Category Archives: Mark

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What Does God Look Like?

Just look at Jesus—A Live Demonstration of Almighty God.

No one has ever seen God and lived to tell about it. But if you’ve seen Jesus, you’ve seen God. In Jesus, God has identified with us so we can identify with him. In Jesus, God has come near to us so we can come near to God. In Jesus, God has made a way for us to live before him with complete confidence and daring prayerfulness—we can “come boldly to the throne of our gracious God, and there we will receive his mercy and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.” Wow! In Jesus, we get a live demonstration of what God is like.

Enduring Truth // Mark 10:13-14

One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could touch and bless them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him. When Jesus saw what was happening, he was angry with his disciples. He said to them, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children.”

What does God look like? No human being has ever seen him and lived to tell about it. So we are left to wonder.

I love the story of the little girl who was drawing a picture when her mother asked, “Honey, what are you drawing?” Quite confidently, the little girl said, “I’m drawing a picture of God!” The mother reminded her that no one really knows what God looks like. To which the little girl said, “they will when I get done.”

In Jesus’ day, the people of Israel had never seen God. They only knew of him from their wooden rituals, vacuous traditions and misguided theologies. They had no visible clue as to what God was like, but Jesus came along and said, “they will when I get done.”

So what does God looks like? Just look at Jesus. The Apostle Paul tells us in Colossians 1:15, “Jesus is the image of the invisible God.” Verse 19 says, “For in Jesus all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.”

In other words, when you see Jesus, you’re seeing God himself. Jesus is the perfect picture of God; the absolutely accurate image of the Father. Jesus is the invisible God made visible.

So what does watching Jesus tell us about God here in Mark 10? Well, how does God feel about your marriage? Just look at Jesus telling the Pharisees, “What God has joined together let not man separate.” (Mark 10:9)

How does God feel about your children? Just look at Jesus gathering up a bunch of kids in his arms and saying, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children.” (Mark 10:14)

How does God feel about your struggle to let go of earthly dependencies? Just look at Jesus’ interaction with the rich young ruler: “Jesus looked at him and loved him.” (Mark 10:21)

How does God feel about your competitiveness with others? Just look at Jesus saying to his disciples, “Whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant.” (Mark 10:44)

How does God feel about the things you care about? Just look at Jesus asking blind Bartimaeus, “What do you want me to do for you?” (Mark 10:51)

What is God like? What does he look like? How does he feel about you? Just take a look at Jesus—it will really encourage you. Take a moment just to drink in what Hebrews 4:15 (The Message) has to say about it:

In Jesus, we don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let’s walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help.

In Jesus, God has identified with us so we can identify with him. In Jesus, God has come near to us so we can come near to God. In Jesus, God has made a way for us to live before him with complete confidence and daring prayerfulness—we can “come boldly to the throne of our gracious God, and there we will receive his mercy and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.”

Wow! In Jesus, we get a live demonstration of what God is like. And that’s a good deal for us way beyond description!

Thrive:Offer this prayer of gratitude that God has revealed himself to you by his Son, Jesus Christ: “Father, thank you for making yourself known to me in Jesus. And thank you for making a way through Jesus for me to come into your presence to receive the mercy and find the grace that I need to make it through this day in victorious fashion.”

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Calibrate

Reflect: Mark 1
Meditation: Mark 1:15

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

Most surveys today reveal a high percentage of Americans—consistently within the 80-90% range—who believe in God, claim Christianity as their faith, think that the Bible is God’s Word, and are sure they will go to heaven when they die. Yet even the causal observer of both the Bible and American society can plainly see the huge disconnect between true Christianity and current culture.

So what explains this critical disconnect? I think it is due to a fundamental misunderstanding of what it means to be saved. Many people assume that if you were born in America, or if you were raised in a church-going family, even a “CEO” family—a “Christmas and Easter Only” home—that you are automatically Christian. Others assume if you simply claim Christianity as your faith, then you are Christian.

Both assumptions are fatally flawed. In fact, any assumption that doesn’t recognize the salvation equation Jesus provided is flawed. There is just one way, and only one way, to salvation: Repent and believe the gospel!

