Time Alone With God Series

“TIME ALONE WITH GOD” Mark 1:35

FBCF – 9/6/20

Jon Daniels

INTRO – Years ago when the western U.S. was being settled, roads were often just wagon tracks. These rough trails posed serious problems for those who traveled on them. On one of these winding paths was posted a sign which read: "Avoid this rut or you'll be in it for the next 25 miles!"

A habit is something you can do without thinking – kind of like those wagon ruts. You just get into your your habit & do it w/out much effort or thinking, which is why most of us have so many of them.

- Get up at same time each day

- Use same coffee pot, same coffee mug

- Some exercise at the same time every day.

- Brush teeth at same time, shave the same way, maybe eat the same bfast, do the same thing when we get to work or school each day.

Habits are just a part of our lives – some good, some bad. Today, start a series to help us develop some good habits – some GODLY habits – that will move us further along in our spiritual growth & maturity. Title of series – “My Spiritual Growth Toolbox.”

Most of us have some sort of toolbox. Some use it every day in their work – some use it around the house when there’s a repair to be made. Whether it’s a master mechanic’s toolbox w/ hundreds of tools, or a small plastic box w/ a few screwdrivers, wrenches, & a hammer, we have it so we can get a job done when it necessary.

The job that we are talking about in this series is the job of growing in our walk w/ Jesus. And the tools we will be looking at over the next 7 weeks are time alone w/ God, prayer, Scripture intake, witnessing, corporate worship, intentionality in relationships, & fasting. Today, let’s talk about time alone w/ God.

EXPLANATION – Open Bibles to Mark 1:35.

Love the Gospel of Mark. It’s the shortest of the 4 Gospels.

- Action-packed – “The Gospel of immediacy”

o “immediately” – 40+ times

- Written to disciples about discipleship, the process where we learn more & more about what it truly means to be a follower of Jesus.

- 2 primary concerns: Leadership & service

o Leadership comes through service

o Service is a great way to lead (Tony Evans)

Mark doesn’t tell the story of Jesus’ birth. He starts w/ Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptist, then Jesus’ temptation, & then right into Jesus’ ministry.

- He preaches first sermon – “Repent…” (1:14-15)

- Calls first disciples – (1:16-20)

- Teaches w/ so much authority that the people are astonished – (1:21-22)

- Begins casting out demons & healing people – (1:23-34)

Then right in the middle of all of this intense ministry, we come to v. 35. What do we see Him doing here? He STOPPED & He got alone w/ His Father. If Jesus, the Son of God, felt He needed to spend time alone with His Father, how much more do we need to do that!

Jesus set an example for us in every area of life – how to love people, minister to people, preach the Gospel to people, sacrifice for & serve people. And He set an example for us in the importance of stopping & getting alone w/ God.

APPLICATION – Time alone w/ God should be a priority in every Christ-follower’s life.

“No one truly born of God would question that it is a commendable practice to have a daily quiet time w/ the Lord; in fact, it is absolutely necessary to Christian growth & development.” (Stephen Olford) So here are 3 questions that come right out of this verse to help us establish or strengthen this time alone w/ God:

WHEN DID JESUS GET ALONE W/ GOD? – “And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark”

- NLT – “Before daybreak the next morning…”

Let me be clear: There’s no biblical mandate or commandment that says that you have to have your time alone w/ God early in the AM. I know that’s good news for you night owls!

- Some folks are just not morning people. And you can’t stand people that are!!! Ha!!!

o You may be one of those people who says that you could be a morning person if morning started around noon.

o Heard of a guy who does 10 sit ups every morning. Said that might not sound like a lot but there’s only so many times you can hit the snooze button.

I believe there are some practical reasons why mornings may be better. Let me suggest 3:

- Less likely to have other things scheduled that would interfere – You have more control over that time of your day than any other time. And most people’s favorite TV shows, football games, etc. don’t happen in the AM