Please pray for David Dargue who left the City in the Autumn as he studies up at Oak Hill Theological colleage.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18(ESV)
"So we do not lose heart.  Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.  For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen.  For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal."

That kind of thinking is easy to slip into, but really unhelpful; because as we're seeing in Mark 8-10 at the moment, understanding the cross rightly is utterly crucial to how we view God and ourselves, and if you're anything like me, the times that our worldviews are really changed are when we sit down and take stock of what we've been learning.

If you missed out on the weekend or would value hearing them again, then you can find a link to some very similar talks from a previous year's cross weekend away here (note that 'Facets of the Cross: Penal Substitution' was the first talk of the weekend, which is halfway down the page, so start there!).

Of course we only really scratched the surface of the riches of understanding of the cross, so let's keep encouraging each other to read books that go deeper. Our recommendations to start with are:

Cross Examined by Mark Meynell

King's Cross by Tim Keller

Pierced for our Transgressions by Andrew Sach, Mike Ovey and Steve Jeffreys

But after that there are loads more great books out there which can be found on the St Helen's bookstall, like:

Living the Cross Centred Life by C.J.Mahaney

In my place condemned he stood by Mark Dever and J.I.Packer

Redemption Accomplished and Applied by Iain Murray

The Cross of Christ by John Stott

Prep notes for next week can be found here (pdf).

1 Corinthians 15:58 (ESV) "Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labour is not in vain."

Please pray for the talk at lunchtime today on the reliability of the Gospels and for good conversations over lunch and back in the office.

People use the term ‘dialogue event' but you can call it what you like as long as you've got some people, some conversation, and preferably the Bible open at some stage! Many of our colleagues actually enjoy talking about the big questions of life and the beauty of a dialogue event is that you can tailor it to the precise questions your colleagues have. "Tell me more," I hear you cry.

Here's Paul Whiting (Securis Investments) on a dialogue event he organised:

I organised a dialogue dinner last year. I just had three old friends come round to my house for a home-made dinner. I thought William would be the speaker most likely to connect with them, and he was kind enough to agree. I think the invitees accepted mainly on the strength of past dinner parties, but for this event I toned down the cuisine and just went for a simple meal of starter, roast chicken, and home-made apple pie with a bottle of Margaux. I wanted the focus to be on the gospel. All of my friends had a mathematical background, and I knew that for them the main issue was "Is this stuff true or not?". William picked a text from Luke's gospel which spoke to that topic and we had a very friendly and lively discussion. For one of the guests, the whole idea that the New Testament could be real history was new. He had just assumed the Bible was a dusty book of children's myths. I think this simple event had a big impact on him, and for the first time made him start to doubt his doubts. Another friend had a smattering of theological knowledge and, being trained as a lawyer, was keen to debate. This is where it was particularly helpful to have someone as witty, wise, and winsome as William. William was able to gently disarm the objections. At the time, there seemed to be little impact on the third friend.

Months later, on a walking holiday in Scotland with the third friend, out of nowhere he said, "I've been thinking about that dinner we had. What I really need is the chance to have five or six dinners over a few weeks with a small group where I can really get to grips with Christianity." One could hardly ask for a more open goal.

Overall the event was easy to organise, fun, warmly received, and almost certainly did immense good to three lost souls. I had no difficulty in getting the guests along. And William seemed to enjoy it too - especially the Margaux.

So why not give it a go? Paul obviously went for a fully-fledged slap-up feast at home, but you could do it in the back room of a pub in the City over a beer, or even in a meeting room in your office. You could team up with other Christians you know, or go solo like Paul. There are many speakers around who'd be happy to help out. Get in touch with Wes (wes@christiansinthecity.com) or me (phil@christiansinthecity.com). And remember, as we ‘go', he's promised to be with us until the end of the age (Matthew 28:20).

Phil
phil@christiansinthecity.com

A new podcast has just been launched to complement and (from January 2013) replace the CD of the Month subscription scheme.

Featuring the same two talks selected by the Senior Leadership Team at the end of each calendar month, Pick-of-the-Month provides listeners with a regular diet of solid teaching at a tempo which, for some, is more manageable than the weekly fare available on the other St Helen's podcast channels.  The January 2012 talk selection is already available, featuring talks by William Taylor and Phillip Jensen.

Users sometimes described CD of the Month as a lifeline; our prayer is that the same will be true of the new podcast, and that many more listeners will be able to benefit from it.

Click here to read more about podcasts and to subscribe to Pick-of-the-Month or any of the other podcast channels available.

That's probably what I find so thrilling about time-travel films – the idea of being able to find out what happens in the future. I wouldn't want to live 'in the future', but sometimes having certainty about what's going to happen next week, or in 10 years' time, would be great. Pining after such knowledge is ridiculous, then, when I realise Mark has given me a vision of the future in chapter 9 of his gospel.

As we work through the verses, we see a vision of Jesus in His resurrection glory, and a reminder that Scripture will be fulfilled. If there was any doubt that the gospel pattern means suffering and then rising, Mark has made it clear that it will happen. What is more, Mark describes the Father ripping open heaven to sanction the words of His Son in Mark 9:7. If there were any temptation to doubt Jesus' words in Mark 8:31-38, it's gone by the time we get to the end of this week's passage.

So how do we deal with that lingering doubt – what about us? We know that Jesus will rise again, but will we? Jesus is more glorious than us (and as readers of Mark we already know 'the ending'); so what can we expect in the future? Mark puts great effort to show Jesus' next miracle in resurrection terms (Mark 9:27-28): Jesus has the power to bring life from the dead. We've seen it before in Mark, but now we are reminded that this is the reality that follows losing our lives now. We may echo the sentiment of the faithless father (Mark 9:24), but Mark has given us no room to doubt. We can have greater certainty of this future than anything else. Resurrection glory follows suffering now, and we can trust Jesus' resurrection power for us.

Questions to ponder

What reasons have you been given to believe Mark 8:31-38?

Which is more certain – the next sunrise, or the return of Christ? Do we believe that?

What stops you 'denying yourself'? What rights are you holding on to? How do the examples of John the Baptist and Jesus (Mark 9:9-13) help?

How would meditating on this passage change your perspective on the future? When do you next have 15 minutes that you could spend thinking about it?

If we're honest, we all find the idea of taking up our cross hard. What stops you from doing it? How has Mark helped us in Mark 9:14-29? Why is meditating on this truth now an important way of preparing for future persecution?

