Sermon Notes; a Daily Devotional

Mark 9:14-32 "14 And when He came to His disciples, He saw a great multitude about them, and the scribes questioning with them. 15 And straightway all the people, when they beheld Him, were greatly amazed, and running to Him saluted Him. 16 And He asked the scribes, What question ye with them? 17 And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto Thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; 18 And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to Thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not. 19 He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto Me. 20 And they brought him unto Him: and when he saw Him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming. 21 And He asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child. 22 And ofttimes it hath c...

Mark 9:1-13 "1 And He said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power. 2 And after six days Jesus taketh with Him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and He was transfigured before them. 3 And His raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them. 4 And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus. 5 And Peter answered and said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for Thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. 6 For he wist not what to say; for they were sore afraid. 7 And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is My beloved Son: hear Him. 8 And suddenly, when they had looked round about, they saw no man any more, save Jesus only with the...

Mark 8:31-38 "31 And He began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 And He spake that saying openly. And Peter took Him, and began to rebuke Him. 33 But when He had turned about and looked on His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind Me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men. 34 And when He had called the people unto Him with His disciples also, He said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 35 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it. 36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? 37 Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? 38 Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of...

Mark 8:27-30 "27 And Jesus went out, and His disciples, into the towns of Caesarea Philippi: and by the way He asked His disciples, saying unto them, Whom do men say that I am? 28 And they answered, John the Baptist: but some say, Elias; and others, One of the prophets. 29 And He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Peter answereth and saith unto Him, Thou art the Christ. 30 And He charged them that they should tell no man of him." Today’s verses are the written record of a pivotal moment near Caesarea Philippi. Jesus first asks what the crowds are saying about Him. The disciples report popular opinions: John the Baptist, Elijah, or one of the prophets. Jesus then turns the question to them directly: “But who do you say that I am?” Peter boldly confesses, “You are the Christ” (the Messiah). Jesus immediately commands them to tell no one, because His time to suffer and die had not yet come. Public acclaim for a political Messiah would have interfered with God’s plan...

Mark 8:22-26 "22 And He cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto Him, and besought Him to touch him. 23 And He took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when He had spit on his eyes, and put His hands upon him, He asked him if he saw ought. 24 And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking. 25 After that he put His hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly. 26 And He sent him away to his house, saying, Neither go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town." In today's verses Jesus heals a blind man at Bethsaida in two stages. First the man sees people “like trees, walking”; then Jesus lays hands on him again, restoring full sight. This is the only two-stage miracle recorded in the Gospels; and it appears only in Mark. Key Interpretations: Symbolic Parable : Many scholars see the gradual healing as a living parable of the disciples’ spiritual growth, their understanding of ...

Mark 8:10-21 "10 And straightway He entered into a ship with His disciples, and came into the parts of Dalmanutha. 11 And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with Him, seeking of Him a sign from heaven, tempting Him. 12 And He sighed deeply in His spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation. 13 And He left them, and entering into the ship again departed to the other side. 14 Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, neither had they in the ship with them more than one loaf. 15 And He charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod. 16 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have no bread. 17 And when Jesus knew it, He saith unto them, Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? perceive ye not yet, neither understand? have ye your heart yet hardened? 18 Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not...