Both repentance and belief are two essential sides to the same salvation coin. Salvation begins with repentance. To repent does not simply mean to feel sorrowful for your wrong, remorseful that you got caught or fearful that you will be punished. Biblical repentance means to recognize that you have offended a holy God, experience Godly sorrow over both your sinfulness and offensiveness before God (II Corinthians 7:10), confess the sinfulness to God (I John 1:9), and—this is a critical part—make a 180-degree turn in the path you are on so that both your current behavior and the overall pattern of your life are now moving in a direction that purposefully and joyfully honors God (Matthew 3:8).

Biblical belief is more than just intellectual acknowledgement of a truth. It is placing faith in the truth of the gospel. And like repentance, this kind of faith/belief requires an alignment of head, heart, and hands—or intellect, passion, and behavior (see Matthew 22:37-39)—so that the entirety of one’s life becomes God-focused, God-directed, and God-dependent.

True belief means to so align one’s life that there is no sensible explanation for it without the existence of the God who has called that life into a loving, intimate relationship with himself.

Using those definitions of Biblical repentance and belief as a spiritual plumb line, I have a strong suspicion that the spiritual foundation on which so many Americans are erecting their house of faith would not meet the Divine Inspector’s building code.

Be that as it may, the most important thing at this moment is that Jesus has called you to eternal life. And here is the question of questions: Have you followed his equation—repent and believe his gospel?

Calibrate your understanding of salvation to Jesus’ words.  It will save your life—eternally!

“Either sin is with you, lying on your shoulders, or it is lying on Christ, the Lamb of God. Now if it is lying on your back, you are lost; but if it is resting on Christ, you are free, and you will be saved. Now choose what you want.”  ~Martin Luther

Prayer… Jesus, I turn my life over to you. Cleanse me from every sin and forgive my fundamental sinfulness. I invite you to live in my heart as Lord and Savior. I believe in your gospel. I place saving faith in you, trusting that you have saved me by your grace. Thank you for granting me the gift of eternal life.

 

 

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Defeating Demons

Reflect:
Mark 5:1-30

“When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him…When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him.He shouted at the top of his voice, ‘What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!’ For Jesus had said to him, ‘Come out of this man, you impure spirit!’” ~Mark 5:1,6-8

It’s amazing to me that we acknowledge the existence of demons in Jesus’ day, and perhaps we are open to the possibility that they are “alive and well” in some remote places in the third world, but we pretty much act like they are extinct in the good old US of A in our day.

George Barna, a Christian researcher and pollster, once asked people to respond to this statement in a national survey: “Satan, is not a living being, but is a symbol of evil.” Among those who claimed to be born again, 32% agreed strongly, 11% agreed somewhat and 5% didn’t know. So of the total number responding, 48% either agreed that Satan is only symbolic or weren’t sure!

His findings would suggest that around fifty percent of believers reading this blog, in spite of what the Bible clearly teaches, think of the devil as a boogie-man from a spiritual fairy tale, not a real being bent on destroying you.

Here is the Biblical reality: Satan and his demonic legions are indeed, alive and well on Planet Earth. Satan is the enemy of God, he opposes every good work, and because he can’t do anything to God, he chooses to attack what is precious to God: You and me.

We’re in a war, friend, and it is high time we wake up, wise up, armor up, and “man up” to the devil and his demonic hordes. Rather than acting like demons don’t exist, how about we start taking a stand where we discern their influence, and begin to kick their sorry tails the heck out of Dodge—just like Jesus did wherever he encountered them.

You might say, “I’d rather not…I don’t think I want to personally take on the Prince of Darkness, thank you very much!” Listen, you were created to be actively involved in the ultimate conflict between good and evil, between the forces of God and Satan. You were made for this conflict, born again for the battle—that is who you are! And your spiritual identity not only demands that you take sides in this fight, it ensures you will be victorious. You have both the authority and the power—given by Jesus himself. In Mark 16:9, the very first sign Jesus said would follow those who believe: “In my name they will drive out demons…” So why not join the fight you were guaranteed to win!

So if you are interested, here is what can you do to engage in the defeat of demons:

Recognize that Jesus promised you as a true believer authority over the power of Satan and his demons.