Lots to think about from this week's passage. If you missed last week, why not check out the blog post here. The next week's prep is available here.

"There are only two days on my calendar", said Luther, "Today and That Day".  The return of Jesus Christ to judge the world is predicted again and again in the New Testament.  His return is as certain as His resurrection. We do not know the date of his return; we are told it will be unexpected and unavoidable.

Much ink has been spilt over the "end times", and not always helpfully.  But Jesus' return is the most important event in the future of this world, and we need to be adequately informed so we can live our present in the light of it. This is why William Taylor's recent Sunday Afternoon and Evening series The End is so important.

In four sermons, the last of which is followed by a Q & A session, William considered Jesus' teaching in chapters 24 and 25 of Matthew's gospel.  Four aspects of Jesus return are covered:

First, the fact that it is delayed. The sack of Jerusalem in AD 70, appalling though it would be, would not be the end.  Jesus' return is delayed until the gospel has been proclaimed in all the world, so that people have the opportunity to respond to it. (See 2 Peter 3:9).

Second, the certainty of Jesus' return.  It will happen; no-one can stop it happening; it will involve everyone without exception, whether or not they think it's their cup of tea. The final judgement is not only for those who consider themselves to be religiously inclined.

Third, what we need to do now, knowing that Christ's return is imminent.  We do not know when Jesus will return; therefore we need to be ready at all times, living each day as if it were our last.  And being ready means going about our Father's business, investing our efforts in the work of spreading the gospel and serving God's people; that is what the two parables - the Ten Virgins (be ready!), and the Talents (be fruitful!) - are about.

Fourth, the division that will take place when Jesus returns. Jesus' teaching on the Sheep and the Goats shows that there will be a watershed, a separation that is final and irreversible. Two sets of people; two eternal destinies. Hell is an unpopular topic, a doctrine against which people rail, but the trouble is that it comes from the lips of Jesus, from the one who is supremely qualified to pronounce on these matters.  This subject is also addressed in the Q& A session following the final talk.

This is essential listening: click here for audio and video recordings of the series.

That's likely because we've never really thought about it in it's proper context before. As we saw last week, Jesus begins this new section in Mark's gospel with some surprising words, words that Peter thought were unbefitting of a man who called Himself the 'Son of Man'; saying not only that He 'must suffer and be killed', but that anyone who followed him must similarly be prepared to deny themselves to the point of death. Sure, He reassured that those who did so would save their lives in the future.

But the question remains: Has Jesus lost the plot here?

That's an important question for us to answer, because we won't want to give up our lives in this life now if we're unconvinced that Jesus' promise about the life to come is true.

Which is where the transfiguration comes in. There are three aspects in particular which give us confidence in Jesus' words.

Firstly, Jesus' appearance. v3 describes a pure whiteness beyond the ability of even Daz to replicate. It's a glorious image - and coming off the back of 8:38, that's exactly the point. Here we have a little foretaste of what it will be like when the Son of Man really does come in glory.

Secondly, the presence of Moses and Elijah. These two figures are long gone - and yet they appear alive with Jesus! Here then is a visual demonstration of life after death.

Finally, God's declaration. In v7 God Himself confirms that Jesus hasn't gone off the rails. Rather, His words must be listened to.

It's a hugely reassuring passage in the light of 8:31-38. Following Jesus really is worth it, because the future really will be as Jesus said it would be.

Questions for Application

If what Jesus says about the future is certain, how should that affect how our lives look like now?

Why are we tempted to think that denying ourselves and following Jesus isn't worth doing?

Why do we lose perspective on the future?

Please pray for David Constable and Dan Rackham who are studying at Cornhill and have just been involved in mission weeks in South Africa and Norwood.

Please pray for Chris de Witt, Simon Clegg teaching the Bible in Cape Town.

Please also pray for Richard Weston currently on a speaking tour in South Africa, equipping churches to reach international students.

Please pray for the Christians who meet to pray at Pinsent Masons.  Pray they would be persistent and steadfast in prayer.

Ephesians 6:18-20 (ESV)
"...praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.  To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak."

1 Peter 3.14-16 (ESV)
"Even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honour Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defence to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behaviour in Christ may be put to shame."

Summary Sheet (16) for John 8

Summary Sheet (15) for John 7

Why not set aside an hour or two this weekend to read over these glorious four chapters, thank God for all of the riches of his truth and do some serious pondering of how the section fits together and how that should shape our lives?  Here are some tips for how you might use the RML toolkit to help:

*Structure tool:

- Have you spotted the bookends of the section, that hold the whole thing together?  Can you see that 5:1-11 and 8:18-39 contain lots of the same themes and seem to have a similar aim?

- See if you can summarise the main idea of each of the passages in between these two bookends

*Author's purpose tool:

- Now that we've seen some kind of structure we need to ask why.  Why would Paul sandwich the middle stuff in between these bookends?  What's the link between the two?

- How does putting 5:1-11 and 8:18-39 help to shape the way we think about the middle bit?

- Why do Paul's readers need to know the stuff in chapters 5-8 if we've already seen so much of what God's achieved through the gospel in chapters 1-4?

*So What? tool:

- Why do we need to know this big truth in our lives today?

- How should our certain future hope shape the way we live in the present?

But imagine if the leader unveiled an electric chair and sat on it. Would everyone locate electric chairs and sit on them? Unlikely. It's a grotesque image, when the leader takes up an instrument of execution - especially if he knows that he is setting an example. But the shocking discovery from Mark this week is that that is in fact the gospel pattern.

Not that we should hunt down electric chairs - it's not a call to suicide. But at the same time, it is living life with that expectation, that preparedness, to lose our life entirely now. Just as Jesus went to the cross, so also Jesus' followers are called to expect death for the sake of the gospel. Some of us may find ourselves arrested and executed because of proclaiming the gospel. And even if we don't die, there is a call to ‘deny self'. In a world that puts such an emphasis on doing what ‘I' want, these words are penetrating. But if we recognise our eternal destination, it transforms our perspective (Mark 8:35-38).

Three things to notice, then.

First, this is necessary. This is the gospel pattern. Jesus didn't just say that He might die - He said he must (Mark 8:31-33). As He makes clear in his statement to Peter, this gospel pattern of death before glory is "of God" (8:33). This is the way that God has designed it.

