Follow Me!

9.30am Sunday 4 November 2007

Readings: Mark 1:16-28; Acts 16:16-34

At the beginning of the Book of Acts we find these words: "In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach..."[1] The operative word in that sentence is the word "began." It is a key word for us this morning as we look at this passage from the Gospel of Mark. What Jesus did while here on earth was only the beginning of his work here on earth. The work he began during his earthly ministry would continue for all of time, the only difference being that instead of him doing it, it would be his church. This is why Jesus said in John 14, "Very truly I tell you, all who have faith in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father."[2] The word "greater" does not mean that we would do even more wonderful things than Jesus did, but that these works would be multiplied over and over as more and more people come to believe in him and do the same as Jesus did. The word "all" could just as well be translated 'anyone.' 'Anyone' means 'anyone.' The only proviso is having 'faith' in Jesus. Do you have 'faith' in Jesus? If so, then Jesus said you will do the things he did.

I wonder if you have noted the consistency there is between the ministry of Jesus in the Gospels and that of the apostles. It began when Jesus sent them out while he was still with them, and it continued after he ascended and the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples. Just as in the Gospels, in the Book of Acts we see lame persons being healed, as when Peter and John healed the lame beggar, who had been crippled from birth, outside of the gate called 'Beautiful' of the temple in Jerusalem, and later when Peter healed Aeneus in Lydda who was paralysed and had been bedridden for eight years; when Philip was about his evangelistic work in Samaria where we are told that "many who were paralysed or lame were healed;" and when Paul healed the man lame from birth at Lystra.[3] People who had been tormented by evil spirits were set free, in some cases experiencing the same phenomena as to what we read in Mark 1. For example in Acts 8 it says, "With shrieks, evil spirits came out of many."[4] The passage we read from Acts 16 gives the account of how Paul set the slave woman free of the spirit of divination that had, prior to Paul's coming, been a lucrative source of income to her owners.[5] There are at least two accounts of dead people being raised in the Book of Acts, as when Peter raised Dorcas to life in Joppa, and when Paul brought Eutychus back to life. You might recall that Eutychus was the young man who had died after sinking into a deep sleep during one of Paul's long sermons and falling to the ground from the third story of the building where they were meeting.[6] It does not pay to go to sleep during the sermon. (Blank Screen)

We know from other references that these were just a few of the healings that took place as a number of times Acts mentions that "many wonders and signs" were performed by the apostles and others such as Saul, Stephen and Philip. It was often the fact of someone being healed that led to an opportunity to share the message.

There is an important principle here. If we as a church are to exercise an authentic ministry then we need to be true to the model that Jesus gave in his own ministry. We know from the Gospels that he encouraged his followers to do exactly the same when they shared the good news, because healing is just as much part of the good news as proclaiming the message. In fact, the healings confirmed the message. They were evidence of the reign and rule of God on earth, signs of the kingdom in their midst. And it should not surprise us that this is so because this is what God's prophets said would happen when the Messiah came. For example, Isaiah says that the eyes of the blind will be opened, the captives will be freed, and the prisoners released from darkness.[7] And it was not just for the time when Jesus was here on earth. At the end of Mark's Gospel we are told, "...these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well."[8]

Let us now turn to the passage we read from Mark 1. Here we see Jesus doing three things: calling his first followers, teaching in the synagogue, and healing the man possessed by an evil spirit. We will consider them one at a time.

1.      Calling. What is noteworthy of these first followers of Jesus is that they were ordinary, hard-working people. Jesus would later call others who came from a different social strata, but his first followers were these four fishermen, Simon and Andrew, and James and John, brothers from two families who had probably made their living from fishing for generations. There was nothing special about them that they should be called instead of others. However, Jesus did link the work they were currently doing, to what they would do as his followers. Instead of catching fish, he would train them to catch people, win them to God's cause. Many of the same skills would be required, like diligence, patience and perseverance, but their work would have an entirely different focus and outcome. You could say that Jesus 'turned their lives upside down.'

Note also that he called them to "follow" him. That is they were to go where he went, do what he did, and say what he said. When he had modelled what they were to do he sent them out on their own. Six chapters later Mark tells us, "They went out and preached that people should repent. They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them."[9] If this was true of those who followed him then, why should it be any different today? Jesus expects us to do the things he did. This is why Luke says at the beginning of Acts that he was writing about all the things "Jesus began to do and to teach." And, in case you did not notice, the 'doing'came before the 'teaching.'

Returning to Mark 1, a further point to note when Jesus called these first followers, was the immediacy of Simon and Andrew's, and James and John's response. One of Mark's favourite words is "immediately." Not all the translations make this clear. For example, this word is found five times in the passage read for us this morning. Two of those occasions decribed the prompt response of all four disicples when Jesus called them to follow him. In the TNIV when it says of Simon and Andrew, "At once they left their nets and followed him," "at once" is how the Greek word 'immediately' has been translated. It is also there in James' and John's response to Jesus' call. Jesus wants our reponse to be without delay or hesitation. When he calls us, or tells us to do something, we are to do it straightaway.

