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HopeLives365

Mark Finley

Sabbath School 3rd Quarter: The Book of Mark

01 The Beginning of the Gospel

02 A Day in the Ministry of Jesus

03 A Day in the Ministry of Jesus

06 Inside Out

07 Teaching Disciples Part 1

08 Teaching Disciples: Part 2

09 Jerusalem Controversies

10 The Last Days

Thank you for joining us again for our Sabbath School lessons this quarter on the Gospel of Mark. We've come to lesson number 8, and this lesson has to do with marriage, riches, the reward for following Jesus, and it leads us right to the cross of Christ. This lesson is a lesson that is filled with stories that were to prepare the disciples for the cross to understand what was really going to take place at the cross. We also find in this lesson the healing of another blind man, blind Bartimaeus. But the lesson begins on Sunday with God's plan for marriage. And the scribes and Pharisees come to Jesus and they really want to trick him. And they come to him and they ask him in Mark chapter 10 verse 2, The Pharisees came and asked him, is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife, testing him? See, they don't really want to know. And Jesus said, what did Moses command you? Isn't Christ interesting? He always answers with a biblical, with a Bible. What did Moses command you? You know, if you're studying the Bible with others, have your mind so filled with the word of God that you give them a biblical answer, not an answer that you simply have conjured up in your own mind. They said, verse 4, Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and dismiss her. But Jesus answered and said to him, because of the hardness of your heart, he wrote this precept. Now, it's important to understand that there were 2 schools of thought in Judaism, at least 2 schools. 1 was called the school of Shammai, and that was much more restrictive when it came to divorce and remarriage in the time of Judaism. They only would allow for divorce, incidentally for childlessness, for material neglect, emotional neglect, marital unfaithfulness. So they would allow for divorce then. But there was another school called the School of Hillel and they were much more lenient. You could just about get a divorce for anything you wanted. And so Jesus is instructing them. He says, what does Moses command you? Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and dismiss her. What is Jesus answer? That's because of the hardness of your heart. He wrote that precept, but from the beginning it was not So God made the male and female Now I want you to notice this carefully, because I think this is quite critical in our age. First, Jesus refers back to creation. And he says, when God created the human race, he created the male and female. Male and female are based not on the choice of human beings, but on biology. God has made females biologically different than males and males biologically different than females. The age that we live in, there are those that have the strange idea that if you feel emotionally like a girl, but you're in a male body, you can choose to be a girl, that you choose your sex, you choose your gender. That's not what the Bible teaches at all. The Bible says God made them male. God made them male. God made them female. If you go back to Genesis chapter 1 and look there at Genesis 1 and verse 27, you have the very clear teaching of scripture. Genesis 1, verse 26 and 27. So let us make man in our image after our likeness. Verse 27, so God created man in his own image. In the image of God, he created him. Male and female, he created them. So the image of God has to do the complete image with the union of male and female. The complete image of God, there are male qualities that reflect the image of God, and there are female qualities that reflect the image of God. In the male qualities, you might have strength and courage and hope. You have them in females as well, but maybe not to the same extent. And then you have in the female qualities, maybe tenderness and graciousness. Certainly you have them in male qualities, but maybe not to the same extent. But however you look at it, God creates male and female different and distinct. Now back to this issue of divorce. What was going on here? Why did Moses write a certificate of divorcement? Why did Moses have them do that? To protect the rights of women. It was because of the hardness of their hearts. It wasn't so from the beginning. What did God say there back in Genesis? Chapter 1 and chapter 2. We go into chapter 2. In chapter 1, he creates the male and female and he says in chapter 2 Genesis verse 24, therefore a man shall leave his father and mother, be joined to his wife, they shall become 1 flesh. It says the man shall leave his father and mother, cleave, he leaves and cleaves, he leaves his father and mother, cleaves to his wife, they become 1 