Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” Mark 1:41 Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “My child, your sins are forgiven.” Mark 2:5 “Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.” Mark 5:19
And the prayer of faith will save the sick & the Lord will raise him up. Unfortunately, the opposite is also true. We'll talk about that tomorrow.
These are excerpts from 'Just Jesus'. Lessons from the book of Mark. Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works. James 2:26 Let's continue from yesterday... faith kept walking. Jairus did not stop Jesus from going to his house and therefore did not stand in the way of God doing an incredible miracle! Faith moves. Faith takes action. Faith touches Jesus. As many as touched (to fasten one's self to, adhere to, cling to) Him were made well. Mark 6:56
Faith declared. Faith came. Faith begged. Faith took Jesus home even though their little girl was dead. Faith carried the sick to Him. Faith moved. (Mark 5:6; 5:27-28; 5:40; 6:55; 7:25; 7:32) Faith is active trust. Don't let the astonishment of what we witness drive us to fear & unbelief. Look at Mark 5:35-36 with me: While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?” As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not be afraid; only believe.” Now that's a challenge!! The word ‘afraid’ here is the word ‘Phobeo’ and means:
The great thing here in this particular story is that Jairus chose to believe. They kept walking... Here's the rest of the story Mark 5:37-42. Now, click on this link to read the following: Mark 6:2; 6:51-52; 7:37; 8:14-21 What do you see here in relation to astonishment and what effect it may have on us. Have you ever been so amazed at what you see that you did not believe it? What do you see in these examples that show you the heart of God? How many times will He continue to teach us and show us grace? Put your mouth where your faith is. There is a time to be still and a time to make declaration. Faith builds in the presence of God & in the feeding of His word. But faith without action is dead. This is where we need to put our mouth where our heart is ... Say what you believe. Let your request be made known to God. (Psalm 5:3) Mark 5:23 Jairus told Jesus that if He just came and laid His hands on his daughter she would live. Mark 5:28 The woman said that she knew if she could only touch Jesus she would be healed.
John 6:63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. I know that this may sound like a strange thought. It may even sound disrespectful to some. But desperate times often result in desperate measures. Ever been there? Remember ... Faith is active trust. Jesus loves faith. I don't think He's so concerned about how we release it! To beg - entreat, pray, beseech, petition, appeal, implore, plead, urge. There are eight times in Mark that we see someone / people / even demons imploring Jesus for help. Here are three: Mark 5:22-23 - Jairus came and fell at His feet (worshiped) and begged Him (or, as the NLT Bible says 'pleaded fervently' with Him) to come & heal his daughter. (read whole story) Mark 7:26 - Jesus was trying to take a break, but this woman found Him and begged Him to drive the demon out of her daughter. (read whole story) Mark 7:32 - There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged him to place his hand on the man. (read whole story) “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him. Mark 5:6 Faith worships God. Faith runs to meet Him - to safety. Here we see this man, who is full of unclean spirits, running to Jesus and worshiping Him!! I find this to be an incredibly stunning scenario!
Take Note… It was the man bowing to Jesus, not the demons! It is important to understand that demons know who God is, but they will not submit to Him. (see James 2:19) Read it for yourself ... Mark 5:1-20 (NKJV) Jesus is moved by faith!
Excerpt from "Just Jesus" - thoughts from the book of Mark. Click here for the full lesson. “... and they came to Him from every direction.” Mark 1:45 Jesus was becoming famous without having a personal marketing manager, website or TV sponsor. He had no newspapers or billboards to display His stuff… just people who could not contain themselves. Jesus told them not to tell but how could they not?! He comes on to the public scene as an unknown after living a fairly quiet, unobserved life, gets baptized by John and then it all begins. There was a report that after He was baptized, the sky parted and something like a dove landed on Him. Some people even claimed that the voice of God was heard to be telling Him how pleased He was with His ‘Son’. (Mark 1:10-11) No one saw Him for over a month (Mark 1:12-13) and then there were reports of Him teaching in the synagogues and preaching that the kingdom of God was at hand. (Mark 1:14-15) He started to gather a group of men to work with Him (Mark 1:16-20) and people were being healed and set free from demons. Everywhere He went, He preached and spoke with an astounding authority. (Mark 1:21-28) Everywhere He went, people were looking for Him. His fame had spread widely throughout the region of Galilee. (Mark 1:28, 37) It was God’s Time! Jesus was out of the box and out of the shoot (rodeo shoot, race track gate). He had finally come forward knowing that it was the right time to do so, but surprisingly (to others) nothing was happening quietly or without provoking a response. He had a job to do and declared it openly. “And He said to them, Let us be going on into the neighboring country towns that I may preach there also; for that is why I came out.” Mark 1:38 Since we have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven ... (see Colossians 3:1-4) I don't know if it's age or just increasing desire. I may be getting tired of the faults in my human nature or I might just be wanting to see some of the people I love, who have gone before me, again ... I'm not sure. All I know, is that the reality of heaven is much stronger today in me. My hunger for it and to see Jesus, grows increasingly. I am so excited for the day that all sin is gone! My heart jumps when I imagine the first time I see God. My breathe is taken away with the thought. I don't know how I'll be able to utter a sound, but I know I will want to :) I'll want to sing something new; something that does not have an ending but simply changes direction as my eyes and my heart envelope the greatness and beauty that I am beholding. Does this hunger render me useless here on earth? Absolutely NOT! Actually, I find that my heart is stirred so deeply that I am moved out of my self sufficiency and awakened from my sleep. I am compelled by what I hope for. Compelled to taste as much of His presence here and to lead others to Him, to show them the water of life, the fountain of eternity, the healer of souls. The reality of heaven gives me purpose for earth. Jesus said to ask God for His kingdom to come, for His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. So be it, Lord! Until we get to come to you. (see also 1 Corinthians 15:43-46) Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?” Peter replied, “You are the Messiah" Mark 8:29 (NLT) I had just listened to a challenging sermon on the fear of God. If I am to fear God rightly - out of respect, honour and love - then I need to know Him. Hearsay is not enough. Something inside of me must engage with who He truly is. So, I got to thinking ... I've respected & honoured others before; my husband, my granny, Billy Graham, the Queen. Now, I haven't (obviously) had relationship with all of these, but I have held them all in high regard. But maybe this is about more, more about living and dieing. Who would I live for? Who would I die for? Or even, who would I allow to live with me and give me life? Who would I allow to give me advice and guidance, so much so, that if they said so, I would do so. Hmm, this hits a much deeper chord, doesn't it? We are now in the territory of the "me" - the territory of rights. This is where fear dwells, both the healthy and scary kind. If I do not know who God is (who He says He is and has proven Himself to be) I will never fear Him rightly. I may panic (wrong fear) when He tries to enter "my spot" or just be indifferent - not being aware of His presence and understanding His intentions. I can look to my past, but I cannot lean on it |
Inquiring MINDS
Please inquire for the word of the LORD today. 1 Kings 22:5
|