Author: David Petts

Talk 6   Mark 2:1-12   Jesus Heals a Paralysed Man

Welcome to Talk 6 in our series on Mark’s Gospel. Today we’re in chapter 2 and we’ll be looking at the first 12 verses to which the NIV gives the heading, Jesus heals a paralysed man. And that indeed is what the story is about. It’s about Jesus, it’s about healing, and it’s about a man who could not walk. But, as we shall see, it’s about far more than healing. So let’s read it.

A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. 2 So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. 3 Some men came, bringing to him a paralysed man, carried by four of them. 4 Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralysed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” 6 Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, 7 “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 8 Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? 9 Which is easier: to say to the paralysed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? 10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins….” He said to the paralysed man, 11 “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” 12 He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

So, as we’ve said, this passage is about healing, but it teaches us far more than that. It teaches us about who Jesus is, about the seriousness of sin and the importance of forgiveness, about faith, and about different groups of people and their attitude to Christ. We’ll work through it a verse or two at a time and then summarise the lessons we have learned.

1 A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home.

As we saw last time, Jesus had extended his ministry beyond Capernaum, travelling throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons (1:39). Now he returns to Capernaum, which this verse refers to as home. When the people hear this there’s an immediate effect:

2 So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them.

The house is filled with people and they overflow into the street. As we saw in chapter 1, it was his miracles of healing and exorcism that attracted the crowds, but Jesus’ primary purpose was to preach the word to them. His miracles were not the message. They were signs confirming the truth of his message – The good news of the kingdom of God (1:14). Compare Mark 16:20 (the very last verse of Mark’s Gospel):

Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.

3 Some men came, bringing to him a paralysed man, carried by four of them.

Notice the extremity of the man’s condition. He was paralysed. He was clearly unable to get to Jesus without considerable help. He wasn’t walking with a man on either side supporting him. It took four men to carry him there.

4 Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on.

These men were clearly determined to get their friend to Jesus. And, as the next verse reveals, they were clearly men of faith. What would be the point of going to all that trouble if you didn’t believe that Jesus would work a miracle?

5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralysed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

Jesus saw their faith. This could mean the faith of the four men, or it could include the faith of the paralysed man himself. He certainly exercised faith in obeying the command of Jesus to get up and walk. But, either way, it wasn’t just his faith. In my book, Just a Taste of Heaven, I have a chapter on the relationship between faith and healing. As I examined the passages in the New Testament where faith is mentioned in connection with healing, I discovered that in half the cases it was the faith of the sick person that resulted in healing, and in the other half it was the faith of someone else. In fact it’s the person bringing the request for healing who is expected to have faith. Later, in Mark 6:5-6, we’re told that Jesus was unable to do any mighty work in his home town because of their unbelief.

But why does Jesus say, Son, your sins are forgiven, before he heals this man? Three possibilities come to mind:

a.     The man’s sickness was the result of his sin

b.     The man believed that his sickness was the result of his sin

c.      Jesus wanted to emphasise that the forgiveness of sin is far more important than the healing of the body.

With regard to a. This is certainly a possibility. The Bible makes it clear that sickness is sometimes the result of personal sin, but both Old and New Testaments are equally clear that this is by no means always the case. (For more on this, please see the relevant chapter in Just a Taste of Heaven).

Regarding b. Even if his sickness was not caused by sin, the man may very well have believed that it was, because this was the common view at the time. I’ve heard it suggested that Jesus just wanted to reassure the man by putting such thoughts out of his mind. But if that had been his intention, would it not have been easier to say, Son, this sickness has not been caused by your sin?

Surely it’s much more likely that Jesus simply wanted to emphasise that the forgiveness of sin is far more important than the healing of the body. The effects of sickness may last for a lifetime. Sin has eternal consequences.

6 Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, 7 “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

Well, they certainly got one thing right. Ultimately it’s only God who can forgive sin. Of course, we can, and we must, forgive those who sin against us, but every sin against man is a sin against God. For example, I can forgive you for stealing from me, but in stealing from me you have broken God’s law, You must not steal. All sin is an offense to God, and it’s only God who can give ultimate forgiveness.

So the teachers of the law were right about that. But what they failed to see was that Jesus was not blaspheming, because Jesus WAS God. And that’s exactly what Jesus is claiming when later he says, the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins (v10). Their fundamental problem was that their attitude to CHRIST was wrong. Note how they refer to him as this fellow. Their preconceived ideas blinded them to who he was.

8 Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things?

While Jesus was a man here on earth, he did not know everything. (See Mark 11 where he expects to find fruit on a fig tree when there was none). But he received supernatural revelation through the Holy Spirit, as we sometimes do through spiritual gifts like what is often referred to as a word of knowledge. So the fact that he knew what they were thinking is not, in my view, a proof of his deity, but it is a sign of the truth of what he was saying.

9 Which is easier: to say to the paralysed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’?

The point here is verifiability. No one could verify the statement that the man’s sins were forgiven, but if gets up and walks, the integrity of Jesus’ words is immediately verified. In other words, it’s easier to say that a person’s sins are forgiven, because there’s no immediate way of knowing if it’s true. It’s much harder to say, Get up and walk, because everyone will immediately see whether he does so or not.

10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins….” He said to the paralysed man, 11 “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.”

In healing the paralysed man Jesus demonstrates his authority to forgive sins and in so doing demonstrates his deity. The term Son of Man is a Messianic title. The signs he performed confirmed that he was indeed the Messiah, God’s anointed one. This passage shows the urgent priority Jesus placed on forgiveness – he even wanted to forgive the critics, if only they would believe (v 10, that you may know…). It also indicates his willingness to die for us. It was his claim to deity that led to his crucifixion.

12 He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

This astounding miracle resulted, first, in amazement. This is one of the main purposes of miracles. They are signs and wonders. They are designed to make man wonder, to think and to ask, What does this mean? (as, for example, the miracle of tongues at Pentecost).

It also resulted in praise to God. But God is looking for more than praise. He’s looking for repentance. Jesus’ message was Repent and believe the good news (1:15). And, as we’ve seen in previous talks, it’s clear from Matthew 11:23 that, despite the miracles, Capernaum did not repent.

So now let’s try to summarise some of the lessons we have learned from this passage.

·      What we learn about healing, sin and forgiveness

·      What we learn about people

·      What we learn about Jesus

What we learn about healing, sin and forgiveness

Jesus has power to heal incurable diseases

Jesus heals in response to faith

Jesus makes it clear that sickness, however serious, is not our greatest problem

Sin is more serious than sickness

What we learn about people

Some people come to Jesus because they’ve heard what he can do

Some people come to Jesus because of their desperate need

Some people come to Jesus because they care about their friends or family

Some people reject Jesus and only want to criticise

What we learn about Jesus

Jesus knows the thoughts of our hearts

Jesus is God himself and only Jesus has authority to forgive our sins

Jesus loved us enough to die for us – his claim to deity was why they crucified him

Talk 5   Mark 1:29-45 Miracles of healing in Capernaum and beyond

Welcome to Talk 5 in our series on Mark’s Gospel. Today we’ll be looking at Mark 1:29-45. We’ll begin by reading verses 29-31.

29. As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. 30.  Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told Jesus about her. 31. So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them.

As we saw last time, Jesus has just cast a demon out of a man in the synagogue. He and his disciples now leave the synagogue and go to the home of Simon and Andrew. This passage gives us an interesting insight into family life at the time. Although Simon was married, his brother Andrew was living with them, and so was his wife’s mother. For the extended family all to live under the same roof was normal at the time and is not uncommon in some parts of the world today. This may well account for the fact that, later in his ministry, Simon Peter, also known as Cephas, was able to take his wife with him on his apostolic travels, as did some of the other apostles (1 Corinthians 9:5).

However, more important than the social conditions prevailing at that time, is the miracle of healing so briefly described in the verses. Simon’s mother-in-law is in bed with a fever. They tell Jesus. He responds immediately, goes to her, takes her hand, and helps her up. She is healed straightaway and is able to wait on them. So Jesus’ response to the need is immediate and so is the healing.

Interestingly, in Matthew’s account of this miracle, Jesus simply touches her hand (Matthew 8:15), and in Luke we’re told that he bent over her and rebuked the fever and it left her (Luke 4:39). Of course, the differences in these accounts are not contradictions. They complement each other and give us the full picture. They all show his willingness and power to heal. Sometimes Jesus healed with a touch, at others with a word of command. In this case he does both. I have often preached about his miracle, usually from the passage in Matthew, and have commented that in many ways his word is synonymous with his touch. He touches us with his word.

On one such occasion, in March 2009, on a visit to Portugal where I was teaching for a week in Mount Hope Bible College near Lisbon, I was asked to do a weekend of teaching in a place called Tomar. On the Sunday morning I was preaching about the power of Jesus and how He healed people just by touching them. I explained that today He often ‘touches’ us through the message that is preached and that He could touch and heal people now, even while I was preaching. While I was saying this, I noticed a woman in the second row who was quietly crying.

As soon as the service ended, this woman came to me and spoke to me. She did so through an interpreter as I don’t speak Portuguese.  She insisted on showing me the lower part of her leg which for some time had been very swollen, had caused her great pain, and which had been greatly discoloured. Her friend, who interpreted for her confirmed that this was true. However, during my preaching the swelling had gone down completely, the discolouration had disappeared, and she was no longer in pain. Her tears were tears of joy! She pulled up her trouser leg and revealed a perfectly normal ankle. There was no evidence that she’d ever had a problem.

32. That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. 33. The whole town gathered at the door, 34. and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was.

We saw last time that in verse 28, after Jesus had driven out the demon in the synagogue, the news spread quickly throughout Galilee. This is demonstrated by the immediate effect on the people of the town. In fact, the whole town gathered at the door. It’s understandable that people who are suffering will flock to someone who is able to meet their need, but sadly this does not always lead to genuine conversion, as the story of the ten lepers in Luke 17:11-19 makes clear. And, as we saw last time, the miracles Jesus performed in Capernaum did not bring the people to genuine repentance.

