Called by The King

Bible Passage: Mark 3:13-19

INTRO

Has anyone in the room ever struggled with calling?

What am I called to do? What have I been put on this earth to be or to accomplish?

Am I supposed to be a business person? A mother or a father? Should I give my life full time to the church through vocational ministry or by going overseas?

I remember very well the struggle coming out of school with the world at my fingertips but not knowing what exactly God was leading me to do.

How many of you would say, you’re still actively wrestling with that question today? Maybe after years of searching for answers.

You know, I fear that especially for us long time church folk, we may have overcomplicated this whole idea of “calling.”

We see the things that other people are doing or posting and time after time, it only leaves feeling like we are wasting away the time we have left and missing what we have been created to do.

For some in the room today, that may very well be true. You have been searching and digging for purpose and answers in all the wrong places and this morning I want to share with you what I believe the Bible teaches about “calling”

What does it mean to be Called by The King?

Last week, Obasi did a great job digging deep into the crowds that are following Jesus and he challenged us with the question of “who are you in the crowd?”

This week, we get to see what it means for Jesus to call his people from the crowd and give them purpose like they could never imagine

BODY

We jump in this week in Mark 3:13

Read Mark 3:13-15

So much here in just three verses…

First, lets focus in for a second on the location Jesus chooses for this particular event because I believe it is significant

The scripture says He is on a mountain. mountains throughout the biblical story are the places where God’s presence shows up in distinct ways to meet with his people

A few examples…

Abraham hikes a mountain to sacrifice His son and then hears God’s voice intervene

Moses meets with God on Sinai to receive the law and comes down glowing

Elijah flees from Jezebel after seeing fire from heaven. He runs to wha most scholars believe is Mount Sinai where God’s voice comes as a whisper to remind Elijah of God’s nearness.

God’s holy city is illustrated to His people by a mountain called Zion

Jesus, the God man preaches the most famous sermon ever upon the mountain

He will eventually scale the hill of Golgotha where we will witness the pinnacle of His glory as he dies on the mountain for the sins of the world

And today, we see him go up on the mountain where He will call his disciples to himself and speak something in them that would change their lives forever…

If you don’t experience the King first in the high places, you will not be able to withstand the valleys of life and the flesh…

The text goes on to say that those who were called by him came to Him

What does it mean to be called by the King? It means first that you come to Him!

When the God of the universe calls out the names of those “Whom he desires” you will come to him.

Oh church how we often move too quickly past the words of scripture…

The King is calling not just anyone, but those whom he desires!

What a gift and a treasure it is to be desired by the King. To know that for those of us in Christ this morning, we have responded to the voice of the Good Shepherd because he desired us and claimed us as His own.

That even when there was nothing in us that would lead us to choose something so beautiful like the creator of the universe, He sought us out!

Jesus shows us here in a profound way, the character of the Godhead

He is gracious and kind. He is personal and loving. He is patient and benevolent. And to be His child means that he likes you and desires you.

And those whom he desires and that he calls WILL come to His feet.

Some of you in the room today know in a peculiar way what I am talking about.

You came to the King not because you knew you needed to or wanted to, but because somewhere along the way, you heard His voice and you realized, I have no where else to go but Him!

Some of you may hear His voice for the first time today and I can’t wait to see you respond and come to Him.

In the case of this story in Mark 3 Jesus has called His twelve disciples/followers/apprentices to come to Him on the mountain and appoints them as apostles or apostolos.

This is term means one who is sent or an ambassador

these men were…

Read Mark 3:14-19

This is an office given to these men along with Matthias who would replace Judas and the Apostle Paul. They are eye witnesses of the risen Jesus who were appointed to be the founders of the Church.

The office of apostle has ceased as it is only a role that is given by Jesus himself…

While these men were tasked with a very specific job at a specific time, there is a general sense in which our calling mirrors theirs.

I am not saying that we have Apostles today, but the great commission of Jesus in Matt 28 is to be sent out to preach and make disciples.

So if being called by the King means we come to Him, it also means that we will go!

These men who were desired and called by Jesus would go on to do extraordinary things.

These were the first church planters in history

They were pushing back the boundaries of darkness by bringing with them the light of Jesus

To be called by the King means that you will be sent out

What does it mean to be sent out?

It means that you carry with you the greatest truth ever to the places where it has not yet been received no matter the cost

Revelation 12:11 “And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.”

Here’s what being sent looked like for 11 of these men plus Paul…

Matthew: Killed by the sword

Mark: Dragged by horses til death

Luke: Hanged

John: Boiled in oil and later died in exile on an island

Peter: crucified upside down

James: Thrown from the top of the temple, survived and then beaten to death

Other James: Beheaded

Andrew: Crucified

Bartholomew: Flayed alive

Thomas: Stabbed with a spear

Thaddeus: Killed with arrows

Paul: tortured and beheaded by Nero

These men who were desired and called by the King were sent and in their going gave their lives for the one who is worthy of them…

Let me ask you, Where is the King sending you?

Upon witnessing the greatness of the King in the high places, where is he sending you as his servant to bring with you the news of what you have seen and heard?!

Give examples… Job, wal mart, family, neighbor

You know the difference between an effective christian and an anemic one is movement…

Don’t you want to live a life that means more than 9-5 and the weekend?

Don’t you want to get to the end of your life and to say what Paul said, “I worked harder than anyone” or to get to the end and see the generations of disciples and spiritual children produced through your obedience to the Spirit of God?

Soma was largely birthed out of a burden to do something great…

No matter what it looks like in the end, I want to go out of this life saying I gave it all I had! together, we are giving it all we have!

I wanna ask you again, where are you being sent?

CLOSING

For those of you who would say that you struggle with calling or have struggled with calling, here’s what it means… Come and Go

Come to his feet and be sent in His power

Enjoy Him and teaches others to do the same

I wanna end today a little different than normal, I wanna give you a few minutes to pray

Two things I want you to focus your prayer on

come to Jesus

Spend a few moments in His presence

Ask for your marching orders

start the process today of discerning where God is asking you to go!