Ask for an understanding heart as to what it means to operate in the anointing of the Holy Spirit. (Luke 4:14-19)

Declare war against Satanic darkness wherever it exists and you discern it in your world and begin to take the offensive. (Luke 4:14-19)

Take authority—enter Satan’s place of stronghold and opposition to disarm him through the power of the Holy Spirit, with the weapon of prayer (Acts 6:4; Ephesians 6:18) by the authority of the Name and Word of Jesus (Luke 11:20-22, Acts 16:16-18, Ephesians 6:17) and plunder the devil’s possessions, delivering those who have been captured by him (trophies) and returning them (spoils of war) to the Lord. (Luke 11:22)

Now I know that sounds like a lot, and you may not be battle ready—yet. But you can be. So pray, learn and get ready. At some point, you can take God’s authority to execute God’s will in God’s power! And the great news is, your victory is guaranteed, because you are actually battling in the victory Christ has already won.

I like a fight I know I’ll win! Don’t you?

“There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight. ~C.S. Lewis

Reflect and Apply: Take some time to reflect on the following verses and pray over the accompanying steps for being battle-ready: One—ask for discernment to recognize the spiritual nature of this war. (Ephesians 6:12) Two—live an upright and committed life before God. (Romans 12:1-2) Three—ask for faith to oppose the enemy effectively and specifically. (2 Corinthians 10:4-5) Four—proclaim the Gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 6:15; Acts 1:8) Five—challenge Satanic opposition through the power of the name of Jesus (Acts 16:16-18), the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17), pray in the Spirit (Acts 6:4; Ephesians 6:18), and fasting (Matthew 6:16). Six—pray for and desire the manifestation of the Holy Spirit through gifts of healings, tongues, miracles, signs and wonders. (I Corinthians 12:7-11; Acts 4:29-31) And seven—begin to take God’s authority and execute His will in His power! (Matthew 16:18-19)

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You’re Worth It

Read: Mark 15

Then the soldiers nailed him to the cross. (Mark 15:24, NLT)

Mark’s account of the betrayal, arrest, trial, suffering and crucifixion of Jesus are moving beyond words.  As you read again his description of what Jesus went through, I would encourage you to remember that Jesus didn’t have to go through this.  But he did—and the reason was you.

The soldiers took Jesus into the courtyard of the governor’s headquarters (called the Praetorium) and called out the entire regiment. They dressed him in a purple robe, and they wove thorn branches into a crown and put it on his head. Then they saluted him and taunted, “Hail! King of the Jews!” And they struck him on the head with a reed stick, spit on him, and dropped to their knees in mock worship. When they were finally tired of mocking him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to be crucified. (Mark 15:16-20)

He did it for you!  Hebrews 12:2 says, “For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame.” What was the “joy” that so motivated Jesus to go through such a humiliating, torturous death? I am convinced, my friend, that you were the joy Jesus saw as he hung there on the cross.  And when he saw that you would one day stand with him as one of the redeemed before his Father’s throne, his heart swelled even as the life drained from his body, and he said, “it’s worth it!”

All the suffering and humiliation of the cross was worth it to Jesus, because you’re worth it.

“At the heart of the story stands the cross of Christ where evil did its worst and met its match.” ~John W. Wenham

What If God Took Over?

Just take a minute before you do anything else today and offer your heartfelt thanks to God yet again for what he did by placing Jesus on the cross in your stead.

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Going Out To Dinner

Read: Mark 14

“I tell you the truth, I will not drink wine again until the day I drink it new in the Kingdom of God.”   (Mark 14:25, NLT)

We call it Holy Communion—which it is on both accounts:  It is a most holy moment, and it is communion with the Holy Trinity—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—in the most intimate way possible.  It is a very special event for both the individual believer and the collective family of God.

The Gospels refer to the inaugural celebration of communion as the Last Supper, and all four of them picture Jesus eating this meal with his disciples before his death on the cross.  Not only is our ongoing celebration of communion a very moving time for us, but Luke’s account reveals just how special it was (and is) for Jesus.  In Luke 22:15, the Lord said, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.” Whenever you come to the Lord’s Table in the tradition of your fellowship, Jesus is already there, eagerly desiring to meet you and to meet your needs with the full force of that which communion symbolizes, the redemptive love that sent him to the cross.

