Mark 01:29-39 Basingstoke 24 March 2002 Remember Jesus is King
If you saw the film Cast Away with Tom Hanks, you’ll know who Wilson is.
He’s a volleyball which floated ashore in a package after the FedEx plane, in which Hanks was riding, crashed into the sea during a bad storm.
Hanks plays Chuck Noland, a fast-paced FedEx exec stranded on remote Pacific island after his plane crashes, with little chance of survival.
Tries to start a fire with a sharp stick & cuts his hand severely.
In anger, throws volleyball as hard as he can. When it lands, he sees blood from his hand has made an imprint which looks like a fiery head.
With his finger he fashions a face in the blood — an idol, if you like.
Chuck talks to his new friend, may even say prays to Wilson as he makes a fire.
Through the film he communicates with this ball, asks his help, curries his friendship. Nowhere does Tom Hanks every talk to God. He prays to the ball, but never to God.
He has more trust in a ball than God! But then you must ask why people trust all kinds of things rather than God? They talk to friends, read self-help books, seek out counsellors and therapists but never turn to God
2 world views One is Humanist the other with God in the picture
2 directions to choose – One that offers Self Help the other God’s Help
2 Ways to go - One is my Way & my answers other is God’s way & His answers
2 kinds of authority- One is My authority the other is God’s authority –
The same choice presented in Mark’s Gospel - a choice – between 2 kingdoms
the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Sin and Satan
Jesus proclaims v15 “The time has come, the kingdom of God is near”
i) In one sense Jesus Kingdom is future - The Day of the Lord – the coming crisis of 2nd Coming- final judgement the New heaven and earth
A date in God’s diary when His glory will cover the earth as water covers the sea!
ii) In another sense God’s Kingdom is now! Here with us!
As Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday he rode in as King
Made a very public statement - as Messiah his Kingdom had come now! Its here!
Jesus said in v15 “the Kingdom of God is "Near" –
Not “Near” in the time sense i.e. - its "Near to lunch"!
But “Near” in proximity – Close Jesus says “I’ve come near you” I am with you.
Jesus is King where ever He is, that’s where He rules!
His kingdom isn’t one with geographical boundaries
The place where he wants to rule and reign is in the heart of Christian believers
Jesus presents us with a challenge – Do you want him to rule as King in your life ?
Care! Jesus comes to us as King but not in the sense we understand Kings.
In England we live under constitutional monarchy with a figurehead Queen –
She has immense status and honour but very little real authority
We may come out to wave and cheer if she visits but her authority hardly touches our lives. The true authority lies in Parliament.
Sadly many treat Jesus Christ like a constitutional monarch! figurehead king!
Happily come out for a bit of worship, but where’s His authority seen in my life?
Gladly Sing: "Jesus is King I will extol Him" but where’s my obedience to the King?
His coming as King challenges us and encourages us. The same Jesus who came as King with authority over demons sickness storms and enemies “Comes near” to us As we come face to face with him - 3 things to remember
1. REMEMBER THE KING’S LOVE v29-34
This Beautiful story gives us a glimpse of Jesus’ character – His love and compassion
Jesus left synagogue for privacy of Peter’s home. Peter tells of His need.
“We must get our own Sunday lunch today. Mum’s in bed gripped by high fever.”
Jesus doesn’t settle for that
Matthew says how gently Jesus touched her,
Luke tells how like a doctor he bent over her
Mark says Jesus took her and helped her up - How compassionate and gracious he was with her.
We hear noise outside. What’s happening? Crowd at the front door- What a sight!
Sick people on stretchers, lame carried, blind being led, demonised brought by
relatives and friends.
It looked worse than Doctors surgery after a Bank Holiday!
100s who Mark tells us "Who had got it bad!"
Sabbath was over at 6pm, and news spread of exorcism in morning service.
People were now free to carry the sick. Whole town turned out to see Jesus.
What will Jesus to do? We’ll see later, miracles weren’t top of Jesus’ agenda.
What happens? Very simply "Jesus healed many"
Here’s a compassionate & gracious King whose heart goes out to the suffering, afflicted, those in Satan’s grip.
v41 At sight of leper "Filled with compassion" Deep emotion –
His stomach turned.
Much said today about healing. Worry over failure – ask “Did I have enough faith?”
“Was there unconfessed sin?” “Did I say the right words?”
Bottom line is Grace - Gift of undeserved favour.
God’s grace determines who he heals. God in his love chooses to heal.
If he chooses to with hold cure, knowing such love in his heart, surely I can trust His purpose in it!