Have you ever wondered what Zebedee thought about his sons leaving him in the lurch to follow this young teacher? We do not know if it also applied to Simon and Andrew, but Zebedee is mentioned. I want you to imagine that you are Zebedee, or maybe Salome, James and John's mother. What would you have thought if it was your boys who were going off with Jesus? What we could infer from what we are told is that Zebedee may well have been a wealthy man in that he had "hired men" and owned a boat. It is natural for parents to be concerned for their children's welfare when they go off on mission work, but when the call is genuine such as that for James and John we can be assured that God has work for them to do, that knows what he is about and will provide for their needs. The second thing Mark tells us is about Jesus'

2.      Teaching. One of the things that the Gospels make clear is that Jesus was in the habit of going to the synagogue each Jewish Sabbath.[10] When Jesus went to Nazareth Luke tells us, "...on the Sabbath he went into the synagogue, as was his custom."[11] Jesus provides an example for us in this respect, and is an encouragement for us to be in the habit of attending worship on the day set aside for its observance.

On this occasion in Capernaum he must have been invited to teach by the leader of the synagogue. While we do not know what he taught, how he taught obviously made a deep impression on the congregation, for we are told, "The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority."[12] It was very different to what they were used to. There was 'the ring of truth' about what Jesus said. It made sense. Although what we have of Jesus' teaching in the Gospels was dependent on the memory of those who heard him speak, its efficacy has been confirmed over and over again in the countless lives have been transformed by doing what Jesus said. This is what gives us the confidence to build our lives on it, and be like the wise man of whom Jesus spake in the Sermon on th Mount.[13]

However, Jesus authority did not extend only to his teaching. We will see as we go through Mark that it extended to the authority to forgive sins, authority over the wind and the waves, and over all the spiritual forces of darkness that seek to wreak havoc in the world. That becomes clear in the remainder of the passage we are looking at this morning where we see Jesus exercising the ministry of

3.      Healing, in this case, deliverance from an evil spirit. The authority of Jesus teaching was verified in the authority he exercised over the evil spirits. Wherever Jesus went he flushed out these beings. This happened on numerous occasions. They could not stand to be in the presence of Jesus. Note what the man possessed by this spirit said, "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!"[14]

You can detect the spirit's terror in these words. People do not give much credence to such things as evil spirits today. C.S. Lewis was right when he said in his introduction to Screwtape Letters that people commit one of two errors when it comes to this subject, either they get so engrossed in it that evil spirits account for every bad thing that happens in life and they see demons hiding under every bush or tree, or they dismiss it all together. The devil is happy either way. His ultimate goal is to gain control of people and keep them ignorant of the truth. The devil and his demons want to enslave and control. It can be to some vice or harmful habit, often sold on the pretext of giving the person power, but it is an illusion and eventually leads to that person becoming a pawn in the devil's hand and being at his every beck and call. The one thing it is important to know is that the devil cannot gain access into your life unless you, or another person lets him. Some trauma as an adult or child can make us vulnerable to this happening. If he has gained access to your life, the good news is that you need not stay that way. You can be set free, because the authority and power of Jesus is greater than that of the devil. In contrast to this the Spirit of God brings liberty and freedom wherever he is present.

Note these things from the words of this man in the synagogue.

a.                           The words, "What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth?" show us that Jesus has come to take issue with "the prince of this world."[15] Ever since the Fall the prince of this world has usurped God's rightful place in the affairs of humankind, and when Jesus announced "The kingdom of God has come near," he was affirming that God is about to drive Satan out. Thus the evil spirit cries out, "Have you come to destroy us?" They are terrified for they know that eternal torment awaits them.[16] After the seventy-two returned from the mission Jesus had sent them on, Luke tells us that they "returned with joy and said, 'Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.'" To which Jesus replied, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven."[17] Whenever and wherever evil is cast out, Satan is losing his grip on the world. We are involved in establishing God's reign in human affairs.

b.                           Nothing that is evil can stand in the presence of a holy God. The evil spirit, knowing the true identity of Jesus as "The Holy One of God," was in torment being in Jesus' presence. There can be no fellowship between light and darkness, between what is evil and what is holy. This is why the Scriptures declare, "...as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: 'Be holy, because I am holy.'"[18] If one day we want to live in the presence of God, we can only do so if we are spotless and clean. There is nothing we can do to make ourselves acceptable in God's sight. Only Jesus can do that for us. Only he can wash away our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. As the old hymn writer put it, "What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus!" "Plenteous grace with you is found, grace to cover all my sin." God through Christ makes us 'just as if we had never sinned,' perfect in his sight. We could never come before God apart from the sacrifice of his Son. Now when he looks on us, he does not see us in all our weakness and sinfulness, but he sees Jesus. Jesus took our sin on himself so that we might be clothed in his righteousness, without which we could never see God.

 

One final point. Note the

4.      Outcome. Mark tells us, "News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee."[19] The word "quickly" is the fifth use of the word 'immediately' in the passage. Jesus did not need to advertise his services. People did that for him as we will see in the passage we will look at next week. When a church carries out the ministry Jesus calls it to exercise there is no need to publicise what it offers. Those who are touched by its work will themselves spread the message. The best means of advertising the gospel is by changed lives. The same is true wherever God's Spirit is at work. Remember the Scripture quoted at the beginning of this message. "In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach..." Jesus wants us to continue and complete what he began, to proclaim the whole gospel, so that people will be led to say, "No one can do these things unless God is with them."

As we come to Communion this morning I want to offer the opportunity for Prayer Ministry either before or after you have taken Communion. Prayer Teams will be available to pray with you. C. H. Spurgeon made this statement: "Whether we like it or not, asking is the rule of the Kingdom. If you may have everything by asking in His Name, and nothing without asking, I beg you to see how absolutely vital prayer is." If you have a need to day, Jesus encourages you as he did his disciples, "Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full."[20]