Text: Mark 1:29-39
Focus Statement: God peruses His goals.
Function Statement: That my hearers would join in God’s pursuits.
Introduction
If the various pieces of information that I’ve been reading are a correct barometer of American understanding, we say we believe in one thing about God, but we act completely differently.
Let me highlight what I mean. From the Pew Religious Landscape Survey. 93% of Protestant America says religion is very important or somewhat important in their lives. 72% of those Protestants profess to believe in a personal God as against the nebulous Impersonal Force. And 77% view the Scriptures as the Word of God – some more literally that others, but still the Word of God for our lives. Those Protestants represent 51% of the US population in that survey.
A personal God – the implications of that phrase are many and 72% say they believe in a personal God. 77% say that God’s Word, what that personal God has to say to us is found in the Scriptures. If I really acted like GOD , Capital G, Capital O, Capital D, the creator of the universe was personal. If I really acted like that GOD had motives and reasons and plans and likes and dislikes, all the stuff that makes personality instead of an impersonal force, I would think I would want to know and understand as much about that personality of the personal GOD as possible.
Yet 17% of those Protestants seldom/never attend church. And 1%, don’t know, how often they attend. Hmm… Only 49% of those Protestants participate at least monthly in some other activity of the church. 51% of protestants – the group firmly founded on sola scripture (Word Alone) – the group that believes in that personal God who has given us His word – 51% open that book less than once a month.
We seem to profess belief in a all powerful personal being who has shared His thoughts with us, but we don’t act like that all powerful personal being is real. 72% believe in a personal God, but only 49% open the Bible more than monthly. 72% say they believe in a personal God, but only 49% take part in any meaningful way in the life of the Body of Christ beyond worship.
Text
Well thank you for the statistics and the lecture, but what does that have to do with anything other than pastors getting grumpy.
Our text for today is a glimpse of that personal God in action. In fact, we get the personal mission statement of that personal God.
Jesus has just dramatically cast out the demon in the Synagogue. And after that eventful worship service. (I wonder how the rabbi got back into the order of worship after that…”And now we will join together in the shema…”) Afterward, Jesus and Simon Peter and the crew head on back home for some after service brunch. Simon’s mother-in-law wasn’t feeling quite up to attending that day, but they get back and she is still running a fever. Uh-oh, no brunch. Ah, Jesus, my mum’s not feeling so hot, could you have a look? And Jesus heals the mother-in-law and everyone gets brunch.
But all of this healing and exorcising leads to problems. After the sun sets, guess what happens. All the town had to wait until sunset to avoid the walking on the Sabbath restriction, but now that that sun is down. Everyone with a sickness and everyone possessed with a demon shows up on the doorstep.
What is Jesus’ reaction to this? It is right here that we learn some things about our Personal God.
First – he does not refuse these people. When the people come begging to Jesus his reaction is usually one of compassion. Sometimes we see questions and probing before, but Jesus does not deny them. The only people he denies are the Pharisees who come asking for signs. They don’t want healing or cleansing. They didn’t think they needed it. What they wanted was proof on their terms. They wanted to dictate to God. Dictating to God what he must do is not a good approach with our personal God. But the poor and the sick and the lame and those tormented by demons, these receive mercy.
Second – Our personal God is a God of prayer. Jesus, very early in the morning, it was still dark, went out to a desert place and he was praying. The Son of God in his life on earth needed to pray. He needed to discern the will of the Father. Now I’m sure that Jesus, true God, could have just had a transfiguration moment and entered directly into the knowledge and wisdom and communion with the Father…but, Jesus, true man, prayed. After a hectic day of victories – vanquishing a demon from the synagogue, healing many and casting out other unclean spirits – something was not right – and it bothered Jesus enough to keep him up – so he went and prayed.
Third – Our personal God has a purpose, a mission. When Peter wakes up and is scouring around for Jesus and finds him, Peter says to him, “Jesus, here you are, everybody is looking for you.” The clear implication is - “The bread line is already forming. Let’s go back to town and take care of those people.” But Jesus answers Simon, sorry, I know that is important, but being a bread God, being a simple dispenser of blessings, a local version of the galactic vending machine is not why I’m here. I’ve prayed. I’ve discerned what the will of the Father is. It is not for me to emphasize the healing. “We should go elsewhere into the towns around so that I can preach to them also…that is why I have come.” And He went preaching in their synagogues into all of Galilee and casting out demons. Our personal God has a mission – to save sinners. They have to be told, they have to be preached to, they need to hear the good news of the drawing near of the kingdom of God. The healing and the caring is important…God has compassion…he still casts out the demons of the wider Galilee…but it is subordinated, it is put under the mission to call sinners to repentance.
Our personal God, Jesus Christ, is a God of compassion on those who know they are sick. Our personal God, Jesus Christ, is a God of prayer. God has compassion on those who truly seek to do His will and He meets them in prayer. Our person god, Jesus Christ, has a mission that takes priority – a mission to preach the good news to the lost.
Application
Do we think that any of those insights into our personal God are meaningful to us? How should knowing them affect the way we act?
First – If our personal God has a mission, do we think we should try and align ourselves with that mission? God has not only invited us to share in that mission to save the lost, but he has commanded it. Jesus said his mission was to go and preach the good news. And he told us that is our mission as well. Matt 28, his last words at the ascension – go and make disciples teaching them just as I taught you. If we believe in the personal God, Jesus Christ, shouldn’t our actions say that as well?
Second – If our personal God took time, even time early in the morning before the sun was up to be in prayer to discern the will of the Father shouldn’t we set aside time for prayer and study? We all have busy lives. And the Word of God is heady stuff. Take it slowly at first. Come to Bible Class after worship. If you want to get more out of worship, come to our Thursday evening lectionary study. If right now you want to learn a little more about that mission of the church the Thursday morning study is in Acts. If video is more you thing – we are organizing a Christ & Culture study that intends to meet monthly and interact with a movie, or an article or some piece of the culture from a Christian worldview. We post if not daily, at least 3 times a week and usually 4 a short reading and a devotion on the web site you can access at your home. You can leave comments and questions right there to start a conversation. If the web doesn’t work for you, the portals of prayer are available on the table as you exit. Start small, create 15 minutes in your day for prayer.
Last note – Don’t forget the compassion. In some ways this is where it all starts. Using our freedom in Christ and truly casting off the chains of Satan means being focused with compassion. It is placing that compassion under a mission that leads to effectiveness. Everybody was looking for Jesus. It was not that he no longer had compassion on them, but that His goal was to save all of mankind. As noble as healing the lost of Capernaum was, it would never get out of Capernaum. Jesus did not discard the compassion. He ordered it. He made it effective. If you find yourself doing something without the compassion, you are a noisy cymbal or a clanging gong. Start with the compassion. Start with feeling the wants and desires of those around you. Look for that hurt in others that only the good news of the drawing near of the reign of our personal God can address.
May the Lord help you align your actions with your beliefs. Amen.