Participants:
Series Code: THI
Program Code: THI000037S
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00:24 Welcome to
00:24 Timeless Healing Insights. 00:25 I'm Dr. David DeRose. 00:27 We are 00:28 engaging with Mark's gospel 00:30 and perhaps a different way 00:31 than you've ever engaged 00:32 with it. 00:33 We're looking for things 00:34 that have special relevance 00:36 for healing us as whole 00:37 people, 00:38 physically, mentally, 00:40 emotionally and spiritually. 00:42 The only one who can do that 00:44 is Jesus Himself. 00:45 So let us pray to Him 00:47 as we begin. 00:48 Father in Heaven, 00:49 we pray that the healing power 00:51 that was manifested in Jesus 00:53 and is manifested in your Word 00:55 would indeed be present. 00:56 As we open the Bible together 00:58 today. 00:59 Please show us healing insights 01:02 that we need 01:03 that the world is longing for 01:05 so that we would be changed 01:07 and that we can help others 01:08 on their own journey 01:10 to better health. 01:11 We ask it all 01:12 in Jesus name, Amen. 01:19 Well, can the devil 01:20 derail 01:21 God's plans for your life? 01:24 Can the devil just get in there 01:25 and you think you know 01:27 how God is leading 01:27 you and the devil 01:28 just totally mess 01:29 everything up? 01:30 Well, it may seem that way, 01:32 but I'd like to suggest to you 01:33 that the devil 01:35 cannot undermine 01:36 God's plans for your life. 01:38 And we have evidence 01:40 of that multiple times 01:41 in the Bible. 01:42 One of the, 01:44 well, crowning 01:45 lives that illustrates 01:46 this is the life of Moses. 01:49 Think about it. 01:49 God is preparing 01:50 for a deliverer 01:52 and Satan knows it. 01:54 And so he moves on Pharaoh, 01:56 the king of Egypt. 01:57 And we read in Exodus 1:22, 02:00 Pharaoh commanded 02:01 all his people saying, 02:02 Every Hebrew son who is born, 02:04 you shall cast into the river 02:06 and every daughter 02:08 you shall save alive. 02:10 What does this 02:13 upcoming birth? 02:15 It doesn't look good. 02:16 It looks like 02:16 Satan is going to overthrow 02:18 God's plans. But what happens? 02:21 The very plans 02:22 that Satan puts in place 02:23 to try to undermine 02:25 God's plans actually 02:27 further God's plans, right? 02:29 As a result of that 02:30 decree Moses 02:31 ends up in Pharaoh's 02:33 court, adopted 02:35 by Pharaoh's daughter. 02:38 It has been said that 02:39 man rules, but God does what? 02:43 He overrules. 02:44 God overrules. 02:46 And we see it 02:46 in the story of Moses. 02:48 We see it 02:49 also in the story of Joseph, 02:50 don't we? 02:51 Joseph, his future 02:53 revealed to him in dreams 02:55 and Satan intervenes, it seems. 02:58 Tries to 02:59 to really just take 03:00 those plans of God 03:01 and throw them off 03:04 into the gutter. 03:05 But what happens? 03:07 God intervenes. 03:09 Yes, Joseph is sold as a slave, 03:11 but it brings him 03:13 right into Pharaoh's court. 03:14 The same is true of Daniel. 03:16 Right? 03:16 Daniel's taken captive 03:18 by Nebuchadnezzar. 03:19 He's a slave. 03:20 I don't know. 03:21 Put yourself in 03:21 some of these stories. 03:23 I mean, 03:23 if you're living 03:24 in Daniel's day, 03:25 I mean, you're a young person. 03:27 You got your whole future 03:28 ahead of you. 03:28 Now you're a slave 03:29 marching hundreds of miles 03:31 to a foreign nation. 