flesh, they're united. The physical connection in marriage is that indication of the union of heart to heart, mind to mind, spirit to spirit, emotion to emotion. They become 1 flesh. They're united together. Marriage is a lifelong union. It's not like somebody said, well, it's like a belt. You put it on and if you don't like it, you just take it off. Not at all. According to the New Testament, You leave and you cleave. It's a life, Old Testament, leave and cleave. It's a lifelong union. Jesus makes it clear when he says, verse 7, for this man, we're looking at Mark 10, verse 7, for this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother, shall be joined to his wife. The 2 shall become 1 flesh. They are no longer 2, but 1. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man put asunder. Whoever, verse 11, divorces his wife and marries another, commits adultery against her. And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery. So Jesus allowed only 1 reason for divorce and remarriage, and that is the adultery. If a man is unfaithful to his wife and he commits sexual adultery with another, Jesus says that allows remarriage. If a woman is unfaithful to her husband, that allows remarriage. But because somebody has been unfaithful does not always mean that the marriage is over. I've seen in my ministry many a time where men have had a forgiving heart to a wife or a wife has had a forgiving heart to a man and they have repaired that marriage. So the goal always is restoration. The goal always is compassion and love and repairing. There are some times you can't repair it. And as the result of that, the marriage partner who has been faithful, not committed adultery, has the right before God to remarry. And of course, if a spouse dies, you get the right to remarry. Here on Sunday's lesson, God's plan for marriage. What is it? It is a lifelong union. When there are marriage difficulties or problems as there are that come up, the grace of God enables us to forgive 1 another. The grace of God enables us to understand 1 another. The grace of God enables us to be good listeners, to be compassionate. We move from Sunday's lesson to Jesus and children. Jesus loved children. Jesus in Monday's lesson blesses the children. He rebukes his disciples. You know in the in the Greco-Roman world, male children were very, very well accepted. Females weren't so much well accepted. Sometimes they were left by the side of the road and people would come and take the little baby and groom them to be slaves. Terrible, terrible situation, but not so with Jesus. And also without medical, modern medical care, the risks to mothers giving birth to newborns and infants and children. So those risks were very, very, very high. But Jesus here points out the need to treat children compassionately and kindly, the need to nurture them to know Christ. I love what it says in the book ministry of healing page 43 and 44. Let not your un-Christlike attitude or character misrepresent Jesus. Do not keep the little ones away from him by your coldness and harshness. Neither give them cause to feel that heaven would be not be a pleasant place to them if you were there. Do not speak of religion as something children can't understand or act as if they were not expected to accept Christ in their childhood. Do not give them the false impression that the religion of Christ is a religion of gloom and that in coming to the Savior, they must give up all that makes life joyful." That's interesting, isn't it? Illinois says, don't give your children the impression that the religion of Christ is religion of glue. Kind of reminds me of a story I heard once of a mother driving the car. Her boy was sitting next to her in the passenger seat, front seat, car passenger seat, and they were driving into the countryside to have a picnic and they drove by these farms. And the boy looked out at the field and he saw these cows and he said, Mama, Mama, yes, son? These cows must be Christians. What? The cows must be what? Cows must be Christians. Why do you say that? Look at their long faces, they're so gloomy. I don't want anybody to think that I'm a gloomy old cowie Christian. Not at all. We should be the happiest joyful people Christ has come into our life. And so in Monday's lesson Jesus is emphasizing that joy that comes in and to treat children with respect and joy and love. He's talking in Tuesday's lesson about discipleship. The discipleship requires total commitment. It requires total trust. Mark the 10th chapter, 17th verse. Now, as he was going out on the road, 1 came running and knelt before him and asked him, "'Good teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?' Jesus said to him, "'Why do you call me good?' Verse 18, "'No 1 is good but 1. You know the commandments, do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not defraud, honor your father and mother. Hey, wait