41 Preaching/Teaching: Mark 1:14-45

One Thing

EOT-Jesus Public Ministry started with a bang.

EOS-We must spend time with God regularly so we do not miss these ESSENTIALS:

The very thing we were created for.

Our mission on this earth.

The hand of God doing miracles.

DDS-That each person would write out how they are going to spend time with God this week

Introduction-

I was interested in Heather but had never had a relationship with a girl. I was taking her back from a conference, and I was in the middle of asking her out, I had been plotting this out for days…I had just poured my heart out and then I gave her a chance to respond (Heather) Then, all of a sudden, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a hitchhiker. What did I do? I weaved through three lanes of traffic, and I picked him up. Now it was me, Heather and a hitchhiker in a 1998 Ford Ranger. After two more hours, we dropped off the hitchhiker and did not finish our talks until a week later. But we decided we were going to go on a date.

On our first date, I was going all out. I brought flowers. I picked her up with her favorite blend of Coffee that you could only get at one store, and if you know Heather, you know she loves Coffee. Then I took her to a fantastic restaurant on a double date with one of my college teammates to the Marketplace. And yes, Marketplace for Desert had the chocolate mess; it is so good you cannot explain it. And last but not least we went ice skating, she thought I took her there so I could hold her hand but remember I was scared to death. It was a fantastic date and memory, but I enjoyed most was spending time with this amazing lady who would later become my wife.

‌What would you say if I asked you what the most important thing you could do in the Christian walk is?

Would it be coming to church?

Are they giving money?

Are you making disciples?

Loving others?

Being a good spouse?

Being a good parent.

What would you say?

Today, we are going to see Jesus start his public ministry, and in the middle of this, he is going to demonstrate the most powerful thing we can do as Christians.

Mark 1:35 (NASB95)

In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there.

Jesus was busy. He had a whole town coming to him.

Jesus reminds us today that the most important thing we can do as Christian is spend time with God.

Having been married to her for 20 years, this is the most essential part of our relationship. When we get off track or are not on the same page, I can almost always assure you that we are not spending quality time with each other.

‌If this is true in my marriage, how much more true will it be in our relationship with God?

Is spending regular time with God a reality for you right now?

DO you do it?

Is it a non negotiable?

or are your like what is he talking about?

I remember as a new Christ follower in college, when I just began a relationship with God, I began spending time with God.

I had a friend who taught me how to have a Quiet Time. It was so simple. I would start out with a simple prayer, I would thank God, and ask him to guide me in my Bible reading and I would read a passage of scripture. As I read, whatever stood out to me I would ask God to help change my life. As I did this I would begin to connect more and more with God. It was like the best drug I had ever taken, the more I spent time with God the more I would want to spend time with him.

Today I want us to leave with a conviction that spending time with God is the one non negotiable We can’t afford too live without.

I also want us to see that if we do not prioritize time with God we are danger of missing out on some things.

1. We must prioritize intimacy with God, or we will be in danger of missing out on the greatest gift we could ever receive.(14-15, 35).

Some really smart people asked this question: What is the chief end of man:

In other words what is man’s purpose.

To enjoy and glorify God

The whole reason you and I were created is so we could enjoy God.

Has anyone ever went too a Mexican restaurant and gotten full off of the chips and missed the steak fajitas because you were so full.

Mark 1:14–15 NASB95

Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

Jesus came right when he was supposed to come:

Mark 1. Introduction (1:14–15)

1:15 The word translated “time” (kairos) means a favorable, opportune, or significant time as opposed to mere chronology. Here Mark referred to the time appointed by God for the fulfillment of his promises.

There were predications and prophecies about Jesus coming in the Old Testament, and now all these promises and predictions were going to become true in this one man. It was time for Jesus to come.

When a president runs they have a slogan and when they have a good slogan it sticks:

Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country. —JKF

It’s the Economy, Stupid-Bill Clinton

Make America Great Again-Donald Trump.

These are Jesus first words since he started his public ministry. And here is hi message.

