Laser Focused Disciples; A Laser Focused Church - Mark 1:14-20

Laser Focused Disciples; A Laser Focused Church

Mark 1:14-20

Introduction: Lasers are something we may take for granted. They have a role in all kinds of technologies: certain kinds of surgery, in gun sights, pointers, construction applications, weapons guidance systems, industrial applications, etc.  They are effective because they are focused, all the photons are aligned, moving in the same direction. Focused light is powerful, and a focused church can be more effective.  We’ve been talking quite a bit lately about getting more focused, “laser focused,” on our mission. The truth is, we can’t do everything as a church, we can’t do all the ministries that we might want to, but God doesn’t require that of us. We need to stay focused, and keep the main thing the main thing.

       God has ordained the church as His means of carrying out His mission in the world. Why did God save us and then leave us in this fallen world?  Because we all have a role in His mission!  Each of us who have been born again has a spiritual gift or gifts to use for the building up of the body.  And each of us has a group of people that God has sovereignly and strategically put on the “front burner” of our life. Family, neighbors, co-workers...  We’ve talked about listing those people, on average between 8 and 15 people that you rub shoulders with on a regular basis, and to be praying for them. Some are believers who are engaged in the church already, some may be believers who are not committed. Others don’t yet know the Lord. We can be praying for the faithful to keep looking up, to walk with the Lord. We can pray for the uncommitted to take their faith more seriously. And we can intercede for the unsaved, asking God, by His kindness, to lead them to repentance and faith.  Evangelism Explosion also encourages making a list, but focusing on people you know who are not saved. They say to make a list of your “Ten Most Wanted”! It is a good idea, since statistically, 95% of those who come to faith come primarily through the influence of someone they know. Could you be the “someone” God would use?  We’ll see in this passage that He uses ordinary people, like us.  Pray that He would help us to be available, always ready to give a reason for the hope that is in us. 

The Maine* Idea: The call to faith is a call to follow Jesus, fully engaged in bringing the Gospel to a rebellious world.

I. The Gospel brings HOPE to a fallen world: It is the TRUTH that can cut through human rebellion (14, 15).

¹⁴Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God,  ¹⁵and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel." 

        Mark is pretty concise once again in giving us the setting: it was after John had been arrested. What in the world happened? Everything seemed to be going great, “all Judea” was coming out to hear John and was being baptized by him!  At this point no details are given about how and why he was arrested. It’s a reminder to us of the reality described in the second Psalm: the world is in rebellion against God and His kingdom. [It seems to me this is a clue as to the historical situation in which Mark is writing. He is writing to encourage Christians who are suffering for their faith.] He didn’t need to say more about John’s arrest because they knew why it had happened: The world is in rebellion against God (cf. Ps 2)! Only later (Mk 6) do we find out about John’s martyrdom. God has a plan for each of us! He will give us work until our life is over, and life until our work is done.

        Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the Gospel. Galilee might seem like an improbable context for the start of Messiah’s mission. Why not Jerusalem, and the region of Judea?  That is where the Temple was, that was the heart of Judaism. But God had a plan. Galilee also was predominately Jewish, but it was a crossroads of trade, a place where Greek, Aramaic, Hebrew, and even Latin were spoken. It was a place where Jews rubbed shoulders with Gentiles. It was a place where people could hear the message Jesus preached and then carry it with them as they continued on their travels and trade routes. The distance from the religious center in Jerusalem was no doubt a part of God’s plan. Jesus would preach to the common people, calling them to repentance and faith, inviting them to prepare their hearts for the kingdom. The time would come to confront the leaders (and to be handed over to the Romans) but that time was not yet!

         Mark describes the “gospel” Jesus preached as the “Gospel of God.”  The apostles use that same phrase at times. We saw it in 1 Peter 4:17,   “For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?” Paul also used the same phrase, for example in the opening of the letter to the Romans,

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,  ² which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures,  ³ concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh  ⁴ and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord... (Rom 1:1-4).

       Back in Mark 1, Jesus calls his hearers to “repent and believe the gospel...” (1:15c).  As we saw in John’s preaching, the call to repentance was a call to recognize our sin, and to turn away from it. Jesus too connected repentance and faith: repent and believe the gospel. Of course the events of His death and resurrection were still future as Jesus was preaching! The “Good News” is that He is present, and that the New Age of the Messiah was at hand. The call was to turn from sin and to believe in Him, to recognize who He is and to put your trust in Him, and to submit to His Lordship. The “good news” is that the promised one was here, and that the age of fulfillment was at hand.  Jesus said that in v.15, “The time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God is at hand...” 

