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Here's the
complete paragraph of Scripture:
"And they went into Capernaum; and
straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue,
and taught. And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he
taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes.
And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit;
and he cried out, saying, Let us alone; what have we to do
with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us?
I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God. And Jesus
rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him.
And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud
voice, he came out of him. And they were all amazed,
insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What
thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority
commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him."
(Mark 1:21-27)
A TOTAL OF
NINE LESSONS FROM THIS PARAGRAPH OF SCRIPTURE MAY BE FOUND ON THE
PAGE BELOW. JUST "SCROLL" DOWNWARD TO READ THEM ALL ...
LESSON 1 ...
THANKSGIVING DAY ... NOVEMBER 25, 2004:
Jesus attended
Church!
Really it was a
"synagogue," a little word that means a meeting place. ("Syn"
means "together! "Ago" means "to lead!" A place where God
fearing people come together to learn more of Him!)
The New Testament
word for "church" is derived from a parallel background!
"Ecclesia" is built from "Ec" (meaning "out of") and "Kaleo"
(meaning "to call)! A "church" is a called out (from the world)
assembly of Believers meeting to worship the Lord!
In Luke
4:16 we are told of Jesus: "And he came
to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and,
as his custom was,
he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day." The
words "as his custom was" translate "etho," which becomes our
word "ethics!"
Here's
another example. In Mark 1:21 we read:
"And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath
day he entered into the synagogue, and taught." Jesus
and some of his (later to be known as) Disciples attended the
service that Sabbath! In the previous 4 or 5 verses Jesus
has just called Simon Peter and Andrew then subsequently James
and John.
Now when
Jesus goes to church ... you can expect a miracle too! (Either
of word or deed!)
In Mark's
account ... it is both!
Jesus
preached and cast a demon out of a man!
Where did
Jesus perform the Markan (described in Mark) miracle?
In
Capernaum.
The name
means "village of comfort!" Capernaum was "a flourishing city
of Galilee situated on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee
or Lake of Gennesaret, near the place where the Jordan flows
into the lake." (Some also say that Capernaum means the
"City of Nahum!")
Jesus went
to the place of "comfort," the city that bore that very name, to
preach God's Word and heal this poor man!
The Old
Testament Prophet "Nahum" has the name for "comfort" too! A
"comforting prophet" almost sounds like an oxymoron ... but
that's not so! An "oxymoron" is ... "something (like a concept)
that is made up of contradictory or incongruous elements."
Jesus was
(and still is) "skilled" at comfort!
His Father
had taught Him to uplift those who were weary! Listen again to
Jesus in Isaiah: "The Lord GOD hath given
me the tongue of the learned,
that I should know
how to speak a word in
season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by
morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned." I
have highlighted the words to be emphasized.
If you are
weary or discouraged today ... take heart!
Jesus still
passes by those who are downcast and dejected!
The
synagogue in Capernaum has been found by archaeologists!
It was a large building built of white limestone. It is
now known that all the streets in Capernaum radiated out from
this building. It was the very center of town and the very
center of life for these people. Over the entrance to most
synagogues was carved a 7 branched candlestick. However,
this one had an engraved pot of manna and encircled with a vine
and some grapes!
I have also
learned that these Jewish houses of worship were always turned
toward the west ... with the people having their backs toward
the east! Based on Ezekiel 8:16 (and other such passages)
they figured that facing the east could easily lead to sun
worship and other forms of idolatry! Also they knew that
the Lord "cometh" from the east ... so they looked toward the
west ... as an emblem of the end of the Gospel, the goal of the
Message! Westward to them was a missionary view!
Synagogue
buildings were used for 3 purposes. In addition to Sabbath
instruction and worship, they served as schools during the week
and as courtrooms for minor cases occasionally. See both
Mark 13:9 and Luke 12:11 for the "courtroom" proof.
"Straightway" is one of Mark's favorite words! And
"straitway" Jesus went to church!
In my Bible I just counted this little word 19 times in Mark's
short Gospel! But it occurs 40 times in the Greek text (the
Textus Receptus, from which the King James translators worked)!
It means immediately or forthwith. In Mark Jesus never stops!
He is the busy and obedient Servant of God! (The Profitable
Servant!) For example
see Mark 6:31 --- "And He (Jesus) 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." No time to eat!