03:32 What does the future look like? 03:33 So I don't know 03:34 where you're sitting 03:35 in life today, 03:36 but if Satan is telling you, 03:37 forget about it. 03:38 You've messed up. 03:39 Your life's over. 03:40 Doesn't matter 03:41 what age you are. 03:42 But God is telling you 03:43 in these stories don't give up. 03:45 Don't give up 03:47 because Satan can't undermine 03:49 God's plans for your life. 03:51 Now, 03:52 if you're picking up on a theme 03:54 here, it's 03:54 the same theme 03:55 we've been seeing 03:55 in the Gospel of Mark. 03:57 Jesus듌nistry 03:58 starts out 03:59 with so much promise, 04:00 doesn't it? 04:01 He's declaring that 04:02 His kingdom has come. 04:03 He's showing powerful evidence 04:05 that God's kingdom is here 04:07 on the Earth. Right? 04:08 He's healing. 04:09 He's teaching. 04:10 He's casting out demons. 04:14 Mark 1:32-34. 04:16 I love this summary 04:17 at the very beginning 04:18 of Mark's gospel. 04:19 If you want to see 04:19 what's happening, 04:21 everyone's coming to Jesus. 04:23 He's in Capernaum at the time. 04:25 The demon possessed 04:26 the sick, 04:27 the suffering, 04:28 and Jesus is healing. 04:30 He's working miracles. 04:32 His kingdom has come. 04:34 But we saw, 04:36 as you go from Chapter 04:37 1 of Mark's Gospel 04:38 to Chapter 2, 04:39 then Satan's assaults 04:41 start to come, right? 04:42 Jesus is being criticized. 04:44 His ministry is 04:45 being undermined. 04:47 Who is this, 04:48 say the religious leaders 04:49 who can forgive sins? 04:51 Who does He think He is? 04:52 He's criticized for ministering 04:54 to the unrighteous 04:55 like the tax collectors 04:56 and the sinners. 04:57 He's criticized 04:58 for not being holy enough. 05:00 Think about that. 05:01 Jesus, not holy enough? 05:04 Oh, no. 05:04 He's not keeping 05:05 the Sabbath right. 05:06 Why aren't Your disciples 05:07 fasting? 05:08 And then, 05:09 as we saw in chapter 05:10 3 of Mark, as that 05:11 chapter opens up 05:13 Jesus healing 05:14 that man in the synagogue 05:16 on the Sabbath 05:17 and the 05:18 religious leaders decide 05:20 that's enough. 05:21 They're going to wipe out 05:22 Jesus, they're going 05:22 to kill Him. 05:25 You catch the irony, right? 05:27 They're complaining about Jesus 05:28 doing what on the Sabbath? 05:30 Healing, 05:31 and they're 05:32 planning to kill 05:33 the Messiah on the Sabbath. 05:36 Well, is that enough 05:37 to undermine Jesus듌nistry? 05:39 Well, if you had any question, 05:41 just go to the very next verse. 05:43 Mark 3:7 begins this way. 05:47 But Jesus withdrew. Yes. 05:49 He leaves that synagogue. 05:50 He leaves 05:51 that place of confrontation. 05:52 But as they go to 05:54 the Sea of Galilee right 05:55 there in Capernaum 05:56 itight on the sea. 05:58 It says, what happens? 06:00 A great multitude 06:01 from Galilee 06:02 followed Him, 06:03 and from Judea 06:04 and Jerusalem 06:05 and Idemia, 06:06 or Edam 06:07 and beyond the Jordan 06:09 and from Tire and Sidon. 06:10 They're coming 06:11 from all directions 06:12 from the south, 06:13 from the east, from the 06:14 north, from the west. 06:17 They're all coming 06:18 to be with Jesus. 06:19 And what does He do? 06:21 Verse 10 ends with these words 06:23 He healed many. 06:26 So Jesus 06:26 躬nistry is not contracting. 06:28 It's expanding, if anything. 06:31 Now, just like we saw Moses 06:34 and Joseph 06:35 and Daniel 06:36 as examples of how God 06:38 can overrule Satan's attempts, 06:41 we see that 06:42 God had plans for Jesus. 06:44 How do we know what 06:45 those plans were? In fact, 06:47 how did Jesus know 06:49 what those plans were? 06:51 We've seen so far, 06:52 if you've been with us 06:53 from the beginning 06:54 of our series 06:55 on the Gospel of Mark, 06:56 that there is a very 06:57 tight connection 06:59 between the Gospel of Mark 07:00 and the Book of Daniel. 07:03 When Jesus begins 07:04 His ministry, 07:05 His very first words 07:06 out of His mouth. 07:07 Turn in your Bibles 07:08 if you'd like. 07:09 I challenge you 07:10 to find something 07:11 before Mark 1:15 where Jesus 07:14 is speaking. 07:15 Mark one verse 15. 