Jean's Bible Study Topics of the New Testament

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Mk 1-1 -- No Entries

Mk 1,2-4

· (8h) Responsible to interact with God Ø Preparing for revival –  I don’t know how many of us have actually experienced true spiritual revival. There is a revival that is set to occur prior to Christ’s return and there are some things we can do to ready ourselves for it. They are quickly outlined in these verses. It says, "Make His paths straight." Although this portion of Scripture is about the first coming of Christ, there are many similarities between it and His soon-to-be second coming. One thing we can do to prepare for revival is to repent of our crookedness as in Jesus' first appearance. John The Baptist went about preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, so when Christ showed up, He could build on John's foundation of repentance with a baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire. John The Baptist broke the ice as it were for Christ to follow after him. Essentially therefore, preparing for revival is a matter of repentance.

· (7i) Preparing Process (Key verse)

· (142c) Witness Ø Validity of Jesus Christ Ø Old Testament bears witness to the new Ø Prophesy about evangelism

Mk 1-4,5

· (149b) Witness Ø Validity of Jesus Christ Ø Works of the church bear witness to Jesus Ø Evangelism Ø Three key messages in evangelism Ø Repentance -- These verses go with verses 14&15

Mk 1-4

· (90k) Thy kingdom come Ø Unless you keep the law you will not see heaven -- The Bible teaches that the one who lives in sin cannot be born again by evidence of that sin. Sin is not proof that the person does not know God (because everyone sins), but it stands as evidence against them that the person has not assimilated the truth. How can God forgive us of sin that we continue to practice? One difference between a non-Christian and a Christian is: one feels free to sin while the other feels in bondage to it. Jesus freed us from the bondage of the law by furnishing us with the Holy Spirit as a means of obtaining  victory over sin. He didn't deliver us from the requirements of the law, but provided us with a better way of meeting its objectives. It is good to feel sorry for our sin, and it is good to ask God to forgive our sin (and He will), but if it never translates into repentance (a termination of that sin), our victory over sin is not complete. Jesus obtained complete victory over the spirit of sin, so we can apply that victory to our lives and obtain forgiveness and repentance from God. 

· (193b) Die to self (Process of substitution) Ø Repent Ø Turn from your evil ways Ø Turn from sin

Mk 1-5

· (144a) Witness Ø Validity of Jesus Christ Ø Witnesses of Jesus Ø Popularity Ø Men who follow God are popular -- People who have a tight bond with God are usually not loved by the world, but they are often popular, that is, people know who they are. Sometimes they are the ones people consult when they have problems and want spiritual guidance. They usually practice the most empathy and seem to have the most insight on problems that people confront. They often know best what to say and feel comfortable talking about discomforting and personal issues in confidence that no one else will ever hear about them.  

Mk 1-6

· (105l) Thy kingdom come Ø Led by the Spirit into the fire Ø Into the wilderness -- Look at the way John the Baptist lived as a means of preparing for his ministry, which was to pave the way for Jesus as He steps into His ministry, that we may understand how we the church in the last days may have to live as a means of preparing the way for His return. John was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to get away from the distractions of city life, human interactions and relationships with other people that demand his attention, so that he might concentrate fully on the Spirit who was speaking in him. 

Mk 1-7

· (252a) Trinity Ø You shall put no other gods before Me Ø Worship Jesus (Because He is equal with God) Ø Jesus is worthy of our worship Ø Worship Jesus for His inherent worthiness

Mk 1-8

· (190k) Die to self (Process of substitution) Ø Separation from the old man Ø Baptism of the Holy Spirit

Mk 1,9-11 

· (113a) Thy kingdom come Ø The anointing Ø Heaven’s clothes Ø Protection Ø Covering

Mk 1-12,13

· (105m) Thy kingdom come Ø Led by the Spirit into the fire Ø Led by the Spirit to be led by the devil

Mk 1-12

· (216f) Sovereignty Ø God overrides the will of man Ø God’s will over man Ø Compelled by the Spirit Ø God forces His bond-servants to do His will

Mk 1-13

· (15c) Servant Ø Ministering spirits Ø Angels give help in time of need

· (46f) Judgment Ø Spiritual warfare Ø Fall of Satan Ø Resisting Satan’s deception

