JOY Introduction to the Gospel of Mark September 11, 2013

September 11, 2013

Welcome

Housekeeping

1. Beverly with policies
2. JOY Jr.
3. Introduction of Leaders

    4.)   Advertisement for Ladies Retreat

****Introduction to the Gospel of Mark

The author of the Gospel of Mark is believed to be John Mark-----who was both a Jewish and a Roman citizen----we believe that his mother was wealthy and that the early church met in her home. We believe that he was a cousin of Barnabas -----and we know that John Mark accompanied Paul on his first missionary journey-----and we know that John Mark didn’t want to go on Paul’s second missionary journey, but we don’t really no why, although there has been a lot of speculation-----and we know that arguing over him, was the reason Barnabas and Paul had a falling out-----and we know that later Paul and Barnabas were reconciled and even later Paul and John Mark were reconciled. Scripture tells us that John Mark was even present in Rome with Paul at one point in time. It is believed that John Mark was led to salvation by Peter and was like a son to him, and that the Gospel of Mark, was actually Peter’s words, scribed by John Mark.  It is believed that the Gospel of Mark was written to the Gentiles in Rome, somewhere between A.D. 55 and 65.

****When my children were growing up, one of their favorite movies was “The Princess Bride”. My guess is, that Griff loved it because it was action- packed------and the girls loved it because it was ultimately a love story.

 As the story began, young Wesley was the servant of a beautiful girl named Buttercup. Wesley was madly in love with Buttercup and was eager to please her, any way that he could. She would ask him to do the most mundane tasks with a demanding and condescending tone, and he would just respond with a simple, “as you wish”. And, with that sweet spirit, by the end of the story, Wesley wound up winning Buttercup’s heart with the gentle tenderness and loving acts, of a servant’s heart.

As believers, we wonder and speculate among ourselves, what is the best way, to win the hearts of people, to the love of the Lord Jesus. Is it through great worship services, or through strong Bible teaching, or through timely and relevant programs and special events, or  is through the bold and truthful proclamation of the Gospel? 

Of course, all of these things are excellent and they can all play a part in winning people’s hearts------but the truth is, there is one thing that Jesus modeled for us over and over again, that we very often neglect to recognize or give credit too------and that, is servanthood. 

I believe that the reason why people flocked to Jesus while He was walking on the earth was because He personified this character trait. It got people’s attention, because as He lived it out, it was so countercultural that people couldn’t help but notice and attribute it’s presence to something supernatural. And it’s no different in our world, as we live servanthood out, in front of people------because servanthood, is what helps people see Jesus in us, and it is often, what He uses, to draw them to Himself. 

(A nurse escorted a tired, anxious young man to the bedside of an elderly man. “your son is here,” she whispered in the old man’s ear. She had to repeat her words several times before the patient roused and opened his eyes. He was heavily sedated from the pain of his massive heart attack, so he only dimly saw the young man standing there.

The father reached out his hand and the young man took it, and tightly wrapped his fingers around it and squeezed a message of encouragement. The nurse pulled a chair over and the young man sat there all through the night holding the older man’s hand and whispering words of comfort and hope to him. The dying man didn’t say anything----he just held tightly to his son’s hand. 

As the first glimmers of light peeked in the window as dawn broke, the father quietly passed away. The young man placed the lifeless hand gently on the bed and went to notify the nurse. 

While the nurse did what was the necessary, the young man, quietly and respectfully, stood nearby, just waiting. When she had finished her tasks, she turned to the young man to offer words of sympathy and condolence.

But the young man interrupted her and said, “Who was he, what was his name?” The startled nurse said, “ I thought he was your father!!” The young man said, ”no he wasn’t, I’ve never seen him before.” The nurse said, “then why didn’t you say something when I took you to him?”

And the young man said, ‘well. I was looking for my dad who had had a minor surgery-----and when you took me to the old man I could tell that he needed his son badly, but that his son wasn’t there. And when I realized that he was too sick to tell whether or not I was his son, I knew that my dad would understand that the old man needed me last night, much more than he did, so I stayed. 

That young man, probably didn’t understand, (didn’t have a clue) that he had just exemplified the greatest calling on a believer’s life------servanthood!)

All throughout Mark’s gospel, we discover the true character of Jesus as a servant. Mark affirmed that Jesus was most certainly the Messiah, God’s son, the one and only God-man, fully human and fully divine, who performed miracles that only God could perform------and to emphasize His deity, Mark recorded that Jesus cast out demons, healed the sick, made the lepers clean, made a paralyzed man walk, calmed a stormy sea, raised a young girl from the dead, fed 500 thousand people with 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread, and walked on water. More of Jesus’ miracles, are recorded in Mark, than in any other Gospel.

But instead of emphasizing His Kingship like Matthew did or His humanity like Luke did----Mark emphasized, how Jesus was the suffering servant, who came to win the hearts, and ransom the lives of people, through His loving service, as He first met them, at the point of their greatest physical needs, and then, as He met mankind at the point of our greatest spiritual need, He  gave His own life on the cross to pay the price for our sin. 

And Mark, in verse 10:45, recorded Jesus’ own words as He explained His purpose for coming to earth…”For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.

So, our example is clear------the characteristics of a servant that drew people to Jesus, and that still, through us, draws them to Him, are:

1.) a willingness to help others first, before we help ourselves, even if it means we have to give up something-----

2.) a willingness to meet the practical needs of others any way that we can, even if it means stepping out of our comfort zones.

3.) a willingness to give sacrificially to others-----Jesus gave His life-----so maybe the greatest sacrificial act, that we can give to another person, is to take the chance, to share the gospel with them.

William Law made a lasting impact on England with his book, “A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life”. In it, Law urges Christians to understand and embrace the truth, that every day, should be viewed, as a day of humility. And he suggests that we do this by learning to serve others. Law understood that it is by service that we develop humility. “He said that if we want to be humble people, then we have to learn to see beyond circumstances and to see the weaknesses and flaws of our fellowman and love each other anyway, by assisting each other in our frailties, applauding each other in our excellence, encouraging each other in our virtues, helping us to discern the validity of our wants, rejoicing with each other in our prosperities, having compassion for each other in our distress, embracing each other with friendship, overlooking it when we are unkind to each other, forgiving each other when we act with malice, and being a servant of servants, by willingly agreeing, to do the lowest job, for the lowest of mankind. “ 

As we study this year, my prayer is that we will come face to face with Jesus and we will come to know Him in a way that we never have before. My prayer is that we will realize that the best way for us to encourage people to belong to the kingdom of God, is to follow the Lord Jesus’ example, by loving them there-----through kindness and acts of service.

The Gospel of Mark is an action-packed account of the adult life of Jesus, bustling with energy and focused on the Lord’s purpose for being here. As we study this book, we need to be ready, for the fast-paced, non-stop love of Jesus, to lift up from the pages of scripture, and move into our lives, to challenge us, to move out into our world, so that we can serve….if the Lord hadn’t intended that, I believe that He would have taken us home, the minute He saved us.

So, with that being said----- be ready, for me to tell you every week----to go out and serve!!!!!