TAKING TIME TO RECOGNIZE GOD’S DREAMS FOR US
Mark 1:21-38 They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. 22The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. 23Just 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!" 26The evil spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek. 27The 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." 28News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee. 29As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. 30Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told Jesus about her. 31So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them. 32That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. 33The whole town gathered at the door, 34and 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. 35Very 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. 36Simon and his companions went to look for him, 37and when they found him, they exclaimed: "Everyone is looking for you!" 38Jesus replied, "Let us go somewhere else--to the nearby villages--so I can preach there also. That is why I have come."
Mark 6:30-32 The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. 31Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest." 32So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.
A Young man approached the foreman of a logging crew and asked for a job. “That depends,” replied the foreman. “let’s see you fell this tree.” The young man stepped forward and skillfully felled a great ree. Impressed, the foreman said, “Start Monday.”
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday rolled by, and by Thursday afternoon the foreman approached the young man and said, “You can pick up your paycheck on the way out today.”
Startled the young man replied, “I though you paid on Friday.” “Normally we do,” answered the foreman, “but we’re letting you go today because you have fallen behind. Our daily felling charts show that you dropped from first place on Monday to last on Wednesday.”
“But I’m a hard worker,” the young man objected. “ I arrive first, leave last, and even have worked through my coffee breaks!”
The foreman, sensing the boy’s integrity thought for a minute and then asked, “Have you been sharpening you axe?”
The young man replied, “I’ve been working too hard to take the time.”
Sometimes we get so busy we forget to sharpen our axe – the result is that we lose the ability to work.
I HOW DO WE GET SO BUSY?
A WE ARE DISORGANIZED
1 More disorganized people in the world than organized people
2 Many of us struggle to maintain organization.
3 Tendency of the world is towards disorganization
4 When we are organized, we tend to organize based on importance
5 Importance forces us to organize!
Joshua 24:14-24 "Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. 15But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."
16Then the people answered, "Far be it from us to forsake the LORD to serve other gods! 17It was the LORD our God himself who brought us and our fathers up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. 18And the LORD drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the LORD, because he is our God." 19Joshua said to the people, "You are not able to serve the LORD. He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. 20If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after he has been good to you." 21But the people said to Joshua, "No! We will serve the LORD." 22Then Joshua said, "You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the LORD." "Yes, we are witnesses," they replied. 23"Now then," said Joshua, "throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel." 24And the people said to Joshua, "We will serve the LORD our God and obey him."
a The importance of serving God
b The organization to serve Him
1) Decision to serve
2) Decision to change
3) Action regarding decision
B TOO MANY YES’S AND NOT ENOUGH NO’S
Exodus 18:13-19 The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening. 14When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, "What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?" 15Moses answered him, "Because the people come to me to seek God’s will. 16Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of God’s decrees and laws." 17Moses’ father-in-law replied, "What you are doing is not good. 18You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. 19Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people’s representative before God and bring their disputes to him.
Luke 10:38-41 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" 41"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things,
1 Moses lacked the ability to say no
2 Other times we keep busy to hide pain, grief or hurt
C WE LIKE THE THRILL OF ACTIVITY
1 Jesus was the most productive man ever.
2 We fail when we pay attention to only the message and forget the methods and strategies for accomplishing the ministry
3 There will NEVER be an end to the need for the gospel
4 We do not need to drive ourselves into the ground sharing it though!
II HOW WE BREAK THE BUSY BOND!
A Understand the value of just being still
1 In our texts this morning twice we see the value of being still
a Personal in the life of Christ
b His exhortation to His disciples
2 Develop the attitude of Jesus
a Again looking at our texts.
b Jesus had a tremendous ministry in Mark 1
1) 1:21-22 – teaching in the synagogue
2) 1:23-26 – casting out a demon
3) 1:27-28 – authority and recognition with the people
4) 1:29-31 – additional healing of Simon’s mother
5) 1:32-34 – All night ministry
c Jesus’ first activity in the morning – actually, BEFORE morning!
1) Prayer
2) Solitude
d The next day ….
1) Not follow up
2) Move on throughout Galilee
HOW MANY OF US WOULD LEAVE WHEN THINGS ARE GOING SO WELL?
THE DIRECTION OF JESUS WAS NOT BASED ON THE SURROUNDING CIRCUMSTANCES, BUT BY THE INNER PEACE OF THE FATHER!
B Consider why we are so busy
1 Tyranny of the urgent
2 Hiding something from ourselves
C Adopt the example of Jesus – Activities Empowered by PRAYER!
1 Result #1 – Prayer releases me from the anxiety of my own agenda.
Always better to know what God wants me to do than to know what I want to do!
2 Result #2 – Prayer brings clarity to my purpose for the day and as a believer.
Scriptures tells us of God’s great concern for us, and value of us
3 Result #3 – Prayer provides us with the assurance to say yes, and the guidance to say no.
“What the church needs today is not more machinery or better, not new organizations or more and novel methods, but people whom the Holy Spirit can use – people of prayer, people mighty in prayer. The Holy Spirit does not flow through methods, but through people. He does not come on machinery, but on people. He does not anoint plans but men and women of prayer of prayer.”
E.M. Bounds
ONE OF THE REASONS WE CANNOT DREAM PAST THE SUMMER IS THAT WE ARE SO CAUGHT UP IN OUR OWN “BUSINESS” THAT WE EITHER WILL NOT, AND CANNOT TAKE TIME TO BE QUIET WITH GOD.
A Church That Prays
1. Prays about what it does.
2. Prays at its convenience.
3. Prays when there are problems.
4. Has guilt—knowing it should pray more.
5. Announces a prayer meeting—some in the church show up.
6. Asks God to bless what it’s doing.
7. Thinks it is too busy to pray.
8. Is frustrated by financial shortfall—cuts back on ministry.
9. Fits prayer in somewhere.
10. Uses God.
A Church Devoted to Prayer
1. Does things by prayer.
2. Prays at God’s command.
3. Prays when there are opportunities.
4. Has joy—desiring to pray more.
5. Announces a prayer meeting—the church shows up.
6. Asks God to enable it to do what He is blessing.
7. Knows it is too busy not to pray.
8. Prays through financial shortfall—receives money miraculously.
9. Gives priority to prayer.
10. Is used by God.
“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” Colossians 4:2, NIV
Which church is able to dream?
Martin Luther said, ‘If I fail to spend two hours in prayer each morning, the devil gets the victory through the day. I have so much business I cannot get on without spending three hours daily in prayer.’
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