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Celebrating on Mission - Mark 1:35-39

As a sports fan one of the things that I find interesting is listening to the comments of coaches and players after a game. Whenever you watch a game on television or listen to a game on the radio there are always a few individuals commenting on the game and giving their perspective. Sometimes the individuals providing the commentary are former athletes and players who can provide insight about the game that average fans like myself don’t understand because we have never played sports at a college or professional level. But regardless of what their background is they can’t tell you exactly how those players and coaches are feeling and what is going through their heads in the middle of the contest. So listening to coaches and players being interviewed after a game often provides further insight and perspective on the game that you just watched and how they see that game in light of the season as a whole. One of the things I have observed as a sports fan after years of watching and listening to games is that after a team has a big victory, one of the questions you almost always hear someone ask the coach of the winning team is “What’s next?” And every time the question is asked the winning coach almost always responds with something like this, “Well, we’re going to enjoy this win for a few hours and then we’re going to go to work to get ready for next week’s game.” The coach may not use those exact words, but he will typically communicate that idea. Victories are sweet! Wins feel good! But the season isn’t made up of one big game. There is always another game coming up, and because there is always another game there is always more work to be done. So coaches and athletes at college and professional levels have to be committed to doing the work necessary so that week in and week out they can give their best, and week in and week out they can do the work that they are called to do. They will enjoy the victories and celebrate those victories for a short while but then they will re-commit to the grueling and hard work that they have to put in throughout the week to get ready for the next game.

In a somewhat similar fashion, we’ve come to the end of a calendar year. 2012 was a year in which we saw God do some pretty awesome work in and through our church. So this week I want to encourage you with some of the victories we have seen and experienced, but then also challenge you to re-commit to another season of the selfless work of proclaiming the Gospel. Let’s begin this week by celebrating God’s goodness to Escalate Church in 2012.

  • Births: Our church got to share in the addition of one new life in 2012.
  • Marriages: We got to share in the excitement of two new marriages this year.
  • Baptisms: We had the awesome opportunity of baptizing two individuals this year.
  • Partnerships with Other Local Churches: Two years ago we started to try to show our community that as a new church we were not in competition with other churches in our community but that we had a great love and appreciation for other local congregations in our community. We were able to do that again this past year by partnering with Trinity Fellowship for a joint worship service.
  • New Families/Individuals: Perhaps one of the most exciting things we saw God do this year was add new families and individuals to our congregation. In 2012 God graciously added new people to our church and allowed us to experience an amazing 82% growth!

Answered Prayers / Ministry Initiatives:

  • When we started 2012 we did not have any college students coming to Escalate, and so we began to pray that God would open doors for us at Lenior Rhyne University. In April God opened up a door for Matt to teach at one of LR’s CRU meetings. In April/May we met a couple of LR students playing kickball and were able to establish and build friendships with them. And during the fall semester this year Matt had opportunities to teach at both CRU and FCA meetings at LR. As a result of our prayers God has opened doors for us to invest in and engage several college students and now we have 5 college students who are coming to and plugging in at Escalate on a regular basis.
  • In the spring of 2012 we saw a potential ministry opportunity at the YMCA when we heard about an adult kickball league. So we twisted the arms of many of you who were a little reluctant and talked you into playing so that as a church we could go to our community and engage them on their turf. We had a lot of fun, but more importantly we made connections with and extended invitations to several people in our community that we would not have met otherwise. We also had one family and a couple of other individuals start attending, who had multiple opportunities to hear the Gospel – which was our hope and our prayer for our participation in the kickball league from the beginning.
  • In January of 2012 we prayerfully launched a New Connection Point in Granite Falls and broadened the purpose of our Connection Points. As a result we saw God add 4 new individuals (who had not been plugged into a Connection Point) to the Granite Falls Connection Point, and help us to establish a hub for missions and outreach in a community where we had little presence in 2011. In Hickory we saw God add 6 new adults, 2 new children, and bring a couple of visitors. He also enabled us to establish favor with some in our community as a result of some of our outreach initiatives. Now, as 2012 comes to an end, we are having to ask God if we need to be launching a new Connection Point in the early part of 2013.
  • This year we prayed that God would help us to have a bigger impact at Hickory Alive in 2012 despite the fact that it was only going to go on during the month of June. We were hoping that the bigger impact would come in the form of relationships with those in our community. But it looks like God had something different in mind. This year we had a much bigger impact with the Hickory Jaycees. In 2011 we were at Hickory Alive every week but had little to no interaction with the Jaycees who were there every week just like us. In 2012 we had extended interaction with the Jaycees every week, gained increasing favor with their organization, and even had a couple of the Jaycees visit one week.
  • And in 2012 we were hoping to increase our partnership with one of the local schools here in Hickory. At the beginning of the school year Jenkins Elementary contacted us with a need that they could not help with. As a result we have been able to invest in two little girls, love on them and their grandparents, and share the Gospel with them on a regular basis in both word and deed.

