Promises

Poster Children for Hope

Ken

Abraham and Sarah are probably the best poster children for hope. The Living God promised Abraham at the age of 75 He would make of him a “great nation” (Genesis 12:2 KJV). Sarah was 65 years old. Twenty-five years later, Sarah bore Isaac. TWENTY-FIVE YEARS LATER! “Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what He had promised, He was able also to perform” (Romans 4:18-21 KJV). Glory only to God!

Keep Hope Alive

Ken

Keep hope alive by looking to “Christ Jesus our hope” (1Timothy 1:1 KJV). Hope is that feeling events will turn out for the best. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28 KJV). Without great expectations, we will not attempt great things for Christ. “However, fear the LORD and serve Him faithfully with all your heart. Just look at the great things He has done for you!” (1 Samuel 12:24 NET). When things are darkest, “hope thou in God” (Psalm 42:5, 11 KJV).

Call Unto Me

Ken

“Call unto Me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not” (Jeremiah 33:3 KJV). Jehovah encouraged Jeremiah, who watched from a prison cell the destruction of his city and nation, to petition the LORD God to restore the doomed city. Likewise, we are emboldened to believe and greatly pray for the enlargement, prosperity, and increase of Christ’s Church though the Enemy seems to come in like a flood to snuff the light out of the Body.

Help My Unbelief

Ken

A Brief Commentary on Mark 9:1-29

Especially Addressing the Plea, “Help Me Overcome My Unbelief,” or Overcoming Our Jadedness

Verse 1

“And He said to them, Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see that the kingdom of God has come with power” (9:1 NIV).

The “Some Who Are Standing Here Will Not Taste Death Before They See That the Kingdom of God Has Come With Power” Conundrum: To whom did Jesus address this statement? The answer is found in the previous chapter. “Then He called the crowd to Him along with His disciples and said: Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow Me” (Mark 8:34 NIV). So, He addressed “the crowd” and “His disciples.” If He only addressed His disciples, then the complication would arise, which disciples? What event would some disciples see that the other disciples would not? But, this is not the case, since evidently “the crowd” (9:1 NIV) was being informed of a future event to be viewed by these “disciples,” as well.

If physical death (“not taste death”) was implied in Christ’s statement, then when would His disciples “see that the kingdom of God has come with power” (9:1 NIV)? Evidently, Christ was referring to the disciples’ witnessing His Resurrection, to which He referred only earlier in the same discourse (Mark 8:31). Both His Death and certainly His Resurrection were unexpected by His disciples at that time. And, Christ’s defeat of death through the “power of His Resurrection” (Philippians 3:10 NIV) transcends any expectation of a mortal mind. “And who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by His resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 1:4 NIV).

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