Mark: Receive & Give

Main Point

Christ, being truly human, took time to be alone and intimate with the Father and kept his mission always before him.

Introduction

As we continue to read Mark’s gospel, we will see more of the humanity of Christ become clear to us. This can be difficult because we also know that he is truly God. How we work this out is not easy, but it is important to remember that it is all necessary.

Only a human could substitute for other human lives. But only God could receive the wrath that those humans deserved and rise to justify them. (Hypostatic Union)

In the text today we see Jesus doing some very “human” things after he has just done some very “God” things (healing the sick and casting out demons). Let us try to learn from his example.

Christ the God-man

Jesus had always had intimacy and connection with God the Father from eternity past.

John 17:5 ESV

And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.

Now that he is incarnate, he willingly chose to humble himself to practice intimacy with the Father through prayer as a human.

Context tells us that he did this after a long day of healing people after sundown.

It would easy for us to forget that in his humanity Christ knew what it meant to be tired, hungry, and even the morning fog of getting up early after not much sleep.

Christ Our Example

We are to imitate Christ in the ways that we can (there are ways we cannot imitate him, such as atoning for sin)

1 John 2:6 ESV

whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

1 Corinthians 11:1 ESV

Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

Ephesians 5:1–2 ESV

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

We are also to spend time seeking the Lord in prayer and scripture reading.

Matthew 6:33 ESV

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Matthew 6:6 ESV

But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Psalm 119:9–11 ESV

How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

Therefore, we can draw from this account some things we can seek to apply to our lives.

But before we look at the practical things we need to remember....

Christ Our Substitute

Application: It is important that we understand that Christ’s spending time with the Father in private was another way that he lived in our place.

Though we are going to look at how this is a model for us, we are not doing it under the mantle of simply “try harder” and “be better”.

When we consider Christ’s time alone with the Father and how we can follow him in this practice, we are to do so with the understanding that he is our ultimate mediator who gave his life for us that we would be able to boldly approach the throne of grace.

Christ Practiced Discipline

Application: Christ, in his humanity, had to practice discipline to commune with the Father in private.

Early rising is good for some people, but that is not the point

It doesn’t matter when and where you haver your time alone with God, it will take discipline (action, verbs).

rising/departed/went/prayed

Not just the “pray” part, but all of it was necessary

Application: Your discipline will not always be perfect, but to develop it you must continue to press into the “why” of it.

The first “why” is simply because Jesus modeled this for us.

If the Son of God needed and desired time in prayer, so much so that he disciplined himself to do it, why do you think you will be ok without it?

But the big, underlying “why” is because is that God is worth knowing intimately.

We joyfully spend time cultivating relationships that we care about.

Christ Was Refreshed

The discipline of intimacy with the Father empowered his ministry

A theme throughout the life of Christ, and truly throughout the whole of scripture, is God’s servants being poured into by God so that they could pour themselves out on others.

Application: Intimacy with God equips us for the work of ministry as Christians.

It is not just pastors who are ministers. If you are Christ’s, then you are called to be a minister.

We pour out to others what God pours in to us during our time with him.

Friends, neighbors, husbands, wives, children, parents, and the lost all can receive from you what God fills you up with.

Christ Was on Mission

They found him and told him that everyone was looking for him

People were looking for him because he had gained some fame for his works of healing and casting out demons.

Christ knew the hearts of people and when they were only following him for what he could do (John 6)

The purpose of Christ coming out was to proclaim the gospel and do the good works that prove his message.

He started in Galilee, in the synagogues, but always knew it was going to expand much further than that.

Application: The ministry of Christ knows no locational snobbery.

The gospel has always been about the glory of God and making him known far and wide.

Christ came to proclaim the gospel to many different places in his ministry, and then commissioned his church to take up the mantle to the rest of the world.

“Lets start a church Jesus, you can heal people everyday here”, but his mission and purpose was greater than his disciples could have imagined at the time.

Closing

Main Point: Christ, being truly human, took time to be alone and intimate with the Father and kept his mission always before him.

Application: How then, can we expect to keep our mission as God’s people before us if we do not seek intimacy with the giver of the mission?

You want to be an effective Christian? That is good!

It starts with the discipline of seeking God.

Because the better we know him the more we know his mission, and the more he fills us up, the more we have to give.