Delivered Disciples Deliver Disciples
“And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” Mark 16:15-18
Intro: Today I want talk about how God delivers us from sin to make us disciples and then how as disciples how God uses us to make more disciples. My father was born in 1901. Years before I came along my father was an alcoholic. My mom would tell the stories of how he would come home drunk. How he drove home after drinking without hurting someone or wrecking the horse and buggy I will never know. (laughter) It has been said that sometimes a horse has more sense than a person. But later in life my father Walter Lee got saved. From that moment forward he never had a desire to drink another drop of whiskey. He said God had supernaturally delivered him from the sickness of alcoholism. The father I knew was a man of God. He was preacher. I saw him read his bible. I heard him pray. I watched as he shared his testimony. He told others, if God can deliver me from my sin, he said God can also deliver you from your sin.
The title of today’s sermon is “Delivered Disciples Deliver Disciples.” Jesus told his disciples to go into all the world telling everyone that on the old rugged cross he had became the sacrifice that paid the penalty for sin. Those who believe in him were forgiven and saved. The Greek word used here in Mark 16:16 (Strong’s 4982 sṓzō (from sōs, "safe, rescued") used properly, to deliver out of danger and into safety; used principally of God rescuing the perishing from the penalty and power of sin and into His provisions (safety)., delivered. John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that everyone who believes in him will not perish but will have eternal life.”The very next verse, John 3:17 “God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it. ”God sent Jesus to do what? To save or to deliver those from the dangers or to rescue them from sin so that those who believe would be saved from condemnation. To give them the provision they need for their journey of deliverance.
Now we have to define the word "condemned" as it is found here in our text for today. Mark 16:16 “but he who does not believe will be condemned.” This is talking about those who do not believe will face the judgment of God and be sentenced for their sin. Condemned is very closed related to the word damned. As in, “to be judged and sentenced and the damnation of hell.” Titus 3:5 “God saves us (or we can use the word delivers us) not because of the good things we have done but because of His mercy. He washed away our sins and gave us a new life through the Holy Spirit."
You see that is what happened in my dad’s life. It wasn’t that he was so good that God had mercy upon him because of it. No, my dad wasn’t a very good person in his early life. When my dad took one step forward to an altar and repented of his sin God gave him a new life through the Holy Spirit. His condemned life was changed to blessed life. His failures were substituted with God’s favor. His bitterness was replaced with God’s blessings. He received mercy instead of condemnation. God will do the same thing for you. Hear the “Good News” Christ is our deliverer! Christ will deliver us from our sin and save us.
Recently a woman was talking to me about her life and some of the problems she was having. I listened as she shared her struggles which span a broad range from: financial difficulties, to health issues, relationship problems, and she concluded with a litany of bad experiences with churches she had attended. Finally she looked me squarely in the eyes and asked “what does your church do?”
How would you answer her question, “What does your church do?” She has asked a very practical question, one that every member of the church must be able to quickly give a response to. Without hesitation our answer is: “We are in the Disciple making business.”
Disciple making is an activity that defines the church that Jesus started. Think about what it must have felt like for the first disciples. Jesus was crucified, dead, and buried. Jesus had come back from the dead to speak to them. The last words that Jesus speaks tell us to go, save, heal, and deliver disciples. Salvation is the beginning but without the “go” nothing happens. “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” Mark 16:15 God delivers people from sin, temptation and suffering, so that they can go deliver other disciples to Him. “Delivered Disciples Deliver Disciples.”
Let’s look at what Jesus calls signs of who disciples are.
I. Disciples have cast out demons and speak with new tongues.
Let’s start with the phrase “cast out demons.”
It is naïve and irresponsible for the church to not warn about evil spirits and the ways of Satan. The Bible calls him "the wicked one," "the devil," "a liar, and the father of lies," "an adversary" who seeks to devour, “he is the instigator of division,” he is the destroyer of unity, "that old serpent and "accuser of our brethren". We are in a spiritual warfare. We must put on the whole armour of God. We are to resist the devil and he will flee from you. I am concerned that sometimes our resisting isn’t very much.
I had been teaching on the Apostles Creed for the past several Wednesday “GROW” studies. Thursday night was a bonus session on the phrase in the traditional version Jesus “descended into hell.” Since we met at the parsonage we called it “The descent into hell at the parsonage.” (laughter) We had a great time. I don’t know exactly what started it. But at one point, John, Chuck, and Benton started singing the song from the old t.v. show Hee Haw.