In the New Testament, miracles almost invariably attracted the attention of the crowds, and the same is generally true today, though their effect seems to vary in different cultures. For example, in Africa multitudes used to gather at the evangelistic and divine healing crusades conducted by Reinhard Bonnke, but I know from personal experience and acquaintance with him that the effects of his ministry were considerably less in Europe. Rather as in the ministry of Jesus, the Lord could do no mighty work because of the scepticism and even cynicism in the region, although he did lay his hands upon a few sick people and heal them (Mark 6:5).

Despite this, Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons. We’re told in verse 41 and elsewhere that he did this because of his compassion (Matthew 14:14, 20:34, Mark 1:41, 5:19, 9:22, Luke 7:13). In healing the sick he demonstrated the love of God, even for those who were ungrateful, just as later he died for the sins of the whole world even though he knew that many would reject him.

In verse 34 Mark tells us that Jesus drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was. We have already seen one example of this with the demon-possessed man in the synagogue (vv24-25). Jesus tells the demon to be quiet because it knew who Jesus was – the holy one of God.  James 2:19 shows us that even the demons believe – and shudder. They believe, but they do so grudgingly. Jesus silences all such testimony. He looks for a voluntary and glad acceptance of who he is, as the truth is revealed by the Spirit of God to those who repent and come to faith in him as their Saviour.

Finally, in Matthew’s account of these miracles (8:17), he says that Jesus performed his healings

…to fulfil what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases.”

This is one of the ‘proof-texts’ used by those who believe that Jesus died for our sicknesses in just the same way that he died for our sins. However, as I have argued in detail in my PhD thesis, and in a more simplified way in my book, Just a Taste of Heaven, whenever Matthew quotes the Old Testament he does so in connection with the events in Jesus’ life and ministry that he is there and then recording, not to something that will take place later. And in Matthew 8:16-17 he uses the quote from Isaiah in connection with Jesus’ healing ministry in Galilee, not in the context of his atoning work on the cross, which took place three years later. So, as we’ve already seen, Jesus’ miracles are best understood as signs of the kingdom of God. They confirm the truth of the gospel message as they demonstrate God’s power and his loving compassion for those who are sick.

35. Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. 36. Simon and his companions went to look for him, 37. and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!” 38. Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else – to the nearby villages – so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” 39. So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.

Verse 35 undoubtedly reveals the key to Jesus’ power. Although he was the Son of God (v1), and although he had been baptised in the Spirit (v10), he still needed to spend time alone in communion with God. He got up very early, he found somewhere to be alone, and he prayed. It was surely on these occasions that he received revelation from God about everything he was to do. In John 5:19, after he has healed the man at the pool of Bethesda on the Sabbath day, he says:

 I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.

This surely makes it clear that even Jesus could not tell God what to do. And we, as his disciples are to follow his example. We are God’s servants. He dictates the agenda. If we are to be used in healing, as Jesus was, we must first hear what God is saying. The level of our authority is directly related to the extent to which we are hearing what God has to say.

But these verses also give us an insight into two other aspects of public ministry:

(1)  the external pressure of both the disciples and the general public demanding attention (36-37), and

(2)  the inward pressure of one’s personal conviction of God’s call and purpose for our lives (38-39. Cf. also v45).

God’s call to serve him is what should motivate all we do, but if we are to be effective in his service we must find the right balance between spending time with him and responding to the inevitable demands made by our fellow Christians and the desperate need of those who do not yet know Jesus. This is probably the most important reason why we need to follow closely the example of Jesus in seeking to win others for him.

And finally in verses 40-45 we have the account of the healing of the leper.

40. A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” 41. Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” 42. Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured.

There are several points of interest here. First is the fact that the leper came to Jesus. This was unusual in that lepers were required to keep their distance due to the highly contagious nature of the disease. Perhaps his boldness in doing so can be accounted for by the fact that he had presumably heard of the miracles Jesus had already performed and that, like the four lepers in 2 Kings 7, he felt he had nothing to lose.

Secondly, what he says makes it clear that he did not doubt Jesus’ ability to heal him, but that he was unsure of Jesus’ willingness to do so. I’ve often heard it said that to be healed we must not only have faith that God can heal us, but also that he will. But that is clearly not the case. Jesus healed the leper despite his lack of faith in his willingness to do so. But Jesus’ words of reassurance – I am willing – are surely an encouragement to us all. This is the only case in the Bible where someone prays in effect, Lord, heal me if it is your will. And Jesus replied, I am willing. In the light of this, and the fact that Jesus never refused healing to anyone who came to him, we should surely continue to expect healing, at least until he shows us that there is a reason for his not doing so (as in the case of Paul’s thorn in the flesh in 2 Corinthians 11 where the apostle was told that God’s grace would be sufficient for him).

Thirdly, Jesus’ motive for healing the leper was compassion. Ignoring social convention and the danger both of catching the disease and of being made ceremonially unclean, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man – because he loved him. And we’re reminded, as we saw in an earlier talk, of Jesus’ willingness to be baptised even though it made him look as though he was a sinner who needed to repent. These things all foreshadow – they are a prophetic picture – of all that Jesus was to do on the cross. Although he never sinned, he was willing for God to treat him as a sinner so that he could make us acceptable to God (2 Corinthians 5:21 CEV). And he did so because he loves us.

Fourthly, please notice that the healing was immediate. Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured (v42). In the Gospels Jesus’ healings were almost always immediate. There is little evidence for miracles of gradual healing. Admittedly, in Mark 8:22-26 the healing of the blind man was not instantaneous, and the ten lepers who came to Jesus for healing were all healed, but it was only as they set off to see the priest as Jesus commanded them that on their way they were healed (Luke 17:14).

However, it’s clear from the context that these healings occurred almost immediately or at least very soon after Jesus had ministered to those who were suffering. This does not mean of course that God may not sometimes have a purpose in gradual healing today, but healings really need to be immediate if they are to fulfil their purpose as manifestations of the kingdom of God and as signs confirming the truth of the good news of the gospel.

43. Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: 44. “See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” 45. Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.

Why did Jesus tell him not to tell anyone about his healing? Because he didn’t want people to come to him simply for the physical benefits they could get. He had compassion on the sick and never refused healing to anyone who asked for it, but he didn’t go looking for the sick and the demon possessed. He didn’t advertise his healings – nor did the apostles in the book of Acts – his miracles advertised him! His priority, as we have seen was to take time to hear what his heavenly Father was saying.

So he tells the man he has healed to obey the Law of Moses in Leviticus 14 for the priest to examine him and confirm the healing. We might have thought that the man would have gladly obeyed Jesus’ instructions out of sheer gratitude, but instead he does the opposite! We’re not told why, but whatever the reason, his enthusiasm to tell his story didn’t help the cause of the kingdom of God. The proclamation of the good news of the kingdom of God is demonstrated with miraculous signs and wonders, but his kingship does not take away our freedom of choice or our responsibility to obey him. And surely the greatest evidence that Jesus is Lord is in the obedient lives of those who profess to follow him. If we want Christ’s kingdom to be extended, we must do things his way.

And finally, seven key points to summarise what we’ve been saying:

(1)  Jesus’ authority to heal sprang from the time he spent in communion with God and his obedience to what God revealed to him.

(2)  The purpose of Jesus’ healings was to confirm the good news of the kingdom of God and to show his compassion for suffering humanity.

(3)  His healings, as signs of the kingdom, were immediate rather than gradual.

(4)  Jesus healed by a word of command, or by a touch, or by both.

(5)  While his healings brought multitudes under the sound of his teaching, relatively few became true disciples.

(6)  Despite this, his willingness to be identified with suffering and sinful humanity foreshadowed what was to happen at Calvary.

(7)  His willingness and power to heal all who came to him, like his willingness and power to save all who come to him, were no guarantee that all would come. But he heals and he saves anyway, because he loves us. The choice is ours, whether we come to him or not.

Talk 4   Mark 1:21-28  Jesus Drives Out an Evil Spirit

Welcome to Talk 4 in our series on Mark’s Gospel. Today we’ll be looking at Mark 1:21-28. So far we have seen how Mark introduces us to the good news about Jesus who is the Son of God. He tells us of the preaching of John the Baptist whom God sent to prepare the people for the coming of Jesus. His message was Repent and be baptised.

He tells us of Jesus’ baptism in the River Jordan and how, immediately after his baptism in water, where God declared him to be his beloved Son in whom he was well pleased, he was baptised in the Holy Spirit and equipped with power to fulfil his God-given mission.. This was to be the time when Jesus would start his public ministry, and after a period of fasting in the desert where he conquered Satan’s temptations, he began preaching the good news of the kingdom of God evidenced by miracles of healing and deliverance.

We saw how Jesus called the four fishermen, Andrew, Simon, James and John, and we saw through the example of Jesus, and the response of the disciples to his call, key principles of  how to win other for Jesus.

Now in today’s passage, and in the rest of the chapter, Mark gives us examples of what proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God actually means in practice:

21-28 Jesus Drives Out an Evil Spirit – a miracle in the synagogue

29-31 Jesus heals Simon’s mother-in-law of a fever – a miracle in a home

32-34 Jesus heals all the sick and demon possessed – miracles outside

35-39 Jesus spends time in prayer

40-45 Jesus heals a leper.

But today we’ll just be looking at verses 21-28 where Jesus delivers a demon possessed man in the synagogue in Capernaum.

21-28 Jesus Drives Out an Evil Spirit – a miracle in the synagogue

21. They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. 22. The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. 23. Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit cried out, 24. “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are – the Holy One of God!” 25. “Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!” 26. The evil spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek. 27. The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching – and with authority! He even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey him.” 28. News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.

21 They went to Capernaum

After Jesus has called the four fishermen to follow him they go to Capernaum. Capernaum was a small town on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee.

It’s probably where the four fishermen were living. If you go there today you can see the remains of what is believed to be the house where Simon Peter lived and the synagogue where Jesus preached.

and when the Sabbath came

So they came to Capernaum and it seems that they stayed there for a few days, at least until the following Sabbath.

Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach.

We know that it was Jesus’ custom every Sabbath to attend the synagogue (Luke 4:16), where, like any other adult Jewish male, he had the right to teach. But his teaching was different!

22. The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law.

It was the custom of the rabbis in those days to be constantly quoting the opinions of others, but Jesus spoke with an authority that came from Heaven. This undoubtedly sprang from who he was, the Christ, the Son of God (v1), but at a human level, resulted from the time he spent in prayerful communion with his heavenly Father (cf. v35).

In teaching and preaching in this way, he was not only instructing the congregation in the synagogue, but also setting an example to his disciples, and us, as to how the kingdom of God should be proclaimed (cf. v14). He was showing them how to become fishers of men. Of course, there is a time and place for giving a reasoned explanation for why we believe what we believe (1 Peter 3:15), but, as the apostle Paul discovered, the enticing words of man’s wisdom are no substitute for preaching with the demonstration and power of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:1-4). This is nowhere more evident than in the reaction of the people to Jesus in the synagogue:

The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching – and with authority! He even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey him” (v27).

This, of course, was the result of Jesus having just cast out an evil spirit, described by Mark in verses 23-26:

23. Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit cried out, 24. “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are – the Holy One of God!” 25. “Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!” 26. The evil spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek.

23. Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit

The same incident is recorded in Luke 4:33ff where again the NIV uses the word possessed to describe the man’s condition. However, literally translated, Mark says:

And there was in their synagogue a man with (or in) an unclean spirit and Luke describes him as a man having a spirit of an unclean demon (Luke 4:33).

I mention this simply to point out that the New Testament uses a variety of different expressions to refer to what today is commonly described as demon possession (another of which is to be demonized (e.g. Matthew 4:24, 8:16, 28, 33; Mark 1:32, 5:15,16, 18; Luke 8:36). It’s clear to me that all these expressions are used interchangeably and that it’s a mistake to try to draw a distinction between them.

What’s particularly interesting is that in the case we’re looking at the man was in the synagogue. But this is no basis for the argument that a born-again Christian can be demon possessed. There is no evidence that the man was a believer (even though the demon in him knew who Jesus was). Literally translated, verses 24-26 read:

Away! What to us and to you, Jesus of Nazareth? You came to destroy us. I know who you are – the holy one of God. And Jesus rebuked it, saying, Be silenced, and come out of him. And the unclean spirit tore him and cried out with a great voice and came out of him.

It’s important to note that it’s the demon, not the man, who is speaking, though the demon is speaking through the man. And it’s the demon that Jesus rebukes and tells to be silent. The demon says, Away! It wants Jesus to keep his distance. Jesus and demons have nothing in common. An unclean spirit cannot bear the presence of the holy one of God.

The NIV translation Have you come to destroy us? can equally well be translated as a statement rather than a question. (There are no punctuation marks in the Greek text, so it could mean You have come to destroy us). The demon knew who Jesus was. It might well have known the purpose for which he has come – to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8).

Notice that Jesus didn’t argue with the demon. He didn’t need to. He had complete authority over it. He didn’t need to take authority. He exercised the authority he already had, because he was a man under authority – the authority of his Father. He rebuked it and commanded it to be silent and come out of the man. And, of course, it did!

Now please note that I am not teaching a methodology for exorcising demons here. But there are at least two clear principles implicit in what I have said:

1.     As Christians we are in Christ (Ephesians 1:13) and Christ lives within us by his Spirit. Demons cannot cohabit with Christ. They flee from his presence. So I believe it’s a mistake to attempt to cast a demon out of a Christian. As Christians we need to resist the devil and sometimes it’s necessary for another Christian to stand alongside us in prayer when we’re under attack. But we don’t need exorcism.

2.     If we’re going to be used in setting others free we need to be living under the authority of Jesus. We cannot take authority. In the Bible, authority is always something that’s given. We only have authority if we’re under authority. We either have it or we don’t. If we have it, we don’t need to take it. We exercise it. And if we don’t have it, no amount of ‘taking’ it will help.

But that leads us to the question, Why did Jesus cast out the demon? The man certainly didn’t ask Jesus to help him. There are several possible answers to this. Consider the following:

1.     Because the man was causing a disturbance in the synagogue.

2.     Because the man was so controlled by the demon that he was incapable of asking for help.

3.     Because it was not yet time for Jesus to fully reveal who he was.

4.     Because he refused to let the devil set the agenda.

5.     Because he hated the devastation the enemy had caused in this man’s life.

6.     Because he had compassion on the man. Compare v 41 where Jesus is moved with compassion for the leper.

7.     Because the reason he had come to earth was to destroy the works of the devil. The Greek word for destroy in 1 John 3:8 is luo, which means to loose or undo. The devil binds people. Jesus unties them. He sets them free.

8.     Because he knew that it was his Father’s will (cf. John 5:19).

9.     Because casting out demons was a sign that the kingdom of God had come.

10.Because the miracle would cause the people of Capernaum to become his disciples?

Now, although most of these suggestions have merit – some more than others – I think the first one is improbable and the last one is definitely inaccurate. Look at verses 27-28:

27. The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching – and with authority! He even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey him.” 28. News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.

The people were amazed, but did they repent and believe? Compare Matthew 11:20-24:

20. Then Jesus began to denounce the cities in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent…

23. And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths. If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. 24. But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”

This indicates that despite the miracles he performed there, the people of Capernaum did not repent. Possibly because of pride. The simple fact is that where miracles of healing and deliverance are taking place people will come out of curiosity and in the hope that their needs will be met. But though many are healed, relatively few become true disciples of Jesus.

So why does God bother? Because miracles are signs of the kingdom and make it easier for people to believe. God wants everyone to be saved, but the choice to repent and believe is theirs. It’s one thing to be amazed at the miracles, as the inhabitants of Capernaum were, but quite another to believe the message of the kingdom of God and to repent and put your trust in Jesus as your Saviour.

And perhaps this is why we don’t see more miracles in this country today? Even Jesus could do no mighty work in Nazareth because of their unbelief (Mark 6:5-6). Unbelief in a community inhibits the miraculous. And so can lack of faith and prayer on the part of God’s people. But that doesn’t alter the truth that miracles are God’s way of confirming his word (Mark 16:15-20). It’s our responsibility to preach the word and be led by the Spirit as we believe for miraculous confirmation. But we will have more to say about this in future talks.

Talk 3  Mark 1:14-20  Winning others for Jesus

Welcome to Talk 3 in our series on Mark’s Gospel. So far we have seen how Mark begins by establishing very clearly that Jesus is none other than God himself who came to make possible the forgiveness of our sins. To prepare for his coming the people were to confess their sins, repent and be baptised. But when Jesus came he would do more for them than baptism in water ever could. He would baptise them in the Holy Spirit.

I also pointed out that in New Testament times repentance, faith, water baptism and baptism in the Spirit would usually have all taken place on the same day, and that, though these are each distinct elements with the process of Christian initiation, they would probably have been viewed as all part of the same event.

In our last talk we saw in the baptism of Jesus, his willingness to be identified with sinners even though he was sinless, his determination to do what is right, and his desire always to do the will of God. And we suggested that, if we truly wish to be his disciples, we must not only repent and believe the gospel, but that we should follow his example and be baptised by total immersion.

We saw too that Jesus’ baptism in water also teaches us about the relationship between water baptism and the baptism in the Spirit. The baptism in the Spirit was the gateway to his miracle working ministry. For Jesus, this was received at/after his baptism in water. And this was just what the early disciples expected and, although this is rarely the case today, it is certainly what we should be teaching and believing for.

And finally, we considered five reasons why the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the desert to be tempted by the devil. Perhaps the most important of these was that we could learn from his example how to deal with temptation. We saw the importance of keeping full of the Spirit, of being led by the Spirit, and of correctly understanding and using the Spirit’s sword, the word of God.

Today we’ll be looking at Mark 1:14-20. The passage introduces us to the message that Jesus preached and how he called his first disciples. It also shows us how, like the first disciples, we can get involved in spreading the good news of the gospel – how we can win other people for Jesus. The key, as we shall see, is found in verse 17 where Jesus says:

“Come, follow me, …and I will make you fishers of men.”

If we want to win others for Jesus, we must first follow him ourselves. And we must allow him to make us. And as we work through the passage we’ll see from the example of Jesus and the response of the disciples several other important principles. But first, let’s begin by reading the whole passage.

14. After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of (the kingdom of) God. 15. “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!” 16. As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 17. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” 18. At once they left their nets and followed him. 19. When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. 20. Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.

After John was put in prison (14)

Mark begins by mentioning briefly that John the Baptist, Jesus’ cousin, had been put in prison. We know from chapter 6 that this was because he had annoyed Herod by telling him that it was not lawful for him to have married his brother’s wife. Undeterred by this news, Jesus begins his public ministry. He preaches essentially the same message as John – Repent and believe the good news. Despite the possible danger in doing this – John was eventually executed by Herod – Jesus is determined to do God’s will. So the first thing we can learn from the example of Jesus is that if we are going to be used in spreading the good news, we must not be deterred by apparent setbacks. We will need to embrace the danger.

Jesus went into Galilee (14)

Before Jesus could proclaim the good news he had to go. Actually, the Greek literally means, he came. I’m reminded that before Jesus could tell us the good news, he had to come. He had to come from the glory of Heaven to a sin-sick world to make our salvation possible. And if others are to be saved, we too need to go. This is what he commanded us – Go into all the world and preach the good news (Mark 16:15). And the world begins right where you are. Jesus went into Galilee. Jesus had been brought up in Nazareth, which is in the region of Galilee. He went to where he had been brought up. If we’re going to be used in spreading the good news about Jesus, we must be willing to go. If need be, to the ends of the earth, but at least to those who are already around us. This implies intentionality. To catch fish, you have to GO fishing.

proclaiming the good news of (the kingdom of) God. (14)

The message must be proclaimed, announced. Of course, it’s no good talking the talk if we’re not walking the walk. Nevertheless, living good lives is not enough. Actually I’m not living a good life if I’m not telling others what they need to hear.

