The Twelve Apostles (Part B)

This is not the age of miracles or miraculous intervention. These are the days we live in the days of divine revelation divine truth divine reason through the word of God and truth is to be what we offer. When I became a Christian. What was can I realize very quickly what was keeping me from becoming a Christian as I didn't have the truth. This is cross reference radio with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville.

Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of Mark, please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about cross reference radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching, and now here's Pastor Rick and Mark chapter 3 with his continuing study called the 12 apostles feelings of bodies is always second two souls keeping people out of hospitals is good but keeping them out of hell is better. Jesus said for what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul. This goes also for the casting out of demons, it is important, but it is a secondary priority.

A secondary priority again does not mean that the secondary and it's the new no benefit to be very important to handle secondary to the heart, but keep my hand with all my heart so a point made by our Lord here is this demons are real enemies and they must be confronted. We confront them primarily with truth nowadays and righteous living.

That's how we battle the demons that are leading people to hell with their lying ideas and misinformation about Jesus Christ. How many times you have to say to a nonbeliever where in hell did that come from because it did not come from heaven again preaching still must come first, but emotionally driven Christians struggle with this again.

They just want to feel you only want to feel the salvation that made so much faith. Faith is I have it. Whether I feel it or not.

There we will be times when you're very strong and you feel the faith, for there will be other times you can't find where Jesus is a double job problem.

I go to the left equals right I go right. He goes left, he's avoiding me. He runs at me like a warrior.

Job was going through it and yet he said I know my Redeemer lives, and I shall see him, and we come through and we know the minute you mentioned Job in the emotions react to that miracles tend to bleed a craving for more miracles.

That is a fact. It's like talking about me talking about me creates a craving to talk more about me.

One of the problems with therapeutic counseling so I would try to limit the counseling.

Well let me correct that we do a lot of counseling here from the pulpit. This is where supposed to be hitting you with the Holy Spirit composing as you do that why you do that upside your head. I want to go inside your heart. I want you to work on this and so yeah we when we have individual counseling available. We will move it if we sense for a moment you becoming addicted to that be cut off.

The Bible at this point in history had the New Testament had not been completed before this, the prophets were there words were validated through the extraordinary through miracles. That's how you know covering Samuel what is it was Samuel called for thunder and it happened God validate his office. But today the access comes through the complete word of God that we have.

We reason from the Scripture even Isaiah you'll come let us reason though your sins be read as Carl and I will make them as white as snow, and less you don't want me to. And if you want me to, you've got to do it my way.

Not your way human beings are responsible to believe truth without demanding miracles. When you begin to get up in God's face and said I will believe you unless you do this or that you are you are on a fool's ground and I would encourage you to depart and just consider by just consider the facts. Truth is cold when you don't like it.

Very nice one is working for you, but it's not so good when it is convicting you unless you submit to God and truth is no less true if it is refused, it retains its handsome dreads veracity. It does not say okay like that one. Let me adjust it for you so this is not the age of miracles or miraculous intervention.

This is these are the days that we live in the days of divine revelation divine truth divine reason through the word of God and truth is to be what we offer. When I became a Christian.

What was can I realize very quickly what was keeping me from becoming a Christian was I didn't have the truth.

I had hearsay. I had experience I had observed some people that said they were Christians and were asked, loony and deterred me from coming to Christ. When I came to Christ. The truth set me free. The Christian life is to be dominated by truth is what we fight said that's why we hated because we know what is going on well versed 16 we still have quite a bit to go you meet these characters. Verse 16 Simon, to whom he gave the name Peter not the time that he call them to their apostolic office. He had not given Simon this name that would come later.

What we know, for example, is Matt Matthew 16, up in Caesarea Philippi with God.

Christ calls him Petrus Peter.

Though this is were going to call him Simon Peter becomes first and all the list of the apostles. Some of the other ones move around. Peter is always first.

He was outspoken.

Yeah, we know that he was impulsive, warmhearted to get that from his book of acts we get from his letters devoted to Christ, but is something else. Peter was all of them were in spite of whatever they encountered. Peter was brave love makes us brave total how you know her mother to stand up against zero and incredible odds in defense of a child. Love makes us brave and Peter was so was Thomas look at him and moment the Greek word for Peter Petrus. It means immovable rock bottom line as opposed Petra and immovable rock Lord is the immovable rock but Peter of course is a smaller stone stone nonetheless.

In a he wore that name with great delight the rest of his life.

The Lord, the Lord was name is nature and it is identity and it's unfortunate that nowadays there are no nicknames coming. Not good ones. I mean, Rick. The great why not. But anyway you look at the old days like the old baseball players all were no nicknames because people paid attention and they would identify a characteristic in and you got it and it wasn't mean-spirited not, you know, in the proper context of what I'm saying Paul when he writes to the Galatians he refers to Peter as safest switches Aramaic for for the Greek Petrus to languages all over the place and that does indication that Jesus more than likely spoke in as a primary language in the Aramaic well verse 17, having now covered Peter briefly. James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom he gave the name on energies. That is, Sons of thunder.

