<html><head></head><body><div><div><div><div><br></div>Mark 16;15-18<div><br></div><div><b>15. &nbsp;And he said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation.</b></div><div><b>16. &nbsp;He who believes and he is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.</b></div><div><b>17. &nbsp;And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues;</b></div><div><b>18. &nbsp;they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”</b></div><div><br></div><div>How can Jesus, (who in just the previous verse <i>“upbraided” </i>his disciples for their hard hearts and unbelief),</div><div>turn around in the very next moment and commission them to be His witnesses? &nbsp;He&nbsp;Commands these carnal resistant men&nbsp;to proclaim the Gospel to the whole world?</div><div><br></div><div>Answer: &nbsp;Jesus is not speaking to just&nbsp;the old-Adam, He is now speaking directly&nbsp;to the New-Man, His own new workmanship, His&nbsp;forgiven Believers (who have by their baptisms been born-anew). &nbsp;</div><div>These new creations of Christ, are&nbsp;those who will soon receive power by the Holy Spirit to live by faith&nbsp;in the Mind of Christ&nbsp;for the praise of God’s glory.</div><div><br></div><div>In the Lutheran Church we have the doctrine, (teaching) called, <i>‘Simul Justus et peccator’ </i>meaning: ‘At the same time Justified, (righteous and holy) and a sinner’.</div><div><br></div><div>This is how Jesus can in one breath rebuke His disciples and in the next breath give them&nbsp;the Great Commission. &nbsp;He is speaking to both the old and the New man.</div><div><br></div><div>This doctrine is very dangerous, in so far as our sinful human nature wants us to point to this reality of the Christian condition and use it to rationalize selfish and unholy living, saying, “I can not help but be a sinner, it is part of me, therefore I continue in sinfulness.” &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Such thinking is inspired by the devil, and comes out of our enemy the flesh. &nbsp;Hear what Paul says, <i>“Those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” &nbsp;</i>(Galatians 5;24)</div><div>(Read also Paul’s introduction to Romans 6.)</div><div><br></div><div>As we read yesterday, the old-man, and the New-man have no fellowship with each other, they are enemies.</div><div>Further, the New-man is a spiritual killer! &nbsp;He is to, “<i>By the Spirit, put to death the deeds of the body.” &nbsp;</i>(Romans 8;13). They are not equal partners in Christian living, they are and will remain&nbsp;mortal enemies until we leave these bodies of death.</div><div><br></div><div>It is to the New-man especially, (the workmanship of God created in Christ Jesus), that Jesus speaks. &nbsp;Our sinful flesh is now under the rightful authority of God the Holy Spirit residing in the New-man. &nbsp;It is the New-man who by faith follows Jesus, carrying the&nbsp;cross, denying the flesh, which with much&nbsp;grumbling and complaining is compelled to accompany and obey&nbsp;the Will of the Father.</div><div><br></div><div>All the signs Jesus predicts that the faithful will preform have been recorded in the life of the early Church.</div><div>Some are still being displayed to this day. &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Note: &nbsp;The taking up of serpents is not done intentionally (as some imagine), but unintentionally, (see, Acts 28;3). &nbsp;Just as we should never intentionally partake of the deeds of the flesh.</div><div><br></div><div>Prayer: &nbsp;Merciful Father, teach us to discern the old-man and his evil desires, and deny him. &nbsp;Bless us to daily crucify the flesh with its passions and desires, for we,&nbsp;<i>“have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me, and the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith, in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.” &nbsp;</i><span>(Galatians 2;20)</span><span>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;</span></div><div><span>&nbsp;We pray in Jesus, Amen.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Love,</span></div><div><span>Dad/Baba/Eric</span></div><div><span>Grandpa Pickle Pastor</span></div><div><span>“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word. &nbsp;God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”</span></div><div><br><br><br><div><a href="https://mail.onelink.me/107872968?pid=nativeplacement&amp;c=Global_Acquisition_YMktg_315_Internal_EmailSignature&amp;af_sub1=Acquisition&amp;af_sub2=Global_YMktg&amp;af_sub3=&amp;af_sub4=100000604&amp;af_sub5=EmailSignature__Static_" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a><br></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>


Mark 16;15-18
15.  And he said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation.16.  He who believes and he is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.17.  And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues;18.  they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
How can Jesus, (who in just the previous verse “upbraided” his disciples for their hard hearts and unbelief),turn around in the very next moment and commission them to be His witnesses?  He Commands these carnal resistant men to proclaim the Gospel to the whole world?
Answer:  Jesus is not speaking to just the old-Adam, He is now speaking directly to the New-Man, His own new workmanship, His forgiven Believers (who have by their baptisms been born-anew).  These new creations of Christ, are those who will soon receive power by the Holy Spirit to live by faith in the Mind of Christ for the praise of God’s glory.
In the Lutheran Church we have the doctrine, (teaching) called, ‘Simul Justus et peccator’ meaning: ‘At the same time Justified, (righteous and holy) and a sinner’.
This is how Jesus can in one breath rebuke His disciples and in the next breath give them the Great Commission.  He is speaking to both the old and the New man.
This doctrine is very dangerous, in so far as our sinful human nature wants us to point to this reality of the Christian condition and use it to rationalize selfish and unholy living, saying, “I can not help but be a sinner, it is part of me, therefore I continue in sinfulness.”  
Such thinking is inspired by the devil, and comes out of our enemy the flesh.  Hear what Paul says, “Those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”  (Galatians 5;24)(Read also Paul’s introduction to Romans 6.)
As we read yesterday, the old-man, and the New-man have no fellowship with each other, they are enemies.Further, the New-man is a spiritual killer!  He is to, “By the Spirit, put to death the deeds of the body.”  (Romans 8;13). They are not equal partners in Christian living, they are and will remain mortal enemies until we leave these bodies of death.
It is to the New-man especially, (the workmanship of God created in Christ Jesus), that Jesus speaks.  Our sinful flesh is now under the rightful authority of God the Holy Spirit residing in the New-man.  It is the New-man who by faith follows Jesus, carrying the cross, denying the flesh, which with much grumbling and complaining is compelled to accompany and obey the Will of the Father.
All the signs Jesus predicts that the faithful will preform have been recorded in the life of the early Church.Some are still being displayed to this day.  
Note:  The taking up of serpents is not done intentionally (as some imagine), but unintentionally, (see, Acts 28;3).  Just as we should never intentionally partake of the deeds of the flesh.
Prayer:  Merciful Father, teach us to discern the old-man and his evil desires, and deny him.  Bless us to daily crucify the flesh with its passions and desires, for we, “have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me, and the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith, in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.”  (Galatians 2;20)       We pray in Jesus, Amen.
Love,Dad/Baba/EricGrandpa Pickle Pastor“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.  God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”


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