Second, it is for Jesus' sake. Jesus doesn't call for us to randomly make life hard for ourselves, but to deny our self, take up our cross, and follow Him. His call is to lose life ‘for my sake and the gospel's' (Mark 8:35). And the confidence is that, as those who have faced denial of self, loss of life and ridicule for aligning ourselves with Jesus, we will enjoy the glory of eternity in the future.

Third, we're following Jesus. This isn't a way of earning salvation. This is following the example of our King, who suffered many things, was rejected by the elders and chief priests and the scribes, who was killed, and after three days rose again.

Questions to ponder

What kinds of things do we think we have a right to? What does it mean to "deny self"?

What stops you proclaiming Jesus in the office? What if the office was allowed to set the death penalty for ‘religious intolerance'? How would this passage help you still to proclaim Him?

How can we make sure we don't forget about the future perspective? What can we do practically to stop ourselves thinking that ‘this life is all there is'?

Do keep chatting over these things in your group. And for those looking for next week's prep notes, find them here.

It's a pretty simple idea, but it can often lead to some great conversations that might not happen otherwise. So here are a few top tips on how to run a dialogue supper well.

Before the evening...

1. Use the St Helen's staff

One of the benefits of having a large staff team at St Helen's is that there are plenty of people who are trained in how to present the gospel in a clear, faithful and engaging way and answer questions Biblically (and who are super keen to help out with evangelistic opportunities!). If you don't know someone on staff already that you could invite, your RML leader will be able to put you in contact with someone.

2. Invite personally where possible

It's really tempting to do a mass facebook/email invitation for this kind of thing, as it's a lot more comfortable for us. However, personal invitations are always much more likely to be effective. They are less easily ignored and a lot warmer than a mass message.

3. Have integrity

Make sure people know what they are coming to - i.e. you must tell them clearly that there will be a gospel talk and a chance for questions. 2 Cor 4:2 warns us that we are not to use 'disgraceful, underhanded ways'. If you haven't done this, your speaker will refuse to do the talk!

4. Pray for your friends

Self-explanatory really - pray for opportunities to invite people, that God would give you wisdom in what to say to them, and that they would respond well to the invitation.

5. Team up

Only have one or two friends interested in coming? Why not chat to someone on your RML table and see whether you could run an event together?

6. Be flexible according to your friends

Plan the type of event you are going to run around what would be most suitable for the people you are going to invite. There are lots of different ways of doing a dialogue supper - cheese and wine evenings, going to a curry house or a café, or having a meal at home. Also, make sure your speaker knows what type of people are coming - that way they will be able to choose a passage of the Bible that will be appropriate for the specific issues that your friends have.

On the evening...

1. Cook something simple

The worst nightmare for a dialogue supper is to have food that takes ages to prepare, that gets in the way of you talking to your friends, and that has so many courses that by the time you get to the talk and discussion, people are about ready to go home or are too tired to think properly. Keep it simple! Don't offer seconds, don't get up to do the washing up. Don't think that people will be impressed by the gospel because they are impressed by your food.

2. Stick to your timings

Carefully plan out your timings realistically. An example might be:

7:00 arrive

7:20 supper

8:00 pudding

8:20 coffee

8:40 talk

8:45 discussion

9:45 end discussion

3. Introduce your speaker

It would be best to chat through with the speaker beforehand how you want to do this in a way that isn't awkward. Generally something along the lines of:

'thanks for coming everyone, as I said, part of the purpose of this evening was to give you a chance to hear a bit about what Christians believe and ask any questions you might have, so I've invited my friend Jonny who works for my church to talk for a few minutes, and then he/she is happy for you to grill him/her on anything he's said.'

4. Trust your speaker

Don't be tempted to help your speaker out by answering for them - trust them to know how to answer the questions, and let them take the flak.

5. Keep praying

Pray beforehand with the speaker, and pray for them while they are speaking or answering questions.

6. Cap the discussion after 1 hour

Even if your friends are asking really good questions - that way they'll be more likely to be keen to come back and find out more!

After the evening

Follow up

Try to meet up as soon as possible afterwards with those who came and ask them what they thought. Be prepared to suggest something as a next step for them - that might be reading Mark's gospel one-2-one with them, inviting them to another talk, or giving them a talk on CD to listen to.

Exciting!

You can find prep notes for next week here.

But are the gospels true?  Can we believe what they say about Jesus?  How do we know that we're reading accurate eyewitness histories, not myths or legends?  Were the facts exaggerated over time and many retellings?  Do we have any verifying histories available from other authors?  Did the authors have an 'axe' to grind or some biased motive?  Do we even have what the original authors wrote?

On Tuesday 21 February and Thursday 23 February, Charlie Skrine will speak on the historical reliability of the gospels.  This would be an excellent talk for anyone who is looking into the Christian faith.  This would also be an excellent talk for anyone who is wondering how to answer the questions above.

The PDF invites are now available on the website.  Why not download the flyer and invite your friends and colleagues?

2 Corinthians 5:11 & 14(ESV)
"Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others..."
"For the love of Christ controls us...."

Mark 4.30-32 (ESV)
"With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade."

After all, when we're at the sharp end of suffering we are bound to ask questions.  We will yearn to explain our experience and as Christians it could go a number of ways:

• Am I suffering because God is punishing me for my sin?
• Does that mean that the gospel hasn't really worked?
• Or that I don't have enough faith in God to sort the problem out?
• Am I suffering because God doesn't love me anymore?
• Or because his hands are tied and he can't help me, despite his good intentions?

Throughout Romans Paul wants to strengthen our faith in the gospel, so it's vital that he gives us the gospel's genuine answer to the tough question of suffering so that our faith in the gospel isn't toppled in life's storms.  So what is Paul's answer?

We saw that the key to Paul's answer is to focus not on this world but on future glory.  That is, the benefits of the gospel in getting rid of all sin and all of its consequences will only be fully realised in the future, in the glorious new creation.  As long as we're in this world we will suffer, and it's only in future glory that our suffering will be over. 

