Flask in the Desert

A great number of people heard of all that He was doing and came to Him. (Mark 3:8b [NASB])

Imagine you have been walking in the desert for two weeks and you ran out of water two days ago. You come to a place with nothing except sand in sight then see a bulging flask. You cannot survive without fluids more than another day, so do you determine what is in the flask? Do you tell yourself the flask is for someone else? Do you drink of the water and live to tell the story?

Why all these questions? Because these may be the same types of questions the people in Mark 3:7-12 had. Four groups of beings meet Jesus in this Scripture passage–the crowd of people, the disciples, the Pharisees and scribes, and the demons (unclean spirits). Which of these beings are you like?

The crowd that clamored toward Jesus came from all over Judah, Israel, and from Phoenicia. These people had heard of Jesus healing people by Him touching them and by people touching the hem of His cloak. These people fell over themselves to fall upon Jesus so that His power would heal them. They clamored to see what would happen around Jesus this time. Most of the people did not journey to see the Son of man, as Jesus called Himself in Mark’s gospel. They came to watch the “magic”. They did not trust Jesus was the prophesied Messiah.

The disciples walked with Jesus to the sea because He called them to follow Him. As of that time, many of them did not believe in Him as the Son of man, as Daniel prophesied in Daniel 7:13-14. They followed Jesus because He commanded them and He spoke with authority, healed people, and cast out demons. This man, Jesus, amazed them. Mark often used these exclamations of amazement.

The Pharisees and scribes had watched and listened as Jesus taught with authority, healed with power and authority, cast out demons with power and authority, and challenged them about who He is, the Son of man. Jesus further explained to them He has authority over the sabbath. From Mark 3:1, these Pharisees and scribes sought a way to remove Jesus and His power over the people. They did not want their own power to decrease by Jesus becoming the leader the people followed. The Pharisees determined to arrest Jesus for breaking the law so they could kill Him. They reasoned by doing that, they could regain their power and authority over the people. The Pharisees and scribes did not recognize Jesus as the Son of man or Son of God.

The unclean spirits (demons) from Mark 1:23-3:12 proclaimed Jesus to be the Son of man and the Son of God, then fell at His feet in prostration. Each time they said these things, Jesus commanded them to be quiet and tell no one who He was. It is in His nature to have authority and power over unclean spirits. The demons recognized Jesus was the Messiah. They proclaimed it, but Jesus knew the time had not yet come for people to know Him as such. He didn’t want the demons’ confession. The demons did not obey Jesus. Their father is Satan, and they obeyed him.

Jesus wants the confession of people with changed hearts because of belief in Him as the Son of God. He wants obedience from love of these people. God sent Jesus to earth as a man because of His love for all people. He wants none to be lost from Him eternally. John said this in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Consider this question again. Which of these beings are you like–the disciples, the crowd of people wanting to see or touch Jesus, the Pharisees and scribes who seek to arrest and kill Him, or the demons who recognize who Jesus is, but who don’t give themselves to Him in loving obedience? Or, are you the person who recognizes Jesus as the Son of God, confesses Him as your Savior, and obeys Him because of your love for Him? If you are like this last person, you are the one who sees the flask, recognizes it holds water, and drinks it for continued life?

Will you see the Water and drink for salvation and eternal life?

Jesus is the Water of eternal life.

Lord, I have clamored to go see the healers, the prophets, and the apostles, but I didn’t go to see, meet, and accept You into my life. I was watching the sensational things that happened and praised the man or woman for what he or she did. Please forgive me for seeking things and not You. Please forgive me for hearing about You, but not seeking You. Forgive me for recognizing my life is contrary to Your ways and not wanting to let You have the power and authority over my life. I was wrong in all these things. I wanted to live the way I wanted to live. I wanted to be my own boss, but Lord, I wasn’t my own boss then; Satan was. I’m tired of the fighting in life and tired of trying to live my own way. Forgive me my rebellion, Lord. Forgive me for ignoring You when you came to me. Lord, I do not deserve Your love, forgiveness, grace, mercy, or salvation, but, Lord, I desperately want You now. I accept and confess You as my Lord and Savior. Cleanse me and make me new in Your image. Use me for Your purposes to bring You glory. I will follow You and proclaim You to the world. Amen.

Who's the Boss?

“Their justice and authority originate with themselves.”