You don't hear Boanerges every day and you're glad about that. I'm sure James the son of ZBA. We covered these two. When Jesus called them from fishing but we still have repeated comments to make on these these two men of James is the first to seal his love.

The first of the apostles, the first of those men whom Jesus stayed up at night praying over to bring them into his circle. James is the first to seal his love with his blood and Herod killed James with the sword probably chop his head off. John the brother of James. He is the last to die is the apostles that we know because there's a lot of information not available about the other myth. John wrote about 20% of the New Testament.

Al James would show us how to die genre shows how live in of course these men of thunder to hear he says you know Boanerges to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of thunder again.

That name came later, not at the this moment here Luke chapter 9 when his disciples James and John saw this, they said more do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did. That's probably what got them the name now.

Why didn't the Lord say sure, go ahead, let me see to it that what humiliated them all really. Your face is getting red. There, James, John golf under so easy let them off the hook. But isn't that a sort of acute indication how these men were thinking.

You want us to call fire sure go ahead burn of the city, and of course he says you don't know what spirit you are and that is not convicting to all of us. You will get the practice that you were driving when we leave and those of you sitting next to the driver will probably get a chance to practice. You do not know what spirit you are who hasn't been convicted by that okay Lord, and I'm not asking to kill the guy.

But can you go halfway stick stopped.

Not good. Verse 18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas James son of Alpheus Alpheus Thaddeus Simon the Canaanite.

Now start with Andrew first, remarkable character. He's the man with the countenance is the man with the look in his eyes when he went and told his brother Peter, we have found the Messiah. There was something in his face in his voice in his eyes at Peter could not dismiss what he said to Peter Lawley know about Peter. Hey Peter, this is going on. He might just be Peterson you what you can you prove it going let me know no doubt know? No halfway conviction when he met Christ. He and John after John the Baptist baptized that point Christ of them. John the apostle, and Andrew. The apostle now they are met with Jesus and they knew then this Philip. I like to refer to a stumpy because it gets stumped by question almost every time we see him. The first one comes when he goes to his friend Nathaniel.

We have found the Messiah Jesus of Nazareth and then assist get anything good come out of Nazareth, and Philip is quiet. Come see I don't just need to come see which is a really could platform for sharing your faith is getting someone to see for themselves the next time we come across in being stumped is when Jesus asked him a question directly how we feed these multitudes bread and so he discussed calculating relevancy to every four loaves of bread and he just great. I can and what it will do so when he was in fish so Philip missed.

Then we see the Greeks comes or we like to see Jesus. Can we have a minute meeting with him.

He goes and gets Andrew instead of saying no or yes or he just comes and gets Andrew that we never see him answering a question.

In fact, now this is not beating up. This is what the Bible shows on. He couldn't even ask a question, show us the father will suffice. Fellow said Jesus have been with you so long he has seen me has seen the father looked at me. You see God so have I not been with you so long couldn't answer that when either. So Philip is kinda cute about that because what I think we all see ourselves at times stumped. Sometimes in the series I can answer that when I get every good stomp, but there is one of the apostles of Jesus Christ handpicked out of how many people were on the planet Earth on the day. These men were informed you going to be with me now, and out of all the billion people. So however many were here 12 made the team as remarkable.

So I asked myself if I lived in Galilee. Would he have picked me when you picked you.

If you picked.

You didn't pick me happy, pretty upset. Bartholomew is next.

An alternate name for Nathan, Daniel, and they did carry alternate names that they had nicknames a pet names that which is not far in overviews. Not quite the same but necessarily in the Synoptics. He is Bartholomew I don't tell you parents name little by anyway in John's Gospel, John doesn't mention Bartholomew he calls him Nathaniel that we know you picked 12 men, not 13, 14, 15 so that these names are reconciled by the fact that he picked 12 and we have to make a match in the really not that difficult cover that in the introduction of Gospel of Mark with even Mark John Mark's name and and how these men had to three names Thomas didymus in the old King James version. The twin he's the missing man all the apostles were gathered in the upper room and Jesus came in.

Where was Thomas. Thomas was not the man that doubted Thomas was a man it was brokenhearted it through his life in the following Jesus and then he was gone, murdered in public. What was he to do these is not done.

I'm just done with this.

He wanted to be alone and that's what he did and in that time of sorrow. He missed the Lord showing himself what the Lord in his mercy came back. Thomas did know what to say when Jesus said is my wants Thomas.

I heard what you said you need to stick your finger in Miami that made sense. But, you know, go ahead Thomas. I believe he said my Lord my God it wasn't say wasn't in! Oh my God, something stupid like that. He was saying. You are my Lord you are my God, and of course lucid Blessed are you, Thomas, could you see and you believe brothers others will believe without seeing that's lowering the age of truth and reason according to the Scripture and not saying what we want to believe because of America set the pattern laid out for us and it's hard to know that if I tell you it's not anybody that's telling you Christianity is not hard is not live Christianity, but it's worth. And thus we have that Lord you are worthy to be praised in the midst of all my confusion and suffering and anger and being denied. Things that I want and I can never have. I still love you. I still believe you. I still follow you. I still renounce the flesh. I still hate sin.