So the big truth to have in our minds is that the future glory far outweighs our sufferings in this life (Romans 8:18).  And if this is our attitude, we're not on our own:

• All of creation is groaning under the curse of sin but, like a mother in the pains of childbirth, creation is looking forward to the far better future of a glorious, perfect and sin-free world (Romans 8:19-22)
• In the same way we Christians, in our decaying and sinful bodies, are groaning as we look forward to the new bodies that we will get when our adoption as God's children is fully realised (Romans 8:23-25)

And wonderfully we also saw that God is on our side to help us through it:

• The Holy Spirit himself, he who dwells in us and has perfect knowledge of the Father's will, is praying to the Father for us in our weakness (Romans 8:26-27)
• And he's praying that the Father's will according to his eternal plan will be brought to completion, that is, that we will make it to our future glorification (Romans 8:28-30)

These are the kinds of truths we should dwell on now, even if suffering hasn't really hit us yet, because it's bound to in the future.  Here are some pointers to help us do that over the weekend:

• Am I prepared to face whatever suffering life throws at me?
• Am I armed with the gospel, with it's huge vision of a perfect new creation, as an antidote to despair in life's painful struggles?
• Am I looking forward to the new creation and having a new body which will be completely free of sin and suffering?
• Do I believe that it's worth remaining firm in my faith in the gospel in order to get there, because it's so much better?
• Do I really know that God is on my side, even when it doesn't feel like it?

And here is the prep sheet for next week's study.

This week at the St Helen's lunchtime meetings, William gave a talk (download the recording on our website) on Luke 20.19-21.4. The surprise of this section of Luke's gospel is that Jesus does indeed detest religion in all its forms. The religious establishment of Jesus' day tried to catch him with questions designed to entrap him. Each time, Jesus responded with such authority and clarity that the scribes and chief priests were silenced.

What was the error in each of their carefully crafted objections? Their questions revealed that their hearts were far from God. They failed to see that God is God of everything and everyone. There is no "sacred" and "secular" divide when it comes to God; everything belongs to him. They knew nothing of the power of God to raise his children from the dead for eternal life. They refused to listen to the very Scriptures they read week in, week out. They cared only for their own reputations and nothing for God's glory. And that is why Jesus hates religion, and why Jesus says of the religious establishment, "They will receive the greater condemnation."

After condemning the religious establishment, Jesus commended a widow who gave two small copper coins to God, worth about £2.50 today. Why? Because she gave everything she had. She gave out of wholehearted devotion to God.

Has someone ever said to you, "It's great that you're a Christian, but that's not for me. I'm not religious." The next time you hear that, perhaps you could say, "You know what? Jesus hated religion, too."

Dan
blogs@christiansinthecity.com

Isaiah 49:8-12 (ESV)
"...In a time of favour I have answered you; in a day of salvation I have helped you; I will keep you and give you as a covenant to the people, to establish the land, to apportion the desolate heritages, saying to the prisoners, "Come out," to those who are in darkeness, "Appear."  They shall  feed along the ways; on all bare heights shall be their pasture; they shall not hunger or thirst, neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them, for he who has pity on them will lead them, and by springs of water will guide them, And I will make all my mountains a road, and my highways, shall be raised up.  Behold, these shall come from afar, and behold, these from the north and from the west, and these from the land of Syene."

But the sad fact of the matter is that they've still not understood who Jesus is - and to be honest, we're not particularly surprised about that fact either. The evidence has been there all the way through chapters 4-8 (see 4:13, 4:41, 6:51-52, 7:18). Consistently, in the face of overwhelming evidence, the disciples have not recognised who Jesus is; God's King, the shepherd of Israel, who is none other than God Himself (6:30-52 esp. 6:50).

Shockingly, Jesus verdict on the disciples is that they are no different from the Pharisees or the Herodians; they have hard-hearts. That is to say, the sinful condition of the human heart that Jesus described in 7:1-23 is true of everyone alike, and prevents people from understanding who Jesus is.

Nevertheless, we remember that when Jesus called the twelve to Himself in 3:13-19, He was calling to Himself a new people, a new Israel. So if this new Israel has the same problem as the old Israel, what's the difference? And how come the disciples are in, while the Pharisees, who have exactly the same problem, aren't?

Before we can answer those questions, we need to deal with another big surprise - by the end of 8:30, the disciples have understood who Jesus is. What explains this sudden grasping of Jesus' identity, when just a few verses earlier the disciples seem to be so clueless?

The only explanation can be that Mark has included this story of Jesus' healing of a blind man in between these two event for a reason. Just as Jesus miraculously opens this man's eyes, so He is able to miraculously open the disciples eyes (see 8:18) to perceive who He is. The disciples hadn't worked it out for themselves - Jesus had given them understanding!

So here's the key question that the whole of Ch 4-8 has been building up to: what's the difference between a follower of Jesus and someone who rejects Jesus?

The answer: Only grace.

Questions for Application:

If someone asked you 'why are you a Christian?', what would you say? What would Mark say is the real answer?

What implications does this passage have on our attitudes towards 1) ourselves? 2) evangelism?

If you missed RML this week, you can find Aneirin's review of Ch4-8 here.

And as we move on into a new section in Mark, here are some prep notes for next week.

Luke 20.17-18 (ESV)
"The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him."

Pray that Christians around the City would believe in their hearts that the gospel is indeed good news! Pray that Christians would be filled with joy that they have been forgiven through Jesus Christ. Pray that the good news of the gospel would motivate them to bring friends and colleagues to Christianity Explored. Pray that God would open people's eyes to the good news that Jesus came to bring forgiveness of sins.

Mark 2.17 (ESV)
Jesus said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners."

That's why it's so appropriate that Paul moves on to assure us that God has provided the complete solution to the problem of sin.  He shows how the work of God the Holy Spirit assures us that sin has been dealt with, sin is being dealt with and sin will fully and finally be dealt with.  Here's a reminder of how:

• Past:  The Holy Spirit joined us to Jesus, who paid for our sin on the cross - we can be sure that we won't be condemned (Romans 8:1-4)
• Present:  The Holy Spirit dwells in us and enables us to focus our minds on God and living in his ways rather than living in constant rebellion towards God - we can be sure that we belong to Jesus (Romans 8:5-11)
• Future: the Holy Spirit gives us an inner sense that we are God's children and that we will therefore inherit all that Jesus inherits in the future - we can be sure that we will receive our inheritance (Romans 8:14-17)

Why not spend some time thinking over and praying through these truths, perhaps with the help of these questions:

• How can this truth help you next time you despair at our own sinfulness?
• How will the Holy Spirit help you when you next feel distant from God?
• How has this changed or added to your thinking about who the Holy Spirit is and what he does for Christians?

 Here is the prep for next week's study.

