The Astonishing Ministry Plan of Jesus - Mark 1:14-28

Sermon Series: Spare Me the Details - Just Give Me Jesus

"The Astonishing Ministry Plan of Jesus"  - Mark 1:14-28

One of the things that I have absolutely zero confidence in is my home improvement abilities.  I haven't ever had anyone to walk me through the basics.  As a result, about the only thing I do with great confidence around the house is vacuum.  But recently I tried my hand at installing a ceiling fan and a light kit on the angled ceiling of my daughters' bedroom.  While I eventually was able to do it the process was filled with challenges.  The first challenge I faced was that the instructions were not clear at all and I am one who needs clear instructions and simple messages when it comes to home improvement.  The second challenge I faced was not having anyone to help me.  This made it exceedingly difficult to hold the fan up, connect the wires, and attach the hardware.  It would have been much easier if I had had someone to help me.  The third challenge was my lack of confidence.  Although I eventually got everything connected, attached, and working, I don't think I slept at all that night.  I kept waiting to either hear a great crash as the ceiling fan tore loose from the ceiling and came crashing down to the floor or for the fire detector to go off because I had wired something incorrectly and a fire had broken out.  I would have had so much more confidence if I had had a helper who wasn't just an extra set of hands, but an individual with expertise in home improvement, who had authority in overseeing the installation process, and who at the end of the process could have given his approval.  Had I had someone with that kind of authority helping me through the process I would have gone to bed with confidence and slept well I'm sure.  But every time I walk in the room and see the fan spinning I still wonder, "Did I do that right?"  

In much the same way that I lack confidence in my home improvement abilities, I think many believers in Christ lack confidence when it comes to Christ's call for them to be involved in ministry on a daily basis.  Often times believers don't feel like they really grasp the message of Christ and that it is too difficult for them to explain.  Others feel like they are all alone in their efforts and that there is no way they can do ministry well on their own.  Still others feel like if they were involved in ministry that they would lack the authority to do ministry with any significant influence or power.  As a result many believers will keep from getting involved in ministry all together and the few who are brave enough to at least give it a whirl end the day with little confidence in what they have done and possibly even wondering if they have done something that could cause a bigger problem in the future.  Mark, in his gospel account, introduces the gospel to his readers in an absolutely brilliant manner.  In 1:1-13 we pointed out that he introduced Jesus to his readers proving that Jesus was the Messiah (Deliverer), God's Son, and the One who had come to conquer Satan.  All reasons for us to have great hope in Him and to consider His life, teachings, and ministry further.  He follows those verse with 1:14-28 in which he introduces Jesus' astonishing ministry plan, which includes three important parts.

We find the first part of Jesus' ministry plan in verses 14-15.  In those verses we discover Jesus' Message.  The text in these verses does not make mention of any specific event or circumstance.  As a result it is best for us to understand that the proclamation of Jesus that Mark records for us in these verses is the message that encompasses Jesus' entire ministry.  This was the message that Jesus was proclaiming day after day and the message that He was declaring to all mankind.  And perhaps somewhat unexpectedly His message was profoundly simple.  In light of all the laws that the Jewish leaders taught were requirements for one to have right standing with God, and in light of the fact that Jesus had just been revealed to Mark's readers as the Son of God, you would probably expect a very complicated message.  If the Jewish leaders were limited in their knowledge and teaching then certainly the Son of God would be able to give a thorough, comprehensive, and as a result a very complicated system for making sure people knew how to rightly live in relation to God.  But surprisingly, Jesus' message is quite different and profoundly simple, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel."  In the OT the prophets foretold that the Messiah was coming, but they never knew when, for God had not revealed that to them.  Jesus' message began by stating that God's timing to send the Messiah had come and that the One sent to deliver people from sin was also the embodiment of God's kingdom.  Because this was true, because God had sent His deliverer, the people needed to respond by doing two things: repenting and believing.  'Repent' means to make a decisive change (usually in direction).  Jesus was proclaiming that the people needed to make a decisive change in direction - to turn away from one thing and turn towards another thing.  Jesus' message to all mankind is to make a decisive decision to turn away from sin and self and to turn to and believe in the good news of salvation that He brings.  This was the message that Jesus proclaimed and the message that He has passed on for His followers to proclaim.  Consider Paul in Acts 26:19-20 as he is standing before King Agrippa giving a defense for his ministry.  Paul says, "Therefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God . . ."  Paul's message throughout all of his missionary journeys and to all the Gentiles was the same simple and profound message that Jesus proclaimed: "repent and believe."  The simple message begs a few questions from us though.  The first is "How have we responded to the message of Jesus?"  Have we made a decision to turn from our sin and believe in Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection as a sacrifice that He made on our behalf?  And if so, as followers of Christ are we proclaiming this same message?  Many followers of Christ have been intimidated by His message because they have assumed that Jesus' message was complicated and difficult to articulate.  The reality is the message He proclaimed and the message He calls us to share is profoundly simple.  (*Note - While this message is simple, Jesus never promises that following Him as a disciple will be.  Because God loves us and wants us to grow in our faith and sanctification He allows us to endure times of trials and difficulty which He uses to refine us.  The message is simple.  There is no guarantee that following Him will be.)

