Thru the Bible

Steve Shwetz: If you knew you were going to die in 3 days, how would you spend your last days? Welcome to Through the Bible. Well, we're going to trace the steps of Jesus on his way to the cross and look at what he made a priority and how he spent his time and what he said. Our teacher, Dr. J. Vernon McGee, explains the gospel of Mark's perspective on these 3 days, which as we've talked about is really drawn from the Apostle Peter's memory and experiences. These were life-changing days for Peter as well and we're going to see that.

So, welcome aboard the Bible bus as we learn some important truths about forgiveness, about faith, and about how to walk with God and bear much fruit. So, as you find your seat and open to Mark 11, Greg and I want to take you to a place where your prayers and partnership are really making a difference.

Greg Harris: That's right, Steve. We're going to be talking about a very tough place to reach, which is Quebec.

Steve Shwetz: Yeah. Yes.

Greg Harris: Yeah, it's a province in Canada. I mean, it's also there's Quebec City, but it's a whole province and I I believe that the percentage of Christians is something like 0.8 percent.

Steve Shwetz: Yeah.

Greg Harris: So, it's very small.

Steve Shwetz: Yeah, I think it's even darker probably than than Western Europe in general, which is saying something for them in terms of their lack of lack of faith in Jesus Christ.

Greg Harris: Yeah, I I think so. It is. And one of the things you and I are going to do right now is we're going to reference this month's newsletter article and we like to give a shameless plug for the newsletter and here's why it's shameless, because it's only for you. We're not going to ask you for any money. We're just giving you resources. It has an article with Dr. McGee's teaching. It has international updates like this one. Usually has a nice letter from me just thanking people for being part of the family and it has pictures and it really does a much better job than you and I can even do, but we want you to know there's great content and Dave Dunmore, who is the executive director of TTB Canada, wrote a wonderful newsletter article about a visit he made with the team in Quebec.

So, Steve, there's a lot in this article, but anything that really just stood out to you?

Steve Shwetz: Yeah, I just love people's origin story in terms of how they came to faith and I think about Andre and Regine in this story. If you haven't actually read it in the newsletter, Andre came to Christ first and was praying that his brother Regine would also trust Christ. Fast forward, these guys both go into radio ministry. Regine ends up being the voice of Through the Bible in in it

Greg Harris: It's well, we say Canadian French. Sometimes they say Quebecois. It's that it's a dialect of French that is unique to Quebec.

Steve Shwetz: Yeah. And again, just time and time again, how the commitment that God has allowed us to make I mean, this ministry has been going for over 20 years. And one of the advantages, whether you're in a in a ministry like Through the Bible or whether you're in in a church, you serve for that long and you get to see God working literally through the ages. And that's the joy that these two brothers have been able to have in the ministry of Through the Bible.

Greg Harris: That's right. Yeah, and there's so much going on and this is why we want you to get the newsletter. You can get it electronically. You You can just sign up in the app or you can send an email to biblebus@ttb.org and just say please please send this newsletter to my email. You and I like to get it physically. We put it in our Bibles. It's a beautiful piece, but there's so much more than we have time to cover, but one of the things that you just mentioned is the long-term fruit and we heard from a number of truck drivers or Dave did when he was in this trip and and this is a unique part of our ministry.

It seems like God uses through the Bible to reach these long-haul truckers and I was really encouraged by those testimonies.

Steve Shwetz: Yeah, I thought about that. It's like I because we've had truckers that that do ride in over the road long-haul guys and I thought that through and there's really only one way that you can go. You can either Well, two ways. You can either, you know, go into isolation and be lonely and probably descend into sin. Truck stops are not the cleanest places morally and otherwise. You can go that route or you can use your cab as a theological library seminar, whatever you want and especially with podcasting and Through the Bible available, you can go through the Bible on a continual basis on a daily basis, because that's part of your job.

You're driving in a truck every day.

Greg Harris: Absolutely. And there are other testimonies in this article. One thing we want to call out in particular is that we've been praying for the Peronne family. Eric Peronne was the son of the founder of this ministry and he developed cancer and passed away in the middle of this year and so we've been we've been praying for him and that's just another thing that you and I have seen in the years we've been in the ministry is faithful men and women. God does promote them to glory and praise God. I met the new leader at the NRB convention and he is a wonderful man, loves through the Bible and that's another testimony to God 's faithfulness that he he always has another leader in the wings when we lose someone.

