#6 Jesus Begins His Ministry
Series: Mark
Chuck Sligh
January 26, 2020
NOTE: A PowerPoint presentation is available for this sermon by request at chucksligh@hotmail.com. Please mention the title of the sermon and the Bible text to help me find the sermon in my archives.
TEXT: Please turn in your Bibles to Mark 1:14-20
INTRODUCTION
Illus. – I remember when I was 17 and had the opportunity to preach to a youth group I had studied, and prepared, and prayed, and was so hopeful to make an impact. I got up to preach, thinking my sermon would last about the 30 minutes I had been allotted. I was through with it, from start to finish, in 7 minutes. Alarmed, I started speaking extemporaneously and was able to go on for about another 5 minutes, until I had exhausted my store of knowledge and sat down. All my friends said it was a great sermon, but I think it was because of its brevity. Unfortunately for you, brevity is no longer a problem for me!
First-time sermons are the stuff of legend among preachers.
Illus. – One time a young preacher in training got up to preach his first sermon.
After a few extemporaneous introductory remarks, he began his sermon and to catch everyone’s attention, he said, “Behold I come...”—his introductory salvo of a sermon on the second coming of Christ.
He remembered that one dramatic line, but forgot the next part, and when he looked down at his notes, he had somehow got his notes out of order. He remembered his pastor had told him that if he forgot something or needed to stall for time, just repeat what you had just said, as if you are adding emphasis until you remembered your next thought or found your place in your notes. While shuffling through his notes, he said again, this time a little more loudly, to add effect, “Behold I come...”, this time raising his hands to add emphasis.
Still lost as to what was next, and shuffling to find the first page of his notes, he thought everyone would be on to him, so he decided this time to REALLY make it dramatic to make the congregation think he had planned it all along, hoping in the meantime to finally find the right page. So he reared back, and then leaned forward and shouted as loud as he could “BEHOLD I COME...”…but this time, he tripped over the pulpit and fell onto a little old lady sitting in the first row.
Embarrassed, he started apologizing. She said, “It’s not your fault, Honey. You warned me three times you were coming!”
I suspect every preacher had a shaky start—except one! The start of Jesus’ ministry was impeccable. His teaching was perfect; everything He said was truth itself, not once tainted with error; His exegeses of Scripture was flawless; His stories were spell-binding; and His application of spiritual truth was the most penetrating in all of history.
Today, we’re going to look at Mark’s perspective of the start of Jesus’ ministry. As we look at verses 14-20, I want us to see Jesus’ early ministry activities and what we can learn from them.
Notice with me two key things Jesus did to launch His ministry:
I. NOTE FIRST OF ALL, JESUS PREACHED GOOD NEWS. – Verses 14-15 – “Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.”
The foundation of Jesus ministry was first and foremost preaching. The Greek word for “preaching” means to “proclaim.” It is different from teaching. The purpose of teaching is to convey information, to educate and give knowledge and wisdom; the purpose of preaching is persuasion. Preaching is intended to arrest people’s attention, to help them to see the need to urgently change the direction of their lives to follow God. Preaching starts with a call to the lost to be saved, but also often includes a call to the saved to sacrifice and dedication and reexamination and discipleship and continual repentance and obedience.
There are many aspects of biblical ministry, including fellowship, worship, learning, and service, but they should all built upon biblical preaching from God’s Word.
Notice what Jesus was preaching: Verse 14 calls it the “the kingdom of God.” The word “Gospel” simply means, “good news.”
Now the “Good News” Jesus preached was not the fully formed Good News Paul said was the Gospel that saved the Corinthians, namely the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus for our salvation. The Gospel Jesus preached was seminal. It pointed people to Himself as the Messiah and the chosen one for God’s action on earth.
Only later would He explain how he would be killed and rise from the dead and even up to the time of His death, this part of Jesus’ teaching fell on deaf ears. When Christ’s crucifixion, burial and resurrection unfolded, the disciples really did not, indeed could not, understand what was happening. It was only when God opened their eyes after His resurrection that they began to grasp the nature of the Gospel as the truth that salvation was provided through Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection. But the kernel of truth that is in both Jesus’ Gospel and Paul’s Gospel was the centrality of Jesus Christ as the Messiah who had come in fulfilment of prophecy.
The actual content of Jesus’ preaching is found in verse 15: He preached, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent, and believe the gospel.”
Let’s break that down:
First Jesus preached that “The time is fulfilled.”
