Half-Way

Mark 7:33 (KJV) And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue; I used to think that if a person came to the altar that all must be dealt with there at the altar during the Church service. But Jesus takes this man away from the multitude and the next time people see him he’s hearing and talking just fine. Now I have no understanding why Jesus did it this way but what he did was right for this man. First, there’s no set pattern of how things should be done. You can’t treat all people the same because we are not all the same. We don’t look the same, act the same, talk the same, why we don’t even walk the same. There was a good friend I had in high school named Neal Blalock. After high school he went to work for Atlanta Transit which became Marta. I went to help Uncle Sam. It seems he had got himself in a real bad fix way down there in Vietnam. Anyway, one night I had to go to the Drug Store. I saw this man in front of me and I said to myself that Neal Blalock because no one walks like that except Neal. Yes I was right!  Therefore there’s not a one size fits all. The Lord knows how and what’s best for each one of us. One man has a sick servant, Jesus tells the ruler who came for help on behalf of his servant “I will come and heal him.” The ruler said there’s no need “but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.” You’ll find that in Matthew 8:5-8. Jesus takes the man away from the crowd and this is what He does. 

Mark 7:33 (KJV) And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue;

Mark 7:34 (KJV) And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened.

Mark 7:35 (KJV) And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain.

Jesus put His fingers into his ears then Jesus spits and touches his tongue. You might say the fingers ok BUT to take Jesus’s spit on my tongue 👅 I think 🤔 I’ll pass. So what you are saying is you are happy with being half way? Then you are not at the place you need to be. That’s why some people half way attend Church services, halfway read and study their Bibles, halfway know what the Bible says. But you know what?  This same people would say bad things about a dentist if they were to say “Mrs Johnson you have a bad problem with some of your back molders. If you will come back this coming Monday I’ll be more than glad to halfway fix that for you.” No one would be complete halfway in Heaven and the other half in hell! There’s no halfway. It's all the way or no way. They brought this man to  Jesus not to be halfway healed. Now listen to this,  Jesus says to this man  Mark 7:36 (KJV) And he charged them that they should tell no man: but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it; there’s just somethings you can’t be quit about and this is one of them. Anyone who has ever met Jesus and experienced His forgiveness is more than glad to tell you all about it and sometimes without you even asking. You’ll never hear anyone say “on August 31 Jesus halfway saved me.” No! Everyone that Jesus has ever touched knows it; do you? I don’t understand why Jesus would say “tell no man:” when it was very obvious. But the reason for Him saying was not meant for me to understand.  

The Main Thing

Mark 7:32 (KJV) And they bring unto him “ and they beseech him to put his hand upon him. The first thing I notice were these words “And they bring unto him” who is “they” so I went to see what Mr. Webster had to say about “they” he said  “The men, the women, the animals, the things. It is never used adjectively, but always as a pronoun referring to persons, or as a substitute referring to things.” So when the pronoun “they” is used it is referring to more than one.  Just in the book of Mark the word “they” is used 289 times🤔🤔

Mark 15 (KJV) they of Jerusalem 

Mark 1:16 (KJV) for they were fishers. 

Mark 1:22 (KJV) they were astonished at his doctrine: 

Mark 2:12 (KJV) they were all amazed  

Mark 3:12 (KJV) when they saw him 

Mark 7:32 (KJV) And they bring unto him

They that bring this man that was deaf and had a speech defect were like those in Mark 2:3 (KJV) And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four. Here we are told how many “they” = 4. But that’s not always the case. We aren’t told here how many “they” are here. We are just told there were enough people who loved and cared enough about this man to get him help. There much I could say about the “they’s” so I’ll leave it with this though, who are the “they’s” in your life? But we mustn’t stop there, read what we are being told; “one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech;” There are those who are deaf and can’t speak and there are those who are deaf and can speak. I have never heard a deaf person that could speak without a speech problem. Could this be another word picture? Why did Jesus come into this world? Was it to make the blind to see? The deaf to here? To fix speech problems? Raise the dead? Remove the devils? Fed the hungry? You may be surprised about what I’m about to write. The answer to all the above is yes! But not like you think. Never forget the main thing. What is the main thing?  Luke 19:10 (KJV) For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. If this is the main thing then I need to always read scripture with the main thing in mind. So let’s look at Mark 7:32 with the main in mind. This man is deaf 🧏‍♂️ he can’t hear. He has ears but they don’t hear!!

