Disciples Must be with Jesus

Here we are again. Welcome back to our study of the Gospel of Mark, which I have entitled Lessons in Discipleship. Over the past three weeks we studied three encounters between Jesus and the Jewish religious authorities. Of course all of the encounters were negative, and they set the stage for what is to come. Which is of course the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. In the encounter we studied last week the Pharisees set a trap for Jesus. They were trying to get Him to heal a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath. Now of course, there is nothing in the OT law that prohibited healing someone on the Sabbath, but according to the added regulations of the oral law it was prohibited. Well, as we learned last week the Pharisees plan to accuse Jesus goes horribly wrong, and this leads them to walking out of the Synagogue to begin plotting the Lord’s death. In fact, let’s read one of the verses we covered last Sunday.

Mark 3:6 NKJV

6 Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.

So, here we see after their failed plot to accuse Jesus for healing on the Sabbath, “the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.” What is unbelievable about this they wanted to accuse Jesus of healing (doing good) on the Sabbath while they were doing evil, even plotting murder. Which brings us to the verse we read earlier that I want to study for a moment, verse 7.

Mark 3:7 NKJV

7 But Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea. And a great multitude from Galilee followed Him, and from Judea

Notice at the beginning of the verse it says, “But Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea”. Jesus withdrew to the sea because of how heated things were getting between Him and the religious authorities. In other words, after they starting plotting to kill Him, Jesus withdraws from that area to the sea. Now the reason I want to emphasis this verse is pretty straight forward. Jesus has to withdraw from the comforts of civilization because of opposition from the religious authorities. You see, Jesus’ ministry has been rejected, and because He was rejected, the disciples experience that rejection. Very simply, HIs disciples must follow in HIs footsteps. Which is exactly what this verse says, “Jesus, withdrew with His disciples”. So here is the first point of today’s lesson.

When We Follow Jesus Faithfully, We Will Experience Rejection Like He did.

Now, this doesn’t mean that all of us will become martyrs or be thrown in prison like many of the original disciples, but we will likely suffer rejection in some form or fashion. That might be losing a group of friends, that might be facing ridicule from the world. But make no mistake, Jesus was rejected by the world, and the pathway of discipleship means traveling the pathway of rejection.

OK, let’s talk about the title of today lesson.

Disciples must be with Jesus

As I have strongly emphasized over the last couple of lessons to be a disciple of Jesus we must be in fellowship with Him. We must be with Him, and this is going to be a pathway that requires us to give up many worldly pleasures. This pathway is going to require us to give up some of our dreams and life goals. At some point on this pathway, we are going to have to lay down things in our life that our distracting us and getting in the way. At some point, we are going to look at our life and say, “God I always imagined my life looking like this, but I’m willing to set those dreams aside to faithfully follow the pathway that you followed. Simply put, we will need to put down our selfish desires in order to be in fellowship with the Lord and love our brothers the way that Jesus loved us.

Now as we get into the lesson, I am going to teach what being with Jesus looks like for disciples today, but first let’s get into our text. Turn with me if you will to Mark chapter 3 and we are going to read verses 13 to 15.

Mark 3:13–15 NKJV

13 And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted. And they came to Him. 14 Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, 15 and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons:

Let’s pray.

As we begin our study I want to point out a few important details we find in verses 13 & 14

Mark 3:13–15 NKJV

13 And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted. And they came to Him. 14 Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, 15 and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons:

Verse 13 says, “He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted”. First let’s talk quickly about being on a mountain. Some commentators suggest that being on a mountain expresses nearness to God, and it was often a place where God communicated with men. For example, in was on Mount Sinai that Moses received revelation for the nation of Israel. What is interesting about that is that Moses selected men to assist Him before he went up on the mountain. Here we see Jesus is choosing His disciples, as He gets ready to send them out to the nation of Israel.

And notice it is Jesus who is calling and choosing these men. Now, we need to understand this was a unique group of men being called into service here. These twelve men were hand selected by the Lord Jesus Christ to preach to the nation of Israel, and they were given special authority to heal the sick and cast out demons.

Eventually, all of these men, excluding Judas, will form the foundation of the Christian church. And not only that but when Christ returns to establish His millennial kingdom here on earth, these men will sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Simply put these men were the apostles. This means that their calling is higher than our calling. Paul tells us in Ephesians that the prophets and the apostles laid the foundation of the Church. Let’s read a couple of verses.