The very first time Jesus preached was the shortest sermon in the Bible, but it drilled home this very theme. Luke records it for us in Luke 4:16-21 which took place right after Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness. He returned to His hometown in Nazareth and went to the Synagogue on the Sabbath. He arose to read the Scripture for that day from Isaiah, a prophecy of the long-awaited Messiah that said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor; he has sent me…to proclaim deliverance to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are oppressed, 19 To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.” Luke said that then Jesus rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. Luke says everyone’s eyes were fastened on Jesus and then He said, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
That was Christ’s Good News: that the time of fulfilled prophecy had come, and it was all wrapped up in HIM.
Second, he said, “The kingdom of God is at hand.”
The kingdom of God, also called the kingdom of heaven in Matthew, was primarily thought by the Jews of as a geographical kingdom promised someday under the rulership of Messiah, headquartered in Jerusalem. But it had a broader meaning even in the Old Testament of the SPHERE of God’s rulership rather than His kingship over a geographical kingdom.
In that sense, the kingdom of God refers first and foremost to a voluntary submission to the rulership of God. But there are also prophecies referring to a future, literal, geographical kingdom during the Millennium. The Jews, under the harsh hand of Rome, seemed to only think in terms of that visible, geographical kingdom, but Jesus was primarily talking about an invisible kingdom which He said is not of this world where God rules the hearts of His subjects.
To be a part of this kingdom required a response: So, the third part of His message was to “repent and believe the good news.”
The time of decision had come. It was time to repent, that is, to change their mind about what they were trusting in and turn from their existing object of trust—which was themselves, their heritage, their traditions and the sins of self-righteousness and the outward righteousness without a deep love for God from the heart. Jesus was saying to turn from that and prepare their hearts for the Messiah because the Messiah had come and as time went on, He would demonstrate through His teaching, His authority over demons and His miracles that HE was that Messiah.
The effect of Jesus’ preaching was remarkable—so persuasive that the disciples of John complained that Jesus was winning more disciples than John. But John understood that this was the way it was meant to be. He was only the one sent to prepare the way for Messiah. Jesus was that Messiah. His response was: “He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30).
II. NEXT, NOTICE THAT JESUS’S NEXT STEP WAS TO ASSEMBLE A MINISTRY TEAM. – Verses 16-20 – “Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. 17 And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men. 18 And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him. 19 And when he had gone a little further thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets. 20 And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after him.”
Mark mentions the calling of four disciples who would become 4 of the 12 Apostles. When John’s disciples came complaining to John about Jesus’ success, they said in John 3:26, “He is baptizing, and ALL ARE COMING TO HIM!” People were flocking to Jesus! Later in Mark we will see how people were coming from the four corners of Israel and Judah and the regions roundabout, and many were repenting and believing and being baptized in the name of Jesus.
Among them were these four fishermen in our text: Simon, Andrew, James, and John. They believed the kingdom was imminent. They didn’t understand how, but they were sure. They had also come to believe that Jesus was the Messiah, though they had no idea how he would establish His rule and reign. They had repented and believed that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah.
They wouldn’t have grasped yet the spiritual aspect of Messiah’s mission. When Jesus came on the scene, John’s proclamation, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” would have been puzzling to them. Their conception of the Messiah’s mission was limited, but the one thing they did was believe that Jesus was the Messiah.
As they fished, they must have talked and talked and talked about this remarkable teacher and preacher. Whenever there was an opportunity, I imagine they were off to sit at Jesus’ feet.
And then one day as they were hard at work in their profession as fishermen, Jesus calls them to be followers of him…and instantly, they responded in obedience.
This is one of the most famous acts of obedience in history. And what a great decision it was for them! Prior to that day, no doubt, they thought they were happy and fulfilled. Their lives revolved about their village and their families; their conversations consisted fishing trade talk, local gossip, family affairs and local politics.
But after answering Jesus’s call, their lives changed dramatically! They got to live day-by-day with the very Son of God, know Him face-to-face, personally hear Him preach, hear his wonderful stories and doctrinal teachings, witness the casting out of demons, observe all of His miracles, and yes, witness Christ’s awful crucifixion and burial and finally, to see Him alive after His resurrection and watch Him ascend up to heaven! After that, they were personally part of the early church and were used by God to grow Christianity from an obscure Jewish sect to a worldwide movement.
Their lives were broadened, their minds expanded, they vision enlarged. Later, John, this simple fisherman, no doubt with little education, would become the Bishop of Ephesus and pen five books of the Bible under the inspiration of the Spirit. Bumbling, often hilarious Peter—just a poor local fisherman—would end up going to minister in Rome and write three letters of the New Testament. Andrew would end up going as far as the borders of Russia evangelizing.
Knowing Christ turns us from the trivial to the sublime, from our small, provincial lives to a worldwide focus, from little things to BIG things! Knowing Christ improves us, enlarges us, enriches us, deepens us.
