May 18, 2010
Could it be . . . Satan!?!
Mark 6:7-13
Michael Fleming
Central Truth
We must grasp the seriousness of Satan to understand our new identity IN Christ and our mission FOR Christ.
Key Verse | Mark 6:12
They went out and preached that people should repent. (Mark 6:12)
Mark 6:7-13
Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Apostles
7 And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. 8 He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belts— 9 but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics. 1 6:9 Greek chiton, a long garment worn under the cloak next to the skin 10 And he said to them, “Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you depart from there. 11 And if any place will not receive you and they will not listen to you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” 12 So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent. 13 And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them.
Dive Deeper | Mark 6:7-13
Sorry, dear Dallas friends, but the Broncos conversion is in full swing in our household. This past off season, the Broncos hired a new young head coach named Josh McDaniels. As he started to make changes on the team, he got into the equivalent of an 8th-grade-girls fight with his All-Pro quarterback Jay Cutler.
It would be funny if things of such a silly and unimportant nature didn’t occupy a majority of our time and attention. Then, we see a passage of Scripture like today's in which we come into contact with crazy ideas like “evil spirits” and “demons.” When was the last time you thought about the serious consequences of Satan and hell? When was the last time you thought about the fact that there is an enemy who is trying to take you down? Our culture makes these things seem like a joke, and that’s just the way evil works. Society laughs at eternal consequences with skits on SNL like Dana Carvey’s “Church Lady.” Over the top TBN personalities go the other way and give everything a hyper-spiritual spin—flat tire, lost jobs, and receding hairlines must be Satan. We throw our hands up and quit thinking about it. That’s exactly what Satan wants.
This historical account is given to us in Mark because Jesus understood that for His followers to grasp how wide, long, high, and deep His love for them was (Ephesians 3:18), they would also have to grasp the evil schemes of Satan (1 Peter 5:8) and the broken nature of our wicked hearts (Romans 3:10-12).
Satan would love for the redemptive power of the cross to lose its eternal weightiness and daily seriousness in our life by us considering these things as silly and to instead focus on our next vacation, cutting a couple strokes off our golf handicap, or worrying about retirement. Christ has defeated Satan, sin, hell, and death through His victory on the cross (read 1 Corinthians 15), so we live in hope and fight for our friends to experience the life changing freedom of the Gospel.
Discussion Questions
1. Evaluate your life right now. Does Satan have a reason to attack you?
2. If you left your church, would you be missed?
3. If everyone in the church was just like you, what would the church look like?
4. Does your heart break for those around you who are far from Christ?
5. Does the cross compel you to regularly invest in those relationships?
FAMILY DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. What did Jesus tell the disciples to NOT take as they were going out on their journey? Why do you think He told them this?
2. What three things do you need as you “journey” to tell others about Jesus?