Jim Gallagher

Mark 9:24
“Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”

We are introduced to a man facing one of life’s greatest obstacles, the illness of his son. We have little glimpses into the great love he had for his child. We are told the father cried out with tears, and although the boy had been suffering from childhood, his father stood with him, even risking his life to rescue him. When he finally came face to face with Jesus, he was given a great promise; “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” This man’s response is both practical and poetic. “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” It seems to me, this man had many reasons not to believe. His son, whom he loved, was tormented; this had been going on his whole life. He implies that time and time again, his son was at the point of death, only to be rescued by his father. It seems clear, nothing medically could help him. To make matters worse, he had come to the disciples, and they were no help. It is not difficult to understand why he was filled with unbelief. Love, medicine, and religion were of no help in overcoming the great obstacle he was facing. It is easy to see why his faith had waned.

I think it is important to note, that in the midst of this dilemma, he also had much reason to believe. He had been hearing of the great things Jesus had done for others. He had heard of the blind, the deaf, the lame, and the possessed, all being transformed by simple faith in Christ. On top of that, he had a promise from God; “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” One of the great lessons from this man’s experience, is while he was being squeezed (on one side by doubt and the other by faith), he chose to act in faith. He made a decision. He would not allow his doubts to keep him from trusting in the promise of Christ. The result, his son was healed. We are much like this man. We have life obstacles that cause our faith to wither. In those times, we are being pressed by doubt on one side, and by the promises of God on the other. In those times we have a choice to believe life or believe Christ.

The great lesson from this man is that with all of his unbelief he chose to believe.

What will you do?

Pastor Jim

Questions For Mark 9

1. What promise does Jesus give to the disciples in verse 1?
2. How is that promise fulfilled in the following verses?
3. Describe the events atop the mountain.
4. I confess I sometimes feel like Peter wanting to stay on the mountaintop. Keep in mind that God used this event in his life and that those intimate experiences with Jesus are designed to make us more useful as we go down the mountains to serve the Lord.
5. What great promise is given in verse 23?
6. What promises do you need to believe God for today? Take some time to focus on the promises of God rather than the promises of your circumstances.
7. The disciples were trying to figure out how to get to the top in Jesus’ kingdom. Who does Jesus say is first in His kingdom?
8. In verse 42, what are we warned against?
9. Is there any behavior that you are committing that makes it hard for the people in your sphere of influence to be a follower of Jesus?
10. What does Jesus compare us to in verse 49? Why do you think He makes the comparison?

Old Testament:
Exodus 23- Following The Crowd
Exodus 24- Faithful In All Things

Mark 8:35
“For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.”

A paradox is a statement that seems contradictory or opposed to common sense, but is true. The statement Jesus reveals is one of life’s greatest paradoxes. Man was created to know God. Jesus said that He came to “give us life and that more abundantly.” When our lives are lived in complete obedience to the Lord, we experience the height of living. When we hold back, unwilling to give ourselves, our time, or some sinful activity; we think we are gaining, we think we are better off. That very thing we are holding onto, is the very thing keeping us from the abundant life Jesus created for us.

Knowing this, Jesus asks two questions. First, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” (Mark 8:36)

If true life is found in surrender to Christ, then what would be the benefit of holding onto all the world offers? Imagine if your phone were to ring this morning, and on the other end of the call were all the world leaders. They had decided that the best thing for mankind was to make you king of the world. You get the title, the robe, the crown, the chair and all the world’s goods are now yours. You possess all the wealth and all the power of the whole world. There is nothing you cannot have. The catch… you must deny Jesus. You can have this life but not eternal life. That my friends is a losing proposition. The right response is to hang up the phone.

Knowing that will not happen; knowing that no man has ever gained the whole world, Jesus asks a second question,

“What will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Mark 8:36)

You cannot have everything, so is there anything you are holding onto that is robbing you from the life Jesus has for you?Perhaps a relationship you thought would satisfy you, so you began to compromise your walk with the Lord; only to find that it is robbing you of the life found in Christ. Whatever it may be, anything you are holding onto, lay it all down and follow Christ.

Pastor Jim

Questions for Mark 8

1. How does Jesus feel about the multitude?
2. Who did use to minister to the multitude?
3. How do you think Jesus might want to use you today to minister to others?
4. What lesson do you think Jesus wanted the disciples to learn from the feeding of the multitudes?
5. How is the healing of the blind man different than other healings Jesus performed?
6. What does that teach about God’s methods?
7. From verse 34, what are the requirements for being a disciple of Jesus?
8. Have you obeyed verse 34? If not, why not? Take a closer look at verses 36-37.
9. Take some time to pray that you would be able to deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Jesus.

Old Testament:
Exodus 21- Bondservant
Exodus 22- Pray For Our Leaders

Mark 7:3
“For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way, holding the tradition of the elders.”

