Laser-Focused Disciples; A Gospel
Focused Church
Mark 1:14-20
Introduction:
Lasers are something we may take for granted. They have a role in all kinds of
technologies: certain kinds of surgery, in gun sights, pointers, construction
applications, weapons guidance systems, industrial applications, etc. They are effective because they are focused,
all the photons are aligned, moving in the same direction. Focused light is
powerful, and a focused church can be more effective. We’ve been talking quite a bit about the need
to stay focused, “laser focused,” on our mission. The truth is, we can’t do
everything as a church, we can’t do all the ministries that we might want to do,
but God doesn’t require that of us. We need to stay focused, keeping centered
on the Gospel, and on our calling to be His witnesses, starting where we are.
God has ordained the church as His means of carrying out His mission in
the world. Why did God save us and then leave us in this fallen world? Because we all have a role in His mission!
Each of us who have been born again has
a spiritual gift or gifts to use for the building up of the body. And each of us has a group of people that God
has sovereignly and strategically put on the “front burner” of our life.
Family, neighbors, co-workers... We’ve
talked about listing those people, on average between 8 and 15 people that you
rub shoulders with on a regular basis, and to be praying for them. Some are
believers who are engaged in the church already, some may be believers who are
not committed. Others don’t yet know the Lord. We can be praying for the
faithful to keep looking up, to walk with the Lord. We can pray for the
uncommitted to take their faith more seriously. And we can intercede for the
unsaved, asking God, by His kindness, to lead them to repentance and faith. Evangelism
Explosion Equipping Ministry suggests we make a list of your “Ten Most Wanted”!
Statistically, 95 % of those who come to faith come primarily through the
influence of someone they already know. Could you be the “someone” God would
use? We’ll see in this passage that He
uses ordinary people like us in His extraordinary plan to build His church. We are a part of God's plan!
The BIG Idea: The Call to faith is a call to
follow Jesus, fully engaged in bringing the Gospel to a needy world. We’ll look at 1) The
Message; 2) The Method; and 3) The Mission.
I. The Message: The Gospel brings HOPE to a fallen
world, It is the only TRUTH
that can cut through our rebellion and meet the deepest need of fallen humans
(14, 15).
14Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the
gospel of God, 15and saying,
"The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and
believe in the gospel."
Mark succinctly reports the setting: it was after John had been arrested. What in
the world happened? Everything seemed to be going great, “all Judea” was coming
out to hear John and be baptized by him! At this point no details are given
about how and why he was arrested. This is a first hint of a theme that is
going to come front and center in this gospel: there is a cost to discipleship.
John was doing everything right, he was faithfully announcing the coming Messiah.
Faithfulness to the mission doesn’t assure all will be easy. Remember, Mark has
been called a “narrative of the Passion with an extended introduction.” Jesus
was hated and rejected. The world is in rebellion against God (cf. Ps 2)! Later
(Mk 6) we find out John is martyred. Yet Jesus
says, “take up your cross and follow
me.” It won’t always be easy, but
remember the battle is the Lord’s!
In this
context, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching
the Gospel.
Galilee might seem like an unlikely place for the start of Messiah’s mission.
Why not Jerusalem, the region of Judea?
That is where the Temple was, that was the heart of Judaism. But God had
a plan. Galilee also was predominately Jewish, but it was a crossroads of
trade, a place where Greek, Aramaic, Hebrew, and even Latin were spoken. It was
a place where Jews rubbed shoulders with Gentiles. It was a place where people
could hear the message Jesus preached and then carry it with them as they
continued on their travels and trade routes. The distance from the religious
center in Jerusalem was no doubt a part of God’s plan. Jesus would preach to
the common people, calling them to repentance and faith, inviting them to
prepare their hearts for the kingdom. The time would come to confront the
leaders (and to be handed over to the Romans) but that time was not yet!
Mark describes the message Jesus
preached as the “Gospel of God.” The apostles used that same phrase at times.
We saw it in 1 Peter 4:17, “For it is time for
judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will
be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?” Paul
also used the same phrase, for example in the opening of the letter to the
Romans,
Paul, a servant of Christ
Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which he promised beforehand
through his prophets in the holy Scriptures,
3 concerning his Son, who was descended from David according
to the flesh 4 and was
declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by
his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord... (Rom 1:1-4).
Here in Mark 1 Jesus calls his hearers
to “repent and believe the gospel...”