· (160h) Works of the devil Ø Satan’s attitude determines our direction Ø Overcoming temptation Ø Jesus was tempted

Mk 1-14,15

· (149b) Witness Ø Validity of Jesus Christ Ø Works of the church bear witness to Jesus Ø Three key messages in evangelism Ø Repentance -- These verses go with verses 4&5

Mk 1-15

· (193c) Die to self (Process of substitution) Ø Turn from sin to God Ø Repent Ø Turn to God

· (214j) Sovereignty Ø God controls time Ø God’s time is soon Ø God’s time is always now

Mk 1-16 -- No Entries

Mk 1-17

· (93f) Thy kingdom come Ø Following Jesus Ø Leaving everything behind to follow Him -- This verse goes with verse 20

· (216e) Sovereignty Ø God overrides the will of man Ø God’s will over man Ø Compelled by the Spirit Ø God takes advantage of your love for Him Ø God’s spirit is irresistible -- What was it that made every disciple follow Jesus whom He chose? That question is partly answered in that Jesus spent hours in prayer the night before. Nevertheless, Had someone else approached them, they would not have listened, but Jesus came along and said a few words and off they went, no questions asked, sacrificing their current way of life just to be with Him. If you have ever felt the compulsion of the Holy Spirit in your own life, you would begin to understand the experience the disciples had the day they met Jesus. God made man for Himself, so when He calls you, it feels more right than anything that will ever happen to you. 

· (238e) Kingdom of God Ø Pursuing the kingdom Ø The kingdom is transferred to the church Ø The new creation is our spiritual identity

Mk 1-18,19 -- No Entries

Mk 1-20

· (93f) Thy kingdom come Ø Leaving everything behind to follow Jesus -- This verse goes with verse 17

Mk 1-21,22 

· (66j) Jesus’ authority Ø His words are the authority of God

Mk 1,23-26

· (146b) Witness Ø Validity of Jesus Christ Ø Jesus’ works bear witness of Himself Ø Demon possession Ø Human state Ø Their behavior Ø Epilepsy

· (182j) Works of the devil Ø The origin of lawlessness Ø Deception Ø Being deceptive with people Ø Telling the truth with an evil motive --  These verses go with verse 34. Jesus didn't let the demon speak or give glory to God by addressing Him as the "holy one of God" for two reasons: He didn't want His identity as the Son of God to become common knowledge, and He didn't want the demon to confuse the bystanders. He didn't want His identity splashed around because people would have distorted their concept of Him even more than they did without knowledge, and He didn't want demons preaching the gospel because they are incapable of telling the truth. As in this very example, if Satan were to speak the truth it would still be a lie, because he is the opposite of God who is the truth, and he has motives of destruction in everything he says and does. Simply, his identity as the "liar and the father of lies" will not allow him to speak the truth. The only way this demon can give glory to God is to come out of the man he possessed at Jesus' word. 

Mk 1-23

· (145g) Witness Ø Validity of Jesus Christ Ø Jesus’ works bear witness of Himself Ø Demon possession Ø Human state Ø Filthiness Ø That which Is unclean

Mk 1-24,25

· (146d) Witness Ø Validity of Jesus Christ Ø Jesus’ works bear witness of Himself Ø Demon possession Ø Human state Ø They know the Holy Spirit

Mk 1-24

· (47d) God Judges the world Ø Hell is a place of destruction

· (49g) Judgment Ø God judges the world Ø Enemies of God’s will are destroyed

Mk 1-27

· (71c) Authority Ø Believer’s authority Ø We have authority over demons

· (165c) Works of the devil Ø Manifestations of the devil Ø The world is at enmity with God Ø The world is wicked -- Jesus was born in a generation that was familiar with demon possession. Rampant demon possession is the last stage any society goes through just prior to its total collapse (mostly because of all the wickedness they did to invite the demons to come live with them). Since demon possession is the trademark of a wicked generation, this indicates that the last days will also encounter the same problem of demons wanting to crawl inside peoples' souls and take up residence there, being that it too is predicted to be a perverse generation to the extent that it will end all other subsequent generations. In many other respects Jesus' second coming is the mirror image of His first visit. Demon possession was so common in Jesus' day that the people even gave it a name; they called them the unclean spirits. At least people back then knew they were living in a spiritual world. Our society does not accept the notion of spirits because of our scientific slant on our observations, so that if demon possession were to become common in our society, we would probably explain it away as some medical aberration. 