       Jesus will reveal his sovereignty throughout this gospel as he teaches with authority, heals the sick, casts out demons, and shows his power over the elements. He hasn’t yet revealed that the kingdom will be made manifest in “stages.” In fact, even after the cross and resurrection, after Jesus appeared alive to His disciples for forty days, teaching them about the kingdom, the disciples asked Him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6).  That day will come, but it is still future. Right now He would reign in the hearts of those who recognize who He is and believe in Him, submitting to His lordship. One day every knee will bow, and every tongue confess, that Jesus Christ is Lord! The Call to faith is a call to follow Jesus, fully engaged in bringing the Gospel to a rebellious world.

II. God uses ordinary people to call the world to believe in Jesus (16-18).

¹⁶ Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.  ¹⁷ And Jesus said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men."  ¹⁸ And immediately they left their nets and followed him. 

       Jesus meets Simon and Andrew as they are going about their lives, working as fishermen. He didn’t go first to the Temple in Jerusalem or even the Synagogue in Nazareth to recruit His first disciples. He went to the lake, and called working men, fishermen, ordinary people like you and me, to follow Him. Remember Paul’s words to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 1:26-31,   

²⁶ For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.  ²⁷ But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;  ²⁸ God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are,  ²⁹ so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.  ³⁰ He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom and our righteousness and sanctification and redemption.  ³¹ Therefore, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

 That is a good passage to read when you need a lesson in humility!  He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, our boasting is in Christ alone! The good news is that He has called us, invited us to follow him. Where did you meet Him? He will use ordinary people like us in the extraordinary program of building His church.

       Notice that He uses an analogy that these fishermen could lay hold of: Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men!  The picture is inescapable, He was calling them for a purpose: to gather others into His kingdom.  That is God’s plan, disciples making disciples! Remember the scene after the resurrection, in Acts 1, as Jesus is teaching his disciples. After 40 days of teaching about the kingdom, He said “You will be my witnesses, in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth...” (Acts 1:8). He did not say “I want you to be” or “You ought to be” my witnesses. He said “You WILL be.” For better or worse, good witness or poor, we are His plan for bringing the good news to the world around us.  

       You might think, “I am a Christian, I believe, but I am not ready to be a disciple!”  Just as He called the disciples for a purpose, He called you for a purpose. That means he has given you a gift (or gifts) to use for the building up of others. And it means that He has placed you where you are, and He has placed a small group of people in your close “sphere of influence.” They are the people who know you and are watching you, and they are your first “mission field.” We need to love them enough, to pray for them, and to look for opportunities to share Christ with those who don’t yet know the Lord. The Call to faith is a call to follow Jesus, fully engaged in bringing the Gospel to a rebellious world.

III. There is a cost to committed discipleship: His mission must become our mission (19, 20).  Discipleship means we follow Him!

¹⁹ And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets.  ²⁰ And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.

       The scene described here seems incredibly abrupt: Jesus called – they left their father – they followed Him.  There is a level of commitment pictured here that is not commonly seen in the church today.  Usually people want to think about religion, including Christianity, in terms of “feeling good” about themselves.  The goal of the gospel is not to boost my self-image or my sense of fulfillment. It is about reconciliation with God, peace with our Creator, because the righteousness of Christ has been imputed to our account. 

       Mark does not mince words in this gospel. He clearly presents the teaching that Jesus promoted: Come and follow Him, but count the cost.  Salvation is free,  Jesus paid the price that we could not pay. In a sense, discipleship is costly, because we are crucified with Christ. Remember the story of the ship Captain who tried to dissuade missionary James Calvert as he was going out to evangelize the cannibals in the Fiji Islands: “You will lose your life and the lives of those with you if you go out among such savages!” To which Calvert replied, “We died before we came here.” These fishermen who Jesus called didn’t know yet what they cost might be. But they left their livelihood, they left their father with the hired hands, and they followed Jesus. For most of the disciples Jesus called during His earthly ministry, the cost would be far higher than leaving our family.  Of the apostles, tradition tells us that all but John were martyred for their faith.  And John died in exile.

