DON’T LEAVE JESUS AT CHURCH
Mark 1:29-38
We live in an area of the country where church attendance is part of our culture. Unfortunately, many people are “church goers” rather than genuine Christians. They attend a specific church (usually sporadically) but they do not possess a relationship with Jesus Christ. One day, they will stand before Jesus and say “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?” (Matthew 7:22) Tragically, they will hear the most horrific words that will ever be uttered, Jesus will say unto them “I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” (Matthew 7:23)
Our churches are also made up of people, who do belong to Jesus, but sadly they have known Him for lengthy periods of time yet they remain “babes in Christ”. Church is something they do rather than who they are. The Bible tells us that we are “the Church”; we are “the body” and “the Bride of Christ”.
A relationship with Jesus is something to be enjoyed on a daily basis. But many people only encounter the Savior on Sundays and possibly on Wednesday nights. This should not be! If this describes you, I would like to take this opportunity to show you the danger of leaving Jesus at Church. I pray that this will be the day that you realize what a blessing it is to commune with Jesus daily.
This reality is seen in our selected text. Jesus and some of His Disciples entered into a Synagogue and some amazing things happened. But as we continue to read, some even greater things happened when those Disciples took Jesus home with them. I would like to walk through this passage and preach on the subject “Don’t Leave Jesus At Church”.
I would like to begin by examining what happened in the public gathering at the Synagogue. In that assembly:
i. THERE WAS A GREAT MESSAGE
The speaker in the Synagogue was none other than the sinless Son of God. We are not told what the subject matter was but there are some safe assumptions that we can make. The heart of Jesus’ message in those days was “repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand”. Whatever His specific message was, we know that it was powerful for “they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes.” (v22)
- Not only was there A Great Message, we also see that:
ii. THERE WAS A GREAT MINISTRY
Jesus had compassion on a man who was possessed with an evil spirit. As a result He confronted that evil spirit and cast it out.
- There was A Great Message, A Great Ministry and in the synagogue that day:
iii. THERE WAS A GREAT MIRACLE
Jesus did something for this man that he could not do for himself. Furthermore, Jesus did something that no one else could do. The people who were in that assembly were astonished at what had happened in their presence. Notice:
v27 And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him.28 And immediately his fame spread abroad throughout all the region round about Galilee.
What a great day this must have been! I would imagine after all of this no one was ready to leave. I have been in some church services where the power of God was so apparent and such amazing things happened that I just wanted to stay and experience more. Those are good times and I think they should happen far more than they do. But the good news for the child of God is that even when lights are turned off and the doors are locked, we can continue to commune with Jesus.
That is exactly what happened to Andrew, Peter, James & John. In the next few verses they teach us some important truths about what happens when we take Jesus home with us. They show us why we shouldn’t leave Jesus at church. Let’s look to verse 29 and see that when you take Jesus home with you:
I. YOU CAN ENJOY A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP
v29 And forthwith, when they were come out of the synagogue, they entered into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.
This passage describes some men who possessed a personal relationship with the Messiah. The Gospels tell us about:
A. THE INCEPTION OF THIS RELATIONSHIP
This relationship began when Jesus called these men to follow Him.
v16 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.
Our relationship with Jesus began in a similar fashion. We were lost and away from God. But through the marvelous grace of God, the Holy Spirit convicted us of our sin and convinced us that we needed a Savior. Like those Disciples, one day, Jesus came looking for us.
In John 6:65 (Jesus) said …no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father. (John 6:65) I am glad that Jesus came looking for me, for I would never had gone looking for Him. If you are born again, it is because God has called your name. Though we did not seek Him out, He came to us and as a result we now have a personal relationship with Him.
- I would also like to examine:
B. THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS RELATIONSHIP
These Disciples did not fully comprehend everything there was to know about Jesus. But they did have faith in Him. In fact, they trusted Him so much that they willingly left everything behind to follow Him, and as a result their lives were never the same! They spent the next several years walking with the Lord. And following His death, burial and Resurrection they continued to live for Him throughout the remainder of their lives. (most of them ended up dying for His cause) Because of their relationship with Him, these men are in Heaven today.
There is so much that we are told about Jesus in the Bible. However, our finite minds cannot comprehend all that there is to know about Him. But because of our faith in Him, and our relationship to Him, we are assured that one day we will spend eternity with Him. We are assured of (and looking forward to) a day when He returns for us.
