Three Responses to Jesus :: By Dr. Donald Whitchard

Mark 3:7-12 (also see Matthew 12:15-21)

Summary: Mark 3:7-12 presents a broad summary of the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ thus far, getting the attention of three groups of people – those who are committed to Him, those who are curious about Him, and those who are hostile. Where do you stand?

The six verses that are presented here have been described by noted pastor and author John MacArthur as “a sweeping summary” of Jesus’ work, describing the growing impact of the LORD’S ministry among His people and those outside of Judea.

By now, multitudes are following Him, some out of devotion and some out of curiosity to be seen as the latest person of interest bound for eventual obscurity. The evil spirits that roam the earth and the area have been cast out with a mere word from the LORD; such is His authority, power, and majesty as God in the flesh. Within these verses, we find the Disciples (vv. 7, 9), the great multitude (vv.7-10), and the evil, unclean spirits (vv.11-12). Everyone listed here responded to the words and work of Jesus in one of three distinct ways, and this is what we concentrate on throughout this message.

First, we have the committed, specifically the disciples of the Lord Jesus. At this point in His ministry, He had called Simon Peter, Andrew, James, John, and Matthew, each of whom answered the call to follow the LORD (Mark 1:16-20, 2:14). They offered their services to Him, such as preparing a boat for Him (v. 9) and learning from Jesus how to preach the Gospel (vv. 13-14).

There have been and still are those countless and often anonymous followers of Jesus who lovingly serve Him by offering their energy and resources, developing a Christ-like attitude as they work for Him using the gifts and talents He has graciously given them for the edification of the brethren and the spread of the Gospel message (1 Peter 1:10-11; 2 Peter 1:5-11). Whether noted or obscure, all who are in Christ will be judged by Him for their service and be rewarded (2 Corinthians 5:10) in the glory of heaven.

The next group concerns the curious, some of whom need healing, and some who just want to see a miracle without surrendering their lives to Jesus. To them, He is little more than a moment’s diversion and source of entertainment. They wanted to see a show, so to speak, but not stay to hear the teachings and call for repentance that Jesus proclaimed.

Things have not changed in two thousand years. Today’s curious bunch are like indecisive buyers, wasting time “kicking the tires” and never committing to a message or product. This is one reason I am personally opposed to “seeker-sensitive” church services and messages. No one really seeks after the true and living God and His demands (Romans 3:10-18). No service should ever be designed to make an unsaved individual feel “comfortable” or be tailored to their “felt needs” as if their feelings dictated how Almighty God should cater to them. When faced with the demands Jesus expects of anyone who would follow Him, they will be gone and never heard from again (Matthew 10:34-39; Mark 4:16-19; Luke 14:25-33; John 2:23-25).

There are also those individuals who come to the house of God because of genuine guilty feelings that they are not able to overcome. They know that something is truly missing in their lives but do not want to hear that their only hope is to turn to Jesus. They want their ears tickled and be made to feel “good” (Matthew 7:26, 13:19; 2 Timothy 4:3-4; James 1:23-24). Hell will be full of these people. They were not necessarily hostile to God but never wanted to commit to Him either.

Commitment and responsibility are dirty words in these times. If you are reading this message and you know good and well that I have just described you, the time to quit playing games with your eternal soul is right now, friend. Now is the time to quit being indecisive or attempt to somehow “sit on the fence” when it comes to surrendering your life to Jesus Christ. Make up your mind (1 Kings 18:21). Either Jesus is Lord and Savior or He is not. Your decision will determine your eternal destination, and once you are dead, there is no second chance, “do-over,” or “reset” (Luke 16:19-31; 2 Corinthians 6:2; Hebrews 9:27; Revelation 20:11-15).

The last group who responded to Jesus did so out of fear and trembling, fully aware that their time is coming to an end and there is no hope of reconciliation, restitution, or redemption for them. These are the evil spirits (vv.11-12), or fallen angels who had at one time enjoyed fellowship with the LORD in heaven and dedicated themselves to giving Him all glory and worship. Lucifer, the mightiest of God’s angels, became prideful, arrogant, and started a failed rebellion against God’s rule in heaven (Isaiah 14:7-12). He had persuaded a third of these angelic beings to join in the rebellion.