These are some pretty awesome examples of things that God has done for us and through us in 2012. These are reasons for celebrating God’s goodness and favor. But we must be careful with how we allow these victories to impact us moving forward into 2013. There is still work for us to do. We are still in the midst of a community that is drowning in legalism, in moralism, and in the worship of self. It’s important that we stop and recognize the victories that God has given us during the course of 2012, but it’s also important that we don’t let those victories keep us from getting back to the daily grind of selfless, Christ-centered, God-glorifying Gospel proclamation. So let’s take a few minutes this week and examine a passage at the beginning of Mark’s gospel account.

To begin our examination of the text this morning let’s first turn our attention to Mark 1:9-11. In verses 9-11 Mark provides his readers with a brief account of how Jesus’ public ministry began. John the Baptist (the forerunner of the Messiah) was in the Judean wilderness baptizing “and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (1:4). This wasn’t anything that Jesus needed to do because He was perfect (without any sin or without anything for which He needed to repent), but verse 9 tells us that Jesus came to John and was baptized by him. So what was His baptism all about and why was it so important for Mark to begin his gospel account with this event? I’ve shared with you all before that I believe Jesus’ baptism was a symbolic act, in much the same way that we believe that baptism by immersion is a symbolic act today. When we baptize people by immersion we say that their baptism is a way for them to publically communicate two things. First, they are communicating that they have believed in a Savior who was put to death, who was buried, and who rose again three days later. Second, they are communicating that not only have put their faith in the One who did these things but that they are also identifying with Him – that their old sinful self has been put to death and buried and that they have been given new life in Christ in which they are now walking. Believers baptism by immersion is an entirely symbolic act by which we communicate to others what has taken place in our lives. For Jesus though, His baptism wasn’t symbolizing something that had already taken place, it was symbolic of what would take place in the future. This is awesome! (Unfortunately though we don’t really have time to camp out here this week. For a more thorough dealing with Mark 1:9-11 click here.) The very first thing Jesus did to begin His public work of ministry (an act that came when He was approximately 30 years old) wasn’t a sermon that He preached; it wasn’t the healing of a sickness or disability; nor was it the casting out of a demon. The thing that Jesus did to initiate His ministry was to be baptized by immersion, foreshadowing for all that His ministry was not just a ministry of teaching, it was not just a ministry of healing, nor was it just a ministry of casting out demons. His purpose for coming and His ministry would all be about His death, burial, and resurrection. And having foreshadowed these things the door was opened for Him to begin His ministry, for there at His baptism the audible voice of God spoke from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased” and the Holy Spirit came down and rested on Him.

 In verse 16, Mark continues by telling his readers what took place in the early part of Jesus’ ministry. In verses 16-20 we’re told that Jesus called four fishermen to come and follow after Him. Then immediately these four men (Simon Peter, Andrew, James, and John) left their possessions, left their family, and left their careers in order to follow after Him. Neither Mark nor any of the other NT books tell us that these four men had any previous encounters with Jesus or that they knew what He was capable of, just that He called them and they followed. But their first couple of experiences with Jesus certainly caused them to feel like they were on the fast track to fame and influence. Listen to what happens!