Mark 4:9 (KJV) And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Mark 4:12 (KJV) That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them. 

They heard but they didn’t hear, (deaf) they saw but they didn’t see.(blind) Why because they were not converted, saved and weren't forgiven. Therefore they didn’t understand. They were blind and deaf to the spiritual, therefore they could not see nor understand the main thing. When the they brought their friend or loved one to Jesus so he could be healed Jesus healed him.   Mark 7:35 (KJV) And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain. When a person gets saved they can hear and understand and speak of the main thing. 

Why did Jesus come into this world? 

Was it to make the blind to see? Yes He wants You to see The Jesus of the Bible 

The deaf to hear? Yes He want you to understand the Bible.

To fix speech problems? Yes He wants You to talk about spiritual things.

Raise the dead? Yes He wants You to know that you have been made alive in Him.

Remove the devils? Yes, the problems that the devil your enemy throws at you. You know what your strongholds are. 

Fed the hungry? Yes because there will be a hunger for knowing more and more about our Lord Jesus Christ. If you are not careful the enemy will get you to thinking that the main thing isn’t the main thing! But the record book says it definitely is! Hide Luke 19:10 in your heart so you will never forget what the main thing is. 

5 Minutes 45 Seconds

We left off last time with what the word Saved means. When Jesus was on the cross dying for the sins of mankind. But those at the cross only saw that He couldn’t save Himself from being executed. They even said come off the cross and we will believe you. Matthew 27:42 (KJV) He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. Believe what? That He is the King of Israel? Oh He is much more than that; He is the Savior of mankind! We left this certain woman at the feet of Jesus humbly asking help for her daughter. Can Jesus save her? What’s wrong with her?  She has an unclean spirit. Mark 7:25 (KJV) For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet: I’m not sure what this unclean spirit was doing with this young lady. Maybe she couldn’t keep out of the Beer, Wine and Spirit store. 🤷🏼‍♂️I don’t know! Or maybe it’s not that at all, this may describe her. Crazy laughter in another room and she drove herself to madness with a silver spoon. But whatever it was, it was controlling her. She wasn’t in the driver's seat of her life and her mother goes to the only help she knows will work, Jesus. Who’s at the feet of Jesus on your behalf? You are out of control Drugs, Sex, Alcohol, Gambling whatever it is You are no longer in the drivers seat of your life. Could it be the devil? Could it be, that’s who was driving this mothers daughter's life?        Mark 7:29 (KJV) And he(Jesus)  said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter. Well what happened?  What would you have done had you been this mother? I think I would have taken off home. This is what that mother did. Mark 7:30 (KJV) And when she was come to her house, she found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed. Would not that be great if it were to happen in Your life? So what are you doing to get rid of the devil that’s driving your life? In this event someone else cared more for this young lady than she did; her mother! Who is it in your life? Or are you happy sitting in the passenger seat? Or maybe you want to understand more about being Saved? If so and you have 5 minutes 45 seconds I have made a short video just for you. Go to www.gotanaddiction.com look for the man sitting in a chair and just listen. Could be the best 5 minutes and 45 seconds you ever spent. 

