TAKING THE STEPS WE WATCH
Mark 1:16-38
Read at beginning of service
Mark 1:16-38 (NIV)
16 As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 17 "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." 18 At once they left their nets and followed him. 19 When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. 20 Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him. 21 They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. 22 The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. 23 Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit cried out, 24 "What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are--the Holy One of God!" 25 "Be quiet!" said Jesus sternly. "Come out of him!" 26 The evil spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek. 27 The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, "What is this? A new teaching--and with authority! He even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey him." 28 News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee. 29 As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. 30 Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told Jesus about her. 31 So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them. 32 That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. 33 The whole town gathered at the door, 34 and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was. 35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. 36 Simon and his companions went to look for him, 37 and when they found him, they exclaimed: "Everyone is looking for you!" 38 Jesus replied, "Let us go somewhere else--to the nearby villages--so I can preach there also. That is why I have come."
For the last 2 weeks I’ve been sharing with you a series of messages entitled IN PURSUIT: The Jesus Walk. In the first message I talked about "The First Step" – which is hearing the call to follow Jesus. There are three questions that were asked in that message – Who Are We?; Who are we following?; and Who are we to follow? There is this call that Jesus is speaking loudly and clearly into the hearts of every man and woman on the face of this planet! A call that some have chosen to ignore, a call that some say they are answering, and a call that some aren’t ignoring, aren’t just talking about it, but are pursuing!
The second message of this series was entitled, "Watching the Steps we Take". We learned that people can either be in the WAY WITH Christ, or they can be in the way OF Christ. We learned that pursuing Jesus, and walking the Jesus walks involves watching the steps He is taking! It involves making Jesus the absolute center of our life upon which everything else revolves. It involves getting behind Him and out of His way! You see there is a simple truth that may be seen in the Bible – there are either those who are pursuing Christ and are stepping where Jesus steps – those who are in the WAY WITH Christ. Or there are those who are either off the path, who are not stepping where Jesus is stepping and who are in the WAY OF what Christ wants to do in their lives and through their lives. God has a plan for every single one of us (even if you don’t think He does or you deserve it). The catch is, its up to us to desire to be a part of that plan!Today we come to the third message of this series, "Taking the Steps we Watch"! Following the Leader – going where Jesus is going! It is one thing to watch the steps Jesus is taking, it is another thing to actually take those steps your watching!
We live in a society that places a huge emphasis on being leaders. This is really ironic when you think of the massive amount of following that is going on. We follow fads, we follow ads, we follow what feels good, tastes good, and looks good! Most people if you were to ask them would rather be known as a leader than a follower!
S. I. McMillen, in his book "None of These Diseases," tells a story of a young woman who wanted to go to college, but her heart sank when she read the question on the application blank that asked, "Are you a leader?" Being both honest and conscientious, she wrote, "No," and returned the application, expecting the worst. To her surprise, she received this letter from the college: "Dear Applicant: A study of the application forms reveals that this year our college will have 1,452 new leaders. We are accepting you because we feel it is imperative that they have at least one follower."
We send our youth off to conferences, clubs and colleges in hopes they will come back leaders. Leadership books are big sellers in the secular and religious bookstores to hopeful readers in hopes of improving their leadership skills. Today even pastors, preachers and other called staff of the church are often considered for call or hire on the bases of how well they are able to lead a church into mega growth, rather than how disciplined they are to following Jesus.
We forget that it was a small band of followers of Jesus Christ who turned the known living world of their day right side up (without Jesus were are up side down!). The church today doesn’t need more leaders but followers that are accessible and usable to God. True leaderships rises from the ranks of those who know how to follow and who never forget to keep following Jesus.
"Keep looking in the road ahead and make sure Christ is there. Make sure He is walking in front of you. Keep walking with Him and then look over your shoulder and you’ll find there is someone following you because you are following Christ." - Joseph Stowell
One thing we need to bear in mind and heart is leadership is at best temporary, whereas being a follower is a life time call.
Being a follower of Christ means not only that we watch the steps he takes but more importantly that we take the steps we watch! PURSUING CHRIST and walking the Jesus walk means that we follow HIS leadership and willingly go where HE leads us. You see some of the steps Jesus walks might not appeal to you! In fact they might seem downright difficult – "Aw Lord, do I have to?"When we take the steps that Jesus walks, He will take us… - To places we have never been before.
- To people we have never gone to before.
- For reasons we have never gone before.
Looking at our text this morning, Mark 1:16-38 Jesus our Leader shows where He leads us, who He leads us to and why He leads us there.
PRAY
Where Jesus Will Lead Us
Mark 1:16-20 (NIV)
16 As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 17 "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." 18 At once they left their nets and followed him. 19 When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. 20 Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.
Peter, Andrew, James and John were by vocation fishermen as this was their regular business. The day Jesus came calling they were busy with the ordinary things that kept them in business . . . casting or caring for their nets. It was what they were comfortable with. I doubt they ever dreamed of leaving the family business.
But when Jesus came calling to be the Leader of the their lives all of a sudden their business was not as important. They dropped and left their nets behind them to follow Jesus. Pursuing Jesus became their passion and led them OUT of their comfort zone!