Ephesians 2:20–21 NKJV

20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,

Paul, speaking of the church in the verses says the church, “having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone”. Here is the point that I want to make. There are tons of ministries out there today being led by people that call themselves apostles or prophets. If you come across these ministries or you are following some of the ministries, please don’t. Listen there no more apostles. Paul makes it clear that the apostles and prophets laid the foundation. The church’s foundation is complete, and God’s word is complete. Don’t listen to so called prophets who are giving additional revelations that aren’t found in the word of God. The foundation of the church has been completed. Which leads to a question? If we aren’t the foundation, where do we fit in? Verse 21 tells us. Paul says, “in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.

Simply put, we are a part of the building that grows into the holy temple. You see, we aren’t the foundation. We are apart of the building that is growing into a holy temple. We are the building not the foundation. In order for work on the building to start the foundation had to be laid first. The foundation is already laid, meaning there are no apostles or prophets today.

OK, let me go back to Mark and summarize my point.

Mark 3:13–14 NKJV

13 And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted. And they came to Him. 14 Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach,

When Jesus goes up on this mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted, He is calling His apostles, less Judas. All of these men have a higher calling than we have today. Jesus is calling the men who would later lay the foundation of the church.

However, there is a truth here that applies to all believers. And that is, all believers are called to be disciples. You see, the moment we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ we are born again. We are given the free gift of eternal life simply by believing in Jesus for that life. Then once we have eternal life Jesus calls us into service. That is what discipleship is all about. It is about being called into service for the Lord. He calls us to follow after Him and follow in His footsteps. All of us, have a purpose and calling on our lives, and at the moment of faith all of us are all of us are given spiritual gifts that we use in our service to our Lord. The Lord Jesus calls all believers to be His disciples, but not apostles. The office of Apostle was reserved for a special few.

Now let’s look at verse 14 which says, “He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach,”. Now in case you missed it. Verse 14 is where I got the Title for today’s lesson, “Disciples must be with Jesus”.

Disciples must be with Jesus

This is where we are going to spend a majority of our time today, and if you walk away with nothing else, walk away with this. Disciples must be with Jesus. This is the most important element of our Christian lives. This is an essential element to being a disciple. Before we do anything else we must be with Jesus. Looking back at verse 14 for a moment.

Mark 3:14 NKJV

14 Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach,

Notice what it says, “Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him...” You see, we must be with Jesus before we can effectively serve Him. It says, that the disciples were with Him, and then it says, “that He might send them out to preach”. I absolutely cannot overstress the importance of this. Whatever, else you do in life you must be with Jesus. This is the most important element of our entire existence. Being in the presence of the Lord and learning from the Master is how we grow in Him. You see being with Jesus is what transformed this rag tag group of disciples. We might call them the least likely to succeed, but being with Jesus transformed them into the Holy Spirit empowered Apostles that laid the foundation of the Church. These men were with Jesus, and that enabled them through the power of the Holy Spirit to complete their mission.

Like me give you an example from these men’s lives that demonstrates the power of being with Jesus. In Acts chapter 3 Peter and John have miraculously healed at cripple on the way to the Temple. This healing obviously draws a crowd, and they began preaching Jesus and His resurrection from the dead. Well, the religious leaders get wind of it, and they have them arrested. Well the next day following their arrest, Peter and John get brought before all of the Jewish religious big wigs. The high priest and his family are there. The Scripture says that their were rulers, elders, and scribes present, and they brought Peter and John before them and asked them a question. Let’s read verse 7

Acts 4:7 NKJV

7 And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, “By what power or by what name have you done this?”

They ask by what power or what name were were able to heal the cripple. Listen to part of Peter’s response. Starting at verse 11,

Acts 4:10–11 NKJV

10 let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. 11 This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’

Acts 4:12 NKJV

12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Here we see Peter boldly preach Christ in front of the group of people that crucified the Lord Jesus Christ. These apostles are placing their lives on the line to claim the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and look what the next verse says. Please pay attention here.

Acts 4:13 NKJV

13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.

I love this verse and it has provided me with so much encouragement over the years. It says, when the religious leaders “perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled”. These out-of-work fisherman are standing before the most well trained elite scholars in all of Judaism. Peter and John were blue collar fisherman, and it says the Jewish leaders perceived it and they marveled. In other words they were blown away with the boldness of their speech. And here is the most important part of this entire message. It says, “they realized that they had been with Jesus.”