Man was created with a need to know God. In fact, we only experience the fullness of life when we are in right relationship with God. Man, apart from God, is like an expensive luxury car, purchased only to sit in the driveway under a cover. That is not what it was designed to do. Nor were we designed to live apart from God. That is why there is a longing in our hearts to know God. This longing shows itself in worship; every man worships something. God’s answer to this was to send His Son, so we could know Him. Man’s answer is to become incurably religious. Like an old miner who hits a vein of fool’s gold; so many have satisfied their soul’s longing for God with religious practices.

The Pharisees picture for us the religious man. They had established an entire system of actions that they believed would make God happy. In reality, all this did was dilute the craving their souls had for truly experiencing God. Like all man-made religions, all the Pharisees could do was focus on the externals. Their focus was on things like dress, food, and behavior in public.

Things are no different today. God has put eternity in our hearts. He wants us to know Him, and live in relationship with Him. Like the Pharisees, we often settle for religious practices. Rather than wanting to meet with God, we will treat devotions like a check list. Instead of worship, we treat the songs at church as the preamble till the Bible study begins. Rather than listening to the Word, and letting it transform our lives, we critique the message, and compare it with the one from last week; or with one from our favorite teacher. We begin to measure our spirituality by the things we are not doing, instead of by how we are becoming more like Jesus, as a result of spending time with Him daily. Perhaps the words of Isaiah could be applied to us,

“This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me.” Mark 7:6

While it is important that the outside line up with the inside (our actions prove that we have been born again), outward change will never make us right with God.

Perhaps this morning would be a good time to evaluate your relationship with God. Have you allowed Him to come in and reign in your heart? Or are you simply going through the motions, trying to live a better life, satisfied with a pocket full of fool’s gold?

Pastor Jim

Questions for Mark 7

1. What complaint did the Pharisees have against Jesus and His disciples?
2. According to verse 6, what were the people doing wrong?
3. Take some time for self-examination. Are you in any way guilty of verse six?
4. Jesus makes it clear that spiritually speaking we are not defiled by what we eat but that sin comes from within. Look at the list in verse 21-22, are there any things that you need to confess and repent of?
5. What do you learn about Jesus from the stories of healing at the end of chapter 7?

Old Testament:
Exodus 19- Where Are You Going?
Exodus 20- No Idols

Mark 6:5
“Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them.”

The phrase “He could do no mighty work there…” has always fascinated me. Think about it. The one who healed the sick, calmed the seas, rebuked the demons, raised the dead, created all things, and by the word of His power, holds all things together, could do no mighty work there. Why? What is it that kept the mighty God from accomplishing His mighty works.

“He marveled because of their unbelief.” Mark 6:6

Mark tells us unbelief limited the work of God in the lives of the people of Nazareth. They did not believe Jesus could do for them what they heard He had done for others. Since faith is the currency of the kingdom of God, without it we cannot expect God to work in our lives. The question we must ask is, “Why didn’t they believe?” Why did some, like Jairus, exercise such great faith, and yet these have so little. I think perhaps the answer is found in their statement about Jesus.

“’Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?’ So they were offended at Him.” Mark 6:3

They knew who Jesus was, but knew so little of Him. They knew of His humanity, but none of His deity. They knew nothing of His great power and thus were “offended at him.” That word “offended” means to cause to stumble. They were stumbled because they knew so little of Jesus. When the time came that they needed a great work in their lives, their puny view of Jesus limited them from being able to trust He could accomplish what they needed.

What is your view of Christ? Do you see only the carpenter’s son, or have you met the Son of God? Do you know the one Who said, “I am the resurrection and the life?” He then went on, not only to raise the dead, but to arise from the dead, Himself, ascend to heaven, and reign as King of kings and Lord of Lords. Perhaps it is time to take a closer look at the risen Christ, so you might trust Him to do “a mighty work.”

Pastor Jim

Questions for Mark 6

1. What did the citizens of Nazareth think about who Jesus was?
2. How did that hinder them from experiencing Him?
3. Are there any wrong thoughts that you have about Jesus that are hindering you from experiencing His work in your life?
4. Why do you think that Jesus sent them out in pairs?
5. Why did Herod arrest John?
6. Why did he have him killed?
7. Verse 31, Jesus invites the disciples to “rest” the story tells of thousands gathering together in need. What does that says about ministry?
8. How does the action of Peter on the lake challenge you?