Peter and Andrew ceased to cast their nets and began following Jesus. James and John not only left their nets but also family ties so as to follow Jesus. He called to them to "come after" and they "went after Him."
Comfort zones are those places we like to reside in because of they offer us the ease of tradition and the easy ordinary means and methods of doing things. We become proficient at casting and caring for the nets of our everyday lives.
Ah, but like in the lives of Peter, James, John and Andrew, Jesus comes walking by and calls to us to follow Him so as to lead us out of the all too familiar comfort zones of our lives. He longs to leads us beyond our own lives. He longs for you and I to follow Him as our Leader.
Do you hear Him calling to you today? Are you able to sing the refrain? "I’ll go where you want me to go"
Who Jesus Will Lead Us To
Mark 1:23 (NIV)
23 Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit cried out,
Mark 1:30 (NIV)
30 Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told Jesus about her.
Mark 1:34 (NIV)
34 and Jesus healed many who had various diseases.
When we follow Jesus where He leads us, we discover that it isn’t necessarily a place that He leads us to but where He leads us out of. As I’ve already mentioned Jesus leads us out of our comfort zones. But even further you’ll find that where He leads us out of is always to who He leads us to.
Jesus leads those who follow Him to touch the lives of people. The plights of men and women are constantly before His followers as the needs of ministry grow larger.
These first followers of Jesus were immediately confronted with the realities of hurting people who needed the love of Christ. If we fail to make people Jesus brings us to our business we fail to follow our Leader. Being in the way with Jesus always leads to people.
Jesus as the Leader of our lives has a distinct purpose for every single one of us . . . "I will make you become fishers of men." He seeks to make us see and feel for people as He does.
Matthew 9:36 (NIV)
36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
Jim Cymbala, pastor of the Brooklyn Tabernacles says, "You can measure your closeness to the Lord by your attitude toward men and women around you."
Jesus "yearned" to touch people. He was passionately consumed with the needs of others and He leads whoever follows Him to also "yearn" to reach out to people in their plights.
How many times have your heard about or read about a tragedy that has happened in your neighborhood, your town, or your community and found yourself moved with compassion to reach out and minister the love of Christ to the person or persons affected? I remember as a church when Pastor Merv first started here that we reached out in compassion and love to a young girl named Melissa Noonan who had diagnosed with Cancer. This is kind of compassion that Jesus wants us to have constantly in our lives as we follow Him. I myself know that this a compassion that I have come nowhere near to experiencing daily but my prayer is that Christ would continue to lead me to people and teach me His compassion.
Its easy to write a check and feel we have taken care of the task of following Jesus – but its far harder to go to the people Jesus leads us to and let His compassion move us to minister to them the limitless love of Christ.
Jesus says I will make you . . . I will cause you . . . to become fishers of men.
Joseph Stowell suggests, "Which would it be: a life consumed with piles of fish or a life that touches people with the transforming, liberating work and worth of Christ?"
Why Jesus Will Lead Us There
Mark 1:38 (NIV)
38 Jesus replied, "Let us go somewhere else--to the nearby villages--so I can preach there also. That is why I have come."
Jesus gives reaching out to people a distinct flavor of evangelism. He does not call us to merely become another bread line for the sake of taking care of the down and out. But He leads us to take on His purpose of proclamation of the gospel to all we minister to.
Luke 4:18-19 (NIV) (Jesus inaugurated his ministry on earth with this statement in a synagogue of Nazareth)
18 "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor."
Jesus shows us the who . . . poor, brokenhearted, captives, blind, oppressed . . . and then He tells us the why . . . preach, proclaim and herald the "Good News." Through bringing people into a relationship with Jesus Christ, He brings about healing, liberty, and recovery in their lives.
We are not proclaiming a welfare gospel or life enhancement Jesus but rather we preach Christ as the Savior of sinners. Jesus leads His followers to have a passion for the lost.
I want that passion! I want you to have that passion as we follow Jesus together. We ought to desire to be confronted with the needs of people, knowing we minister to them in the name of Jesus. It’s time to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor in our community!
The story is told of a group of people taking a tour of the great cathedral of St. Peters in Rome. As the tour ended the guide asked if there were any questions. A voice from the back of the crowd asked, "Has anyone been saved here lately? Isn’t that the reason it’s here?"
Isn’t that why we are here? To proclaim the gospel to all so as to save people? Yes it is and we who follow Jesus must make that our purpose, we must take the steps we watch, IN PURSUIT OF JESUS: The Jesus Walk – We must follow!
CONCLUSION
I’d like to conclude this message this morning with these three thoughts:
Followers of Christ are:
Uncomfortable with their comfort – because Jesus lead them where they wouldn’t normally go
Compassionate about hurting people. – because Jesus hurts for the hurting.
Proclaiming Jesus Christ – because His purpose is to save the lost and restore their relationship with God.This sermon was preached by Darren Ethier at Hanover Pentecostal Church on September 17,2000. This message is Part 3 of the series IN PURSUIT: The Jesus Walk. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, Copyright © 1873, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers. Thanks goes to Robert Aubuchon for the inspiration for this message came from his sermon, "Follow the Leader"- part of the Series: Following Jesus
