King James Bible Study – [And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. – Mark 8:34]
Date: Monday, October 21, 2024
Chapters: Mark Chapter 9
Message: Salt Is Good
Hello My Friend,
Yesterday was the first time I had walked into a church since my mom got out of rehab and let me tell you how good it felt, even she was in church. Thank God for streaming services that do allow us to be able to watch the services from home when we cannot get to church, but there is nothing like singing, learning, and worshiping God with like minded Christians together. It was like David said, [Psalms 122:1 I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.]
If all of Christ saints were of one mind and one accord, and kept the unity of the Spirit as one Church, can you imagine how powerful we would be as a nation? Our nations would definitely not be falling into the hands of the devil. It is a sad fact that church attendance, whether it be in person, online, or television, is declining rapidly, and many churches are closing their doors, the reason being is that they are succumbing to the worlds demands, all designed by the devil himself to destroy the Church. And if legalizing full term abortion and cannabis are the number one priorities of an election in your state this year then the devil is certainly in the details. Jesus, said it this way, [Mark 9:49-50 For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt. 50 Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.]
Jesus, was referring to the Law, in regards to the animal sacrifices, [Leviticus 2:13 And every oblation of thy meat offering shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat offering: with all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt.] Like the sacrifices, all Christians must be salted with the salt of the Gospel, meaning they truly believe in the sinless death, burial, and resurrection of Christ and have accepted Him as their Saviour. Then we in turn are to throw that salt on those who headed for hell. As we continue in the reading of the Gospels, Mark, gives his account of the transformation of Christ that Matthew talked about. I am including the end of Chapter 8 as the first verse is a continuation of it.
[Mark 8:35-38 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it. 36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? 37 Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? 38 Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels. Mark 9:1 And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.]
[of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed,] Those who say they believe in Christ better make sure that they one; know what they are believing in and two; are serious about accepting Him as their Saviour. There will be many standing before Jesus with the assumption that their “good works” got them to heaven only to discover that their only destination is hell because they never accepted Him, [Romans 10:9-11 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.]
[till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.] It is interesting that Mark only records what Jesus said here about God’s kingdom coming with great power. The kingdom of God is not an empire, it is a nation of believers whom have trusted Christ as their Saviour upon His sinless death, burial, and resurrection three days later. The kingdom of God did come with great power starting on the day of Pentecost when three thousand believers became saved and born again and all at once the Holy Spirit came down upon them, [Acts 2:3-4 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.]
The Holy Spirit of God is just as powerful as God, the Father Himself, He is actually the voice of God who gets not in our head, but our hearts and minds as we read the Scriptures, meditate on them then apply them to our lives. The Holy Spirit is who that light around Jesus represented. Now as you can image, Peter, James, and John must have been both fearful and in awe over what they saw. Of course, Peter, pops up with a suggestion, really not knowing if he should even speak at all.
[Mark 9:2-6 And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them. 3 And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them. 4 And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus. 5 And Peter answered and said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.6 For he wist not what to say; for they were sore afraid.]
[and let us make three tabernacles;] I am sure that Peter meant well when he offered to make three different tents for each of the men, but he missed what the transfiguration was all about. We have Moses, who represented the Law and Elijah, who represented the prophets, [Luke 16:15-17 And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God. 16 The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it. 17 And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.]
One could question how God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit can be one in the same, but the transformation proves to us just how omnipresent He is and the importance of Him being three separate persons in one Almighty God. As if the men were not scared enough here comes this cloud that hovered over them and the voice of God speaking through it.
[Mark 9:7-10 And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him. 8 And suddenly, when they had looked round about, they saw no man any more, save Jesus only with themselves. 9 And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead. 10 And they kept that saying with themselves, questioning one with another what the rising from the dead should mean.]
[And they kept that saying with themselves, questioning one with another] They had completely forgotten what Jesus had spoke to them about just six days ago, [Mark 8:31 And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.]
Obviously the other disciples must have seen that great light from afar, and then the three talked about it after Christ’s passion. I imagine that it was hard to wait until Jesus arose from the dead before they could tell the others what they saw. Something else that only the power of the Holy Spirit can do is put all of God’s Word together so that we can make some sense out of it. Now, as Jesus and the men were coming down from the mountain, obviously they were talking among themselves about it among themselves.
[Mark 9:11-15 And they asked him, saying, Why say the scribes that Elias must first come? 12 And he answered and told them, Elias verily cometh first, and restoreth all things; and how it is written of the Son of man, that he must suffer many things, and be set at nought. 13 But I say unto you, That Elias is indeed come, and they have done unto him whatsoever they listed, as it is written of him. 14 And when he came to his disciples, he saw a great multitude about them, and the scribes questioning with them. 15 And straightway all the people, when they beheld him, were greatly amazed, and running to him saluted him.]
[Why say the scribes that Elias must first come?] This is of course, John the Baptist, based on this prophecy, [Malachi 4:5-6 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: 6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.]