Steve Shwetz: Yeah, that's great. Greg, why don't you pray for us as we begin?

Greg Harris: Father, we're so thankful that you let us bring Dr. McGee's teaching to the French-speaking people of Quebec and we know it's hard ground and yet we're very encouraged by the people that are responding and we pray as always that as we fling the seed, you'll do the work that only you can do and that you will touch hearts and lives for the Lord Jesus Christ. We pray in his name. Amen.

Steve Shwetz: Turn to Mark 11 on Through the Bible with Dr. J. Vernon McGee.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: Now as we come today to the 11th chapter of the Gospel of Mark, we're coming to the last days in the earthly life of our Lord and we find him now entering Jerusalem publicly and he curses the fig tree, cleanses the temple, gives the discourse on faith, and silences his enemies who question his authority. Or to put it in the division that I've given it here, Jesus presents himself publicly to his nation as the Messiah. First 11 verses. Jesus pronounces a blight on the fig tree, verses 12 through 14. Jesus purifies the temple, verses 15 to 21.

And then Jesus prayer discourse, verses 22 to 26. And then Jesus perturbs the religious rulers. And verse 27 through 33. And actually he did more than perturb them, but I didn't have another word that began with a P here to fit in with my alliteration. Now we have here in this 11th chapter actually the 3 days that he came into Jerusalem. Many of you know from Matthew that we take the position that the so-called triumphal entry was not really that. It was the Lord Jesus now having come to Jerusalem in a public manner at the conclusion of his earthly ministry, why he presents himself.

And actually it amounted to a rejection of his overture. And we find that he came in really for 3 separate days and not on just 1 day. And I think each gospel is presenting a different aspect of him coming into Jerusalem and it came in first on Saturday, second on Sunday, and third on Monday. And now let's come to these last days of his earthly ministry and I'm reading here at verse 1, chapter 11 of Mark. And when they come nigh to Jerusalem unto Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, he sendeth forth two of his disciples.

Now we see the Lord Jesus have noted that for the last few chapters. He's been moving geographically toward Jerusalem and now he's moving geographically very close to his death and he's also moving chronologically close to it. This is the last week of his earthly life. And Bethany and Bethphage, they are two little towns on the other side of the Mount of Olives from Jerusalem. I intended to walk over there and walk back myself, but I never got around to it the few days that I was in Jerusalem. If I ever go there again, I want to do that.

Fact of the matter is I want to spend more time walking through that land. It's one thing to get in a bus or a car and ride along and have these places pointed out and it's another thing really to just get out and get a map and walk along and stop along the way and anyone can understand English to have a conversation with him. I think frankly you'd be able to get right down to something that the average tourist does not see at all today. Now the Lord Jesus walked into Jerusalem each day and now let me read as I go along.

And he saith unto them, go your way into the village over against you and as soon as ye entered into it, you shall find a colt tied whereon never man sat, loose him and bring him. And if any man say unto you, why do ye this? Say ye that the Lord hath need of him and straightway he will send him hither. Now let's look at that for just a moment. There are two possible, of course, explanations regarding the colt that Jesus was to ride into Jerusalem. Now the Lord Jesus could have known about it since he was God and therefore omniscient.

And this could been very miraculous from beginning to end. But all of this could have been arranged beforehand and it would therefore be entirely human. It doesn't seem necessary to read a miracle in here when the natural explanation is in order. And those of you that were with us in Matthew know that we said that we believe that our Lord had arranged for this beforehand and I think you'll find greater meaning if you look at it like that. The important feature is that Jesus is asserting his authority. Notice that when they went in and someone asked them, what are you doing unloosing the colt?

He said, the Lord hath need of him. The Lord is asserting his authority. Also while some are plotting his death, it's also revealed that others are yielding allegiance to him and straightway he'll send him hither. So that there were those obeying him, others were plotting his death. That's been true now for about 1,900 years. You have those two classes. Now they went into the town. They found it just as the Lord Jesus said they would. They went their way, verse 4 now, and found the colt tied by the door without in a place where two ways met and they loose him.

And certain of them that stood there said unto them, what do ye loosing the colt? And they said unto them even as Jesus had commanded and they let them go. Now you'll notice that they merely follow his instructions in return with the colt. I think that you have something here that reveals that there was those who were his followers that were obeying him even at the time they were plotting his death and you can only get that here on the human plane, you see. Now verse 7 we read, and they brought the colt to Jesus, cast their garments on him and he sat upon him.