Here is Jesus’ Message: Turn to God

Here we see Jesus slogan, “Repent and believe the good news.” TURN TO GOD

Repent is doing an about face and turning to him.

Just like I asked Heather out, God is asking us out. He is asking us to stop pursuing lesser things and turn to him.

The Gospel is the basis for our intimacy with God.

Twice we see in this passage that Jesus is bringing the gospel of God, he is brining good news.

Why is this good?

Ever since Adam and Eve sinned, we have been engulfed in sin, we have been pursuing joy in different places other than God. So instead of being able to enjoy God, as we were created for, sin has kept us from our very purpose.

People’s problem is not that we want too much joy it is we settle for temporary joy that does not last.

Have you ever heard the song looking for love in all the wrong places.

Instead of looking to God we have looked to his stuff.

Sin has kept us from living connected to God.

We do not think our sin is really that bad, but the Bible says we all have a sin problem.

Isaiah 53:6 “All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.”

Without Jesus coming there is no real solution for our sin.

We can try to hide it

we can ignore it

we can live in shame

Sin will take you farther than you want to go, it will keep you longer than you want to stay, and it will cost you more than you want to pay.

Maybe you are here today and you are lonely, or going through something that is too hard to bear-Jesus literally died for you so you would not miss out on a relationship with God. And he died on the third day and defeated death once and for all so you could have peace with God. So you could enjoy God.

When Jesus came it was the perfect time.

Application:

Just like it was a favorable time when Jesus came to earth, could it be that it is a favorable time for you right now to make sure you are right with God so you can do this one thing:

Spend time with God.

See you can’t spend time with God until you have a relationship with God and you can’t have a relationship with God until you turn to him (repent) and believe the good news of the gospel. You can’t earn what Jesus did for you, you can only accept it as a gift.

Maybe right now is the perfect time for you to begin a relationship with Jesus. I did this my freshman year in college if this is you, start today.

I just asked God for his gift.

But maybe you already have a relationship with God but your not connecting with him on a regular basis.

We have this awesome gift, what if we did not use it.

Maybe today is the perfect time for you to begin to connect with God on a regular basis again. This gift is meant to be cherished everyday, God wants us to embrace good news daily.

What if in 2024 you began to consistently spend time with the God of the universe.

2. We must prioritize intimacy with God, or we will be in danger of missing out on the most incredible adventure with Jesus as our guide (16-20).

Do we have any back row baptists here?

Originally I had labeled this point something about a classroom and Jesus is our teacher.

But Heather told me that sounds boring.

Now when I say school we automatically assume a terrible situation, unless you are really bright, or you just love school.

But class is in session with Jesus and he wants to teach us how to live.

One of my friends in Paris was Pat Pilgrim the son of Bo Pilgrim. At one time Pilgrim Chicken was the biggest chicken distributor in the US. If you asked Pat what college he went to he would say Bo Pilgrim University. Now here is what I do know, there probably were not many people who knew more about chicken than Pat, even people with degrees. As a kid traveled they US working chicken farms.

Jesus wants to invite us into class and it is not a just a classroom type of class he wants to teach us how to live.

Explain the discipleship process in the Jewish Culture:

a. If you excelled you would keep going.

b. If you excelled at the next level you would ask a teacher if you could be their pupil.

c. If you excelled after that a teacher would take you in and then the goal is you would become like your teacher.

Jesus is recruiting!

Mark 1:16 (NASB95)

As He was going along by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew, the brother of Simon, casting a net in the sea; for they were fishermen.

Remember usually the student had to excel and they were looking for the teacher but now Jesus is looking for his students.

Isn’t it beautiful that God pursues us before we ever pursue him.

This is one of the distinctions of Christianity. We cannot initiate with God, he actually initiates with us.

Look who he recruits

The fact that they were fisherman, shows that they had a decent job, but they were not the top of the top of this society, they were not the elites. These were everyday guys. If you did not excel in school you would eventually do what your parents did, and their parents were fisherman.

Simon would eventually become the spokesman for the disciples. He was far from perfect. At one point Jesus actually rebukes Simon and says, Get behind me Satan.