[the scribes questioning with them.] The Scribes were teaching the people that Elijah was to come before the Messiah and restore things to the proper state before He came. Their mistake was in thinking that Elijah would physician come back. However, it was not Elijah, but John, the Baptist, who came in the Spirit of Elijah, meaning the Holy Spirit, and prepared the way for when Jesus would come, [Malachi 3:1 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.]
[when they beheld him, were greatly amazed,] As soon as the people saw and recognized Jesus, they were amazed that they saw Him so soon, there was a feeling of relief and joy that they all welcomed Him, running to Him, and saluting Him most respectfully. You see, the chaos started when a father desperately seeking help for his son who had been possessed with a demon came to the disciples.
[Mark 9:17-20 And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; 18 And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not. 19 He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me. 20 And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming.]
[O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you?] The reason why Jesus was asking that question was because in the short amount of time that He had been gone they created utter chaos because none of them had any faith in Him at all. Had they had the faith they claimed then they would have believed that He was capable whether in His physical presence or not. Jesus said this when Thomas doubted His being resurrected, [John 20:29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.]
[straightway the spirit tare him;] There is the demon right there in front of Jesus, knowing who He is, tormenting this young man. And what does Jesus do? He asks the father how long he had been like this, [Mark 9:21-22 And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child. 22 And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us.]
[How long is it ago since this came unto him?] Why did Jesus ask him that question when He would obviously know the answer? He was looking for the man’s faith. Do you see how the father points out that the demon often tormented his son to destroy him? This is a reminder that while God does allow the devil to afflict believers, He only allows him to go so far as he did with Job, [Job 2:4-7 And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life. 5 But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face. 6 And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life. 7 So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.]
Even though the devil tends to go to the extreme to keep someone from believing in Christ, it is evident that he has only so much power over the bodies of man. So when God had frustrated all the devil’s attempts upon the life of that young man, that was when Jesus pointed out what the man had to do.
[Mark 9:23-25 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. 24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. 25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him.]
[straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears,] This was when Jesus saw the man’s faith, He trusts entirely in the help of Christ. Meanwhile the people came running from all directions as they seen this young man having convulsions. When Jesus saw them coming at them, He immediately commands the demon to come out of the young man, and to stay out of him, pointing out that it had kept him from hearing and speaking. The demon must obey Jesus, but as he removes himself from the young man, he threw him into a seizure and it looked like he was dead.
[Mark 9:26-32 And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead. 27 But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose. 28 And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out? 29 And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting. 30 And they departed thence, and passed through Galilee; and he would not that any man should know it. 31 For he taught his disciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day. 32 But they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask him.]
[Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up;] When Jesus took the young man by the hand, he not only stood up straight he walked with Jesus. Let me tell you, this young man surely had a testimony to throw his salt on those who need Jesus. I cry every time I read this because I know that I need Jesus to help me with my unbelief. We have all this great faith in Christ saving our souls and yet question if He will do anything else, many times because we realize just how unworthy we are, but thankfully, Jesus has that much grace upon us that He will overlook our brief lapse of faith, [1 John 5:14-15 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: 15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.]
[But they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask him.] They not only did not understand, they were afraid to ask Him what He was talking about. You know, sometimes we are all afraid to ask God what He means when He tells us something. Many people are afraid to come to Christ because they do not want to be in God’s will if it means that they need to give up something or even someone that they love. This is not what Jesus is about! Yes, God wants us to be in His will, but more important than giving up a sin is where your soul will end up if you are not saved. This is what Jesus started explaining to the disciples when they told Him about the person they had forbade to tell about Him who was not one of them.
[Mark 9:35-39 And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all. 36 And he took a child, and set him in the midst of them: and when he had taken him in his arms, he said unto them, 37 Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me. 38 And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us. 39 But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me.]
[the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.] It does not matter how high one has climbed up the ladder of their ministry, or how low they have fallen in their testimony, we are all sinners who need the Saviour every day. Hell is real, and unless you are saved, it does not matter if you gave up smoking, you would still be in hell. Jesus goes on to explain this.
[Mark 9:41-44 For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward. 42 And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea. 43 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: 44 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.]
[if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed,] Now, Jesus is speaking figuratively here, He is in no way applying that one can cut off the members of their body and only it end up in hell. What He is referring to was their extreme punishment in regards to their law, they would literally cut off someones hand if they got caught stealing. So, it is not the body that will end up in hell, it is the soul, and if we need to spend the rest of our lives in our infirmity to remind us of that then so be it, [2 Corinthians 12:8-10 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. 9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.]
Jesus Christ Revealed/Magnified: [Mark 9:1 And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.]
Today’s Prayer: Jesus, Thank Your for the amazing transformation You have made in me as I walk with You. I know that You are always with me, and I know that I fail You more times than I can count, but Your mercies endure, and Your grace abounds so much that You continue to work in me daily. Lord, I want to live as a reflection of You, I want to hear everything You are saying to me and do everything You have called me to do. Watch over me, guide me, and keep Your truths in me. Help me to learn and grow in Your Word daily so that the world can see You through me. Open my heart to be receptive to You and only You, clear my mind of every doubt and fear and fill it with joy and peace only revealed as the kingdom of God comes with great power upon my life. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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