(This is the fourth time Mark uses that little word "straitway!"
Our King James New Testaments translate it as:
straightway, immediately or forthwith.)
What an
example of diligent service our Lord leaves us!
No wonder
Paul teaches us to be "not slothful in
business; fervent in
spirit; serving the Lord." Romans 12:11 Or ...
"Whatsoever ye do,
do it heartily,
as to the Lord, and not unto men." Colossians 3:23 Even
Solomon sensed this spirit of diligence:
"Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do,
do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device,
nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest."
Ecclesiastes 9:10
Jesus went
to "church" on the Sabbath Day. That's the "seventh" day of the
week. That's on Saturday! (In obedience to the Law God gave
through Moses!) This was of course before His Death, Burial and
Resurrection. (Now we worship on Sunday, the first day of the
week, the day Christ Jesus came forth from the grave! Every
Sunday is in a real way a resurrection celebration!)
If Jesus
went to the Lord's House regularly ... surely we must do so as
well!
There, in
that "synagogue" service, Jesus was asked to "teach." And He
did! The verb "teach" translates "didasko," from a root verb "dao"
which means "to learn" or "to teach." Our "teaching" word here
is in the "perfect" tense in Greek. Jesus did teach that day
... and when He was finished He went on to other places. BUT
while His teaching had ended ... the effects, the influence, the
impact of that teaching went onward in the lives of the people!
(Truly it is still going onward yet today! We are studying this
event 2,000 years later!)
One did not
have to be an official Priest to teach in the synagogue.
Any qualified male who well knew the Scriptures could be asked
by "ruler" to speak. The synagogues had a "democratic"
character about them.
Don't you
wish you could have heard His sermon?
(In a way
... we can! Read the Gospels!)
What was
his teaching "manner?"
What
happened during that unique service?
Where did
Jesus go after the meeting that day?
All these
questions of course are carefully answered in the "context" (the
accompanying verses) that are affixed to our passage today!
Keep you
Bible open!
And read a
little further ....
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 2:
I love that verse
in Mark's Gospel that just says "Jesus ... came preaching!"
He was a Preacher!
In fact, He is
the Preacher!
Mark 1:14 ---
"Now after that John was put in prison,
Jesus came
into Galilee, preaching
the gospel of the kingdom of God."
I would have been thrilled to
hear Him!
(I shall some day!)
But HOW did
people respond to His preaching?
Of course
there are various answers to that question, but ALL those who
heard Him at least had one reaction.
We read of
it in Mark again.
Mark 1:22
tells us --- "And they were astonished at
his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and
not as the scribes."
They were
astonished!
The verb
"astonished" is "ekplesso" in Greek and means "to strike ("plesso")
one out of ("ek") his senses! To strike with amazement!
In English
"astonished" means "thunder struck!" (From a Latin term "tonare"
... to thunder!)
The verb,
being an "imperfect" in its sense of timing, tells us that once
they heard Jesus, they never got over it!
The verb is
used 13 times in the New Testament ... all in reference to the
Word of God or the power of God! (Matthew
22:29 says: "Jesus answered and said unto
them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of
God." Or again in
Luke 4:32 we are told:
"And they were astonished at his doctrine:
for his word was with power.")
I fear that
today many have lost their wonder, their thrill, their
astonishment at Jesus!
We too
should never "get over" Him!
And while I
do not want to "upset" anyone, notice that the astonishment was
at Jesus' TEACHING as well as His preaching!
He "taught"
them (in Greek = "didasko") is a verb in the "present" tense,
suggesting that Jesus taught habitually, not occasionally. He
was a Preacher/Teacher! (As are all true Pastors!)
And the
noun "authority" translates "exousia" which means power in the
sense of jurisdiction or right or capability! (A big muscular
wrestler has strength and physical power! A ninety five
pound police lady wearing her badge has ... maybe not strength
and physical power ... but authority!)
All Heaven
was behind our Lord! Matthew 28:18 declares:
"And Jesus came and spake unto them,
saying, All power ("exousia")
is given unto me in heaven and in earth."
The
"scribes" (in Greek = "grammateus") were a professional class of
men who knew the Law and served a copyists and lawyers in that
regard.