This is one of the most inspiring verses for us everyday ordinary folks as we serve the Lord. You see, many of us shrink back from opportunities to teach or to serve because we feel like we aren’t educated enough. Or maybe we think we aren’t well spoken enough, or smart enough. Well guess what? Neither were these men, but they had been with Jesus. If you are serving the Lord in ministry please let this encourage you. And if you are not currently serving the Lord let this encourage you to start. All of us on some level feel like we don’t know our Bibles well enough or we don’t have enough formal education. But listen to me, if Jesus used fisherman to lay the foundation of the church, then Jesus can use you. The only requirement for serving the Lord effectively is being with Jesus. We must be in the presence of the Lord. We must be abiding in Him. Which means we are dwelling in Him. It means we are continually present with Him. It means we are in fellowship with Him.

So the next logical question is how William. How can I be with Jesus? He isn’t physically here like we was when he called the twelve. How can I be with Jesus? Well, the first thing you have to do is believe Jesus’ promise of eternal life. That has to come before anything. And when you believe in Jesus for the free gift of eternal life then you are born again and you belong to Him. Nothing can ever change this. In other words, you are saved forever. The next step is you have to learn from Him. We must learn from our Master, and the only way to learn (from Him) is by spending time in the word of God. I give this answer for everything because it is true. You must get into the Bible. You need to set aside time everyday for you own personal study. You must set aside time to get here for our Wednesday night Bible study. You must get the family here early on Sunday morning so the whole family can be in Sunday school, and you need to be here at the 11am service. To put it simply, you need to take every opportunity you can to be in the word of God. This is how we are with Jesus. We open our Bibles and sit at the Master’s feet and learn from Him. Let me put it this way, turn your Bibles inside out, and then outside in. In other words, study the Bible backwards and forwards because this is how we are with Jesus.

Another way we spend time with the Lord is by fellowshipping with other believers. Christ is the Head of the Church and all of us individual believers make up His body. We are called to serve His body. If you don’t have time to get to church, then you aren’t making time for Jesus. You are living life selfishly. Look around this room. These are your people not just in this life, but for eternity. Get to know them. Serve them and love them and they will do the same for you. The world out there has nothing for you. If you wonder from the flock as a lost sheep the world will devour you. We spend time with Christ by spending time with His body.

The third way we spend time with Jesus is prayer. You should be praying constantly throughout the day. They don’t always have to be long prayers, but we should constantly be giving thanks, and we should constantly be confessing sin. Pray throughout the day. Here is a summary slide.

The Ways We Spend Time With Jesus

Studying the Word

Fellowshipping with Believers

Prayer

As you may be aware we have a pretty important vote coming up after the service, and so I felt it may be appropriate to give some history of Erin and I’s journey here at Legacy. But here is the main reason I want to give this part of my testimony. Over the last 15 years or so my goal has always been the same. I wanted to be with Jesus. Before I got to this church my life was in shambles. My life of sin lead me into addiction to drugs and alcohol, and when I finally hit rock bottom, I cried out to the Lord. I said I’ll do whatever you want me to do Lord. Take my life or use it, but I can’t do my way anymore. And from that day forward I got serious about my Bible, I mean deadly serious. I can’t remember if I studied every single day, but it must have been close to everyday. And throughout this process God began to change me inwardly. The sinful things that used to rule my life began to disappear, and eventually God lead me to this church.

Well, I don’t think Erin and I had been attending more than a couple of months, before I got the opportunity to take over a Sunday School class. I was terrified. I had no idea how to teach a Sunday School class, but I knew I had to take it. I knew God was giving me an opportunity, and I needed to step out in faith. And let me mention that I felt so unqualified to teach God’s word. But you know what I did. I prepared for hours every week. Teaching Sunday School only made me study God’s word more, and I found something by teaching Sunday School. I found that in all the preparation, and in all the studying, I was with Jesus. You see, God is with us when we open our Bible. The Holy Spirit is teaching us, and even more than that. He is literally transforming us into the image of Christ. Well, eight to ten years go by of teaching Sunday School, and then my name comes up to become an Elder. I was interviewed and eventually elected. Again, another terrifying step, but I knew once again that I had to step out in faith. And let me say this. I wouldn’t have been prepared to be in Elder unless I had been studying the Bible. All those years of preparing and writing Sunday School lessons for hours every week had literally turned me into a different person. I look back at my life twenty years ago, and it’s not the same man. But there was one constant in my life that resulted in the change. I had been with Jesus. I had been with Jesus, and once I got into the routine of spending so much time with Jesus, I got addicted to it. I don’t want to live any other way.