Mark tells us in verses 21-22 that very early on many perceived that Jesus had some kind of new authority – authority that surpassed what they were used to. Jesus had entered into a synagogue with his four followers and He had begun to teach. (The synagogue was a Jewish place of worship, but it differed greatly from the Temple. Worship at the Jewish temple was centered on sacrifice. The priests were there to officiate and oversee the sacrifices of the Jewish people to help make atonement for their sin and to offer their gifts to God. There were no priests at the synagogues though. So worship at Jewish synagogues was centered not on sacrifices but on the teaching of the Old Testament. In some synagogues there were scribes who would take the responsibility for teaching, but in many of the synagogues the responsibility for teaching fell on men from the community. So it is not surprising to learn that when Jesus had entered this particular synagogue that he had been given the opportunity to teach there.) As He taught the people who were present began to perceive that His teaching was authoritative, though they were not completely certain. In the moments that followed though Jesus had the opportunity to improve upon the people’s perception of his authority – he had the opportunity to prove it (verses 23-28). Mark tells us that a man with an unclean spirit cried out to Jesus in that synagogue while Jesus was teaching, “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.” It was then that Jesus had the opportunity to prove for the first time the authority that He possessed. In the presence of everyone in the synagogue Jesus commanded the unclean spirit to be silent and to come out of the man. Then to everyone’s surprise the unclean spirit did just as Jesus had commanded.

In the first few days of Jesus’ ministry the people were recognizing that He had “a new teaching with authority” and that “He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.” Then Mark tells us in verse 28, “at once His fame spread everywhere throughout all the surrounding region of Galilee.” Jesus’ four followers are probably thinking, “In one day this guy gives a killer sermon AND He cast out an unclean spirit from a guy. Now everybody is talking about Him! I don’t know where this is going, but if He keeps this up and He allows us to keep hanging out with Him, that lonely and hard life on the Sea of Galilee is going to be a distant memory. We are on our way to fame and fortune!” To the surprise of these four followers though, the miracles of that one day weren’t over yet. Mark tells his readers in verse 29 that they left the synagogue and went back to Simon Peter and Andrew’s house. I’m not sure exactly how the conversation went, but my guess is that Simon Peter probably said something like, “Hey, our house isn’t far from here. We could go back there and crash for a while.” Everybody agrees and the five men head to their house. Then when they arrive at the house Simon Peter probably says something like, “I hope you guys won’t mind, but we’re going to have to fix our own lunch today. My wife’s mother is sick and has a fever, so the ladies are back in the bedroom.” Simon Peter had heard and seen some pretty remarkable stuff earlier that day, but he hadn’t seen Jesus heal anyone’s sickness. That was about to change though. Verse 31 tells us that Jesus went to Simon Peter’s mother-in-law; He took her by the hand; and then He lifted her up out of the bed, removing her fever and sickness from her.

Word about the healing of Simon Peter’s mother-in-law quickly spread too and in the hours that followed everyone came to see and to celebrate what God was doing through Jesus. “That evening at sundown they brought to Him all who were sick or oppressed by demons. And the whole city gathered together at the door. And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons. And He would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew Him” (1:32-34). Just for a minute I want you to put yourself in the shoes of one of these four men (Simon Peter, Andrew, James, and John). You’re a fisherman. You’re not well known. You’ve got a couple of buddies and a couple of regular customers, but for the most part no one really knows who you are. Your education isn’t great. Your family isn’t influential. And up until a few days ago all you really wanted to do was just get by. But then this guy came along and invited you to follow Him. And over the course of one day you find your new buddy thrust into the spotlight and you are right there at his side. Now the whole entire city is outside your door because Jesus is staying at your house, and there on your front porch the miraculous is happening over, and over, and over, and over again. You think this is going to change the way you think? How could it not? And that’s where we pick up with the verses I want to focus on this week.

And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, He [Jesus] departed and went out to a desolate place, and there He prayed. And Simon and those who were with him searched for Him, and they found Him and said to Him, ‘Everyone is looking for you.’ And He said to them, ‘Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.’ And He went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons” (Mark 1:35-39).

