The Gospel of Mark # 3 – “The Servant’s Power”
Mark 1:16-45
Intro –
1. Have you ever known someone who abused their power or authority?
2. ILL - In Cuba, nothing was bigger than baseball, except for Fidel Castro. When he was 74, he grabbed an aluminum bat & walked to the plate in an exhibition game against Venezuela. When Castro approached the batter's box, the president of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, left his 1st base position to take the mound. His 1st pitch didn't even reach the plate. The next pitch was a strike, but Castro missed. A couple more balls & an attempted bunt later, the 2 heads of state were locked into a full count. Castro watched the 3-2 pitch sail through the middle of the strike zone & listened as the umpire called him out. “No,” Castro said, “that was a ball.” And he took 1st base. No one argued. Chavez said nothing, the opposing team said nothing & the umpire said nothing. Later Castro joked, “Today just wasn't President Chavez's day.” It is hard to get a batter out when he has the power to overrule the umpire.
3. As we come to the rest of Mark 1, we are confronted with the amazing power & authority of God’s servant – Jesus Christ.
4. Mark 1:22, 27 (Read) **In these verses we find the word “authority” used of Christ twice.
5. Gr. (exousia) = the power of authority and the right of privilege.
6. It is important to remember that while Jesus was on earth, He never ceased to be God. However, He did lay aside some of His divine privileges & He did not use His position for personal gain (Phil. 2:5-8). We do know that God gave to Jesus the authority to do many miracles (John 20:30), to forgive sins (Matt. 9:6-8) & to give eternal life (John 5:26-27). After His resurrection, Jesus told His disciples that “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” (Matt. 28:18). We also know that one day “every knee will bow…and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:10-11).
7. One of the strongest portraits of Christ’s power in Scripture is in the book of Daniel.
8. Daniel 7:13-14 “13In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 14He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”
9. Today, let’s look at the amazing power of God’s Servant!
I. The Surprise of His Power – His Preaching (Vs. 16-22)
Mark delights in sharing the emotional response people had toward Jesus. Vs. 22 states that they were “amazed” at His preaching because He spoke with such authority & power!
How was Christ’s authority demonstrated through His preaching?
A. Demonstrated individually – Andrew, Peter, James & John (vs. 16-20)
1. They were at work in their everyday lives when they were transformed by the call & message of Christ. (**Imagine yourself in their position)!
2. The Word of Christ had the power to change these men from ordinary fisherman to the apostles of Christ that would one day “turn the world upside down” (Acts 17:6).
3. The Word still has that kind of power today!
4. Heb. 4:12 “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”
B. Demonstrated corporately – the Synagogue at Capernaum (vs. 21-22)
1. The context in which Jesus was preaching needs to be stated to understand why it had such an effect on its hearers. **Explain – the synagogue & the scribes (rabbi’s)…
2. An example of Jesus teaching is found in Luke 4:16-21 (read).
3. Jesus teaching was based on His own authority & it challenged & changed individuals as well as entire worship communities.
4. This begs 2 questions –
a. Is Christ’s Word your authority? In our desires, decisions & daily routines?
b. Is Christ’s Word the authority of our church? Committees & services?
c. ILL – A battleship was in heavy weather for several days. The visibility was poor with patchy fog, so the captain remained on the bridge keeping an eye on all activities. Shortly after dark, the lookout on the wing reported, “Light, bearing on the starboard bow.” “Is it steady or moving astern?” the captain called out. The lookout replied, “Steady, Captain,” which meant we were on a dangerous collision course with that ship. The captain then called to the signalman, “Signal that ship: ‘We are on a collision course, advise you change course 20o.’” Back came the signal, “Advisable for you to change course 20o.” The captain said, “Send: ‘I'm a captain, change course 20o.’” “I'm a seaman 2nd class,” came the reply. “You had better change course 20o.” By that time the captain was furious. He spat out, “Send: ‘I'm a battleship. Change course 20o.’” Back came the flashing light, “I'm a lighthouse.” We changed course.
d. In our own lives or in the life of our church, we must remember that when the Bible stands against our opinions, attitudes or actions – we must change course!!
II. The Signs of His Power – His Miracles (Vs. 23-34, 40-45)
God often granted miracles to confirm His power. For example –
*Moses – to confirm His power over Pharaoh & His many false gods (Ex. 9:16).
*Elijah – to confirm His power over Ahab & the worship the false god Baal (1 Kings 18:21).