a minute. Jesus is quoting the Mosaic Law. Jesus is quoting the 10 Commandment law here. He's quoting the law of God that God gave to Moses written with God's finger on tables of stone. It's obvious, extremely obvious, that Jesus did not do away with God's 10 commandments written by Moses. He says, don't commit adultery, don't murder, don't steal, don't bear false witness. The very specific commandments of God. The man says to Jesus, verse 20, Teacher, all these things I've observed from my youth. Jesus looking at him, loved him and said, 1 thing you lack, go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor and you'll have treasure in heaven. Then take up your cross and follow me. Go, Jesus says, go, so all that you have. What commandment was that man breaking? He was breaking the tent that said thou shall not covet. He coveted good things. He coveted nice things. He had this inordinate desire to have possessions. He had this desire to have whatever he wanted. Jesus put his finger on the plague spot of his character. He said, go, go. How do you know if you're totally surrendered to Christ? You know you're totally surrendered to Christ if you are willing to give up the thing that you cherish and want most. If Christ points out to you that it's not in harmony with his will, you know, you're totally surrendered to Christ. If you say, Lord, Whatever you ask me to do, it's my desire to do that very thing. In Tuesday's lesson, we read here in the second paragraph of the 4 Gospels, Mark alone noted that Jesus loved the man. See, Jesus loved him, but there is something appealing about the man's idealism. He wants to know what good thing would I do? But Jesus tests his sincerity by asking him to sell everything and to follow him. The man leaves crestfallen. Why? Because he had great possessions. In fact, he was not really keeping the commandments of God at all. He broke the first 1 by placing something above God in his life. His riches were his idol. He broke the 10th commandment by coveting and desiring to get more things. Then Jesus says, it's easier for a big animal like a camel go through the tiny hole of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter into heaven. And the disciples say, how could that ever happen? And Jesus says, with men, it may seem impossible, but with God, all things are possible. I have met many people that are wealthy, who are unselfish, who are kind, who are compassionate, who are giving, and they see their wealth as simply something that God has given them to further God's cause and to advance God's kingdom. And I've seen other people with wealth that selfishly hoarded it. And to them, it became like a noose around their neck, strangling out their joy. You know, I took a look, for example, at people that won the lottery and studied some things about their lives. It's amazing how many of them ended up in divorce. It's amazing how many of these people who won the lottery ended up with arguing in their families. Some of them ended up penniless. They had won huge amounts of millions of dollars, but they ended up miserable. Some of them even nervous breakdowns, heart attacks. Why? It's not wrong to have money, but it's wrong if money has you. Did you get it? Not wrong to have money, but it's wrong if that money has you and grasps you. It's wrong if that money stands between you and Jesus. So we go then to Wednesday's lesson. We come now to Mark chapter 10 verse 32. Mark 10 verse 32. Jesus predicts his resurrection. He tells in Mark 10 about the need to be totally committed. And the disciples come to him, they say, verse 37, "'When you come into your kingdom, grant us that we may sit 1 on your right hand and the other on your left in your glory.' Jesus says, you don't know what you're asking for. Can you drink the cup that I drink and be baptized with the baptism that I'm baptized with? What is the cup? It's the cup of suffering. It's the cup of heartache. It's the cup of sorrow. It's the cup of denial, being denied, being betrayed, being rejected. That's what this cup is all about It has to do with the cup of Christ's death and James and John say oh, yes We we can drink of this cup. I want you to think a little bit about James. What happened to him? He was beheaded. What happened to John, the longest of the living apostles, exiled on the island of Patmos? Jesus, in our lesson, Wednesday's lesson, calls the group together to give 1 of his most profound teachings. He indicates that the Gentile rulers use power for personal advantage, but in the kingdom of God, power must always be used to uplift and bless others. Jesus leads the way as the King of the kingdom of God, but how? By giving his own life a ransom. Not quite what his followers expected. Remember what Jesus said here? He says, Mark chapter 10, verse 45, even so the Son of Man did not come to be served, "'but to serve and give his