Illus. – My dad’s goal in life before coming to Christ was to own his own bar so he could drink all day, anytime he wanted to. He had no desire to get an education, read a book, help anyone, to improve society in any way, or do anything but drink.
But after he found Jesus, he had began to study God’s Word whereas before it was, he said, “Like reading Shakespere.” Later, while helping a school for missionary children in Taiwan, he got a desire to get a college degree so he could teach in a missionary kids’ school. He got his degree and when he retired from the Air Force, he went to Okinawa to teach in the Okinawa Christian School, which later led him into military ministry. These platforms enabled him and my mom to be used by God to reach literally thousands of people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ in Okinawa, Puerto Rico, Panama, Guam and mainland Japan.
Had Dad never found Jesus, he used to say he would have died a sorry drunk, having never challenged himself to something greater, never having any greater desire than to drink his life away.
Jesus promised these four disciples that if they followed Him, He would make them to become “fishers of men.” When we follow Christ, we are not satisfied for only ourselves to know Jesus. We want others to know; we want to persuade others to come to Jesus. We want our lights to shine brightly, so we clean our lives up so that we can be bright lights for Jesus. What a great privilege we have to become fishers of men!
Although here Mark only records the calling of these four Apostles, in all He had twelve. Why did Jesus choose the 12 Apostles?
One reason was for them to be witnesses to the acts that authenticated Jesus as the Son of God.
After Jesus’ resurrection, the eleven remaining apostles gathered to select a replacement for Judas Iscariot. Peter said in Acts 1:21-22 that “Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us, 22 Beginning from the baptism of John, until that same day that he was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection.”
There was no room in early Christianity for myth or rumors. What Jesus said and did was heard and seen by thousands, but in particular there was a group of disciples who SAW IT ALL. This is why Mark tells us of the calling of these 4 key disciples early in his gospel. He wants us to know that there were witnesses who could authenticate everything in His Gospel.
The second reason for the Apostles was to carry out the Great Commission.
The Great Commission to make disciples in all nations, baptize them and teach them to observe all Christ’s commandments applies to all of us by extension, but was given directly to the Apostles themselves. It was to be their job to be the instruments through which Jesus would build His church, by leading people to salvation and discipleship and planting churches. It was these apostles who guided the church from its infancy in the small city of Jerusalem until it became a worldwide movement Satan could not contain. They provided the leadership and guidance needed to steer it into truths Jesus had taught them and commanded them to teach and model.
CONCLUSION
When we look at the start of Jesus’ ministry, we might think, Okay, that’s remarkable and exciting. But what does that have to do with me? As I worked through this passage, some personal applications to our lives come to mind.
First, if you have not turned from sin and self-righteousness and religion and ritual to trust in Jesus Christ alone, the Messiah, the Son of God, God in the flesh, you don’t know what you’re missing!
Living the Christian life is not always easy, but it sure beats living without Jesus. Jesus will give your life purpose and change you from the way you are into something better. God will give you loftier goals and higher standards, and He will call you to deeper relationships and a more purposeful and fulfilling life.
Jesus said in John 10:10 – “The thief [speaking of Satan] comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy: I have come that they may have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”
When you know Jesus, you not only receive eternal life, but abundant life—life at it best; life at its fullest; life at its most fulfilling. Turn from sin and self and come to Jesus to be saved today.
Second, if you are a believer, are you a fisher of men?
Have you given in to peer pressure and fear and failed to reach out to your friends and loved ones and coworkers with the Gospel? Do you look of opportunities to bring up spiritual issues and take opportunities to move people a little closer to Jesus? Are you praying for a friend to be saved, and developing a relationship with him or her to earn the right to share the Gospel with them? Are you even inviting people to church so they can hear the Gospel?
Let’s be fishers of men and fishers of women and fishers of children and teens. Paul Harvey said, “Too many Christians are no longer fishers of men, but the keepers of the aquarium.” We need to keep the aquarium, but we need to fish for souls too.
Last, in all of this passage, please see the centrality of Jesus Christ.
The Gospel is about JESUS. Mark’s focus is on JESUS. Every page is designed to focus our attention on the Son of God and His power and His love and His compassion and His patience, and His judgment and hatred and sin too. It all points to a climax in His eventual crucifixion, burial and resurrection—the Gospel that saves us and keeps us serving Him and keeps us confessing sin and keeps us striving to know Christ better and to serve Him with ever greater intensity and sacrifice and love.
In your life, keep Jesus as your focus…not politics, or issues, or anything. Keep Jesus as the focal point and center of your life.