If that doesn’t make this sacred event special enough, there is a promise within communion that Jesus made to his disciples, and by extension, to you and me, that ought to rekindle the faith, hope and love that we have placed in him.  It is the promise of his return. Each time we eat the bread and drink the cup we are proclaiming a promise that one day soon Jesus himself will be physically present to eat this meal with us as the full completion of our redemption is finally revealed.

Coming to the Lord’s Table calls us to look back with loving gratitude for his sacrifice on the cross. It also calls us to look inwardly with serious introspection to examine our lives in light of his vicarious suffering. And it calls us to look around in appreciation for our spiritual family with whom we celebrates the sacred meal. But communion also calls us to look up with joy in anticipation of Jesus’ imminent return to take us out to dinner—the greatest celebration of the Last Supper ever, the marriage Supper of the Lamb.

“Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb…These are the true words of God.” (Revelation 19:9)

The next time you receive Holy Communion, I hope it will cause you to think about that day when Jesus will come back and you will sit down for the first time since the Last Supper to eat and drink with him in the fulfillment of his kingdom.

“Break one and the same bread, which is the medicine of immortality, the antidote which prevents us from dying, and a cleansing remedy driving away evil so that we should live in God through Jesus Christ.” ~Ignatius

What If God Took Over?

The next time you celebrate communion, offer this prayer: “Even so, come Lord Jesus.”

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Your Best Life Next

Read: Mark 13

“Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in many parts of the world, as well as famines. But this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.”  (Mark 13:8, NLT)

A lot of people are wondering these days if we are in the end times—which is okay by me, especially if it leads them to put their faith in Christ as both Savior and Lord. World conditions and human events are causing a lot of shaking and sifting, and with good reason: This present world is heading inexorably toward a predicted finish.

As Jesus speaks of the signs that will precede his return in Mark 13, you realize that we may very well be at the beginning of the end of time. He said at the end of verse 8, “these are the beginning of birth pains.” The “beginning of birth pains” — that means they are only going to get more frequent and increasingly painful before the birthing of God’s prophetic plan. Then Jesus provides us with exacting accuracy end-time conditions that read like the headlines we wake up to every morning:

  • The New York Times may report on the increase of international conflict, but Jesus first predicted it in Mark 13:6-7.

  • CNN may run story after story on catastrophic environmental upheaval caused by earthquakes, tsunamis, floods and wild, destructive weather, but Jesus first prophesied a chaotic cosmos in Mark 13:8.

  • Fox News anchors may ring their hands over global deprivation of basic needs brought on my rising fuel costs, food shortages and the unstable dollar, but Jesus first said it would happen in Mark 13:8.

  • CBN, TBN and The Voice of the Martyrs may tell heart-wrenching stories of the proliferation of persecution, but they are only retelling what Jesus told in Mark 13:9.

Yeah, things are going to get pretty ugly at the end—Jesus said so—and it looks like the ugliness has already started.  But that’s okay—it only means better things are on the way. So don’t get upset, depressed or worried sick, your redemption is drawing close.  And if you’ve gotten too comfy with this present world, consider what C.S. Lewis said,

“Has this world been so kind to you that you would leave it with regret?  There are better things ahead than any we leave behind.”

And for certain, don’t get caught up in the explosion of spiritual deception that Jesus said would be the very first sign that we’re heading into the end times. (Mark 13:5-6) Stay alert, because there will be an exponential increase of teachers, preachers and spiritual leaders who will not tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

Among the many doctrinal heresies they will promote, my guess is that one of their most convincing doctrines will be that everything is ok, that you should just go about your business, that God wants to make you healthy, wealthy and wise, and give you your best life now.  When you think about it, that is the same message, since the days of Noah right up to the present moment, that false messengers have always promoted right before Divine judgment.

So don’t buy into it.  Your best life is yet to come—and it is just around the corner!

“A time is coming when people will no longer listen to right teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever they want to hear.” (II Timothy 4:2-3)

What If God Took Over?

Bible scholar Arthur Pink wrote, “Neither the nearness nor the remoteness of Christ’s return is a rule to regulate us in the ordering of our temporal affairs. Spiritual preparedness is the great matter.” Where are you on the preparedness scale?