This Wasn’t The First Time

Chapter 7 and verse 24 ends with these words “he could not be hid.” Now in verse 25 reads of a woman coming to Jesus after hearing, how did she hear? We are told He could not be hidden. But it goes way deeper than that. I would say that this wasn’t the first time this mother had heard of Jesus. No, I would say she had heard of Jesus before now. Don’t forget what we have already read               Mark 1:28 (KJV) And immediately his fame spread abroad throughout all the region round about Galilee. What Jesus was doing and where He was, was being spread fast. So when this mother heard Jesus was in her town she took off and found Him and fell at His feet, but not for herself but on behalf of her daughter. What was wrong with her daughter?  Mark 7:25 (KJV) For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet: She hears and she runs to Jesus and falls at His feet. Great things happen when you realize that Jesus is the only one that can help. Oh you have tried everything you know, except Jesus. Why? If you don’t know Jesus you can’t answer that! You may have heard about someone you know getting what others called saved. But you really don’t know what that means, but whatever it is has really helped others.  You may wonder if I could afford to go to the RBQ Recovery center. But you can’t afford that.          Matthew 19:25 (KJV) When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? If you look at that word from a human view you see it as a being rescued from some danger. Why do I say that because that’s the way most people view it.  Matthew 27:42 (KJV) He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. This verse is when Jesus is on The Cross. Jesus Saved many from earthly sicknesses yes, but His real purpose reaches much further than that. This life will soon be gone then what? Until next time, have a blessed day.

Hid? Impossible!

 Mark 7:24 (KJV) And from thence he arose, and went into the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and entered into an house, and would have no man know it: but he could not be hid.

Can we hid Jesus? Here we read of Jesus going into a house and didn’t want anybody to know He was there. The crowds, the multitudes and Jesus being in human flesh got tired I’m sure. Maybe He wanted some rest I’m not sure but it’s for sure we have another word picture. Magnify these words “but he could not be hid.” I remember a few years back that a man came to me and told me that he was sure that God had called him to preach. He then told me that he didn’t want anybody to know. I looked at him and said “you can’t keep that silent because preaching is proclaiming the good news, the Gospel, The Death, Burial and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. If God has called you, you will not be able to keep it hid.” Could the woman at the well in John Chapter 4 keep hid what Jesus did for her? No! John 4:29 (KJV) Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ? In John Chapter 9 there’s a blind man healed by Jesus but he couldn’t keep it hid. John 9:11 (KJV) He answered and said, A man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash: and I went and washed, and I received sight. There’s many that couldn’t keep it quiet. That day in April of 1973 I couldn’t keep it quiet about what Jesus did for me and for the last 50 years I have still been telling the story. If you know me, read any of my writing then you have heard or read what happened on that day in April that has never gotten old. I love to tell the story of what Jesus did for me. You may be like I was 50 years ago. As best I can remember I had no Bible at my home, I knew no Bible verses. If you would have given me a Bible and asked me to turn to John 3:16 I could not have done it. I knew nothing about Church nor the people who go to Church. All I knew was what other people had told me and they didn’t know either. But I didn’t know they didn’t know. I didn’t go to Church to get help, meet nice loving people who I thought were a little bit off anyways. Oh no, I was using the Church for my benefit. So knowing nothing about Church, The Bible, The people of God, Jesus, Prayer or anything else here I sat 3 rows from the front on the right side. That morning I walked to the front not trying to trick or fool anyone. Yeah the Preacher preached on sin, not money as most people will tell you, but sin. On that Sunday morning @12:05  I knew I was a sinner and needed a savior. I walked to the front and the preacher asked me if I knew I was a sinner? To which I said yes. On that day so long ago but still today fresh in my mind I repented of my sin and asked Jesus to save me. Know what? He did and I left that Church building and Jesus was not hid. I still didn’t know anything about The Bible or Church but I couldn’t keep my mouth shut about what Jesus had done for me. They told me it would wear off and I would go back to being like I was. But 50 years plus I haven't and I still have that hunger within my heart to know more about Jesus and tell others this simple message: What He’s done for me He will do for you! So no “he could not be hid.”

Honey Can You

 Mark 7:14 (KJV) And when he had called all the people unto him, he said unto them, Hearken unto me (Listen to me) every one of you, and understand:

Mark 7:15 (KJV) There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man.

Sounds like Reformers Unanimous Principals    Principle #2

Every sin has its origin in our hearts.

Principle #3

It is easier to keep the heart clean than it is to clean it after it has been defiled.

Principle #4

It is not possible to fight a fleshly appetite by indulging in it.

Principle #5

Small compromises lead to great disasters (otherwise known as little sins lead to big sins).

