Walking Through The New Testament

Mark 3:1-6
3 Another time Jesus went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. 2 Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. 3 Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.”

4 Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent.

5 He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. 6 Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.

Law holds the Pharisees back from doing God’s will. Strange thing is that they thought following law was the only way to “appease” God. How wrong they were. So wrong that Jesus was sent to bury that sin.

When Jesus Heals that man, the Pharisees are now angry to the core and cannot get over it. Because Jesus chose the right way over the way of law, He was chased after for this. How wrong is that?

Now lets examine our own lives. Do we accept some things that do not make sense as law? Chances are, the answer is yes. We go along with the status quo so perfectly and seemlessly, that we don’t even notice when it’s wrong and against His will. We have been fooled.

As I read God’s word, I am have become keenly aware that the devils best place to hang out is right at the dividing line between what is right and what is wrong. As he waits there, you can almost see how man will dip their toe into sin for a taste, then quickly run back to God with pity and sorrow. In this passage, Jesus broke through the blinders of man and corrected our lives through parables. Now that we know, it is our job to stand on principles that are founded on Jesus Christ. And He was the only man to live PERFRCTLY! #JesusSaves

Amen. Maranatha.
DK

Sabbath was made for man…

Mark 2:23-28
²³ One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain. ²⁴ The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”

²⁵ He answered, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? ²⁶ In the days of Abiathar the high priest, he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.”

²⁷ Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. ²⁸ So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

All of these rules, laws, and hoops to jump through. By this time the Pharisees and old covenant believers had distorted and perverted the laws do much that it needed cleansing, clarification, and understanding.

As Jesus sought to clean up any judgement by man or misgivings by those in positions of influence, He was able to intentionally put Himself in the perfect teaching positions because He was led by the Father. He was led by God.

Through this lesson, we can see that there are times when we need to go against the grain, if what we are doing and believing in is God led and not led by any other entity. Jesus did not fall.in line so that He would not upset anyone. On the contrary. He used situations to teach, as it was God the Father that was able to place Him at just the right place at just the right time.

He can do that for you. If you ask.Him Him and believe in Him He will do that for you, no longer will you need to turn away out of fear, for you will be led by the Holy Spirit. As you hone your discernment skills through daily reading of His word, you will find strength and power to literally do what Jesus did. To become more like Him and less like you. To be one with the Creator.

I pray this for all of us tonight. I pray that God comes into your life brighter than ever before and shattered darkness. I pray that the brightest light fills your heart and soul, and that you are renewed now. You are a spiritual being with power beyond your wildest dreams. I pray Thatcher power finds you and that you seek to understand it. That you Ask, Seek, and Knock louder than you have ever knocked before. #JesusSaves

Amen. Maranatha.
DK

The reason for all things was with them. In the flesh…

Mark 2:18-22
18 Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. Some people came and asked Jesus, “How is it that John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting, but yours are not?”

19 Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot, so long as they have him with them. 20 But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and on that day they will fast.

21 “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. Otherwise, the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse. 22 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins.”

The questions from the Pharisees begin. Those that were supposedly following the law were wondering why Jesus and His disciples were not adhering to it. Jesus responds telling them that He was the reason to fast, and he is with them. Why fast in remembrance or in grand expectation of Him when He is with them. This is the Great Feast with the Creator of the Universe. And you want to do what?

It was time for change. We were headed down a path of self destruction and we needed to be bailed out. There was no other way. When Jesus refers to “new wine being put into old wine skins, He is talking about the New Covenant, not the old way. Jesus was here to make things new. The Pharisees sought to put our Lord in a box, and limit His potential. Maybe not intentionally at first, but perhaps they were blind.

If new wine is poured into old wine skins the skins will burst. To try and pour the New Covenant into the old way of thinking, only one thing would happen. Jesus was teaching the law abiding Pharisees to open their hearts and let Him in. As we all know, they would refuse. #JesusSaves

Amen. Maranatha.
DK

The privileges that come with being one of God’s chosen…

Luke 2:13-17
13 Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them. 14 As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him.

15 While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. 16 When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

17 On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

I often think about all of the people that I have avoided in my life because I judged them either for they way they looked or acted. The reason being is that they made me feel uncomfortable. They required me to move out of my comfort zone, and that was hard for me.

As I have grown older I have found some amazing relationships through working in the power of the Holy Spirit rtaher than the power of David Keith. It’s not even a contest. I am powerless without Him. I am the sick that needs the doctor. I am the sinner that requires my Father’s love. I am the one that needs Jesus. I need Him everday. Without Him I am wretched, blind, and lifeless. Thank God He came for me.

The more I get to know Christ and develop a close and intimate relationship with Him, the more I find that His words are becoming my words. His wants are my wants. His love is my love. I am becoming more and more like Him.

By no means do I say that I have all the answers or that I have this whole thing figured out. I mess up daily. That’s beside the point. Jesus made me a promise, and every single day that I wake I stretch for that promise of His love, all well knowing that when the race is finished I will be honored to even sweep my Father’s floor in Heaven. But He has more for me. Way more. I am headed towards His will. No matter how beautifully difficult it may be.

Amen. Maranatha.
DK