And so it is with Christ - He begins to demonstrate His power & authority over everything:
A. Power over demons – vs. 23-28
1. Unlike the religious leaders of the day, Christ was able to help deliver people from demon oppression & possession. He even exercised authority & power over the demon's speech – “Be quiet!…Come out of Him!” (vs. 25)
2. James 2:19 “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that--and shudder.”
3. The people marveled at His authority in this realm.
B. Power over sickness – vs. 29-34
1. When Christ took hold of Peter's mother-¬in law, her fever immediately left her. He also healed “many who had various diseases.” (vs. 34).
2. While God does not always heal sickness, He always has the power to do so!
C. Power over uncleanness – vs. 40-45
1. Perhaps no one in Israel had it harder than that of the leper. (ILL – Africa & Aids…)
2. An absolute outcast from society, he was shunned by everyone especially the religious leaders. There are recorded instances of Rabbis throwing stones at lepers to keep them at as far a distance as possible.
3. In stark contrast, Christ is “filled with compassion” for this humble, believing leper & he “reached out His hand and touched him” (vs. 41). Christ's touch heals the man and He then sends him off to fulfill the prescribed ritual for cleansing (Lev 13-14).
4. This healed leper was to serve “as a testimony” to the religious leaders who had shunned him for so long (vs. 44).
5. There are people today who many believers consider unclean & would rather keep their distance from – alcoholics, drug addicts, homeless people, homosexuals, etc…
6. Jude 1:22 (KJV) “And of some have compassion, making a difference:”
7. Jude 1:22 (NIV) “Be merciful to those who doubt;”
8. There are many who doubt the validity of the gospel because they have never experienced God’s power over their uncleanness shown through our compassion!
III. The Secret of His Power – His Praying (Vs. 35-39)
All through the gospels we see Jesus in prayer. Why? As God He had perfect fellowship with the Father – as a person he needed to be completely dependent on & obedient to Him.
John 5:30 “By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.”
Jesus left us an example of complete dependence & submission to the Father.
A. Jesus was guarded about His prayer time – vs. 35-37
1. There was intentionality about Jesus prayer life (vs. 35).
2. Luke 5:16 “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.”
3. Context – Jesus had an extremely busy day of ministry on the Sabbath (vs. 21-32). He preached, healed a demon possessed man, had a big meal at Peter’s house, & stayed up much of the night healing people. Would he sleep in? NO! He got up early & went to a specific place to be alone. He was so committed to His communion with the Father that the disciples had to look everywhere to find Him!
4. C. S. Lewis, “The moment you wake up each morning, all your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals. And the first job each morning consists in shoving it all back; in listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view, letting that other, larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in.”
5. Do you meet God before you meet the day?
B. Jesus was guided through His prayer time – vs. 38-39
1. As a person, Jesus shared our human experienced & the struggles that go with it. For Him, praying & talking with His heavenly Father was His lifeline.
2. Every time Jesus made an important decision he spent time in prayer (Luke 6:12-16). It kept Him centered & focused on fulfilling His divine mission. It gave Him wisdom to make the right decisions & strength to persevere. Through surrendering himself, Jesus allowed God’s Spirit to fully work through His own life.
3. How do we approach our decision making? (Jer. 33:3).
Conc. –
1. We should learn some important spiritual lessons from Mark 1.
a. If the Son of God came as a servant, then being a servant is the highest of all callings. We are never more like the Lord Jesus than when we are serving others.
b. God shares His authority with His servants. We have the authority to live a victorious life in Christ, but only those who are under authority have the right to exercise authority. *J.B. Phillips paraphrases Eph.1:19-20 “How tremendous is the power available to us who believe in God.” When we make firm our connection with God, His life & power flow through us (Gal. 2:20).
c. Everything we do must be in prayerful dependence on God. We need Him every day!
d. If you are going to be a servant, be sure you have compassion! People will come to you for help & rarely ask if it is convenient!
2. ILL – Bruce Larson tells how he helped people struggling to surrender their lives to Christ: For many years I worked in New York City and counseled at my office any number of people who were wrestling with this yes-or-no decision. Often I would suggest they walk with me from my office down to the RCA Building on Fifth Avenue. In the entrance of that building is a gigantic statue of Atlas, a beautifully proportioned man who, with all his muscles straining, is holding the world upon his shoulders. There he is, the most powerfully built man in the world, and he can barely stand up under this burden. 'Now that's one way to live,' I would point out to my companion, 'trying to carry the world on your shoulders. But now come across the street with me.' "On the other side of Fifth Avenue is Saint Patrick's Cathedral, and there behind the high altar is a little shrine of the boy Jesus, perhaps eight or nine years old, and with no effort he is holding the world in one hand. My point was illustrated graphically.
3. We have a choice. We can carry the world on our shoulders, or we can say, “I give up, Lord; here's my life. I give you my world, the whole world.”
