The King's Dominion

INTRO

Recap

Jesus Christ = 100% God & 100 % Man - 2 Natures

Represented in Mark as: “Conquering King; Suffering Servant”

Conquering King

The Christ - The Son of God

John the Baptist Came to “prepare the way” for him (OT Promise)

Jesus Baptism - Guarantees the Atonement - Trinity

Exercises Dominion over the Accuser (Satan)

“The Kingdom of God is at hand”

Suffering Servant

Physical form as a human - Jesus from Nazareth

Was tempted by Satan in the Wilderness (place of weakness)

“We will see this more in the 2nd half of Mark”

The Passion - as Jesus lays down his life on the Cross.

Mark will set-up just how much of a “Conquering King” Jesus is before emphasizing he also came as a Servant.”

Illustration - trying to clean up?

My experience at Camp - speaking on stage

Even our best attempts to “clean-up” fall short -> We must be made clean.

BODY

Read Text: Mark 1:40-45

Mark 1:40–45 (ESV)

And a leper came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, “If you will, you can make me clean.” Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, “I will; be clean.” And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. And Jesus sternly charged him and sent him away at once, and said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, for a proof to them.” But he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in desolate places, and people were coming to him from every quarter.

PRAY

State Main Points - Slide

( 1)Jesus has Authority & Power, 2) Jesus has Compassion, 3) Jesus exercises his Authority, Power, Compassion.

Slide

Jesus has Authority & Power - Authority?

Recap Reading Healing (Verses 21-34)

After Jesus calls these four (Simon, Andrew, James, & John)…

Jesus begins teaching (The Ultimate purpose of His ministry - Proclaim the gospel!) - “he taught as one who had authority, not as the scribes.” (vs. 22)

Jesus Exercises HIS Authority by - Casting out a demon —> everyone is amazed - “What is this? a new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.” (vs. 27)

Jesus ‘exercises his authority over sickness - Heals Simon’s “mother-in-law”

Jesus goes to heal many who are “sick” & “oppressed by demons”

“The whole city was gathered together at the door.”

Church Growth Strategists —> “You’ve got momentum here, let’s build on it & capitalize on the ministry you’ve done here…

You read that “Jesus goes away to a desolate place - to commune with the Father - and Simon comes looking for him - Jesus says let’s go to new place - so that I may preach there also”....

NOW - Jesus declares his authority (dominion) over sickness - even an incurable disease - Leprosy

But Jesus doesn’t seek this man out - he didn’t go this man to heal him - but the man sought Him out because he had heard about Jesus’ authority & power

What we see in this passage is that Jesus’ authority is compassionate… (one does NOT exist without the other)

Slide

Jesus has Compassion

Slide

Mark 1:40–41 “And a leper came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, “If you will, you can make me clean.” Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, “I will; be clean.””

What is Leprosy?

“An infectious skin disease - lesions on the skin & even face -

Would make someone “unclean” - did not know what caused it - no way to treat it - people rarely ever were healed of leprosy (was almost like a death sentence)

People with Leprosy were shunned - banished from society - became beggars on the side of the road (outside the community)

Jesus would NOT have been “allowed” to touch him as a Rabbi - Would have been well within His ‘rights’ to send him away immediately.

But Jesus responds with Compassion - heals the man…

Specific examples of Jesus’ Compassion - here and in other places.

In Comforting the Bereaved

Luke 7:13 “And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.”” - raises a woman’s dead son…

John 11:33–35“When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus wept.” - about to raise Lazarus from the dead.

Feeding the Hungry

Matthew 14:16 “But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.”” - Jesus feeds the 5 Thousand.

Matthew 15:32 “Then Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion on the crowd because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. And I am unwilling to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.”” - Jesus feeds the 4 Thousand.

Healing the Sick

Matthew 14:14 “When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.” - right before he will feed the 5 Thousand - & he heals the sick…

Matthew 20:34 “And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed him.” - Healing two blind men…

Mark 1:41 “Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, “I will; be clean.””

“Moved with compassion,” (CSB & NASB)

“Jesus was indignant” (NIV)

Jesus is not angry that this man would draw near to him - Angry at the effects of SIN ->

3. Jesus exercises His Authority, Power, & Compassion

Leprosy in the OT - was generically any type of skin disease - likely overlaps with our understanding of leprosy today - had no idea how it would spread…

Does leprosy still exist today?

