Jesus Said It, A March through Mark

By Ethel Green

From the heart and lips of Jesus through the eyes and memories of Peter to the pen of Mark comes the good news, "The kingdom of God is near" (Mark 1:15). Jesus' followers immediately realized that they must repent and believe to enter that Kingdom. From the voice of Jesus' forerunner, his cousin John, we hear of a better baptism. "I baptize with water, but he [Jesus] will baptize you with the Holy Spirit" (Mark 1:8). From over two hundred verses containing words of Jesus in Mark, I chose thirty-two to head up devotional messages. Why thirty-two? You may consider it a math problem. With sixteen chapters in Mark, I chose to do two devotionals per chapter""thirty-two quotes for thirty-two devotionals. Following the devotionals are questions for contemplation either as an individual or in a group setting. For your commitment, there is the keeping up with the prescribed scripture readings for each day. I trust you are up to I this challenge. You will have read through Mark in thirty-two days. From the remaining seventy-seven quotes, you will find some arranged into categories in an appendix showing their importance to holiness doctrine. In Jesus Said It: A March through Mark, I came to realize how important the emphasis on holiness is""the filling with the Holy Spirit. You will notice this emphasis on the theme page. From Bible historians, we learn that Mark's writing is considered the earliest of the Gospels, having been written in the early AD 60. From his first sentence, we hear, "The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God." This helps us understand the time, the beginning, the subject, the Gospel [good news], and the main participant""Jesus.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Jul 31, 2019
• ISBN: 9781644926574

Book preview

Day 1

Priorities

The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

—Mark 1:1

Read: Mark 1:1–12

There you have it—the priority of God from the very beginning. He has always given out good news. First, it was the news of His creatorship (Genesis 1:1). At the same time, it was news of His hovering Spirit (Genesis 1:2).

His Spirit also inspired Mark, the John Mark, whom we read about in the book of Acts. John Mark the deserter. John Mark the forgiven, the one whom Paul sent for in his latter days, calling him useful.

Mark was the first to set down an account of Jesus’ life, ministry, death, and resurrection. His words were written in approximately AD 60. Much of the other synoptic gospels are based on the events that Mark records. This is a scriptural account.

In his second letter to Timothy, Paul said All Scripture is God-Breathed (2 Timothy 3:16). Just as God breathed life into the nostrils of Adam, He breathed life into His written word so that it speaks of the Word, Jesus.

The Word of John 1:1 came as light to every man (John 1:9). Jesus is the Word that illuminates the word and the soul of man.

We switch now to the priorities humans have. Sometimes we have difficulty deciding what should come first in our day or in our life.

I have this problem because there are so many options. At the beginning of each day, I make sure to maintain contact with God and commit my time to what would be pleasing to Him. I do this just after breakfast.

Still there are many choices: housework, taking care of my husband, watching my favorite quiz shows, and three writing projects.

Sometimes I even neglect the word and the world. I could attribute that to difficulty overcoming old habits, forgetfulness, or ignoring the call of God.

One spring evening, I fell prey to all the above. We returned to our home after prayer meeting. As we rounded the curve leading to our driveway, I saw an awe-inspiring sight. It was as if Midas had touched the setting sun. It stood out—a huge golden orb amongst the layered clouds. I said to my husband, There will be a beautiful sunset tonight. My thoughts were, don’t want to miss it. I’ll come out onto the steps to watch so I won’t miss its march toward the horizon.

Then I neglected that world. I went inside, turned on the TV, and waited for Jeopardy to come on. That’s the old habit that is okay in wintertime, but Jeopardy is not as inspiring as a spring sunset.

At bedtime, I thought, Oh no, I missed the sunset. All I had was a memory of last week’s spectacular sight.

Well, when you’ve missed it, you’ve missed it.

Is that the way it is with God’s grace? No! Neglecting His world does not diminish His grace. It is sufficient for every need.

Soon again, there will be another beautiful sunset. And soon again, God will reveal Himself in the splendor of His glory through His word and world.

We have seen by reading Mark 1:1 that good news has come. Jesus the Christ is surely the Son of God. Our priority is to receive from Him eternal life and the baptism with the Holy Spirit (Mark 1:9). Let us not miss it!

Prayer

Thank you, Lord, that we have received what the good news promised. We are born again of the Spirit. We can seek, find, and fulfill the priorities our God has for us. God of glory, we praise You for the beauty of Your holiness. Please help us to keep our priorities focused on You. May we not miss a bit of the good news which You want to give us each day.

Responses for Day 1

What is the best news that you know about God from Mark chapter 1?

Why is Mark considered the most important of the Gospels?

What most often causes you to miss God’s priorities?

What will you do to become better at priority setting?

Whom do you know that may help you see God’s glory (perhaps an accountability partner)?

Are you familiar with the acrostic of the word grace (God’s Riches at Christ’s Expense)?

What is your favorite verse about God’s grace? Why?

Day 2

Jesus Said It

The time has come, [Jesus said] the kingdom

of God is near. Repent and believe

the good news!

—Mark 1:15

Read Mark 1:14–20

Jesus, speaking in Galilee, proclaimed the good news that God’s Kingdom is near.

His Kingdom is near today; it is only a prayer away. It is near because the Holy Spirit influences the atmosphere of our existence. His Kingdom is also within the Christian. The Spirit is here in the place that I am. Also, He’s in the place you are.

How can the Kingdom be near and also within? That is just one of the mysteries of the gospel. Mysteries are for solving. Let’s tackle this one.

The first plea of the Lord’s Prayer to the holy Father is, your kingdom, come your will be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10).

Just as the Holy Spirit hovered over the waters before the days of creation, so He hovers over needy souls today. He has come to convict the world (us) of sin and righteousness and judgment (John16:9).

He has come to lead us into all truth (John 16:13). This means He has come to lead us to Jesus, the source of righteousness and the true judge.

Jesus, the King of the Kingdom, is within you when you open the door to Him (Revelation 3:20). Jesus said that the Father would love those who love Jesus and obey His teachings. My father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him (John 14:23). There is no closer love than for Jesus to dwell in the very center of our being. He does!

How does He come? How does He make His home with us?

Before Jesus left the earth, He promised to send the Holy Spirit to be with us. John describes the Spirit as the paraclete, or one who would be an advocate on behalf of Jesus’ followers (Nelson). He comes as a witness to our hearts. His Spirit bears witness with our spirit (Romans 8:16). He comes as the Spirit of God (John 4:24). God is a Spirit, thus we welcome Him and worship Him—the Spirit of love.

The first filling with the Spirit happened on the day of Pentecost recorded in the Acts chapter two.

His filling to us comes when we present ourselves fully to Him. Heed Romans 12:1 and 2. We are, upon full surrender, transformed. We have the ability to discern God’s perfect will.

I have found myself thinking a lot about self and selfish frustrations. Some say that what you think is what you are. I don’t want that to be me.

God told us how to think. He reminded me of Philippians chapter four, verse eight, where Paul tells us that we are to think of things that are admirable.

At one time, I made separate cards with all Paul’s ways of thinking. I displayed them on my refrigerator. A friend