God Expects All Who Believe the Gospel to Be Disciples

Introduction

Saul and David, then Jesus

As soon as Saul or David were crowned king in the OT they began to collect a little band of faithful followers around them, who would face danger or death for their sake.

Jesus did the same, and the reality of the danger he faced is shown by v 14.

Body

1. The message of the Servant (vv. 14-15).

Explanation

2 declarations, 2 commands

Jesus’ two declarations and two commands summarize His message.

Covenant

The first declaration, The time has come, emphasizes that God’s appointed time of preparation and expectation, the Old Testament era, now stood fulfilled in accord with God’s plan. The time of decision had come;

Kingdom

The second declaration, The kingdom of God is near, presents a key feature of Jesus’ message. A concept that refers to God’s sovereign activity or ruling over His Creation. The Jews were expecting a future messianic (Davidic) kingdom to be established on earth. The kingdom of God refers to God’s reign over all of creation and humanity.

Repentance

Repentance and faith are bound

Jesus summoned His hearers with a double command: Repent and believe the good news! Repentance and faith (belief) are bound together in one piece (not temporally successive acts).

Repentance def.

To “repent” (metanoeō; cf. Mark 1:4) is to turn away from an existing object of trust (e.g., oneself). So Mark made clear that to repent and believe in the gospel is to break with one’s old way of life and to follow Jesus, to make a personal commitment to Him in response to His call.

Belief

Believe def.

To “believe” (pisteuō) is to commit oneself wholeheartedly to an object of faith. Thus to believe in the good news meant to believe in Jesus Himself as the Messiah, the Son of God. Only by this means can one enter into or receive (as a gift) the kingdom of God.

Illustration

Caterpillar changing to Butterfly

Application

Response: change our mind about sin and believe.

The visible manifestation of the comprehensive rule of God must be over every area of our lives. How should people respond to this message? We should repent (change our minds about sin) and believe the saving message of Christ.

Transition

John’s message, Jesus’message

John had called people to repent and be baptized; Jesus called them to ‘Repent and believe the good news’.

Believe Gospel=Believe Jesus=Follow Jesus

To believe the good news is to believe in Jesus. To believe in Jesus is to follow him.

2. The call of the Servant (vv. 16-20).

Explanation

Come, follow me def.

The words Come, follow Me are literally, “Come after Me,” a technical expression that meant “Go behind Me as a disciple.” In the Gospels the verb “follow” (akoloutheō), when referring to individuals, expresses the call and response of discipleship.

Unlike a Rabbi whose pupils sought Him out, Jesus took the initiative and called His followers.

The call included Jesus’ promise: and I will make you to become (genesthai) fishers of men.

Mark did not mention any previous contact with Jesus by these fishermen, though John 1:35–42 indicates that they had already acknowledged Him as Israel’s Messiah. John’s gospel shows us that these fishermen had had some contact with John the Baptist before they became Jesus’ disciples.

Illustration

Socially Isolated Dogs and Socially Isolated Owners

The Fisher of men makes fishers of men.

In an article for the New Yorker, Malcolm Gladwell writes that vicious dogs are often not inherently vicious, but are the product of their owners: “The dogs that bite people are, in many cases, socially isolated because their owners are socially isolated, and they are vicious because they have owners who want a vicious dog. The junkyard German shepherd—which looks as if it would rip your throat out—and the German shepherd guide dog are the same breed. But they are not the same dog, because they have owners with different intentions.”Like these dogs, Christians have a master we should look to for how to act. Jesus is our master and we should reflect his character.—Jim L. Wilson

Application

linking background/experiences to purpose

Simon and Andrew, James and John were all ordinary people at their ordinary tasks when Jesus called them to make them fishers of men. God will often do something similar when he calls us to become disciples; he’ll link our backgrounds and experiences to his purposes for our lives. God’s kingdom is to overrule every other thing and relationship in our lives. Thus, we must leave everything and follow Jesus.

There comes a time for each of us when the call of Jesus comes to us personally, and we must make a decision whether to follow him or not.

This drawing of people into the kingdom of God was the whole purpose of Jesus’ earthly ministry, and that is why preaching the good news, not healing or driving out demons, lay at the heart of his ministry. Miracles of healing and exorcism are only signs of the kingdom; they are proofs of God’s power as well as of his love.

Conclusion

Jesus’ purpose was to proclaim the good news of God, that he is willing to receive and forgive us.

This was made possible by what Jesus did on the cross.

Jesus alone shows us perfectly what God is like.

The kingdom of God was shown first in the life of Jesus and then in the lives of his followers.