Jesus uses Scripture to level a warning at the establishment of his day and at the powers that prevail in our day as well. Each of these allusions to Scripture speak of the end that awaits those who oppose God: they will be destroyed. In Isaiah 8, the prophet warns that the LORD will be a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel; the kingdoms of Israel and Judah will fall and be broken because of their rebellion against God. In Daniel 2, God reveals through Nebuchadnezzar's dream that the great kingdoms of the earth, depicted as a statue of gold, silver, bronze, iron and clay, will be smashed to bits by a stone that was cut by no human hand; that stone is the kingdom that shall never be destroyed, set up by the God of heaven himself.

There is nothing surprising about those passages of Scripture, especially to a Jewish audience. Any Jew would have accepted that those who oppose God ultimately will be destroyed. What's shocking is the way that Jesus uses these Scriptures. He is claiming to be the rock of stumbling and the stone that destroys the kingdoms of earth. He is claiming that anyone who rejects him is rejecting God himself!

What's the implication? Just as the kingdoms of Israel and Judah were broken to pieces, just as the empires of Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome were crushed, just as Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed in AD 70, so will it be with all human powers and authorities who oppose Jesus. Every human institution, even the most imposing and intimidating, will fall when the Lord Jesus returns.

I wonder if this helps us to be courageous Christians in a world that puts immense pressure on us to conform. As the prophet Elisha once said when he was surrounded by a Syrian army, "Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." And I wonder if this helps us to understand the priority of telling our friends and colleagues about the Lord Jesus. When he returns as God's rightful ruler, it will be too late.

The recording of William's talk is on our website.  Why not listen to it again and forward it to someone, along with an invitation to the rest of the series from Luke?

Dan
blogs@christiansinthecity.com

Please give thanks and pray for Anthony looking at John's Gospel 121 with colleagues in London and via the telephone/instant messaging in the States.

Luke 20:25(ESV)
"...render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's"

Mark 4:7-9(ESV)
"Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain.  And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold adn sixtyfold and a hundredfold."  And he said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

Please pray that the gospel will be clearly explained to many Mandarin-speakers in the City.

Revelation 21.1-4 (ESV)
"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away.'"

“Which of the following is not a gospel in the New Testament?” might have been a question. “Matthew, Mark, Luke, or Cuthbert?” But the contestant would spend a long time discussing how he’d never heard of the gospel of Mark. Members of Mark RML across London would stare at their television screens in disbelief as the individual talked himself into an early departure. “What is wrong with you?!” they would say. “Why can’t you see that the answer is Cuthbert! There is no ‘Gospel of Cuthbert’!”

We’re meant to have a similar reaction to the disciples’ confusion, when we see them again in Mark 8:14-21. Having seen Jesus feed thousands with a simple packed lunch – twice! – it’s incredible that they should be worried about their meagre supplies. But Mark doesn’t want to leave us astounded. The passage takes on a sinister air. After 8 chapters of the disciples fluctuating between spiritual highs (e.g. Mark 6:30) and desperate lows (e.g. Mark 6:52), we find the piercing words of Jesus: “Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear?” (Mark 8:18).

The words are familiar. They’ve come up before. Indeed, Mark has used blindness and deafness as a picture of unbelief throughout his account of Jesus’ life so far. Remember Jesus’ teaching about the parables back in Mark 4:12? Those who failed to understand – the outsiders, rebels against Jesus - were described as seeing but not perceiving, hearing but not understanding. And now Jesus uses the same terms to speak of the disciples. We leap out of our armchairs and shout at the disciples, “What is wrong with you? Why can’t you see that the answer is…”

And then, all of a sudden, they know what the answer is. When asked the simple question in Mark 8:29, Peter answers: “You are the Christ.” Suddenly they see! But how?

Mark tells us the answer with another of his clever sandwiches. In between the disciples failing to understand (Mark 8:21) and seeing who Jesus is (8:39) we have an account of a blind man regaining his sight. It’s a really unusual place to put the story – right in the middle of two sections about Jesus talking with his disciples. It’s also an unusual miracle – we get a lot more detail here than in e.g. Mark 1:34.

The reason is because Mark wants us to see how the man is given sight: Jesus heals him. Jesus is the only one that can make him see. In the same way, Jesus is the only one that can give understanding.

Questions to ponder

If you wanted someone to become a Christian, on what or whom would you rely? Are you sure? Does your attitude and behaviour show that?

Think of all of your friends who are not Christians. Who is the least likely to become a Christian? Really?

What is your attitude to the friend that remains hostile to the gospel after years of speaking and praying? What should it be?

“If your friends aren’t becoming Christians, it’s because you don’t believe hard enough, you don’t speak well enough and you don’t pray frequently enough.” What would you say to this?

Jesus' words in this passage are a major jolt to the system. They are meant to be taken as a wake-up call. Be ready! The end is imminent. And the timing is unknown. The very next thing on God's agenda is the return of Jesus. And only God the Father knows when that day will be.

The world around us is completely ignorant that Jesus will return in glory. For Christians we can be absolutely confident in Jesus' words. All that Jesus prophesied about the destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD took place. Jesus is now saying in v35 that heaven and earth will pass away, but His words will never pass away. Listen to what Jesus is saying. The end is coming, it's imminent. Jesus is at the very gates. 

People will be busy with everyday life when Jesus comes back. Having breakfast or maybe drinks after work. Getting engaged or walking down the aisle. The world will be caught completely unaware. Jesus will come back, and for those who don't know Him, it will be too late. 

So stay awake! Be ready! The Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect! On Sunday 22nd January we will be thinking about what it looks like to be ready.

Questions for reflection:

How prominent is Jesus' return in my thinking?

What difference would it make to my life if I really believed that Jesus could return at any moment?

Mark 8.34-35 (ESV)
"If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it."

Sometimes, we need to hear things that we don't like to hear. For instance, when you go to the doctor's office, you want your doctor to tell you the truth, however hard it is to hear. You don't want your doctor to hide the truth from you to spare your feelings!

I wonder if that's something we can remind ourselves when we come to passages like Luke 20.1-18. Jesus tells us bluntly how wrong we are to rebel against God - not to hurt our feelings or to ruin our day - but for our benefit. Listen to Jesus as he tells the parable of the vineyard and the tenants. It's as if he's saying to us, "Do you see how patient the vineyard owner is? Don't keep rejecting him like the tenants do. Do you see how ugly the tenants' behaviour is? Don't persist in rebellion like they do. Do you see that the owner is right to destroy those tenants? Don't end up like they did."

