Tuesday, July 29, 2014

In our study of Mark 11 we’ve been structuring an outline using information from this chapter that we spread out and sorted into groups. We’ve looked at the points of praise and prayer. Now let’s amplify the point on power. You see Christ’s power in the way He prepared things for His triumphal entry into Jerusalem. He also demonstrated His power when He cleared the temple area of what He identified as defiling. You see His power again when He cursed the fig tree and it withered. It was obvious to all that He had power and authority that was unique and unparalleled. It was a threat to the religious leaders and their assumed authority. They tried trapping Him by forcing Him to expose His source of authority. If He said He was God, they would accuse Him of blasphemy. He however knew what they were up to, so He asked them a question about John the Baptist’s authority. If they answered His question then He would answer theirs. They knew that whatever their response it would backfire on them so they answered, “We don’t know.” By silencing them He maintained in the eyes of the people the clear impression that He was unique, sent from God and the one who He claimed to be, God the Son. The same power and authority He demonstrated during His brief public ministry He still exercises in the affairs of men, but He does it primarily through the instrumentality of people like you and me. We need to bow before Him, praise Him and pray to Him, trusting Him to work in and through us, so that His desires will be fulfilled by His power.