How many of us say we have faith, and yet we don't do anything to show it?
This is the LifeSpring One Year Bible Rewind, and coming to you from Riverside, California,
podcasting since 2004, I'm Steve Webb, your OG Godcaster.
This is the podcast that comes to you every day, and we're reading the entire Bible together
in a year.
I'm so glad you're here.
Welcome.
The website is lifespringmedia.com.
If your name is Heather or Ronald or Lisa, today is your day.
Did you know that it's National Heather, Ronald, Lisa Day?
If one of those is your name, I'd doff my hat to you.
Probably more meaningful to the rest of us is,
This is Gospel Saturday, and we're going to read Mark 1 and 2.
After my comments, we'll also have an On This Date in Church History.
Let's begin.
Our Heavenly Father, we thank you for this day,
and we pray, God, that you would bless our time together.
Teach us, Lord, we pray, in Jesus' name. Amen.
Let me give you an introduction to Mark before we begin reading.
No book has been translated more than Mark's gospel.
One reason is that it's the shortest gospel, but perhaps an even bigger reason
is that the book was written for the Romans, not people who were familiar with Judaism in the first century.
so therefore it appeals to a larger audience. Now, Mark, also known as John Mark, was not one
of the twelve disciples, but it is likely that he was part of the crowds that often followed Jesus.
Many scholars believe that Mark was the first written of the four Gospels, though some think
that Matthew was the first, but whatever the case, it is quite likely that it was written around
50 AD. Acts 12.12 tells us that the early church met in Mark's mother Mary's house in Jerusalem.
The book is full of movement. We see Jesus always in action. We see the words like immediately and
at once often in this book. Now, as you might expect from that, what Jesus did is more the
subject of Mark's gospel than what he said. Commentator A.T. Robertson said,
The gospel of Mark pictures Christ in action. There is a minimum of discourse and a maximum
of deed. And speaking of action, Jesus is portrayed here as the servant of God, as one who's going
about doing the work of God. So you might be asking, since Mark was not one of the twelve
disciples, where did he get the information contained in the book? Well, church tradition
has it that the apostle Peter was Mark's main source of information. We know from 1 Peter 5.13
that Mark was with Peter, and Peter called him my son, as an older man might refer to a beloved
student. Well, since Peter was one of the twelve, we know that Peter was an eyewitness to Jesus'
ministry. Listen again to what A.T. Robertson wrote. He said, Mark's gospel is the fullest
gospel of striking details that apparently came from Peter's discourses which Mark heard,
such as green grass, two thousand hogs, or looking round about.
And another indication of Peter's input also from Robertson is this.
Peter usually spoke in Aramaic, and Mark has more Aramaic phrases than the other Gospels,
like Boanerges, Talitha-Kumai, Korban, Ephatha, and Abba.
Well, that's enough introduction. Let's get started.
Mark, Chapter 1
This is the beginning of the good news about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
The prophet Isaiah wrote, I am sending my messenger ahead of you to prepare the way for you.
A voice cries out in the desert, Prepare the way for the Lord, make his paths straight.
John the Baptizer was in the desert telling people about a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
All Judea and all the people of Jerusalem went to him.
As they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River.
John was dressed in clothes made from camel's hair.
He wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey.
He announced, The one who comes after me is more powerful than I.
I am not worthy to bend down and untie his sandal straps.
I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.
At that time, Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan River.
As Jesus came out of the water, he saw heaven split open and the Spirit coming down to him as a dove.
A voice from heaven said, You are my Son, whom I love. I am pleased with you.
At once the Spirit brought him into the desert, where he was tempted by Satan for forty days.
He was there with the wild animals, and the angels took care of him.
After John had been put in prison, Jesus went to Galilee and told people the good news of God.
He said, The time has come, and the kingdom of God is near.
Change the way you think and act and believe the good news.
As he was going along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew.
They were throwing a net into the sea because they were fishermen.
Jesus said to them, Come, follow me.
I will teach you how to catch people instead of fish.
They immediately left their nets and followed him.
As Jesus went on a little farther, he saw James and John, the sons of Zebedee.
They were in a boat preparing their nets to go fishing.
He immediately called them, and they left their father Zebedee and the hired men in the boat and followed Jesus.
Then they went to Capernaum.
On the next day of worship, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach.
