Sermon Tone Analysis

Good morning, turn with me in your Bibles this morning to Marks gospel we will be in the third chapter.

Were continuing our study of the gospel of Mark which records the life and ministry of the Son of God Jesus Christ.

“There is no way of knowing where God will take you if you surrender all that you are to Him”

I am here to tell you God wants to do something in and through your life, it doesnt matter whether your 70 or 15 God desires to do something in your life, theres just one thing in the way...... you!

DENY YOURSELF

I just love the fact that Jesus is the ultimate picture of what it looks like to deny yourself, and the reason why I love it is this reason Jesus aint going to ask you to do what He hasn’t already done Himself.

The last time we were together we looked on as Jesus took on the scribes and pharisees and the religious establishment as a whole and we learned that Jesus did not come to play church, He came and was sent by His Father on a mission to seek and to save the lost and he would not be deterred no matter what the scribes and pharisees said about or planned to do to Him.

Jesus came to save and He is intentional and missional in His mindset He will accomplish His purpose while He is on Earth.

We saw that purpose very clearly He came to do good, and to save by preaching and teaching and healing.

While Jesus walked the Earth He gained fame and noteriaty for His ability to heal even to the point on one occasion where He was staying at Peters house and healed the sick and cast demons out all night long.

But as the popularity of Jesus grew so did His opposition.

Jesus healed the paralytic and as He did he told the paralyzed man to rise up because his sins had been forgiven him.

This made the pharisees begin to ask quesitons: Who does this man think He is?

He is speaking blasphemies!

Who can forgive sin but God alone.

In thier judgmental rage they could not see that Jesus was God in the flesh and that was the message He was trying to send to the world.

He opposed dead religion and then as the tension had built He healed another man on the Sabbath and this lead to the Scribes and Pharisees seeking to find a way to kill Him.

Mark 3:

This is what happens when the servant of God obeys the plan of God He always has the enemy of God trying to destroy what God Himself is trying to accomplish.

I just had a conversation Wednesday night and I have had many talks just like this one where the person will say to me “you know I have made a decision and a commitment to follow Christ with all my heart I have been in my Bible more and I am trying to faithfully walk with Him, but ever since I have begun this life has become way more difficult” Every time I hear that I want to shout YES YES KEEP GOING!! Satan doesn’t like it when God is being glorified your on the right track!

JESUS FACED OPPOSITION BY BEING OBEDIENT TO HIS FATHER

WE TOO WILL FACE OPPOSITION WHEN WE ARE OBEDIENT TO OUR HEAVENLY FATHER!

This might not be for you you might have never taken that step where you come to the point of surrender to the Lord where you actually die to yourself and ask Christ to work in you and through you, and can I just say something it is hard but it is a life worth living.

If you are being a witness you have a ministry within your realm of influence whether it is at school or work or wherever you are, if you are letting the light of the love of Jesus Christ shine through you then you should not be surprised when you face trials and opposition it is to be expected, I mean if Jesus is not exempt from those things then neither are we!

So to day I want us to just look briefly at what Jesus faced and how He handled it, I believe it will serve as a good example to us as to how we handle the issues the enemy can throw at us.

Jesus faced an overwhelming responsibility

Jesus faced trouble within His immediate family

Jesus was lied about publically

Jesus embraced a larger family

Jesus Faced an Overwhelming Responsibility

Have you ever just felt overwhelmed?

Like you were needed in too many places at one time?

By too many people at the same time?

You felt like no matter what you did people just wanted more and more and more and it was becoming unhealthy to you and your family?

No one understands this the way Jesus did as He walked here in this Earth, I mean can you imagine?

As did blessed people, and healed them as sons and daughters were being restored to families, as prostitutes were experiencing new life and fresh hope and demoniacs were being set free as the poor were preached the gospel of God and all of a sudden they didnt feel left out, as people are feeling this fresh sense of hope that they are a part of something much much larger than themselves they press in on Jesus every time he leaves the house there is a crowd, and not only is there a crowd wanting Him to do something for them, there is a crowd within the crowd who wanted to catch Him in some wrongdoing so they could put Him to death.

This is immense pressure most of us dont know what it is like to have a bounty on our head but Jesus does and whenever you feel overwhlemed in life you can remember that when you woke up you were able to leave your house alone and people weren’t surrounding you.

Even though Jesus was God in the flesh He was still in the flesh the Bible tells us HE was tempted in every way as we were and yet He was without sin.

As this pressure mounted up on Jesus We need to look at how he handled this situation, and in seeing what Christs priority was during this season of pressure we can learn how to better handle our seasons of pressure.

So what would JEsus do?

Did He suck it up?

After all He was the Son of God right?

HE had strength he could just push through the pressure right just keep HIs feet moving.... that’s what we do when life gets tough isn’t it?

We just suck it up and try to push through no matter what we are feeling on the inside and more often than not that leads to us making careless mistakes.

A. Jesus teaches us the importance of solitude

Mark 3:

I mean at this point there is momentum right?

Why would Jesus not just continue healing and working?

He has just showed the pharisees and the sadducees that He will not be distracted from His mission but now the Bible says that He withdrew He desired to get away from the crowd.