Mk 1-28

· (143g) Witness Ø Validity of Jesus Christ Ø Witnesses of Jesus Ø Popularity Ø Sought commendably Ø seeking Jesus to be healed -- This verse goes with verses 32-45

Mk 1-29 -- No Entries

Mk 1-30,31

· (144j) Witness Ø Validity of Jesus Christ Ø Jesus’ works bear witness of Himself Ø Methods of healing Ø Healed by Jesus’ touch -- These verses go with verses 40-42

Mk 1,32-45

· (143g) Witness Ø Validity of Jesus Christ Ø Witnesses of Jesus Ø Popularity Ø Sought commendably Ø seeking Jesus to be healed -- These verses go with verse 28

· (100i) Devotion (Fulfilling your commitment to intensity) (Key verse)

Mk 1,32-34

· (101a) Thy kingdom come Ø Devotion in your ministry to people Ø Devoted to ministering to their spiritual needs

· (145c) Witness Ø Validity of Jesus Christ Ø Jesus’ works bear witness of Himself Ø Jesus healed them all

Mk 1-34

· (182j) Works of the devil Ø The origin of lawlessness Ø Deception Ø Being deceptive with people Ø Telling the truth with an evil motive -- This verse goes with verses 23-26; refer to these verses for commentary

Mk 1,35-38

· (51h) Judging the Church with the world Ø No partiality among us with God -- Everyone was looking for Jesus and His response was to leave them behind and go somewhere else to the towns nearby. If they want to seek Him, they can go find Him there ministering to others who need Him just as much. 

· (100m) Thy kingdom come Ø Devotion Ø In your ministry to people Ø Devoted to ministering to their physical needs

Mk 1-35

· (82g) Thy kingdom come Ø Three elements of prayer Ø Where to pray -- Where you pray is important; you have to go to the place that makes you feel most comfortable in prayer. Has God spoken to you somewhere? Go back there and make it your personal prayer closet and see if you can break through there easier than at other places. If you think it is spooky-spiritual to adopt a place of prayer, that you should be able to go anywhere and pray, don't knock results; if you can break through better there, then so be it. If you think you will hear from the wrong spirits that way, test them against the word of God; if what you are hearing stands the test of Scripture, what demon is going to consistently teach you the word of God? You should be judging everything you hear from God, and let others judge it too. If it works to find a place of prayer, then I guess Jesus was on to something -- how about that!

Mk 1-39

· (146e) Witness Ø Validity of Jesus Christ Ø Jesus’ works bear witness of Himself Ø Deliverance from demon possession Ø Casting out spirits with a word

Mk 1,40-45

· (150g) Witness Ø Validity of Jesus Christ Ø Works of the church bear witness of Jesus Ø Confessing what Jesus has done

· (181b) Works of the devil Ø Practicing witchcraft Ø Rebelling against the witness of God

· (185l) Works of the devil Ø The result of lawlessness Ø Blasphemy Ø Unwilling to obey the revelation from heaven Ø Unwilling to walk in God’s freedom

· (196e) Denying Christ Ø Man exercises his will against God Ø Not mature enough to die to self Ø Unable to obey God

· (199a) Denying Christ Ø Man exercises his will against God Ø Frustrating the grace of God Ø Frustrating Jesus’ ministry

Mk 1,40-42

· (144j) Witness Ø Validity of Jesus Christ Ø Jesus’ works bear witness of Himself Ø Healing Ø Methods of healing Ø Healed by Jesus’ touch -- These verses go with verses 30&31

Mk 1-41

· (123e) Thy kingdom come Ø Manifestations of faith Ø Love Ø Spiritual affection Ø Compassion Ø Being willing because you are able -- It is one thing to be able to bless someone, but it is quite another thing to be willing. There are many capable people who are not willing to use there gifts to bless other people in need. The question in peoples' minds about God has never been whether He is able to do something for us, but whether He is willing to forgive us and love us. Those three words that Jesus spoke, "I am willing," speaks volumes about the character of God and points directly at God's motive for sending His Son to save us from our sin. The man who was healed demonstrated faith and insight by his words in the power of Christ, implying that the only limiting factor was Jesus' willingness to heal him, but his actions did not display that same kind of faith and insight in Jesus' instruction to keep quite, but became a burden to Christ as the cause for Him to modify His ministry and withdraw from populated areas.  