       Elisabeth Eliot was one who knew something about the cost of following Jesus. She knew that it is our hope of victory that helps us to persevere in the hard times. It’s the assurance of that coming crown that helps us bear our cross today.  Just one year after her husband was slain in Ecuador, along with five other Missionaries, Elisabeth Elliot wrote,

“We have proved beyond any doubt that He means what He says – His grace is sufficient, nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. We pray that if any, anywhere, are fearing that the cost of discipleship is too great, that they may be given to glimpse that treasure in heaven promised to all who forsake...”

She said that when we see the treasure ahead, it helps us bear the trials today. When we know the victory that awaits, it helps us persevere through the pain. When we glimpse the glory, then we can take the cross and follow Him.

         In our last series, we noted that Peter wrote his first letter to exiles, to pilgrims scattered among the nations who were suffering for their faith.  They lived like exiles and pilgrims in the world, because they knew that their citizenship was in heaven. That hope gave them strength to persevere in the mission. Mark, the interpreter of Peter, apparently is also writing to suffering believers, calling them to follow Jesus, whatever the cost.  There is no sugar coating here. Yes, God loves us and has a wonderful plan for our lives. But we need to realize that plan is for eternity, for the future for which we were created. We will worship Him forever, and serve Him, and we’ll enjoy the face-to-face fellowship that Adam forsook, forever. Remember Paul said “to depart and be with Christ is far better.” But for the sake of the mission He realized that He still had work to do...

²¹ For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.  ²² But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose.  ²³ But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better;  ²⁴ yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.  ²⁵ And convinced of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith (Philippians 1:21-25).

        There is a division among professing Christians today just as surely as there is a division among Americans in general. I have never seen in my lifetime the level of disrespect of the office and pushback against a newly elected administration that we see today. Yes, as Christians we are called to use discernment, speak up for righteousness, and to be an advocate for the poor and oppressed. We are also called to respect those in authority, and to pray for them, that we might live quiet and peaceable lives.  This whole “not my president” thing, rejecting the authority of the office, illustrates the attitude many people have toward the ultimate authority, God’s rule in our lives. In fact, if we look at the words of the religious leaders as they delivered Jesus to Pilate, they said “We’ll not have this man to be our king!” He’s not MY king! That is the attitude of the unregenerate (see Psalm 2), it should never be the attitude of a believer. “Confess with your mouth Jesus as LORD, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, and you will be saved.” That is clear enough; HE is Lord, HE must be on the throne. That attitude engenders endurance in trials because we trust in His sovereignty

What is God saying to me in this passage? The Call to faith is a call to follow Jesus, fully engaged in bringing the Gospel to a rebellious world.

What would God have me to do in response to this passage? Review with me the three primary questions Mark is answering in His gospel: 1) Who is Jesus? 2) Why did He come? 3) What does it mean to follow Him?  Most of us have an orthodox answer to the first question: He is the promised Messiah, the Son of God, God the Son.  The second question can also be answered with confidence: He came to save sinners, to make it possible for us to have peace with God. The third question is a little tougher, because it asks not only what we believe, but how we will live in the light of the Truth.  What does it mean to follow Him? 

       If His “kingdom” includes His reign in our hearts (and not simply His future realm in a geographic sense) that means if I would follow Him I need to yield to his sovereignty here and now. Bill Bright from Campus Crusade for Christ used to use the illustration of a throne in our heart.  Who is sitting on the throne of your heart? Is Jesus your King? He is sovereign and He has placed you exactly where you  are. And He has arranged your life so that you have a relatively small group of people, probably on average somewhere between 8 and 15, who are in your close sphere of influence. Jesus said before His ascension, “You will be my witnesses.” We can’t reach the whole world, but each of us can determine to reach our world. Jesus said “You are the light of the world!” Lasers are very powerful, very focused, streams of light. None of us can reach the whole world, but we can focus on ours. If we can keep the main thing the main thing, we can realize our calling individually, and we can realize God’s purpose for our church.   

       Some in your oikos don’t go to church, some don’t know God. We’re going to print up some invitations for you to give them to our Easter services. Be praying, look for opportunities to share and invite, and let’s see what God will do!   AMEN.