I have read
that about the only way they taught was dryly citing and quoting
other "authorities" and majoring on "minor" issues and
technicalities of legal jurisprudence (much of it man-made).
Like this: If a chicken lays an egg on the Sabbath ... it would
be a sin to eat it ... because the chicken worked on the holy
day to produce said egg!)
I'll take
Jesus' beautiful preaching and teaching any day!
If your
Pastor is "gifted" of God in the preaching of the Word ... sit
Sunday and be amazed as Bible Truth flows from his mouth!
If He is
Spirit filled and has God's anointing upon his pulpit ministry
... realize what a blessing you enjoy ... just hearing him week
after week!
Remember
what Proverbs 10:11 tells us: "The mouth
of a righteous man is a well of life." Or
Proverbs 10:13 --- "In the lips of him
that hath understanding wisdom is found." Or again
Proverbs 10:21 --- "The lips of the
righteous feed many: but fools die for want of wisdom."
Go to
Church Sunday ... and leave amazed!
And ... if
you're in a church where you do NOT hear the Word of God ... you
don't even have to pray about what to do. The Bible is so clear
on that matter. GET OUT! Go where you do hear the Bible
preached with power!
A precious
old song that used to be sung goes something like this:
I stand
amazed in the presence
Of Jesus the Nazarene,
And wonder how He could love me,
A sinner, condemned, unclean.
For me it
was in the garden
He prayed: “Not My will, but Thine.”
He had no tears for His own griefs,
But sweat drops of blood for mine.
In pity
angels beheld Him,
And came from the world of light
To comfort Him in the sorrows
He bore for my soul that night.
He took my
sins and my sorrows,
He made them His very own;
He bore the burden to Calvary,
And suffered and died alone.
When with
the ransomed in glory
His face I at last shall see,
’Twill be my joy through the ages
To sing of His love for me.
O how marvelous! O how wonderful!
And my song shall ever be:
O how marvelous! O how wonderful!
Is my Savior’s love for me!
Amazed!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
EXTRA NOTES
... TO BE ADDED TO OUR VERSE 22 STUDY ... FRIDAY AFTERNOON,
NOVEMBER 26, 2004:
"And they were astonished at his doctrine:
for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the
scribes."
Here's an
example of Jesus' authority. When He taught He did
not say "Moses has said!" Nor did He say "Thus says the
Lord!" Rather He powerfully (being very God Himself) says
"Verily, verily I say unto you ...."
He not only
spoke the Truth! He IS The Truth!
He drew no
lessons from broken cisterns of foul water. He IS the
Living Water and He simply drew from His Own Being what His
students needed for the hour at hand!
Jesus had
authority that astounded people for over 33 years! But
when He died on the Cross He willingly became powerless and the
victim of the wages of sin ... that sinners like us might be
saved!
The scribes
appealed to the authority of Moses or some other doctor
of the law. Jesus simply assumed His authority! The
Saviour's life was that godly and pure!
Listen to
G. Campbell Morgan as he preaches about Jesus' authority here.
"Wherein lay His authority? In the thing He said, as He
said it, for He carried to the souls of men conviction that it
was true. Stripped of all the things that hid, and all
exposition that destroyed, the truth gripped men. It was
not the authority of the law. It was not the authority of
a manner. It was the authority of naked and eternal truth,
uttered through an absolutely perfect Man! That is the
authority of Jesus until this very hour. And nothing is
more marked than the continuity of that authority! His
authority is authority to the end of time. The authority
of Christ is not the authority of what we think of Christ, for
tomorrow we may think differently of Him. It is always the
authority of the actual
words so marvelously preserved for us; and never wholly
apart from them is Christ authoritative today!"
Even Jesus'
enemies had to admit in
John 7:46 ---
"The officers answered,
Never man spake like
this
man."
And in 3
Gospel texts (Matthew 21:27 and Mark 11:33 and Luke 20:8) we
read words like these: "And Jesus
said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these
things." He would not reveal the secrets of His
authority to the wicked swine of this world! But He does
reveal it to His Own!
Just think
of the authority a 100% clean and clear conscience (having
NEVER been soiled) would present to a man of God (not to mention
the God-Man)! A sinless life emboldens one in His
preaching I'm quite sure!
One old
study source I reviewed told of a young man (one named Francis
Junius) who was lost and rebellious against our Lord. One
day he began reading the Scriptures his Dad loved so much!