Mk 1,43-45

· (20l) Sin Ø Disobedience Ø Paying no attention to the word

· (176d) Works of the devil Ø The religion of witchcraft Ø Zeal without knowledge (Spirit w/o the word) Ø Conviction without commandment -- This man was excited enough about what Jesus did for Him, but it was as though he never heard what Jesus commanded him to do. First, Jesus told him not to blab it all over town, and then it never says whether he showed himself to the priest to get an authoritative ruling of his cleansing

· (179d) Works of the devil Ø Practicing witchcraft Ø Wolves stir up the crowd through jealousy

· (202i) Denying Christ Ø Man chooses his own destiny apart from God Ø Running from God Ø Running from walking in faith Ø Running from God through disobedience

Mk 2,1-12

· (46d) Judgment Ø Spiritual warfare Ø Subjecting your flesh Ø Hindrances to the kingdom

· (123e) Thy kingdom come Ø Manifestations of faith Ø Love Ø Spiritual affection Ø Compassion Ø Being willing because you are able

· (241f) Kingdom of God Ø Opposition toward the kingdom of God Ø Hindering the kingdom Ø Obstacles in the way of the kingdom Ø Obstacles that keep you from Jesus

Mk 2,1-4

· (136j) Temple Ø Your spirit is the temple of God Ø Body of Christ is the temple of God -- Consider this analogy: The house where Jesus was staying represents the temple of the Holy Spirit, the observation that Jesus was teaching the people in the house represents the Holy Spirit indwelling the believer. You could go a step further and say that the house represents the church and the people within the house are the saints of God. 

· (143g) Witness Ø Validity of Jesus Christ Ø Witnesses of Jesus Ø Popularity Ø Sought commendably Ø Seeking Jesus to be healed

Mk 2,2-12

· (145e) Witness Ø Validity of Jesus Christ Ø Jesus’ works bear witness of Himself Ø Healing Ø Pursuing the healing power of God

Mk 2-2

· (79j) Thy kingdom come Ø Know the word Ø Listen to the word Ø Listen to Jesus

· (255d) Trinity Ø Holy Spirit’s relationship between Father and Son Ø God’s word is Spirit Ø Jesus is the word of the Spirit Ø Jesus is the authority of God’s word 

Mk 2,3-12

· (28a) Gift of God Ø God is our advocate Ø God protects the faith of His people -- It was a very radical decision to tear that roof apart to get to Jesus. Had someone else been in charge they would have stopped those guys immediately, but they damaged the roof in faith. Jesus has a better set of priorities than ours, knowing that the roof can be fixed after considering that faith is far more rare and valuable than the labor and material of repairing the roof. The question is: To what extent are we willing to go and what sacrifices are we willing to make to secure the presence of Jesus in our own lives? If someone tells us to stop, will we stop, or are we convinced that what we are doing is right, and know that whatever expenses accrue in attaining the presence of God will take care of themselves?

· (32l) Gift of God Ø Father will honor your devotion to Him Ø He will honor your faith

· (98j) Thy kingdom come Ø Endurance Ø (Faith à Suffering [Circumstances] à Glory [Victory])

· (99n) Thy kingdom come Ø Perseverance (Working to keep in motion) Ø Persevere in faith

· (101e) Thy kingdom come Ø Zeal does not count the cost Ø Zeal goes to extremes

· (193l) Die to self (Process of substitution) Ø Turn from sin to God Ø Run to God in your freedom to choose righteousness -- These guys demonstrated tremendous faith because Jesus was there. They could not have called on God this bravely without Him. Therefore, if the Holy Spirit visits you in a special way, take full advantage of it, be bold enough to ask Him for the things you need that only He can give while He is in town, and make sure to do whatever He says. Once He leaves, you don't know when He will return to offer you another opportunity to believe in Him this fearlessly and to see the power of God demonstrated in your life. 