Mark articulates the second part of Jesus' ministry plan in verses 16-20.  In those verses we discover Jesus' Partnership.  As Mark continues with his gospel account, probably to some readers who had never been introduced to Jesus before, he articulates another account that would probably catch many individuals off guard.  The assumption would probably be that Jesus, if He is God's Son, would not really need any help in carrying out His ministry plan.  Why would God's Son need any help doing anything?  So the next few verses probably came as a big surprise when the readers see Jesus going out and gathering partners for ministry.  To add to the surprise, He wasn't going to the Temple or the synagogues, he was going out to the sea and recruiting normal guys.  The surprise was even greater when put in context of the time and culture.  Well known teachers of the Law never went out and recruited men to study under them.  Instead, men who were interested in studying the Law sought out teachers who would let them study underneath them.  Jesus going out and recruiting His own followers to partner with Him in ministry really doesn't make a whole lot of sense on the surface.  But Mark reveals that this is part of Jesus' plan for ministry.  He wants to partner with others in the work of ministry.  Consider some outstanding truths that Mark reveals in Jesus call to Simon and Andrew in verse 17 when Jesus says to them, "Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men."  Notice first that Jesus went to them.  Jesus didn't sit around in the temple or synagogue and wait for people to come to Him.  Instead He went to where they were.  Then secondly, Jesus chose them.  After going out to the sea He didn't call out, "If anyone is interested in following Me, you can meet me over here in the next few minutes."  Instead Jesus went to Simon and Andrew - He chose them.  Thirdly, Jesus promised to equip them ("I will make you . . .").  Jesus did not require any prerequisites.  Simon and Andrew had insufficiencies and problems just like everyone else.  Nor did Jesus plan on just sending them out.  Jesus' plan was to prepare, train, and equip them, and we see that being played out over the next 3.5 years of His ministry.  Does Jesus need partners in ministry or helpers?  Absolutely not.  But Mark demonstrates for His readers at the beginning of his gospel that this is an incredibly important part of Jesus' ministry plan.  We see later in Mark's gospel (beginning in Mark 10:17) Jesus' encounter with a rich young ruler.    In the account the rich young ruler asks Jesus the question, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?"  While the rich young ruler believes that He has 'done' everything required to obtain salvation, Jesus perceives that He does not really love Him.  So after a short dialog Jesus eventually tells the rich young ruler to sell all of his possessions, give them to the poor, "and come, follow Me."  Apparently the rich young ruler was more interested in doing things on his own than partnering with Jesus to do the work of ministry.  I wonder if some of you have ever really considered Jesus' call to you, to come and follow Him.  I would suggest that there is no more amazing offer in life than to recognize that the Son of God loves you, that He has come to you, chosen you, and has asked you to follow Him.  And if you have never responded to that call I would encourage you not wait any longer.  There are no prerequisites you have to fulfill.  You don't have to have it all together.  You don't have to have certain skills or personality traits.  Simply recognize that Jesus, God's Son, is calling you to Himself to believe in Him and follow Him and respond.  Don't walk away from the only One who offers us hope.  Perhaps you are a believer in Christ and you have chosen to follow Him.  Would you stop for a moment to consider and evaluate how that is going.  Are you partnering with Him on a daily basis to do the work of ministry in your own sphere of influence or have you gotten so busy with other things that you're completely consumed with fulfilling your plans.  What is it that you need to do to start laboring with Christ again?

