WHAT we believe will shape HOW we live!

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The Essential Jesus as

Revealed in the Gospel of Mark

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Mark 1:15-10:52

Mark 11:1-15:47

Mark 16:1-20

Mark 1:1-14

An informative PROLOGUE

The Servant’s

revelation to the world

ACT 1 “Even the

Son of Man did not

come to be served, but

to serve. . .

ACT 2

and to give His life

ransom for many.” (10:45)

The Servant’s serving

The Servant’s sacrifice

An incredible

FINISH

The Servant’s

resurrection from the tomb 3

• Today we will meet the Religious leader and witness their conflict with Jesus. They challenge Him because he had cleansed the temple and calls them “thieves.” They tried to catch Jesus in His words so they could trump up some charge against Him and have Him arrested.

Introduction

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27 And they came again to Jerusalem.

And as He was walking in the temple, the chief priests, and scribes, and elders came to Him, 28 and began saying to Him, "By what authority are You doing these things, or who gave You this authority to do these things?"

Mark 11:27-33

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29 And Jesus said to them, “ I will ask you one question, and you answer Me, and then I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30 "Was the baptism of John from heaven, or from men? Answer Me." 31 And they began reasoning among

Mark 11:27-33

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themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say, 'Then why did you not believe him?' 32 "But shall we say, 'From men'?" — they were afraid of the multitude, for all considered John to have been a prophet indeed. 33 And answering Jesus, they said, "We do not know." And Jesus said to them,

Mark 11:27-33

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"Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things. 1 And He began to speak to them in parables: "A man planted a vineyard, and put a wall around it, and dug a vat under the wine press, and built a tower, and rented it out to vine-growers and went on a journey. 2 "And at the harvest time he sent a

Mark 11:33-12:12

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slave to the vine-growers, in order to receive some of the produce of the vineyard from the vine-growers. 3 "And they took him, and beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. "And again he sent them another slave, and they wounded him in the head, and treated him shamefully.

Mark 12:1-12:12

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5 "And he sent another, and that one they killed; and so with many others, beating some, and killing others. 6 "He had one more to send, a beloved son; he sent him last of all to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.’

Mark 12:1-12

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7 "But those vine-growers said to one another, 'This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours!' 8 "And they took him, and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. 9 "What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the vine-growers, and will give the vineyard to others.

Mark 12:1-12

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10 "Have you not even read this Scripture:

'The stone which the builders rejected,

This became the chief corner stone; 11 This came about from the Lord,

Mark 12:1-12

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And it is marvelous in our eyes'? 12 And they were seeking to seize Him; and

yet they feared the multitude; for they understood that He spoke the parable against them. And so they left Him, and went away.

Parable reveals the sad spiritual condition of the Religious leaders.

Mark 12:1-12

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“Never underestimate the power of one totally dedicated life.”

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Quote

Outline: Mark 11:27-12:12 1. The Setting. 2. The Confrontation. – Religious Ruling Group. – Public Arena.

3. The Response. – A Question with a Question.

4. The Parable. – Owner—God the Father – Servants—OT prophets – Vine growers—Religious Leaders – Son—Jesus the Son

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1.The Setting.

– Tuesday of Holy Week.

– Opposition is Growing.

– Mark 8:31 “…(Jesus) be rejected by Chief Priests, Scribes and Elders…”

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1.The Setting.

– Opposition is Growing.

– Mark 10:33 “Chief Priests and scribes will condemn Jesus to death…”

– Mark 11:18 “…chief priest and scribes seeking to destroy Jesus…”

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1. The Setting.

Sunday – Triumphal Entry

Monday – Cursing and Cleansing

Tuesday – Conversations,

Confrontations, Predictions

and Conspiracies

Wednesday – Sanhedrin consult to

kill Jesus.

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1. The Setting.

Thursday – Last Supper, Prayer,

Betrayal, Trial, Denial.

Friday – Trial, Sentencing,

Scourging and Mocking,

Crucifixion, Burial.

Saturday – No events.

Sunday – Resurrection!

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2.The Confrontation. – Religious Ruling Group challenge

Jesus in the Temple while He is Teaching. Matthew 21:23; Luke 20:1. Both state that Jesus was teaching when confronted.

– Public Arena. Many People.

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2. The Confrontation.

• The Chief Priests, Scribes and Elders challenge Jesus publically in the Temple. “By what authority are You doing these things…”

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2. The Confrontation.

• Question: Acts 4:7 “By what power, or what name have you done this?

