The One Year Bible Club with Teaching
Commentary by Nick Boork
March 12
Mark 16:1-20
Commentary by Nick Boork
March 12
Mark 16:1-20
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March 12 - Mark 16:1-20
Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him. 2 Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. 3 And they said among themselves, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?” 4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away—for it was very large. 5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. 6 But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. 7 But go, tell His disciples—and Peter—that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.” 8 So they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed. And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. 9 Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons. 10 She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept. 11 And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe.
12 After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country. 13 And they went and told it to the rest, but they did not believe them either. 14 Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. 15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” 19 So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.
OKAY, HERE'S MY TEACHING COMMENTARY
Let's look at the Gospel and the supernatural signs Jesus promised to confirm.
The gospel means good news! Why is the Gospel good news? Because there is bad news first. The bad news is that because of sin every human being is separated from God and destined to be condemned to eternal separation from God in a place called Hell prepared for the devil and his angels. Hell was not prepared for mankind. This is why God sent Jesus to die on the cross to pay for all of our sins. That's the good news! God loves us! Christ paid for our sins with his own blood on the cross and rose again from the dead the third day. This is the message that Jesus commanded His apostles to preach.
Jesus promised that He would confirm the preaching of the gospel with supernatural signs. Let's look at these signs and their purposes.
1. Cast out demons
Throughout Christ ministry on earth he cast out devils from people everywhere he went. Does this mean that every person that is not born again has a demon? I don't think so. The Bible teaches that all unbelievers are under the power of the wicked one (1 John 5:19) and because of sin people open up doors to demons. When people come to Christ and respond to the good news of the gospel to be saved they are essentially making Jesus Christ Lord of their lives. At this point, there can be a resistance and struggle by demons living within people because now this person is making Jesus Lord their new master and as they yield to Christ, demons get cast out! Ref; Acts 8:7, 16:18, 19:15
I can testify that within a three-year period after receiving Christ I had an encounter in which a spirit of rejection was cast out of me. The result of this experience was that I was set free from a demon that used to oppress me and keep me down feeling rejected and unworthy in God’s presence. Through the power of the Holy Spirit and prayer that demon was removed permanently from my life, to God be the glory! Now I’m free and know God loves me just as much as anyone and I can enter His holy presence in prayer with confidence.
2. Speak in new tongues
This obviously is a reference to receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit and speaking in other tongues. I think the sign of speaking in other tongues is intentionally promised by Jesus following the casting out demons. Why? Because once a person is set free from an evil spirit God wants to fill them with the Holy Spirit! One of the signs of being baptized in the Holy Spirit is speaking and other tongues. This happened many times in the Bible and should be pursued today as well. Ref: Acts 2, 8:17, 10:44-46, 19:6 Does this mean you have to speak in tongues to be saved and go to Heaven? Absolutely not! Salvation is a FREE gift from God. The Baptism in the Holy Spirit is a separate FREE gift from God.
I received the baptism of the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues early in my Christian life and continue to speak in tongues in my prayer life to God and I can tell you it is a great spiritual blessing to me!!!