If you know the words of this song I want you to sing along:
“Gloom, despair, and agony on me
Deep, dark depression, excessive misery
If it weren't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all
Gloom, despair, and agony on me”
That skit makes fun of the troubles people have in life. But the truth is we have all sung it at some time or another for real. But the moment you made your decision to accept Christ as your deliverer, Christ delivered you from suffering Satan’s defeat. Christ the deliverer has delivered you from a devil who is trying his best to lead you into temptation and sin. To get you to live in defeat. To get you to live in gloom. To get you to live in despair and agony. To get you to live in depression and misery. The devil likes for us to feel like we have no way out. That we have nothing but bad luck and that there is nothing good or positive to look forward to. But thanks be to God, Christ has delivered us from these thoughts, temptations and sin. Christ is out deliverer.
God is faithful; and the bible says he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. In other words there is no temptation that will come upon us that when we resist that temptation God will provide a means of escape so that you will be able to overcome it. 1 Corinthians 10:13 “he will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can’t stand up against it.”Temptations happen to everyone. No one is immune to temptations. God says the disciple will cast out demons. Has God ever “cast out demons in my life?” He most certainly has. There have been times in my life when I have resisted temptations. When I have resisted sins and cast out demons and overcome those temptations I did not give in to them but I was able to overcome the temptation before it became a sin. Christ delivered me. He cast out the demon. Have you ever had demons cast out of your life? Has there ever been a temptation, or a misery, or a despair, or a depression, or a bad feeling and you have overcome it? That is the casting out of demons that is a sign, a mark that you are a disciple, a saved person that Christ has delivered you. You are a delivered disciple.
Every morning I start off the day thanking God for his goodness. I thank him for the blessings he is going to give me. I praise him for the joy he is going to send my way. I rejoice in the opportunities I am going to have. Don’t start a new day defeated. Stop looking at your problems; start by looking to God and knowing that God has your answers.
The demons want to rule your life with negative emotions. They don’t want you to leave behind your past. They want you to think that you are not good enough, that you want have enough. That your relationship is falling apart. You are hooked on an addition. You have a bad habit that you can’t stop. The demons will say you have lost your joy. That sickness is coming. The demon will say, “Maybe you better pull the cover back over your head and just stay in bed.” Each of these sound like little things by their self. But when everything just keeps piling on us things get heavier and heavier. Know those are the demons talking to you. Jesus said in Matthew 11:30 “My yoke is easy my burden is light.”Jesus delivers people from all these burdens. Jesus promises rest, love, healing, and peace with God. But remember a yoke was a harness that fit on the shoulders of oxen. Oxen were meant to pull heavy wagons and equipment and move people from one place to another. Making disciples begins first and foremost by becoming a disciple yourself. Being delivered from sin isn’t the end it is just the beginning of our relationship with God and is it just the start of our discipleship making. Freed from the sin of our past. Trusting in God to supply our needs. Because of our new found faith we begin to grow stronger families. The Holy Spirit helps overcome the additions and bad habits. You find peace, joy, hope and healing.
Psalms 144:9-10 teaches, “I will sing a new song unto the Lord vs. 9 and for God has “delivered me and rescued me from those whose mouths are full of lies and are deceitful.” Delivered disciples starts sing a new song. Sounds to me like delivered disciples start speaking a new language. Going back to our text this morning in Mark 16:16. In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; Let me ask you again, “Have you ever cast out demons? Have you ever spoken with new tongues?” I sure have. I have talked about how I have been delivered from sin and temptations. I talked about how I have overcome problems and trials. I have talked about how I have stayed the course when the storms of life should have wrecked my soul and condemned me to the pit of hell but Christ has delivered me. I have been delivered, so I speak a new language. I have been delivered so I sing a new song. It is the tongue, the song, the language of Christ’s love. It is the new tongue of forgiveness and the sign of a disciple. Disciples have cast out demons and speak with new tongues.