The message is good news about God. More specifically, the kingdom of God. It’s good news that God’s in charge. More of this in a moment.

The time has come (15)

For thirty years Jesus had been relatively silent, but now the time had come. How did he know? He lived life in dependence on his Father and in close fellowship with him. He was now baptised in the Spirit and empowered to begin his ministry. It was through the power of the Spirit that the kingdom would be manifested.

In Matthew 12:28, after healing a demonized man who had been blind and mute Jesus says:

If it is that by the Spirit of God I drive our demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you (v28).

The kingdom of God is near.  Or, the kingdom of God has come.

The Greek verb engizo literally mean to come near.

The kingdom is present wherever the king is present. Wherever Jesus was present, there were manifestations of the kingdom like healing and casting out demons. And in Matthew 10:1 he gave his disciples authority to do the same:

He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.

And in verses 7-8 he went on to say:

As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.

They did this with the special authority Jesus gave them at that time. Later, after Jesus had returned to Heaven, to do these things they had to wait until they were baptised in the Spirit. Their authority would come from the Spirit, and the miracles they performed, like those performed by Jesus, would be done through the direction and power of the Spirit. When we’re baptised in the Spirit we should expect him to work miracles through us. It’s not so much a matter of claiming promises as being led by the Holy Spirit.

Repent and believe the good news! (15)

The message we have to share with people is good news, demonstrated by amazing miracles of healing, deliverance, provision and forgiveness. But its blessings are to be received by repenting and believing. When we share the good news with people, we must not dodge the issue of repentance. It’s not good news for those who refuse to repent and believe.

So we’ve looked at the example of Jesus. We’ve seen that if we are going to be used in spreading the good news:

·      We must not be deterred by apparent setbacks. We will need to embrace the danger.

·      We must be willing to go.

·      We must be willing to speak.

·      We should expect God to work miracles through us as we are led and empowered by the Holy Spirit.

·      We must not dodge the issue of repentance.

But now let’s look at the response of the disciples.

16. As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 17. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” 18. At once they left their nets and followed him. 19. When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. 20. Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.

17. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.”

The purpose of our calling to follow Jesus is to make us fishers of men (17).

18. At once they left their nets and followed him

At once… they followed him

Taken with verse 20 where we’re told that Jesus called his disciples without delay, we see three things:

·      We should not delay in telling others the good news.

·      When Jesus calls us to salvation, we should not delay.

·      When he calls us to serve him, we should not put off the decision.

There is a clear sense of urgency in all this, and this is emphasised in verses 18 and 20 where the fishermen left their nets (v18) which were their livelihood, and their father (v20). They left their family as well. They left all to follow him. Their attitude can best be summarised in one word – COMMITMENT.  As CT Studd, a Cambridge graduate and former England cricketer once said:

If Jesus Christ be God, and died for me, no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for him.

And Studd lived up to his words. After his father’s death, he gave away his entire inheritance and became a missionary, serving the Lord in China, India, and finally in Africa. Now we may not all be called to give up our means of livelihood or our family to follow Jesus, but we should all be willing to do so. We are all called to commitment. So now let’s summarise the principles we have discovered in today’s passage.

·      When Jesus calls us to salvation, we should not delay.

·      When he calls us to serve him, we should not put off the decision.

·      We should follow his example and allow him to make us fishers of men.

·      We should not delay in telling others the good news of the kingdom of God.

·      We should expect God to work miracles through us as we are led and empowered by the Holy Spirit.

·      We must not be deterred by apparent setbacks. We will need to embrace the danger.

·      We must be willing to go.

·      We must be willing to speak, and we must not dodge the issue of repentance.

Of course, we’re all different, but how can these principles be worked out in YOUR life?

Talk 2   Mark 1:9-13  The baptism and temptation of Jesus

Welcome to Talk 2 in our new series on Mark’s Gospel. In our first talk we saw how Mark begins by establishing very clearly that Jesus is none other than God himself who came to make possible the forgiveness of our sins. To prepare for his coming the people were to confess their sins, repent and be baptised. But when Jesus came he would do more for them than baptism in water ever could. He would baptise them in the Holy Spirit.

From elsewhere in the New Testament, we saw that it was through the work of the Spirit that we are empowered to live new lives by being born again. We begin to show the fruit of the Spirit which Paul describes in Galatians 5. And when we are baptised in the Spirit we are told in Acts 1 we receive power to be effective witnesses for Christ.

I also pointed out that in New Testament times repentance, faith, water baptism and baptism in the Spirit would usually have all taken place on the same day, and although today we often think of each of them as distinct experiences, the early disciples may well have thought of them all as part of the same event. This probably accounts for those occasions in the New Testament when writers may appear to use expressions like repentance, baptism, or baptise in the Spirit to refer to the whole event of Christian initiation, not just to the distinct aspect that each of these terms represents. If all this seems a bit complicated, don’t worry. I’ll be saying more about this when we look at the baptism of Jesus and its close relationship with his baptism in the Spirit.

So today we’ll be considering:

·      The baptism of Jesus

·      His baptism in the Spirit

·      His temptation in the wilderness

We’ll begin by reading verses 9-13.

9. At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptised by John in the Jordan. 10. As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” 12. At once the Spirit sent him out into the desert, 13. and he was in the desert forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.

Jesus’ baptism

Notice, first, how Jesus was baptised. As we said last time, in the Greek language in which the New Testament was originally written, the word baptise means immerse. This is confirmed by how Mark describes Jesus’ baptism. In verse 10 he refers to Jesus coming up out of the water. This implies that he had first gone down into the water. In fact, wherever the New Testament gives us a description of people being baptised, it’s clear that baptism was always by immersion. For example, in Acts 8:38-39 we read how Philip baptised the Ethiopian eunuch:

…Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptised him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing.

So Jesus, like everybody else, was baptised by being immersed in water. But why was Jesus baptised? We saw last time that John was preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins (v4) and that the people were baptised confessing their sins (v5). But Jesus had no sins to confess. He was God’s beloved Son with whom God was well-pleased (v11). He was the spotless Lamb of God who had come to take away the sins of the world (John 1:29). In fact, Matthew 3:14 tells us that, when Jesus came to John to be baptised, John protested, saying, I need to be baptised by you, and do you come to me?

So why was Jesus baptised? Jesus himself gives us the first part of the answer in Matthew 3:15, where he says. Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfil all righteousness. The purpose of Jesus’ life was to do the will of God, right down to the last detail. This is no more clearly seen than in the Garden of Gethsemane when, the night before he was to be crucified, Jesus prayed earnestly that, if it were possible, he might not suffer the agony of crucifixion, but, in total submission to the will of his Father, ended by saying, Yet not as I will, but as you will (Matthew 26:39). Everything he did was motivated by his desire to do God’s will (Hebrews 10:7). So for Jesus, being baptised was an essential part of doing God’s will. He said it was necessary to fulfil all righteousness.

For Jesus the ultimate fulfilment of all righteousness, of doing God’s will, was to die on the cross to save us from our sins. But how does this relate to his baptism? Perhaps the answer lies in the understanding that his baptism in water was a foreshadowing of the baptism of suffering he was to endure at Calvary (Matthew 20:22-23, Luke 12:50). At Calvary Jesus suffered the death of a common criminal. This made him look like a sinner. But more than that, when he died on the cross he was carrying our sin.

And at his baptism too, to those who were watching, he looked like a sinner. The sinless Lamb of God identified with sinners. Perhaps that’s one reason why the voice from Heaven was heard, saying, You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased. All the others who were being baptised were sinners, but God was making it clear that his Son was different.

Finally, before we leave the subject of Jesus’ baptism, it’s perhaps good to remind ourselves that his baptism is a compelling reason for us to be baptised. In John 12:26 Jesus told us that if we serve him we must follow him. And 1 Peter 2:21 tells us that Jesus has left us an example that we should follow in his steps. For more reasons why we should be baptised, please see You’d Better Believe It, pages 83-85.

His baptism in the Spirit

10. As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.

I’m referring to this as Jesus’ baptism in the Spirit because of the words descending on him. Jesus himself identified the baptism in the Spirit as the Spirit coming on us (Acts 1:5, 8), and his promise was fulfilled in the experience of the disciples at Pentecost (Acts 1:17), the Samaritan converts (Acts 8:15-17), Cornelius and his household (Acts 10:44-46), the Ephesians (Acts 19:1-6), and countless millions of Christians ever since.

The purpose of this wonderful baptism in the Spirit was, and still is, the equipping of God’s servants with power for service, and even Jesus needed this empowering of the Spirit before beginning his miracle-working ministry. Of course, the miracle of the incarnation – how Jesus could be both fully God and fully man – is a mystery. But while he was here on earth as a man he was totally dependent on his relationship with the Father and the Holy Spirit. He was a man under authority (Matthew 8:8-9) and the miracles he did were performed as a result of the anointing of the Spirit (Acts 10:38).

It’s noteworthy, too, that all three Persons of the Trinity are actively present in the passage we’re looking at. Jesus, God the Son, is coming up out of the waters of baptism. The Holy Spirit is descending upon him like a dove. And he hears the voice of God the Father speaking from Heaven. If Jesus needed this empowering of the Spirit, how much more do we?

So Jesus is baptised in water and in the Spirit on the same occasion. But what is the relationship between them? Notice, first, that in all four gospels being baptised in the Holy Spirit is distinguished from being baptised in water. John was baptising in water, but Jesus would baptise with the Holy Spirit.

The nature and purpose of baptism in the Spirit is not made clear here – as we have seen, Jesus himself does that in Acts 1:4-8 – but it is evident that Spirit-baptism is not only distinct from water-baptism but also vastly superior to it and more important than it. Jesus is greater than John, and the Spirit is greater than water! So water-baptism must never be confused with Spirit-baptism.

