Sin’s Sevenfold ‘H’! Mark 10:46-52

Text: “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is Eternal Life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Romans 6:23.

Good morning, sin-cleansed Christian!  Praise God!  Once you were blind, now, through Christ’s precious shed Blood, you can see! Sin was your blinding darkness, therefore, let’s look at seven aspects of such an adversary, and glorify Christ Jesus the giver of sight. 

“The Lord openeth the eyes of the blind: The Lord raiseth them that are bowed down: The Lord loveth the righteous.” (Psalm 146:8)

The Home of Sin: (V.46) Jericho in the Scriptures is always a place one goes ‘down’ into; it is synonymous with the home of sin; a wicked place, infamous for its lawlessness and total depravity against God.  It is just like the heart of mankind - inherently black and ready to defile itself.  (Mark 7:14-23)

The Horror of Sin: (V.47) There is no horror in existence like the horror of sin; for the wages of sin is death - physical and Spiritual - and the cry of Bartimaeus for Christ’s mercy is a cry from the very heart.  Double-darkness, at this vital stage in the blind man’s life, encountered the Light of the World.  Hallelujah!  (John 9:1-7)

The Hold of Sin: (V.48) When sin takes hold of the heart it is like a fishing hook piercing the very soul.  Those hooked by it long for freedom, but sin stifles their inner pleas for help.  Only the Holy Spirit can cause the sin-sick soul to cry out for God’s Salvation and cleansing.  Bartimaeus persevered and cried out again.  The Lord loves one who perseveres.

The Hindrance of Sin: (V.48) When our souls cry out for Christ’s Salvation, many shall charge us to hold our peace.  Why?  Because there is a sense of safety, no matter how false, in numbers - and the world, the flesh, and the Devil desire to retain us in sin’s chains and in sin’s blindness.  Thus, the crowd sought to hinder the blind man from seeking Christ’s help.  (Luke 11:52) (Galatians 5:6-7)

The Healer of Sin: (V.48) Amidst the surging noise of the throng Christ, the only healer from sin’s bondage, heard the sinner’s cry.  Sincere repentance is what God’s ears are listening for constantly. Cry out, then, elect of God!  The Lord shall hear your sincere prayer.  (Psalm 66:16-20)

The Halter of Sin: (V.50) The robes of Bartimaeus’ sins were hung around his heart like a halter.  Once Christ called him to repentance and Salvation, he cast sin’s garments away and was immediately robed in Christ’s spotless Righteousness.  Hallelujah!  What a Saviour!  (Isaiah 61:10) (2 Corinthians 5:21)

The Hammer of Sin: (V.52) What was it that hammered the sins of Bartimaeus, down in Jericho that wondrous day?  Why, it was the very same great hammer which God used upon your sins and mine!  The Word of God is the hammer which breaks the hard rock of our sins.  The Word brings God’s gift of faith - and it is that faith which brings us deliverance from our sins.

“The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath My Word, let him speak My Word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? Saith the Lord. Is not My Word like as a fire? Saith the Lord; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock (of unbelief) in pieces?” (Jeremiah 23:28-29)

J.C. Ryle Comments:

“In the first place, we have here an example of strong faith. We are told that as Jesus went out of Jericho, a blind man named Bartimæus “sat by the wayside begging. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me.”

“Bartimæus was blind in body, but not in soul. The eyes of his understanding were open. He saw things which Annas and Caiaphas, and hosts of letter-learned Scribes and Pharisees, never saw at all. He saw that Jesus of Nazareth, as our Lord was contemptuously called, —Jesus, who had lived for thirty years in an obscure Galilean village, this very Jesus was the Son of David, — the Messiah of whom prophets had prophesied long ago. He had witnessed none of our Lord’s mighty miracles. He had not had the opportunity of beholding dead people raised with a word, and lepers healed by a touch. Of all these privileges, his blindness totally de­prived him. But he had heard the report of our Lord’s mighty works, and hearing, had believed. He was satis­fied from mere hear-say, that He of whom such wonderful things were reported, must be the promised Saviour, and must be able to heal him. And so, when our Lord drew near, he cried, “Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me.”

