“CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT” Mark 9:14-50 Mark Kolbe

· MAIN POINT - Jesus’ disciples are a spiritual w______ in progress.

Disciples Must D____________Upon God (Mark 9:14-29)

· The disciples could not rid the man’s son of the demon because they were too confident in t__________________.

· They were depending on their own authority and a____________, rather than on God’s.

· The three clues are:

- Why couldn’t “w_____ drive it out” (as opposed to why didn’t God drive it out).

- The men didn’t even bother to p_______ about it.

- Their belief in what God could accomplish was l_____________.

Disciples Must Be T___________ (Mark 9:30-32)

· Jesus taught His disciples by warning them of future e____________.

· Even after being taught multiple times, the disciples didn’t fully u________________.

· One reason for their slow learning was because Jesus’ impending death didn’t align with what they a_______________ would take place.

· Another possible reason for their confusion is that Jews did not believe in the concept of a s_____________ Messiah, only a victorious one.

Disciples Become Convicted of P_________ (Mark 9:33-34)

· It is human nature for adults to c______________ themselves with other adults.

Disciples Go to the E_______ of the Line (Mark 9:35-37)

· Jesus contrasted the self-e____________ of children with adults.

· Jesus was h____________ like a child (Philippians 2:5-8).

· Jesus told His disciples they needed to c_____________ and become like a child (Matthew 18:1-5, Philippians 2:3-4).

Disciples Are Part of a K_____________, Not a Club (Mark 9:38-41)

· The disciples were suffering from a belief called s__________________.

· Jesus told His disciples to evaluate people based upon the f_________ of their ministries, not the names of the ministries (Philippians 1:15-18, 1 Corinthians 3:5-9)

Disciples Don’t N________________ with Sin (Mark 9:42-50)

· Jesus emphasized the s___________________ of sin.

· He refers to a child’s relative i_________________ to provide an example of the kind of adults that people should be.

· Jesus wants His followers to retain their s_____________ (value), by not giving in to the life draining effects of sin.

So What (How to Apply What I’ve Learned)

1. I should a__________ seek to do God’s will and depend upon His strength.

· Don’t let past successes, failures, feelings, or the hustle and bustle of life distract us from the r___________ that God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and has a plan that will not be deterred.

· Asking for something “in Jesus’ name” means that a person is declaring themselves as a credible r_________________ of Jesus and is s________________ to His will and power (1 John 5:14-15).

2. I should place the needs of others a__________ my own ego and personal desires (Ephesians 2:10).

Good works should be done with the end goal of g______________ God and not our selves.

3. I should rejoice when I learn of events that result in God’s glory or a victory in a believer’s life – regardless of h_______ it occurred or w______ was involved (1 Corinthians 12).

4. I should get s______________ about eliminating sin because that will help me be at peace with God and other people.

5. I should expect spiritual maturity to take t__________.