Verses 1-11
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See teaching on Mark 2-3 for details.
Verses 12-16
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Jesus, obviously, put great thought and prayer into choosing those men that would be His twelve apostles.
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Even though it's important for us to pray in all situations, there are times when we must go away to pray extensively and in private.
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Especially when you're in moments of critical decisions, take time away to pray, and pray long!
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Verses 17-19
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Power went out from Jesus and healed them all, and by simple touching Him!
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This is an example of a powerful gift of healing. Only God can grant this gift.
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Understand that God will add whatever spiritual gifts to you that He wills. You focus on being obedient to Him! The gift of healing is one of many gifts (1 Corinthians 12:9).
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Verses 20-25
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See teaching on Matthew 5 for details.
Verse 26
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In contrast to the blessing and reward that is promised to us when we are persecuted, Jesus teaches that is it very bad if everyone speaks favorably towards us.
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If the unbelieving people of the world like the message you're preaching, and you're not getting any backlash, you're in danger!
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The world loves a false gospel.
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Contrarily, a sign that we are preaching the truth is that the sinful world will hate our message and revile us for it.
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It's good if unbelievers are offended by the truth that you speak. Always speak the truth!
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Verses 27-36
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See teaching on Matthew 5 for more details.
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Be kind and loving to those who mistreat you, as this shows the love that God has for all.
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God does good for us all by providing for our needs through His creation, and He has done the ultimate good in sending Jesus to die for us while we were still sinners! (Romans 5:8).
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You're no better than an unbeliever if you're only kind to those who are kind to you.
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There is no gain for the kingdom if you love those who love you, because all unbelievers want to be treated kindly when they treat you kindly.
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But there is great gain for the kingdom—by showing the love of God to an unbeliever—when you are kind to them after they've been unkind to you. This kind of action is unexpected, and it will show them the love of God, which will draw them closer to God!
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This is the kind of gain that you want! It's about winning souls!
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Verses 34-35. Whenever you do good, don't expect anything in return.
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Don't expect anything in return from people or from God.
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Do good simply because you want to be like you're Father in heaven.
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Verses 37-38
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A simple truth here. If you want God to be merciful to you, be merciful to others. “For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown on mercy” (James 2:13).
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As a believer, you will remain saved and your sins forgiven. However, if in this life you want to experience more of the love of God, be more loving to others!
Verses 39-42
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Just as a blind person cannot lead another blind person, a person who is not repenting of their own sins cannot help someone with theirs.
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Sin is like an obstruction in the eye. You cannot see clearly to help someone if you aren't helping yourself.
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Disciples are meant to be like their teachers. In the same way, a person who corrects someone should be an example that the person being corrected can follow.
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But if you have sin you're not dealing with, and you try to correct someone, they'll be no better.
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All in all, make sure you're dealing with your own sin before you try to help others with theirs!
Verses 43-45
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“As in water face reflects face, so a man's heart reveals the man” (Proverbs 27:19). And the heart is revealed in the output of a man's life.
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A person's actions and speech, together, will show you what their heart is like—whether they're a believer or not a believer.
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Know yourself! Do you have good fruit—godly actions and speech—to prove that you're a believer? Are you obedient to the Word?
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If you want to know a person, spend time and build relationship with them enough to find out what they like to talk about, what they're interested in, and how they live.
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This is the best way to judge a whether a person is saved or not.
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Verses 46-49
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The ultimate test of whether a person has truly made Jesus their Lord—and is truly saved—is whether they are actually doing what the Word says (Matthew 7:21)
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Be a doer of the Word (James 1:22)! Seek knowledge in Scripture that you can apply and take action on. This will make you a doer!
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In this life, a man that is obedient to the Word will have a strong and immovable faith that no trouble could ever weaken or destroy.
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Strong faith requires great obedience!
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See teaching on Matthew 7 for more details.