so they wouldn’t distract people from the important teaching that’s going on – and Jesus called them back and talked about how the kingdom of God belongs to the little ones.

And then there was a really promising meeting with a rich young ruler – exactly the sort of guy it’d be useful to have onside – and  Jesus sent him away with instructions to sell everything and then talked about how hard it is for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.

The journey continues – the disciples scared/impressed by this unpredictable and complex character who’s leading them: striding out ahead of the group, talking about the end of the journey where he’s going to be betrayed, mocked, spat on, flogged and killed, before rising three days later.

What do you do with that kind of statement?  It’s practically impossible to relate to – and while we’ve had two thousand years and hundreds of eyewitnesses to help us process both Jesus’ words and the events themselves, the disciples only had the words of a leader they knew a bit and understood very little.

It’s far too easy to sit back in our armchairs and rain smug disapproval on the foolish disciples who ought to have known better, all the while fearing the future of faith in Britain.  The foolish disciples show us how hard it can be to understand the events we live through – even when explained clearly – without hindsight.

And yet the events they lived through show us there’s nothing left to fear.  The last enemy, death, has been defeated and Christ has risen.  We may not understand the pathway or the circumstances – and the journey of faith is fraught with danger – but we are safe, because we have been saved by the one who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

As he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” Peter began to say to him, “See, we have left everything and followed you.” Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

(Mark 10:17-31 ESV)

This doesn’t mean that we should all sell up and dessert our families to go and serve Jesus elsewhere. The cost of faith will be different for each of us – it may be giving up material possessions to help the poor; going somewhere for Jesus; or staying put and giving up on your dreams of far-flung travel or a new amazing house so that you can serve him better where you are today. If you are setting your hopes on the dream rather than on Jesus, you won’t be able to follow him here and now, as there will always be that distraction.

For the rich young man, the cost of following Jesus was his possessions, but for you it could be something else – maybe it’s your preferences, your plan, your lifestyle or something else. The rich young man Jesus was speaking to counted the cost as too great and went away sad to live with his possessions and miss out on the rewards of following Jesus. I pray that you don’t make the same decision, counting the cost too hight and missing out everything Jesus has in store for you. It will be hard and it will be a costly sacrifice but in comparison to Jesus and all he offers and provides us, it will pale into insignificance.

What is the cost of following Jesus for you?

What would it take to help you follow Jesus more easily/effectively?

But at the beginning of creation God made them male and female. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one flesh.

Mark 10.6-8 NIV

The heading given in the NIV Bible for verses 1-12 of Mark chapter 10 is “Divorce”. In this context could it be that, at least, part of the problem is a lack of understanding of what is meant by “becoming one flesh”.

Is our understanding of these words related entirely to the act of physical/sexual union? No doubt this is part of the meaning and a very important part seeing how “God made them male and female” and “God richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment” 1 Tim.6.17. This union is also essential to the continuation of the human race.

But that is not all! When we take a look at Ephesians 5.21-33 we see that Paul directs our thoughts and, therefore, our actions in a more direct and spiritual application. Paul tells us that love is necessary for a true union and that that love has an objective in that it should be as intense as “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” Ephesians 5.25. Space here does not allow us to list all the ways that Christ demonstrated his love for the church but one particularly comes to mind – Matthew 11.29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls (and peace and fulfilment in being one flesh – words in italics are mine).

I close with a quotation taken from a declaration which is sometimes used at the beginning of a marriage service. “It was instituted for the lifelong companionship and devotion of husband and wife, for the mutual fulfilment and satisfaction of their natural affections, for the procreation of children and their Godly upbringing, and for the stability of society to which regard for the sanctity and discipline of marriage makes an essential contribution. “The Reformed Book of Common Order”.

May God bless you and keep you.

Roy

And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them. And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, were greatly amazed and ran up to him and greeted him. And he asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” And someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute. And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.” And he answered them, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.” And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”
They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he did not want anyone to know, for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.” But they did not understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him.