3. Take up serpents
What's this all about? I believe it is a supernatural sign of God's protection. However, some people take this scripture to mean that you can just pick up any venomous snake and incorporate it into a church service. I think that's crazy and I also think it's tempting God. The Bible gives an example of this in the life of the apostle Paul when he was shipwrecked on the island of Malta on his journey to Rome. He went to make a fire and picked up some kindling wood and as he threw it on the fire a serpent came out of the sticks and bit him on the hand. Everyone thought he was going to die because it was a poisonous snake with a reputation of killing the people that received its bite. However, Paul just shook it off into the fire and nothing happened to him. The people were amazed and thought Paul was a God. Ref; Acts 28:1-6
4. If they drink any deadly thing they will not be harmed
Again, I believe that this is a promise of God's supernatural protection. The Blue Letter Bible has a very interesting comment about this. I include a link below to their site. I quote: “It is fully asserted here, that the apostles of our LORD should not lose their life by poison, and there is neither record nor tradition to disprove it. But it is worthy of remark, that Mohammed, who styled himself the apostle of God, lost his life by poison; and, had he been a true prophet, or a true apostle of God, he would not have fallen into the snare.” (Blue Letter Bible)
5. Lay hands on the sick and they will recover
During Christ ministry he laid His hands on multitudes of sick people and performed great healings and miracles! When a sick person is healed through prayer and the laying on of hands in Jesus name it's a great sign of God's love and care. Many times people that get healed in their bodies believe on Christ and get healed in their heart as well by receiving Him as Lord and Savior. The apostles followed the example of Jesus and prayed for multitudes of people and the Bible records great healings and miracles. Ref; Acts 3, 5:42, 6:8, 8:5-7, 14:8-10, 28:8-9, James 5:13-17
I have witnessed God heal many people. All I can say is nothing is too difficult for the Lord! However, a word of caution about healing. I believe it's God's will to heal everyone but at the same time I do not think any individual has the power to heal the sick at random like turning on or off a light switch. If this was true, we could empty all hospitals today. The apostle Paul was mightily used to heal the sick yet one of his team members got sick and he had to leave him behind while he recovered. 2 Timothy 4:20…Trophimus I have left in Miletus sick.
While in the Dominican Republic serving as a missionary I got really sick with hepatitis B. My skin turned a yellow color and I became weak. I asked the pastor of the church that we were working with to pray for me. He laid hands on me and God healed me! I was supposed to stay in that condition for about 6 weeks. However within one week all the symptoms were totally gone. According to Jesus promise I recovered my strength and the color of my skin quickly. God is a healer and continues to heal the sick today using prayer and the laying on of hands.
WHAT'S THE BOTTOM LINE?
The Gospel is the Good News of God’s Salvation to us through Jesus Christ. When we preach the Gospel, expect God to confirm His Word with supernatural signs to bless people!
Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him. 2 Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. 3 And they said among themselves, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?” 4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away—for it was very large. 5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. 6 But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. 7 But go, tell His disciples—and Peter—that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.” 8 So they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed. And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. 9 Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons. 10 She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept. 11 And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe.
12 After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country. 13 And they went and told it to the rest, but they did not believe them either. 14 Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. 15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” 19 So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.
OKAY, HERE'S MY TEACHING COMMENTARY
Let's look at the Gospel and the supernatural signs Jesus promised to confirm.
The gospel means good news! Why is the Gospel good news? Because there is bad news first. The bad news is that because of sin every human being is separated from God and destined to be condemned to eternal separation from God in a place called Hell prepared for the devil and his angels. Hell was not prepared for mankind. This is why God sent Jesus to die on the cross to pay for all of our sins. That's the good news! God loves us! Christ paid for our sins with his own blood on the cross and rose again from the dead the third day. This is the message that Jesus commanded His apostles to preach.
Jesus promised that He would confirm the preaching of the gospel with supernatural signs. Let's look at these signs and their purposes.
1. Cast out demons
Throughout Christ ministry on earth he cast out devils from people everywhere he went. Does this mean that every person that is not born again has a demon? I don't think so. The Bible teaches that all unbelievers are under the power of the wicked one (1 John 5:19) and because of sin people open up doors to demons. When people come to Christ and respond to the good news of the gospel to be saved they are essentially making Jesus Christ Lord of their lives. At this point, there can be a resistance and struggle by demons living within people because now this person is making Jesus Lord their new master and as they yield to Christ, demons get cast out! Ref; Acts 8:7, 16:18, 19:15
I can testify that within a three-year period after receiving Christ I had an encounter in which a spirit of rejection was cast out of me. The result of this experience was that I was set free from a demon that used to oppress me and keep me down feeling rejected and unworthy in God’s presence. Through the power of the Holy Spirit and prayer that demon was removed permanently from my life, to God be the glory! Now I’m free and know God loves me just as much as anyone and I can enter His holy presence in prayer with confidence.
