Teamates: The Necessity of Community

Intro

Game-Changer: One Moment changes everything

That just like we see “game changing” moments in sports, so we see the arrival of Jesus changes how man will see and relate to God.

Last week: “Hype Man” how the ministry of John the Baptist prepared God’s people for their coming Messiah

Teammates: The Necessity of Community

Two types of sports: solo sports and team sports

Solo: running, wrestling, etc.

Team: volleyball, football, basketball, etc.

I love team sports

Good teams vs Bad teams; ‘05 team and legacy

Jesus immediately teaches us that even God relies upon Community

If spiritual community was so important to Jesus, than it must also be important to us!

Creator?

Redeemer?

Father

Our trinitarian view of Godmeans that in eternity past (God the Father, God the Son and God the Spirit) coexisted and served each other in a loving relationship.

Why is Spiritual Community so Important?

As we look at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry we will see three important ways that spiritual community works in our lives:

Spiritual Community:

Reveals God to us

Encourages us in our struggles

Equips others to serve God

9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by  As soon as he came up out of the water, he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well-pleased.” 12 Immediately the Spirit drove him into the wilderness. 13 He was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and the angels were serving him. 14 After John was arrested, Jesus went to Galilee, proclaiming the good news,, of God: 15 “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” 16 As he passed alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew, Simon’s brother, casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. 17 “Follow me,” Jesus told them, “and I will make you fish for, people.” 18 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 19 Going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat putting their nets in order. 20 Immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.

1. Spiritual Community reveals God to us ()

THE TEMPTATION OF JESUS

God Identifies Himself with His People (Mark 1:9) (Joshua 3:14-17)

Usually the Ark preceded the people by a great distance, but here in the middle of the Jordan River God’s presence was amongst His people. Fast forward to our text, and we see Jesus being baptized amongst His people in the Jordan River, thus identifying God’s presence with His people once more!

The Trinity identifies themselves with Jesus (Mark 1:10-11)

What the revelation of Jesus Christ introduced into the world is that God is more than what we thought, namely that God is family…the most emphatic theological reality presented to us in the baptism account is that God is revealed as family. God is a Father and Jesus is His Son and the Spirit affirms that bond of love. -Dhati Lewis

12 Immediately the Spirit drove him into the wilderness. 13 He was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and the angels were serving him.

2. Spiritual Community serves each other in times of struggle ()

The Calling of Struggle ()

MINISTRY IN GALILEE

14 After John was arrested, Jesus went to Galilee, proclaiming the good news,, of God: 15 “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

What is noteworthy here is that the presence of the Holy Spirit in Jesus’ life brings him into direct and immediate conflict with the forces of evil. -Erickson

The Company in the Struggle ()

THE FIRST DISCIPLES

16 As he passed alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew, Simon’s brother, casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. 17 “Follow me,” Jesus told them, “and I will make you fish for, people.” 18 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 19 Going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat putting their nets in order. 20 Immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.

Satan - First mention since

Wild Animals - Bob Utley

However, because wild beasts are used as metaphors for or names of the demonic in the OT (cf. NEB) this could also refer to a place of demonic activity (cf. , , ; ; ).

These wild beasts could also be a continuing allusion to the new exodus, the new age of restored fellowship between mankind and the animals (cf. Isa. 11:6–9; 65:25; Hos. 2:18).

Angels

In the OT the wilderness was a time of testing for Israel, but also a time of intimate fellowship. The rabbis called the wilderness wandering period the honeymoon between YHWH and Israel. Elijah and John the Baptist grew up in the wilderness. It was a place of seclusion for training, meditation, and preparation for active ministry. This period was crucial for Jesus’ preparation

While angels were serving Jesus in ministry, ultimately we understand that His desire was community from those who would also be brought into the family of God.

() In the future Kingdom, we will rule over angels

3. Spiritual Community equips others to serve God. ()

With the Gospel ()

Christ tells them, in the prospect of that kingdom approaching, they must repent, and believe the gospel. They had broken the moral law, and could not be saved by a covenant of innocency, for both Jew and Gentile are concluded under guilt. They must therefore take the benefit of a covenant of grace, must submit to a remedial law, and this is it—repentance towards God, and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ. They had not made use of the prescribed preservatives, and therefore must have recourse to the prescribed restoratives. By repentance we must lament and forsake our sins, and by faith we must receive the forgiveness of them. By repentance we must give glory to our Creator whom we have offended; by faith we must give glory to our Redeemer who came to save us from our sins. Both these must go together; we must not think either that reforming our lives will save us without trusting in the righteousness and grace of Christ, or that trusting in Christ will save us without the reformation of our hearts and lives. Christ hath joined these two together, and let no man think to put them asunder. They will mutually assist and befriend each other. Repentance will quicken faith, and faith will make repentance evangelical; and the sincerity of both together must be evidenced by a diligent conscientious obedience to all God’s commandments. Thus the preaching of the gospel began, and thus it continues; still the call is, Repent, and believe, and live a life of repentance and a life of faith. -Matthew Henry

With Discipleship ()

Rabbi Jesus calling his disciples to “follow him”

disciples were fishermen who had flunked out of the rabbinical education of their day and now weren’t doing so well at fishing either.

“Then one day there stood a rabbi before them…calling their names even though they didn’t measure up. He invited them…[even though] they were not good enough by the standards of the world and with these few he changed history…By selecting his own disciples himself…this reminds us of an essential gospel truth - that we don’t have to go looking for Jesus. He stands on the shore calling to us! -Robby Gallaty

As we are about to see 3 of these 4 make up Jesus’ inner circle of the 12 disciples, they will live and experience all of the highs and lows of his ministry before they will go out and make disciples of his own.

Discipleship is ultimately God conforming His children into an image of the only begotten son - Jesus!

See what great love the Father has given us that we should be called God’s children—and we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it didn’t know him. - 1 John 3:1