The Main Thing

Bible Passage: Mark 9:9-13

INTRO

“Soma Church exists to love the body of Christ and equip them to do the work of ministry here, near and far, all for the glory of God.”

My oldest daughter Zoe and I have many things in common, but one of the things that her and I connect on the most is our shared affection for Raising Cane’s chicken. Which is most certainly superior to CFA

For Zoe, I think she just loves that daddy loves it along with the toy in the kids meal. Plus, she is a true carnivore.

For me, along with the amazing taste of the greatest food in fast food it is the fact that they do one thing and one thing only. Fried Chicken.

They aren’t trying to be good at everything and offer this extensive array of options to choose from when you go there.

When you go to Cane’s you know what you are gonna get. Chicken.

They keep the main thing, the main thing.

Ya know, I think it would serve Christians and churches well to adopt the same approach. To keep the main thing, the main thing.

And does anyone in the house know what that is? Jesus!

But not just a man named Jesus but Jesus, second person of the Trinity, who lived a perfect life, died a death of payment and rose again. The Jesus who is reigning on the throne now and is coming again to take His people home.

So this morning as we continue in Mark 9, this is what Jesus is going to bring His disciples attention to… Keeping the main thing, the main thing.

BODY

Last week we took a look at a pivotal moment in the life of Jesus and the discipleship of 3 of his 12 disciples, Peter, James and John.

Jesus took these three men up on a mountain and was transfigured or transformed before their very eyes.

And this transfiguring was Jesus showing these men His glory, His Godness.

And when this happens, there are two men who appear with Jesus upon the mountain and they were Moses and Elijah.

Mark 9:4 ESV

And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.

They get through this wild and truly awesome moment with Jesus and everything goes back to as it was moments before.

Then we pick back up in verse 9

Mark 9:9 ESV

And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

I wonder if you find it interesting that Jesus would earnestly command His followers not to speak yet of what they have seen. We have seen Jesus do this multiple times in Mark.

But if you notice what it says at the end of the verse I think it helps us understand.

Jesus wants them to wait until He rises from the dead. This is because Jesus doesn’t want to start a movement of people following a guy who glows and floats. He wants people to follow the living God who gave His life for their sin.

If Peter, James and John told people of what they saw, Jesus’ followers may have tried to take the throne for Him by force and that’s not what Jesus has come to do.

Mark 9:10–11 ESV

So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead might mean. And they asked him, “Why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?”

You can imagine that what these men have just witnessed has them asking many questions and wondering many things.

One of them being what will happen when their messiah is ready to do what they have been waiting for him to do.

So they ask why the scribes say Elijah must come first.

We have talked about the scribes before. Does anyone remember what they do?

They interpret the law and the scriptures. And in this day and for hundreds of years after giving their opinions and thoughts on how to live out the law.

They had been teaching that Elijah, the OT prophet who took on Jezebel, Ahab and the prophets of baal would precede the messiah and prepare the way for Him.

There is no where that says this explicitly in the OT but they have inferred this from texts such as Malachi 3:1

Malachi 3:1 ESV

“Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.

Let’s see how Jesus responds…

Mark 9:12–13 ESV

And he said to them, “Elijah does come first to restore all things. And how is it written of the Son of Man that he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt? But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him.”

Jesus says, yes, that is correct. Elijah does come first.

And then He does something kind of strange, He says that Elijah already has come and people did to Him whatever they please.

Now, I wanna stop here for a moment and explain what I believe Jesus means and also give a word on interpreting the Bible which will lead into our main point to today of keeping the main thing the main thing…

What Jesus means here when He says that Elijah has come is that the messenger (prophets bring God’s message) who precedes the Messiah has already made his physical appearance.

Any guesses? John the Baptist.

Mark 1:2–8 ESV

As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, “Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way, the voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,’ ” John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

That quotation from Isaiah sounds a lot like Malachi, huh?

John has come in the spirit of Elijah (His passion, love for truth, boldness) to prepare the way for the Messiah.

Jesus is wanting his disciples t understand that scripture is unfolding before their eyes. What God has spoken is coming to pass and is being fulfilled right in front of them.

And now I wanna take a moment to address interpreting the Bible.

There are many people, smart people who would look at this and say that this has an immediate fulfillment and a future fulfillment.

In other words, two thing can be true at once. John the Baptist is the messenger but one is still coming before the end.

I will tell you my personal opinion, is that this is completely fulfilled in the person of John the Baptist.

I think it is fine if you think a messenger comes before the end, but this text is talking about the one who comes before the Messiah begins His ministry and that is John.

But here’s the deal, at the end of the day what matters in not figuring out all the answers but finding Jesus and the gospel throughout the story.

You see, the disciples are so concerned with matters of eschatology (study of the end times) that they are not even pausing to consider what they have just seen.

Maybe you know people like this?

Your’e great aunt Sue who posts the latest blog post from her independent fundamental baptist preacher who says that Barack Obama is the anti Christ and Trump is the multiheaded beast thing.

Let me tell you something, any eschatology, theology, or any other ology that doesn’t give you a more clear and a more beautiful picture of Jesus is a bad one.

Peter, James and John have just seen the greatest thing they could ever imagine and their first question is about someone else.

I think this is why Jesus throws this question in the middles of His response…

Mark 9:12 ESV

And he said to them, “Elijah does come first to restore all things. And how is it written of the Son of Man that he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt?

Jesus is like “Yeah there is a messenger, but what about me? What do you think about the fact that I have to die for you? How about we keep the main thing the main thing”

CLOSING

Some of you are so distracted by so much bible garbage that you haven’t seen Jesus in a long time.

And let me tell you what happens when you do that…

Your soul gets hungry and people turn away from the Kingdom.

Your study of the Bible and you christian life isn’t about becoming super smart or having all the answers, it’s about being caught up in the majesty and beauty of you savior who loves you and gave His life for you.

So your soul hungers.

And I wonder, how many facebook posts have made some precious souls of God’s image bearers say “Ya know what, that just isn’t for me.”

Or how many times people have seen christians arguing about secondary or tertiary issues like they are primary and have made the lost scratch their head.

People don’t go to hell because of our sin but their own. But man, I really don’t wanna be their excuse.

So here’s the takeaway for today… Keep Jesus the main thing.

For someone who is searching this morning, Jesus is what we are all about and He longs to save you from your sin and be in relationship with you.

Christian, How can you make Jesus the main thing in your mind, heart and body this week?

PRAY