A Glorious Conjunction
lass=MsoNormal align=right style='text-align:right'>1) 5-10-09…AM…SBC“A Glorious Conjunction”
Mark 7:14-8:10
Introduction:
1- A Lion is admirable for its ferocious strength and imperial majestic appearance – show 3 pictures
2- A Lamb is admirable for its gentleness – show 1 picture
3- Scripture paints a picture for us of a lion-like lamb and a lamb-like lion
4- Over 250 years ago, Jonathan Edwards said that what was glorious about Christ was the, “admirable conjunction of diverse excellencies.”
· We admire Christ for His supremacy but even more because that supremacy is mixed with submission to q
· He could still the storm with a word but would not strike the Samaritans with lightning or take Himself down from the cross
Ø the Glory of Christ is seen best in the glorious conjunction of diverse qualities in Christ – power and humility
Ø In Revelation 5:5-6 we find this contrast very noticeably
Revelation 5:5-6 And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” 6 And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain.
Ø This text confronts us with our own needs—We will see after studying this text that…
Proposition: We need the love of The Lamb and the power of The Lion to make our faith in Christ unshakeable.
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Transition: We begin this morning by seeing first of all Christ’s…
1) Lamb-like Love 7:14-23
Ø On the heels of another altercation with the Pharisees, He teaches on the nature of true contamination
· Remember that the Pharisees just got done condemning the disciples for eating with unwashed hands
· The Pharisees claimed physical contamination—Jesus claimed their hearts were contaminated - tradition
Ø At the end of this, Jesus displayed His love by teaching the people about the nature of their own contamination
· Jesus is drawing the people to Himself by showing them their need of Himself as their Savior
· He loves the people enough to tell them that they are sinful
· He demonstrates patience and gentleness on the disciples while they struggle to understand His words
· Christ displays gentleness, meekness and love by showing us how we offend God’s holiness and not just annihilate because of our sin
A- Address to the Crowd v14-16
1- These accusations by the Pharisees conveyed a wrong idea of the nature of sin and personal holiness.[1]
2- Again and again the Gospels picture him as the compassionate Savior, the One who feels deeply hurt because the common people are being misled by their leaders. See Matt. 9:36; 11:28–30; Mark 6:34.[2]
· v5—unwashed hands defile and food and eater—this defilement was from outside to inside
· Jesus shows that the very opposite is true. Not what goes into but what comes out of the man is able to defile him.[3]
3- Jesus spoke in a moral not a medical sense. A person is not defiled morally by what he eats even if his hands are not ceremonially washed.[4]
4- A person is defiled morally by what he thinks in his heart even though he may scrupulously observe outward purity rituals. [5]
B- Address to the Disciples 7:18-23
1- Jesus expounds to His disciples that what enters the body does not contaminate because it goes to the stomach and not the heart
2- What does contaminate the body is what can be found in the heart & coming out the body – v20-23
3- Wicked acts—wicked attitudes
Ø So Jesus took the focus of attention away from external rituals and placed it on the need for God to cleanse one’s evil heart[6]
Ø This is the source of the world’s problems—this is why the world is rotten – politics, athletics, business, etc.