However, Jesus’ baptism does indicate that there is a close relationship between them. The Holy Spirit came upon Jesus at or at least immediately after his baptism in water. And, as I mentioned last time, elsewhere in the New Testament the baptism in the Spirit usually occurred at about the same time as baptism in water.  It happened so close to it that we might reasonably say that it happened at baptism. Yet its timing was usually sufficiently distinct from baptism for us truthfully to say that it happened after baptism. That’s why, in my book, The Holy Spirit – an Introduction, I coined the phrase at-after. I suggested that Jesus received the Spirit ‘at-after’ baptism.  Consider the following literal translations:

Jesus, having been baptised, came up immediately from the water; and behold the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God coming down on him like a dove (Matthew 3:16)

And Jesus was baptised in the River Jordan by John. And immediately, coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit coming down like a dove (Mark 1:9-10)

And it came to pass that, while all the people were being baptised, Jesus also having been baptised and continuing to pray, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended…. (Luke 3:21-22).

We notice that in Matthew Jesus has already been baptised, but he is hardly out of the water when the Spirit comes upon him. In Mark he is coming up out of the water. In Luke he has been baptised and is continuing to pray when the Spirit descends.  From this it is clear that Jesus’ baptism in the Spirit occurred immediately after his baptism in water and yet was in a very real sense a definite part of it. So it would be wrong to teach that the Spirit is automatically received at baptism, for reception of the Spirit is distinct from baptism. Yet we must equally strongly resist the temptation to make a wide separation between them, for they are closely associated in the New Testament. We should expect people to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit at or shortly after water-baptism (unless, like Cornelius, they have already received beforehand). For the promise still holds true:

Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38).

Jesus’ temptation

We now come to the temptation of Jesus in the desert. Mark records this extremely briefly:

12. At once the Spirit sent him out into the desert, 13. and he was in the desert forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.

Matthew and Luke are far more detailed. All three synoptic gospels tell us that after his baptism Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert where he was tempted by the devil. But Matthew 4:1 clearly indicates that the temptation was the purpose of Jesus’ being led into the desert. He was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. At first sight this seems a rather surprising statement. The Lord Jesus himself taught us to pray that we should not be led into temptation and James 1:13 makes it clear that no-one is tempted by God. So why did the Spirit lead Jesus to be tempted?

Before attempting to answer this question we need to remember that although God tempts nobody he may nevertheless sometimes allow temptation in order that we might be tested. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 10:13 that God will not allow us to be tempted more than we can bear and that he will always provide a way of escape. In Jesus’ case God knew that he was able to fight off the devil’s temptations successfully. But what was God’s purpose in allowing his temptation? In my book, The Holy Spirit – an Introduction, I suggest five things:

So that Jesus might truly sympathise with us in our temptations

In Hebrews 4:15 we are told that Jesus is a high priest who can sympathise with our weaknesses because he was tempted in every way just as we are – yet was without sin.

So that he might succeed where Adam failed

In several passages Paul contrasts Jesus with Adam and refers to him as the last Adam (e.g. Romans 5:12ff, 1 Corinthians 15:21ff (esp. vv45ff). The temptations Christ resisted in the desert may be compared with the original temptation faced by Adam in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3). Where Adam failed, as we all have at times failed to resist temptation, Jesus triumphed.

So that he might demonstrate his perfection

Hebrews 9:14 tells us that through the eternal Spirit Christ offered himself unblemished to God. Nothing but a perfect sacrifice could atone for sin. In overcoming the temptations to which all other human beings have succumbed Jesus demonstrated that he was a worthy sacrifice for the sins of the whole world.

So that we might learn from his example how to deal with temptation

Because Jesus has overcome temptation, he has shown us how it is possible for us to do so. In this connection notice the importance of:

a)     keeping full of the Spirit (Luke 4:1)

b)     being led by the Spirit (Luke 4:1). It is noteworthy that Luke says that Jesus was led by the Spirit in (not into) the desert. The suggestion is perhaps that the Spirit assisted Jesus during his temptations.

c)      correctly understanding and using the Spirit’s sword, the word of God. The Word of God is called the sword of the Spirit in Ephesians 6:17. Jesus used that sword against the enemy by quoting the Word in connection with each temptation (Matthew 4:4, 7, 10).

Notice, too, that Jesus was tempted to doubt what had happened when the Spirit came upon him after his baptism. God had said, You are my Son (Luke 3:22), but Satan came with the temptation, If you are the Son of God…. (Luke 4:3, 9). As Christians we are sometimes tempted to doubt the genuineness of what happened at our baptism in the Spirit. Like Jesus we must resist with the word of God. A helpful scripture in this connection is Luke 11:11ff. We sometimes need to remind the devil – and ourselves – that God does not give snakes or stones or scorpions to his children.

So that he might prove that he could be trusted not to abuse his miracle-working power

Two of the temptations suggested that Jesus should use his miracle-working power for the wrong reasons, i.e., to satisfy personal desires and to exhibit God’s power as a spectacle to the crowds. The right motivation for the working of miracles is love (1 Corinthians 13). Jesus had received the Spirit in order that his anointed ministry might begin (cf. Luke 3:22, 4:18ff).

Before embarking upon that ministry, it seems that his motivation for working miracles first had to be tested. We mustn’t be surprised if God tests us before entrusting us with more of his supernatural power.

But now it’s time to summarise what we’ve said so far.

In our first talk we saw that the coming of Jesus was good news. He was none other than God himself who came to make possible the forgiveness of our sins. We saw the importance of repentance, confession of sin, and water baptism. This was to prepare people for an even greater baptism, a baptism which came from Jesus himself, the baptism in the Holy Spirit.

We saw that it was through the work of the Spirit that we are empowered to live new lives by being born again. We begin to show the fruit of the Spirit which Paul describes in Galatians 5. And when we are baptised in the Spirit we are told in Acts 1 we receive power to be effective witnesses for Christ.

In this talk we have considered:

·      The baptism of Jesus

·      His baptism in the Spirit

·      His temptation in the wilderness

In the baptism of Jesus, we have seen his willingness to be identified with sinners, even though he was sinless, his determination to do what is right, and his desire always to do the will of God. And, if we have repented and believed the gospel, we learn from his example that, if we truly wish to be his disciples, we too should be baptised by total immersion.

But Jesus’ baptism in water also teaches us about the relationship between water baptism and the baptism in the Spirit. The baptism in the Spirit was the gateway to his miracle working ministry. For Jesus, this was received at/after his baptism in water. And this was just what the early disciples expected and, although this is rarely the case today, it is certainly what we should be teaching and believing for.

Finally, we considered why the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the desert to be tempted by the devil. Perhaps the most important answer we gave was so that we might learn from his example how to deal with temptation. We saw the importance of keeping full of the Spirit, of being led by the Spirit, and of correctly understanding and using the Spirit’s sword, the word of God.

If Jesus so needed the help and power of the Holy Spirit in fulfilling God’s will for his life, how much more do we?

Next time: Jesus calls his first disciples – what lessons can we learn about winning others for Jesus?

Galatians   Talk 10

Galatians 6:1-18

This is the final talk in our series on Galatians. We have seen that the main theme of the letter has been to show that salvation is by faith and not by works. Faith in Christ’s substitutionary, all sufficient, atoning death is the only way to Heaven. Attempts to get there any other way will fail. The law of the Old Testament could not save us because no one, except Jesus, has ever kept it in its entirety. But Jesus’ death has set us free from the law. We must be careful to stand firm in that freedom and not to get entangled with the legal requirements of the Old Testament.

For Christians Jews – and particularly the Galatians – there was the threat of the Judaizers, those who were teaching that faith in Christ was not enough and that circumcision was necessary for salvation. And although this may not be directly applicable to most Christians today, there is always the temptation to trust in other forms of religious practice – baptism, confirmation, church attendance etc. – when none of these things can save us. With regard to baptism, for example, we should be baptised because we are already saved by faith, and because Jesus has commanded it, but not in the misguided hope that getting baptised will save us.

Salvation cannot be achieved by self-effort. It can only be received because of God’s grace by trusting Christ to save us. And when we receive that salvation we are enabled by God’s indwelling Spirit to fulfil the only law that really matters, the law of love, which, as we saw last time, finds wonderful expression in the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. But that now brings us to the final chapter in the letter, which Paul begins by giving examples of how the fruit of the Spirit will be in evidence among us.

Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. 2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfil the law of Christ. 3 If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, 5 for each one should carry his own load.

These verses had a specific application to the Galatians, and scholars have speculated on what that might have been, but it’s clear that the principles Paul is teaching may be applied to all Christians, and that’s how we’ll be considering them today.

1 Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.

Who can fail to be moved by the sacrificial love shown by Christians like Mother Teresa? But although such compassion for the poor is at the heart of the Christian message (cf. Galatians 2:10), what’s even more important is, in the words of James 5:20, to turn a sinner from the error of his way and so save them from death and cover a multitude of sins. The greatest love we can show anyone, whether a Christian or not, is to warn them of the consequences of sin.

So Paul says that if we are truly spiritual (manifesting the fruit of the Spirit), and we become aware that a fellow Christian has been overtaken in misconduct or sin of any sort (Amplified Bible) we are to seek to restore them gently (without any sense of superiority and with all gentleness). We need to remember that we too may be tempted.

2 Carry each other’s burdens…

Carrying each other’s burdens could well mean helping our fellow Christians with any difficulties they may be facing, but bearing in mind what he has said in verse 1, Paul may mean that we are to be patient with their failings.

2 …and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

By carrying each other’s burdens we show our love for one another. And as we saw in chapter 5, love is the fulfilment of the law. The law of Moses contained numerous rules and regulations, but the law of Christ is love. If I love my neighbour I won’t steal from him, if I love my wife I won’t commit adultery. If we truly love, we don’t need the law, not even the Ten Commandments! We will keep them because we love God and we love our neighbour.