How important is our relationship with Jesus? It is a relationship that has eternal implications. Because of what He has done for us, we can rest in the fact that we have been forgiven of our sins and granted eternal life. It is amazing to know that we belong to the Savior! Jesus did not just come to give us eternal life; He said that He came to give us “abundant life”. He said in John 10:10 “…I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”
Jesus did not just come and save us from our sins and leave us alone until we get to Heaven. He loves us so much that He desires for us to abide with Him and in Him daily. This leads us to another truth concerning what happens when you take Jesus home with you. Not only can you enjoy a personal relationship, it is also true that:
II. YOU CAN ENJOY PRECIOUS FELLOWSHIP
When the Disciples departed the Synagogue that day, they were able to continue to fellowship with Jesus. Let’s examine what happened when they arrived at Peter’s house.
v30 But Simon's wife's mother lay sick of a fever, and anon they tell him of her. 31 And he came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them.
- This event proves to us that:
A. WE CAN SPEND TIME WITH JESUS
These 4 fishermen were blessed to be in the service and to see the great miracle that took place. They were able to hear the teaching from Jesus that astonished the crowd. But when everyone else went to their own homes, they were able to walk with Jesus and to learn from Him on their journey. During their time following Jesus they were able to experience things that others missed out on. There were times when they laughed with Him and times when they cried with Him. They were able to just sit near the Savior and enjoy personal fellowship.
The more time that we spend time with someone, the more we know about them. The more we know about them, the closer we get to them. I have been married to my wife for 20 years, and I am still learning things about her that I never knew before. This is the way it is concerning our relationship with Jesus. The more time we spend with Him, the more we learn about Him, and the more we learn about Him, the closer we get to Him.
You can find Jesus in all 66 books of the Bible. And as comprehensive as the Bible is, it doesn’t even scratch the surface concerning all that there is to know about our blessed Lord.
As John closed out his Gospel account, he said “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.” (John 21:25)
There is a lot that we don’t know, but the Word of God tells us all that we need to know. When you spend time in the Word, you are spending time with Jesus. We have the amazing privilege to enjoy precious fellowship with the Savior!
- Not only can we spend time with Jesus, Peter shows us that because of our relationship:
B. WE CAN SEEK HELP FROM JESUS
After what He had seen in the Synagogue, Peter had faith that Jesus could help his ailing Mother-In-Law. When he did, Jesus responded immediately! - He came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them.
Lost people do not have the access to Jesus that saved people do. They do not have a personal relationship with Him. Many of them pray, but their prayers are pointless. That is not the case for the believer! Jesus has promised to hear and to answer our prayers. (John 14:13 whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.)
The more that we walk with Jesus, the more our faith in Him grows. As our faith grows, our tendency to pray and to seek help from Him increases. The more we seek Him in prayer, the more we are able to witness answered prayers. As we see more and more answered prayers, our faith continues to grow stronger. This will not be the case for those who leave Jesus at church. This type of growth only occurs in those who are willing to take Jesus home with them!
- When you take Jesus home with you, you can enjoy a Personal Relationship, you can enjoy Precious Fellowship and finally we will see that:
III. YOU CAN ENJOY PROFITABLE DISCIPLESHIP
Christian disciples are followers of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We are not only called to learn from the teachings of Jesus, we are called to live them out! Furthermore, in the Great Commission, Jesus commanded us to make disciples. Ultimately we should be disciples who make disciples who in turn make more disciples. But in order to be successful at making disciples, we must spend ample time with Jesus. Just attending church every now and then (or even regularly) is not enough. We must take Jesus home with us! When we do, we can enjoy profitable discipleship.
- There are several different things involved in the discipleship process. Many of them are seen in our selected text. Notice that:
A. DISCIPLESHIP INVOLVES LEARNING
v32 And at even, when the sun did set, they brought unto him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed with devils. 33 And all the city was gathered together at the door. 34 And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him.
After the miracle in the Synagogue and the healing of Peter’s Mother-In-Law, word began to spread. As a result the people in that area brought their sick to Jesus so that He could heal them; and that is exactly what He did! Because these Disciples were spending time with Jesus, they were able to witness His wonder working power. They were present as He taught the crowds that were gathered. They were able to learn more about Him because they were spending their days following Him as disciples. The same will be true for us, if we will take Jesus home with us, we will continuously learn more about Him.
- Moving on we will see that:
B. DISCIPLESHIP INVOLVES TRUSTING
Peter went to Jesus on behalf of his Mother-In-Law because he had faith that Jesus could help her. The reason that he possessed this faith is because he had seen the amazing works of Jesus. The more miracles he saw, the more he trusted Him. The more time we spend with Jesus, the more our faith in Him will grow.
After healing many in this multitude, Jesus and His Disciples departed. Verse 35 tells us that “in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. 36 And Simon and they that were with him followed after him.”
Early the next morning Jesus went to be alone with His Father in prayer. As he was praying His Disciples came looking for Him. They interrupted His prayer, but they had a noble reason for doing so. There was another crowd of people who were desperate to see Jesus.