“Let us strive and pray that we may have like precious faith. We too are not allowed to see Jesus with our bodily eyes. But we have the report of His power, and grace, and willingness to save, in the Gospel. We have exceeding great promises from His own lips, written down for our encouragement. Let us trust those promises implicitly, and commit our souls to Christ unhesitatingly. Let us not be afraid to repose all our confidence on His own gracious words, and to believe that what He has engaged to do for sinners, He will surely perform. What is the beginning of all saving faith, but a soul’s venture on Christ? What is the life of saving faith, when once begun, but a continual leaning on an unseen Saviour’s word? What is the first step of a Christian, but a crying, like Bartimæus, “Jesus have mercy on me?” What is the daily course of a Christian, but keeping up the same spirit of faith?” (J.C. Ryle’s Expository Thoughts on the Gospel of Mark.)

Thought: The blind man asked for sight, believing he would receive it, and praise God, he did!  His God-given faith thus made him completely whole, and he followed Jesus.  Therefore, let us mere sinners, saved by God’s grace, remember Bartimaeus - and cry out from our hearts when sin threatens to bind us in its dark chains of unbelief and disobedience.  Praise God for His grace! Amen. (Hebrews 11:1-6)

Ambitious Arrogance! Mark 10:35-45

Text: “And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, come unto Him, saying, Master, we would that Thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall desire.”

Mark 10:35.

          “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.”                                                                                                                                                           James 4:3.

Good morning, correctly praying, Christian!  You and I have come to the Lord Jesus Christ robed in the vileness of our sins and iniquities; humbled ourselves prostrate at His Holy feet, and cried out in faith, God-given, in true repentance from our sins, and genuine desire to be born again of Him; washed in His sinless Blood – and we have been graciously saved.  Hallelujah!

Now that we have been saved, we need to learn how to be a genuine Christian, and we have learned that being a Christian after we are saved, actually requires us to become more and more like Christ every day thereafter.

“Therefore, if any man/woman be in Christ, he/she is a new creature; old things are passed (or continually passing) away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, Who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; to wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.”  (2 Corinthians 5:17-19)  

People all around us totally expect to SEE great change in sinners that have been redeemed by the precious shed Blood of the Lamb of God, and are very quick to point out our faults otherwise.  The proof of the ‘Christian’ pudding is in their seeing!

The rest of our lives are dedicated to serving the risen Jesus Christ, and that requires much prayer for His help to do so.  Therefore, we promptly learn that praying to the Living Lord God Jehovah, through Jesus Christ our Saviour Lord, in God the Holy Spirit’s power, necessitates asking God for what we actually need to serve Christ in God’s way of doing so.

“For everyone (believers) that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.”  (Matthew 7:8) 

However, how one asks, and one’s motivation for the asking – is what needs to be correct in the eyes of a Holy Lord God. Selfish prayers, with wrong motivations only reach as far as the ceilings of our homes. We must pray correctly if we are to receive God’s correct help.

J.C. Ryle Comments:

“LET us mark in this passage, the ignorance of our Lord’s disciples. We find James and John petitioning for the first places in the kingdom of glory. We find them confidently declaring their ability to drink of their Master’s cup, and be baptized with their Master’s baptism. In spite of all the plain warnings of our Lord, they clung obstinately to the belief that Christ’s kingdom on earth was immediately going to appear. Notwithstand­ing their many shortcomings in Christ’s service, they had no misgivings as to their power to endure anything which might come upon them. With all their faith, and grace, and love to Jesus, they neither knew their own hearts, nor the nature of the path before them. They still dreamed of temporal crowns, and earthly rewards. They still knew not what manner of men they were.

