Mark 5:1-20 Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes. 2 And when He had

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1 Lesson Seven Healing Power Mark 5:1-20 Men s Inductive Study Knowing the Scriptures Studies in the Gospel of Mark Inductive Review: How is your telescope working this week as it pertains to God s Word? Is the principle of telescopically reading giving you a wide-angle view of the passage under study? Keeping the big picture in your mind s eye is essential to rightly dividing the Scriptures as you come to the meaning of God s will for His people. Also, the context of God s Word is vital for finding the correct interpretation of the passage as it shines the light of God s truth upon the lives of believers, enabling them to apply it to their lives. Therefore, have you looked this week at the passage that comes before and after the text under study? Were you challenged by the Spirit this week to look into the culture, history, geography and political circumstances affecting the day-to-day lives of the region s people? Finally, is the thread of gold evident to you as it courses through the Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation connecting the salvation story of God s plan to save all who would believe in His Son Jesus Christ? Inductively Speaking: Webster s College Dictionary defines the word acquisitive this way: Tending or seeking to acquire and own, often greedily. This word is an adjective describing the act of acquiring something for yourself making it your possession. In this week s reading, look for a short passage that you can acquire, making it your personal possession. As believers we are to understand and accept the fact that everything we possess including our wives, children, homes, vehicles, jobs and all the rest is the sole property of the Lord. One exception to this ownership issue is this truth found in Scripture about the possession of God s Word for the believer Deal bountifully with Your servant, That I may live and keep Your word. (Psalm 119:17 NKJV) Again in Psalm 119:67 Before I was afflicted I went astray, But now I keep Your word. NKJV The meaning of these two verses pertaining to keep is that each believer is to first acquire, then take possession of His Word permanently keeping it deep within the walls of the believers heart enabling the Spirit filled Christian to do God s will. Have you taken to heart any part of God s Word and claimed it as your own? If not, give it a try beginning this week. An excellent place to start is with the memory verse provided in each week s study. Expand this principal of acquisitively reading with these ideas: Paraphrasing God s Word into your own words, spend time doing a biographical study of a character that interests you in the story and match up your own experience with the experience of the character in the passage under study. There are numerous ways to make God s Word come alive to you personally. What other ways can you think of to remember the passage under study? Use your imagination that we talked of before in this series of observational reading to really sink God s Word deep into your heart where it belongs. Remembering Scripture is great, but in memorizing you go one step further making it yours for a lifetime an eternal lifetime. The psalmist knew exactly the purpose and value of acquisitively studying God s Word when he prayed to God, Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You. Psalm 119:11 NKJV Are you longing to acquire and possess God s Word so that your heart might be strengthened against the temptations of the world upon your life? It is the desire of God for all believers to possess His Word. Ask Him for this privileged ownership to be applied to your life today.

2 Memory Verse: James 2:19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe and tremble! Day One Text: Begin this week s lesson by reading the passage. Hint: Read the passage repeatedly, prayerfully, thoughtfully, meditatively and patiently. Mark 5:1-20 Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes. 2 And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, 3 who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind him, not even with chains, 4 because he had often been bound with shackles and chains. And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him. 5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones. 6 When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him. 7 And he cried out with a loud voice and said, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God that You do not torment me." 8 For He said to him, "Come out of the man, unclean spirit!" 9 Then He asked him, "What is your name?"and he answered, saying, "My name is Legion; for we are many." 10 Also he begged Him earnestly that He would not send them out of the country. 11 Now a large herd of swine was feeding there near the mountains. 12 So all the demons begged Him, saying, "Send us to the swine, that we may enter them." 13 And at once Jesus gave them permission. Then the unclean spirits went out and entered the swine (there were about two thousand); and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea. 14 So those who fed the swine fled, and they told it in the city and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that had happened. 15 Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. 16 And those who saw it told them how it happened to him who had been demon-possessed, and about the swine. 17 Then they began to plead with Him to depart from their region. 18 And when He got into the boat, he who had been demon-possessed begged Him that he might be with Him. 19 However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, "Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you." 20 And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled. NKJV

3 Day Two I. Observation: Finding the literal facts or most obvious details of the passage. Hint: Begin observation by asking the questions who, what, where, when, why, and how. Verses 1 5 II. Interpretation: Discovering the lessons or meaning of God's instruction to His people. Hint: Try to place yourself with these people, in their circumstances, at this time of Bible history. Verses 1 5 III. Application: Applying the lessons and meaning of God's instructions to His people. Hint: Apply the lesson or lessons you found in the interpretation section in the form of a question. Verses 1-5

4 Day Three I. Observation: Finding the literal facts or most obvious details of the passage. Hint: Begin observation by asking the questions who, what, where, when, why, and how. Verses 6 13 II. Interpretation: Discovering the lessons or meaning of God's instruction to His people. Hint: Try to place yourself with these people, in their circumstances, at this time of Bible history. Verses 6 13 III. Application: Applying the lessons and meaning of God's instructions to His people. Hint: Apply the lesson or lessons you found in the interpretation section in the form of a question. Verses 6 13

5 Day Four I. Observation: Finding the literal facts or most obvious details of the passage. Hint: Begin observation by asking the questions who, what, where, when, why, and how. Verses II. Interpretation: Discovering the lessons or meaning of God's instruction to His people. Hint: Try to place yourself with these people, in their circumstances, at this time of Bible history. Verses III. Application: Applying the lessons and meaning of God's instructions to His people. Hint: Apply the lesson or lessons you found in the interpretation section in the form of a question. Verses 14 20

6 Day Five Word Studies: In this portion of the lesson we will take a closer look at one or two key words in the chapter. You will need to have your tools or resources at hand. (Such as: more than one Bible translation, a dictionary or Bible dictionary, concordance, atlas, and encyclopedia) If you don t have all of these, simply use what you do have to enrich your learning. To do some digging on your own, start with your dictionary (or Bible dictionary) and then look up the references to add to your understanding. If you have additional resources, you may want to keep digging. (You may want to make notes in the Comparative Commentary section.) After you ve completed the investigative process, write a definition in your own words. Your investigation in today s lesson will lay the groundwork for deeper discoveries in subsequent lessons, so be as thorough as you can. Bind: Mark 5:3 Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind him, not even with chains, NKJV Dictionary definition: What does the Bible have to say? Matthew 18:18 Matthew 22:13 Write your own definition: Legion: Mark 5:15 Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind. NKJV Dictionary definition: What does the Bible have to say? Mark 5:15

7 Luke 8:30 Write your own definition: Day Six Summation Sentence: A simple personal statement about what God has shown you from this passage. Comparative Commentary: Notes and insights from Matthew, Luke and John. Mark 5:1 5 (Matthew 8:28 9:1; Luke 8:26 29) NKJV Mark 5:6 13 (Matthew 8:28 9:1; Luke 8:26 29) NKJV Mark 4: (Matthew 8:23 27; Luke 8:22 25) NKJV

8 Prayer Requests: Lecture Notes:

9 2005 Harvest Christian Fellowship; all rights reserved. Written by D. Vance and C. Thomas for 2005 Men s Bible Fellowship.