Preparation Begins in Private

Pre-Intro:

My text for today is coming from . This section caught my attention because of it’s relevance to us as preachers. The title of the Sermon is, Preparation Begins in Private.

Introduction:

Jesus has given us explanations, demonstrations, and practical applications of how we should not only prepare to minister the Gospel but bring forth the Gospel to the people as well. Tonight the Lord wants us to know 3 things concerning preparation and purpose in our ministries.

I. Jesus’ Pre-Sermon Prep.

Mark 1:35 ESV

And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.

Mark 1

We see Jesus here practically applying what he taught over in Mathew 6:6 where he told us:

Matthew 6:6 ESV

But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

There was purpose for everything that Jesus did and here he is the living example of how we should carry ourselves. Here we notice Jesus praying to the Father in preparation to deliver the message to the people. For this reason we should always go to the Lord in prayer before delivering his message to the people.

Your first blank is:

Prayer should precede the message!

II. Jesus begins to reveal his mission to the disciples

Mark 1:36–38 ESV

And Simon and those who were with him searched for him, and they found him and said to him, “Everyone is looking for you.” And he said to them, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.”

mark 1:36-

Here Jesus is focused on what it is he came to do and that was preach the word to the people. in he says:

John 16:28 ESV

I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father.”

Luke 4:43 ESV

but he said to them, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.”

luke 4:43

Your next blank is:

We must always remember the purpose in our mission!

Sometimes we tend to lose focus on the mission because as our ministry grows, we forget the purpose and we must never lose focus.

III. Jesus goes to work

Mark 1:39 ESV

And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.

Holman Concise Bible Commentary Response to Jesus (1:21–45)

Jesus, like Paul, frequently taught in the synagogue (1:21, 39; 3:1). There Jesus surprised the crowds by teaching “as one having authority,” not like the scribes who taught on the basis of legal precedents. Ironically, only the “unclean spirit” knew Jesus’ true identity, and His authority exposed it for what it was. This exorcism evidenced the power of Jesus’ words, which broke the power of evil and changed lives.

Your last blank is:

Our ministry should change lives!

Conclusion:

Holman Concise Bible Commentary Response to Jesus (1:21–45)

Jesus’ response to His newfound popularity was solitary prayer. Already Simon Peter emerged as the leader of the disciples (“Simon and his companions,” NRSV). For the first time Jesus had to clarify His mission for His disciples. “The message” Jesus proclaimed to “the neighboring towns” was the good news sketched in 1:15. By His dual ministry of preaching and exorcism, Jesus established the pattern for the disciples’ subsequent mission

Just like Jesus we should stay in prayer to the Father, remember the purpose in our missions, and remember that your ministry matters because it should change lives.