Jesus tells us truths that are hard to hear because he loves us. We need to see that our rebellion against God is wicked and that we deserve to be destroyed, because only then will we see how badly we need God's mercy and forgiveness. Going back to the doctor's office for a moment, if you have a serious problem, you want the doctor to tell you plainly what it is, especially if there is a cure available!

At the end of his talk, William encouraged us to bring people to this series, even if it seems like a difficult one to hear. If what Jesus says about us is true, then the most loving thing we could do for our friends and colleagues is to make sure they hear what Jesus has to say.

If you missed this week's talk, you can find the recording on our website. Or if you were there, why not listen to it again and consider forwarding it to a colleague, along with an invitation to the rest of the series?

Dan
blogs@christiansinthecity.com

John 8.34-36(ESV)
"Truly, truly, I say to everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.  The slave does not remain in the house for ever; the son remains for ever.  So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."

Notes (14) for John 6:41-71

Summary Sheet (13-14) for John 6:1-71

Let's face it, Mark 7:27 is one of those verses that makes us stop in our tracks and ask ourselves: 'Is Jesus really saying what I think he's saying here? Is he really telling this woman that she's a dog?'

It's a statement so blunt and degrading that many liberal commentators conclude that Jesus could never have said it, and that this whole episode never really happened. Nevertheless, we need to grasp that Jesus is being consistent with what the Bible  says about the Gentiles  - they were not part of God's chosen people Israel, and therefore of lower status than Israel. His statement may appear callous at first glance, but it forces the woman to give a response that is even more surprising than Jesus' bluntness.

Before we get to that, we need to see the big point that the whole of 7:24-8:10 is making. The three separate incidents mentioned (7:24-30, 7:31-37 and 8:1-10) all take place in Gentile regions, and all apply blessings that Jesus is bringing for the Jews to the Gentiles. So in 7:24-30 we get a very similar story to that of Jairus and his daughter in chapter 5 but for a Gentile woman. 7:31-37 applies the blessings promised to Israel in passages like Isaiah 35 to a Gentile man, and 8:1-10 seems to be a repeat of the feeding of the 5000, but this time for the Gentiles. Notice that the end result is the same - just as with the Jews, 'all ate and were satisfied'.

When we see the common link of 'bread' between 8:1-10 and 7:27-28 (note that v27 literally reads 'Let the children eat and be satisfied first'), we see how remarkable this woman's response is. Not only is she humble enough to accept that, as a Gentile, she doesn't deserve anything from Jesus, but more surprisingly still she understands that Jesus has nevertheless come for the Gentiles too (an understanding which Jesus' response in v27 draws out and which he commends in v29).

Given that this is the first time in Mark's gospel that anyone has understood a parable of Jesus (and a Gentile at that!), it leaves us with a massive question: where has this understanding come from?!

Questions for application:

Given that most of us at RML Mark Tuesday are Gentiles, how does this passage make us feel?

Why do you think we find this passage hard to apply? How do we need to view ourselves in order to apply it correctly?

Why is this passage such incredibly good news for us?

You can find prep notes for next week here.

Hebrews 10.24(ESV)
"...let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works..."

For the Christians to be bold in speaking of Christ to our colleagues
For the Christians to be quick to encourage one another to live for Christ and to honour Him in their speech and behaviour
For more to join the new prayer meeting to pray for colleagues

 Psalm 119:36(ESV)
"Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain!"

The City weekend away is 9-11 March in Sunningdale Park.  Download the brochure to learn more and book your place.

The City summer school is over one of two weeks in July in Ashburnham Place.  Download the brochure to learn more, and fill in the booking form to sing up.

Alan Bright, City administrator for St Helen's, tells us more about his first City weekend away.

My first City weekend away was in 2006, with my wife and five of our children, then aged 17 down to eight. I was working for a software company, I had been going to the Thursday lunchtime talks for a few years, and I wanted my family to understand more about the Bible teaching I was receiving during the week and to see a part of my Christian life that was normally hidden from them.

The weekend was a great success. There was good Bible teaching, good food, I deepened relationships with members of the midweek congregations, and my wife and I came away with good new friends. The weekend was also significant for our children: they made new friends, they have kept up with them since, and we continue to see the value of Christian friendships for them.

If you have not come before, do come, with spouse and children if you have them. You will have a great time together under God's word and will develop friendships that will help you serve God in the future.

Alan
alan@christiansinthecity.com

Mark 1.14-15 (ESV)
Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel."

There is a great deal of confusion about the ‘end times' and it was really helpful to be clear on 4 different things that Jesus tells us to expect:

Firstly, there will be disruption around the world. Wars and disasters that plague this world are normal and to be expected. But they are also birth pains (v8), and therefore are confirmations that this world is passing away.

So there will be disruption, but there will also be distress for Christians. Distress as Christians are persecuted, backsliding, stumbling or even giving up. We can also expect to be surrounded by false teachers in the world around us. The Christian life isn't the easy life, so don't be surprised if you're finding things tough.

Jesus foretold the devastating destruction of Jerusalem which took place in AD70. This gives us both a foretaste of how dreadful the final judgment will be, and confirmation that Jesus' words are absolutely trustworthy.

Finally, Jesus warns us of the great deceptions that will come, with many claiming falsely to be Christ. We are to ignore such claims. When Jesus returns, it will be as clear as lightning in the sky.

So Jesus will return. We can be absolutely certain. Amazingly, Jesus even tells us what life will be like as we wait for his return.

William gave us the challenge to imagine ourselves 50 years down the line, potentially still awaiting Jesus' return.

 How would we view our lives then? Had we lived in light of the fact that this world is passing away, and that Jesus is coming back?

Questions for reflection-

Do I have the right expectations of what life will be like, awaiting the return of Jesus?

To what extent am I living in light of the return of Jesus?

How can I make decisions and live my life daily, reflecting this reality?

•  Empathise with you

•  Give you good rewards

•  Treat you fairly

•  Give you a reasonable amount of freedom

In RML Romans this week we looked at Romans 6:15-23, where we saw that before we believed in Jesus we were "slaves to sin", with no choice but to follow sin's mastery.  But now that we have believed in the gospel and are united with Jesus we have become "slaves to God".  Just like last week, Paul's overall aim is to show that the gospel enables and motivates us to stop sinning.

Well how do the bosses of God and sin compare?  Which boss are we motivated to serve?  Paul compares the two in Romans 6:20-23:

The gospel exposes just what a deceitful and malicious master sin is and what a good and generous master God is.  Let's be thankful that God has set us free from sin to serve him - and let's get on with it!