Happening (he thought) upon John chapter 1, he was "struck"
(note that word) with the authority and power of the words!
Through their message, he eventually was saved by God's Grace.
His manner of living changed drastically too! He became a
life-long student of the Word!
This is an
authority Satan recognized and obeyed! So did the world of
nature itself! And the angels agree as well! It's very
little wonder that "men" picked up on it too!
I just read
these words about Jesus. " ... the 'moral aroma' of His
character ...!" Wow! He is a sweet-smelling Savor to
His Heavenly Father!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 3:
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2004:
Look who
came to church!
On the day
Jesus preached!
Mark 1:23
--- "And there was in their synagogue a
man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out ...."
By an
"unclean spirit" I believe the Bible means a demon.
That term
(in the singular) is used 10 times in the New Testament.
And in the plural it is found 10 more times.
The
adjective "unclean" each time is "akathartos" which means not
cleansed or dirty or even filthy! The word was first used
of soiled houses or clothes ... then came to mean those unfit
for worship (unqualified for the offering of sacrifice at the
tabernacle, due to some sin). Next it picked up the taint
of moral impurity also!
These
unclean spirits are vile sensual devils (demons) who had
inhabited certain men or women in Jesus' day! (They are
still active today too!)
It has
become popular in liberal circles to deny the reality of demons
... and to suggest that these people of 1st century Rome and
Greece were just very superstitious and scary. One teacher
says that Jesus knew better than to believe in these little
devils, but He "played along" with the poor folks to satisfy
their needs!
That
so-called teacher is wrong!
Satan is
real.
Devils or
demons are too.
The spirit
world exists.
That's
according to the whole scope of the Word of God too.
The verb
"cried out" is in Greek "anakrazo" and means to scream from the
depths of one's throat! To shriek loudly!
Here's
something interesting too. The preposition "with"
here in our text is the Greek word "en." That's unusual.
"En" means literally inside something!
The man was
IN the unclean spirit. Or wouldn't you rather say the
unclean spirit was IN the man? Either way there in an
indwelling possession going on in this text.
Little
wonder the Word of God so clearly emphasizes the fact that when
we get saved we are IN Christ Jesus! (2 Corinthians 5:17)
In Mark's
Gospel Jesus' first "miracle" is this commanding the devil to
leave this man's body. Which command the unclean spirit
instantly obeys!
And Mark
might be painting a contrast with this miracle too.
Jesus is
filled with the Holy Spirit a dozen verses earlier in this first
chapter. Now He deals with an unholy spirit.
Jesus is
under the influence and control of the Spirit of God. This
poor man was under the influence and control of the devil.
As far as
this man being there on this particular day ... the Bible
scholars are divided in their comments. Some see the
wording here ("their synagogue") as suggesting that this man was
not a usual attendee at the Sabbath services in Capernaum.
(If so ... I'm sure he blessed the day He went, the very day
Jesus preached! Talk about timing and a "divine
appointment!")
Others
teach that this man went here weekly (the verb = "was" as an
indicative imperfect active) and therefore was well known to the
others present. If so, he has listened quietly through
many a sermon! In other words, many preachers didn't have
enough of the power of God about them to sir up the demon
dwelling within the possessed congregant! BUT when Jesus
came ... the old devil couldn't stand it! He had to speak!
Wow!
Thank God
Jesus had absolute authority over all these wicked spirits!
In fact, He
has absolute authority over everything!
Praise His
Name!
Tomorrow,
Lord willing, we shall see the actual confrontation.
Join us
then ... with a Bible in your hand!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 4 ... MARK
1:24 (TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2004):
Today's
verse is nearly self explanatory!
The
"unclean spirit" cried out to Jesus!
"Saying, Let us alone; what have we
to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to
destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God."
Mark 1:24
Notice
first of all that the "unclean spirit" is in truth a plurality
of unclean spirits! (Is this a case of "many" acting as "one?"
Is this the devil trying to copy the unity of the Triune
Godhead?)
It's a
Bible fact that more than one demon can inhabit and harass a
body. (Remember "legion" in Mark 5:9and 16 also in Luke 8:30?)
Also
realize that these devils had some proper theology ... at least
in a couple of points! They knew that Jesus had the power to
destroy them! (And that He would do so some day!)