- And Peter and the others cared enough to go to Him on their behalf. This shows us that:
C. DISCIPLESHIP INVOLVES CARING
v37 And when they had found him, they said unto him, All men seek for thee.
We are not told much about this multitude, but we can assume that it was made up of the same sort of people who had been healed the previous evening. I’m sure that some were sick and others were possessed with evil spirits. Whatever the need, the Disciples cared enough to go to Jesus on their behalf. Not only do these men show us that true disciples of Jesus care about others, they also desire to share Him with them.
- This illustrates the fact that:
D. DISCIPLESHIP INVOLVES SHARING
v37 And when they had found him, they said unto him, All men seek for thee.
The Disciples sought to take Jesus to the crowd so that He could heal them all. Their actions should be seen in everyone who belongs to Jesus. We should care for others and we should share Jesus with them. All around us are people who are hurting and we know the answer to their greatest need. We should have enough compassion and desire to do whatever it takes to get them to the Savior.
- The Disciples also show us that one of the most important aspects of Discipleship is obeying the Master. Let’s examine the fact that:
E. DISCIPLESHIP INVOLVES OBEYING
When they found Jesus and told Him about the crowd, they did not receive the response that they were expecting. Jesus said that they were going to continue on their journey and go on to “the next towns”.
v38 He said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth.
This was not what they were expecting to hear and probably not what they wanted to hear. But Jesus had a good reason for His decision and the Disciples faithfully obeyed Him. There will be times as His Disciples when Jesus does not respond the way that we want Him to. There will be times when He instructs us to go places we don’t want to go and to do things that we do not want to do. In these instances, we must trust in the fact that He is God and He knows best. When He gives a command, we are to obey (even when it doesn’t make sense to us!)
- Intertwined with obedience is the fact that:
F. DISCIPLESHIP INVOLVES FOLLOWING
v38 And he said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth.
Certainly the Disciples had some questions. There was a multitude of people waiting and looking for a miracle. But Jesus said “no, we are going to go somewhere else”. You see, Jesus knew what was ahead, the Disciples didn’t. Jesus knew that there were multitudes of people that they would encounter in the other towns. Sometimes Jesus tells us to do things that do not make sense to us. We must remember that He knows all and He has a greater plan than we could ever comprehend. So when the Master leads, we must follow.
- We must obey our Master, we must follow our Master and it is imperative that we remain with our Master. Notice that:
G. DISCIPLESHIP INVOLVES REMAINING
v39 And he preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils.
The Disciples followed Jesus throughout all of Galilee and beyond; they saw numerous miracles, and they heard every sermon that He preached. They were able to enjoy precious fellowship with Him. They were able to experience that personal relationship with Him and they were involved in the process of profitable discipleship. None of these things would have been possible if they had left Jesus at the Synagogue. Their lives were dramatically changed because they took Jesus home with them! They were able to grow in their faith because they followed Jesus and remained with Him.
So many people are missing out on the things that we have seen today because they fail to walk with Jesus daily. They attend church and experience His power periodically, but they remain “spiritual babies”.
There were many people in the synagogue that day who were amazed by Jesus. They were intrigued and astonished by His teaching. They were fascinated by the miracle that He performed. But unfortunately for some, they went home unchanged. Worst of all, they went home lost and eventually “died in their sins”.
Understand that you may attend church regularly, you enjoy the fellowship of the saints, you sing songs of praise, and you participate in worship. You listen to a message from God’s Word, you spend time in prayer, and you are strengthened and encouraged.
These are all good things… but they are not enough. If you are not spending time with Jesus daily, you are missing out on a great deal of spiritual growth! You have the opportunity to enjoy that abundant life that Jesus spoke about. I encourage you to resolve that today you will not leave Jesus at church. If you will take Him home with you:
1. You can enjoy a personal relationship
2. You can enjoy precious fellowship
3. You can enjoy profitable discipleship
You can grow in your faith and you can have an impact on the Kingdom. Not only can you be a disciple, you can be about the business of making disciples. If you will take Jesus home with you, you can learn about Him, trust in in Him, and tell others about Him. You will reach a place where you desire to obey Him, follow Him and remain with Him! The choice is yours!
Soon we will leave this place, the lights will be turned off and the doors will be locked. Will you take Jesus home with you, or will you leave Him at Church? Maybe you don’t possess a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. That too can change today. He is still calling men and women to follow Him today. I encourage you to repent of your sins and trust Him as Lord. Surrender to Him and you too can be one of His disciples.
Whatever your situation, I beg you… “Don’t Leave Jesus At Church”.