And many spread their garments in the way and others cast down branches off the trees and strawed them in the way. And they that went before and they that followed cried saying, Hosanna. Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. Blessed be the kingdom of our father David that cometh in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest. Now this I'm sure was not too impressive to those in Jerusalem. I'm sure it was not too impressive to anyone who'd been in Rome at the time that one of the Caesars returned from uh campaign and they had that great triumphal entry, the victorious return of a Caesar when it is said that the booty that he brought back that sometimes that the march went on, the parade went on for probably 2 or 3 days and all night long.

They'd be coming into the city, very triumphal, you see. Here it was just a few Galilean peasants, but the impressive thing, the imposing thing, the important thing is that the Lord Jesus for the first time is offering himself publicly. Now notice what it says in verse 11. And Jesus entered into Jerusalem and into the temple and when he had looked round about upon all things and now the even tide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the 12. And there are two things here that are important that this was the first day he entered.

It was obviously the Sabbath day. The money changers and oxen were not there and he came in as priest and he was the sacrifice. He's come in as the great high priest to offer the sacrifice that is acceptable to God for your sin and my sin. And then note that he did not spend the night in Jerusalem, but returned to Bethany for the evening. And as far as I can tell, he did not spend the night in the city that rejected him. Now notice verse 12. It says, and on the morrow. Now this is the second day when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry and seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came if happily he might find anything thereon and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for the time of the figs was not yet.

And Jesus answered and said unto it, no man eat fruit of thee hereafter forever. And his disciples heard it. Now that little incident has caused a great big controversy, of course. On the morrow makes it very clear that this was the second day that he entered in triumph. And he also cleansed the temple as we'll see in a moment and he cursed the fig tree. And I think that here the nation Israel is represented by the fig tree. Now I recognize the other that will take exception to that. I am not interested in the controversy.

What I am interested in that there's a great spiritual lesson here and that they had the outward leaves of a God-given religion, but there was no spiritual fruit there. I wonder if you wouldn't say that of the church today. That's what he's going to say of the church, Laodicea. It was a church that didn't have anything. It was poor and blind and it needed to have the ointment open their eyes. That is the Holy Spirit was not there. And I believe that that's the thing that Isaiah was talking about in the 29th chapter, verse 13 when he said, wherefore the Lord said, for as much as this people draw near me with their mouth and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart far from me and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of man.

I would say that's the condition of the church today. Now the Lord Jesus cursed the fig tree as Matthew states in just a little bit more detail, by the way, and that the fig tree withered away. Now let's pass on from that, verse 15, and they come to Jerusalem and Jesus went into the temple, began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple and overthrew the tables of the money changers and the seats of them that sold doves and would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple. Now here he cleanses the temple.

John tells us that he cleansed it at the beginning of his ministry and here he cleanses it at the end of his ministry and this took place on the second day and the second day was not the Sabbath day. It was Sunday. And the money changers were now in the temple. Now these money changers, they had actually a place on the stock market. They had a seat on the stock market. They were there and when strangers came from other countries in order to get the legal coin of the temple, they wouldn't use foreign coin. They'd exchange it for the legal tender of the temple and of course they charged them a certain percentage and it served a good purpose in a way, but the trouble of it was that our Lord said it become a den of thieves.

This had become a religious racket. And friends, that's always a danger in any Christian enterprise and that's the reason folk ought always check these religious rackets. But this is important, by the way, and our Lord cleansed the temple. I think you do a lot of it today and I don't want him to have to come around with a whip to clean up the Through the Bible radio program. I hope we'll have that part of it. We've got a lot of other things I'm sure to straighten out. Now will you notice we come to the third day and in verse 20, and in the morning as they passed by.

Now that's the third day. They saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold the fig tree which thou cursest is withered away. Now that causes our Lord now to give here this discourse on prayer, because they marveled that he did this. And this leads to this discourse and let's come to that now. I probably should conclude this matter of the triumphal entry, so-called that it actually is the public presentation of himself as the Messiah and obviously he is rejected. And we find here that this is merely that which is not a triumph.

I don't like that term. I don't think that it's scriptural to call it that. You wait till you see him someday when he comes and the dead in Christ rise first and those that are alive fall and you see that tremendous order of 1,900 years of millions of saints going out. My friend, that'll be a triumphal entry. That'll really be one and I think it's going to take place over a long period of time. Somebody says it'll be in a moment and a twinkling of an eye. Yes, but my friend, that parade's got a long ways to go, not to the moon, but to the new Jerusalem.