-Habakkuk 1:7b [NASB]

In Habakkuk 1:1-4, Habakkuk, a prophet of God, spoke about God’s judgment on the Judeans-why it occurred and when it would end. He explained God’s reason for judging the Judeans in verse four. The Judeans ignored the Law, never upheld justice, and the wicked surrounded the righteous.

With Habakkuk 1:5-12, He proclaimed God’s judgment on the Judeans. Habakkuk said through which nation judgment would come. He described the Chaldeans (Babylonians) so the Judeans would understand how intense the coming judgment would be. He used words like fierce, impetuous, dreaded, and feared. Habakkuk described them as having horses swifter than leopards and keener than wolves. He said the Chaldeans fly like eagles swooping to devour. They arrive in hordes of violence. The Chaldeans have no fear, Habakkuk said. They laugh at kings and fortresses. These warriors sweep through like the wind. With this description of an oncoming enemy, any person would tremble in fear for their lives and the lives of their children. They would lose all hope.

The thing we must remember about the Chaldeans is God was the One who used them. They were powerless without Him to overtake His chosen people. In verse five, Habakkuktold the Judeans, “Look among the nations! Observe! Be astonished! Wonder! Because I am doing things in your days; you would not believe if you were told.” God was the one who brought this judgment on the Chaldeans. Without His permission, the Chaldeans would not have defeated the Judeans. God used them as His judgment because the people of Judah turned their backs on Him, cast off His Laws, and worshiped other Gods. The people whom God chose, brought out of captivity, and to whom He provided land, provision, and protection determined to forget and not follow God.

When we read verse seven, we get a deeper understanding, with the Judeans, of who the Chaldeans were. He said, “Their justice and authority originate with themselves.” Wow, the Chaldeans decided they knew best and could govern themselves best without God. They made up their own truths of morality; it came from nowhere else. The Chaldeans were their own gods.

If we each will stop here and digest this fact about the Chaldeans, then reflect on it, we will realize we each do the same thing. Each day we decide we want something or want to do something so much, that we forgo the moral conscience with which God created us and which is stirred within each Christian by the indwelling Holy Spirit. We know the right things we are supposed to do, but choose to do wrong because of our human nature, our freewill. We make ourselves our own gods. Whoa! Did you get that? We become like the Chaldeans and the Judeans. Our justice and authority, at that time, originates with our own selves. We are sinners, just like the Judeans and Chaldeans, and we deserve the judgment of God.

(Paul wrote,) I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do-this I keep on doing. Now, if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. [Romans 7:15-20]

This fact hits each of us hard when we stop as we read this and consider our sinfulness. We have two options once this occurs. We can regret and repent being amoral. God says He will forgive every person who repents and calls upon His name. John said in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess out sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” [NASB] God waits for us to repent, though He calls out to us continually.

The other option when we recognize our sin is to remain turned away from God. This is willfulness, seeking what you want while not caring about the cost-to other people, to yourself, and to God. You see, God sent His Son, Jesus, to earth to take the penalty, that’s the judgment, for each of our sins so we don’t have to pay this judgment, the price for our sins. What penalty is there for sin? Sin totally separates a person and all people from God. It creates a wall between us and Him. Jesus suffered persecution, torture, and death because He loves us even while we are sinners. Jesus loves us so much that He experienced the torture, persecution, and being nailed to a cross of wood. He felt the agony of the nails being pounded into his flesh, and gasping and drowning in His last breaths. Jesus did this in our place so we wouldn’t have to live that experience. If you decide not to repent, you choose not to accept Jesus paying your penalty. You embrace death instead of life. This choice means you elect to be permanently separated from God and His love.

Each of us, if we are honest with ourselves, think we know what is best for “me.” We say, “You’re not the boss of me!” That’s when we become like the Judeans, Israelites, Chaldeans-like all people. We become sinners in need of saving. It’s either that or God’s judgment.

Truthfully, which would you rather have? Now, what must you do to have that?

                        *Keep doing what you want and be separated from God eternally.

                                                                        or

                        *Repent, believe in Jesus Christ as God’s Son, and receive salvation from

                        your sins and death.

You must choose. God won’t make that decision for you. Your parents and grandparents can’t make that decision for you. You must make the choice for yourself for salvation and eternal life. Just like each of us decides to do what we want even if it is wrong, each of us must choose to repent and accept God’s gift of mercy and salvation.

Now therefore, fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and Egypt, and serve the Lord. If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. - Joshua 24:14-15 [NASB]