(Mark 9:14-32 ESV)

Immediately following the scene of the transfiguration up on the mountain top we are taken straight to what is going on below -  a scene of arguing and of confusion.  The 9 remaining disciples have just failed to cast out a demon from a boy and are arguing with the scribes surrounded by a crowd.  The disciples had previously cast out demons as they had gone on their way but something this time was different. They might well have been thinking “We’ve done this before, we can do it again” – in an almost mechanical way of operating as we can often do with things that are familiar.

In this is where they went wrong, instead of depending on Jesus and calling on his name they were trying to do this in their own strength and putting their faith in what had happened previously rather than in Jesus.  This is why Jesus calls them faithless and tells them it is only through prayer that the demon can be cast out.

Do you trust in your experience instead of asking Jesus for help?  Looking ahead over this week, how much of what is coming have you asked Jesus to walk with you and help you in?

Maybe you’ve found yourself at the point the disciples were at, having tried things your own way in your own strength and failed or things haven’t gone the way you expected.  So what now? We need to be like the father in the passage – the one person who admits his weakness, saying to Jesus “I believe; help my unbelief!” – We need to acknowledge our weakness and our need for Jesus to help us.

What area of your life do you find yourself doubting Jesus involvement in or thinking he can’t do anything about?  Do you have unwelcome sin that you keep coming back to that you wonder why you can’t get free from it?

Let’s take all these things to Jesus in prayer, confessing them to him now, admitting our weakness, seeking his help and inviting him to return to take the helm as Lord of every part of our lives.

Other helpful resources on this topic:

The Secret of Failure preached by C.H. Spurgeon on 1 Mar 1896

Did you forget you’re saved? by Tullian Tchividjian at The Resurgence

3 Steps to shrink spiritually by Matt Johnson at The Resurgence

Mark 9:1-32

9:1 And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.”

The Transfiguration

2 And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3 and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one [1] on earth could bleach them. 4 And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. 5 And Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, [2] it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6 For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified.7 And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; [3] listen to him.” 8 And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only.

9 And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead might mean. 11 And they asked him, “Why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” 12 And he said to them, “Elijah does come first to restore all things. And how is it written of the Son of Man that he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt? 13 But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him.”

Jesus Heals a Boy with an Unclean Spirit

14 And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them. 15 And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, were greatly amazed and ran up to him and greeted him. 16 And he asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” 17 And someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute. 18 And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.” 19 And he answered them, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.”20 And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. 21 And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. 22 And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” 23 And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” 24 Immediately the father of the child cried out [4] and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” 25 And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” 26 And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. 28 And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” 29 And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.” [5]

Jesus Again Foretells Death, Resurrection

30 They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he did not want anyone to know, 31 for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.” 32 But they did not understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him.

Exodus 34:33-35

33 And when Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face.

34 Whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him, he would remove the veil, until he came out. And when he came out and told the people of Israel what he was commanded, 35 the people of Israel would see the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face was shining. And Moses would put the veil over his face again, until he went in to speak with him. (ESV)

Footnotes

[1] 9:3 Greek no cloth refiner
[2] 9:5 Rabbi means my teacher, or my master
[3] 9:7 Or my Son, my (or the) Beloved
[4] 9:24 Some manuscripts add with tears
[5] 9:29 Some manuscripts add and fasting

Do you believe everything that is told to you wholeheartedly? Do you doubt or are unsure whether to believe something that is told to you? Let’s admit it, we all have doubts about one thing or another, whether it be an answer to a question that you’ve asked or if somebody is keeping something from you.

We come to Jesus healing a boy with an unclean spirit. His father explains that the boy suffers from an evil spirit that ‘makes him mute’ (v17) and ‘throws him into fire and water’ (v22). The man asks the disciples to heal the boy as in an earlier chapter of Mark (Mark ch6), he gave them ‘authority over impure spirits’ (Mark 6v7) but they are unable to.

When Jesus is told this, he says “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.” He is saying that they have not enough faith. Jesus healed the boy and when the disciples ask why they could not heal the boy, he says “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.” (v29).

“The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me. Thy mercy, O Lord, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.”
Psalm 138:8.

