Mark - Lesson 11...Continued from page 5
Thomas Klock
DAY SIX: Following Christ
1. As we read the Gospels it is easy to wrongly assume that all the Pharisees were corrupted hypocrites. Many Pharisees truly sought after God and revered His Law, but the ones Jesus attacked had rejected the Law for their own tradition in order to break it! There were some like Nicodemus in John 3 who truly wanted to know the truth, and John 12:42-43 tells us that many among the religious leaders believed in Him but wouldn’t publicly confess Him due to fear of the consequences among their peers. As we look at other people and point at them as hypocrites, remember that more fingers point back at us than point at them! Many in the Body of Christ have ignored the spirit of the Scripture by developing legalistic and superior views about themselves over others, or by having their tradition set by their particular group. Others have hypocritically and purposefully continued in sin while on the outside they put on a complete show to those around them. Consider the following thoughts by R.A. Morey, and record some ways you have noticed hypocrisy trying to sneak into your life, and you can turn away from that before you too become another hypocrite like them:
We must ask ourselves some hard questions. Have we ever sung a hymn while our minds were blank or daydreaming or anxiously turning over some problem we faced? We sang the words of the hymn mechanically and took no notice of what they meant. We were thus guilty of hypocritical worship. God was not glorified. Nor were we edified. We honored God with our lips but our hearts were far from Him...Have we ever been guilty of sitting through a sermon and, instead of listening and obeying God’s Word, sleeping, daydreaming or worrying about something? We were guilty of hypocritical worship. God is worshiped when we listen to and obey His Word. Hearing a sermon is worship. But if we “hear” and do not “listen,” we are guilty of hypocritical worship...In these situations we can see the utter difference between the inner reality of what really goes on in our hearts and what is merely the following of external forms of worship. How God must be grieved when we treat Him so shabbily! God is not deceived by our hypocrisy.[xxv]
2. The Gentile, pagan woman who came to Jesus for help had within her a faith that wouldn’t give up, one that cried out within her to be put into practice. How many others are out there like her who have the faith to believe but have not heard the message? Are we too busy eating our own spiritual meals that we have forgotten to share the crumbs with those who will gladly receive the Gospel? Look at this story as an exhortation to get beyond your comfort zone and reach out to others in need of Jesus around you. Remember, the pups are fed by the children’s scraps from their plates; the children were fed by their Father, and from Him learn to give what they have received to others. They would do this in the innocence and lack of prejudice of a child’s heart. What are some ways you personally can make a greater effort in reaching out to those in a state of spiritual malnutrition around you? Record some ideas here then discuss it as a group so all can benefit, learning to reach out to those around them.
3. When Jesus healed the deaf man, enabling him to both hear and speak clearly, the people were astounded. Although many of these people were not even Jewish, they realized something unique in Jesus, and saw that He did all things well. This makes us wonder how others perceive what we do. Are we truly doing all things well, or at least as much as possible? If someone was to testify to what they saw in and about us, would they be able to say the same thing as they did about the One we follow working through our lives? Read Colossians 3:16-24, here in the nlt, and record how it speaks to you personally about your choosing to, like Jesus, do all things well:
Let the words of Christ, in all their richness, live in your hearts and make you wise. Use his words to teach and counsel each other. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus, all the while giving thanks through him to God the Father. You wives must submit to your husbands, as is fitting for those who belong to the Lord. And you husbands must love your wives and never treat them harshly. You children must always obey your parents, for this is what pleases the Lord. Fathers, don't aggravate your children. If you do, they will become discouraged and quit trying. You slaves must obey your earthly masters in everything you do. Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. Obey them willingly because of your reverent fear of the Lord. Work hard and cheerfully at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and the Master you are serving is Christ.
4. Lastly, if there was something else from Mark 7 that God spoke to your heart about this week, please record it here to share with your group so all can be encouraged.
Scripture Memory: Hopefully you now can write out this week’s passage completely by memory. Do so now, and keep on reviewing it do you will be ready to share it with others in your group time.
Mark 7:21a, 23:
[i] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary Vol. 1 (Wheaton: Victor Books/SP Publications, 1989), p. 133.
[ii] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary Vol. 1, p. 134; John MacArthur, The MacArthur Bible Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, Inc. 2005), p. 1219.
[iii] Unless elsewhere noted, all Greek word/phrase translations are based on the following: A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (Sunday School Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. In Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1932, 1933, 1997); James Strong, The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible: Showing Every Word of the Text of the Common English Version of the Canonical Books, and Every Occurrence of Each Word in Regular Order, Electronic Edition (Ontario: Woodside Bible Fellowship; in Bellingham: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1996); M.R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (Bellingham: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2002); Kenneth S. Wuest, Wuest’s Studies in the New Testament: For the English Reader (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, Co; in Bellingham: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1984, 1997); and Spiros Zodhiates, The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament, Electronic Edition (Chattanooga: AMG Publishers, in Bellingham: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1992, 1993, 2000).
[iv] John D. Grassmick, Mark. In John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck eds., The Bible Knowledge Commentary, New Testament (Wheaton: Victor Books/SP Publications, 1983), p. 132.
[v] Kenneth S. Wuest, Wuest’s Studies in the New Testament: For the English Reader (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, Co; in Bellingham: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1984, 1997).
[vi] Joel F. Williams, Mark. In Darrell L. Bock ed., The Bible Knowledge Key Word Study, The Gospels (Colorado Springs: Cook Communications Ministries, 2002), p. 137.
[vii] Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary (Downer’s Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1993), p. 153.
[viii] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary Vol. 1, p. 134.
[ix] A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (Sunday School Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. In Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1932, 1933, 1997).
[x] John MacArthur, The MacArthur Bible Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, Inc. 2005), p. 1221.
[xi] Kenneth S. Wuest, Wuest’s Studies in the New Testament: For the English Reader.
[xii] James A. Brooks, Mark. In David S. Dockery ed., The New American Commentary V. 23 (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1991), p. 119.
[xiii] John D. Grassmick, Mark. In John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck eds., The Bible Knowledge Commentary, New Testament, p. 135.
[xiv] Warren W. Wiersbe, p. 135.
[xv] A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament.
[xvi] Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary, p. 154.
[xvii] Walter W. Wessell, Mark. In Frank E. Gaebelein ed., The Expositor’s Bible Commentary Vol. 8 (Grand Rapids: Regency Reference Library, 1984), p. 682; John MacArthur, The MacArthur Bible Commentary, p. 1221.
[xviii] James A. Brooks, Mark, pp. 120, 121.
[xix] Warren W. Wiersbe, p. 136.
[xx] John MacArthur, The MacArthur Bible Commentary, p. 1222.
[xxi] Wiersbe, p. 136.
[xxii] James A. Brooks, pp. 122, 123; also see Joel F. Williams, Mark. In Darrell L. Bock ed., The Bible Knowledge Key Word Study, The Gospels, p. 138.
[xxiii] Brooks, p. 123.
[xxiv] Kenneth S. Wuest, Wuest’s Studies in the New Testament: For the English Reader.
[xxv] R.A. Morey, Worship: It’s Not Just Sunday Morning (Iowa Falls: World Bible Publishers, 2001), p. 58.
© 2005 by Harvest Christian Fellowship. All rights reserved. Written by Thomas Klock for Men’s Bible Fellowship, 2005-2006.
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