And he's going to lead them into the new place for this new group, the new creation. My, what a glorious thing that'll be. That'll be triumphal. Now let's notice this, verse 22. Jesus answering saith unto them, have faith in God. That's very interesting. You see this discourse on the prayer of faith grew out of Peter's calling attention to the blighted fig tree. The first step in prayer is faith in God. The writer to the Hebrews, you remember, put it like that, but without faith it's impossible to please him. For he that cometh to God must believe that he is, that he's a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Now if you don't believe in God, friends, certainly the skeptic of the past who said that prayer is a madman talking to himself is very accurate. He that cometh to God must believe that he is have faith in God. That's the first step. For verily I say unto you that whosoever shall say unto this mountain, be thou removed and be thou cast into the sea and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass, he shall have whatsoever he saith. Now this is a verse that's been so misunderstood today.

You find that the Christian doesn't need to throw mountains around literally, but he needs power today for living and meeting the daily mountains of cares and problems. And Paul could pray for the Ephesians that he would grant you according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with might by his spirit in the inner man. Now don't pray for me that I'll be able to move the mountains that are back of our headquarters up in Pasadena, because frankly I see no point in moving the mountains and if I'd move them, where in the world would I move them?

And I don't want to put a mountain in the ocean. They look pretty up where they are. So that's not it, but I want to tell you very candidly, I would like to be strengthened with might by the Holy Spirit in the inner man. And that, my friend, would be greater than moving a mountain. That's the thing that's important and that's the thing actually he's talking about and he's giving them this visible thing for them to see. And he says, therefore I say unto you, what things soever you desire, when you pray, believe that you receive them and you shall have them.

That is have faith in God, not that you get the ability to move mountains or your own selfish desires, but that his will might be done in your life. Have faith in God and when you stand praying, forgive if you have ought against any that your Father also, which is in heaven, may forgive you your trespasses and if you do not forgive, neither will your Father, which is in heaven, forgive your trespasses. And blame me if we stood on that basis today, some of us would really be in difficulty, but remember this. An unforgiving spirit will short circuit the power of prayer and that's important.

Now God forgives us for Christ's sake. That's the way we are saved, but if you're not going to have power in our lives, there must be forgiveness. That's very important. Now we find the chief priest coming up to try to trap him here and notice verse 27. And they come again to Jerusalem and as he was walking in the temple, there come to him the chief priest and the scribes and elders. They're still on his trail. You see these bloodhounds of hate. And they say unto him, by what authority doest thou these things? Who gave thee this authority to do these things?

You see they were the ones in authority. They were the religious rulers and they hadn't given him any authority and they want to know where he got it. And Jesus answered and said unto them, I'll also ask of you 1 question. You notice how he always answers like that and answer me and I'll tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism with John, was it from heaven or of man? Answer me. That's a good question, by the way. This was a devastating question to the religious rulers. You see if they said that John's baptism was from heaven, then the obvious follow-up would be, well, why didn't you accept him?

And if they repudiated John, then the people would be antagonized for they accepted John. And then he asked them this question, the baptism of John, was it from heaven or of man? Answer me. And they reasoned with themselves saying, if we shall say from heaven, he'll say, why then did you not believe him? But if we shall say of man, they feared the people, for all men counted John that he was a prophet. And they answered and said unto Jesus, we cannot tell. They had to confess their ignorance and they thought they knew everything, by the way.

And Jesus answering saith unto them, neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things. They had to wiggle out of answering the question, you see, by blandly saying they were ignorant. And someone might say, well, the Lord Jesus didn't answer their question and he didn't use sufficient ground. Oh, my friend, they were not seeking an answer. They were trying to trap him. Don't you remember? And he is the one that didn't answer them, because he's not falling into their trap. This is to me one of the great proofs of his deity is the way he handled his enemies.

Until next time, may God richly bless each one of you.

Steve Shwetz: Read ahead and meet us next time as our journey through God's entire word continues. Our reading guide bookmark is also available in our app. It's over at ttb.org as well or just call us at 1-800-65-BIBLE and we'll mail you one. I'm Steve Sweat. So grateful for your company on the Bible bus and your partnership in taking the whole word to the whole world.

Greg Harris: Through the Bible exists to take God's whole word to the whole world and we invite you to stand with us with your faithful prayer and financial support. Where will God's word go today?