07:16 The very first words 07:18 out of Jesus 07:18 躲uth is the time is fulfilled. 07:23 And we saw 07:23 when we looked at that, 07:25 it seems 07:26 the clearest explanation 07:27 for this is 07:28 that Jesus was being mindful 07:30 of that amazing time prophecy 07:32 in the book of Daniel. 07:33 Found in Daniel 07:34 Chapters 8 and 9. 07:36 Daniel 9 07:37 as it's going through this 07:38 expansive prophecy, 07:40 focusing on a special period 07:42 of time, 07:43 a 70 week of year time frame. 07:48 It literally 07:49 brings us down to the year 07:50 27 A.D. 07:52 Now we don't have time to dive 07:53 into all that. 07:54 We've touched on that 07:55 some in this series. 07:56 But I want you to 07:57 look at the prophecy 07:59 that was being fulfilled 08:00 by Jesus듌nistry. 08:02 It's found in Daniel 9:24. 08:04 Some of the key verses 08:05 70 weeks are determined 08:07 for your people 08:08 and for your holy city 08:09 to finish the transgression, 08:11 to make an end of sins, 08:13 to make reconciliation 08:14 for iniquity, 08:16 to bring in everlasting 08:17 righteousness, 08:18 to seal up the vision 08:19 and prophecy 08:20 and to anoint the Most Holy. 08:23 Now, here's the simple point. 08:24 There's no way 08:25 God's people 08:26 could fulfill 08:27 this on their own. 08:29 But Jesus comes down 08:31 and Jesus, 08:33 the most 08:33 Holy one, comes down, 08:35 and He is the One 08:36 who is anointed 08:37 and He is the one 08:38 who wants 08:39 to bring this prophecy 08:40 to fulfillment. 08:42 Jesus was anointed in 27 A.D. 08:45 If you actually work 08:46 through the Bible 08:46 prophecy in Daniel 8 08:48 and 9, 08:48 you'll find that it brings 08:49 you right to 27 A.D. 08:51 The very year 08:52 when Jesus was baptized. 08:55 baptism was a 08:56 form of anointing. 08:58 Now some people say, well, 08:59 that's kind of a stretch. 09:00 How is baptism an anointing? 09:01 Those are my words. 09:02 Those arenឈhe Bible's words. 09:04 The words of Peter himself. 09:06 By the way, don't forget this 09:08 scholars and Bible students 09:11 alike, historians, 09:13 as well as those 09:15 looking at the Bible text, 09:17 have come to the conclusion 09:18 that Mark's Gospel 09:19 is largely influenced 09:22 by the story of Peter. 09:23 Peter and Mark, 09:24 as we saw earlier, 09:25 intimately associated. 09:27 And we're getting 09:28 especially a view 09:29 through Peter's eyes 09:31 as we read Mark's words. 09:32 But with that in mind, 09:33 this is actually Peter 09:34 giving the gospel 09:35 to Cornelius 09:36 and his family in Acts 10. 09:38 The word 09:39 which God sent 09:40 to the children of Israel. 09:41 Peter is speaking here, 09:42 preaching peace through 09:43 Jesus Christ was proclaimed 09:45 throughout all Judea 09:47 and began from Galilee 09:50 after the baptism 09:51 which John preached. 09:53 So the starting point 09:55 for Jesus듌nistry 09:56 in this summary statement 09:57 of the gospel 09:58 that Peter's giving begins 10:00 with the baptism. 10:01 Listen further. 10:02 How God anointed 10:03 Jesus of Nazareth 10:05 with the Holy Spirit 10:06 and power is a clear 10:08 reference to Jesus꿿ptism. 10:10 And then 10:11 Jesus goes about doing good 10:12 and healing 10:13 all who were oppressed by 10:14 the devil for God was with Him. 10:16 So I want you to make 10:17 that connection. 10:18 Jesus sees this connection 10:20 with the Book of Daniel. 10:21 And I'm not just dreaming this. 10:24 It is overt in Jesus둕nguage. 10:27 We saw earlier in this series 10:30 that Jesus resorts 10:31 to the language 10:32 of the Book of Daniel 10:33 when He's 10:33 speaking about His 10:34 divine authority. 10:35 In Mark 2, 10:37 when Jesus is being questioned, 10:39 How can this man forgive sins? 10:41 Jesus says this, 10:42 but that you may know 10:43 that the Son of Man 10:46 has power on earth 10:47 to forgive sins. 10:48 We've looked. 