· (226k) Kingdom of God Ø Illustrating the kingdom Ø Rewards of heaven Ø God rewards us for obeying Him Ø Rewarded for believing in God

· (236j) Kingdom of God Ø Pursuing the kingdom Ø Invest in the treasures of the kingdom Ø Invest your life in God’s faith

Mk 2,3-5

· (115k) Thy kingdom come Ø Working the grace of God through the obedience of faith Ø Through diligence -- These verses go with verses 9-12. The grace of God came to town that day and these guys were going to take full advantage of the opportunity; they were not going to let anyone get in their way. Since God has made His grace available to us, we should not allow anything to step in our way of benefiting from His love. We most often do not receive God's grace sitting in our easy chair, but God usually has something for us to do as a learning experience and as a way of overcoming obstacles that naturally occur. As in this example, these guys went through the roof to negotiate an appointment with Jesus. Maybe God has something for you to do in order to receive or understand His grace a little better, such as becoming a student of His word. Whatever His calling, if it sounds a little radical, don't let that detour you from pursuing it, because by this example of Scripture, He could just lead you that way. 

· (129l) Thy kingdom come Ø Manifestations of faith Ø Unity Ø Being in one accord Ø Single minded Ø Going to any limit to fulfill God’s will

Mk 2-4,5

· (176l) Works of the devil Ø The religion of witchcraft Ø False doctrine Ø Extremes Ø Exception to the rule; going to extremes to love God

Mk 2,5-13

· (62j) Paradox Ø Anomalies Ø Being clever Ø Let the Holy Spirit vindicate you -- If God has called you to do something, do it. If someone tries to stop you, drive-on until you reach your goal. Let God answer the one who gets in your way. Once you achieve your objective, what you were doing will make more sense, but until then, most people won't understand. 

Mk 2,5-12

· (120h) Thy kingdom come Ø Manifestations of faith Ø Forgiveness is an act of mercy Ø God forgives us through His power

· (178l) Works of the devil Ø The religion of witchcraft Ø Hypocrisy Ø Jesus rebukes the Pharisees Ø Rebuked for having no love for God

Mk 2-5

· (32d) Gift of God Ø God is our Father Ø The grace of God’s healing power

· (59b) Paradox Ø Two implied meanings Ø Your sins are forgiven / You are healed -- What can we conclude when Jesus says "You are forgiven" and "You are healed," and it means the same thing? For one thing, we can conclude that it is no harder for Him to heal a person than it is to forgive him, suggesting that the showing of one is a sign of receiving the other. The Pharisees rightly said that only God can forgive sin, but what is the sign that Jesus can forgive sin? It is better to ask, who else can heal a person's body simply through His touch besides God alone? Jesus proved His His deity and thus His authority to forgive sins by healing the paralytic. Secondly, He had to pay for both our forgiveness and our healing on the cross (Isaiah 53-5,6). Thirdly, if you are open to let Jesus heal you, then you should be open for Him to forgive you; it would be pointless to let Him heal you but not let Him forgive you, and visa-versa. Fourthly, it means that bitterness is responsible for resisting both His forgiveness and His healing. 

· (88f) Thy kingdom come Ø Faith produces works Ø The purpose of our works done in faith

Mk 2,6-12

· (68l) Authority Ø Discernment Ø Judging between truth and error Ø Perceiving false reasoning

· (158g) Works of the devil Ø Essential characteristics Ø Divide and conquer Ø Division (Cliques) Ø Special interest groups

Mk 2,7-12

· (253a) Trinity Ø Relationship between Father and Son Ø Jesus is equal with the Father Ø Jesus has all the external qualities of the Father Ø Son has equal authority with the Father -- This is a great portion of scripture referencing the great truth that Jesus is equal with God. To get the full impact of these verses you must first realize that the Pharisees were absolutely correct in their assessment of the Old Testament, that no one can forgive sins but God alone. (The Pharisees were no doubt evil, but they were also highly educated in the Old Testament Scriptures.) From there Jesus proved His authority from God by healing the man they lowered to Him. The question is: if Jesus were bearing false witness about His authority to forgive sin, (breaking one of God's commandments, "you shall not bear false witness") then why would God give Him the power to heal the paralytic, since God cannot lie (Tit 1-2, Heb 6-18)? Again, If this miracle proves that Jesus has authority to forgive sin and consequently proves that He is equal with God, then not just this miracle, but every miracle recorded in Scripture acts as proof of His equality with the Father. This indicates that the Bible is packed full of references delineating the trinity. Anyone who rejects the trinity doesn't like to talk about Jesus' miracles, because they get in the way of what they have chosen to believe.  