Old Testament:
Exodus 17- Hitting Rock Bottom
Exodus 18- Next Generation

Mark 4:11
“To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God”

Paul wrote in1 Corinthians 2:14,

“But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

In other words, before we receive Christ, the things of God remain a mystery to us. While we are capable of reading the words on the page, we do not truly understand the ways of God. However, the moment we put our faith in Christ for salvation, we are born again. The Spirit of God enters into us and we come alive to God. Spiritual things that had no meaning to us before, begin to make sense. Again let’s let Paul explain,

1 Corinthians 2:10-11 “But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.”

God reveals Himself and His ways through the Spirit, and in the Word. It is because the Spirit of God rests within you that John writes,

1 John 2:27 “But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.”

John is not saying teachers or teaching is unnecessary, but that the same Spirit who resides in the pastor or Bible teacher, resides in you; the same God who opens the Word and makes it alive to them, will make it alive to you. The psalmist put it like this:

Psalms 119:99 “I have more understanding than all my teachers, For Your testimonies are my meditation.”

If all that is true, then why does so much of the Bible still evade us? Why are there so many things that still remain in the realm of “mystery” to us? I think the key may be found in the response the disciples had when Jesus first made this statement.

“And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples.” Mark 4:34

Jesus spoke something that was puzzling to them. Rather than gathering together to discuss what they all thought it meant, which they did that on other occasions to no avail, they got alone with Jesus and listened to more of His Words. That, my friends, is the secret! If we want to understand the mysteries of God, we must frequent the Throne of Grace. We must follow the pattern of the twelve and get alone with Him. These mysteries will not unfold to us by getting alone with our own thoughts or meditations, they will not be uncovered by simply discussing them with one another, if we want to truly understand the ways of God, we must get alone with the Word of God. It is time we make His meditations our delight. Then it will be said of us, as it was of Moses:

Psalms 103:7 “He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel.”

Pastor Jim

Questions for Mark 4

1. This is one of the greatest stories Jesus ever told. Take a few moments to examine the components. What does each represent?
   • The Sower
   • The seed
   • The wayside
   • The birds
   • The stony ground
   • The scorching sun
   • The thorns
   • The good soil
   • The fruit produced
2. Jesus speaks about our ears, he tells us to use them to listen to His Word and to be careful what other things we listen to. Is there anything that you need to stop listening to? Perhaps things that are filling you with, fear, anxiety, anger, despair. Replace those things with listening to the Word and worship.
3. What difficulty do the disciples face at the end of the chapter?
4. What do they do when they are afraid?

Old Testament:
Exodus 13- Set Free
Exodus 14- Boxed In

Mark 4:36
“When they had left the multitude”

Mark 4 ends with the story of a dangerous journey on which Jesus took His disciples. Knowing all things, He knew they would face a storm on the sea. He knew this storm would be so great that those who had grown up fishing those waters, and experiencing rough conditions, would fear for their very lives. But it is not until we venture into Mark 5, that we understand the reason for the journey was one man. Jesus left the multitudes and took twelve men on a death-defying trip across dangerous waters, in order to reach this one man. Multitudes were flocking to Him, but in the country of the Gadarenes, was a man in need. This becomes even more amazing when we understand who this man was. We read of him,

“. . .who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind him, not even with chains, because he had often been bound with shackles and chains. And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him.” Mark 5:3-4

As sad as that description is, I am struck by the final phrase, “neither could anyone tame him.” Tame him! What a word. It seems so out-of-place to be used of a man. It is a word I reserve for animals; yet, it is so appropriate for this man. His lifestyle, whatever that was, had ruined his life. The world had done all they could do to help, but to no avail. He was now chained in a graveyard, and people simply avoided him. That is, until Jesus, not only went out of His way to rescue this man, but took His disciples on a trip they would never forget, for the purpose of saving this one lost soul.

When the story ends, we find the man in His right mind, sent out to tell His friends what Jesus had done for Him. No doubt, he would explain how Jesus crossed a turbulent sea to save him. Let’s learn the lesson the disciples were meant to learn: Jesus places the highest value on the human soul, even if he is living like a wild animal.

Pastor Jim.

Questions for Mark 4

1. This is one of the greatest stories Jesus ever told. Take a few moments to examine the components. What does each represent?
   • The Sower
   • The seed
   • The wayside
   • The birds
   • The stony ground
   • The scorching sun
   • The thorns
   • The good soil
   • The fruit produced
2. Jesus speaks about our ears, he tells us to use them to listen to His Word and to be careful what other things we listen to. Is there anything that you need to stop listening to? Perhaps things that are filling you with, fear, anxiety, anger, despair. Replace those things with listening to the Word and worship.
3. What difficulty do the disciples face at the end of the chapter?
4. What do they do when they are afraid?

Old Testament:
Exodus 15- New Song
Exodus 16-Curiosity

Mark 3:5
“Stretch forth your hand.”