(1:15c). As we saw in John’s preaching, the call to
repentance was a call to recognize our sin, and to turn away from it. Jesus too
connected repentance and faith: repent
and believe the gospel. Of course, the events of His death and resurrection
were still future as Jesus was preaching. The “Good News” is that He is
present, and that the New Age of the Messiah was at hand. The call was to
turn from sin and to believe in Him, to recognize who He is and to put your trust
in Him, and to submit to His Lordship. The “good news” is that the Promised
One was here, and that the age of fulfillment was at hand. Jesus said that in v.15, “The time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God is at hand...” Jesus will
reveal his sovereignty throughout this gospel as he teaches with authority,
heals the sick, casts out demons, and shows his power over the elements. He
hasn’t yet revealed that the kingdom will be revealed in “stages.” In fact,
even after the cross and resurrection, after Jesus appeared alive to His
disciples for forty days, teaching them about the kingdom, the disciples
asked Him, “Lord, will you at this time
restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6).
That day will come, but it is still future. Right now, He would
reign in the hearts of those who recognize who He is and believe in Him,
submitting to His lordship. One day every knee will bow, and every tongue
confess, that Jesus Christ is Lord! The Call to faith is a call to follow Jesus, fully engaged in
bringing the Gospel to a rebellious, needy world.
II. The Method: God has chosen to use ordinary
people like us to call the world to believe in Jesus (16-18).
16 Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother
of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 17 And Jesus said to them,
"Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men." 18 And immediately they left their
nets and followed him.
Jesus meets Simon and Andrew as they are going about their lives,
working as fishermen. He didn’t go first to the Temple in Jerusalem or even the
Synagogue in Nazareth to recruit His first disciples. He went to the lake, and
called working men, fishermen, ordinary people like you and me, to follow Him. Remember
Paul’s words to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 1:26-31,
26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according
to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble
birth. 27 But God chose what
is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world
to shame the strong; 28 God
chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring
to nothing things that are, 29
so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 30 He is the source of your
life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom and our righteousness and
sanctification and redemption. 31
Therefore, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
That is a good passage to read when you need a
lesson in humility! He is the source
of your life in Christ Jesus, our boasting is in Christ alone! It is also reason to wonder in amazement: He
has called us! The Creator-God of the Universe knows us, and has invited
us to follow Him! Where did you meet Him? Are you willing to follow Him?
He will use ordinary people like us in the extraordinary program of building
His church.
Notice that He uses an analogy that these fishermen could lay hold of: Follow me, and I will make you fishers of
men! The picture is inescapable, He
was calling them for a purpose: to gather others into His kingdom. That is still
God’s plan, disciples making disciples! Remember the scene after the
resurrection, in Acts 1, as Jesus is teaching his disciples. After 40 days of
teaching about the kingdom, He said “You
will be my witnesses, in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends
of the earth...” (Acts 1:8). He did not say “I want you to be” or “You
ought to be” my witnesses. He said “You WILL be.” For better or worse, good
witness or poor, we are His plan for bringing the good news to the world
around us, and that starts at home, in our oikos, with our 8-15.
You might think, “I am a
Christian, I believe, but I am not ready to be a disciple!” Just as He called these men for a purpose, He
called you for a purpose. That means he has given you a gift (or gifts) to
use for the building up of others. And it means that He has strategically placed
you where you are, with a small group of people in your close “sphere of
influence.” They are the people who know you and are watching you. They are
your first “mission field.” We need to love them, to pray for them, and to look
for opportunities to share Christ with them. The Call to faith is a call to
follow Jesus, fully engaged in bringing the Gospel to a needy and rebellious
world.
III. The Mission: Committed discipleship will not be
easy. Count the cost, and so let His mission become your mission (19, 20). Take up your cross and follow Him.
19 And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John
his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. 20 And immediately he called them,
and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and
followed him.
The scene described here seems
incredibly abrupt: Jesus called – they left their father – they followed
Him. There is a level of commitment
pictured here that is not commonly seen in the church today. Usually, people
want to think about religion, including Christianity, in terms of “feeling
good” about themselves. The goal of
the gospel is not to boost my self-image or my sense of fulfillment. It is
about reconciliation with God, peace with our Creator, because the
righteousness of Christ has been imputed to our account. And it means embracing the call to share that
message.
Mark does not waste words in this
gospel. He clearly presents the teaching of Jesus, His call to would be disciples. Come, follow
Him, but count the cost. Salvation is free, Jesus paid the price that we
could not pay. Yet discipleship is costly, because we are crucified with
Christ. In light of what He has done for you, will you follow Him?
Remember the story of the ship Captain
who tried to dissuade missionary James Calvert as he was going out to
evangelize the cannibals in the Fiji Islands: “You will lose your life and the lives of those with you if you go out
among such savages!” To which Calvert replied, “We died before we came here.”
These fishermen who Jesus called didn’t know yet what they cost might be.
But they took a step, they left their livelihood, they left their father with
the hired hands, and they followed Jesus. For most of those that Jesus called during
His earthly ministry, the cost would be far higher than leaving family. Of the apostles, tradition tells us all but
John were martyred for their faith. And he
died in exile.
