On Your Marks 1: Come Follow Me!
Reading Mark 1: 9-20
If Matthew’s Gospel was Good News for the Jews and Luke’s Good News for Gentiles, then Mark’s is Good News for Non-Christians. Mark was so excited about Jesus that he wanted to get the word out immediately. His Gospel reminds us of the urgency of sharing the Good News! Discipled by Luke and then eventually by Paul he understands what it means to follow Christ today. Let your heart be opened to be discipled and disciple others through our journey in Marks Gospel between now and Pentecost!
Mark is a preparer of the way for people to open their hearts to Jesus, and so he begins his gospel with the preparer of the way for Jesus: John the Baptist. This voice of one offers a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins and although he was ‘different’ and ‘counter cultural’ people were ready to hear and respond to such a message and travel distances to do so. The gospel of grace is as powerful now as then and we have the huge benefit of knowing the full truth of who Jesus is and what He has done for us.
So now the babe of Bethlehem who has become a man also comes not just to visit a relative but also to be baptized by him but this was no ordinary baptism for He was no ordinary man. Not only did the sinless Son of God be baptized as the others but also for those with eyes to see a dramatic life defining event took place for His full humanity was matched to His full divinity. Heaven was torn open and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him like a dove, and the voice of His Father was heard: You are my son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.
What Mark is clearly saying here is that there is a absolute link between repentance, baptism, Jesus, forgiveness of sins, and Holy Spirit blessing, and it’s not just for Jesus but for all who chose to follow Him. Repentance and Faith = two sides of the coin of discipleship. Want to grow in 2016, then learn to keep a short account with God.
But notice the process: Repentance, Forgiveness, Baptism, Follow Christ, Receive the Spirit……… then all Hell is let loose! If anyone told you that following Jesus would be easy then they lied…..
So the Devil throws all he can at you and whilst Mark does not detail the temptations as Matthew and Luke do we know that He will get to us at our weakest point so be on your guard Christians!! You might end up in prison like John, even beheaded, as sadly many of our brothers and sisters in the Middle East today……..
So now Jesus truly takes center stage and His Good News echo’s John’s but adds a context and a reason for repentance. The context is now: The Time Has Come. And that is as relevant today as ever: Today is the Day of Salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2). In a rapidly shifting world and culture we need to present the gospel to others and seek a response, because we don’t know if there will be a tomorrow. So how are we doing that at St Andrews in 2016: in 2015 I noticed how God blessed us once we heard and obeyed His call to look outwards: taking spiritual responsibility for our neighbours with quarterly visits and events and prayer walks, then the Alpha Express, then Messy Christmas and Light of the World. As we have focused outwards God has blessed us, and as we have more and more focused on Discipleship we have been able to mobilise God’s people with increasing missionary zeal.
Cause the reason says Jesus is ‘The Kingdom of God is near’: how was it near then? JESUS How is it near now? BODY OF CHRIST!!
So our reading this morning is the start of the call to each one of us to true discipleship. We must also repent–we have to change our minds about our present direction & turn from following our own sinful direction, give up our selfish behaviour, and turn wholly toward God. This is the demand of the kingdom. But how do we hear it? Is Jesus calling you?. The enemy of your soul will say: not! He will seek to lock you up in your failure and weakness. He will tell you Jesus choose only perfect people to be his disciples. But that's a lie!!
One of His first acts was to choose those 12 men who will assist Him in His work. He was busy calling ordinary men (and women) to do the work of God.
So whom did he call?
- Andrew: Shy and quiet. He brings others along but doesn’t like taking the lead
- Philip: Not very bright. Doesn’t know his bible very well.
- Judas: Money man but not very trustworthy. Generally a troublemaker.
- Thomas: Never quite sure about anything, always full of questions, not easily convinced.
- Levite: Very religious. Grown up in orthodox family. Knows His Bible well.
- James and John: Noisy and Greedy. Nicknamed the ‘Loud Bangs’. You always know they are around and they are very ambitious!!
