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Jesus Chooses Common Men
Mark 3:12-21
Intro: This is a special passage.
The ministry of Jesus is in full swing.
The common people of the area follow Jesus because He preaches the Word of God in power and because He is working miracles for the glory of God.
The religious leaders hate Jesus because He refuses to play by their rules and because He exposes them for the hypocrites they are.
Our Lord’s days are filled with ministry and things are happening at a hectic pace.
These verses find Jesus taking some time out of His frantic schedule.
He takes the time to commune with His Father and to choose the twelve men who will be His representatives to the lost sheep of Israel.
I said this passage was special and it is because it reminds us that anyone who will follow the Lord can be used by the Lord.
As we look at the kind of men Jesus chose and used in those days it gives us hope in these days.
If Jesus can use men like these in the manner that He did, then surely He can use you and me in these days.
If you are saved, I want you to know that you have a place in the Lord’s service.
I. v. 13 THE MASTER
(Ill.
In this first verse of our text, the focus is on the Lord Jesus Christ.
He has stepped aside from His public work for a time of solitude.
He has left the crowds so that He might call His disciples.
Let’s look in on the truths revealed here.)
A. A Time Of Prayerful Consideration
Mark just tells us that Jesus “goeth up into a mountain”.
Turn to Luke 6:12
Jesus is about to ordain twelve men who will be His spokesmen, His representatives to the people of Israel.
This is a big decision and Jesus wants to be sure that He knows the mind of the Father.
Thus, He sought a private place and spent the night in prayer seeking His Father’s will.
(Ill.
What a lesson for us!
Jesus, God the Son, God in the flesh, felt the need to commune with God the Father before He made a big decision.
Jesus took time out of His busy schedule to spend a protracted time in prayer.
Jesus saw the great need of reaching up to the Father for the help He needed day by day.
· God has promised to hear our prayers – Jer.
33:3; Isa.
65:24.
· God has promised to answer our prayers – Matt.
7:7-8; John 16:23.
· God uses our prayers to accomplish His will in the world – James 5:16-18.
· God knows what you are going to ask before you ask it.
Since that is true, some people have wondered about the need to pray.
After all, God is only going to do what He pleases to do.
Your prayers and mine change nothing!
So why pray?
Have you ever thought that the whole end of prayer might be prayer itself?
Have you ever considered the truth that God commands us to pray because He longs for fellowship and communion with people like us?
He desires for us to pray so that we might spend time in His presence.
And time spent in His presence is well spent!
· Remember-when I pray; prayer always changes me!!
Of course, the more time you spend with Him, the more you begin to think like Him.
After a while, you only ask for those things that you know will glorify Him.
Thus, communion with God brings closeness to God and that is His primary desire for your life.
(Ill.
Micah 6:8, “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?”
· Let me just encourage you to be a man or woman of prayer!
Seek the Lord and seek Him often.
Nothing will develop your life anymore than prayer.
B. A Time Of Special Choice
There had been great multitudes following Jesus as He moved from place to place and ministered.
Now, He chooses twelve men from among those vast multitudes to be His disciples.
He had already called them to follow Him.
We saw that with Peter, Andrew, James, John and Matthew.
Now, He calls them to a special place of service.
Matthew 10:2 tells us that these men were set aside and were called “apostles”.
This world speaks of “One sent with orders”.
It refers to a “representative of the king; one who speaks with the king’s authority; one who must not be ignored.”
Jesus handpicked these twelve men and sent them out with His message.
Why did He call these men and not other men?
Why were these singled out for this great honor?
Was it something they possessed that other men lacked?
Were they especially spiritual and close to the Lord?
Did He know that they would make great preachers?
The Bible says “He called unto Him whom He would”.
There was nothing special in these men.
As we will see in a minute, they were common men with common deficiencies and common problems.
So, why did He call them?
Because He wanted to!
· You might not be a preacher, but He has called you to serve Him too!
In fact, He calls every person He saves into His service, Eph.
2:10; James 2:18.
When He saved you, He gifted you and gave a place in the body of Christ, 1 Cor.
12:7-26.
I encourage you to seek His face, find your gifts and get busy for Jesus!
· Ill.
Jesus could have chosen a thousand different ways to get His work done on the earth.
He could have used angels.
He could have done it Himself.
He could have created a special race of people to do it.
Wait! That’s just what He did!
He saved us out of our sins and created us as a special race to do His will on the earth!
· He chose you!
Get busy and serve Him.
His call will not go away, Rom.
11:29.
II.
v. 14-15 THE MISSION
(Ill.
These two verses tell us what the Lord expected these twelve men to do.
These two verses establish a pattern of ministry that continues to this day.
These verses also reveal a priority in ministry that we must not ignore.)
A. Involved Discipleship-vs.
14
Vs.
14-“that they should be with Him” – This phrase highlights every disciple’s first priority: being with Jesus.
The Lord called these men to follow Him in a relationship of personal fellowship.
He wanted to teach them His ways, and that required closeness.
He wanted them to learn from Him and that required closeness.
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