Now they were all cast out of heaven and are inevitably doomed to an eternity of punishment in hell, created especially for them (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:1-10). Now known as demons, they assist their evil master in attempting to thwart the plans of God and deceive people away from the offer of salvation He has provided to all who will come to Christ. However, they are terrified of the LORD (James 2:19) and must submit to Him always (Mark 1:21-27, 3:11), begging not to be tormented before their time (Matthew 8:28; Mark 1:24). They also recognize that Jesus is Lord (Luke 4:41), but it does them no good as their fate is now forever sealed with no hope of redemption.

Throughout history, there have been people who have lived for the devil and have followed his evil, malicious, and destructive ways, leaving trails of carnage, suffering, murder, oppression, and fear among those they came against. Twentieth-century dictators such as Lenin, Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, Kim Il Sung, and the Ayatollahs of Iran have stained their countries red with the blood of over 100 million people (that we know of). They have littered their lands with the graves of the innocent, no matter the age, gender, religion, or status. These reprobates, perverse, and apostates of all time (Romans 1:18-32, 3:10-18; Hebrews 6:4-6) will share hell with the demons and Satan for all eternity when God’s final judgment comes down like a fire on this wicked world.

People from all walks of life fall into one of these three groups. The day of reckoning is fast approaching, and you will either be committed to Jesus Christ, indifferent or reject Him altogether. Where do you come in? Today is the day to get that settled.

donaldwhitchard@gmail.com

www.realitycityreverend.com

Join me for “The Reality City Daily Review” weekday mornings at 10:00 CST on YouTube (USA). It will then be posted on Facebook and on my website. My main area of discussion will be on the basics of the Christian faith but will also deal with prophetic issues and other topics as the Lord impresses upon me to handle.

Evil in America: Betrayal of Its People and Israel :: By Robert Campbell

Hello, folks; I must say extraordinary events have taken place in the last few years – events that make pages jump right out of the Bible.

It is sometimes hard to believe that we Americans have killed over 61 million babies in the womb since Roe v. Wade, all because one or two people think it is alright to do so. They believe that they can kill a life that they needed another person to help produce just because it’s in their body. We just go on with life and justify the murder of innocent children whose souls are important to God. It’s easier to have an abortion than go to a car wash to have your car cleaned. And in our minds, we think it is ok with God. We Christians go to church to praise Jesus, while across the street, babies are being aborted. Our minds have been conditioned to look the other way. It’s like taking the garbage out. Folks, God is not looking the other way. And the irony of this is it’s just as many Christians killing babies as non-Christians.

The churches today are so ineffective that it’s a waste of time even going to church. The preachers are as clueless as our politicians are at running the country. We have allowed so much evil to take over that we cannot keep count. Our administration is the evilest ever in America; no holds barred. They are doing whatever they want to folks all over the land just for power and glory. We now have an administration that doesn’t care for innocent lives any more than Hitler did.

Our president and his cohorts are turning America into an embarrassment to the world. He has shown that he loves our enemies and will appease them, even giving our enemies the tools to kill us. He has sacrificed our service men and women and folks who were helping the country to protect the world from our enemies. Should you be surprised? He cares nothing for the unborn; why should he care for the living?

Folks, I hear the media, both good and bad, saying that the administration was incompetent in allowing the Taliban to take over Afghanistan and enabling them to have our weapons. It was not an accident; it was done with a purpose in mind to weaken America. The administration hates America just as much as our enemies hate this country.

This past election was contrived to ensure that the most wicked people would take over. They used a sick man like Biden to get it done; this man does not know what he is doing, just what he is told to say and do. It is sickening to watch him speak to the people when you know it is not him; the folks behind him are directing his moves. Yes, he may agree with all this, but he is not the one in charge. So, folks, don’t think this was done by incompetence; it was done by people wanting to destroy this country. They know precisely what they are doing – from the schools to the media to the government – any way that they can control you.

A preacher’s job is to alert Christians of Satan’s tricks and to assure us that God is in control. But all many do is let you know that Satan is in control of their church or ministry. They go along with the evil; after all, they want power and glory themselves. Satan will promise you money, fame, and comforts, anything to get you to fall for the bait.