He and HIs disciples leave the temple after healing the man with the withered hand and He says hey let’s go down to the sea for awhile.

Jesus did this on countless occassions HE didnt press through the difficult times but He prioritized time alone with His father and His inner circle.

Jesus would go off the Bible says every morning to different locations to pray alone with His Heavenly Father.

If this was a priority for the King of Kings and Lord of Lords to be alone with His Father then it must be a priority in our lives.

I mean H planned to be away from the crowd even though He would not abandoned His mission.

LOOK AT THE PERSITENCE OF THE CROWD

I mean heres your chance Jesus don’t isolate yourself now here is the masses coming to you, you said you were opposed to dead religion, people are rallying behind this now is the time to press in isn’t it?

NO Jesus is on a divine timetable and He knows that His ministry was a marathon and not a sprint and some of us need to hear that this morning.

This Christian walk is a marathon and not a sprint you are never going to be able to keep such a torrid pace and finish well.

TIME ALONE WITH YOUR INNER CIRCLE OF CHRISTIAN FRIENDS AND YOU HEAVENLY FATHER MUST BE A PRIORITY or mistakes will be made and we will not hear fro the One who is the only one able to strengthen us through time of great pressure.

Because to

Can you see this?

They walk out of the Temple and a swarm of people gather around Jesus and as they are moving toward the sea they get right don to th edge of the water and Jesus sends His disciples off to find a boat, to get it ready for Him and he heals many people, demon possessed people, when they saw Him fell on thier faces before Him crying out YOU ARE THE SON OF GOD!! What if you were in this crowd?

What would you be thinking?

I mean this is an amazing sight.

Then Jesus expressly tells the demons not to make Him known because JEsus knew about the crowd within the crowd who wanted to kill Him and He didnt want them to attempt a different way than the cross.

Jesus knew He had to endure the cross because the prophecies stated that the cross was the way the Messiah would die.

Deuteronomy

“Cursed is the man who is hung on a tree”

Jesus knew He had to be hung on that tree He had to hang on that tree and become accursed to set you free from the curse that was placed on every man and woman after the fall.

So Jesus faced overwhelming responsibility, He had crowds that needed healing and restoration, He had enemies lurking in wait to kill Him, He had disciples He needed to train, and He had the plan of His Father to keep.

He was overwhelmed and HE made personal time alone a priority.

Let’s zoom in on this time breifly:

Jesus went up alone, He had to have some time alone with HIs father the fact that He called for those whom He desired implies they were not with Him initially and this was the moment that none of these men were ready for, it was the moment HE appointed them as apostles

These men were being called to the office of minister and christ was giving them authority to act on His behalf and the Bible tells us that He gave thema new mission and a new name.

No longer were they to find their identity in being fishermen, they were now ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Simon was renamed Peter, James was renamed Boanerges He also called Andrew Philip Bartholemew, Matthew , James son of alpheus, Thaddeus, and Simon the Zealot, HE also appointed HIs betrayer none other than Judas Iscariot.

Why would JEsus knowing what Judas was going to do, why would JEsus appoint Him as an apostle?

The answer is simple really each one had been appointed apostles and they had been called into the work of God’s plan.

Judas had a role, someone had to betray Him for thirty pieces of silver so Jesus allowed Him to be appointed as well knowing the work that Judas was planning in His heart.

We really should be thankful for Judas because without Him there would be no cross, there would be no redemption, but he should also serve as a dire warning that you can walk with the people of God and never be a child of God.

Jesus Faced Opposition From Within His Family

You need to learn this lesson when you walk within the plan of God you must be prepared to be opposed by many people, but this is probably the hardest.

When people you love the most begin to ridicule you but not just anyone the people you trust the most like your mother, father, sisters and brothers.

This is hard the question is this, will you remain faithful to Him even if they are not?

Not everyone has the same commitment you do, and if you are sold out sommitted to the cause of Jesus Christ then you should expect to be opposed by your family.

(my mother and father)

(husbands)

(wives)

(children)

Why would Jesus’ family do this?

They love Him and they don’t fully understand why He was born at all.

They are trying to save His life, they hear the people plotting against Him, they know they want Him dead and they are trying to stop Him, but in doing so they show how little faith in God they actually had.

Jesus didn’t come to save His life He came to lay His life down as a ransom for many, and I dont know who this is for today but as a servant of God if you desire to serve Him with your life, it is your responsibility to get into the habit of laying your life down for Him bot trying to save your life, not seeking your own but laying down your life in order to obey His plan.

People wont always understand what your doing when you take the step from being just another Christian to being a disciple or follower of Christ, and yes there is a different, a Christian is a believer a disciples learns and follows in obedience.

It one thing to believe what you hear its another thing to allow that belief to transition into action and change your life forever!

Jesus Was Lied About Publically

Mark 3:

What we see here is the only unpardonable sin.

There is only one sin throughout the Bible that is said to be unforgiveable, and that is blaspheming the Holy Spirit.

That is exactly what the scribes were saying to Him, now what was a scribe they were these were the literally the word police, they were the ones who copied down all the oral traditions of Judaism and they were the ones listening to and watching Jesus like a hawk.