And here is the prep for next week.

Pray for Richard, Scott, Wendy, Darshika, and many others who are using the Truth at Work notes to read John's gospel with others.  Pray that those reading John would be born again of the Spirit to everlasting life.

John 3.3 (ESV)
"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."

This idea of being excluded isn't unfamiliar to us. We often find ourselves or others without an invite to that special occasion, wedding or birthday party; and it's awkward. But not nearly as awkward as when that person turns up anyway. Don't they know their place? They weren't invited. It's as simple as that. They may all want to be there, but only certain people were invited.

It's surprising, then, that we so rarely remember that most of us were originally “uninvited” to Christianity. When we looked at Mark 7:24-8:10 this week, we were reminded that those who are not Jews were not originally recipients of the promise of God. God had chosen a people for His own possession (e.g. Exodus 19:5), and they were separated from the nations (Leviticus 20:26). Gentiles were without an invite.

But this week we see a woman who knew that the “bread” Jesus had to offer was exactly what she wanted. The bread of Jesus' salvation was worth everything to her, and so she begged Him for it. Jesus' response (“it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to he dogs”) comes as a shock. Why was Jesus calling her a dog, and why was He refusing to give her His salvation? The answer is simple – she was not invited. She was not Jewish. She was not 'one of the children', but part of the uninvited Gentile race.

She was determined to get the bread nonetheless, knowing she was unworthy, but pleading for “crumbs”. So when she gets the bread, it's a great moment. She's been saved! A Gentile got in! But if we're looking at the party as Gentiles, it's not particularly encouraging that there's one Gentile amongst a sea of Jewish people. What hope is there for the rest of us?

The answer: lots of hope. By the end of the passage, we've seen a miraculous feeding all over again, and most of the details are exactly the same as in Mark 6:30-44. Why does Mark tell us about it? Because he wants us to see that the message of the gospel isn't just for Jews – it's for Gentiles too. They weren't originally counted as part of God's chosen nation, but now the message of Exodus-type rescue is going out to the whole world, Jews and Gentiles.

Questions to ponder

When the Queen ended her speech this Christmas with a prayer that all of us would make room in our lives for Jesus, it wasn't because we're a Christian country. On the contrary, we're a Gentile country. The Christian faith was for Israel; but now it's available to us too. How should that make us feel?

In what ways is the Syrophoenician woman of Mark 7:24-30 an example to us? What would it look like for you to have her faith?

In what ways do we, as Christians, take our inclusion in God's people for granted? How would our Friday morning be different if we realised how privileged we are?

Do grab another member of your RML group to talk these questions through, to make sure the study doesn't pass us by without having put anything into practice. For next week's study, have a look at these prep notes.

Why? Because "to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God."  If we understand what an amazing and undeserved offer this is, we will take it seriously.

As always, a recording of the talk is available on our website.  Why not forward it to a friend or a colleague who came to a carol service in December?

Dan
blogs@christiansinthecity.com

Isaiah 42.16(ESV)
"And I will lead the blind in a way that they do not know, in paths that they have not known I will guide them.  I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground, these are the things I do, and I do not forsake them."

Take, for example, the latest film in the Batman series 'The Dark Knight'. If you've seen it you'll remember that scene near the end of the film with the two ferries (if not, this is going to spoil part of it) - the Joker, who's the villain, has rigged both ferries with explosives, and given the people on each ferry the detonator for the other ferry. So the people on each ferry have the option of blowing the other one up, and the Joker gives them 15 minutes to make a decision, after which if one of the ferries hasn't used their detonator, he'll blow up both ships. The tension mounts as we wait to see which one of them will crack first, and there are stages at which people on both ships look like they're about to push the button...but in the end neither of the them does; they both decide to throw away their detonators. By the time the 15 minutes are up Batman has already caught the Joker and stopped him from blowing up both ships anyway. But the point that the film puts across very clearly is this - that basically, deep down, human beings are essentially good.

In last night's passage we saw two very contrasting evaluations of mankind.

First up we've got the view of Israel. When the Pharisees complain to Jesus about His disciples' unwashed hands, at first glance it looks like they're simply suffering from a case of washing-related OCD, given the extensive list in v3-4.  Dig a little deeper though and we notice that to them this wasn't an issue of being trivially picky; v2 and v5 show that they really thought that eating with unwashed hands was an issue of defilement - i.e. that it made someone unclean before God, a very serious issue indeed.

So here in essence is Israel's view - deep down we're basically good, but our problem before God is this external stuff that we can fix by doing lots of religious things. Sound familiar? It's easy to see parallels with the way that people think today: 'The things I do wrong are the fault of society's corrupting influence, and the way to be acceptable to God is to be very religious'.

Jesus, on the other hand, says that the truth about us is very different; that what makes us unacceptable to God is not external factors, but our hearts. Deep down, the heart of the human problem is the problem of the human heart. We're the ones to blame. It's our fault.

As we start off reading that list in v21 we might not be feeling too bad about ourselves - so theft, murder, adultery - we might be thinking to ourselves "well I haven't done them, so I'm doing all right". But when we get into v22 things get a bit less comfortable don't they - if we're honest with ourselves we know we're all guilty of those things.

The irony of what the Pharisees are doing, as is the irony of all religious effort today, is that far from solving the problem of sin, it is in itself a sinful practice. Jesus is outspoken in His condemnation of the Pharisees, describing them as hypocrites for following their own made up rules instead of following God's actual commandment. Essentially what the Pharisees were doing were making for themselves a set of rules that were easier to follow than the actual commandments of God, and allowed them to be selfish and still feel justified (as in the case of Corban, a religious-sounding way of avoiding caring for their parents).

This is surely why following rules is still so attractive to people today - tick box religion is a lot less effort than loving God with all our hearts and our neighbour as ourselves. The problem is, it is useless in God's eyes (v7), and simply testifies to Jesus' assessment of our hearts.

So Jesus' verdict is probably not what most people would expect, and it's certainly highly non-politically correct these days, but this is what it is - that at heart, all of us are essentially evil.

Questions for application:

What things do we or might we be tempted to treat as traditions that please God?

In what ways do we try to remove our responsibility from our sin?

Why is it important that we accept the responsibility for our sin?

You can find prep notes for next week here.

John 1.12(ESV)
"But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.."