10:48 We saw how this is 10:49 a divine statement. 10:51 Jesus is saying, 10:52 I am God in the flesh. 10:55 What is He referring to? 10:57 He's referring to Daniel 7. 10:59 In Daniel 7 11:00 this phrase is used 11:01 the Son of Man 11:02 for the Divine Personage, 11:04 the Son of God 11:05 who comes 11:06 to the Ancient of Days 11:07 the Father 11:08 in Heaven's 11:09 throne room 11:10 at the time of judgment. 11:12 So make this connection. 11:13 But you say, 11:14 oh, well, 11:14 these things are, you know, 11:15 the time fulfilled, Son of Man. 11:17 How do we really know that 11:18 Jesus, even 11:19 how do we even know 11:20 that Jesus knew anything 11:21 about the Book of Daniel? 11:23 Well, we'll get there, too. 11:24 But just as a preview, 11:26 Jesus specificly mentions 11:29 the book of Daniel. 11:30 In Mark 13 as Jesus is giving 11:34 that great prophetic discourse 11:36 on the Mount of Olives. 11:37 He points to the Book 11:38 of Daniel specifically. 11:40 You can check it out there. 11:41 And not only does 11:42 He point to the Book of Daniel, 11:44 Mark encourages 11:45 all of us as readers 11:47 to pay special attention 11:49 to the Book of Daniel. 11:51 What I'm trying to help 11:52 you see is in Jesus듌nd, 11:53 it's very apparent 11:54 the Book of Daniel 11:56 is front and center. 11:57 So with all that in mind, 11:59 think about this for a minute. 12:01 Think about this. 12:02 If Jesus realize He's called 12:05 to fulfill 12:06 this prophecy in Daniel 9 12:08 and as we look at the beginning 12:09 of Jesus듌nistry, 12:10 we see Him doing this. 12:12 Look at this list of things. 12:14 Do you see Jesus doing that? 12:16 And what we've 12:16 just read together 12:18 over the last several weeks, 12:20 we've seen that 12:21 Jesus is doing just this. 12:23 He's making an end 12:25 to transgression 12:25 and sins. He's 12:26 offering forgiveness. 12:28 Yes, He is going to 12:30 give His life 12:31 as a complete sacrifice later 12:33 in the gospel of Mark. 12:35 But He's laying the foundation 12:37 for this complete 12:38 reconciliation 12:40 and bringing in 12:41 everlasting righteousness 12:43 as Jesus, 12:44 the Lord, our righteousness. 12:48 So with that perspective, 12:49 then it seems 12:50 from the beginning 12:51 of the Gospel of Mark 12:52 that if we just 12:53 looked at Mark 1 12:55 things were looking 12:56 pretty good. 12:57 But the problem was 12:58 we got to Mark 2 13:00 and now we're in Mark 3 13:02 and something has become 13:03 very clear. 13:04 I hope you're seeing it. 13:06 That prophecy in Daniel 9 13:09 was especially to apply 13:11 to God's people, 13:12 including the holy 13:13 city of Jerusalem. 13:17 The greatest extent 13:19 of the Old Testament 13:20 Kingdom was under 13:21 the reign of Solomon. 13:22 And what you see happening in 13:24 Mark 3:7&8 13:25 is Jesus듌nistry is extending 13:29 to that whole realm. 13:30 Who was Solomon anyway? 13:33 He was the son of David. 13:35 Who else is the son of David? 13:38 Jesus himself, Right? 13:40 So we see this at this time 13:42 another son of David, 13:44 Jesus is actually 13:48 His reign, 13:49 His influence is extending over 13:51 that same realm 13:53 that Solomon reigned over. 13:54 And it seems like 13:55 the stage is being set for 13:56 Daniel 9 to be fulfilled. 14:01 But we 14:01 saw the religious 14:02 leaders are undermining 14:04 that plan. 14:05 So here's 14:05 the question 14:06 that I have for you. 14:07 If the religious 14:09 leaders would not repent, 14:12 do you think that Jesus 14:14 might have tried 14:15 to find another way 14:17 to fulfill 14:18 the prophecy of Daniel 9 14:21 Now, here's 14:22 the problem that we have. 14:23 We say, Well, 14:23 God knows everything. 