2. Speak in new tongues
This obviously is a reference to receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit and speaking in other tongues. I think the sign of speaking in other tongues is intentionally promised by Jesus following the casting out demons. Why? Because once a person is set free from an evil spirit God wants to fill them with the Holy Spirit! One of the signs of being baptized in the Holy Spirit is speaking and other tongues. This happened many times in the Bible and should be pursued today as well. Ref: Acts 2, 8:17, 10:44-46, 19:6 Does this mean you have to speak in tongues to be saved and go to Heaven? Absolutely not! Salvation is a FREE gift from God. The Baptism in the Holy Spirit is a separate FREE gift from God.
I received the baptism of the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues early in my Christian life and continue to speak in tongues in my prayer life to God and I can tell you it is a great spiritual blessing to me!!!
3. Take up serpents
What's this all about? I believe it is a supernatural sign of God's protection. However, some people take this scripture to mean that you can just pick up any venomous snake and incorporate it into a church service. I think that's crazy and I also think it's tempting God. The Bible gives an example of this in the life of the apostle Paul when he was shipwrecked on the island of Malta on his journey to Rome. He went to make a fire and picked up some kindling wood and as he threw it on the fire a serpent came out of the sticks and bit him on the hand. Everyone thought he was going to die because it was a poisonous snake with a reputation of killing the people that received its bite. However, Paul just shook it off into the fire and nothing happened to him. The people were amazed and thought Paul was a God. Ref; Acts 28:1-6
4. If they drink any deadly thing they will not be harmed
Again, I believe that this is a promise of God's supernatural protection. The Blue Letter Bible has a very interesting comment about this. I include a link below to their site. I quote: “It is fully asserted here, that the apostles of our LORD should not lose their life by poison, and there is neither record nor tradition to disprove it. But it is worthy of remark, that Mohammed, who styled himself the apostle of God, lost his life by poison; and, had he been a true prophet, or a true apostle of God, he would not have fallen into the snare.” (Blue Letter Bible)
5. Lay hands on the sick and they will recover
During Christ ministry he laid His hands on multitudes of sick people and performed great healings and miracles! When a sick person is healed through prayer and the laying on of hands in Jesus name it's a great sign of God's love and care. Many times people that get healed in their bodies believe on Christ and get healed in their heart as well by receiving Him as Lord and Savior. The apostles followed the example of Jesus and prayed for multitudes of people and the Bible records great healings and miracles. Ref; Acts 3, 5:42, 6:8, 8:5-7, 14:8-10, 28:8-9, James 5:13-17
I have witnessed God heal many people. All I can say is nothing is too difficult for the Lord! However, a word of caution about healing. I believe it's God's will to heal everyone but at the same time I do not think any individual has the power to heal the sick at random like turning on or off a light switch. If this was true, we could empty all hospitals today. The apostle Paul was mightily used to heal the sick yet one of his team members got sick and he had to leave him behind while he recovered. 2 Timothy 4:20…Trophimus I have left in Miletus sick.
While in the Dominican Republic serving as a missionary I got really sick with hepatitis B. My skin turned a yellow color and I became weak. I asked the pastor of the church that we were working with to pray for me. He laid hands on me and God healed me! I was supposed to stay in that condition for about 6 weeks. However within one week all the symptoms were totally gone. According to Jesus promise I recovered my strength and the color of my skin quickly. God is a healer and continues to heal the sick today using prayer and the laying on of hands.
WHAT'S THE BOTTOM LINE?
The Gospel is the Good News of God’s Salvation to us through Jesus Christ. When we preach the Gospel, expect God to confirm His Word with supernatural signs to bless people!
ORDINATION
We provide Ministry Credentials and Ordination through Diamond Ministerial Association. Click to learn more and apply! http://www.diamondinstitute.org/ordination
ONLINE COURSES
For Bible courses and ministry resources see our online school Diamond Institute. Enroll free today and get access to our free and pay as you go courses. http://www.diamondinstitute.org/enroll
We provide Ministry Credentials and Ordination through Diamond Ministerial Association. Click to learn more and apply! http://www.diamondinstitute.org/ordination
ONLINE COURSES
For Bible courses and ministry resources see our online school Diamond Institute. Enroll free today and get access to our free and pay as you go courses. http://www.diamondinstitute.org/enroll