As I wrote in my last article, just look at the everyday folks walking the streets and take note of their actions. They are consumed in their private world, and they must look at their most important tool, their smartphones. It is like a drug. I ought to know; I’m also distracted with my cell phone.

Satan will grant you anything you want as long as you give your soul to him. You will be his without any effort to fight him because he uses the comforts of life to get you in his fold.

It’s hard to believe that we as a people have bought into the biggest lie in history, or have we? We look back on history and see the evil that has gone on. Would you have thought that we are doing to America just as Hitler did to Germany, as Stalin did to Russia, and Kim Jong-un is doing to North Korea? Is this possible that now in America, we are on the brink of total Socialism? America, the light of freedom, is now fallen to evil people. We allowed the election of Donald Trump to be stolen, and we just sat there and took it. They used all kinds of lies to convince you that it was the right thing to do. Remember, folks; this did not happen overnight; it took years for the Left to enact their evil deeds.

If they could convince you that abortion is good, as well as taking God out of the schools and the public arena, then all else would be simple. All they had to do was take over your personal life with things to get you to look the other way. They had to condition your mind and weaken you, and they started with the children in the schools. Those same children who were in our schools and universities decades ago are the same ones running our country with their twisted ideas of life. They were slowly but articulately taught to hate God and moral values. They were led to hate the unborn.

Christians in the church were duped in the same manner. They were duped by longwinded pastors saying nothing. They gave you feel-good sermons instead. I’m not talking about obviously phony pastors; I’m talking about the ones that know better. They are the ones that must answer to God for not telling the whole truth.

But let us be real; God has given each man and woman the word of God in their hearts. It’s Satan that takes it out of you through lies and deceit. He knows the Bible too, and without faith in God first, you won’t understand the Bible. There are folks in this world that don’t have a Bible, but they know more about God than many do. They may have never been to a church, but they know God because they have faith.

Going to church is good so that you can be around likewise folks to help you keep your strength, but many today can’t find a Bible-believing church to go to. God does not need a church building to get you to know him; he just needs a willing soul to have no fear and trust him.

Many churches today are deceiving; they will perform magic tricks to keep you coming for more. Their so-called preachers will act like rock stars on the stage, walk back and forth with their fancy clothing, and talk as if they know more about the Bible than you do. And many people are mesmerized because these charlatans live like the rich and famous. They have fancy cars, planes, and diamond rings, and they tell you this is what God wants for all of you. That’s the bait that Satan will give you for your soul. God did not say that everyone would be rich and prosperous, but you can be rich in peace and love in whatever you have.

Unfortunately, we have a group of folks that want to destroy anything that is good. They want to remove anything that has morals and anyone that believes in God. America was a nation that was built on God’s morals and values, and it will not be America without putting God first. God created this nation to show you his goodness and to show you what freedom really looks like. That is why folks flock to this country to know freedom, to achieve whatever they want to do. But now, the liberals flood the nation with folks and give them stuff to get their vote; they do this to keep themselves in power. They bait people for their cooperation. They also want them to take away American jobs so that it can weaken the economy.

The liberals and even so-called conservatives are pushing this pandemic to limits never seen before in history. You must get the vaccine – not one shot, but two shots and even a booster. You must wear a mask and stand 6 feet from your neighbor, and we have been convinced of the ridiculous as logical. All other diseases are not even mentioned anymore, just Covid and the vaccine, as if you don’t die from anything other than Covid.

I will paraphrase a quote that has been misattributed to Hitler or other evil leaders, but it rings of truth: “If you tell a lie long enough and strong enough, folks will start to believe in the lie.” America has bought the lie. I see Christians, conservatives, and just plain old folks believing the lie. People will boast that they have gotten the shot as if it is safe and a surefire protection for them; they believe whatever they are told by those in power, including the liberal-left media. Conservative media sites don’t show up on online searches unless you type in the name of the site. Only the liberal-left sites show up.