14:25 Jesus is in daily 14:26 communion and hourly, moment 14:28 by moment, communion 14:29 with His Father. 14:31 Jesus can know 14:32 what's going to happen 14:33 in the future. 14:33 But as I read 14:34 through the Scriptures, 14:35 I see that even though 14:36 God has foreknowledge, 14:37 perfect foreknowledge, 14:39 it does not influence 14:41 His loving actions. 14:43 Okay? 14:44 You sometimes look 14:44 and you say, well, 14:45 why is God loving that person? 14:47 Why did He love Judas so much? 14:49 He knew what 14:49 Judas was going to do 14:50 because His foreknowledge 14:52 doesn't constrain 14:54 what He's going to do to try 14:55 to save as many as possible. 14:57 So I have to ask the question 14:58 if Jesus knew He was destined 15:00 to bring in 15:01 everlasting righteousness 15:02 for the Jewish nation 15:03 to accept Him, 15:04 do you think somewhere 15:06 in Jesus듌nd 15:07 He may have been thinking, 15:09 I have to reestablish 15:11 a new 12 tribes of Israel? 15:13 These current 12 tribes 15:14 are not accepting Me. 15:16 I think it's 15:17 an interesting question. 15:17 I'm not saying 15:19 that is the exclusive 15:20 or even the explanation 15:22 for what 15:22 follows in Mark 3, 15:24 but I think it is 15:25 something worth thinking about. 15:27 Because as Mark 3 continues, 15:29 here is what we read. 15:31 It says verse 13 15:34 The Bible says, 15:35 He went up on the mountain 15:37 and called to Him 15:39 those He Himself wanted. 15:42 And they came to Him. 15:44 Then He appointed 12. 15:48 Why 12? 15:50 Why, If Jesus 15:51 isn't thinking something 15:52 about reconstituting 15:53 the church, 15:54 why does he pick 15:54 that specific number? 15:58 Jesus. Yes. 15:59 He's already called 16:01 these individuals. 16:02 Some of them, 16:02 we've seen their calls. Right? 16:04 We saw James and John called. 16:05 We saw Peter and Andrew called. 16:07 We saw Matthew or Levi, 16:09 the tax collector called. 16:10 But now He's doing 16:11 something different. 16:12 He's not just 16:13 calling individuals. 16:14 He is calling to Himself 16:17 a body of believers, 16:19 12 in number. 16:20 He is calling 16:21 the New Testament 16:23 church together, if you will. 16:26 What does Jesus call the 12 to? 16:29 What is the purpose? 16:31 The passage continues. 16:33 Then He appointed 12 16:35 that they might be with Him 16:37 and that He might 16:38 send them out to preach 16:40 and to have power 16:40 to heal sickness 16:42 and to cast out demons. 16:44 What is Jesus been doing? 16:47 He's been doing just this. 16:48 Right? 16:48 He's been preaching. 16:50 He's been teaching. 16:51 He's been healing. 16:52 He's been healing 16:53 the demon possessed. 16:55 The disciples are being called 16:57 to the same purpose. 17:00 But don't miss this, okay? 17:02 Some of you noticed 17:03 we have entitled 17:04 this installment 17:06 in our series 17:07 on the Gospel of Mark 17:08 requirements for healing. 17:11 Now, there's a bit of 17:12 play on words there 17:14 because we're going to look 17:15 in our time together 17:17 at two sets of requirements 17:19 for healing. 17:21 One set of requirements 17:22 are requirements 17:23 that we need 17:23 to be healed ourselves. 17:25 So if you have a malady 17:27 that you're dealing 17:27 with spiritual or physical, 17:28 there are certain requirements 17:30 that you need to meet in 17:31 order to be healed. 17:32 Now, I know you could 17:34 say, well, 17:34 God could just 17:35 miraculously heal anybody 17:36 but normally 17:37 we need to cooperate 17:38 with God in that process. 17:40 Thereertain 17:40 requirements typically, 17:42 that are needed to be in place 17:44 before we're healed, 17:45 but then there's 17:46 also requirements 17:47 if we're going to be involved 17:48 in healing others. 