The people were amazed at his teaching.
Unlike their experts in Moses' teachings, he taught them with authority.
At that time, there was a man in the synagogue who was controlled by an evil spirit.
He shouted,
What do you want with us, Jesus from Nazareth?
Have you come to destroy us?
I know who you are, the Holy One of God.
Jesus ordered the spirit,
Keep quiet and come out of him.
The evil spirit threw the man into convulsions and came out of him with a loud shriek.
Everyone was stunned.
They said to each other,
What is this? This is a new teaching that has authority behind it. He gives orders to evil
spirits, and they obey him. The news about him spread quickly throughout the surrounding region
of Galilee. After they left the synagogue, they went directly to the house of Simon and Andrew.
James and John went with them. Simon's mother-in-law was in bed with a fever.
The first thing they did was to tell Jesus about her. Jesus went to her, took her hand,
and helped her get up. The fever went away, and she prepared a meal for them.
In the evening, when the sun had set, people brought to him every one who was sick and those
possessed by demons. The whole city had gathered at his door. He cured many who were sick with
various diseases and forced many demons out of people. However, he would not allow the demons
to speak. After all, they knew who he was. In the morning, long before sunrise, Jesus went to a place
where he could be alone to pray. Simon and his friends searched for him. When they found him,
they told him, Everyone is looking for you. Jesus said to them, Let's go somewhere else,
to the small towns that are nearby. I have to spread the good news in them also. This is why
I have come. So he went to spread the good news in the synagogues all over Galilee,
and he forced demons out of people. Then a man with a serious disease came to him.
The man fell to his knees and begged Jesus, If you are willing, you can make me clean.
Jesus felt sorry for him, reached out, touched him, and said, I am willing, so be clean.
Immediately his skin disease went away, and he was clean.
Jesus sent him away at once and warned him, Don't tell anyone about this.
Instead, show yourself to the priest.
Then offer the sacrifices which Moses commanded as proof to people that you are clean.
When the man left, he began to talk freely.
He spread his story so widely that Jesus could no longer enter any city openly.
Instead, he stayed in places where he could be alone,
but people still kept coming to him from everywhere.
Mark 2
Several days later, Jesus came back to Capernaum.
The report went out that he was home.
Many people had gathered.
There was no room left, even in front of the door.
Jesus was speaking God's word to them.
Four men came to him carrying a paralyzed man.
Since they could not bring him to Jesus because of the crowd,
they made an opening in the roof over the place where Jesus was.
Then they lowered the cot on which the paralyzed man was lying.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man,
Friend, your sins are forgiven.
Some experts in Moses' teachings were sitting there.
They thought, Why does he talk this way?
He's dishonoring God.
Who besides God can forgive sins?
At once, Jesus knew inwardly what they were thinking.
He asked them, Why do you have these thoughts?
Is it easier to say to this paralyzed man, Your sins are forgiven, or to say, Get up,
pick up your cot, and walk?
I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.
Then he said to the paralyzed man, I'm telling you to get up, pick up your cot, and go home.
The man got up, immediately picked up his cot, and walked away while everyone watched.
Everyone was amazed and praised God, saying, We have never seen anything like this.
Jesus went to the seashore again. Large crowds came to him, and he taught them.
When Jesus was leaving, he saw Levi, son of Alphaeus, sitting in a tax office.
Jesus said to him, Follow me.
So Levi got up and followed him.
Later, Jesus was having dinner at Levi's house.
Many tax collectors and sinners who were followers of Jesus were eating with him and his disciples.
When the experts in Moses' teachings, who were Pharisees, saw him eating with sinners and tax collectors,
they asked the disciples, Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?
When Jesus heard that, he said to them,
Healthy people don't need a doctor.
those who are sick do. I've come to call sinners, not people who think they have God's approval.
John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. Some people came to Jesus and said to him,
Why do John's disciples and the Pharisees' disciples fast, but your disciples don't?
Jesus replied, Can wedding guests fast while the groom is still with them?