- Matthew: unpopular, not trusted. Tax collector first and only job. Takes commission on top of taxes…
- Priest: Very clever. Got to marks in Bible quiz
- Simon: blunt and talkative, impetuous and chatty. Says what he thinks before thinking…….
- Bart, James, Simon and Thaddeus: quiet ones. Nondescript group of friends with nothing special to say. Don't volunteer to take lead, hardly notice them!
The truth as we know is that Jesus didn’t choose clever ‘religious people’ (no Priests, Levites or Pharisees). He did choose ordinary people with doubts and questions, faults and failings to be His followers and to train and tell others about Him! Could Jesus be calling you afresh today at the start of 2016?
HIS CALL IS PERSONAL.This is seen in the fact that He walked up to those boats and called those 4 men specifically, he didn’t use a newspaper, and he didn’t contact everybody on Facebook or message them. No doubt there were other boats anchored there that day, but He chose to call the men in those two boats. He called them personally.
So it is with us. The call of Christ is an intensely personal matter. He calls us, He deals with us and He does so one on one! –It’s not a group therapy session.
His call to us fits perfectly with our personalities. For instance, Peter and Andrew were always casting the Gospel net! They were either preaching fiery sermons, or they were out witnessing to people one on one. They were casting that net.
On the other hand, James and John seemed more interested in mending the nets to ensure that the fish caught by others did not swim away. Their main emphasis seemed to be the progression and growth of the church and the body of Christ. – And both activities are desperately needed!
The point here is this: the Lord designs & gifts each of us individually &for a purpose. He will take us with our strengths & our weaknesses & He will use us to do His work. Not all of us have the same gifts thank goodness! But God has a personal place for each of us to labour. The question is: are you filling that place? Or, are you somewhere you shouldn't be?
This Galilee moment was the second encounter these men have had with Jesus. The first time, John 1:35-42, they met Him in salvation. Here, they are called to follow Him and be His disciples. The most important thing in the world is having that first, all-important meeting with the Lord Jesus Christ. But getting saved doesn’t end the story for any of us. He wants us to move deeper with Him. He really wants us to become His disciples, and when the call of God comes your way for a specific assignment, it is a call about which God will never change His mind – it’s a call that needs to be listened to & never ignored!
HIS CALL IS PRIVATE. When Jesus passed by that day, the real call was felt deep in the hearts of the four men who left everything to follow Him. We have to remember that they would be family men with responsibilities. I wonder what their women folk thought initially – again we have to imagine lives turned upside down.
So it is with any call from God. Nobody really knows what is happening in another person’s heart until they make the fact of what God is doing public. His call is personal & private. It is between the Lord & the person with whom He is dealing – a bit scary when you think about it – it is a huge responsibility. Which is why we need each other, and why we need to be in a discipling relationship where in confidence you can share and test such a call. There is a huge danger of trying to discern the call of God on your own. Personal and private yes but never privatised!
HIS CALL IS PUBLIC Much of what God does through His Son and in the power of the Holy Spirit is unseen, but He gets no glory until His will is worked out publicly. These men are called to make a public stand for Jesus. They are called to publicly line themselves up with Him and they already have an inkling of what a huge responsibility that is going to be - no half measures.
We live in a world that in many ways is headed to an Eternity without Christ. We see so many people trapped in darkness. They are lost and they need help. One of the best ways we can help them is to live openly and honestly for the glory of God. We are called to be "Salt and Light" in the world - our duty is to live a clean, holy and public life for the glory of God.
If the Lord has called you to be on the job for Him, the time to hide your light under a bushel is over! Now is the time to go to work for Jesus!
HIS CALL IS PRECIOUS As we have seen, these men were not special people. They were not highly educated. They were not especially wealthy. They were not among the movers and the shakers of that society. Nothing set them apart from the thousands of others who lived around the Sea of Galilee. Yet, the Lord chose them and called them to be the first of His followers. What a privilege they enjoyed!