17:50 So it's requirements 17:51 for healing, experiencing, 17:52 healing ourselves, 17:53 and the requirements 17:54 for being involved 17:54 in healing ministry to others. 17:56 We want to look at the second 17:58 of the two, first of all, 17:59 and I think already, hopefully 18:01 you're seeing 18:02 some implications here, 18:03 and that is 18:04 if God's kingdom is prospering 18:05 like we see in Jesus듌nistry, 18:07 like we saw with God's plans 18:09 for Israel 18:10 during the time of Pharaoh. 18:12 Like we saw with Joseph 18:14 and with Daniel. 18:14 If Godingdom is prospering 18:16 or God 18:17 is planning 18:18 a special work, 18:20 expect opposition. 18:22 Expect that there's 18:23 going to be problems 18:24 and also expect 18:25 that Jesus is going to call 18:27 those who are loyal to Him 18:29 to take a collective stand 18:31 in the face of opposition. 18:32 That's what He's calling 18:33 these disciples to do. 18:35 It's not just 18:35 calling individuals. 18:37 It's calling 18:38 a body of believers. 18:40 Now, here's 18:41 what I want you to notice. 18:42 As you look at this list. 18:43 Go on your Bibles to Matthew 3, 18:44 there is a list 18:45 of the disciples 18:46 there that are given, 18:47 the disciples, 18:48 the 12 are given by name. 18:50 And I want you to notice 18:51 something very interesting. 18:53 By the way, 18:54 if you compare other 18:55 lists of the disciples 18:56 throughout the Bible, 18:57 you will find something 18:59 noteworthy. 19:01 There are three disciples 19:02 that are always 19:03 mentioned first. 19:05 They are Peter, James and John. 19:08 Now, this would tend 19:10 to make us think 19:11 that in some way 19:12 these disciples 19:13 stood above the others. 19:14 And it's true. 19:15 They are Jesus 19:16 躲st inner circle, 19:18 His innermost circle, right? 19:20 So when Jesus is transfigured 19:23 and He appears 19:25 there with Moses and Elijah, 19:27 they're the ones actually 19:27 appearing with Him there. 19:28 But when you see that setting, 19:30 who is there with Jesus? 19:33 Peter, James and John. 19:36 When Jesus goes 19:37 into Gethsemani, 19:38 who are the three disciples 19:39 who He takes closest with Him? 19:42 Peter, James And John, 19:44 I want you to notice 19:45 though, in Mark, 19:46 there's something interesting 19:47 about these three. 19:48 Unlike the other nine, 19:50 these three are given names 19:53 by Jesus Himself. 19:55 They're all given names. 19:56 Now there's a lot of thoughts 20:00 into perhaps 20:01 why these names were given. 20:03 But I would like 20:03 to suggest to you 20:05 that instead of these names 20:06 being names of commendation, 20:09 they are names that implicitly 20:11 recognize the weakness 20:14 or the weaknesses 20:16 of these three 20:16 leading disciples. 20:18 Are you following 20:19 along with me? 20:20 Let's just let's just make sure 20:21 I'm telling you the truth here. 20:22 Check me out. 20:23 Okay. 20:24 So first of all, we're going to 20:25 look at the ones 20:26 that are mentioned second. 20:27 So first Peter's mentioned, 20:29 then James and John 20:31 How are James and John 20:32 named by Jesus? 20:34 Do you see it there 20:35 in chapter three? 20:37 Verse 17, Jesus 20:39 gives them the name Boanerges, 20:42 that means sons of thunder. 20:47 How many of you think 20:47 that was a commendation? 20:49 That they were 20:49 the sons of thunder? 20:50 If someone said, Boy, 20:51 you're a real son of thunder, 20:52 you're a real 20:53 daughter of thunder. 20:54 Do you think that would be 20:55 a commendation? 20:57 Well, as we have looked 20:59 some at this background, 21:00 we saw 21:02 that these guys 21:03 had a pretty hot temper, 21:04 so hot 21:05 at times that they thought, God 21:06 to just destroy whole cities. 