II. Disciples have taken up serpents and if they drink anything deadly it will by no means hurt them.
I imagine that right now I have everyone’s attention in this room. That may be one reason why Jesus used the phrase “they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them;” (It was also the image of Moses lifting up the serpent in Numbers 21:9 and a type of foreshadowing of Christ on the cross.) But Jesus got their attention. “I have a box down here under the pulpit. No, not really. I don’t really.” (laughter)
We have to go back and dig a little deeper. When we look at the word “serpent” in Greek it is the same word used for devil or Satan. That is pretty clear. But what people miss out on is the phrase “take up.” When we look closer at this verse in full context of the phrase “they will take up serpents” in Greek the phrase in context is not about handling or carrying a snake, “take up” means “casting off or a throwing away, to discard.” So the phrase would best read: “the disciples will cast off, throw away and discard sin, as not want to touch or handle it.”
Remember Jesus was giving the disciples his final pep talk. He is motivating his disciples to go out into the world and tell every person, that a man the Romans had just crucified on a cross as a criminal has come back to life and is telling them to change everything they have been doing at the temple, to change everything the church has done for past 8000 years or so, to stop sacrifices of animals. That they no longer have to circumcise the flesh of every 8 day old child. That they are going to start singing a new song and be set on fire and filled with the Holy Spirit. You think we have trouble getting people out of their comfort zone today imagine the job that was ahead of the early disciples.
There was a church that put on a play about the nativity, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus. It was performed outside like a drive in movie. You could watch the whole story of life of Jesus without ever getting out of your car. The advertisement was “Come and experience the life of Christ all from the comfort of your own car.” While that might sound like a neat idea the truth is that we will not experience the life of Christ from within our areas of comfort. We will not be the church that God wants us to be by sitting in our areas of comfort. What image comes to your mind when you hear the word church?
There are three ways to get things done:
1. Do it yourself
2. Hire someone to do it
3. Tell your kids it may be dangerous for them to do it.
And that is what Jesus was doing. He was telling his young disciples, “kids, this is going to be dangerous, the serpents are going to be out there. You are going to have to be careful. You are going to have go out and preach to the world and it is going to be dangerous.” God expects us to do the same thing. Friends we live in a world where it is very dangerous to even speak the Gospel. But yet God expects nothing less from me and you today.
The early church in the book of Acts started from 12 disciples. When they met in the upper room there were 120. When Peter stood up and preached the first sermon about an empty tomb and a risen Jesus. Acts 2:40 says, “Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church about 3000.” Acts 2:47 says, “every day the Lord added to their group those who were being saved.” Acts 4:4 says, “Many people heard the message and believed it and so the number of people was about 5000. Delivered Disciples Deliver Disciples.
III. Disciples have laid hands on the sick and the sick have recovered.
The least were made to feel like they mattered just as much as the next person. The last were shown that they were equal to everyone else in the eyes of God. The lost received the message of salvation that Jesus died for the sins of the world. The broken were healed. Lives were changed, communities were transformed.
Do you remember in Mark 15:23 when Jesus was still on the cross someone took a pole and wrapped a sponge with gauze and dipped it in hyssop and vinegar and myrrh and other spices and stuck it in the face of Jesus. It was a drink that was meant to dull the pain of death. It would often result in the person going unconscious. This sedative, this poison was forced right into the face of Jesus. It would have relieved his suffering but it probably would have knocked him unconscious. I am thankful that this poison did not hurt Jesus and render him unconscious because if it had Jesus would never have uttered the words, “It is finished.” The sacrifice is made. The penalty for sin is paid. Forgiveness is a free gift. All you have to do is believe and trust. It is finished. He was declaring that his death paid the penalty for our sins.
One of the group questions we ask in the “607” service on Sunday night is, “When did you last speak to someone about my faith? Have you led anyone in a prayer of salvation and profession of faith? “Go into all the world and preach the gospel” You are sent to tell the greatest story ever told and to offer the greatest gift ever given away freely. Don’t be afraid to ask for a commitment when you are finished presenting Gospel. Right now I am going ask you the greatest question you will ever have to answer. Would you like to receive the gift of eternal life? You will be delivered from all your sin and become a disciple of Jesus. With this new relationship with Jesus as the Lord of your life “You are a delivered disciple.” And the result of following Jesus and being a disciple is a commitment to go make other followers and “deliver other disciples to Jesus.”
What has Jesus Christ delivered you from? Have you ever asked someone else to become a disciple of Jesus? Delivered Disciples Deliver Disciples.
