God's Call (Part 2)

Prelude: What is our call to? What does the call of some early disciples teach us about our call from God? Purpose: We will learn that our call is first and foremost to a change of heart, to believe. Plan: We will look at the call of Simon, Andrew, James and John in Mark 1:14-20.

The Gospel

Mark 1:14-15 14 Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

Early writers, who were closest to the source, claim that Mark, one of the seventy sent out on a short-term mission trip, wrote down this work. So wrote Papias (who spoke with many disciples of the Apostles), Irenæus, Clement of Alexandria, Eusebius, the unknown author of the Muratorian Fragment, Tertullian, Jerome and Tatian. They record that Mark was written before Peter’s death.

Some modern scholars are doubters and do not believe the witness of early church fathers. Internal evidence is consistent with and confirms the traditional view. Anciently, chronology was not as important as a lesson structure and so like much ancient literature, some parts of Mark may be out of time order. Mark is the shortest of the gospels. It moves at high speed with a sense of urgency, not an urgency of fear, but of the immanence of the reign of God.

The Kingdom of God

The word reign is sometimes preferred to kingdom, because kingdom carries with it connotations of a small elite class that abuses and makes capital of the majority. Such “royalty” is totally foreign to the sovereignty of God. This world’s political terms fail us. We enter that reign of God when we do God’s will (Matthew 7:21) and it grows as people come to God.

The Time is Fulfilled

“The time has come!” (NIV) It is fulfilled or simply put, “Time’s up!” (MSG). God’s reign is not just for the afterlife. The time for God’s rule is both now and future. The mustard seed and leaven indicate a reign that grows. If it grows, it exists now as well as in the future. The words repent and believe relate to something present with us now. As young lads called up for war, the disciples immediately left their nets. The time has come!

At Hand

The kingdom of God is near, both future and now, both here and almost here. Our hearts change and we trust God's sovereignty. We become citizens of heaven before we get there. We come under God’s reign as we learn to trust that loving, saving authority. How then do we get there? Jesus is the way to heaven. He is our gateway. Jesus confronts us with a kingdom decision, this world’s empty promises and useless entertainment or the promise of an exciting eternal life.

Repentance

Jonah ran away (Jonah 3), initially refusing his calling, but preached repentance to Nineveh, modern day Mosul in Northern Iraq. Unlike a stubborn, modern nation, this ancient Assyrian city repented. They even fasted. Are we willing to repent as Nineveh did?

Repentance is not penance. Penance is restitution. Penal institutions make criminals pay their debt to society. They do not change hearts. No deeds can pay for our sins. John the Baptist knew that fruits were not repentance itself but rather results of it (Matthew 3:8). We don’t earn grace, but do good deeds in gratitude for grace freely given by God.

Religion

A fad today claims that religion is wrong. This interprets the Bible by whim rather than serious study. Let’s not blame the Holy Spirit for our ignorance, and ignore His inspiration throughout Christian history. The kingdom of God is all about “true religion” (James 1:26-27). The religion of Jesus Christ and human tradition are sometimes different things (Galatians 1:13-14). Jesus taught “true religion,” “religion of the heart.” His religion, His kingdom is a “participation of the divine nature.”

(Wesley, John. ed. by Thomas Jackson. Sermons on Several Occasions, The Way to the Kingdom, Sermon 7. 1872. Grand Rapids, MI: Christian Classics Ethereal Library)

Repentance is a change of heart resulting in good works. When hearts are void of repentance, then all ceremonies become empty religion. Ceremonies are not wrong. Jesus instituted the bread and wine, a ceremony. Even that is empty religion if not accompanied by a change of heart. That is why the first public words from Jesus were about the reign of God and repentance.

(Wesley, John. ed. by Thomas Jackson. Sermons on Several Occasions, Preface, First Series, Consisting of Fifty-Three Discourses and Sermon 3, Awake, Thou That Sleepest. 1872. Grand Rapids, MI: Christian Classics Ethereal Library)

Positive Change

The phrase “repent of sins” is not to be found in the Gospels. Jesus did not use it in this negative sense of turning away FROM sin, but positively in turning TO the Gospel. Repentance comes from two Greek words, “meta” meaning after or beyond or even outside, and “nous” meaning thought or reason. So “metanoia” or repentance is a life-changing afterthought, rethinking after we have sinned. What did Jesus ask us to think about? He asked us to “REPENT AND BELIEVE” the Gospel, to change our minds, rethink in a positive direction. That positive direction is belief in the Gospel.