A Hundredfold

Mark 4:3-12 - “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, so that “they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven.”

John 15:5 - I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

Matthew 3:2 - “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

1 Corinthians 5:12 - For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge?

1 Thessalonians 4:9-12 - Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.

Application:

·         A living union with Christ is absolutely necessary; without it there is nothing.

·         The secret of the kingdom of God is proclaimed to all, but only those who have faith understand.

·         The kingdom of heaven is the rule of God and is both a present reality and a future hope.

·         The church is not to attempt to judge the unsaved world. There are governing authorities to do that, and the ultimate judgment of the world is to be left to God.

·         Christians in need because of their idleness are not obedient Christians.

All Scripture verses taken from ESV

Peter

Mark 3:7-19 - Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea, and a great crowd followed, from Galilee and Judea and Jerusalem and Idumea and from beyond the Jordan and from around Tyre and Sidon. When the great crowd heard all that he was doing, they came to him. And he told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, lest they crush him, for he had healed many, so that all who had diseases pressed around him to touch him. And whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.” And he strictly ordered them not to make him known. And he went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him. And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach and have authority to cast out demons. He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder); Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

John 1:42 - He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas”(which means Peter).

Application:

·         The training of the Twelve included not only instruction and practice in various forms of ministry but also continuous association and intimate fellowship with Jesus Himself. Do I desire that same continuous association and intimate fellowship with Jesus?

·         Jesus named Peter not for what he was but for what, by God’s grace, he would become.

All Scripture verses taken from ESV

The Pharisees...Began To Plot

Mark 3:3-6 - And he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come here.” And he said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent. And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.

Mark 2:7,17 - “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”… And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Application:

·         The question, “Which is better, to preserve life by healing or to destroy life by refusing to heal?” is ironic since, whereas Jesus was ready to heal, the Pharisees were plotting to put Him to death.

·         In Jewish theology even the Messiah could not forgive sins, and Jesus’ forgiveness of sin was a claim to deity—which they considered to be blasphemous.

·         A self-righteous man does not realize his need for salvation, but an admitted sinner does.

All Scripture verses taken from ESV

Sinners

Mark 2:15-18 - And as he reclined at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. And people came and said to him, “Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?”

Luke 19:10 - For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Acts 13:2 - While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”

Application:

·         A self-righteous man does not realize his need for salvation, but an admitted sinner does.

·         To seek and to save is an important summary of Jesus’ purpose—to bring salvation, meaning eternal life, and the kingdom of God.

·         Paul’s first missionary journey did not result from a planning session but from the Spirit’s initiative as the leaders worshiped.

All Scripture verses taken from ESV

This Amazed Everyone

Mark 2:11-14 - “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!” He went out again beside the sea, and all the crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them. And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.

Mark 1:22 - And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.

Matthew 4:19 - And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

Isaiah 9:1 - But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.

Application:

·         Mark frequently reported the amazement that Jesus teaching and action produced. In these instances it was Christ’s inherent authority that amazed.

·         Evangelism was at the heart of Jesus’ call to His disciples.

·         Will honor Galilee (Isaiah 9:1) is fulfilled when Jesus ministered in Capernaum—near the major highway from Egypt to Damascus, called the way of the sea.

All Scripture verses taken from ESV

But That You May Know

Mark 2:10-11 - But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic—“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.”

Mark 8:31 - And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again.

John 2:11 - This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.

John 20:30-31 - Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Application:

·         It is clear that one purpose of miracles was to give evidence of Jesus’ deity.

·         The Son of Man is pictured as a heavenly figure who in the end times is entrusted by God with authority, glory and sovereign power.

·         Jesus’ miracles revealed Jesus’ glory.

·         That by believing you may have life is another expression of purpose—to bring about faith that leads to life.

All Scripture verses taken from ESV

Simon

Mark 1:16-18 - Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him.

John 1:42 - He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter).

Matthew 4:19 - And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

Application:

·         Jesus named Peter not for what he was but for what, by God’s grace, he would become.

·         The call to discipleship is definite and demands a response of total commitment.

·         Evangelism was at the heart of Jesus’ call to His disciples.

All Scripture verses taken from ESV