Some
liberal preachers don't even know that any more!
And they
also knew that Jesus was the very Son of God, the absolutely
Holy One of Heaven!
They also
knew where Jesus lived! (In Nazareth!)
And they
tried to communicate with Him!
But ... as
we shall see tomorrow, Lord willing, Jesus wanted no part of
their conversation!
In fact
that's the "heart" of today's lesson:
DO NOT LISTEN TO THE DEVIL ... NO MATTER
WHAT HE IS SAYING!
Jesus
didn't!
Neither
should we!
All we need
to know about the devil is to STAY AWAY from him!
Short
lesson today!
Short in
words ... but long in meaning!
James
didn't tell us to "dialog" with the devil!
He said
"RESIST the devil!"
James 4:7 ---
"Submit yourselves therefore to God.
Resist the devil,
and he will flee from you."
That verb
"resist" is in Greek spelled "anthistemi." It's their word
for "stand" ("histemi") and their preposition "anti" meaning
"against!"
James is
saying STAND AGAINST the devil ... on the Authority of God's
Word and through the Power of God's Holy Spirit!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 5 ...
VERSE 25:
Watch Jesus
confront this devil. He has been preaching in the
synagogue at Capernaum. The man with an "unclean spirit,"
who was in attendance that Sabbath day, began to cry out loudly!
Really it appears to me that the demons inside him were talking!
Jesus, who
needs no "testimony" from the devils, is about to act!
"And
Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him."
Mark 1:25
The verb
"rebuked" is interesting!
It
translates a Greek word "epitimao" which combines the
preposition "epi" and the basic root verb "timao." In the
language of Jesus' day "timao" meant to evaluate something! To
size it up, to prize it if precious or to debunk it if vile!
To give to something what it merits! And the prefix "epi"
means "upon" primarily ... but here it just intensifies the main
verb. The verb is set in the "aorist" tense ... showing us
that Jesus had to only speak once ... and it was done!
"Saying," a present participle,
describes Jesus' short speech here. It's "lego" in Greek
and basically means "to pick, to choose, to lay forth" (here)
words in their proper order! Jesus systematically
verbalizes this next command! It is not a haphazard order!
(Everything Jesus says is critically important and comprises a
portion of the eternal Word of God!) This word being a
present participle shows that Mark is making us an "eye-witness"
to the happenings!
"Hold thy peace!"
That's all
one word in Greek. "Phimoo" means (literally) "to muzzle"
an animal! Here it is framed as imperative aorist passive 2nd
person singular action word! Jesus says: "Demon, be
muzzled ... right now!" See 1 Corinthians 9:9 and 1
Timothy 5:18 for the word being used with "oxen!" History
records the verb "muzzle" since the mid-1400s. To muzzle
means: "to put a device over an animal's mouth to stop it from
biting, eating, or rooting." Jesus treats this unclean
spirit like a beast!
Next Jesus
commands "Come out of him!"
This is
another imperative!
Jesus
demands it!
It
translates "exerchomai" and means "to get away, to go out, to
come out, to be gone, to disappear or to exit!"
Jesus said,
"Devil, out of here!"
It is
relatively close to what He said to the devil at the end of His
temptation experience in the wilderness:
"Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee
hence, Satan: for it is written ...." Matthew 4:10
("Get thee" ... the verb ... translates "hupago" = to lead
under! Satan, a defeated foe, is now UNDER Jesus'
great authority!)
Jesus has
power OVER the devil!
(And if He
has power over the devil ... the demons, who are "under" satan
... absolutely MUST obey the dear Lord too!)
And ... as
you well know ... the devil (the "unclean spirit") had to do
just what he was told!
Lord
willing, the next verse tomorrow.
Victory is
coming!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 6 ...
VERSE 26:
Even the
devils obeyed Jesus!
In Mark 1
He commanded ... at the synagogue ... an old demon to leave a
man who had come to worship.
"Come out of him!" Jesus had
clearly said these words.
Then we are
told: "And when the unclean spirit
had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him."
Mark 1:26
Notice that
even when this devil knew he had lost the battle for the man's
body ... he did all the destructive work he could on the way
out!
That's the
devil for you.
In our day
satan well knows that he lost the Battle at Calvary!
He's a
defeated enemy!