And men are not standing up. We now look to the women to fight our battles; righteous women are doing the fight for us. God will have to use them, but in the end, it will fail because he is showing the men that they must stand up. I support women to fight the good fight, but they can only go so far without the men to stand up. Men will say, let us follow the women and allow them to lead us. And God will allow that to happen, all because we forgot the order: God over Christ, Christ over men, men over women, and women over children. It is clearly not in that order any longer. And while mothers are in the workplace, the children are left in the care of whomever.

With all the madness going on, we forgot to look at one tiny country: Israel. While we are looking the other way, Satan is getting closer to destroying Israel. Folks, that is Satan’s number one focus. His plan has long been to destroy the people that brought our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Satan hates the Jews as much as all the surrounding countries hate them. And now America has abandoned them.

We are so focused on America, Afghanistan, Russia, China, Pakistan, and all the other countries. But the Jews, through God, brought us Jesus. The Jews, through God, brought us the Bible. The Jews brought us so much technology and are some of the most intelligent and innovative people on the planet. They took a desert country and turned it into a flurrying oasis despite their most hated enemies. People hate them because they are Jews and for no other reason. The country is so tiny, yet it can hold back its enemies and still function as a great power in the world. And it has some of the greatest weapons to keep it safe. This is a country where Jesus walked and preached to the people.

All eyes are looking elsewhere, but I assure you that the enemies (the Taliban, China, Russia, etc.) are looking to destroy Israel. And your president, Joe Biden, along with his administration, gave them carte blanch to do so.

All that is going on is smoke and mirrors to take our attention away from their real agenda. And with America weakened, Israel has no more friends to assist with defending it; Israel now stands alone. Donald Trump was the only president to fully support Israel; no other person or president has even come close, and this is why both parties hate him. He was sent by God to put to light the evil going on. One other man of strength has been ousted: Benjamin Netanyahu, prime minister of Israel, another strong leader removed to weaken Israel further. And now, with its new weak leaders, who knows what will happen in this tiny country.

We gave the enemies Afghanistan; what will Israel give away?

Folks, we need to keep our eyes on Israel. God said not to mess with the land of Israel, and that includes America. By supplying the enemies with our modern weapons, we will be responsible if any harm comes to the land of Israel and its people.

Biden deciding to leave Afghanistan in the dark of night without making sure his people were safe should tell you everything you need to know about him and his administration. How do we as a country justify leaving Americans behind in the hands of terrorists? How does a general in charge just get on a plane as the last soldier and leave the American people he is sworn to protect? Why did he not stay until every last person was safe and out of the country? This is not a soldier but a coward. Would General George Patton or General Douglas MacArthur do such a thing? Better still, if their sons or daughters were behind enemy lines, would they not make sure they made it out safely?

The evil from the Left is beyond imagination, but they hate both God and this country. Satan is controlling them in all their actions. Folks, it’s all spiritual; we are either influenced by God or influenced by Satan; there is no in-between.

People are making blatantly sinful choices. They know that abortion is killing a child. There is no justification for this act. Texas passed a law saying that if there is a heartbeat, you cannot have an abortion. Any person that loves God or is a person of logic knows that is a good law. But if the Biden administration can leave Americans in harm’s way in the Middle East, do you think an unborn baby is essential to them?

Evil has shown its ugly head, and it is not stopping unless we stand up to it. We Christians have said nothing for so long that now we do not know how even to put up a fight. We just complain and go back to our comforts.

Americans, we have a decision to make; we either put up a fight against this administration and evil or succumb to it. God will protect those who trust him, even in our pain. In the end, evil will not prevail. It will be defeated, but how many folks will go down with the evil?

God will not blindside you as Biden did. He will give you plenty of warnings, and there will be no excuse on your part. You may even be warned through your husband, wife, friend, daughter, son, or pastor. You must have faith in God and his Son Jesus; no one else can save you.

Very soon, we are going to see God in action to defend the righteous. He did not send his Son Jesus for anything. He sent him for everything.

Folks, please keep your eyes on Israel; that is where it all began, and that is where it will all end.

God is in control, and I will keep my comfort in believing that.

Im a Christian American Republican that happens to be black.

God Bless.

Robert Campbell

Rdtcmttsa@mail.com

Make America Great Again