Ø The Love of the Lamb is evident in that it points us to the need for the Savior - Himself
Transition: After Christ’s lamb-like love, we now want to see…
2) Lion-like Power 7:24-8:10
Ø Jesus’ baptism served as a notice to mankind that Jesus of Nazareth (The Messiah) has now commenced his saving ministry
Ø This baptism was to inaugurate Jesus’ ministry as the Messiah and following this event back in Mark 1, we find Mark counting and recounting all the times that His power is on display in the created world
Transition: That power is on display again for us once again in this text in three locations beginning in 7:24
A- Power over Demons 7:24-30
1- Map of Tyre and Sidon
a. Mark reports how famous Jesus had become – v24b
b. Jesus seems to be seeking solitude—a Greek speaking woman comes begging Jesus to help her v26
2- She came begging because her need was great – her daughter is possessed by a demon (you too?) v25
3- Jesus reply at first glance seems harsh and out of character v27
a- Jesus is pointing out that the heart of His ministry was to the Jews and they had precedence
b- Jesus’ response does not deny ministry to the Gentiles but emphasizes Jewish precedence
c- The woman did not deny the precedence of Israel, but she suggested that this did not exclude the Gentiles.[7]
d- Jesus commended the woman for her humility and told her to go home for her daughter was healed
B- Power over Infirmity 7:31-37
1- v31 - The “Decapolis” was a loosely connected group of ten Gentile cities that had been set free from Jewish domination by the Roman general Pompey when he occupied Palestine in 63 B.C.[8]
2- v32 - A crowd brought a man with a double handicap – deaf and a speech difficulty (almost mute)
3- Since Jesus could not speak to the man, touching him was an important way of expressing concern. [9]
4- Jesus’ touching of the man were physical expressions that a deaf man could understand – cf: Jn 9:6
· figuratively Jesus was saying that something was going to be done for the man’s ears & tongue
5- The power is seen in v34-35 – notice the response of the people in v36-37
C- Power of Provision 8:1-10
1- Skeptics say that this account is a mistaken repetition of the feeding of the 5,000 in 6:33-44
· notice the differences
- Jesus refers to two separate individual feedings
- 3 days in Decapolis while in the ch6 account it all happened in one day
- 7 loaves of bread here and only 5 loaves in ch6
- No ordering of people into groups
- Seven baskets left over while there were only 6 baskets in ch6
Ø The Powerful Lion of Judah stoops to show compassion on people who at least haven’t eaten much in 3 days v2-3
Ø He exercises His power and authority and He provided sustenance for all 4,000 people
Summary
1- To Deny the miraculous is to deny the Christian Faith
- With these 3 miraculous accounts we find Jesus doing what no one else could do – they were astonished!
2- These three historic events show us Christ’s incomparable lion-like power
· it reassures us that there is none like him and that he is not a mere man like others
1- Unbelievers – If you are here to examine the claims of Christianity then this is a great text for you to do that
· first of all there is the revelation of your own contamination of sin – the pass the buck fever
· in light of the fact of your sin nature you have seen today a God of love and a God of power
· He loves you in spite of your sin so much that he sent His only son (Tyler) to die for you
· That same God was powerful enough to raise Jesus from the dead and to secure your salvation
2- Both – Lastly, I want to call to your mind the need of the mother with the demon possessed child
· she came to Jesus because she had a need she couldn’t fix herself – if she could she didn’t need Him
· if you have a need there is one who is powerful and loving enough to meet that need – unshakeable faith
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[1]Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, "An Exposition of the New Testament Comprising the Entire 'BE' Series"--Jkt. (Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1996, c1989), Mk 7:1.
[2]William Hendriksen and Simon J. Kistemaker, vol. 10, New Testament Commentary : Exposition of the Gospel According to Mark, Accompanying Biblical Text Is Author's Translation., New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953-2001), 280.
[3]William Hendriksen and Simon J. Kistemaker, vol. 10, New Testament Commentary : Exposition of the Gospel According to Mark, Accompanying Biblical Text Is Author's Translation., New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953-2001), 280.
[4]John F. Walvoord, Roy B. Zuck and Dallas Theological Seminary, The Bible Knowledge Commentary : An Exposition of the Scriptures (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1983-c1985), 2:134.
[5]John F. Walvoord, Roy B. Zuck and Dallas Theological Seminary, The Bible Knowledge Commentary : An Exposition of the Scriptures (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1983-c1985), 2:134.
[6]John F. Walvoord, Roy B. Zuck and Dallas Theological Seminary, The Bible Knowledge Commentary : An Exposition of the Scriptures (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1983-c1985), 2:135.
[7]James A. Brooks, vol. 23, Mark, electronic e., Logos Library System; The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2001, c1991), 121.
[8]James A. Brooks, vol. 23, Mark, electronic e., Logos Library System; The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2001, c1991), 91.
[9]James A. Brooks, vol. 23, Mark, electronic e., Logos Library System; The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2001, c1991), 123.