There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him:

There’s nothing on the outside that will defile you. Think about that for a minute. Ok  what did you come up with? The enemy spends his days and nights putting things in front of you hoping you’ll take the bait. As long as it’s on the outside you can’t be hurt by it. Here’s what Steve Curington said, the founder of Reformers Unanimous (RU) “before you done it you thought it.”  Can you identify with that?  You are driving down the highway and you look up at a billboard and see a Jack Daniel’s advertisement. The police pull you over and tells you your taillight is out. Will he also take you to jail and give you a DWI/DUI for just looking at the whiskey ad?  No! You saw it you took it in but now what do you do with what you took in? Do you start to think about it? Boy, just one shot would be nice. You keep thinking about it and thinking about it. On the way home you have convinced yourself that one shot won’t hurt. I have been clean for two years. I can handle one! So you stop at JJ’s Bar and Grill, go in and have one. We’ll see I can handle just one, I think I’ll have just one more and one more leads to one more, and one more you get the picture. So you head home and another officer pulls you over for your taillight bring out. Do you go to jail for looking at the AD? Oh no you go for ”the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man.” You had a choice and you made the wrong choice and now whatever happens is not up to you anymore. Another RU Principal           

Principle #9   We lose our freedom to choose when we give in to temptation. Our consequences are inevitable and incalculable and up to God.

Honey, Can you come get me out of jail? My tail light was out. Liar, liar pants on fire! She isn’t going to buy that lye! It’s what comes out of you that defiles. 

Wonder What Happened To The Dog?

 “laying aside the commandment of God” Laying aside or abandoning the commandments of God. For what purpose? To follow human traditions. These big shots from Jerusalem were not helping here in Gennesaret. When these Scribes and Pharisees saw what was happening did they praise God? No! They found fault. Jesus tells them in verse 9 that they were willing to reject God Commands in order to keep tradition. 

Mark 7:9 (KJV) And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.

Mark 7:10 (KJV) For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death:

God by Moses wrote Honor Parents with your words as well as your deeds. Provide for them, when? When they are in want and distress, through poverty and old age. That’s a lot of work, what’s in it for me? Well first, that’s the wrong attitude, that’s a me attitude which is all about you and no one else. But God will reward you.  Exodus 20:12 (KJV) Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. Honor mom and dad and God says “that thy days may be long upon the land” but you are to busy exercising and eating right so your days will be long upon the land. Go take care of your mom and dad and you might hear the doctor say “I just can’t understand why you are in such good health being so overweight as you are.” Excuse me while I have another one of those jelly filled donuts; no make it two. 

Mark 7:11 (KJV) But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free. Now I’ll be truthful. I didn't understand all of what this verse meant but I do understand the subject which is being taught here. I think it all boils down to this, watch out that tradition doesn’t override God’s Commandments. Traditions change, Commandments don’t. Traditions can’t give promises Commandments can and do. Commandments don’t restrict nor do they hold you back. My Pastor James A Peppers said it like this. Down the street from the Church there was a dog in a backyard with a fence. Up next to the fence there was no grass because the dog kept running up next to the fence chasing cars as they went by. The fence was there to protect not to harm. Do away with the fence and the dog would be no more. That is what has happened here in our country, no commandments, it’s like taking down the fence. What happened to the dog? There are results for removing the fence. Moms and dads dying alone among strangers, because children don’t step up to the plate. Confused sexually yes, that happened the same way when you are told to head south and you drive north. You don’t get to the right place and you can’t make Alaska Florida! You can think it’s Florida you can act like it’s Florida but winter is coming and so is the darkness.  Oh I went by that house where the dog had chased cars until the grass refused to grow. Well the grass is growing, the yard looks green and really nice. I looked closer to see that the fence was gone, and so was the dog. Just a simple word picture you can take down the fence and all can look so pretty.  You can disregard the commandments and it all looks fine. Those commandments are old and we are living in a different world now than Bible days. Let’s remove the commandments we don’t need anymore. So we have and now it looks good why it look that the yard where the dog was after the fence was removed.

Wonder what happened to the dog?