21:08 Okay, 21:09 this is not a commendation. 21:12 Then what about the name Peter? 21:15 It means rock. 21:17 Now they're actually 21:17 different words 21:18 for rock in Greek. 21:19 We'll get there in a minute. 21:21 I don't know about you. 21:21 Have you ever met anyone 21:23 who was named Rock? 21:25 Okay, so some 21:26 of you are a rock. 21:29 I never met anyone growing up 21:32 that had a given name of Rock. 21:33 But when I was in grade school, 21:34 I met a guy 21:35 and he let me know 21:36 that he wanted 21:37 to be called Rock. 21:39 Later, 21:41 probably about 21:42 five, six years later, 21:43 I met another guy 21:44 where I was working 21:45 and he wanted to be known 21:46 as Rock. Okay? 21:49 Now, both of these guys 21:51 had a high opinion 21:52 of their own abilities 21:54 and their own physical stature 21:56 and that's why they wanted 21:57 to be called that. 21:57 So this was a name of 21:59 distinction, right? 22:00 They wanted me 22:01 to call them something 22:02 that gave them further stature. 22:04 Was that what Jesus was doing? 22:06 I mean, a lot of 22:06 people think this, 22:08 but if you actually look 22:09 at the Greek scholars, 22:12 for example, 22:13 Thayerreek lexicon, 22:15 this word, petros, 22:19 that Jesus uses 22:21 to refer to Peter by, 22:23 it actually means a stone 22:24 or a rock, a ledge or a cliff. 22:27 It metaphorically can mean 22:30 a soul, hard and unyielding, 22:33 so resembling a rock. 22:35 Is that good or bad? 22:36 Now, I told you 22:37 there's some other Greek words 22:38 for rocks. 22:39 I was dealing with 22:40 someone not long ago 22:42 who had just 22:44 been diagnosed 22:45 with nephrolithiasis. 22:47 Don't even know 22:48 what nephrolithiasis. 22:49 I see 22:50 some of the 22:50 medical professionals 22:51 professional smiling. 22:52 Yes, those are kidney stones. 22:54 You're saying yes, 22:55 I know what those are. 22:56 I'm not a medical professional, 22:57 but I've seen it 22:58 on my diagnosis. 22:59 Nephrolithiasis. 23:01 So Nephro refers 23:02 to the kidney. 23:03 lith is a stone. 23:05 It's a small stone 23:06 which is fitting 23:07 for kidney stones. 23:08 They can be very painful, 23:09 but they're always quite small, 23:10 relatively speaking. 23:11 Okay? 23:12 Compared to big boulders, 23:13 nothing like that in your body. 23:15 But there is another Greek word 23:18 for rock, 23:19 and that is petra, 23:21 as opposed to petros. 23:23 And this word is employed 23:24 in Matthew chapter 16. 23:26 Jesus, there is speaking. 23:28 You know this setting. 23:29 Jesus is at Caesarea Philippi, 23:32 and He asks 23:33 the disciples who He is. 23:35 Peter says, 23:36 You know, He confesses 23:37 that He's the Christ. 23:38 And Jesus said, 23:39 Blessed are you. 23:40 Simon Bar- Jonah, 23:41 son of Jonah 23:42 for flesh 23:42 and blood, 23:43 has not revealed this to you, 23:45 but my Father, 23:46 who is in heaven, 23:46 and I tell you, you are petros, 23:49 and on this rock, petra, 23:51 I will build my church. 23:53 Is Jesus making a 23:56 comparison of similarity 23:59 or a comparison of difference? 24:01 And most scholars 24:02 that I've read believe it's 24:04 a comparison of difference. 24:07 Lexicon says 24:08 some interpretations 24:10 regard the distinction 24:11 generally observed 24:12 in the classic Greek 24:13 between petra, 24:14 it's a Greek spelling there, 24:16 the massive living rock 24:18 and petros, 24:20 a detached but large fragment. 24:22 In other words, 24:22 Jesus is the petra. 24:25 Peter's confession of 24:26 Jesus is the Petra. 24:28 That's the rock 24:29 that you can base 24:30 your faith on. 24:31 Yes, Peter is a rock, 24:33 but he's not the kind of rock 24:35 you want to base your faith on. 24:37 The rock 24:38 that Peter is, 24:39 I think is better explained. 