3 If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

Still keeping verse 1 in mind, we are to beware of pride, especially when we are aware of the failings of others. We should watch out in case we are tempted in the same way. We are not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think. This involves humility.

4 Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without

comparing himself to somebody else, 5 for each one should carry his own load.

We are not accountable for the actions of others, but we are accountable for our own. Beware of the danger of comparing yourself with others. We should not think of ourselves as superior to them, even if they have sinned. And we should not think of ourselves as inferior either. We are to have a sober estimation of ourselves. We are what we are by the grace of God and we carry a responsibility to use what we are, and the gifts he has given us, for his glory and not our own. That brings us to verses 6-10 where Paul draws attention to the benefits that we reap if we sow to please the Spirit. Note the references to sowing and reaping as we read these verses.

6 Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor. 7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

The underlying principle is these verses is found in verse 7.

7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.

A man reaps what he sows.

This is universally true, and here Paul applies it in a variety of contexts.

6 Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor.

This demonstrates the responsibility of those who are taught to support financially those who teach them. Paul develops this more fully in 1 Corinthians 9:1-14. The principle that we reap what we sow financially is also very clearly taught in 2 Corinthians 8-9 (esp. 9:6-11).

8 The one who sows to please his sinful nature (flesh), from that nature (the flesh) will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.

We pointed out in talk 8 that the translation sinful nature is not helpful. The word in Greek means flesh. Paul expands on this in Romans 8:1-9 where he concludes by saying that you are not in (the realm of) the flesh but in (the realm of) the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Before we became Christians we were all in the realm of the flesh because we were spiritually dead, but when we were born again we became spiritually alive.  

9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers

In our last talk, when we were talking about goodness as a fruit of the Spirit, we referred to Colossians 1:10 where Paul says:

And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God.

Now in Galatians 6 we are told that doing good works will reap its own reward. Note the following:

·       We should take every opportunity to do good to all people, especially to our fellow Christians.

·       This may cause us to become weary and there’s a danger of giving up.

·       But we reap what we sow, and if we persevere, we will be rewarded.

·       This will take place at the proper time. (This may be in this life or the next).

Now to the final eight verses:

11 See what large letters I use as I write to you with my own hand! 12 Those who want to make a good impression outwardly are trying to compel you to be circumcised. The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ. 13 Not even those who are circumcised obey the law, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your flesh. 14 May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15 Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation. 16 Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule, even to the Israel of God. 17 Finally, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus. 18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.

11 See what large letters I use as I write to you with my own hand!

Paul usually dictated his letters, so it’s unlikely that he physically wrote the whole of Galatians. However, to prove its authenticity, these last few verses were written by his own hand, just as we might sign a letter that had been typed. What he writes here is very much a summary of what he has been saying throughout the letter. Have nothing to do with the teachings of the Judaizers.

12 Those who want to make a good impression outwardly are trying to compel you to be circumcised. The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ. 13 Not even those who are circumcised obey the law, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your flesh.

The Judaizers’ motives are entirely wrong. They want you to be circumcised because they want to make a good impression as far as their fellow Jews are concerned and to avoid being persecuted by them. They may keep the law about circumcision, but they don’t obey the whole law. Yet they want you to obey this particular part of it so that they can boast about you flesh.

14 May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

Paul, however, would boast about nothing except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. He was not ashamed of the gospel of Christ because it’s the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes (Romans 1:16). Nothing else matters. As far as the world is concerned, Paul considers both himself and the law as dead. Compare Galatians 2:20. (Remember the teaching I gave in earlier talks in this series on our identification with Christ).

15 Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation.

Paul couldn’t be clearer. It doesn’t matter whether you’ve been circumcised or not. What matters is being born again.

16 Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule, even to the Israel of God.

Peace and mercy only come to those who follow the teaching of justification by faith. They are the true Israel, the Israel of God. It’s perfectly clear from all that Paul has said so far that God’s Israel, those whom God considers to be Israel, is comprised of all those, and only those, who, whether Jew or Gentile, have put their trust in Christ for salvation.

17 Finally, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus. 18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.

Paul has said enough. He does not want to be troubled again by this matter. His body bears the marks of his suffering for Christ. That’s enough trouble, without the addition of all the pain the Galatians were causing him by their forsaking the gospel he had preached to them (Cf. 1:6). But despite that, he prays for those who are truly his brothers that they will experience anew the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ by which they had been saved.

So what is the overall message of Galatians?

We are saved by believing and continuing to believe that Jesus’ death on the cross is all that is necessary for salvation. Trusting in anything else in addition calls into question the genuineness of our faith in Christ. 

Are you trusting in Christ alone for salvation? There is no other way to be saved.

We have now concluded our series on Galatians. God willing, we will start a new series in September. So there will be no new podcasts during July and August, but, if you’d like to keep listening, there are over 200 to choose from, details of which can be found on my website: https://www.davidpetts.org/podcast

Galatians  Talk 9   Galatians 5:22-23 The Fruit of the Spirit

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE SUBSTANCE OF THIS TALK IS TAKEN FROM MY BOOK

THE VOICE OF GOD – How he speaks to us today

In our last talk, as we were looking at Galatians 5:13-26, where Paul is contrasting the acts of the flesh with the fruit of the Spirit, we saw that we need to:

1.     Remember that even after we become Christians there’s still a tendency to sin in our flesh.

2.     Recognise that we cannot overcome this by obeying man-made rules and regulations.

3.     Reckon ourselves to be dead. Dead to the law, dead to sin. Dead to the acts of the flesh. We’re identified with Christ. We should live like Christ.

4.     Rely on the help of the Holy Spirit.

Today we’ll be considering the fruit of the Spirit in more detail. Paul lists them in Galatians 5:22-23. These are qualities that should be evident in the life of every Christian as they reflect the character of Jesus which the indwelling Spirit of Christ seeks to reproduce in us. They are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (You’ll find similar lists in Colossians 3:12-15 and 1 Corinthians 13:4-8).

As we read the Gospels it is not difficult to see these qualities in the life of the Lord Jesus. And, as we see what Jesus did, God speaks to us challenging us to do the same. Our attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus (Philippians 2:5). And, of course, our attitude will determine our actions. Let’s look at this wonderful ‘fruit’ in more detail asking God to speak to us through the attitude and actions of Jesus.   We’ll take them in reverse order from the list in Galatians so that we will conclude with love which is undeniably the greatest of all the fruit of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 13:13).

Self-control

Right at the start of his ministry, straight after he was baptised in the River Jordan, Jesus was led into the desert by the Spirit to be tempted by the devil.  Then, Matthew tells us:

After fasting for forty days and forty nights, he was hungry (Matthew 4:2).

He was hungry. What an understatement! He had eaten nothing for six weeks! I feel hungry if I haven’t eaten for six hours! Then, suddenly, an opportunity comes to break his fast. Some of the stones in the desert may have looked like loaves of bread. You’re the Son of God, aren’t you? says Satan, Why not turn these stones into bread? Now Jesus knew that he was the Son of God. God has said so (just three verses earlier) at his baptism:

This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased (Matthew 3:17).

Jesus knew that he had the power to do what Satan suggested, but just because you can doesn’t mean that you should. I can’t imagine how strong the temptation to eat must have been, but Jesus chose to listen to his Father rather than to Satan. He answered:

It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God’ (Matthew 4:4).

What amazing self-control! Where did it come from? His relationship with God, his desire to please him and his knowledge of God’s word. Could there be any greater demonstration of self-control? Yes, and we find it in Matthew’s account of the crucifixion:

Those who passed by hurled insults at him… saying… ‘Save yourself. Come down from the cross if you are the Son of God!’ (Matthew 27:39-40).

And Jesus was the Son of God, and he could have come down from the cross. But he didn’t. Despite the agony, he stayed there. Why? Because he knew that if we were to be saved he must die for our sins. He must pay the price. He must take the punishment. So he stayed there. He stayed there because he loved us.

Humility

The Greek word translated as gentleness in Galatians 5:23 carries with it the thought of humility. Paul uses it a few verses later when he says:

Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted (Galatians 6:1).

This warning, to watch yourself because you might be tempted too, clearly implies that Paul is using the word gently to mean in a spirit of humility. This is confirmed by the paraphrase in the Amplified Bible which interprets gently as not with a sense of superiority or self-righteousness. So it seems reasonable to assume that this is how he is using it when talking about the fruit of the Spirit just a few verses earlier.

The humility of Jesus is most clearly expressed in two main New Testament passages. The first is Philippians 2:5-11.

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross!

This passage speaks for itself. It took humility for someone who was equal with God to become a man, to become a servant, to become nothing. And yet he humbled himself even further. He became obedient to death, even death on a cross. And as Christians we’re encouraged to have the same attitude.

The second passage is John 13:1-17 where Jesus washes his disciples’ feet. In verse 1 we’re told that Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. He knew that he was shortly to be crucified. But he also knew that the Father had put all things under his power and that he had come from God and was returning to God (v.3).

And so he did something that would be an active demonstration of the truth later to be expressed by Paul in Philippians 2. It would demonstrate his humility and give his disciples an object lesson in how they too should behave. He got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist (v.4). Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel (v.5).

This was a symbol of what he would accomplish on the cross enabling his disciples to be washed clean by the shedding of his blood. That’s why it was important that Peter, who had protested, should allow Jesus to wash his feet too (vv.6-10). And Jesus’ humility, his willingness to wash feet, to cleanse us from sin, was another expression of his love.

Finally, when Jesus had finished washing their feet he put on his clothes and returned to his place (v.12). What a wonderful symbol of Jesus returning to his place in heaven after he had finished his redemptive work on the cross! (Compare Hebrews 1:3 …After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven).

Then he said:

Do you understand what I have done for you? You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them (vv.12-17).

Faithfulness

From the very beginning of his life here on earth Jesus came to do the will of God. Hebrews 10:5-7 tells us that when Christ came into the world, he said…I have come to do your will, O God. Even at the age of 12 Jesus knew that God, not Joseph, was his true Father (Luke 2:49). And throughout his life he was faithful to his Father’s will.  In John 4:34, when the disciples were trying to persuade Jesus to eat something, he said:

My food…is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.

