Knowing calls for a response
Gospel of Mark: Jesus a life of service • Sermon • Submitted
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· 11 viewsKnowing of Jesus elicits a response, what is yours?
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Jesus impact
Jesus impact
By now in looking at the Gospel of Mark there is without a doubt an impact that Jesus makes on those He comes in contact with or those who hear about Him.
People were amazed by Him (1:22, 27; 2:22)
People were coming to Him (1:45; 2:13)
People crowded to Him (1:45; 2:4; and today 3:9)
People were healed by Him (1:34; 2:1ff; and today 3:10)
But I would be remiss if we did not look at a few of these verses.
22 They were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
45 But he went out and began to proclaim it freely and to spread the news around, to such an extent that Jesus could no longer publicly enter a city, but stayed out in unpopulated areas; and they were coming to Him from everywhere.
4 Being unable to get to Him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Him; and when they had dug an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic was lying.
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34 And He healed many who were ill with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He was not permitting the demons to speak, because they knew who He was.
Jesus was impacting physically, but He impacts spiritually too and that is important. In looking at our passage today you may three types of people and three types of responses
The disciples of Jesus (Mk3:7, 9)
The great multitude (Mk3:7-10)
And the unclean spirits (Mk3:11-12)
Three responses to Jesus and this will be our focus today
The committed
The curious
The condemned
Now let us look at the passage
7 Jesus withdrew to the sea with His disciples; and a great multitude from Galilee followed; and also from Judea, 8 and from Jerusalem, and from Idumea, and beyond the Jordan, and the vicinity of Tyre and Sidon, a great number of people heard of all that He was doing and came to Him.
9 And He told His disciples that a boat should stand ready for Him because of the crowd, so that they would not crowd Him; 10 for He had healed many, with the result that all those who had afflictions pressed around Him in order to touch Him.
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11 Whenever the unclean spirits saw Him, they would fall down before Him and shout, “You are the Son of God!” 12 And He earnestly warned them not to tell who He was.
What do you see, what do you notice, what sticks out to you?
I. The Committed
I. The Committed
We have already seen some who are committed in the gospel and we want to look at their examples for our application today.
When you think of committed, what do you think of? What is the definition of committed?
Com·mit·ted: adjective
Feeling dedication and loyalty to a cause, activity, or job; wholeheartedly dedicated.
"a committed reformer"
kəˈmidəd/
adjective
feeling dedication and loyalty to a cause, activity, or job; wholeheartedly dedicated.
"a committed reformer"
Proven commitment like the disciples - Peter, Andrew, James, John and Matthew.
Committed after they answered the call (Mk1:16-20; 2:14)
16 As He was going along by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew, the brother of Simon, casting a net in the sea; for they were fishermen. 17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”
18 Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. 19 Going on a little farther, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who were also in the boat mending the nets.
20 Immediately He called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went away to follow Him.
14 As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting in the tax booth, and He said to him, “Follow Me!” And he got up and followed Him.
In these two passages when did they commit? How long did it take them to commit?
They had already heard about Jesus before when He came to them and called them, He called for a response and they responded immediately.
After answering the call, like in our passage today, they were willing to do whatever was asked of them (see 3:9) soon was going to be the time for them to go out and preach (3:13-14) but that is yet to come, but it was because they were called, they responded and they were committed to the cause they would be willing to do that.
The Committed Today:
It would be those who have heard, believed, confessed, repented, obeyed and were added to the numbers
It would be those who heard the great commission and took it seriously (Mt28:19-20)
It is those who are willing to give from their resources (time, money, talents, gifts) to help build the kingdom of heaven here on earth
How you may wonder
By developing Christ like character (2Pt1:5-11)
It is a longer passage, but I think it is important we read it briefly
5 Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, 6 and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness,
7 and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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9 For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. 10 Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble;
11 for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.