When Jesus entered the Synagogue, it seemed everyone in the room knew He would address the man with the withered hand. His disciples were watching carefully. This event would be seared into their memories, and written down in the timeless Word of God. The Pharisees watched Him closely, knowing His compassion would lead Him to the man, even though it was the Sabbath. I imagine the man with the withered hand also watched eagerly, hoping Jesus would do for him, what he had done for so many others. As Jesus approached him, this man must have been excitedly anticipating what Jesus was about to do. It is here, where the story gets most interesting to me. Instead of touching the man’s hand, speaking words of healing, or even asking him to do a religious task, Jesus simply says, “Stretch forth your hand.” What sounds like a simple request to you and me was actually an impossibility. Jesus asked this man to do the one thing that he was not able to do. Had He asked him to run to the priests, to offer a sacrifice of 1000 sheep, or even travel to the pool of Bethsaida; difficult as those things might have been, they were possible. But to stretch out his withered hand, he could not do. Something happened within this man the moment he chose to obey Jesus. The impossible, not only became possible, it happened. His hand was restored.

Often, we feel like this man. Jesus highlights something in our life, and calls us to change. We look at Him as if to say, “Jesus, I can’t. I’ve tried so many times and this is too hard for me.” Christian, allow me to encourage you. The moment you decide you will obey, is the moment He provides the supernatural ability to bring about change. Together, let’s stop looking at all the reasons we cannot overcome our weaknesses, and let’s focus on His ability to transform our lives and stretch forth our withered hands.

Pastor Jim

Questions for Mark 3

1. Jesus asks the man with the withered hand to do 2 things. What are they?
2. What do we learn about obeying Jesus from the fact that Jesus asked this man to do what he could not do?
3. Why do you think Jesus would forbid the unclean spirits from declaring who he is?
4. Look carefully at the calling of the 12, what were they called to do?
5. What lessons do we learn from Jesus’ statement that a house divided against itself cannot stand.
6. Take some time to pray for unity in CCVB
7. Jesus states that His real family is the ones who are obeying Him. The first step in obedience is the surrender of your life to Christ as king. Take a moment to offer yourself as a living sacrifice.

Old Testament:
Exodus 11- Stand Out
Exodus 12- Free Pass

Mark 2:3
“Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men.”

There are so many fascinating aspects to this story: the crowd that gathered to listen to Jesus teach the Word, the healing of the paralytic, the fact that Jesus put a higher priority on the man’s spiritual condition, than upon his physical suffering, and the claim and proof that Jesus is God. All are worth noting and taking time for more careful observation. However, in the midst of all of that, it might be easy to look past one of the most important lessons in this text. Did you notice the actions of those who brought the paralytic? The effort these men went through in order to bring this man to Christ really struck me.

First, notice the value they put upon Jesus; they would seek to bring others to Him. They must have truly believed that the most important thing for this man was an encounter with Christ.

Second, notice the value they placed upon the man; they would risk missing out on getting a good seat, to carry him to Jesus. Keep in mind, in ancient times, a paralytic would have very little chance of doing anything but beg. In some cases, it was thought illness was attributed to sin, causing some to think that perhaps he deserved this condition. Certainly, there was no monetary or social benefit gained by associating with this man. Instead, the four men simply knew a man who was in need of Jesus, and they did whatever they could to get him there.

Third, notice they would not let any obstacle get in their way. When they arrived at the house, there seemed to be no way in; yet these men found a way. We are not told how, but they found a way to get up on the roof, they found a way to hoist the paralytic up with them, and they began to tear off the roofing, in order to get the man to Christ. This becomes even more striking when we realize it was not their house. They were taking a huge risk. To them, the cost was not greater than the prize of getting this man to Christ.

Finally, notice they did not complain when Jesus responded differently than they expected. Jesus was more interested in the man’s spiritual condition, than his physical suffering. This upset the religious leaders, but we hear no complaint from the four men. It is as though they understood that Jesus knew what was best for the paralytic, and they trusted the man into the care of Christ.

As a result of the actions of these four men, one individual had his life changed. He was healed, but more importantly, he was saved. I think we can learn a lot from the actions of these men. I think we need to put a greater value upon Christ, and upon each and every person, and be willing to risk more to bring people to hear about Jesus. Perhaps now would be a good time to pray for some of your friends who don’t know Christ.

Pastor Jim

Questions for Mark 2

1. What was Jesus doing in the crowded room in Capernaum?
2. How did the friends get the paralytic to Jesus?
3. What does that say to you about bringing friends to hear the Word of God?
4. Pray about whom to invite to church with you this weekend. Call them right now.
5. Who did Levi invite to his home to hear Jesus?
6. The new wine and old wineskins seems to speak about God’s desire to do new things in new ways. Pray for CCVB concerning how God may want use us in a new way.
7. Have you ever read what David did? Take a few minutes to read the story recorded in 1 Samuel 21.

Old Testament:
Exodus 9- Free To Serve
Exodus 10- A Snare To Us