“There are few true Christians who do not resemble James and John, when they first begin the service of Christ. We are apt to expect far more present enjoy­ment from our religion, than the Gospel warrants us to expect. We are apt to forget the cross, and the tribula­tion, and to think only of the crown. We form an incorrect estimate of our own patience and power of endurance. We misjudge our own ability to withstand temp­tation and trial. And the result of all is, that we often buy wisdom dearly, by bitter experience, after many dis­appointments, and not a few falls.

“Let the case before us teach us the importance of a solid and calm judgment in our religion. Like James and John, we are right in coveting the best gifts, and in telling all our desires to Christ. Like them we are right in believing that Jesus is King of kings, and will one day reign upon the earth. But let us not, like them, forget that there is a cross to be borne by every Christian, and that “through much tribulation we must enter into the king­dom of God.” (Acts 14:22.)

“Let us not, like them, be over-confident in our own strength, and forward in pro­fessing that we can do anything that Christ requires. Let us, in short, beware of a boastful spirit, when we first begin to run the Christian course. If we remember this, it may save us many a humbling fall.”  (J.C. Ryle’s Expository Thoughts on the Gospel of Mark.)

The Lord God knows not to answer in the affirmative when we pray ambitious or arrogant prayers, for He already KNOWS what our deepest needs are, at every point of our lives.

“…For your Heavenly Father knoweth (knows, and continues to know) that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness (Jesus Christ IS the righteousness of God); and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:32-33)

Personal ambition has no place in our prayer life. Arrogance is uncomely for a saint.

“The greatest prelate in the church, is he who is most conform­able to the example of Christ, by humility, charity, and continual attendance on his flock, and who looks on himself as a servant to the children of God.” (Pasquier Quesnel, French theologian, 1634-1719)

Thought: The best Christian person, is at all times, merely a sinner, saved by God’s grace. Let us approach God’s Throne of grace with reverence, humility, and love.

Jesus Forewarns His Disciples Mark 10:32-34

Text: “And they were in the way going up to Jerusalem; and Jesus went before them: and they were amazed; and as they followed, they were sore afraid.  And He took again the twelve, and began to tell them what things should happen unto Him.”

Mark 10:32.

Good morning, forewarned Christian! Because you and the author obey the Lord God’s command to ‘Study to show ourselves approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of God.’ – we become well forewarned of events that God has preordained should happen in this world, and to us, ‘His people’ before that great and terrible day of the return of Christ to put all things right forever.  We are forewarned by our study of God’s inspired Word in our KJV Bibles.

“And as He sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto Him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things bed?  And what shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered and said unto them…”  (Read Matthew chapter 24)

In God’s Word, our KJV Bibles, the Lord Jesus openly and clearly forewarns us, His latter-day disciples of what we should look out for, as pointers to the events of the end times of this old sinful world.  Yet, I wonder how many, even otherwise sound Christians, take much heed today in this increasingly apostate, or sleeping, 21^st Century church worldwide?

Verse 5. “Take heed that no man deceive you.”  (Matthew 24:4) Today, we have an upsurge in deceptive religious beliefs, beliefs that are clearly and often totally contrary to what the Bible teaches.

Roman Catholicism: Rome has just recently removed the Second Commandment from Roman Catholic ‘bibles’, and split the Tenth Commandment into two Commandments in order that there should still be the deceitful notion of a Ten Commandment concept.

This enables Popery to teach their deceived millions of adherents that it is legitimate to set up an idol of, say, ‘Mary the queen of heaven’, or ‘Mary, the star of the sea’, or a plethora of other ‘Mary’s and dead ‘saints’ – and bow down to them and worship them as part of their so-called Christian faith!  The Scriptures teaches, ‘…By their fruits ye shall know them.’