I HAVE SELECTED THIS TEXT, or, rather, it has been given to me to furnish a motto for the whole year to all the believing family of God When I opened my envelope I found this text, and it charmed me. It contains in itself the very essence of the grace of God. It reads like music to the soul, and is like a bottle of water in the desert to the thirsty lip. Let me read it again, and remember it, and dwell upon it, and digest it during all the year. “The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me. Thy mercy, O Lord, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.”
In the opening, I must remark that this is not the heritage of all mankind. The word, “me,” in the text, cannot be appropriated by any man, unless he, in some respects, resembles the character of David, who penned this psalm. The text, however, itself, is its own guard. If you look at it, you will see that there is in its bowels a full description of a true Christian. I will ask you three questions suggested by the words themselves, and according to your answer to these three questions, shall be my reply, yes or no, as to whether this promise belongs to you.
To begin, let us read the first sentence–”The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me.” Now, have you a concern in and a concern about heavenly things? Have you ever felt that eternity concerns you more than time; that the mansions of heaven are more worthy your consideration than the dwelling-places of earth? Have you felt that you ought to have a greater concern about your immortal soul than about your perishing body? Remember, if you are living the life of the butterfly, the life of the present, a sportive and flowery life, without making any preparation or taking any thought for a future world, this promise is not yours. If the things of God do not concern you, then God will not perfect them for you. You must have in your own soul a concern about these things, and afterwards you must have a belief in your heart that you have an interest in heavenly things, or otherwise it would be a perversion of Holy Scripture for you to appropriate these precious things to yourselves. Can we then, each of us put our hand upon our heart and say, without stammering, which suggests a hypocrite–can we say honestly, as in the sight of God; “I am concerned about the things of God, of Christ, of salvation, of eternity!
Another question is suggested by the second clause, “Thy mercy, O Lord, endureth forever.” Have we then tasted of God’s mercy? Have you and I gone to the throne of grace conscious of our lost estate? Have we made confession of our sins? Have we looked to the blood of Jesus; and do we know that the mercy of God has been manifested to us? Have we breathed the dying thief’s petition, and have we had the gracious answer of Jesus. We must first taste God’s mercy and, having tasted that, we may believe that he will perfect that which concerneth us.
A third question, and I beseech you put these questions to your heart, lest you should be misled, by any comfortable words that I shall hereafter speak, into the foul delusion, that this promise signifies yourself, when it does not. The last question is suggested by the prayer, “Forsake not the works of thine own hands.” Have you then a religion which is the work of God’s hands? Oh! beloved, except a man be born again, or from above, as the original has it, he cannot see the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh and cannot enter heaven; only that which is born of the Spirit is spirit, and is, therefore, capable of inheriting a spiritual inheritance, which God reserves for spiritual men. Let each hearer, then, pause and put these three questions to himself,–Am I concerned about religion? Have I tasted the mercy of God? Is my religion God’s work? They are solemn questions; answer them! and if ye can even humbly say “Yes,” then come ye to this text, for the joy and comfort of it is yours.
We have three things here. First, the believer’s confidence,–”The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me.” Secondly, the ground of that confidence,–”Thy mercy, O Lord, endureth for ever;” and thirdly, the result and outgrowth of his confidence expressed in the prayer,–”Forsake not the works of thine own hands.”

Read the whole of the sermon at
C. H. Spurgeon Sermons no.231

25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, 28 he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,

29 “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,
according to your word;
30 for my eyes have seen your salvation
31 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and for glory to your people Israel.”

33 And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed 35 (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.” Luke 2:25-35 (ESV)

He’s an unsettlingly faithful God.

His actions are riven through with faithfulness – it just seeps through them like brandy through a Christmas pudding. God affirms his faithfulness to Abraham, to Israel, to the world. He keeps faith with the prophets and seers whose lives spanned the intervening years. His promises are kept without fail, from the cosmos changing, life saving plan to redeem, restore and renew a world and a people mired in the slurry of sin, all the way to an old man who’s been promised he’ll see Jesus born before he dies.

But he’s also unsettling. Jesus was “appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel.” The status quo is broken – and he is not interested in preserving it. There’s stuff that he’s done, and stuff that he’s doing – and there’ll be stuff to look forward to that we won’t look forward to.

But even as we brace ourselves for the invigorating, divinely driven change, we should remember that it’s just what God is doing.

Faithful is who he is.