  The third part of Jesus' ministry plan is articulated in verses 21-28.  In these verses Mark uses two circumstances to demonstrate Jesus' Authority.  Verse 21 begins with Jesus entering a synagogue.  It's important that we understand the difference between 'temple worship' and 'synagogue worship.'  The worship that took place at the temple was usually centered around the sacrifice.  It was at the temple that the alter was located and the priests resided to make sacrifices for the people.  The synagogues did not have an alter, nor were there priests working in the synagogue.  So worship at the synagogue was usually centered around the study of the OT Law.  And most of the time it was the responsibility of one of the Jewish men to lead and teach.  Now in the gospel of Mark thus far Jesus has not had any form of public ministry.  He was baptized and sent into the wilderness.  He has gone to the sea to call some disciples.  But prior to this point He had not engaged in any form of public ministry.  So as Jesus say down in that synagogue in Capernaum, those who were also present probably considered him to be just another Jew.  So when he took responsibility for teaching on that particular Sabbath day Mark says that the people were 'astonished' at His teaching because He taught with authority.  Mark even points out that Jesus' teaching was unlike the scribes, who were considered to be first and foremost experts in the Law and secondly great teachers of the law.  So as Jesus begins His public ministry teaching in this synagogue it seems to the people there that He has great authority.  But Mark says that the encounter becomes more intense.  For while the people perceived that Jesus had authority it would be even more convincing if there was some form of litmus test, something that could prove His authority was real and not just something they perceived.  So Mark says in verse 23 that a man with an unclean spirit  shows up.  The unclean spirit recognizes who Jesus is and begins a very brief dialog with Jesus asking why it is that He has come.  Then Jesus commands the demon to be silent and to come out of the man.  At once the demon obeys and comes out.  Jesus perceived authority in His teaching is then demonstrated to be real authority as He shows His power and might over even the demonic realm.  Jesus' authority was constantly being challenged by the religious leaders of His day.  We see in other passages in the NT, like Matthew 21:23-27 and Luke 20:1-8, the religious leaders doing their best to challenge and disprove His authority.  And yet no where in scripture do we ever find anyone prevailing over Christ.  His authority is real and a vital part of His ministry plan.  And this should give us incredible confidence because the One who calls us to partner with Him in ministry is the One with all authority.  So often we lack confidence to do the work of ministry where God has given us opportunities to get involved.  I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that we have forgotten His authority.  Consider lastly the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:18-20.  Could there be any better way to call believers in Christ to the work of ministry than by beginning with the reminder, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been give to me."  This is part of His ministry plan that should give us great confidence - Jesus' authority.  "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you."  Another part of Jesus' ministry plan - Jesus' message.  "And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."  The other part of Jesus' ministry plan - Jesus' partnership.  It's all there!  This is the message Jesus proclaimed and the message He calls us to continue proclaiming.  Partnership is the means by which He chose to work and His promise to partner with us is no less real today.  And His authority is the power by which His ministry will be accomplished.  Jesus reigns with the same authority today as He always has and we can be confident that as our partner in ministry He will help us to accomplish all that He has called us to do. 

All of the things I needed to help install that ceiling fan and light kit in my daughters' room is available to us in the work of ministry.  I needed a simple and clear set of instructions but did not have them.  I needed a helper who could be an extra set of hands, but did not have one.  And I needed a helper who had the authority and expertise to make sure that I was able to install the fan with confidence.  Because I did not have any of those things I was intimidated by the work and I had (and still have) very little confidence in the work I did.  On the other hand, when it comes to the work of ministry, I should never allow myself to be discouraged or intimidated by the attacks of Satan, the deceiver.  For Christ gives us a simple message to proclaim, 'repent and believe.'  Christ partners with us and promises to prepare, train, and equip us for the work He calls us to.  And as our partner, He has the authority and power to help us accomplish all that He has given us to do.  So we can do the work of ministry and we can do it with confidence because Christ supplies all we need.

Questions for Small Groups

1. Read Mark 1:14-15.  Is this the message of the church today or do we try to add things to Jesus' message and/or substitute other messages as Jesus' message?

2. Read Mark 1:16-20.  Jesus has come to us and chosen us to be his followers.  He has also promised to make us 'fishers of men.'  How are we doing at being fishers of men?  If Jesus has promised to equip us, and if we acknowledged that we could do better, then the assumption would be that we are doing things that are hindering us from being fishers of men?  What are those things and what changes must we make?

3. Read Mark 1:21-28.  If we lack confidence in our ministry efforts, why is that?  Does that suggest that we are trying to do ministry on our own?  Does it suggest a lack of understanding concerning who Jesus is?  Where is it that you struggle and what step of faith do you need to take?

4. What step of faith does this passage of scripture require us to take as individuals and as a small group?  How do we work this out on mission?