And in John 6:38 he says

I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.

But his faithfulness to God and determination to do his will are no more clearly seen than in the Garden of Gethsamane on the night before Jesus was crucified. In Matthew 26 we’re told that he took with him Peter, James and John, and told them, My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow… Stay here and keep watch with me (v.38). Jesus then went a little farther and fell with his face to the ground and prayed:

My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will (v.39).

He then returns to his disciples and finds them sleeping! And this happens twice more. Jesus prays the same prayer, comes back, and finds them sleeping.

This sad story reveals in stark contrast the unfaithfulness of the disciples and faithfulness of Jesus. The disciples can’t even stay awake even at the time of Jesus’ greatest need. Jesus knows what’s going to happen. The thought of crucifixion horrifies him, and he asks his Father three times if there is any other way. But ultimately, when he knows that there is not, his faithfulness shines through.

Yet not as I will, but as you will.

But this story not only reveals Jesus’ faithfulness to God. It shows his faithfulness to his disciples. If Jesus had refused the way of the cross – and he could have – what hope would there have been for them or for us? Perhaps the sight of the disciples sleeping reminded him of the weakness of human nature and our need for him to save us. His faithfulness, motivated by love for his Father and his love for us, gave him the strength to carry on.

Goodness and kindness

The English word goodness, like the word good, can be used in many different ways. It’s very flexible. For example, we can talk of a good meal and we can refer to someone as a good person, but the meaning of good in each case is rather different. The same is true of the Greek words for good and goodness (agathos and agathōsunē). So we can’t be entirely sure of how Paul is using the word in Galatians 5:22. However, in the New Testament the word is frequently connected with doing good works and in Colossians 1:10 we read:

And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,

The reference to bearing fruit in this verse seems to suggest that the fruit of the Spirit which Paul calls goodness relates to:

·       Living a life worthy of the Lord

·       Pleasing him in every way

·       Doing good works

·       Growing in the knowledge of God.

And, of course, that’s exactly what Jesus did. He lived a sinless life. He pleased God in every way. As a human being he grew in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man (Luke 2:52). And Peter, when summarising Jesus’ ministry, said of him that he went about doing good and healing… (Acts 10:38). He not only was good. He did good. He was anointed with the Holy Spirit to

preach good news to the poor… to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour (Luke 4:18-19).

Similarly his kindness overflowed again and again as he met the needs of the poor and needy. Consider, for example, his kindness in turning water into wine at the wedding-feast at Cana in Galilee. We are so often preoccupied with the amazing miracle that we neglect the kindness of Jesus in performing it. And his goodness and kindness were surely motivated by his love.

Patience

The English word patience comes from the Latin verb patior meaning I suffer. That’s why people in hospital are called patients – people who are suffering. But the Greek word makrothumia, translated as patience in Galatians 5:22, has a wider meaning. It comes from two other Greek words, makros meaning far and thumos meaning wrath or anger. So to exercise makrothumia is to keep your anger far from you. It’s used elsewhere in the New Testament to mean patient enduring of evil, slowness of avenging injuries, or patient expectation.

It’s not difficult to see all these qualities in the life of the Lord Jesus. He was consistently enduring opposition from sinners (Hebrews 12:3), he prayed for the forgiveness of those who crucified him (Luke 23:34) and he endured the cross, scorning its shame because he patiently expected the joy that was set before him (Hebrews 12:2).

But he was patient with his disciples too.  They were so slow to learn and to believe. On the eve of his crucifixion they still had not fully understood who he was. In John 14:2-9 Jesus tells them that he is going to prepare a place for them in his Father’s house (v.2) and that they know the way (v.4). Thomas says to him:

Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?

Jesus answers:

I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him (vv.6-7)

Then Philip says:

Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.

Imagine how Jesus must have felt. In a few hours he’s going to be crucified. And still they don’t understand who he is. I know personally the frustration of a teacher whose students still haven’t got what I’ve painstakingly tried to teach them! Yet I hear infinite patience in Jesus’ reply:

Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? (v.9).

Peace and Joy

Peace of heart, as every Christian knows, springs from that peace with God which results from our being in right relationship with him. Being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1). But Jesus had no need to be justified. He was the sinless one. He always lived in right relationship with Father! Yet there’s one occasion when it appears that Jesus is not at peace. As he bears our sins in his body on the cross he cries in anguish: My God, my God. Why have you forsaken me?    (Matt 27:46).

It’s as if God has turned his back on his Son. Jesus has forfeited his peace. He’s bearing your sin and mine. And God is too holy to look at sin (Habakkuk 1:13). Jesus sacrifices his peace that we might have peace with God. And he does it because he loves us.

And Jesus’ relationship with God was the source of his joy too. He lived life in God’s presence, and in his presence there is fulness of joy (Psalm 16:11). Luke records that Jesus was full of joy through the Holy Spirit (Luke 10:21). What a pity that so many stained-glass windows and paintings portray him with a long and gloomy face! Jesus was a man of joy! Admittedly, he was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief (Isaiah 53:3).

But that was primarily at the time of his passion, both in the Garden of Gethsemane and the events that led to his crucifixion. As with his peace, so with his joy. He sacrificed both so that we could have them.

Love

Finally, Jesus was a man of love. Love is the greatest of the fruit and it is possible to understand Paul’s teaching in Galatians as meaning that love is the fruit and that the eight other qualities are manifestations of it. That’s what I’ve been trying to demonstrate as we’ve looked at each of the fruit of the Spirit. They are all, in one way or another, a manifestation of love (Compare, for example, Colossians 3:12-14).

Jesus’ love is evident throughout the New Testament, not just in the Gospels. Paul could refer to him as the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me (Galatians 2:20) and this reference to the cross reminds us that Calvary is the greatest demonstration of love the world has ever seen. And, what’s more, Paul says he did it for me.

But can we expect to manifest fruit like this in our own lives? Yes we can. Through the help of the Holy Spirit. This is where I find 2 Corinthians 3:18 very helpful. Paul tells us that as we contemplate the Lord’s glory, we are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, and this comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! …Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is (1 John3:1-2).

The more we see Jesus, the more we become like him.

Galatians   Talk 8   Galatians 5:13-26

As we have seen again and again in our studies in Galatians, Paul wrote this letter to demonstrate that salvation is by faith and not by works. Last time, as we looked at 5:1-13, we saw how Paul encouraged the Galatians to stand firm in their faith in Christ and not to get entangled again with the burden of the law from which Christ had set them free.

In verse 1 he had said:

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

He goes on to say that circumcision means nothing. All that counts is faith expressing itself through love. Now, in the second part of the chapter, he picks up this theme by saying in verse 13:

You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature (the flesh); rather, serve one another in love.

Having emphasised that we’re called to freedom, Paul now makes a very important clarification. He doesn’t want to be misunderstood. Freedom does not mean freedom to indulge the flesh. (The NIV translation is unhelpful here. The word is sarx which means flesh. I’ll be saying more about this in a moment). We’re not free to indulge the flesh. We’re free to love, and love is the fulfilment of the law (14). The important thing is to be led by the Spirit. This results in two things. If we live by the Spirit:

1.     we are not under the law (18) – which he has discussed at length already

2.     we will not gratify the desires of the flesh (16).

But what does he mean by the flesh? It’s probably best understood to be the tendency to sin that we have all inherited from Adam. But to clarify this we need to consider two other NT passages, Hebrews 12:9 and Romans 7:8-11.

In Hebrews 12:9 the writer distinguishes between:

our human fathers who are the fathers of our flesh

and

God, our heavenly Father who is the Father of our spirits.

So, we do not receive our spirit from our parents. That is given to us by God. And surely God would not give us anything sinful? But our flesh, which we receive from our parents, has an inbuilt tendency to sin which is ultimately inherited from Adam.

With this in mind, we now turn to Romans 7:8-11 where Paul says that before the law came, sin was dead. He applies this to himself personally. Once he had been alive, but when the commandment came, sin came to life, and he died. Sin took the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived him, and put him to death.

Now if we apply this to ourselves, we were all born with a tendency to sin. This tendency was not in our spirit which God gave us, but in our flesh, inherited from Adam.  We were spiritually alive until the time came when we understood, through God’s commandments, the difference between right and wrong, and, because of the tendency to sin in our flesh, we have chosen to do wrong. At that moment we died spiritually, and we needed to be born again. When we were born again, we became alive spiritually, but there remains in our flesh that tendency to sin, to which Paul tells us in Romans 6:11 we must consider ourselves as dead, but alive to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Now, back to Galatians 5:13

You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature (the flesh); rather, serve one another in love.

We’re not to use our freedom in Christ as an excuse for giving in to the temptations that come to us because of the tendency to sin that is natural to our flesh. We can overcome them because, through the Holy Spirit’s work in regenerating us, we are spiritually alive. In verses 16-17 he says that if we live by the Spirit we will not gratify the desires of the flesh. The desires of the Spirit and the desires of our flesh are diametrically opposed to each other. And without the help of the Spirit we cannot do the good things we would like to do (cf. Romans 7:18-8:2). But if we are led by the Spirit and follow the things we know he desires, we will fulfil the requirements of the law (to love God…) (18, cf. Romans 8:4 where he says very much the same thing).

With all this in mind we now turn to verses 19-26, where Paul contrasts the acts of the flesh with the fruit of the Spirit.

The acts of the flesh

19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Paul says that the acts of the flesh are obvious. He nevertheless feels the need to cite some examples! This is clearly not an exhaustive list as he adds at the end, and the like. He assumes that his readers will be well aware that these things are wrong, as he has already warned them about them. This was presumably when he planted the churches in Galatia, as there is no specific mention of them earlier in the letter. But what does he mean in verse 21 when he says that

…those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God?

Those who live like this, literally translated, is those doing these things. However, the verb doing is a present participle, which in Greek implies continuous action. This is presumably why NIV translates it as those who live like this.