Why do I point this out. Because he is looking for regular people, and no matter how big or small your struggle or sin is, he wants to recruit you.

Isn’t it amazing that the God of the universe initiates with us!!

Jesus gives us the syllabus!

Mark 1:17 (NASB95)

And Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”

Last week brother Robert talked on this passage and I would highly encourage you to go back and listen to it.

If all God wanted us to do is believe in Jesus and that was the end goal of our assignment. Here is what we would do. When someone believes in Jesus they get baptized to show the world that they have accepted the greatest gift in the world. But if that was all we were put on earth here for, we would baptize you and hold you down and send you straight to heaven. Of course we don’t do that because God has a great plan for your here and now.

Our vision at RCC is renovating our city with God’s blueprint: His Message and His Method.

These two are connected. Many times we focus on the message but it is not connected to a method.

Here is the invitation and this invitation still exists today.

Follow me-If you want to be in my class you don’t have to pay 3000 a credit hour, you just haver to follow me.

I will make you-isn’t this so refreshing, we did not make him he made us and he wants to make us into all that we are created to be. This is so comforting because we do not have to have it all together when we come to Jesus. He will make us the man or woman we need to be so we can be a part of his class. Whatever specific thing he calls us to do he will prepare us for that.

Fishers of men-He will allow us to have influence with others.

How do you think they were going to respond to this invitation?

How would you respond to this invitation?

Mark 1:18–20 (NASB95)

Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.

Going on a little farther, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who were also in the boat mending the nets.

Immediately He called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went away to follow Him.

Nothing was more important than being with Jesus.

Why did the early followers change the world. They made their mind up that they were going to be with Jesus at any cost.

Look at this word-Immediately

This was a big deal it shows that they believed Jesus was a legitimate teacher and they wanted to be like this teacher.

They were willing to give up their jobs.

They wanted Jesus more than they wanted anything else on the earth.

This is why the early church changed the world because they men and women wanted to be with Jesus.

Acts is the story about how the church began. Look at what it says.

Acts 4:13 (NASB95)

Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus.

How did the men and women from early church change the world?

They spent time with Jesus.

Have you ever wanted Jesus that bad?

When God led us to plant RCC God was calling us to drop our nets and follow him. I remember the day we shared it with the church and a lady came up to my wife after church and said how are you going to be able to feed your children if you plant a church. It was during this time when we did not know where our next paycheck was going to come from. We had Jesus though. and not only did we want Jesus over everything but at times it felt like Jesus was all we had. And we learned a truth that we knew intellectually, that he is the best thing we could ever want and he is all we will ever need. We grew as much as we had ever grown in our relationship with God and I think it was during these years where we were as healthy spiritually as we had ever been.

But you know what I have found, it is hard to stay in this state because don’t we like to control things. When we drop everything, it is scary because we really have to trust him. If you are like me it is easier to hold onto things.

Now don’t worry you don’t have to leave your job and follow Jesus, but God does want you to be intimate with him.

What is keeping you from missing out on intimacy?

Application:

How do we not miss out on closeness in our relationship.

The principle is illustrated in a story that has often been told of a famous concert violinist who played in New York’s Carnegie Hall. When asked how she had become so skillful, she replied that it was through planned neglect. “I decide every day that I will neglect things and even people, that would take me away from the priority of practicing.” She was focused on a particular end and was willing to neglect whatever did not lead to that end.

What do you need to neglect to spend time with God?

Facebook

Netflix

Is it saying no to some good things.

Get off the back row and spend time with the God of the universe.

3. We must prioritize intimacy with God, or we will be in danger of missing out on the life-giving power of God (29-34).

I Despaired At The Thought That My Life Might Slip By Without Seeing God Show Himself Mightily On Our Behalf.

-Jim Cymbala

He is saying that would it not stink to live this whole life and not see God move in a mighty way.

Jesus was different than the other Rabbi’s, Jesus is God. He had an authority from heaven.

He was able to heal the sick, and he taught with authority.

Jesus had Authority

Mark 1:22 (NASB95)

They were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

There was something different about him: He had authority.