Yet he
seeks to do all the damage he can to the work of God!
He "tore"
the man! The verb here is "sparasso" and means firstly "to
grasp" then comes to mean "to rend" or "to tear." Get
this: the "root" verb, "spao," means "to draw!" Another
dictionary says the word means "to mangle" or to cause
"convulsions!"
Another
conquered demon does this in Mark 9:26! There it's
translated "rent him."
In fact,
this verb is ONLY used in the Bible of the destruction of
departing demons!
The devil
is a destroyer.
And this
unclean spirit had a loud voice too! The Greek expression
is "mega phone." The adjective "mega" means big and "phone"
means sound ... as well as voice.
The spirit
"cried!" This verb is "krazo" and means "to cry eerily"
(like a raven), or even "to croak!"
Both verbs
so far are "aorist" in their sense of timing. These are
"once for all time" actions. This devil never re-inhabited
the man at hand! Jesus healed him permanently.
(Sounds
just like the Lord!)
Lastly see
that the devil ... after doing all the hurt he could ...
"came
out" of the man.
The word
construction here is great.
Came out
(the verb) is "exerchomai" in Greek. It literally means
"to come or go" and with the prefix ("ek") ... "out!" To
depart. To come out! To get out!
BUT in
addition to the "come out" of our main verb ... the Holy Spirit
adds an independent preposition too! "Came out" is
followed by the little word "ek" again!
It
literally and grammatically says he (the unclean spirit) had to
come out OUT of the man! (Twice! The
modifier OUT is used two times, once built into the verb and
once standing alone!)
Devil, get
out OUT!
Jesus does
all thing well WELL!
This is
what many said of Him in Mark 7:37.
"And were beyond measure astonished, saying,
He hath done all things
well: he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to
speak."
Glory to
God!
Christ is
Victor!
"For this purpose the Son of God was
manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil."
1 John 3:8
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 7 ... VERSE 27
...
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2004:
After Jesus
worked this great miracle Mark 1:27 tells us:
"And they were all amazed, insomuch that
they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this?
what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth
he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him."
The verb
"amazed" is the key to this whole sentence!
It
translates a Greek verb, "thambeo," which means to be astonished
or to be frightened! (It is derived from a "root" verb
that means to stupefy or to dumbfound! That verb is "tapho.")
This word
is only used 4 times in all the New Testament. In each of
those occurrences, it expresses the effect Jesus had on someone!
He shocked them out of their (natural) senses! In a sense
that HAS to happen prior to salvation! Paul tells us in 1
Corinthians 2:14 --- "But the natural man
receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are
foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because
they are spiritually discerned." Wow!
They all
decided that what Jesus was doing was a NEW thing! He was
teaching a NEW doctrine!
Now, I have
investigated that word "new" carefully.
It,
according to the concordances and lexicons, does NOT mean new in
reference to time! Jesus is simply revealing truth that
had existed for eternity!
It rather
means "new according to freshness!"
Jesus was
telling the same old story! The one about a Holy God who compels
sinful man to repent and be saved! (The same story told by
Abraham as he prepared to sacrifice Isaac! The same story
told by Moses with the brazen serpent! The same story told
by God in the Garden of Eden as He clothed sinful and naked Adam
and Eve in the coats of animals' skins ... requiring bloodshed!
The same story told by David in Psalm 22 and by Isaiah in
chapter 53 of his prophecy too!)
BUT when
Jesus told it ... it was "fresh!"
It had
power ("authority = "exousia") behind it!
What made
Jesus' Words and Preaching so "fresh?"
I think
this is the answer. I discovered it by comparing Scripture
with Scripture. The Psalmist first says it in Psalm 92:10.
"But my horn shalt thou exalt like the
horn of an unicorn:
I shall be anointed with fresh oil." See
that? FRESH OIL is a picture of the Holy Spirit!
That Hebrew word "fresh" is "raanan" and is translated in the
King James Bible as "green" (!!!) 18 times and as "fresh" 1 time
and as "flourishing" 1 time! (Only found 20 times in whole
Bible!)
And do
remember this ... green is the Bible color that represents LIFE!
Jesus' Words were "fresh" ... LIFE GIVING words!
Jesus had a
new (again, "fresh") Spirit-filled Word to proclaim!
Amazed!
That's what
I am this Friday!