Wars, Rumours of Wars: (Matthew 24:6) Russia is currently at war with Ukraine; NATO is supplying Ukraine with weapons to fight Russia; China is once more threatening Taiwan; and America is threatening China as a result. Iran is building nuclear capacity and Israel is destroying Iranian nuclear research facilities; there is war in Syria, and Turkey and Russia are in some way involved in the conflict.  Britain and America are selling arms to other nations, while ‘deploring’ their use in foreign lands in the Middle East and other locations.

Can we not see with our eyes and hear with our ears Christ’s warning of these end time events?  “All these are the beginning of sorrows…” (Matthew 24:8)

In our Bible verses in this Marching In Mark series, the Lord Jesus is forewarning His disciples of the most important event the world has ever experienced happening – the cruel Crucifixion of Himself, and His glorious Resurrection from the dead to justify ‘His people’ in the Holy sight of God our Father in Heaven.  Christ said it, it was done!  Hallelujah!

“…Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes; and they shall condemn Him to death, and shall deliver Him to the Gentiles (Romans); and they shall mock Him, and shall scourge Him, and shall spit upon Him, and shall kill Him: and the third day He shall rise again.”  (Mark 10:33-34)

Hallelujah! ‘Up from the grave He arose, in a mighty triumph o’er His foes. He arose the Victor from the dark domain, and He lives forever with His saints to reign…He arose…He arose…Hallelujah, Christ arose!’ (Written by Robert Lowry, 1826-1899) Glory to the Lamb!  

J.C. Ryle Comments:

“The last thing that demands our attention in this pas­sage, is our Lord’s clear foreknowledge of His own sufferings and death. Calmly and deliberately, He tells His disci­ples of His coming passion at Jerusalem. One after another He describes all the leading circumstances which would attend His death. Nothing is reserved. Nothing is kept back.

“Let us mark this well. There was nothing involuntary and unforeseen in our Lord’s death. It was the result of His own free, determinate, and deliberate choice. From the beginning of His earthly ministry, He saw the cross before Him, and went to it a willing sufferer. He knew that His death was the needful payment that must be made to reconcile God and man. That payment He had covenanted and engaged to make at the price of His own Blood. And so, when the appointed time came, like a faithful surety, He kept His word, and died for our sins on Calvary.

“Let us ever bless God that the Gospel sets before us such a Saviour, so faithful to the terms of the covenant, —so ready to suffer, —so willing to be reckoned sin, and a curse in our stead. Let us not doubt that He who fulfilled His engagement to suffer, will also fulfil His engagement to save all who come to Him. Let us not only accept Him gladly as our Redeemer and Advocate, but gladly give ourselves, and all we have, to His service. Surely if Jesus cheerfully died for us, it is a small thing to require Christians to live for Him.”  (J.C. Ryle’s Expository Thoughts on the Gospel of Mark.)

Our Omniscient (all-knowing) Lord God is not a three-dimensional creature such as we – His omniscience spans past, present, and future events, and He knows the end from the beginning. “Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure. (Isaiah 46:9-10)

Thought: As Christ’s people, we are clearly forewarned of all things – let’s take heed!

The Lord is No Man’s Debtor Mark 10:28-31

Text: “Give, and it shall be given unto you: good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom.  For (a Spiritual conclusion) with the same measure that ye mete (weigh out, measure out) withal shall it be measured to you again.”

Luke 6:38.

Good morning, unselfish Christian!  Having being given all the wealth of God’s Eternal Salvation – in Christ Jesus, and through His Sacrifice at Calvary’s Cross – you have been blessed with a generous and giving heart, and a deep compassion for the needs of other fellow sinners.  Praise God it is so!  The new nature you and I have been granted through Spiritual regeneration, has lifted us up out of the ‘valley of dried bones’; out of the world of DEAD SPIRITS; and made us to stand as generous-spirited followers of Christ Jesus – ‘…an ‘exceeding great army’ indeed. (See the Doctrine of Regeneration on the Basic Christian Doctrines button www.ulsterchristians.org)

“Then said He unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.  So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, and exceeding great army.”  (Ezekiel 37:9-10)

In Ezekiel chapter 37:1-10, we find a wonderful TYPE illustration of Spiritual Regeneration, being ‘born again’ of the God the Spirit.  The Lord God showed the prophet Ezekiel a valley of dried bones, bones that were, of course, obviously not only completely dead, but very dry also; brittle bones, ready to disintegrate into the dust from which they came, and blow away into nothingness.