24:42 Not by Matthew 16. 24:43 And here 24:44 I should just point out, 24:45 remember, Mark's 24:46 gospel is informed by Peter. 24:48 Mark says 24:48 nothing about this comparison 24:51 between petra and petros. 24:54 It's not mentioned 24:55 in Mark's gospel. 24:56 And the reason I mention this, 24:57 if Peter thought 24:58 this was so important 24:59 to understand his identity, 25:01 I think there'd be 25:02 a good likelihood 25:03 that it would be in 25:03 Mark's gospel. 25:04 This is not 25:05 what Peter is seeing 25:06 his identity 25:07 defined by his confession 25:09 of Jesus being 25:11 and him being the rock. 25:13 No, quite to the contrary. 25:15 Look at 25:17 Peter's example 25:18 in Mark's Gospel. 25:19 Mark Chapter 14 records 25:21 this Jesus has just said 25:23 to all the disciples, 25:25 You're going to all fall away. 25:27 I'm going to strike 25:27 the shepherd. 25:28 That's Jesus. 25:28 The sheep 25:29 are going to be scattered. 25:30 And then here's 25:31 what Peter says. 25:32 Jesus is just told 25:33 what's going to happen. 25:34 Peter says, 25:34 Oh, even if 25:37 Jesus acts like, Peter, 25:38 did you hear me? Tonight, 25:40 before the rooster crows twice, 25:42 you are going to disown me 25:44 three times. 25:45 What does Peter do? 25:46 He's having an argument 25:47 with Jesus. Okay? 25:49 Jesus is telling him 25:50 what's going to happen. 25:51 This I don't know 25:52 what this looks like to you, 25:53 but this is someone 25:54 with a pretty hard 25:55 heart, right? 25:56 Jesus is telling him 25:57 what's going to happen. 25:58 No, no, no, Lord, 25:59 I'm going to never 25:59 if I even have to die, I'm 26:01 never going to disown you. 26:02 Peter, Peter, Peter. 26:05 You know what? 26:06 These designations, 26:08 although they have an element 26:12 of warning 26:13 in the very names 26:14 Jesus gives them, 26:16 they also 26:16 those characteristics 26:18 could be employed for good. 26:19 Yes. 26:20 Peter would stand firm 26:22 after Pentecost. 26:23 Yes, James 26:24 and John 26:25 would use their force 26:26 of character for Jesus. 26:29 Being with Jesus 26:31 is what these disciples 26:32 were called to be. 26:34 And I want to challenge you. 26:35 I want to challenge you 26:37 to realize that God is calling 26:39 you too. 26:40 To be with Jesus 26:42 and to be part 26:43 of a body of believers. 26:46 That is one of the secrets 26:48 to healing ministry. 26:51 Jesus indeed 26:53 wants us to experience 26:54 His healing power, 26:55 that healing power 26:56 that we see 26:57 in the Gospel of Mark. 26:58 He also longs for you 27:00 to be an agent of healing. 27:02 With that in mind, 27:03 I invite you to take advantage 27:05 of our website 27:06 TimelessHealingInsights.org. 27:09 We've got a whole host 27:10 of resources, 27:10 different types 27:11 of programs, things 27:13 that can help 27:13 your physical health 27:14 and your emotional health, 27:15 things that you can share 27:16 with others. 27:18 And why don't you pray about 27:20 praying for this ministry? 27:21 We really depend on you 27:23 to keep us going, to encourage 27:24 us to help us be relevant. 27:26 And we also value 27:27 your financial support. 27:29 Your donations are 27:30 things that help 27:31 keep this show on the air. 27:34 Keep it in production. 27:35 Let's pray together. 27:36 Father in Heaven. 27:37 Thank you 27:38 that you are the 27:39 great physician 27:41 and that you want us to be 27:42 the under physicians. 27:43 The assistants 27:45 in that grand work 27:46 of healing on planet Earth. 27:48 Help us to continue 27:49 to press close to You 27:50 and to experience 27:52 that healing power in us 27:53 and through us, 27:54 We ask, in Jesus name, Amen. |
Revised 2023-05-12