Mark: God’s Servant: Crowds and the Kingdom

July 20, 2014

Mark: God’s Servant

Crowds and the Kingdom

Mark 3:13-4:34

(Advance Slide #1)

Introduction

It did not matter where He went.

(Advance Slide #2)

• God’s Servant always encountered an excited crowd.
• Had He been a ‘celebrity’ He would have tried to please them.

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God’s Servant w/drew from the crowds and ministered to His apostles!

• Jesus was aware that most of those that came near to Him were shallow and insincere, His apostles did not.
• Jesus had to teach His followers:

1. He had to teach them the truth about the crowds.
2. He had to teach them the truths about the kingdom.

* In the text we will study today we will see the Lord’s response to pressures of the crowd.

(Advance Slide #4)

Text

13 And he went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him. 14 And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach 15 and have authority to cast out demons. 16 He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); 17 James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder); 18 Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot, 19 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. Mark 3:13-19

Great things start small.

• First there was John.
• Then there was John and Jesus.
• Jesus then selected 12 men to help Him.

Peter won three thousand at Pentecost, and throughout the book of Acts, that number steadily increased

• In spite of the sins and weaknesses of the church, the message has been carried to other nations, and one day, saints from every nation shall worship before His throne

Lesson

He Founded a New Nation

The number of apostles that were chosen seems significant.

(Advance Slide #5)

• In Genesis, God began with the 12 sons of Jacob.
• They became a mighty nation!
• The nation was now spiritually decays and ready to reject their own Messiah.
• These 12 would become the nucleus of this new ‘spiritual’ nation.

(Advance Slide #6)

An ‘apostle’

• One who is sent on official service with a commission.
• Jesus had many disciples but only twelve apostles...His special “ambassadors.”

Jesus spent all night in prayer before choosing the 12.

• As He selected them He had three purposes in mind:

1. To teach them by personal example.
2. To send them out to preach the gospel.
3. To give them the authority to cast out demons/miracles.

*If you were to read a harmony of the Gospels you would find that between vs. 19-20 Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount.

• Mark did not include this, his emphasis was on what Jesus did!

(Advance Slide #7)

He Established a New Family

People around Jesus didn’t know how to take Him.

• His friends thought that He was confused and possibly crazy.
• His family came to Capernaum came to ‘take charge of Him to get Him some rest.
• * This is the only time Mary is mentioned in this gospel account.
• God’s servant are usually misunderstood!

Jesus was not trying to be mean to His family.

• He understood that their motives were right but their purpose was wrong.
• As always Jesus used this opportunity to teach a spiritual lesson:
• His ‘family’ is made up of those that do the will of God.
• Jesus felt closer to publicans and sinners that He did His unbelieving family.
• He’s not suggestion ignoring your family, but put God’s will above all else.
• Don’t let family interfere with God’s Will.

*How do you enter the family of God?

(Advance Slide #8)

He Announced a New Kingdom

We find a comparison between the crowds and Jesus:

Crowds

• Hoped that Jesus would deliver the nation and defeat Rome.
• Wanted Jesus to behave like a loyal Jew and honor His family,
• Expected Him to restore the kingdom and bring back Israel’s lost glory.

Jesus

• He called twelve men and founded a “new nation.”
• He established a “new family” made up of all those who trusted Him and did the will of God.
• He was to announce a new kingdom, a spiritual kingdom.

(Advance Slide #9)

John the Baptist announced the coming King.

• Jesus, the heavenly King, preached the good news of the Kingdom:

For sinners to repent and be baptized.

What kind of kingdom was He coming to establish?

• To describe the type of kingdom that was coming Jesus used several parables.
• A parable is a story or figure placed alongside a teaching to help us understand its meaning.
• It gets the listener deeply involved and compels that listener to make a personal decision about God’s truth and his or her life.
• Begins with a picture
• As we study the picture we then see ourselves!
• He wanted them to ‘hear’ the parables...’hear’ is used 13 times in Mark 4:1-34.

(Advance Slide #10)

The Strong Man

• The fact that Jesus delivered the man was proof that He was stronger than Satan and that Satan could not stop Him.

The Sower and the Soil

• Jesus was not impressed by the large crowds.
• Seed = word of God
• Soil = human heart

The Lamp

• The apostles were like the lamp.
• They were called to shed God’s light and reveal His truth.

Growing Seed

• There is a mystery to the growth of the seed and the development of the harvest.
• From very small beginnings, the kingdom would eventually grow in size and in influence.

PRAYER

Conclusion

(Advance Slide #11)

The growth of the kingdom will not result in the conversion of the world.

• In fact, some of the growth will give opportunity for Satan to get in and go to work!
• There was Judas in the disciple band
• Ananias and Sapphira were in fellowship with the Jerusalem church (Acts 5:1–11).
• Simon Magus was part of the church in Samaria (Acts 8:9–24)
• Satan’s ministers boldly invaded the Corinthian church (2 Cor. 11:13–15).

The bigger the net, the greater the possibility of catching both good and bad fish.

(Advance Slide #12)

Through faith in Jesus Christ, we become citizens of the heavenly nation.

• We become children in God’s family, and subjects of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
• What a privilege it is to know the Lord Jesus Christ!

Mark - God's Servant is Here

Mark - God's Servant: What Does He Offer You?

July 13, 2014

Mark: God's Servant

What Does He Offer You?

Mark 2-3:12

(Advance Slide #1)

Introduction

(Advance Slide #2)

• Without social media, Twitter, FB, Instagram the news spread.