Amazed!
Jesus is
still doing that to folks, isn't He?
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 8 ...
VERSE 28:
Aren't you GLAD for
the day you first HEARD about Jesus?
Many were so young
when they first "heard" that they can't even remember the exact
moment!
Others know
precisely when such wonderful knowledge was encountered!
After Jesus had
preached in the synagogue in Capernaum (Mark 1:21-28), we are
told: "And immediately his fame spread
abroad throughout all the region round about Galilee."
Mark 1:28
Of course Jesus also had cast an evil spirit
out of a man during that service too! (Services where the devil
is whipped badly do get attention!)
"Spread abroad" is a verb that means "to go
out!" The good news traveled in a hurry (straitway or
immediately)!
"Region" is a little Greek term that means
the "room round about" an area. Galilee encompassed a pretty big
plot of real estate too! The noun itself means "a circuit."
The report of Jesus' ministry and power disseminated all around
the Lake and beyond!
But today's "key" word has to be "FAME!" It
translates a little noun "akoe" that means the HEARING of Him
went everywhere!
These folks, by the thousands, HEARD about
Jesus!
Let me again ask you my initial question ...
Aren't you GLAD for the day you first HEARD about Jesus?
Why, preacher?
Because ... "So then
faith cometh by hearing,
and hearing by
the word of God." Romans 10:17
Because Jesus said ...
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that HEARETH my word, and
believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall
not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life."
John 5:24
Because Paul taught us ...
"How then shall they call on him in whom
they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of
whom they have not heard?
and how shall they hear
without a preacher?" Romans 10:14
And because of of our Lord's most often
repeated clauses (and commands) is ... "He
that hath an ear, let him
hear!" (7
times in Revelation)
Hearing comes first ... then via Holy Spirit
conviction ... comes the believing!
Thank God ... we heard!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
SUNDAY, DECEMBER
5, 2004 ... SOME CONCLUDING REMARKS ...
This
paragraph constitutes the first miracle in Mark's Gospel!
It is sort
of a "prototype" of all the others as well!
In it the
devil is met head-on and defeated dramatically!
That's a
paradigm of Jesus' whole Ministry!
Notice that
here in Mark Jesus' words (His sermon) are not given ... just
His deed (miracle) is emphasized. This is typical of the
second Gospel. Here what our Lord DOES is more in focus
than what He SAYS!
Jesus put a
"gag order" on the departing demon! "Hold thy peace!" He
said. It was an "enforced silence!"
This is one
of Jesus' Sabbath Day Ministries during His short three year
public work! (I recently read a book in which the preacher
brought a message on each of Jesus' Sabbath Day experiences!
It was good!) Perhaps Mark is describing the first Sabbath
Day after the baptism and temptation.
That old
unclean spirit actually got a "double command" from our Lord.
"Hold thy peace!" Then ... "come out of him!" He, of
course, did both!
Devils are
found in strange places! Here one is at church! In
Job 1 the devil is seen in the very presence of God! (Yet
I still believe the old accuser can only be at one place at one
time! He is NOT omni-present ... as is our mighty God!)
Jesus has
come to Capernaum to set up His "headquarters." It became
His base of operations. Thus this miracle is all the more
significant. There will be no unclean spirits in the
synagogue where Jesus worships!
The demon
was more orthodox (straight) than many so-called preachers
today! Listen to this unclean spirit talk to Jesus:
"Saying, Let us alone; what have we
to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to
destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God."
Now pay
attention to James 2:19 --- "Thou
believest that there is one God; thou doest well:
the devils also believe,
and tremble." Of course the faith of those devils
is a dead faith! (Be sure yours is real!)
Like a
renter who is angry at his eviction notice, the devil decides to
"tear up" some things as he leaves! "And
when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud
voice, he came out of him." (Mark 1:26) I am glad
God can "fix" what the devil breaks!
Maybe this
miracle is a commentary on the truth of 1 John 3:8 ---
"For
this purpose the Son of God was manifested,
that he might destroy
the works of the
devil."
The verb "destroy" (in Greek = "luo") means "to loose!" (To
untie, to break free!)
I'm so glad
Mark recorded this event in such detail!
What a
Saviour we have!
There IS
Victory in Jesus!
1
Corinthians 15:57 --- "But thanks be to
God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
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