Introducing the King

Mark 1:14 – 34

Introducing the King

One of the major themes in Jesus’ life was “the kingdom of God.” It was His first sermon and the basis of everything He did.

 

I.         The Kings’ argues His case.

 

            A.        There is a King.

 

                        1.         This is not a matter of self government. (Jude 4 speaks of people who “deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.” The word Sovereign means “absolute ruler.”

 

                        2.         Jesus’ further words and actions will demonstrate that He is the King in the kingdom of God.

 

            B.        Because Jesus is the King we need to repent.

 

                        1.         Wesley’s ideas

 

                                    a.          “And until we do so (repent), we can go no further. For, till we are sensible of our disease, it admits of no cure.”

 

                                    b.         Repentance is “a conviction of our utter sinfulness and guiltiness and helplessness; and which precedes our receiving the kingdom of God.”

 

                                    c.         “Repentance disclaims the very possibility of any other help; faith accepts all the help we stand in need of.”

 

                        2.         Repentance involves changing the mind and changing the behavior.

“Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.” [Matthew 3:8]

 

                        3.         Repentance is not “being sorry” it is being “in sorrow.”

“Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.” [2 Corinthians 7:10]

 

            C.        We need to believe Jesus is King.

 

                        1.         That’s the choice we are left with.

 

                        2.         That’s the choice Jesus’ words and actions seek to impress.

 

II.       The Kings’ authority to command our lives.

 

            A.        The claim: “Follow me.”

 

                        1.         Following Jesus is the only way to become what we think we are (in our idealization).

 

                        2.         Following Jesus is “absolute” in that it requires all our time, all our stuff, all our energy... [Ill. You are standing on a road and a truck is speeding toward you. Why do you move out of its way? Answer: because you believe.]

 

            B.        “Fishermen” become “fishers of men.”

 

                        1.         Fishing is a very dark image in Scripture... the image is of judgement.

“The nations heard about him, and he was trapped in their pit. They led him with hooks to the land of Egypt. ... [9] With hooks they pulled him into a cage and brought him to the king of Babylon. They put him in prison, so his roar was heard no longer on the mountains of Israel.” [Ezekiel 19:4, 9]

“But I will put hooks in your jaws and make the fish of your streams stick to your scales. I will pull you out from among your streams, with all the fish sticking to your scales.” [Ezekiel 29:4 A prophecy of judgement against Egypt]

“The word of the LORD came to me: [2] "Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal; prophesy against him [3] and say: `This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. [4] I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws and bring you out with your whole army--your horses, your horsemen fully armed, and a great horde with large and small shields, all of them brandishing their swords.” [Ezekiel 38:1 – 4 A prophecy concerning a world war against Israel.]

“Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrong. Why then do you tolerate the treacherous? Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves? [14] You have made men like fish in the sea, like sea creatures that have no ruler. [15] The wicked foe pulls all of them up with hooks, he catches them in his net, he gathers them up in his dragnet; and so he rejoices and is glad.” [Habakkuk 1:13 – 15]

“The Sovereign LORD has sworn by his holiness: "The time will surely come when you will be taken away with hooks, the last of you with fishhooks.” [Amos 4:2]

“Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. [48] When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. [49] This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous [50] and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” [MT 13:47 – 50 an image of the final judgement]

 

                        2.         Please note, fishing is never good for the fish.

 

                                    a.         If the image of fishing is dark and painful judgement and fishing is never good for the fish...

 

                                    b.         Why do we apply this verse/idea to evangelism?

 

III.      The Kings’s ability to create understanding.

 

            A.        The people were amazed... they knew something was different.

 

                        1.         Understanding does not mean agreement!

“All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. [29] They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him down the cliff.” [Luke 4:28 – 29]

“Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.” [John 19:19]

 

                        2.         Sometimes understand brings a violent reaction... the reaction of the demon possessed man.

 

            B.        They recognized the authority in Jesus’ teaching.

 

                        1.         Authority carries the sense of ability/power.

[Ill. The police have the authority to do their work and they have been trained and equipped to with the ability to do their work.]

 

                        2.         The people saw this was not just another teacher. This was someone who had the ability to command through relationship.

 

IV.      The Kings’ absolute power over spiritual forces.

 

            A.        In spiritual confrontation Jesus’ practice was “total resistance,” “no grace, no possibility of reconciliation” [Leighton Ford, Transforming Leadership, 258, 270]

 

                        1.         In other words, when it involved “loyalties, values, and beliefs” [Ford, 255] Jesus fought.

 

                        2.         The King does not compromise and goes to battle when necessary.

 

                                    a.         His words and actions could be “violent.” [e.g. driving out demons, making a whip and driving out the merchants and money changers from the temple, and calling leadership ugly names like “white washed tombs filled with dead man’s bones.”

 

                                    b.         The “real” Jesus is far from the peace loving one that is often thought of in American Christianity.

“I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. [12] His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. [13] He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. [14] The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. [15] Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter." He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty.” [Revelation 19:11 – 15]

 

            B.        Notice the King provided freedom and release from the one held captive by the demon!

 

V.        The King admits the hurting and helpless.

 

            A.        Jesus heals Peter’s mother in-law and others who were sick and demon possessed.

 

                        1.         Life can hurt and be miserable... some of that is self-inflicted, some of it is imposed on us.

 

                        2.         Here is another demonstration of Jesus’ power, but physical healing was only temporary (the people still, eventually, died).

 

            B.        King Jesus’ goal was not simply the hear and now physical relief. King Jesus’ real purpose was eternal.

 

                        1.         Repent and believe... this is the gateway to the kingdom of God.

 

                        2.         Accepting Jesus’ rule as your King... this is the daily walk in the kingdom of God.

 

                        3.         Allowing King Jesus to “destroy the devil’s work” [1 John 3:8] and “demolish strongholds” [2 Corinthians 10:4] in your life... this it the freedom of the kingdom of God.