There may be more than compassion in Jesus - word in v41 may also be anger
He sees destruction caused by Kingdom of Satan – He sees the enemy at work
So Jesus not only shows his compassion he also confronts the enemy with Power
His love is not sloppy or sentimental – its backed by strength
Jews had many rituals to cure fever. Jesus simply lifts the woman up.
Luke says he rebuked the fever. Authority!
The Sick and demonised were healed with just a word or a touch
Sounds simple but this was Warfare!!
Luke says they were shrieking out:- "You are the son of God!"
The enemy knew Jesus was the Christ! Couldn’t help acknowledge his authority
No wonder James says "The demons believe and tremble!"
Same thing had happened earlier in synagogue 1:24
The spirit cried out "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!"
“What to us and to you? = a battle challenge from OT days
But Jesus took Authority over the demons – He silenced them! Why?
He hides his identity for now, later He’ll reveal it but not by signs or wonders!
He won’t reveal himself through power but through weakness and a cross!
Matthew adds a quote from Is 53 to this story
“Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.
What love! What Grace! What Power and Authority!
Here’s the challenge!!
Q? As Jesus the King comes near will you receive His love & grace for you today?
Q? Let His compassion touch your heart? Let him into your pain & disappointments
Let him into your grief & loss into your stress & anxiety, into your despair and fears?
Q? Are you still keeping his love at a distance? Keeping him at arms length?
At the heart of sin is Pride – often it’s Pride that holds out against His love for you
This Palm Sunday the King comes to you with Grace and love.
Q? Will you welcome Him as your King?
Q? Will you choose whose side are you on? Will you side with the Kingdom light?
Q? Will you surrender to Jesus authority and His right to rule over your life?
Q? Will you submit your life 100% to Him holding nothing back?
Jesus Kingdom is present and future – Today you have a choice to accept or reject Him but when He returns none of us will have any option but to bow knee … (Phil2:10)
2. REMEMBER THE KING’S DESTINY v35-37
Let me explain what I mean. We’re told Jesus spent night at Peter’s house but
v35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, He got up, left the house and went to a solitary place, where he prayed.
I’d love to know what Jesus prayed but maybe there are some clues in the Context
Surely his prayers were concerned with His mission and destiny.
You see Mark records 3 occasions when Jesus prayed:-
Mk 1:35 after signs & wonders at start of ministry. At night in a solitary place.
Mk 6:46 after 5000 fed. Vast crowds pursuing Him. Ministry in full flow, again
at night alone on mountain.
Mk 14:32 Gethsemany facing cross, at night alone in the garden.
Setting for each occasion was at night and in solitude and in a lonely place.
"He went to a desert place"
Now Capernaaum could hardly be described as a desert.
Solitary place = probably means Country as opposed to the Town (1:45)
But the word is significant - harks back to Jesus Temptation - where? In the desert!
No doubt Jesus was thanking God for the miracles of the previous day,
But I believe Jesus was also struggling with his future – His destiny
You see ,for Jesus the "Desert place" was a place of temptation.
Go on! Choose the easy way route to glory!
Go on use your power to provide for yourself
Use your power to amaze the crowds Jump! Bow knee & worship I’ll give you it all
Hadn’t Luke said after the Temptation “Satan left until an opportune time.”
But now crowds were flocking and, miracles were everywhere!
Was this the return of Temptation? Go on Jesus take easy route-
No need for the cross! No need to face pain and suffering or death!
I see Jesus on knees praying “Father let this cup pass from me"
And He comes back from prayer strengthened.
What happens when you pray like that? Hardly off your knees & temptation is back!
It was the same for Jesus - Simon and Co come looking for him.
Word Mark uses is to “Hunt or track down” . With Intent!
What are you doing here Jesus? Crowds seek you & need you so much??
We must bring you back they’re at the door again. They need you!
Do you hear the temptation? Go on - go back - give ‘em what they want? Do your stuff?
There is agenda was so powerful and persuasive. But Jesus says no! He refuses. That’s not my destiny!
My destiny is a cruel wooden cross -gallows - shame, despised and rejected.
My destiny is to be mocked and cursed, To give my life a ransom for many!
Here’s the challenge crowds came for healing & miracles, Jesus Graciously gave them.
But remember His destiny- He came to do far more than heal people!!
Remember He came to be their Saviour! He came to be your Saviour!
His Destiny was to cleanse sin, to take away sin’s penalty, to divert judgement from us.
Only Jesus can do that!!
