In our study of the book of Mark we have seen John the baptizer who was the herald who preceded and announced the coming of Messiah, our Lord Jesus Christ who entered the human race so that He could fulfill the Father's plan as savior of the world.

Our celebration of the Lord's table recalls God's strategic victory that Jesus Christ accomplished while he was on the earth in unglorified humanity.

Under the principle of pivot power, Jesus Christ is the pattern for humility and obedience to the Father's plan. Luke 22:42;

Our celebration of the Lord's Table is an expression of our reciprocal love for our Lord who is the strategic victor of time and eternity. We concentrate on him through the elements of the only ritual for the post-canon period of the Church Age Luke 22:19-20;

Jesus Christ was obedient to the Father's unique plan for His life by enduring the suffering and death on the cross Phil 2:8; that resulted in his humanity being exalted above every created being, such that, every created being will ultimately bow down to him. Phil 2:9-10;

He completely and perfectly fulfilled the directive will of the Father by unilaterally providing a way of salvation for all men. Rom 5:8; as the "lamb slain from the foundation of the world" Rev 13:8; KJV John 1:29;

While we were enemies of God, God demonstrated his love for us by giving his uniquely born Son "monogenes" who entered the world through the virgin birth. John 3:16

As a result, God is free to reconcile mankind from their fallen state of depravity without compromising his perfect righteousness and justice because TLJC willingly laid down his life for us as our substitute. John 15:13; 1John 3:16

This is why believing in TLJC is the only way to a relationship with God John 14:6, salvation Acts 4:12 and eternal life John 3:16;

Anyone can appropriate this Grace gift of salvation which is secured by the Power of God John 10:26-29; simply by believing in TLJC 1Cor 15:3-4 in the same way that Paul and Silas instructed the Philippian Jailer who asked "what Must I do to be saved?"

Their response recorded In Acts 16:31

Anyone, any time, anywhere can become saved in a moment in time simply by believing in TLJC privately in their thoughts only.

TLJC left his friends, the members of The Royal Family of God, this one and only ritual in the church age The Lord's table which we are mandated to observe in remembrance of Him.

The mandate is found in 1Cor 11:24; in the second person plural present active imperative of the Greek word " poieo" that where Paul references TLJC's own instruction found in Luke 22:19-20; that he spoke 1984 years ago tonight.

An expanded translation of 1Cor 11:24 taking into consideration the tense mood and voice of "poieo" would be " Keep on doing this in remembrance of me"

Because these verbs are only imperatives regarding ritual in the New Testament the Lord's Table is one and only ritual of the Church Age and it is a test of our capacity to concentrate on our Lord Jesus Christ through the Bible Doctrine that is resident in our soul as we partake of the elements that represent his work on our behalf.

We have these instructions for partaking of the Lord's table from the Apostle Paul starting in verse 26 of 1Cor 11.

1Cor 11:26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.
27 Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord.
28 But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup.
29 For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly.
30 For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep.
31 But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged.

We understand from this that we are to evaluate ourselves in the light of the word, privately in our thinking, in the privacy of our priesthood, and when we find we are outside of the word, we apply the first problem solving device, and simply acknowledge the sin as described in 1 John 1:9;

If we acknowledge our sins he is faithful and righteous to forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Having examined ourselves, and taken appropriate action, we are then instructed to partake of the elements, the bread and the cup.

The bread which represents his body in which he bore the sins and the judgment for our sins and the sins of the whole world, past present and future.

1Cor 11:23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread;
1Cor 11:24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.

eat the bread

The cup which represents his substitutionary spiritual death on the cross which purchased the freedom from spiritual death and eternal condemnation of everyone who believes in him.

1Cor 11:25 In the same way He took the cup also after supper saying This cup is the new covenant in my Blood do this as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.

drink cup


start 3/24/13

In our verse by verse study of Mark we are presently in Mark 1:12-13; where Jesus was driven out into the desert wilderness area to be tested by satan for 40 days. Since Mark address this in one verse we are looking at the detail provided in the parallel passage in Matthew.

Matt 4:1; Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

Matthew chapter four is one of the most important passages in the Word of God from the standpoint of Christology. The first ten verses are crucial to understanding not only the gospel but the ministry of Jesus Christ in the first advent.

We have seen the baptism of Jesus and the fact that Christ dedicated Himself through the baptism to go to the cross. This leads us to the account which we have in chapter four.

Whenever anyone makes any kind of a decision that is going to glorify God or is honoring to God, that decision is immediately tested. Jesus Christ had expressed positive volition through submission to baptism, the water represented the plan of God for the first advent.

Through the ritual of baptism He in effect said that He would go to the cross. In saying that, immediately He was challenged by Satan himself. Jesus Christ is willing to do the Father's will and Satan is now going to try to hinder the Father's will.

Before we study this it is important that we consider the major doctrines that relate to Jesus Christ in his unglorified humanity. The first one we will look at is the Holy Spirit's sustaining ministry for the unglorified humanity of Jesus Christ.

The Prophecy of the sustaining ministry in the life of Jesus Christ was given over 700 years before He came. Isaiah 11:2-3; Isa 42:1-4; Isa 61:1-2; We see here that Isaiah prophesied that when Messiah would come, that the Holy Spirit would sustain, empower and fill Him so that the Father's perfect will would be accomplished in His life.

The Holy Spirit sustained the incipient humanity of Jesus Christ from His conception. Matt1:18-21; Luke 1:35;

Since Jesus Christ's deity is co-equal with the Father and the Holy Spirit the sustaining ministry of the Holy Spirit was only related to His humanity.

Heb 1:3 states that as the God-Man He revealed the essence of God His humanity relied on the sustaining ministry of the Holy Spirit, and was led and guided by the Holy Spirit. Matt 4:1; Mark 1:12.

He didn't depend upon His divine attributes for power. Heb 2:14,15; Phil 2:6-8; the Greek word "kenoo" in verse 7 means "He emptied Himself."

During his mission in unglorified humanity Jesus Christ subordinated His deity to the will of the Father so He did not independently use the power of His deity in order to comply with the Father's plan. This means that, during His incarnation, He depended exclusively upon the sustaining ministry of the Holy Spirit.