You Can't Do It Alone Series

Introduction:

I. Have you every “bitten off more than you could chew?”

A. What I mean is have you ever taken on a job or task; fully believing that you were able to accomplish it only to find out that it might well take more than you can individually handle?

B. Most especially; have you ever “bitten off more than you could chew” because you attempted to do it BY YOURSELF?

C. I can state emphatically that at the very least, I have individually “bitten off” more than I probably should have.

II. There can be many reason’s for attempting to go it alone, and not all of them are bad.

A. Sure, some people will take on a task by themselves because they don’t want to share the glory of a job well done.

1. You know them

2. They are the ones that take on the job, and then tell you what a great job they did; for the glory of the Lord of course.

B. Some will even take on a task because they have some kind of martyr complex.

1. You know them

2. They are the ones that take the job on, and then complain because no one helped.

C. Some will take on a task because they believe no one could do it as good as them.

D. Some, and this is where I am especially guilty, will take on a task without help because they don’t want to be a burden on other people.

1. Of course the danger here is that someone will be left out who can add a new thought, idea or energy to a project.

2. This can also leave the person taking on the task appearing as if they are uncaring, or inattentive to other.

E. And there are some jobs which really are suited for only one person.

III. Last week we looked at the baptism of Jesus Christ.

A. I stated that one aspect of the baptism of Christ was to mark the beginning of His public ministry.

B. Interesting then that the next step of ministry for Jesus Christ was to call helpers, call them disciples or Apostles to come along side Him, and build upon the ministry after He was crucified.

C. Think with me for a moment, and you may well agree that it was the Apostles that actually began the ministry of the church age.

D. Even Jesus Christ needed help to carry out the mission that God had planned out in eternity past.

E. The song, “Heaven is Counting on Us” was appropriate then, and it is still appropriate today.

IV. Consider;

A. The public ministry of Jesus Christ would last for only three years, more or less.

B. At the end of that ministry, if Christ had not chosen to call, equip and empower the disciples to carry on, the ministry of salvation through faith in the resurrected Christ would never have taken root.

V. In choosing 12 to come along side him, Christ set an example for ministry, and by extension I believe even secular world needs to hear this message.

VI. This morning we will be looking at

A. How To Choose Assistants

B. The purpose of choosing assistants,

C. Some factors in choosing assistants,

VII. Lets look at Mark, chapter 3, beginning in verse 13.

13 And He *went up to the mountain and *summoned those whom He Himself wanted, and they came to Him. 14 And He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him, and that He might send them out to preach, 15 and to have authority to cast out the demons.

16 And He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom He gave the name Peter),

17 and James, the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James (to them He gave the name Boanerges, which means, “Sons of Thunder”); 18 and 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 also betrayed Him. (If you are using the King James, it states, “and they went into a house” where the NIV and NASB add that phrase to verse 20) How To Choose Assistants (Vs. 13)

13 And He *went up to the mountain and *summoned those whom He Himself wanted, and they came to Him.

I. It is uncertain how much time has elapsed between the baptism of Christ, and the calling of the twelve, but it could not have been too long.

A. Christ has begun to make some waves though.

B. In chapters 1 and 2 Jesus has

1. Begun preaching, with “multitudes” coming to hear.

2. Christ has begun healing, and that is probably even more reason for multitudes to come.

3. Christ has begun making waves by breaking down the traditions of old, including what activities could be done on the Sabbath, and in the Synagogue