Sermon Tone Analysis

RECAP

Well it has certainly been about 3 weeks since we’ve been in here and had service and it feels GOOD to be back!

Let me just share that we are getting right back into the Gospel of Mark with what I’ve been calling “Breaking Culture,” and tonight, we will be in Mark chapter 3! So, with a Bible, go ahead and turn to .

We are gonna be in verse 13-21 tonight.

As you turn there, let me catch us up to speed.

Mark is the shortest Gospel out of the 4 that are written in the New Testament.

16 chapters written with purpose and precision.

Mark was called and used by God.

In one of the MANY ways he was used, he was used, to record the good news of Jesus Christ for God’s people like today.

We need to view this Gospel as if Mark himself asked us to join him on the journey as he recorded all the Apostle Peter told him to record.

In fact, on this journey, it’s kind of moving fast.

Mark literally records the word “immediately” a bunch of times to emphasize this journey that he’s taking us on as he shows us, Jesus really is the Son of God who is the Messiah come in to the world.

So as he writes, we’ll notice that he begins the Gospel with this 30,000 foot view of what God has done and he did it by recording what the Old Testament said God would do.

Mark begins the process of revealing what God has chosen as His plan to restore all things to Himself.

As we work through this Gospel we’ll see that Mark does what is called a chiastic structure.

He starts us off way back here and carries us into the deepest part of God’s redemptive plan in chapter 8, ironically in the middle of 16 chapters, and then leads from that outwardly.

In Chapter 8 is the first time in Mark’s Gospel that Jesus tells the disciples exactly what the redemptive plan is.

It says in...

This plan is how God is going to restore all things unto Himself and let me take a minute to help strengthen what restored means.

Entertainment Piece

If you have been to my house, there’s no way you can miss the piece of furniture that our tv sits on.

It’s huge, blue, and kinda cool.

However, it’s just a piece of furniture, just like the rest of the random furniture Erin and I have acquired.

Throughout our marriage, I’ve had the privilege of watching Erin shop for little antique pieces of furniture.

At first, it was super boring and didn’t make any sense as a newly wed, but as I’ve consistently been there with her to help move the “new furniture,” I’ve come to appreciate her excitement about old furniture made new.

Erin gets really excited about it and when Erin is excited, I’m excited!

She’s taken multiple pieces of furniture in our home and restored them to something beautiful by using what’s been purchased or given.

She puts a ton of time into looking for the right furniture and also painting, staining, and adding to what somebody got rid of.

This hobby of hers is what God’s game plan looks like in each of our lives.

Each piece of furniture we have has a neat little story with it that Erin and I appreciate and remember.

Even in just 4 years of marriage, we have a lot of furniture with cool stories to each!

Of course, when the plan is revealed it scares the mess out of Peter and I can imagine he was embarrassed or at least uncomfortable telling Mark what Jesus told him after he said that.

Jesus called him Satan and to get behind him!! Haha I don’t think Mark’s Gospel gets anymore personal than a recorded conversation than that!!

God is restoring all things back to Himself because of the consequences of ever present domination of sin.

Within this plan, God, Himself crushes death by resurrecting from the grave and declaring He is King and Lord.

He was and IS completely capable of restoring the brokenness and is does it through discipleship.

This redemptive mission is so on point that says angels long to look into this as well as where God reveals his manifold wisdom to the greater powers in heaven.

But anyways, Mark, again, is taking us on this journey of God’s redemptive plan through Jesus.

And the plan…is discipleship.

Here’s the set up.

Look with me in , starting in verse 13.

Mark has been showing us the compassionate and merciful authority of Jesus for 3 chapters, and now, He’s about to use his authority to call disciples into this redemptive mission.

Look with me...

What we see in this, specific passage, is Jesus appointing, those whom he desired, the disciples responding to him and him appointing them to:

be with him

to preach

to cast out demons

This passage, given exactly where it’s at in this Gospel, is the beginning of God gaining momentum that will flip the world on it’s head.

Mark will be very faithful, as he records first hand from Peter, to explain and reveal that discipleship is the universal call Jesus’ is giving.

The Number 12

So verse 14 states that he began with 12 disciples.

12, is actually an interesting number.

Jesus did not randomly select 12 people or choose from the crowd around him and stop at 12. No, 12, is actually a very important representation that speaks to the eternal plan God has declared long before Jesus came to the Earth as Messiah.

Back in the Old Testament.

Where did Israel get its name?

Answer: Israel comes from the book of Genesis where God changed Jacob’s name to Israel.

Jacob had a brother named Esau who’s father was Isaac.

Isaac was the promised child from Abraham.

Abraham was the man God promised the entire world would be blessed through.

This blessing was the Gospel message of restoration that is here today being shared right now.

It’s very interesting, that within that lineage of people, Jacob, “Israel,” had 12 sons!

Each of those sons eventually made up 12 tribes of Israel.

Those 12 tribes grew into a massive nation that Moses would lead out of exile into a promised land, led by a God who has consistently been restoring everything to Himself.

The highest and most important part of this restoration is His Son on the cross as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the entire world and the resurrection over death.

BREAKDOWN

I believe Jesus picked 12 disciples to remind us of this plan.

Here it is plainly put.

Discipleship is…Everybody Called, Anybody Can Do It, Somebody Needs To Know It.

Everybody called

Anybody can do it

Somebody needs to know it

Everybody Called

- EVERYBODY CALLED -

Here’s why everybody’s called, in , God told Abraham...

“All the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Wow, all means all.

- ANYBODY CAN DO IT -

Later in the Bible, there’s a moment, after Jesus’ resurrection, where the momentum of the Gospel is rockin’!

There is a moment where Peter and John are recognized as men of power and authority.

In fact the scriptures say...

“they had been with Jesus.”

That’s very powerful.

Looking back at this passage, it can be easy to understand how regular these people were.

Very regular individuals whom Jesus called and they responded.

- SOMEBODY NEEDS TO KNOW IT -

Somebody Needs To Know

If this message of restoration is for all peoples to be blessed, and anyone can be used and do it, then I guarantee there’s someone you know or don’t know yet, who needs to hear about restoration.

They need to hear the call from Jesus to follow Him to the Father.

The question is, will you go OR…perhaps....will YOU follow?

Our GROW Groups are the best means of discipleship that we have in RUSH.

GROW Groups model what Jesus did with his disciples for 3 years.

He called them to be with him, to share the message of His kingdom, and to cast out all wickedness based on His authority.

This is a VERY important.

The best thing you can do right now is evaluate.

Evaluate these scriptures and evaluate yourself.

Take a selfie of the deepest parts of yourself and ask…am I following Jesus with other brothers & sisters as a disciple, AND/OR, is there someone I know or DON’T know yet who needs to know that Jesus is calling?

If you’re not convinced yet, let me share just a little more about the authority of this message.

From just the small amount of time we’ve been in Mark so far, we’ve seen a significant amount of compassion and mercy.

We saw

Jesus heal a man with an unclean spirit