Yes - RARE, but about 208,000 cases in mostly Asia & Africa - also known as Hansen’s disease.

People are still shunned or banished from society - “leper colony”

Causes skin lesions - but also affects the nervous system & can cause paralysis/loss of feeling

Leprosy is a symbol of sin in the OT

Leviticus 13:3 - Leprosy is deeper than the skin

Leviticus 13:5-8 - Leprosy spreads

Leviticus 13: 44-46 - Leprosy defiles & isolates (dwelling shall be outside the camp)

Leviticus 13:47-59 - renders things fit only for the fire (priest burns their garments, “burn with fire whatever has the disease.)

Jesus would have been justified to be Angry & send the man away, BUT…

He TOUCHES him - “I will; be clean”

Don’t miss the importance of this action - Jesus’ compassion

Man had likely not been ‘touched’ by anyone in years - we are made for meaningful interaction —>

Research has shown that it takes 8 to 10 meaningful touches a day to maintain physical and emotional health. Studies show that “touch signals safety and trust, it soothes”

How this man must have longed for the touch of another human - AND NOW the Conquering King; Suffering Servant touches him

AND heals him - completely & immediately

Mark 1:42–45 (ESV)

And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. And Jesus sternly charged him and sent him away at once, and said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, for a proof to them.” But he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in desolate places, and people were coming to him from every quarter.

Jesus makes the man clean

Charges him to tell no one - (3 times in Mark) b/c “my time has not yet come”

Provides a way back into the Community - shows Jesus’ compassion on the man…

The man can’t help but tell EVERYONE…

Jesus can’t go anywhere anymore —> They come to Him

RESPONSE

The affects of sin - We are affected…

Leprosy as Sin (implications for us Too)

Sin is deeper than the skin - We may see some outward affects or actions - but sin lies deep within us.

Matthew 15:19–20 “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person.”

Sin spreads - People don’t set out to have an affair - it starts by watching pornography - being alone with someone other than your spouse - before you know it…

James 1:14–15 “But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.”

Sin also spreads to other people - we give license to others - “be imitators of me as I am of God”

Sin defiles & isolates - We are all “unclean” - we don’t have to walk around saying, “unclean” - because we are all in the same state of uncleanliness.

Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

Sin Renders things fit only for the fire - The Scriptures are clear that because we are separated from God - our fate is set…

John 15:6 “If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.”

The Good News of Jesus Christ —> 2 Corinthians 5:21 “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

1 Corinthians 6:11 “And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”

BE MADE CLEAN!

Come to Jesus & bow down in worship & humility

He is willing - have you come to Him?

Tell the World what Jesus has done for you

( 1)Jesus has Authority & Power, 2) Jesus has Compassion, 3) And He exercises them all perfectly…

Now - The man disobeyed Jesus - we should not get in the habit of that…

But I can’t help but impressed with his zeal for evangelism

“I have been made clean! - You can be too…”

CONCLUSION

Exercise - What has Jesus Christ done for you?

Have you ever thought about it?

Have you every written it down?

I am all for evangelism methods - There are some great tools…

But often the most effective Evangelism is simply, “Look what Christ has done for me & He can do that for you too.”

Write these things down… (Slide)

At least 3 things your life looked like before Jesus (defiled & isolated)

Then I met Jesus (How you Met Jesus?)

Now my life looks like this: If the 3 things mirror - that is great.

If you are in Christ you have been made clean - Just like the leper in this passage.

“When Satan tempts me to despair, and tells me of the guilt within. Upward I look and see Him there, who made an end of all my sin”

“Because the Sinless Savior died, my sinful soul is counted free. For God, the Just, is satisfied to look on Him & pardon me.”

Communion -> Family Meal - for those that have received Jesus Christ - A reminder of His finished work on the Cross - We do not live on bread alone - but the WORD (Jesus Christ) - His blood has washed us clean.

If you have not received Jesus - don’t take the bread & the cup - Take Jesus —> What the bread & the cup point to —> Rob & I will be at the front when we sing…

Examine yourselves…

PRAY —> Communion

Receive Communion

PRAY