Wednesday, September 20, 2017

Mark Week 3 - Responding to Jesus' Message

So this is our third time diving into the Gospel of Mark. Now put this into perspective: we have already talked two times, and we’ve only made it to verse 14. In the first week we talked about John, who was the epitome of the whole Old Testament and the way God worked with humanity. We also talked about his three-fold message: Repent, be baptized, and there’s someone greater coming.
In the second week, we talked about how Jesus was that someone greater. And by John’s own response and message about Jesus, that this someone isn't just another man, but is God the Son descended to earth in human flesh. And then we talked about how, even though Jesus was God descended, he did everything in the power of the Holy Spirit. He did this so that you and I would come to the understanding that we are called to live our lives in the power of the Holy Spirit. We are to face the problems and challenges of this world, relying on the Holy Spirit and not our own strength.
From that understanding we move forward into Jesus’ work, his ministry. But we need to remember that Jesus fully relied on the Holy Spirit to work, because in a couple of weeks we’ll be coming back to this.

So today, we’ll be in the book of Mark, chapter 1, verse 14. And as we dive into this section of Scripture, I want to ask you two questions: What was Jesus’ message, and what does God require of you?

Don’t move on until you answer these questions on your own, what was Jesus’ message, and what does God require of you?

Alright, let’s dive into the passage of Mark chapter 1 starting in verse 14.

“14 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 ‘The time has come,’ he said. ‘The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!’
“16 As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 17 ‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will send you out to fish for people.’ 18 At once they left their nets and followed him.
19 When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. 20 Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.”
Before we really get into this, I want to give you a side note on John. This John is the John that baptized Jesus. We don’t find out what happened to him in the book of Mark. So, if you're wondering what ends up happening, he said something negative about a marriage of the ruling Jewish king Herod and got his head cut off. Just so you’re not wondering, what happened to John throughout our time, that’s it what happened.

Now let’s get into the passage. In some Bibles, verse 14 and 15 are separated from 16 through 20. And I was wrestling with, should we separate the two. But the more I studied the two passages, the more I came to the conclusion that a better understanding of what’s going on in the passage means that we have to combine the two sections.
And this is why: in verse 14 it says, “Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God.” Then in verse 16 it says, “as Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee.” The two are connected based on the location, and as we dive deeper into this, we’ll see that they are not just connected in local, but also in message.

Jesus proclaims, “The time has come…The kingdom of God is near.” Let’s stop there, the first question I asked you was, “What was Jesus’ message?”
We see here that the message of Jesus in a nut shell is, The kingdom of God is near. What’s that mean? It means that the kingdom of God, which is the rule and authority of God, that the world has rebelled against, and usurped all this time, is coming back. It means that God is no longer going to let things run the way they have since Adam and Eve. By saying the kingdom of God is near, Jesus is telling people, a new way of life, of living is coming, so prepare. 
Now as we’ll learn later in Jesus’ teachings, the nearness of the kingdom of God does not mean God’s physical, totalitarian rule. Rather, it means the spiritual authority of God over sin and death. This is a distinction that has to be made, because if we think, like some of Jesus’ followers did, that Jesus was ushering in a physical kingdom, then we’ll miss the foundation that God has to build first. God has to destroy the power of sin in our lives, before he reestablishes his authority over creation. Without the power of sin being destroyed, there would be no hope for humanity in God’s kingdom.

From the kingdom of God being near, Jesus presents us with four responses that we should have. 
First Jesus says, “Repent.” Jesus uses the same word that John does. So let’s going into a little deeper detail on what Jesus is saying when he says repent. The definition of repent means, “to feel such sorrow for sin or fault as to be disposed to change one's life for the better…” Sorrow and guilt for our sin against God is the correct response. If there is no sorrow of doing wrong, if there is no guilt felt, then there is no repentance. Jesus is calling us into feeling sorry for those things we have done because it’s only in place of guilt, do we have a desire to change. Which is also what repentance is, sorrow that leads to change. It’s not enough to be sorry for what we have done that’s in opposition to God, it must be coupled with a desire to change. To leave behind those things that are against God, that our not a part of his kingdom, and to embrace those things that are a part of his kingdom. 

The second response Jesus presents us with is, “believing the good news!” The bad news is that we have things in our lives that we do that are in opposition to God. Those things are called sin and we need to turn away from those things. The good news is that the things that we are turning to is going to be fulfilling. When we turn away from lies, we’re turning toward truth. When we turn away from sexual promiscuity, we turn to sexual purity. When we turn away from anger, we turn to peace. And the list goes on and on. The good news is that God’s way is better, and we can have it through the third response.

This third response is found in verse 17, “Come, follow me…” How do we know what to repent from, through God’s teachings. How do we know how to believe and experience God’s better way? Through the example and teachings of Jesus. As we’ll see, Jesus teaches on a number of issues that we deal with, from marriage, to children, to prayer, to money. Jesus covers all kinds of aspects of human life. And what he doesn’t directly teach on, he points back to what has already been said in the Old Testament. To follow Jesus, is to know what it means to have God’s good news come alive in our lives.

The last response that Jesus gives us in this passage is, “and I will make you fishers of men.” This is one that we have the biggest tendency to overlook and not actually practice in our lives. Repent, yeah, if we’re honest with ourselves we can say that there are definitely  things that are not godly in my life and therefore need to be changed. We can agree that God’s ways are better than the way this world wants things to go. And we can even say, I follow Jesus, I am a Christian. But what we forget is that we’re not just called to repent, to believe, and to follow. We’re also called to share. We’re called to share this repentance, this believing, and this following message with others. We’re called to respond to Jesus’ message by calling others to respond as well.

Here’s what it boils down to. Each of us are at a different point in Jesus’ message. Some of us are at the beginning, where we either didn’t know there were things that we needed to repent of, or we haven’t come to a point of sorrow over those things.
Some of us are wrestling with believing that God’s ways are better than ours. We have made it a point to do things our way for so long, that the idea of changing it, either seems to be to hard, or we’re too unsure that it will actually work out.
Some of us are in the following stage. We’ve repented, we’ve believed, but we’re struggling following Jesus teachings. Meaning, we’re struggling with putting them into practice. 
And for some of us, we’re either not sharing with people, or are having a hard time doing it. We’re all at different points, so today I want us to make the first step in moving beyond the point that we’re at.

If you haven’t repented of the sin in your life, whether that be for the first time, or just not over a current sin you find yourself in; take a moment, go before God and confess it. Lay it all out in front of God.
If you are struggling with believing that God’s way is better, read through the book of Proverbs and ask yourself is God’s way better in each of these circumstances. 
If you are struggling with following Jesus’ teachings, ask God to show you one that you are struggling with and then write down three ways you can put it into practice. Make copies of that list. Put them up on your bathroom mirror, in your car, and anywhere else that you constantly see.
Finally, if you are struggling with sharing your faith, ask God to point out one person that he is preparing to hear the gospel. Pray for that person at least three times a day, until God gives you the opportunity to share. And then simply share how God has worked in your life.

Each of us find ourselves at different places in responding to Jesus’ message. Let us be proactive in responding full heartily, so that we may become the people Jesus saved us to be. 

Father, help us to respond to Jesus’ message. Let us not fear repentance, instead let us know it leads to freedom. Let us not fear belief, because your ways are greater than ours and they will lead us to a more fulfilling life. Let us not fear putting your teachings into practice, for it will lead us to many more victories. And let us not fear sharing what you have done in us with those you bring into our lives. Instead give us the strength wherever we find ourselves to do what you have called us to. To respond to your message. Amen.

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