Elisabeth Eliot was one who knew something about the cost of
following Jesus. She knew that it is our hope of victory that helps us to
persevere in the hard times. It’s the assurance of that coming crown that helps
us bear our cross today. Just a year after her husband was slain in
Ecuador, along with those other missionaries, Elisabeth Elliot wrote,
“We have proved beyond
any doubt that He means what He says – His grace is sufficient, nothing can
separate us from the love of Christ. We pray that if any, anywhere, are fearing
that the cost of discipleship is too great, that they may be given to glimpse
that treasure in heaven...”
She said that
when we see the treasure ahead, even just a glimmer, it helps us bear the
trials today. When we know the victory that awaits, it helps us persevere
through the pain. When we glimpse the glory, then we can take up our cross and
follow Him.
In
our last series in 1 Peter, we noted that the apostle wrote his letter to
exiles, to pilgrims scattered in Asia Minor who were suffering for their faith.
They lived like exiles and pilgrims in
the world because they knew that their citizenship was in heaven. That hope
gave them strength to persevere in the mission. Mark, the interpreter of
Peter, apparently is also writing to suffering believers, calling them to
follow Jesus, whatever the cost.
There is no sugar coating here. Yes, God loves us and has a wonderful
plan for our lives. But we need to realize that plan is for eternity, it is for
that future for which we were created. We will worship Him forever, and
serve Him, and we’ll forever enjoy the face-to-face fellowship that Adam
forsook. But we aren’t guaranteed healing or prosperity, or even safety, in
this life. For now, Paul said “to depart and be with Christ is far better.”
But, for the sake of the mission, He realized that He still had work to do...
21 For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 But if I am to live on in the
flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to
choose. 23 But I am
hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with
Christ, for that is very much better; 24
yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. 25 And convinced of this, I know
that I shall remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the
faith (Philippians 1:21-25).
A little further ahead in Mark, in chapter 8, we
are going to see a key text on the question of discipleship. Since we may not
get there before New Years, let me give you a preview. After Peter’s confession
of Jesus as the Messiah, Jesus began to teach explicitly what would happen in
Jerusalem, speaking of His death and resurrection. Peter said, “No Lord, that
will not happen!” Jesus replied, “Get behind me Satan!” Peter went from
the high point of confession of Jesus as Messiah, to being called Satan! Jesus
then lays out His shocking recruitment message for would-be-disciples in Mark 8:34-37,
34 And he called to
him the crowd with his disciples and said to them, "If anyone would come
after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35 For whoever would save his life
will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save
it. 36 For what does it
profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? 37 For what can a man give in
return for his soul?
Did
Jesus not read Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People? Better
than that, on the basis of His sovereign authority, He calls us. We read in Col
1:15-16a,19-20,
“He is the image of the invisible God, the
firstborn of all creation. 16
For by him all things were created… 19 For in him all the fullness
of God was pleased to dwell 20 and through him to reconcile
to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood
of his cross.”
HE is Lord,
HE must be on the throne of our heart! Do we trust Him, entrusting ourselves to
Him? Dr. Bill Bright from Campus Crusade used that illustration of a throne in
our heart. Who is sitting on the throne of your heart, self, or Christ? Is
Jesus your King?
What is God saying to me in this passage? The Call to faith is a call to believe and follow Jesus, fully engaged in bringing the Gospel of God to a rebellious and needy world.
What would God have me to do in response to this passage? Review again three questions Mark
is answering: 1) Who is Jesus? 2) Why did He come? 3) What does it mean to
follow Him? Most of us have an orthodox
answer to the first question: He is the promised Messiah, the Son of God, God
the Son. The second question can also be
answered with confidence: He came to save sinners, to make it possible for us to
have peace with God. The third question is a little tougher, because it asks
not only what we believe, but how we will live in the light of the Truth. What
does it mean to follow Him?
If His “kingdom” includes His reign in our hearts (and not just His
future millennial kingdom on earth) that means to follow Him I need to yield
to His sovereignty here and now. He IS Lord. He IS your King.
He IS sovereign. That means He has placed you where you are. He has
arranged your life purposefully, sovereignly, strategically. You have a relatively
small group of people who are in your close sphere of influence. None of us can
reach the whole world, but each of us can determine to be a witness to our
world.
Jesus said, “You are the light of
the world!” Lasers are powerful, focused, streams of light. None of us
can reach the whole world, but we can focus on ours. If we can sharpen our
focus, we can realize our calling individually, and we can realize God’s
purpose for our church in this place. You are His witness where you are. Let
your light shine before those around you, and then let’s see what God will do! To
God be the glory. AMEN.
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