Please pray for Christians in the City planning dialogue talks and to ask their colleagues to read a Gospel one to one with them over the next few weeks.

Give thanks for the freedom we have to live and speak for Jesus. Pray that our government would continue to protect our freedom to live and speak as Christians. Pray that we would make the most of the opportunities given to us to share the gospel with friends and colleagues!

1 Timothy 2.1-4 (ESV)
"First of all then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Saviour, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of truth."

Before reminding ourselves of the answer that we saw on Tuesday from Romans 6:1-14, it would be worth considering why this question matters in the first place – what’s at stake? It turns out to be pretty crucial for a number of reasons:

First, think of Paul, the writer of this letter. If his message about Jesus turns out to encourage people to sin, he’ll be exposed as a shameful peddler of a pretty immoral message.

Second, think of Paul’s readers. They're meant to be strengthened in their faith in the gospel, not weakened in it… but how could a gospel that encourages God's people to act as his enemies do anything but rock your confidence in it?

And finally God himself. The Holy God would be blasphemously slandered if his plan to save the world through Jesus turned out to promote sin, the very problem that it is meant to solve in the first place.

What then is the answer? Yes you guessed it… “BY NO MEANS!” Here are some reminders from Paul’s reasoning:

• How can we who died to sin still live in it? (v2)
• We know that our old self was crucified with [Jesus] in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. (v6)
• For one who has died has been set free from sin. (v7)
• So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. (v11)

Well that’s the theory. Why not spend some time asking God to strengthen our faith in his good and reliable gospel and to help us grasp how wonderfully we’ve been set free from sin by being united with Jesus in his death? But we would be missing the mark if we failed to put this very liberating truth into practice. Paul writes as a direct and practical implication:

“Do not present your members [body parts] to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness” (v13).

Let’s use this weekend to spend some good time asking God to help us:

• Believe that sin is not our master
• Identify where we are sinning with our bodies
• See where we can use our bodies in his service

And here is the prep sheet for next week’s RML Romans study.

Isaiah 35.10 (ESV)
"And the ransomed of the LORD shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away."

Jesus told us that just 'doing things' won't help. In fact, it makes things worse. The Pharisees had lots of religious behaviour to try and deal with sin, but Jesus showed that they were so keen on outward matters that they started teaching things that went against what God has said. Religion doesn't fix the problem.

Why not? Surely with enough hard work we can “make good”?

The devastating conclusion of the passage is that defilement – everything we do wrong, every evil thing – comes “from within” (Mark 7:23). There is nothing we can do to solve the problem of a broken heart.

Mark is deliberately presenting us with a crushing low point. We've seen much of how great Jesus is, but we can't understand how massive is His rescue until we've seen how great is our need. The verdict from Mark 7 is that the need is inexpressibly great. Indeed, our hearts are spouting filth, our defilement before God comes from within, so there's nothing we can do.

We've seen lots about Jesus' rescue in Mark already, and we'll see more next week. Mark is giving us a message of good news (“gospel”, Mark 1:1), and we know that the problem is solved for us if we trust in Jesus. But the problem isn't fully solved for us yet; we still experience a heart problem until the new creation. So for the moment, let's apply what Mark is telling us here.

Some questions to ponder

A non-Christian friend admits that he keeps getting drunk even though he knows it is wrong. What advice do you give him? How quick are we to try to come up with “practical solutions” to fight against sin? What should we do instead?

When David Cameron commemorated the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible, he encouraged us to “stand up for our [Christian] values” to “confront the slow-motion moral collapse that has taken place in parts of our country these past few generations”. How does he describe the problem? How would Jesus respond?

How can we be in danger of putting religious practices in the way of what God wants us to do? For example, are there ways we put “Christian service” before service to our parents (Mark 7:11-12)?

For prep notes for next week's study, click here. Finding prep hard or not interested? Find some helpful motivation here.

Isaiah 55.1 (ESV)
"Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat!  Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price."

It may be that having thought such questions at the start of the year, a term of seeing how rich God's word is and struggling through studies on some difficult passages may have already begun to convince you of the benefits of prep. But for those still unconvinced of its importance, here are a few reasons why prep is so important, and then some tips on how to get the most out of prep.

Why is it important to prep?

1) It helps you get further in studies

It's likely that your RML leaders don't get through all of the material they would like to cover in studies (many will come with a number of 'if time permits' questions, which can be cut if time is running short). But the more familiar with a passage you are, the faster you'll be able to get to the main points, and so the more time you'll be able to spend getting even more out of the passage.

2) It is a way of serving your group

Coming in to a study unprepared often means that you'll be playing catch up all the time to those who have prepared and so get to the answer quicker than you. That means you'll either feel like you're not able to contribute much because others seem to understand the passage better than you, or you'll be spending much of the study trying to work out whether what other's have said is right or not because you don't know the passage well enough to have your own opinion about it. Either way, it means you'll tend to be much quieter in the study and won't be much help to the group in getting things out of the passage.

3) It helps you apply better

The faster you get through a study, the longer you'll have to think about application. Not only that, but knowing the passage better will mean that you'll be able to spend more time think about lines of application as you go through the study, as you'll be less preoccupied struggling to work out what's going on.

How do I get more out of my prep?

1) Get a regular time in the diary

We all know what happens otherwise - we get to Tuesday, have that "oh no, it's RML tonight and I've forgotten to prep...again!" moment, and we squeeze prep into 5 minutes somewhere in the day before the study, and it doesn't really help us all that much.

2) Read through the passage a couple of times

Always a good idea when studying the Bible not to assume we've picked up everything on first reading. The second time through is usually when you start to make connections between different parts of the passage and start to see common themes emerging.

3) Aim to get a better grasp of where Mark is going

Mark structures his material in sections, each of which drive towards a main point - it would be good to spend a bit of time thinking about what we've already seen so far in this section and what this passage adds to it.

4) Ask yourself the 'why?' question

It's one thing to understand what Mark wants us to understand, but more helpful is then trying to work our why he wants us to understand that. Particularly, why does Mark tell us this now and not earlier/later in his account?

Honestly, experienced RMLers will tell you, doing prep is well worth it. Let's resolve to be better servants of ourselves and our groups by setting aside proper time for it. If you think you're too busy to prep, take a look at this challenging series of blogs by C.J. Mahaney on time management.

You can find prep notes for next week's study here.

John 6.40(ESV)
"For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day."

Philippians 3.13-14 (ESV)
"...But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."