Sermon Notes; a Daily Devotional

Mark 6:56 "And whithersoever He entered, into villages, or cities, or country, they laid the sick in the streets, and besought Him that they might touch if it were but the border of his garment: and as many as touched Him were made whole." Amazing events! This verse highlights the desperation and faith of the people, who laid the sick in marketplaces and begged to touch even the fringe of His garment. All who touched Him were healed, demonstrating that their faith was not in the cloth itself but in the divine power of Jesus, who is portrayed as the accessible source of physical and spiritual restoration. Continue our speed reading of the Gospel of Mark with chapters 5 & 6. Mark Chapter 5 focuses on Jesus’ sovereign power over evil, illness, and death through three interconnected miracles. In the region of the Gerasenes, Jesus casts a legion of demons out of a man and into a herd of pigs, which then drown; the healed man is told to proclaim Jesus' mercy, but the fearfu...

Mark 4:40&41 "40 And He said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? 41 And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?" We read through the Gospel of Mark all summer, a few verses at a time. Now, we are rereading it whole chapters at a time. At this pace we feel the urgency that Mark wrote with.  Today reread chapters 3&4: Mark Chapter 3 details the escalating conflict between Jesus and religious authorities, beginning with Jesus healing a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath, which prompts the Pharisees to plot with the Herodians to kill Him. As crowds from Galilee, Judea, and beyond flock to Him for healing, Jesus selects and appoints the Twelve Apostles to accompany Him. The chapter concludes with Jesus dismissing His biological family’s concerns about His sanity and defining His true family as those who do God’s will, while also refuting accusations that He ca...

Mark 2:27&28 "27 And He said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: 28 Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath." We did it! We read the Gospel of Mark this summer! It was a rewarding experience for me and hopefully you too. It seems like every time we study Holy Scripture something additional is revealed. It is truly amazing! But wait, we are not done! We are going to read the book of Mark again! This time a couple of chapters at a time. Today chapters 1 & 2. This will allow us to experience the speed of events in Mark more fully. The first 2 chapters are jam packed with events... Chapter 1 of the Gospel of Mark focuses on the ministry of John the Baptist and the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. It opens with John the Baptist preaching a baptism of repentance in the wilderness, preparing the way for the Messiah. Jesus is baptized by John, where the Holy Spirit descends like a dove and a voice from heaven declares Him the...

Mark 16:9-20 "9 Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven devils. 10 And she went and told them that had been with Him, as they mourned and wept. 11 And they, when they had heard that He was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not. 12 After that He appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country. 13 And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them. 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. 15 And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. 17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In My name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with n...

Mark 16:1-8 "1 And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint Him. 2 And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun. 3 And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre? 4 And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great. 5 And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted. 6 And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: He is risen; He is not here: behold the place where they laid Him. 7 But go your way, tell His disciples and Peter that He goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see Him, as He said unto you. 8 And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulchre; for they trembled and were amazed: n...

Mark 15:42-47 "42 And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath, 43 Joseph of Arimathaea, an honourable counsellor, which also waited for the kingdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus. 44 And Pilate marvelled if he were already dead: and calling unto him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any while dead. 45 And when he knew it of the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph. 46 And he bought fine linen, and took Him down, and wrapped Him in the linen, and laid Him in a sepulchre which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulchre. 47 And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses beheld where He was laid." The written record of of Jesus’ burial provides definitive proof of His death and fulfills Old Testament prophecy. It takes place on the day of Preparation (Friday), just before the Sabbath begins at sundown, creating urgency for a proper bur...