Paul is not saying that anyone who ever does any of these things will never go to Heaven! He is reminding them that when he first preached the gospel to them he had warned them about the eternal consequences of sin, and now they are Christians they need to be aware of the dangers of reverting to their old lifestyle. Both the present and future blessings of the kingdom of God are forfeited unless they repent,

The fruit of the Spirit

In stark contrast to the acts of the flesh is the fruit of the Spirit.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

The law of the Old Testament was against the things listed as the acts of the flesh, and so is the law of love that is the fulfilment of the law. If you really love God and other people, you won’t do the things listed as acts of the flesh, and you will do things that manifest the fruit of the Spirit. There is no law against love!

The fruit of the Spirit is such an important subject that we’ll devote an entire talk to it next time. So now let’s move directly to verse 25 where Paul reminds us that we live by the Spirit. We have eternal life through the regenerative work of the Holy Spirit.

And just as we are saved by faith and continue to live by faith, so too at conversion we are sanctified by the work of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:11) and by the same Spirit we are enabled to live holy lives. Compare Colossians 2:6 – just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him.

So Paul says, Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. We who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires (24). This takes us back to Galatians 2:20-21 where Paul says:

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

In talk 4, I explained this in some detail and in case you missed it, I encourage you to go back there and read my notes on the subject of our identification with Christ, which I concluded by saying:

Because Jesus loved us and gave himself for us, and because we have put our faith in him, we are identified with him. We are in Christ and Christ lives in us. By accepting him as our Saviour we accepted his death as our death (and that’s why our sins are all forgiven). So, if his death was our death, we’re dead! We no longer live, but Christ lives in us.

So how in practice do we keep in step with the Spirit?

We need to:

1.     Remember that even after we become Christians there’s still a tendency to sin in our flesh.

2.     Recognise that we cannot overcome this by obeying man-made rules and regulations (cf. Colossians 2:20-29 where Paul says that they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence).

3.     Reckon ourselves to be dead. Dead to the law, dead to sin. Dead to the acts of the flesh. We’re identified with Christ. We should live like Christ.

4.     Rely on the help of the Holy Spirit.

We’ll be talking about this next time as we consider the fruit of the Spirit which are a wonderful summary of the character of Jesus. These are the kind of things that will be evident in our lives if we seek to be led by the Spirit rather than trying to please God by our own good works.

Galatians   Talk 7     Galatians 5:1-13

Let’s begin with a reminder of why Paul wrote this letter to the Galatians. It was through Paul’s ministry that they had become Christians, and they had believed his message that salvation was by faith in Christ and not by trying to obey the law of the Old Testament. However, since his departure, others had taught them that faith in Christ was not enough, and that circumcision was necessary for salvation.

So Paul writes to them to correct this error, and so far he has said:

·       The message he preached he had received from God and not from man

·       The Galatians had accepted it.

·       The apostles in Jerusalem had endorsed it.

·       The Galatians knew from their experience of receiving the Spirit that the way God worked in their lives was in response to faith and not to obedience to the law.

·       The law itself teaches that justification is by faith and not by works.

·       The law had had a purpose – it was to demonstrate our need of Christ.

·       Once Christ had come, there was no further need for the law.

And as we saw last time, at the end of chapter 4 Paul uses Abraham’s two sons to illustrate the difference between the old covenant God made with Israel at Sinai (the law) and the new covenant made with all who are justified by faith in Christ.  Ishmael’s mother, Hagar, was a slave. Isaac’s mother Sarah was free. So, by analogy, Paul argues that, as the spiritual descendants of Abraham, because like Abraham we are justified by faith, we are free from the bondage of the law.

And the theme of freedom continues at the beginning of chapter 5 where he says:

1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

Paul reminds them of the state they were in before they became Christians. The law was their slave master. In it there was no hope of salvation because they were unable to keep it. But when they put their trust in Christ, they were set free from the bondage of the law. They were justified by faith, not by works.  Christ had set them free, and Paul pleads with them not to go back to trying to be right with God by putting themselves under the requirements of Old Testament law again. He now addresses the serious implications of letting yourself be circumcised:

2 Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all.

First, note the certainty of Paul’s words. Mark my words! (Read my lips!)

Secondly, notice their seriousness – Christ will be of no value to you at all.

The next verse gives us Paul’s reason for saying this:

3 Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law.

To be circumcised implies that you’re looking to the law to save you, but, as Paul has already pointed out (3:10), the law requires obedience to it in its entirety. It’s all or nothing. If you’re looking to the law to save you, you’ve got t obey all of it! Salvation through the law, if that were possible, would require TOTAL OBEDIENCE to it. Salvation through faith in Christ requires TOTAL TRUST in him. So Christ is of no value to you at all, because your trust is not total. So in verse 4 he says:

4 You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.

Why does Paul say this? Because circumcision shows that you believe that Christ’s death was not enough. You are no longer trusting in his grace, but in your works to save you. And salvation is by faith from first to last (Romans 1:17). We must continue to trust him for our salvation.

Paul’s warning in these verses is so strong that it’s hard to believe that it is purely hypothetical. To seek to be justified by our good works means that:

Christ is of no value to you at all (2)

You are alienated from Christ (4)

You have fallen from grace (4).

Now as we turn to verse 5, please note that the first phrase should read For by faith… not But by faith… (as in NIV).

5 FOR by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope.

The reason that you’ve fallen from grace is that by being circumcised you’re trying to be saved by obedience to the law, but it’s by faith that we are saved. Our only hope of the righteousness that’s necessary for salvation is through the work of the Spirit. This happens in response to faith and not to works.

But why does Paul say that we’re waiting for righteousness? Haven’t we already received it? Yes, when we trust Christ to save us we are justified (counted as righteous). Our faith is accounted to us as righteousness. But salvation has implications for the future as well as the present.

·       When we first trusted Christ we were saved.

·       As we continue to trust him we are being saved.

·       And when our time on earth comes to an end we will be saved.

The righteousness we already have though faith in Christ will find its ultimate fulfilment when we finally stand before God clothed in the righteousness which by his grace we have received by faith.

6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

Once we became Christians it no longer mattered whether we had been circumcised or not. It’s irrelevant to our salvation. Faith is all that matters, and this is expressed through love.

Love is the fulfilment of the law. As Paul says in verse 14:

The entire law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbour as yourself.”

            (Compare Romans 13 where he expands on this).

So we’re not saved by obedience to the law, but by faith. Nevertheless, genuine faith will result in good works, works of love which fulfil the essence of the law.

7 You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth? 8 That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you.

Paul often compares the Christian life to a walk or a race. The Galatians had made a good start and at first were running well but had been put off course by the Judaizers whose teaching did not come from the Lord. The one who calls you could refer to Paul himself (cf. 1:6), but since Paul had received his teaching directly from the Lord, it amounts to the same thing. The teaching of the Judaizers was out of harmony with Paul’s preaching and with the gospel the Lord himself had given him to preach. (Compare 1 Corinthians 14:37).

9 “A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.”

10 I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion will pay the penalty, whoever he may be.

The danger with false doctrine is that it can spread very quickly. Paul warns them of the danger, which in the light of verses 2-4 was very real, but it’s not too late for the Galatians (who he still refers to as brothers – vv11, 13) to return to the truth, and Paul is confident in the Lord that they will do so.

However, the person who is causing the problem will pay the penalty for doing so. Paul does not specify what that penalty might be, but there are serious consequences for those who pervert the truth. There are eternal consequences for those who persist in their error.

11 Brothers, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished.

To understand this verse, we need a bit of imagination. Why does Paul say, If I am still preaching circumcision? Presumably because some of the Jews were saying that he was doing so. But why would they say that? Perhaps some of the Judaizers were telling the other Christians that Paul was preaching circumcision in order to back up their own argument.

Of course, Paul was not. So why does he say, if I am still preaching circumcision? This implies that at some time he had preached it. But when? There is no evidence that it had ever been part of his gospel. In his earliest recorded sermon (Acts 13) he clearly proclaimed the forgiveness of sins through Christ and that through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain through the law of Moses (vv 38-39).

In my view, the clearest and most likely explanation is that he is referring to his pre-conversion days when he would have fervently proclaimed the need for circumcision.

The fact that now, as a Christian, he was teaching that circumcision was no longer necessary, was probably one of the main causes of his being persecuted by the Jews. So, if it were true that he was preaching circumcision, it was natural for him to ask, Why am I still being persecuted? Compare Galatians 6:12-14 where he says:

Those who want to make a good impression outwardly are trying to compel you to be circumcised. The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ. 13 Not even those who are circumcised obey the law, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your flesh. 14  May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

To the Jews the message of the cross was an offense or stumbling-block (cf. 1 Corinthians 1:23) because, among other things, it made circumcision unnecessary. And it remains a stumbling-block to all those who are trying to be justified by their own self effort.

12 As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves (cut themselves off)!

In verse 10 Paul talked about one person who was throwing them into confusion. Now, as previously in 4:17, he refers to them in the plural. Perhaps the individual he refers to was the ringleader. Paul wishes that they would cut themselves off. This is literally what the Greek says and in my view is best left ambiguously. Paul’s intention may well have been what the NIV translation suggests, but it could it simply mean that he wished they would cut themselves off from the fellowship of believers so that their evil yeast might not spread throughout the whole church? He could well have meant both.

So, to summarise, in today’s passage Paul has encouraged the Galatians to stand firm in their faith in Christ and not to get entangled again with the burden of the law. If you’re trying to be justified by obeying the law, you are alienated from Christ. Christ is of no benefit to you. You have fallen from grace. So avoid the teachings of the Judaizers who will pay the penalty for teaching a false way of salvation. In Christ circumcision means nothing. All that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

And that leads us to the second part of the chapter, the theme of which is summarised in verse 13:

You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature (the flesh); rather, serve one another in love.

He then goes on to contrast the works of the flesh with the fruit of the Spirit, the first of which is love. But that’s something for next time.