Mk 2-8

· (18f) Sin Ø False Judgment lacks evidence Ø Accusing God

Mk 2,9-12

· (115k) Thy kingdom come Ø Working the grace of God Ø Through obedience of faith Ø Through diligence -- These verses go with verses 3-5. The paralytic received the green light from Jesus to rise off that pallet and carry it home with him, but he still had the option to remain a paralytic on the pallet, unhealed by Jesus' words. Working the grace of God is a matter of utilizing the gifts that God gives to you to the fullest, as opposed to squandering them. A picture of squandering the gifts according to this example would be for the paralytic to remain on the pallet waiting for God to heal him. What would he be expecting God to do for him, physically pull him off the pallet, or take him be the hand? We are not in control of how God meets our needs, but we are in control of learning more about what God expects from us; He expects us to be a part of the healing process. In this case the man was diligent and walked off the pallet as a paralytic and stood to his feet totally healed. That took faith, which is the common ingredient that we supply in everything God does for us. 

· (146k) Witness Ø Validity of Jesus Christ Ø Jesus’ works bear witness of Himself Ø Purpose of Miracles, Signs and Wonders get peoples’ attention to hear the word

Mk 2-10

· (66k) Authority Ø Lordship of Christ Ø Jesus’ authority Ø Jesus has authority over man

Mk 2-14 -- No Entries

Mk 2,15-17

· (207l) Salvation Ø Salvation verses Ø The kindness of God Ø God is kind to sinners

Mk 2,18-20

· (189k) Die to self (Process of substitution) Ø Separation from the old man Ø Masochism (Self-made martyr) Ø Fasting is a state of mourning

Mk 2,19-22

· (225k) Kingdom of God Ø Illustrating the kingdom Ø Parables about the wedding feast

Mk 2-21,22

· (132i) Temple Ø Your body is the temple of God Ø Holy Spirit is in God’s people Ø Filled with the Spirit Ø Filled with the blessing of God

· (166l) Works of the devil Ø Manifestations of the devil Ø The carnal mind cannot discern between good and evil Ø The old mind -- Note in the parable that it is the new patch pulling away from the old cloth. In other words, it is the Spirit who is repulsed by the flesh, and not so much the other way around. Although people who live in the flesh do not understand and despise the things of the Spirit, the Spirit Himself has a bigger problem with the things of the flesh, and that includes the things of the fleshly Christian. The Holy Spirit is repulsed by the fleshly behavior of His people, but remains committed, working with them to become more spiritually minded and thus more Christ-like. 

· (199c) Denying Christ Ø Man exercises his will against God Ø Frustrating the grace of God Ø Frustrating Jesus Ø Frustrating the Holy Spirit

· (222e) Kingdom of God Ø The elusive kingdom of heaven Ø Do not give what is holy to dogs Ø God does not entrust his treasures to dogs Ø If you are unfaithful, God won’t bother with you

Mk 2,23-28

· (79l) Thy kingdom come Ø Know the word as a sword in spiritual warfare Ø To defend yourself from religion -- The Pharisees seized upon certain laws and obeyed them to the hilt, and as we all know ignored other laws like justice and mercy.... They were excessive and obsessive about keeping the Sabbath, defining the slightest hand movement as work and thus unlawful. They sabotaged the constraints of the Sabbath until fulfilling it was more work than plowing your field. They lost sight of the very purpose of the law, which was meant to guarantee everyone at least one day off work a week to devote to the service and worship of God. They twisted the law around until they made Israel serving the Sabbath instead of the Sabbath serving them. It was just one more form of bondage they imposed on the people to compel them to give more money for their many sins. 

· (178k) Works of the devil Ø The religion of witchcraft Ø Hypocrisy Ø Jesus rebukes the Pharisees for accusing Him of Sin

Mk 2-27

· (19g) Sin Ø Having the mental disease of the world Ø Man’s twisted understanding

· (248k) Priorities Ø God’ s preeminence Ø The Highest Values Ø Some things take precedence over others

Mk 2-28

· (66c) Authority Ø Lordship of Christ Ø Jesus is Lord of His people

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