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REPENT YE, AND BELIEVE THE GOSPEL

11-13-11

(Mark 1:1-13)  The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.  John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance [Gk: to think differently, i.e. reconsider (mor. feel guilt)] for the remission [Gk: pardon, forgiveness] of sins. And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing [Gk: acknowledging] their sins. And John was clothed with camel's hair, and with a girdle [Gk: belt] of a skin about his loins; and he did eat locusts and wild honey;   And preached, saying, There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet [Gk: tie] of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose. I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost. And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him: And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness. And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.

(Mark 1:14,15)  Now after that John [the Baptist] was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God [the kingdom of heaven] is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

1.      preach = Gk: to herald (as a public crier), espec. divine truth (the gospel): preach, proclaim, publish.

2.      gospel = Gk: a good message /// to announce good news ("evangelize") espec. the gospel: declare, bring (declare, show) glad (good) tidings, preach (the gospel).

3.      repent = Gk: to think differently, i.e. reconsider (mor. feel guilt).

THE CALLING

(Mark 1:16-20)  Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother [who had met Jesus through being disciples of John the Baptist: John 1:35-42] casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And Jesus said [Gk: called] unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men. And straightway [Gk: immediately] they forsook their nets, and followed him. And when he had gone a little farther thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets. And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after him.

THE TEACHING

[teaching that the net of God’s word (Isa 28:7-13; Mat 13:47) must be cast upon the waters]

(Mark 1:21,22)  And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught [for a reasonable period of time]. And they were astonished [Gk: amazed] at his doctrine [Gk: instructions]: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes [lawyers, who continually quoted or made reference to the rabbis and the Talmud (the traditions of men)].

1.      (Mat 13:47,48)  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. [a end-time overview application of the net of God’s Word]

2.      authority = Gk: (in the sense of ability); privilege, i.e. (subj.) force, capacity, competency, freedom, or (obj.) mastery (concr. magistrate, potentate, token of control), delegated influence:--authority, jurisdiction, liberty, power, right, strength. 

HEALING THE MAN

[a present-time specific application of the net of God’s Word]

(Mark 1:23-26)  And there was in their synagogue [Gk: assembly, congregation] a man with an unclean spirit [fallen angels (evil thoughts - addictions)]; and he cried out, Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God. And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace [Gk: muzzle yourself], and come out of him. And when the unclean spirit had torn him [Gk: (through the idea of spasmodic contractions); to mangle, i.e. convulse with epilepsy], and cried with a loud voice [the convulsions and loud cry were apparent to all observers], he came out of him.

1.      Commentary: “art thou come to destroy us?” = unclean spirits, devils, demons, fallen angels (evil thoughts - addictions) have come to destroy and kill all mankind, saved and unsaved people alike; it is now their nature for they have fallen from He who is perfect love (God), unto he who is perfect hate (Satan). God is absolute. The Bible is a book of absolutes. Absolute hate is the absence of absolute love. Dictionary synonyms of hate are: abhorrence, detestation, hatred, odium, revulsion, disgust; the antonym of hate is love. Opposites: by this quote the fallen angels are projecting themselves, i.e., reading and seeing themselves in the mirror of God (God’s Word: John 1:14), for they do hate themselves as well. The opposite of “love thy neighbor as thyself” is “hate thy neighbor as thyself.”

2.      Commentary: “And when the unclean spirit had torn him” = the fallen angels (evil thoughts - addictions), like vampires, had attached themselves to the man by integrating (blending, mixing, mingling) themselves into his thoughts for the purpose of draining his life’s blood (“For the life of the flesh is in the blood:” Lev 17:11), and thereby attempting to destroy him unto death. Upon the exorcism of the fallen angels and their unwilling separation from the man, the descriptive use of the word “torn” is quite indicative of their characteristic singular objective to remain, at all costs, a deadly parasite attached to the man.   

HEALING THE PEOPLE: changing their thoughts (to think differently, reconsider)

[the initiation of the transformation process: Rom 12:2]

(Mark 1:27,28)  And they were all amazed [Gk: stupefied (with surprise), i.e. astounded], insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? what new doctrine [new thoughts, i.e., a medicinal injection of good angels into their minds] is this? for with authority [that they recognized] commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him [as witnessed by the audio and visual proof, and change in behavior]. And immediately his fame spread abroad [sowing His seed] throughout all the region round about Galilee.

(Mark 1:29-34)  And forthwith, when they were come out of the synagogue, they entered into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. But Simon's wife's mother lay sick of a fever [Gk: to be on fire], and anon they tell him of her. And he came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them. And at even [the end of the Sabbath], when the sun did set, they brought unto him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed with devils [fallen angels, evil thoughts (addictions)]. And all the city was gathered together at the door. And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils [fallen angels, evil thoughts (addictions)]; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him.

ENERGIZING (receiving power)

(Mark 1:35-39)  And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed [He re-charged the battery of His body; the Glory being diminished because of the great energy expenditure of all the previous day’s healing]. And Simon and they that were with him followed after him. And when they had found him, they said unto him, All men seek for thee. And he said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth. And he preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils [fallen angels, evil thoughts – addictions, and changed or transformed their minds into the mind of Christ].

THE LEPER

[an example of a disobedient but saved Christian, much like a non-tithing Christian]

(Mark 1:40-45)  And there came a leper [a biblical symbol of sin: diseased and corrupted (evil thoughts - addictions)] to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus, moved with compassion [Gk: sympathy, pity], put forth his hand, and touched him [visual proof to the observers], and saith unto him [audio proof to the observers], I will; be thou clean. And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him [people “depart,” or fallen angels], and he was cleansed [Gk: purged, purified]. And he straitly charged him, and forthwith sent him away; And saith unto him, See thou say nothing to any man: but go thy way, show thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them. But he went out, and began to publish it much, and to blaze abroad the matter, insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into the city, but was without in desert places: and they came to him from every quarter.

Amen