• Answer: Acts 4:10 “Let it be known…by the name of Jesus…”

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3.The Response. – A Question with a Question.

– Jesus did not get defensive or angry but stated in the clearest terms I will answer…

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• Jesus was faced with opposition. He did a few significant things in response to the criticism.

• He persisted. He didn’t buckle under the pressure or the large number of religious leaders. Jesus stayed the course. He didn’t quit.

• He taught them (parable). He didn’t give up on them. Jesus didn’t retaliate, He saw this a teaching opportunity.

3. The Response.

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• He did not quit.

• He stood His ground.

• He did not crumble under the pressure tactics.

• He kept His composure and responded in a calm fashion.

3. The Response.

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• The intensified opposition calls for an intensified response.

• Note: Jesus response: twice He used the imperative. He commanded them to answer Him.

• Remember that this is Tuesday and in three days He will die on the cross. He was God in flesh and know well this very fact.

POINT:

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• What prompted the opposition of the chief priests, scribes and elders? The progress and influence Jesus had on the people. Two days earlier he arrived to the cheering crowds of entry into Jerusalem.

3. The Response.

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"By what authority?" Mmmm ... interesting question isn't it. By what authority (power) did Jesus do all that he does in his ministry? This is the quintessential question of the Gospel. This is the ultimate question each of us must ask.

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Did Jesus do what he did based on the authority of God, as God's Son? Or was Jesus just another crackpot Messiah? What do you think? Either we recognize Jesus as Lord with all authority or we do not.

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The real question for us is whether we are ready to submit to that authority!

1. Opposition is to be expected when you carry out God’s will.

2. Critics run with critics.

3. Jesus Faced criticism squarely.

4. Jesus refused to retaliate or defend Himself

5. Religious leaders intensified their opposition (11:18). There are times when opposition doesn’t die down—it intensifies. They planned a conspiracy.

6. Did Jesus finish well? If you focus only on Friday then NO. But His apparent failure was turned to success three days later.

Principles Learned

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What do we do when a harsh word is spoke to you? Do we shout louder?

If you want wisdom in knowing how to handle any opposition, drop to your knees. James 1:5 says if you need wisdom, ask God for it.

Application

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Jesus speaks almost always of his authority in terms of acting for God the Father. In doing so he exercises all the prerogatives of God e.g., forgives sins (Mark 2:5-8), heals (Mark 1:34), exorcises demons (Mark 1:27), controls the power of nature (Luke 8:24-25), raises the dead (Luke 7:11-17; John 11:38-44), teaches with authority (Mt. 7:28-29;

Jesus showed authority.

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and demands that men submit to his authority both on earth (Luke 14:25-35) and at the judgment (Matt. 7:22-23). As the obedient Son he acknowledges and follows the word of his Father, the Scriptures, and appeals to them as the final authority (Matt. 4:1-10; 22:23-46; John 10:33-36).

Jesus showed authority

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4.The Parable. – Owner—God the Father

– Servants—OT prophets

– Vine growers—Religious Leaders

– Son—Jesus the Son

– Note: Mark 12:12

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• “ Give authority to some people and they grow; give it to others and they swell.”

• There are proper uses of authority and abuses.

Quote

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Expect Opposition:

• Jesus had already told the 12 to expect conflict and suffering when they arrived in Jerusalem. “…the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after 3 days rise again.” 8:31

Take Away #1

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Tough days, We all have them. Some are worse than others.

• Going from bad to worse. • Jumping from the frying pan into the fire. • Between a rock and a hard place. • He said, “Cheer up, things could get worse.”

So I cheered up—and sure enough, things got worse.

• My mother told me there would be days like these, but she never said they would run in packs.

Take Away #2

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Anyone who steps into the arena of leadership must be prepared to pay a price. True leadership exacts a heavy toll on the whole person—and the more effective the leadership, the higher the price. The leader must soon face the fact he will be the target of critical darts. Unpleasant though it may sound, you haven’t really led until you have become familiar with the stinging barbs of the critic. Good leaders must have thick skin.

Take Away #3

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8 we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.

2 Corinthians 4:8-10

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“No leader is exempt from criticism, and his humility will nowhere be seen more clearly than in the manner in which he accepts and reacts to it.”

J. Oswald Sanders

Quote

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Almighty God, I believe Jesus has all authority. I want to live more and more each day under that authority, yielding to His will and doing His work in the world. In Jesus' precious and powerful name I pray. Amen.

Prayer…

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