• A miracles working Teacher had come from Capernaum!

• Wherever He went there were large crowds.

They wanted to SEE Him, but they were BLIND to the message:

• They desired to see Him HEAL people and to CAST OUT demons!

• He knew that most of them were shallow in their thinking and blind to their own needs.

• This could explain His need to go into the wilderness and talk with the Father.

• He had to have thought, “I’m here for much more than that!”

(Advance Slide #3)

God’s Servant had come for to demonstrate to the people what His ministry was all about.

• He had come to do much more than relieve the afflictions of the sick and the demonized.

• What did these things really mean?

• They needed to understand the spiritual lessons that lay behind the miracles.

TRUST -

(Advance Slide #4)

• He came to bring to all who would trust Him three wonderful gifts

FORGIVENESS - 2:1-12

FULFILLMENT - 2:13-22

FREEDOM - 2:23-3:12

(Advance Slide #5)

Text

1 And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. 2 And many were

gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them.

3 And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. 4 And when they could not get near him because of

the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which

the paralytic lay. 5 And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Mark 2:1-5

This is another one of my favorite of Jesus’s miracles.

• I can just picture the crowd and Jesus looking up at the friends, marveling at their faith and perseverance.

• I can also picture the look on His face as He looks down at the man.

This scene is an AWESOME start to this chapter full of wonderful gifts that He brings!

Lesson

Let’s look at these wonderful gifts that we get when we trust and hope in Him:

(Advance Slide #6)

FORGIVENESS

The people of Capernaum did not wait for an invitation but simply came to the house in droves.

• This meant that some of the truly needy people could not get close enough to Jesus to receive His help.

• It didn’t stop the four friends who brought their lame friend.

• They decide that the only way to get in was to go through the roof!

• They TRUSTED that Jesus would heal him, and Jesus did.

• This miracle of healing gave our Lord the opportunity to teach an important lesson about forgiveness.

Consider the characteristics of these friends:

1. They were deeply concerned for their friend.

2. They had faith.

3. They “put feet” to their prayers.

When Jesus looked down at the man He went right to the heart of the man’s problem...SIN!

• Before He healed the man’s body...Jesus spoke peace to the man’s heart and announced that his sins were

forgiven!

• Forgiveness is the greatest miracle that Jesus ever performs.

• It meets the greatest need; it costs the greatest price; and it brings the greatest blessing and the most lasting

results.

Jesus knew the critical spirit of those that were watching and criticizing Him.

• Since they wanted to “reason” about things, He gave them something to ponder:

• “Which is easier? To heal or to forgive sins?”

• “So that you will know that I have the authority to forgive sins...I say to you get up and go home.”

(Advance Slide #7)

FULFILLMENT

It soon became evident that Jesus was deliberately associating Himself with the outcasts.

• We find Jesus with tax collectors Levi.

• We don’t know that he is dishonest, but the profession was know for that sort of behavior.

• He became a Christ follower and burned all bridges and even received a new name, Matthew.

• Ultimately, He passionately invited other sinner friends to meet God’s Servant!

Why would God’s Servant associate with people like that?

• They were the kind of people Jesus wanted to reach!

He explained His mission using three interesting comparisons:

The Physician - vs. 16-17

• Jesus did not consider these people “rejects”

• Matthew’s friends were patients who needed a physician...Jesus was that Physician.

• He comes to us in our need;

• He makes a perfect diagnosis;

• He provides a final and complete cure;

• He pays the bill!

The Bridegroom - vs. 18-20

• Jesus had already made it clear that He came to convert the sinners, not to compliment the self-righteous.

• God doesn’t desire for life to be a funeral but rather a wedding feast!

• In the OT the picture of marriage was used to explain Israel’s r’ship to the Lord.

• Salvation comes when the sinner commits himself or herself to Jesus Christ and says, “I do!”

• In order to be married to Christ one must be baptized and committed to Him.! !

• When you are “married to Christ,” life becomes a wedding feast, in spite of trials and difficulties.

The Garment and the Wineskin - vs. 21-22

• In this example Jesus explains: ! !

1. I have come to save sinner and not call the righteous!

2. He came to bring gladness not sadness!

3. He came to introduce the new not patch up the old!

(Advance Slide #8)

FREEDOM

Jewish tradition stated that there were thirty-nine acts that were strictly forbidden on the Sabbath.

• One couldn’t cook, gather fuel, carry something, or transact business.

• They could only travel a certain distance on the Sabbath.

• The Sabbath day had become a crushing burden.

On the Sabbath Jesus went into the synagogue to worship, and while He was there, He deliberately healed a man.

• Death is always at work, but that should not hinder us from seeking to save life.

• Jesus could see that this angered them...”the hardening of their hearts”

• They would rather protect their traditions than see a man healed!

• The man, of course, knew little about this spiritual conflict.

• He simply obeyed our Lord’s command, stretched out his hand, and was healed.

Conclusion

(Advance Slide #9)

Our Lord had now reached a crisis in His ministry.

• Great crowds were following Him, but their interest was not in things spiritual.

• The religious leaders wanted to destroy Him, and even some of Herod’s friends were getting involved.

• His next steps would be:

1. To spend a night in prayer.

2. To call twelve men to assist Him as His apostles.

3. To preach a sermon—the Sermon on the Mount—explaining the spiritual basis of His kingdom.

(Advance Slide #10)

He offered them forgiveness, fulfillment, and freedom, but they refused His offer.

• Forgiveness, fulfillment and freedom ONLY in Him.

• Have you accepted His offer?