What can the devil do against that nothing Matthew is next recovered him. In chapter 2, regarded as an apostate Jew by most Jewish people. Traders to the country. Their money was tainted. There testimony would be refused in a court of law. They forfeited their Hebrew value when they became collectors of money for Herr Rodden for Rome. Yet Jesus shows they were. You could say businessman Jesus shows that he loves even the corrupt businessman just as much as the widow to mites his way back. He brings Matthew Ennis.

It's amazing now that the businessman wants to remain corrupt is what can Christ do nothing but for the ones that would turn he takes them.

James the son of Alpheus also called James the lesser James the little he could've been at it like calling Shorty I worked with a man years ago nobody was short and his name was Shorty and he was a great worker and really nice guy.

I didn't take offense to being called Shorty because he was short and was just that might've been the case here with this James to distinguish them from the other James. They come up with these names. Everybody was named James how many of these guys what you know, we have called an Irish culture. A lot of Danny's lot of Michael's. A lot of John's so you have to distinguish them. Thaddeus is next. Levy us is also his work also called as an alternate is also referred to as Judas Judas was a name that was popular. It was corrupted of course by Iscariot, but it was a means praised Judah.

That's what it means and many of the men were named this Jude, the brother of the Lord Judas and the church scramble to fix that too. They stop calling people Judas after Judas Iscariot, Jude became very popular so Luke's gospel chapter 6 in giving the names of these apostles Judas, the son of James, and here it is James the son of Alpheus and a names him in the root right next to Judas Iscariot. The trader also. So Judas, the son of James and Judas Iscariot, who also became the trader and as I mentioned after the defection of Judas Iscariot.

The name Jude or Judas took such ill association with Judas that they they had to change in in the New Testament writers made every effort to make that distinction between the faithful men and Iscariot. Simon the Canaanite is next. Not from Cana with the wedding of Kent Cana was with Christ where he you know turn the water into wine. I would like milkshakes. If I was there. Incidentally, I would say to got vanilla any not too thick, though I won't be able to narrow the scope's such as we do, we'll see what we want in the menu we start asking for it right. Can you do this to narrate of this Simon the Canaanite distinguishes them from Peter Simon Peter, Simon the Canaanite and as I mentioned, is not from Cana of Galilee.

But this is the Aramaic word meaning zealous and this is what he was in the had zeal for what will likely the law of Moses, possibly going with that. Also against the Gentile occupation it was likely a zealot. There were many political sects or parties.

Some started by priest in Israel at all. Ultimately ending up in the zealots that fought viciously against Rome to against the Romans coming into the temple and with the Concord in 70 A.D. you a gorgeous destroyed it. That fight went on for years and it was brutal, but those were not Christians and Luke's gospel. Luke says it this way. Simon call the cell it and he probably had a great desire for the law of Moses and a great desire to execute that law against Gentiles, which is probably what is a big part of Judas stumbling so we go on to verse 19 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him and they went into a house. So the last one named is a thief and a traitor and a devil. John's gospel chapter 12.

He was a thief and he had the money box and he used take what was put in it that was written years after with irritation that you know what we like that guy. We trusted him when I was ripping us off the all-time is never named first you always name glass. Rightfully so. Luke's gospel chapter 6 Judas, the son of James, that is Alpheus and Judas Iscariot, who also became a traitor. This is big Judas to Judas. Jesus was a big disappointment has such high hopes for Jesus. We better watch that he was disillusioned so sold about or try to provoke something. How did he feel when they tried to make Jesus the King and Gisela boys were getting out here what this is your chance to get became a little magical and then we could just start moving it building the kingdom and get these Gentiles out in you can make me like you know the secretary of commerce or money like money. That was the mind of Judas. He saw this life not too much into the next life and in the end. Of course he realized this life is disposable. The NX life is in disposable and eternal life is what it's all about getting in to heaven.

That is what life is all about.

So Christ did not overthrow the Gentile occupation and establishes messianic rule and is arresting him. If, after all, if he can do all these miracles that is doing if you walk all mortar. What's a Roman legion to the sky, why doesn't he use these superpowers to make Israel the world power.

The other 12 they stayed focused on Christ. They waited they worked. They followed acts chapter 1. Therefore, when they had come together, they asked him, saying, Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel that tells us that that's was on their head. The Jews darkness.

I was going to come and restore the kingdom and he is going to just not then continues in acts chapter 1, but you shall Jesus not speaking but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem and Judea Samaria to the end of your was used in more than any of that was interested in being a witness want to be a rule, a could not wait and so he became known as the sun obstruction condemned eternally. It was his choice to go as they say in the book of acts to his own place that ain't heaven Iscariot can can mean from curio man from Kure or it actually can be an Aramaic slur, meaning the false one. And finally they went into a house hunting being up all night praying establishing these men, as is close followers of apostles 9/11 in a circle, Peter James and John.

Now back to the rest inside the house and begin again. Thanks for tuning in to cross reference radio for this study in the book of Mark cross reference radio is the teaching ministry of Pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville in Virginia to learn more information about this ministry. Visit our website cross reference radio.com once you're there you'll find additional teachings from Pastor Rick.

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