As long as they have the groom with them, they cannot fast. But the time will come when the
groom will be taken away from them. Then they will fast. No one patches an old coat with a new piece
of cloth that will shrink. Otherwise, the new patch will shrink and rip away some of the old cloth,
and the tear will become worse. People don't pour new wine into old wine skins. If they do,
the wine will make the skins burst, and both the wine and the skins will be ruined. Rather,
new wine is poured into fresh skins. Once on a day of worship, Jesus was going through the
fields. As the disciples walked along, they began to pick the heads of grain. The Pharisees asked
him, Look, why are your disciples doing something that is not permitted on the day of worship?
Jesus asked him, Haven't you ever read what David did when he and his men were in need and were
hungry? Haven't you ever read how he went into the house of God when Abiathar was chief priest and
ate the bread of the presence? He had no right to eat those loaves. Only the priests have that right.
Haven't you ever read how he also gave some of it to his men?
Then he added,
The day of worship was made for people, not people for the day of worship.
For this reason, the Son of Man has authority over the day of worship.
Well, beloved, let's look for a moment at chapter 2, verses 3 through 5.
Here it is again.
Four men came to him carrying a paralyzed man.
Since they could not bring him to Jesus because of the crowd,
they made an opening in the roof over the place where Jesus was.
Then they lowered the cot on which the paralyzed man was lying.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man,
Friend, your sins are forgiven.
So here's the situation.
Jesus has begun his ministry,
and he's now known far and wide for the miracles and healing that he's done.
And now he's in a home speaking God's word to a crowd.
It's so crowded that there's no room in the house,
and the friends of this paralyzed man wanted Jesus to heal their friend,
but they can't get close to Jesus because of the crowd.
So they took him in his cot up to the roof,
where they made a hole through which they could lower their friend to where Jesus was speaking.
And now here's the key phrase.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man,
Friend, your sins are forgiven.
Did you notice that?
When Jesus saw their faith.
How many of us say we have faith, and yet we don't do anything to show it?
Faith is more than just mentally saying, I believe.
It's more than just saying, Amen, when the preacher says something that we agree with.
It's more than liking a Facebook post.
This man's friends did something that was radical.
They so believed that Jesus could heal their friend, which Jesus did do in addition to forgiving his sins,
that they somehow got him in his cot to the roof of a house,
broke a hole in the roof while an astonished crowd watched,
interrupted the great teacher and miracle worker,
and presented their friend to him.
Well, I'm sure that most of the people there thought that these guys were out of their minds,
foolish, crazy, rude, out of line.
Call it what you will, but Jesus saw their faith.
Faith has legs.
Faith takes action.
It doesn't just wait around for God to move.
Faith says, God will, and I will go where he is.
When was the last time your faith had legs?
Tell me what you think.
Comment at Lifespringmedia.com slash S12E75.
Or send me an email at steve at Lifespringmedia.com.
Or you can go to comment.lifespringmedia.com.
Verse of the day.
You probably guessed it would be this verse.
And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic,
Son, your sins are forgiven.
That's Mark 2, 5.
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On this date in church history,
In 1834, Charles Haddon Spurgeon was born in Kelvden, England.
He would go on to become one of the most influential Christian preachers of the 19th and 20th century,
often remembered as the Prince of Preachers.
He began preaching as a teenager, and by his early 20s,
he was drawing thousands each week to hear the gospel proclaimed in London.
From the pulpit of the Metropolitan Tabernacle, he preached with clarity,
with warmth and unwavering confidence in the authority of Scripture.
His sermons were deeply biblical and Christ-centered, and they were easily understood by everyday people.
What made him remarkable was not just his eloquence, but his conviction.
He believed God's Word did the real work, and that faithful preaching meant trusting Scripture rather than following the trends.
His sermons were printed and distributed around the world, influencing pastors and congregations
far beyond England.
He also trained future ministers, wrote extensively, and endured criticism and suffering with humility.
And through it all, he remained convinced that proclaiming Christ plainly and faithfully
was the church's greatest calling.
And even today, his sermons and other writings are still studied by pastors and Bible students.
I've quoted Spurgeon many, many times over the years on this show.
Remember, on tomorrow's show, we'll have praises and prayer requests.
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Well, beloved, that about does it.
Until tomorrow, may God bless you richly.
Thank you so much for being here and making me a part of your day.
My name is Steve Webb.
Bye.
Lifespring Media.
Bringing the message of hope, love, and good news since 2004.
The Lifespring One Year Bible Rewind is a Lifespring Media production hosted by Steve Webb, the OG Godcaster since 2004.