Well, after my time as an Elder, Ryan got here and He approached me with a job offer. He wanted me to start a recovery program and become Legacy’s Recovery Pastor. Again, I was terrified , and I knew once again God was giving me an opportunity. Then after close to three years of running a recovery program and preaching on Sunday nights came the Interim Pastor, which brings us to today’s vote.

Erin and I were talking about our journey here at Legacy, and she said you know what? You never sought out any of these different ministries in the Church; they all just fell in our lap. Which is the absolute truth, and I’ve thought about that very same thing so many times. I never said to myself, I want to be an Sunday School teacher. I never said to myself I want to be an Elder, and I certainly never said to myself I want to be a pastor, let alone a senior pastor. My goal has never changed. My mission has always been to be in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. That has always been the mission. I want to be with Him because I have tasted and seen that the Lord is good. I don’t know any other way to live now. So, my mission has always been to be with the Lord, and over the years He has developed the skills and gifts He has given me. But not only that, He has provided me with works to accomplish for Him.

Now, that I have gained some spiritual maturity my goal still remains the same. I just want to be with Jesus, but now I have realized the most important part of my goal. Now I realize how important it is for me to get other into the presence of the Lord. Now I want to give to others what God has given to me. Now I want others to taste and see that the Lord is good. Now I want to teach the word of God so that I may bear spiritual fruit among you. So Legacy, I say this with all sincerity. I want to lead us into the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ and keep us there so that we bear godly fruit. I want every one of us to hear well done good and faithful servant now enter into the joy of your Lord.

Final thought and then we need to finish the rest of our passage. Church let all of us have one goal in our lives, and let that goal be this: “I want to be with Jesus”. If you do that and get serious about spending time with Him everyday, not only will He transform your life, but He will give you opportunities to serve Him. You won’t even have to look for them. He will drop them right in your lap. Amen. God is so good.

Let’s take one final look at our verse as I begin to work to close this morning.

Mark 3:13–15 NKJV

13 And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted. And they came to Him. 14 Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, 15 and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons:

Let me point out one more time what qualified these men for service, “that they might be with Him”. You see, Jesus is the one who calls, and Jesus is the one who qualifies, and Jesus is the one who sends. Our job is to be with Him. Jesus will provide the work. Which is exactly what he did here. It says, “that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sickness and to cast out demons. Our ministries won’t look the same as the Apostles, but God has work for all of us to do. Our job is to be with Him. Disciples must be with Jesus

Disciples must be with Jesus

Seeing as it is Father’s day, let me close out with a challenge to all the fathers in the audience. Dad’s we often get sucked in a worldly mindset which tells us that our most important job for our family is to be a good provider. Right. We get sucked into thinking that is we are able to give our kids all of their little hearts desires that this is what makes us good dads. And it is true that we have a responsibility to provide for our families. Paul says, He who doesn’t provide for HIs own household is worse than an infidel. In other words, he is worst than an unbeliever. So, Father’s provide for you household, but that is not your most important duty. Do you know what you most important duty is? I’ll give you a hint. I’ve been talking about it for the past 30 minutes. Dad’s your most important duty is to be with Jesus. Men, it is time for us to step up. It is time to straighten out our priorities. It is time for us to pick up the reins and become the spiritual leaders of our household. And guess what there is only one way to make this happen. Guess what the one way is. You must be with Jesus. Dad’s here is what I want you to know. There are wives that are craving you to step up and take the lead. Do not be the Dad that is lagging behind as you wife spends time with Jesus without you. Whatever else you do with your time you must be with Jesus.

The Apostle Paul writing in his first letter to the Corinthians in Chapter 13 writes,

1 Corinthians 13:11 NKJV

11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

Paul here is writing to a church that was extremely focused on things that had temporary value. And Paul point is that a sign of spiritual maturity is turning from the temporal things to focus on the eternal. Fathers, it is time for us to do the same. Whatever habits, hobbits, or interests are keeping you from being with Jesus you need to put them down. They are stunting your growth. Paul, says, when I became a man, I put away childish things. It is time for us to put away some childish things. It is time to be with Jesus and lead our families. Dad’s to be the leader of your home you must be with Jesus. Today is the day. The time is now. The Lord could return at any moment. If you will commit yourself to being with Jesus He will abide with you. He will transform you. He will empower you, and He will send you out with work to do. Fathers if you accept this challenge being in the presence of the Lord Jesus will overflow from you life to your wife’s life, to the lives of your children. This is your greatest responsibility as a Father.

Let’s close with this because it applies to every believer. Disciples must be with Jesus.

Let’s pray.