By developing Christ like service (1Pt4:10-11)
By developing Christ like service (1Pt4:10-11)
10 As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 11 Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Just as the disciples who some became apostles where committed then, we need to be committed today. Maybe we are not called to leave our fishing, leave our tax office, but maybe called to leave something else or pick up something else.
If people were to look at us would they say they are committed Christians?
II. The Curious
II. The Curious
From the committed to the curious, those who come around because of what they heard, they want to check it out. But even the curious had some commitment to them too.
Notice the places listed in (vv.7-8)
7 Jesus withdrew to the sea with His disciples; and a great multitude from Galilee followed; and also from Judea, 8 and from Jerusalem, and from Idumea, and beyond the Jordan, and the vicinity of Tyre and Sidon, a great number of people heard of all that He was doing and came to Him.
Some were travelling 100 miles from Jerusalem to come to where Jesus was, that is a commitment just because they were curious.
The curious were looking for a healing or looking to see one, a miracle that is.
Being curious does not make you a committed follower (disciple) of Jesus does it?
Some are curious because they think they can, will get, something out of it, but Jesus sometimes sent they away (Jn6:24-27) or challenged them (Lk14:25-27) so they would respond
24 So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they themselves got into the small boats, and came to Capernaum seeking Jesus. 25 When they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, “Rabbi, when did You get here?”
26 Jesus answered them and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. 27 “Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal.”
Then there is the challenge
25 Now large crowds were going along with Him; and He turned and said to them, 26 “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.
27 “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.
The curious today
Guests, visitors who come and don’t commit
Maybe it is the one’s who do not respond to the gospel. (Mk16:15-16)
15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 16 “He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.
Are we committed to the gospel, sure we have responded to it, but are we commited to it by doing what we are commanded to do?
Maybe they are ones who think there is more time and just put it off making a commitment (Act17:32, 24:24-27)
32 Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some began to sneer, but others said, “We shall hear you again concerning this.”
what happens if tomorrow never comes? It will be too late, for today is the day of salvation!
24 But some days later Felix arrived with Drusilla, his wife who was a Jewess, and sent for Paul and heard him speak about faith in Christ Jesus. 25 But as he was discussing righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix became frightened and said, “Go away for the present, and when I find time I will summon you.”
26 At the same time too, he was hoping that money would be given him by Paul; therefore he also used to send for him quite often and converse with him. 27 But after two years had passed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus, and wishing to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul imprisoned.
Our prayer should always be that the curious would one day become committed. And my prayer is for the committed to be active in their commitment.
To the curious one day it will do no good, you are either with Him or not, there is no middle of the road, but I will come to that more in a few minutes.
III. The Condemned
III. The Condemned
When we think of condemned in our world today we think of a prisoner condemned to prison because of actions. These condemned are worse off, for they are ones who in-actions condemned them.
We have seen condemned spirits who knew who Jesus was (3:11) and what was awaiting for them (Mt8:29; 2Pt2:4; Jude1:6; also referenced Jn3:18)
11 Whenever the unclean spirits saw Him, they would fall down before Him and shout, “You are the Son of God!”
They knew Him, but they also new what awaited them
29 And He continued by questioning them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered and said to Him, “You are the Christ.”
29 And they cried out, saying, “What business do we have with each other, Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?”
4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment;
6 And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day,
Don’t think it was for the evil spirits only.
18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
The condemned today.
Those who refuse to repent after knowing the truth (Rom1:18-19, 23)
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.
23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.
Those who think lightly of sin, vs the depravity of sin (1Pt4:3-4)
3 For the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, having pursued a course of sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties and abominable idolatries. 4 In all this, they are surprised that you do not run with them into the same excesses of dissipation, and they malign you;
Those who think lightly of sin, vs the depravity of sin (1Pt4:3-4)
Those one day who give an account and will confess Jesus (1Pt4:5; Php2:9-11)
5 but they will give account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.
Those one day who give an account and will confess Jesus (1Pt4:5; Php2:9-11)
9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Committed, curious, or condemned we will all stand before the Lord one day and give an account, only the committed will be crowned!