This has always been God's way! He chose David over all his older, larger brothers in 1 Sam. 16. He chose Moses, who at the ripe old age of 80 was a murderer and a fugitive from justice in Ex. 3. He chose Abraham from all the thousands of other men who lived in Ur of the Chaldees in Gen. 12. He chose Paul, who hated the church and who hated Jesus. He chose a small boy and his lunch to feed a multitude in John 6. What we keep seeing is that Jesus often chooses those whom no one else would choose.
The only reason we have hope today is because of God's grace! To think that He would save sinners and then use them to carry out His work is a truth that is precious beyond belief! He takes us like we are, saves us by His grace and puts us into His service.
We should never take our salvation for granted! What He did when He called you and me and saved us is a thing more precious that the mind can comprehend!
But HIS CALL IS PRICEY these men were called to make some really expensive choices. They were to leave their friends, their family, their fortune, basically the only life they had ever known. They were expected to trade the certain for the uncertain; the visible for the invisible; the known for the unknown, their ability for their inability; the possible for the impossible. These men knew fishing inside out, but they were helpless when it came to doing that which Jesus was calling them to do. His call was a call that would cost them everything. In the end, all but one would die for this man who was calling them to follow Him. This call was a pricey call for every one of them yet they determined that the price was worth paying. Our reading says that they "left their nets". The Greek means, "they severed all their ties with the nets." They walked off & left everything behind. Jesus was worth more to them than anything they may have been walking away from.
When the call of Jesus comes in to our lives, we need to understand that often it will cost us loads. Of course, His salvation is free and His power to serve is given to us freely by Grace, but the cost of being saved and of selflessly serving the Lord is often a high price to pay – it changes your life forever. People around you may not understand the desire to follow Him alone. They will not understand the differences that He will make in your life. They will not understand how you can give up everything to walk with Him. It won't make sense to them, and as a result, sometimes people will turn their backs on you and want nothing further to do with you- almost as if you have become a threat to them.
If anyone ever tells you that serving the Lord is an easy road, they are lying to you! There will be trials. There will be self-sacrifice. There will be problems. There will be enemies, but with all the difficulties that rear their ugly heads as we pass through this world, Jesus is worth them all!
HIS CALL IS POWERFUL When these men stepped out of their ships and went after Jesus; they experienced a powerful change of life. Their lives were never the same, ever again. When they left their nets, their ships, their incomes, their friends, it resulted in their doing just what Jesus was doing: walking! When they started out after Him, they started walking His direction, to His destination, at His speed and in His steps. When they walked away, they were never able to make return to the old life. They tried, but they couldn’t go all the way back. Jesus changed everything for these men!
His call and our obedience to it will result in leaving our path to follow His path, in our walking in His direction, to His destination, at His speed and in His steps. It is so powerful that the person called wants to leave everything that stands between us and our walking with Him.
There are those who have experienced the call of God but they have chosen to hang on to the things of the world. We cannot let that happen to us. If He is calling you, allow nothing to stand in your way of experiencing His life changing power first-hand! – But believe me, you will never be the same!
When Jesus came walking by those boats that day, those four men were not wasting their time. Two were casting nets. This was important, because if you do not cast a net, you will not catch the fish. Two others were mending their nets, they knew that if there were holes in the nets any fish that would be caught would have swam free. They were busy, but they were not doing anything of an eternal nature.
In other words, they would have lived their lives, died and been forgotten had Jesus not called them and had they not followed Him. When they followed Him, they received a life that produced something with eternal significance. That is what He does to every life He touches! He takes us away from the mundane and the shallow and places us in a position where we can be a part of something that will last forever.
What will you do with His call? Just as He passed by those boats by the Sea of Galilee that morning, He is passing by in our hearts right now. If He is calling you, the time to come to Him is right now. We’ve been caught in God’s net. Now is the time to repent and believe the good news, to celebrate another year with our God and follow him with utter confidence to the end of eternity.
Pastor David
January 3rd 2016
1