It seems that after it got late everyone went home and Jesus was permitted to get some rest. I’m sure it was hard for Simon Peter and the other guys to fall asleep that night (they were probably laying in their beds for a long time rehearsing all that had taken place in their minds) but it appears that they all eventually did. Then Mark tells his readers that Jesus got up very early in the morning (before the sun had even come up) and that He left Simon Peter and Andrew’s house to go to a place where no one was (“a desolate place”) so that He could pray. Mark doesn’t tell us what happened when Simon Peter and the others woke up, but at some point they must have realized that Jesus wasn’t there and then started looking for Him. They weren’t the only ones looking for Jesus though. Outside people were beginning to gather, they were knocking on the door and they were asking if Jesus was going to be teaching and healing that day. Everyone wanted to know where He was and what His schedule was going to be. And they were all coming to Simon Peter, Andrew, James, and John to find out because they were Jesus’ buddies; His disciples; His friends. The four guys finally discovered a way to break away from the crowds and were able to search for Jesus. But to their surprise Jesus wasn’t in the midst of a bunch of people who wanted to celebrate Him – He was in a desolate place with no one around. The four guys didn’t really seem to understand why exactly Jesus had come to that place, but it seems like they were content to ask those questions later. Right then the important thing was to get back to all the people so that they could celebrate Jesus and the work that God had done through Him the previous day. “Come on!” they say. “Everyone is looking for You!

Jesus’ response must have shocked them. “And He said to them, ‘Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out’” (1:38). Back in the town was evidence of Jesus’ great accomplishments from the day before. Back in the town were people who were once crazed and dangerous because they were possessed by demons walking around in their right minds telling others about the freedom they felt now that they were no longer possessed. Back in town were individuals who had been blind rejoicing because they were able to see the faces of the loved ones that they had not been able to see for years. Back in town were lame people who had not been able to walk for years, running and jumping with joy because the legs they once couldn’t even feel were strong enough again to carry them from one place to another. And back in town were people who had been so sick that they were simply waiting for death to lay hold of them, celebrating because there was new life in their bodies. Evidence of God’s hands at work was all over that city! Evidence of His power and ability to do the miraculous was around every corner. It was exciting! It was awesome! And Jesus’ four followers went out and found Him and said, “Let’s go back! Let’s go celebrate all that you’ve done! Let’s enjoy for the next few days/weeks/months the amazing and awesome things that God has done through You!” But Jesus said, “No. We had the opportunity to celebrate those things. Now it’s time to go on to the next town so that I can proclaim the Gospel there. You see I didn’t come here to do the miraculous; to make a name for myself; or to just celebrate the miraculous things that God has done in the past. I came to make the Gospel known to everyone. Come on, it’s time to get back to work.”

Jesus sounds just like an NFL football coach in a team meeting on a Monday morning right after a big win. The players come into the meeting fired up, fist bumping, and still talking about the big run or the hard hit from the day before. But when the meeting starts the coach simply says, “Great win yesterday gentlemen. You guys played great and we carried out the game plan just as we had prepared. But yesterday’s game wasn’t the only game of the season and it’s behind us now. Today we’ve got another game to start getting ready for. So go put your pads on – it’s time to go to work!”

So as 2012 comes to an end, it’s good for us to look back on the year and to see the awesome things that God has done for us; the victories He has given to us. It’s good and appropriate to celebrate His goodness to us together. But God’s call for us and His mission for us is not to get stuck in the comfortable and exciting place where we continuously celebrate the victories of the past. Our mission (which is the same as Jesus’) is to continuously and selflessly work to take the good news of the Gospel to those who have not heard it and responded to it. This is the mission for every believer in Christ. It doesn’t matter what victories we’ve seen God do in the past year or years. It doesn’t matter what age or stage of life you are in. There are still countless numbers of people around us who don’t know Jesus as Savior and Lord. Countless numbers of people around us who don’t have a clear understanding of the Gospel. Countless numbers of people who need to hear what Jesus has done for them. And the team that God has assembled to make that known to them is a team He calls “the church.”

Let’s remember and enjoy God’s goodness and victories of 2012, but when 2013 comes know that it’s time to strap the pads back on and go to work!

 

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