Word of Jesus Part 29
I've jumped ahead to Mark 16 because most of the other chapters are the same as
the accounts in Matthew. In chapter 16 of Mark we see a few things that were not
in Matthew. I will point them out here. Some are troubled by the fact that some
accounts are different but I'm not. I realize that different writers may have
heard different words of Jesus. Not all probably heard every single word
that He said so Mark would probably write the account of events that He heard
from the other disciples rather than Matthew. Different writers also have a
various ways to tell the same event. Matthew
may have been present to hear what the Lord said just before He went back to
heaven. Mark most probably was not present but was going by the accounts of one
or two other apostles who may have remembered these other words of Jesus that
Matthew obviously didn't remember when he penned the gospel of Matthew. The Holy
Spirit will reveal to us what is true if we open our hearts to Him. I've read
the so called lost books of the bible and can understand fully why they were not
included in the canon of scripture. I didn't feel they were inspired by the Holy
Spirit. They seemed to me as just ordinary books. The bible on other hand is
different. I believe God's anointing were on the writers as they wrote these
scriptures.
Mar 16:14 Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and
upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed
not them which had seen him after he was risen.
Jesus spend considerable time warning His disciples ahead of time of the
crucifixion and resurrection. They should have believed and expected His
resurrection.
Mar 16:15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel
to every creature.
Everyone in the whole world is to hear the gospel. We cannot make the lost be
saved or
force the lost to be saved but we are to make sure all hear the gospel. The
results of the gospel has to come by the Holy Spirit speaking to the hearts of
the listeners.
Mar 16:16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that
believeth not shall be damned.
Since Jesus is the only way God gives to all of us to be free from sin and become "born
again", then naturally if we do not believe we cannot be
saved. If we are not saved our souls will be lost for eternity. Baptism is an
outward sign that we have believed in the name of Jesus Christ and are saved.
The water itself has no saving power but is an outward obedience and testimony
to what has taken place in the inner man.
Baptism signifies the washing of the water of the word which takes place when we
receive Jesus Christ. We are literally baptized into the body of Christ.
Some believe this is the same as the baptism of the Holy Spirit that was
received on the day of Pentecost. Others believe salvation is the new birth also
done by the Holy Spirit but can receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit later
evidenced by speaking in another tongues or languages by the Holy Spirit.
However one may see it though, the new birth is needed to be saved. Whether or
not one speaks in tongues at his new birth, later on, or never has nothing to do
with whether one is saved from sin or not.
Speaking in tongues is a wonderful gift God gave us to communicate with Him. It
is a sign of the supernatural within us. It is nothing strange, weird or fearful
but is a way to pray when we don't exactly know how and what to pray for. True,
that not all speak with tongues and that makes some reject it altogether. If one
has never spoken in tongues its hard to understand the purpose of it and they
tend to explain it away rather than just accept the fact that it is real and
many sincere believers speak in other tongues regularly. Not all can teach and
not all can preach, yet we don't explain that away. We got to stop putting God
in a box and thinking every church has to have either all or none of the gifts
of the spirit. Different churches may have different types of ministries. Some
may feed the poor, some may teach the bible, some may major in different
ministries but all should be preaching the gospel of salvation. Just
because the Pentecostals are not like the Baptists does not mean one is
completely right and the other completely wrong. If we all look close
enough at church teachings we could probably find an error in their
interpretation of scripture on at least one point showing us that the perfect
one has not yet come as some teach. That perfect one I believe is Jesus
Christ who understands all things perfectly. Until He returns we will
probably understand in part. I do believe though that none of us have to
remain in ignorance for He promised us wisdom if we ask for it and seek for it.
Most of us though just are content to take someone's word for it and not seek
God for our wisdom. We take the word of our church teachings and creeds
instead of seeking God for ourselves. Look how many dear Catholics believe
all that stuff that was added throughout history that is no where near what the
bible teaches. I'm not anti-catholic but they believe a lot of stuff that
is just tradition and is not the truth. There is probably a little
tradition in every one of our churches. That is no reason to pack up and
leave. Some traditions are good as long as they do not teach something
contrary to what the bible teaches.
Mar 16:17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they
cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
True believers will have signs following them. We are not to follow the signs
and run here and there to see things but if we believe according to the word of
God, signs will follow.
Mar 16:18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it
shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
If one accidentally comes upon a serpent when he or she is walking with the Lord
and doing His will, they shouldn't get hurt by those things. This never means
for us to purposely play with serpents or drink poison. If we happen on to it by
accident though, if one is walking in the Spirit of God, it shouldn't hurt him.
Again the bible says these things, not me.
This happened to Paul yet we know from church history that Paul suffered a
martyrs death later by the hands of the Romans. So we know these passages do not
mean that we will never be sick or die physically. They are mostly signs that
follow believers.
Act 28:3 And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the
fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand.
Act 28:4 And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they
said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath
escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live.
Act 28:5 And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm.
Since Jesus also warned us that in later days there would come deceivers that
also so signs and wonders, we cannot judge anyone's spirituality by the signs but
by their fruits. This does not mean that all that do signs and wonders are not
real men of God either. Sometimes we have trouble with this. We think if one
proves to be a fake, all of them must be. That is not so though. Are all
preachers fake just because a few of them mess up? We shall know the true ones
by their fruits. Do they preach God's word and then live by what they preach?
Many preach the truth but do not live it themselves and some preach just enough
of truth to get people to believe in them and then lead people into false
doctrine. That is why our wonderful God presented us with the bible in one
volume so we do not have to be deceived.
Mar 16:19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into
heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.
Mar 16:20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with
them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.
Mark seems to summarize the last two verses. We know that Jesus stayed 40 days
with the apostles before going back to heaven and also that the disciples
tarried in Jerusalem until the outpouring of the Holy Spirit before they begun
their ministry.