what, life, a ransom for many.'" The kings in the time of the Roman Empire lived in lush palatial estates when the average person was quite poor. The kings wielded power. Men and women must bow at their command. They were focused on oppression and self-aggrandizement. They oppressed others so they could advance themselves. But Jesus said, In my kingdom, he who is great, let him be your servant. For the Son of Man has come to give his life a ransom for many. How do we apply that to our lives? Everybody pours out their life for something. Some people pour out their life to get more money. Some people pour out their life for fame. Some people pour out their life for the praise of others. Some people pour out their life in the entertainment world. We all pour out our life for something. And what is Jesus saying here? Pour out your life for something that really matters. Pour out your life to serve. Pour out your life to bless. Pour out your life to touch others by the grace of God and lead them into the kingdom. That's the greatest joy possible. And then Mark 10, verse 46 to 52. Here you have blind Bartimaeus, the story. We should look at that story. Mark 10, 46 to 52. Then they came to Jericho. And as he went out to Jericho with his disciples, great multitude and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me. Then many warned him to be quiet, but he cried out all the more, son of David, have mercy on me. So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called. Then they called the blind man saying to him, "'Be of good cheer, he's calling you.' Throwing aside his garment, he rose, came to Jesus. And Jesus answered, "'What do you want me to do for you?' The blind man said, "'Rebboni, that I may receive my sight.' And Jesus says, "'Go your way, your faith has made you whole. And immediately received his sight and followed Jesus on the road. A couple of things, first blind Bartimaeus. Jesus is passing by, Bartimaeus senses this man can do something for me. He cries out to Jesus. Other people say, be quiet. No, he's crying out to Jesus. Secondly, he throws aside his robe. Sometimes you have to throw aside the thing that hinders you. Can you imagine trying to run to Jesus with this long robe around him. Now he gets to throw it aside. What does Jesus ask you to throw aside? And then he comes to Jesus and what does Jesus say to him? What do you want me to do for you? That's what Jesus says to every 1 of us, what do you want me to do for you? What are your deepest needs? What do you want me to do? Do you need friendship? Do you need forgiveness? Do you need my grace? Do you need my mercy? Do you need my power? What do you want me to do for you? And the man said, Lord, give me my sight. And Jesus opened the blind man's eyes. When we come to Jesus, he says, what do you want me to do for you? Jesus, I want you to give me divine insights into your word. And I believe as I read the word that he will give me those insights. Jesus, I wanted to have the sense of freedom from guilt and condemnation from my sin. And as I believe, he delivers me from that guilt and condemnation. Jesus, I need power over some besetting sin, and as I believe, he gives me that power. Jesus says to you today, what are your needs? What are your emotional needs? What are your spiritual needs? What are your physical or financial needs? Jesus says to you today, what do you want me to do for you? And you tell him the deepest needs of your heart and reach out to him by faith and watch him meet those needs. Let's pray. Father in heaven, you said you'd meet our needs, not our wants. You said you'd take care of our needs. And Father, we come to you today, we open our hearts to you. Just like Brian Bartimaeus came to Jesus because there was no other place to come for his help. We come to you today and we thank you that you will meet every 1 of our needs. We thank you that just like you said through the Apostle Paul, my God shall supply all your need. We come trusting you, believing, and thanking you that by faith we can grasp your hand to meet our needs. In Christ's name, Amen. This media was brought to you by AudioVerse, A website dedicated to spreading God's Word through free sermon audio and much more. If you would like to know more about Audioverse, or if you would like to listen to more sermons, please visit www.audioverse.org. Dot audioverse dot org

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Series

Sabbath School 3rd Quarter: The Book of Mark

08 Teaching Disciples: Part 2

Parent Series

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Recorded

Other Teachings in Series

01 The Beginning of the Gospel

25m

02 A Day in the Ministry of Jesus

25m

03 A Day in the Ministry of Jesus

29m

06 Inside Out

22m

07 Teaching Disciples Part 1

23m

08 Teaching Disciples: Part 2

22m

09 Jerusalem Controversies

19m

10 The Last Days

25m

Sound Doctrine