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The Joy of the Cross: Purpose

Luke 24:44 – 49

The Joy of the Cross: Purpose

Rick Warren, commenting about the search for purpose, in “Purpose Driven Life” stated, “typically we begin at the wrong starting point – ourselves.”

That’s a difficult idea because human nature sees the world and other people as extension of the individual self. Basically we project our feelings and motivations on others. The human sin nature knows no other way, no other starting point, no other reasoning process.

Christ cut through all the nonsense of our self–orientation. Strange, when you are able to step away from the basic self–orientation... you discover that when you begin with yourself, nothing will ever completely make sense.

 

I.         Scripture is the starting point.

 

            A.        We must have God’s help to understand Scripture.

 

                        1.         “Then He (Jesus) opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.” [v 45]

 

                                    a.         These are people who had been with Jesus for three and a half years.

 

                                    b.         They struggled with their faith and the revolutionary ideas Jesus proposed.

 

                                    c.         Even after the resurrection, they did not understand.

“The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.” [1 Corinthians 2:14]

 

                        2.         Does this set up a special “privileged” class?

 

                                    a.         The easy answer is “yes.” You cannot understand what God does not open to you.

 

                                    b.         The hard answer is “no.” God makes you responsible for understanding, which means He provides the means for you to understand.

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.” [Romans 12:2]

 

            B.        That means, we must understand.

 

                        1.         God expects us to put some effort into testing and approving His will.

 

                        2.         Another word for this is “discern” (“distinguish with difficulty by sight or with the other senses.” Oxford University Press)

“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, [10] so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ...” [Philippians 1:9 – 10]

 

II.       The message is the starting block.

 

            A.        The message is about Jesus: “The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day.” [v 46b]

 

                        1.         Jesus is the Messiah (Christ) spoken about in the Old Testament.

 

                                    a.         Some people struggle with the concept of Jesus dying on the cross.

“Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, [23] but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, [24] but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” [1 Corinthians 1:22 – 24]

 

                                    b.         Yet God played the strongest possible move (in chess terms) a sacrifice. The sacrifice was necessary to satisfy the idea of “justice.” (A price/penalty must be paid for our sins. We cannot do it, so Jesus as the sinless Lamb of God took our place and paid the penalty.)

“God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice...” [Romans 3:25a]

 

                        2.         Jesus rose from the dead!

 

                                    a.         If we focus on the means of Jesus’ death we miss the fact that the resurrection is prove positive of who Jesus is.

“And who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.” [Romans 1:4]

 

                                    b.         The tombs of past leaders such as Buddha, Mohammed, etc... are occupied with earthly remains. Jesus’s tomb is empty.

 

                                    c.         So we enjoy, not just words... we participate in the most powerful event in history.

“I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.” [Philippians 3:10]

 

            B.        Our response to the message is “repentance.” [Repent is to change the mind and the behavior.]

 

                        1.         There are different reactions to guilt triggers.

 

                                    a.         Psychology will try to teach us to change our beliefs so our interpretation of consequences of our actions will change. But this does not produce positive productive life change, it only masks the cause of the problem.

 

                                    b.         Addiction is a form of self-medication we can use to dull the pain.

 

                                    c.         Sin does have its pleasure for a short time [see Hebrews 11:25], so sin is a form of distraction.

 

                                    d.         Call it what you want, there are only two types of reactions/responses to the guilt of sin.

“Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.” [2 Corinthians 7:10]

 

                        2.         Repentance is necessary.

 

                                    a.         Peter expressed the heart of God this way: “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” [2 Peter 3:9]

 

                                    b.         Paul asks: “Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?” [Romans 2:4]

 

                                    c.         Trouble is, human nature fights against the need to admit we are wrong (change the mind) and take serious corrective action (change the behavior).

(Scripture is the starting point, the message about Jesus and our response in repentance is the starting block but staying on track is our responsibility.)

 

III.      Our responsibility is to stay on track.

 

            A.        Notice Jesus said: “You are witnesses of these things.” [v 46]

 

                        1.         You means you, not someone else’s responsibility.

 

                                    a.         Before William Carey’s time it was believed this was just for the original Apostles. Their obstacles:

 

                                                1.)       “Theological rigidity” in a perverted form of the doctrine of “predestination.”

 

                                                2.)       “Sanctified Self-interest” where the church’s responsibility was to “nurture the seeds of faith planted in baptism.”

(Source: Eerdmans’ Handbook to the History of Christianity, p. 549)

 

                                    b.         William Carey preached a sermon in 1792 where he stated, “expect great things from God, attempt great things for God.”

 

                                                1.)       It was not long after that sermon that Carey headed to India as one of the first pioneer Protestant missionaries to “non-elect” (non-Western) world.

 

                                                2.)       The gravity of Christianity has shifted from Western and English speaking nations to the rest of the world. Christianity has become a world religion. (The head of the World Fellowship of the Free Methodist church is from the Philippines.)

 

                        2.         What does a witness do?

 

                                    a.         A witness tells the truth from their perspective and experience.

 

                                    b.         In our case, we tell truth handed to us through Scripture and we tell how we have experienced the life changing power of faith in Jesus and our response in repentance.

 

            B.        Jesus promised us help.

 

                        1.         God never tells us to do something we cannot do... So if He expects us do something, it is more than possible.

 

                        2.         When God tells us to do something supernatural... such as witness... He gives us the resources to do it. (Pocket Testament League presentation.  See www.pocketpower.org)

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