The Lord then asked Ezekiel, “Can these bones live?”  Ezekiel had no clue as what to answer, it was just all too deep a question for his mortal mind to contemplate.  Such is the Lord’s generous gift of Eternal Salvation to dead, dry bone sinners such as thee and me.

“Thus saith the Lord God unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live…and ye shall KNOW that I am the Lord.” (Ezekiel 37:5-6)

Take heed to what happened next, dear Reader, and comprehend the miraculous process of God’s Eternal Salvation: “So I prophesied (preached the Gospel) as I was commanded: and as I prophesied (preached), there was a noise, and behold (look, and fully understand) a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone.  And when I beheld lo sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them.”  (Ezekiel 37:7-8)

“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” (Romans 10:17)

The Lord God is the Divine Giver of Eternal life – God the Holy Spirit breathes life into us, ‘His people’, and the elect of God receive His gift of saving faith when we are caused to hear the Gospel of Christ and Him Crucified for our sins, and arisen to justify us in the sight of our Holy and Heavenly Father God. 

“And you hath He quickened (made Spiritually alive), who were dead (as the dried bones) in trespasses and sins…Even when we were dead (as the dried bones) in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace are ye saved;) and hath raise us up together and made us to sit together in Heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”           (Ephesians 2:1-6)

God’s generous gift to us ‘His people’, grants us the ability to believe (trust) in Christ and Him Crucified for our sins – we can never be saved, or decide ourselves to be saved, without God’s gift of saving faith.  God only grants that Salvation gift to those He, as Sovereign Lord God, chooses. (John 15:16)

Having received God’s generous gift of Eternal life, we become unselfish Christians.

J.C. Ryle Comments:

“THE first thing which demands our attention in these verses, is the glorious promise which they contain. The Lord Jesus says to His apostles, “Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or, brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the Gospel’s; but he shall receive an hundred-fold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with perse­cutions; and in the world to come eternal life.

“There are few wider promises than this in the word of God. There is none certainly in the New Testament which holds out such encouragement for the life that now is. Let everyone that is fearful and faint-hearted in Christ’s service look at this promise. Let all who are enduring hardness and tribulation for Christ’s sake, study this promise well, and drink out of it comfort.

“To all who make sacrifices on account of the Gospel, Jesus promises “an hundred-fold now in this time.” They shall have not only pardon and glory in the world to come. They shall have even here upon earth, hopes, and joys, and sensible comforts sufficient to make up for all that they lose. They shall find in the communion of saints, new friends, new relations, new companions, more loving, faithful, and valuable than any they had before their conversion. Their introduction into the family of God shall be an abundant recompense for exclusion from the society of this world. This may sound startling and incredible to many ears. But thousands have found by experience that it is true.

“To all who make sacrifices on account of the Gospel, Jesus promises “eternal life in the world to come.” As soon as they put off their earthly tabernacle, they shall enter upon a glorious existence, and in the morning of the resurrection shall receive such honour and joy as pass man’s understanding. Their light affliction for a few years shall end in an everlasting reward. Their fights and sorrows while in the body, shall be exchanged for perfect rest and a conqueror’s crown. They shall dwell in a world where there is no death, no sin, no devil, no cares, no weeping, no parting, for the former things will have passed away. God has said it, and it shall all be found true” (J.C. Ryle’s Expository Thoughts on the Gospel of Mark.)

Thought: Having received such Divine generosity – let us be kind to one another.