Mark 1:27 (NASB95)

They were all amazed, so that they debated among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.”

People knew there was something different about Jesus.

Remember the process for education back then. If you finally made it to study under a top Rabbi, you would then become like that Rabbi and start teaching students, just like the process you went under.

The disciples were with Jesus all the time! 3 years. They graduated a year earlier than the US schools.

Mark 1:29 “And immediately after they came out of the synagogue, they came into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.”

Notice how these disciples are with Jesus all the time. They would go on to spend three years with him.

These disciples would go on to be with Jesus for three years.

Jesus would ask them to do things eventually. But the greatest thing they could do right now is just be with the master.

They were always with him.

They saw the power of God in their lives and in the lives of others.

Mark 1:30–31 (NASB95)

Now Simon’s mother-in-law was lying sick with a fever; and immediately they spoke to Jesus about her.

And He came to her and raised her up, taking her by the hand, and the fever left her, and she waited on them.

I love this verse and I do not want you to miss it, she was healed by Jesus and her response was she wanted to serve God.

When God does a work in our life we serve him not because we have to but because we get to.

Isn’t this a picture of the power of God, God heals us and changes are life and now we want to serve him.

This is how God works. He heals us and works in us and we want to serve him but notice we serve him not to earn something from him, but just to say thank you.

There is nothing more powerful than God changing hearts. He changed my heart to a man who was focused on myself and success, to a man who wants to live for him now.

My thing was basketball growing up. I saw some amazing playoff games growing up. I remember we got to go to a playoff game the year the Rockets won the championship. As a young man what could be more powerful than this.

Our team’s greatest glory in college is when we finally beat OKC. Our school had never beat them before, and we beat them in overtime and I remember it like it was yesterday all the fans rushed the court. Not it was a smaller court, but it was filled up.

But as great as those experiences were they are pale in comparison to seeing God move in my life and how I have seen him move in the lives of other.

Once God started working in my life I wanted to see him work in other’s lives.

Abdieal was one of my college teammates. He came from Panama, and he lived in the rough part of Panama, he witnessed the death of his brother. Basketball was he way out, and he ened up at JBU with me. We became great friends, he would come home for Christmas with me. We were like brothers. I had the privilege of sharing the love of Christ with him.

After I had graduated he called me up and to tell me he had accepted the gift of Jesus Christ.

Are you experiencing the power of God in your own life?

Did you know this very power is the power God wants the whole world experience.

If you are not experiencing the power of God, why not?

It’s available to you right now. The reality is that if you are not intimate with Jesus you are not going to be experiencing this power.

Jesus modeled the greatest thing we can do.

This week I want you to have a plan on how you are going to spend time with God.

Mark 1:32–34 (NASB95)

When evening came, after the sun had set, they began bringing to Him all who were ill and those who were demon-possessed.

And the whole city had gathered at the door.

And He healed many who were ill with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He was not permitting the demons to speak, because they knew who He was.

If anyone had an excuse that they were too busy to do the one thing. I mean I thought I had it tough, I have 6 kids I am dealing with. But Jesus had a whole city gathered at the door, and it is this context to where we see that he models how to have a quiet time with God.

Mark 1:35 NASB95

In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there.

If you want to have a QT, you have to have these three things.

You have to have a time-Jesus had a time early in the morning. You do not have to do it early in the morning, but do you have a time.

It has to be a priority-Jesus got up and left the house.

Do you have a place? You have to have your place. Where are you going to spend time with God. Maybe you have little kids so you can’t completely leave the house.

If you are not doing a QT at all I want to challenge you to do a 31 day challenge.

Closing:

This year Heather and I celebrated 20 years of marriage. There is a trip I hope we can still take to celebrate, there are a lot of reasons we could not go. I have a trip in my mind planned, and the fact that we could not go I was a little bummed. But as I reflected on our 20 years, the pros, the cons and the crazy of marriage, i thought to myself what is going to keep our marriage strong, Time together.

As great as my hope for marriage is, my hope for my walk with God is even greater. I want to walk with him for a lifetime. I am going to have to plan to spend time with him.