Mark, Good News has Arrived

Baby Dedication First Service

Rachel and Jeff Reiger

Mason James Reiger

“Follow” means a new kind of Leader with a new kind of mission.

Mark 1:21–28 ESV

21 And they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and was teaching. 22 And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes. 23 And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, 24 “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.” 25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” 26 And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him. 27 And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” 28 And at once his fame spread everywhere throughout all the surrounding region of Galilee.

The Teaching of Jesus - “What did Jesus teach in this story?”

We have no idea! There isn’t a word of his teaching.

Jesus teaching amazes the people, yet we don’t get a word of it. Mark isn’t concerned about the text itself as much as he is with the one whom is speaking.

This is the outline of the story (Make this quick)

Jesus teaches - the crowd is amazed - Jesus performs an exorcism - the crowd is amazed - Jesus becomes famous

Jesus is all about the Kingdom of God.

Mark 1:15 tells us what the message of Jesus was.

Mark 1:15 ESV

15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

Mark isn’t concerned with the content the people are amazed with, Mark is concerned with what it looks like when the Kingdom of God breaks into our world.

Our Faith is not shaped by advice, its shaped by events.

Mark isn’t concerned to give all the details of Jesus’ message, there are other gospels that due. Mark is concerned about the history and the event.

“The Gospel” - euangelion - Good news

What is news? What is the job of news? They report on events that happen, they are meant to describe event that happen in reality.

When you seeing a breaking news story, they will interrupt a program in order to take you on site of some important thing that is happen because it affects us in some way.

The reason some news stories are so important is because they shape our nation, they shape the lives of those who are affected by it.

Sept 11th, every person in this room knows that date because we watched two planes fly into buildings. We watched the news and it shaped us and affected us for the rest of lives. There were thousands of men and women who joined the military in order to fight on behalf of those who lost their lives.

The Miracle on Ice - The 1980 USA hockey team made up of college kids, took down the Staulwart USSR hockey who had won 4 previous gold medals. But it was during a time of political unrest. It was more than a game, it was more than a victory, it represented an idealogical victory over our enemies. It brought our nation together, it gave us hope, it pushed us to dream and believe we could do anything. It shaped the mind of the public during the Cold War.

News reports events. Good News does the same thing.

The good news of Jesus Christ is that the Kingdom of God will come in part. This news has the power to change the entire world, this news will cause people of all ages to enlist in an army that fights not with weapon or sword, but with love and truth. This news would shape nations and leaders and create peace and harmony in areas where none was to be found.

This news puts justice on the forefront, and reminds us that God will make all things new.

This news can transform even the hardest of hearts even here today.

Jesus teaching stirs up the people, they will be amazed, but he also stirs up the enemy.

Stranger things happen when you “follow”

Immediately is used 36x in the book of Mark.

“Immediately there was a man in the synagogue with an unclean spirit.”

Jesus will encounter the enemies.

Success comes with Strife

Jesus ministry is thriving, people are seeing whats going on and following him.

But then

The Kingdom upsets the status quo

Jesus brings a message that people love but the enemy hates.

When God does work in your life, there is usually a sense of wonder and awe about a new found faith in Christ. But be certain, strife will come.

Mark 1:22 ESV

22 And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.

The Powers of Darkness

There are 3 other stories like this in the book of Mark. this will not be uncommon for Jesus.

Mark 1:24 ESV

24 “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.”

The demonic know the power and authority of Jesus and they acknowledge it here.

There is no struggle here, there is no fight,

Mark 1:25 ESV

25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!”

Jesus says the Aramaic word phimoa (fi-mo) which translated into the Norwegian Urban Dictionary is “Shut your pie hole”

Jesus doesn’t push away, he leans in

Jesus sees someone acting up and unclean and instead of acting out and trying to remove him from the “clean people” Jesus makes him clean.

Jesus sees some Stranger Things and he leans in.

When Jesus calls us to follow him, he doesn’t call us to our own little community where we have everything we are comfortable with. He doesn’t call us to hang around the people who are just like us. When we follow him we should be expecting Stranger Things to happen.

Downtown - Last week there were some Stranger Things going on.

We want to be safe, we will be safe, we will use wisdom but we are going to lean in.

I hear about those cars and those people who are acting strange and when i read this story I don’t just see strange behavior, I see a soul whom Jesus desires. I see a battle that’s winnable.

It’s like when a dad who has to deal with a dope that his daughter wants to date. Sometimes you got to shut it down and say, “shut your pie hole and get out!”

That’s what happening here. Jesus sees the object of his affection but he is being possessed. by something that is destroying him and Jesus doesn’t mess around, he leans in and he speaks.

Jesus desires to empty the man of the demonic and fill him with the fullness of God.

Ephesians 3:17–19 ESV

17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Jesus wanted to liberate this man, but part of the liberation was to set him on a path where the liberation would continue and his faith would grow.

Kingdom Rule brings Kingdom Results

2 Kingdom Results

1. Jesus empties so he can fill

Mark 1:26 ESV

26 And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him.

There was a cry and the unclean spirit left the man.

Jesus empties so he can fill.

What areas of your life is Jesus trying to fill right now? What areas of life is God working on you and call you out?

You know what I could say right now..... How can you read your Bible more, how can you spend more time in prayer, lets strategize to figure out how you can free up your schedule to come to church.

That’s not what Paul does in Ephesians 3, thats not what Jesus does with this man. He doesn’t lay out a plan of attack or give him sage advice.

It’s not about the advice, it’s not about the words Jesus is speaking in this moment, what this man will remember for the rest of his life is I was once possessed and in bondage but that man set me free. He saved me from myself, he saved me from the powers of darkness, he saved me from my addiction, he saved me from my codependency, he saved me from my workaholism, he saved me from my pride. He saved me from the burden that was crushing me and I will never forget that day. I will never forget that event, that moment, when time stopped and everything changed.

Have you had that moment?

or HAVE YOU FORGOT THAT MOMENT?!

If he is going to fill you up, you first have to be emptied.

What has to come out so Christ can come in?

2. Jesus will liberate so you can participate

“being exorcised meant that he was liberated to belong to God and to participate in the corporate life of his people.”

Kim Tan Huat from Singapore.

This man who was once estranged. He wasn’t like everyone else, he didn’t belong, he didn’t fit in. His stranger thing kept him on the outside.

He was an outsider and yet Jesus brought him in.

Everyone wants to belong, everyone wants to feel like they are part of a bigger community. We want to camaraderie and friendship and meaning.

There is no struggle, there is no fight. Jesus’ Authority crushes the authority of the enemy.

But watch this church....

When the tables are turned, when the kingdom of darkness has all the power, Jesus is betrayed, beaten and abused, he is taken before the religious leaders, he is set up for a false trial and charged with bogus crimes, and then lashed and ultimately crucified.

In all this, he never put up a struggle, there was no fight, the powers of darkness crushed Jesus. They had finally crushed the one who had brought them so many defeats. They finally crushed the one who was tearing down there walls of addiction and pain and disease. They has finally crushed the one who was putting an end to the stranger things.

But then there was that day....that moment, when everything seemed stop, and the defeated Christ rose a triumphant King. A King who would bring in a new rule with results that would fill us and release us to participate in his kingdom

Baptism at the end of second service before the last song.