Today’s Reading: 1 Kings 8:54–9:28, Mark 6:7–44, Prov 2:16–22

Today’s Theme: Teaching and Miracles

The ministry of Jesus was defined by two activities, teaching the truths about God and the kingdom, and performing miracles.

As His ambassadors, our lives should be defined by His teaching and our faith in His supernatural power to perform miracles today, to the glory of God.

1 Kings 8:54–9:28

God backs His talk

“Blessed be the Lord who has given rest to his people Israel, according to all that he promised. Not one word has failed of all his good promise, which he spoke by Moses his servant.(1 Kings 8:56, ESV)

God is ultimately able to come good on His word, like no one else can on theirs.

May God incline your heart

that he may incline our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments, his statutes, and his rules, which he commanded our fathers.(1 Kings 8:58, ESV)

We need God to incline our hearts to Him so that we walk in His ways.

The Lord is God

that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God; there is no other.(1 Kings 8:60, ESV)

One of God’s great ultimate purposes is that He alone is God.

Be wholly true

Let your heart therefore be wholly true to the Lord our God, walking in his statutes and keeping his commandments, as at this day.”(1 Kings 8:61, ESV)

Not a superficial show of obedience, but heartfelt passion for God with singular devotion.

Mark 6:7–44

Authority over unclean spirits

And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits.(Mark 6:7, ESV)

Authority over unclean spirits comes from Jesus directly.

Gospel proclamation

So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent.(Mark 6:12, ESV)

Their primary job was Gospel proclamation.

Hear and change

for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he heard him gladly.(Mark 6:20, ESV)

Lord, save us from being like Herod, hearing Your word and being perplexed by what we hear, hearing it gladly and even enjoying the oratory, but not changing.

Rest is important

And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.(Mark 6:31, ESV)

After successful ministry must come rest.

The priority of teaching

When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things.(Mark 6:34, ESV)

Jesus always began with teaching, not with miracles. Miracles without the clear teaching of God’s truth, will not ultimately help anyone.

Don’t be limited by human thinking

But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.” And they said to him, “Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?”(Mark 6:37, ESV)

The question betrays the fact that we so often think with our own human limitations. God is able to do the supernatural.

Pass it on

And taking the five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And he divided the two fish among them all.(Mark 6:41, ESV)

This miracle appears to be a parallel to the sending out of the disciples, to teach what Christ had taught them. You should share what the Lord has entrusted to you.

An astounding miracle

And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men.(Mark 6:44, ESV)

This was a huge miracle, we can become so familiar with these account, so just stop and think about how great a miracle this was.

Proverbs 2:16–22

Escape adultery

So you will be delivered from the forbidden woman, from the adulteress with her smooth words,(Proverbs 2:16, ESV)

It seems that without the wisdom God supplies, it is difficult to escape adultery. In the spiritual sense of the forbidden woman of sin and adultery, in fake worship, it is impossible to escape without God’s wisdom, which is manifest in Jesus.

Most of the above post is a copy of the original notes from the same date in 2014.

Additional resources

The Gospel Coalition on Mark 6