We like to think we’re fine but the reality is we’re not - we need cleansing
Let me use an illustration …
Before going to the dentist you probably give your teeth a thorough brushing
You think they’re clean but in fact they aren’t as good as they look
The Dentist may give you a special coloured mouth rinse,
Even though you’ve brushed your teeth it shows up all hidden plaque and dirt
No amount of brushing gets rid of that
Only the Dentists tools can properly remove the accumulated plaque and scale.
Your life may feel pretty clean but only Christ through his death on the cross can disclose the reality of sin hiding in your heart and remove it!
Remember Jesus came to be our Saviour & Sin bearer -giving his life on a cross
He alone can remove our guilt – nothing would deflect him from fulfilling that destiny!
Take Care- we often face the same temptation to look for easy routes to happiness.
Lord cure my illness, Lord solve this problem, give me that blessing, make me happy!
Jesus never came to make you happy! Or to change your circumstances!
He never came to take away all pain from your life and make it easy!
Remember His destiny - He came to cleanse sin, put us right with God, make us Holy!
Challenge is will you let him do it for you?? Will you face your personal sin?
How wonderful if this Easter someone here for the 1st time received Jesus as Saviour
Receive Him as your Saviour today receive His Cleansing simply ask not complicated!!
Will you turn to Him, tell Him you’re sorry and trust Christ to forgive and change you!
Jesus won the battle over temptation in prayer so could he could minister in power
Isaiah(50:4) wrote of Jesus “The Sovereign LORD has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught. The Sovereign LORD has opened my ears, and I have not been rebellious; I have not drawn back. I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting."
His tongue was instructed. His destiny was clear- He could face suffering on the cross
Q? Maybe God is speaking to you about your need to get alone with Him in prayer?
Q? Perhaps you feel defeated and weak with temptation? Powerless in ministry?
1st thing is to do the 1st thing! Follow Jesus - Make some time to get alone with God
3. REMEMBER THE KING’S PRIORITY v38-39
v38 Jesus replied, "Let us go somewhere else-- to the nearby villages-- so I can preach there also. That is why I have come."
Jesus’ Destiny was clear so were His priorities. Everything He did was to the one goal
To bring men & women into His Kingdom under His reign and rule.
To do this He must first go to the cross to free us from sin’s power !
He must die and rise again to release us from the kingdom of darkness.
Therefore His Priority was to preach for a verdict! To Call for a response
Yes there were many other good, desirable things He could do
But his main concern was:- To call men and women like us to a decision
Challenge our behaviour. Call us to repent- to stop, to turn round to God
Today He Calls you to a faith that trusts God . To commit your life to the King!
"That is why I have come" says Jesus in v29 – that’s my priority!!
John 6:38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of Him who sent me.. that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day!
Here’s another challenge- If preaching the good news was Jesus priority!
Q? What does it say for us as his subjects? What does it mean for this church?
We get involved in many good things. We may have a good reputation-
Worship is important, Serving the Community is important
Gifts of Spirit and even signs and wonders have their place.
But telling Good News must be our Number 1 Priority!
Calling others to repent and believe must be central to all we do
Yes lets be relevant to the world. Let’s reach out in friendship to the community.
Let’s serve wherever and whenever we can – Important to BE Good News
but don’t lets forget we have a message to Tell Good News.
As a church we’ve made great progress developing links into the local community
We can be greatly encouraged by progress so far - but it’s only a start
Service and love in action is of benefit in itself, it’s good - it shows God’s love
But it’s not our main priority - We must build on those links –
We need to be looking for opportunities to communicate the Good News of the Saviour
We must be praying for God to open the doors for us – commit ourselves to doing it
How can we build on friendships in 1st Step? Church Kitchen? Pre-School? Local schools
Q? What is the King saying to us all about our priorities? Mission
Q? What difference will this make to the way our Church life is directed?
We began with the Story of Tom Hanks in Castaway
A man who talked to a Volleyball whose world view left out God out of the picture
Q? Are you living with the same world view
Or are you willing to be challenged by the message this morning to recognise and accept the authority of Jesus as King
This Palm Sunday we are reminded how Jesus came as King to Jerusalem
The personal challenge is will you recognise His authority and His right to rule and reign over your life completely?
Will you accept the challenge of His Love and Compassion and allow Him to
“come near” to you – bring his love & minister healing into your relationships, your weakness, into your grief, into your confusion into your stress and busyness?
Will you accept the challenge of His Destiny – the Cross - not simply to feel better
But personally receive His forgiveness and gift of eternal life.
Commit yourself like Jesus to spend time in Fathers presence
Will you accept the challenge of His Priority – not only be willing to serve others but to make it our priority to make known the good news of Jesus and His kingdom.
