Thursday 2/9/12 and

Tuesday 2/28 at 1:00pm in the Conference Room.

Mark 1:21-28

 ²¹ They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach.²² The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. ²³ Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an evil^[e] spirit cried out, ²⁴“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!”

   ²⁵ “Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!” ²⁶ The evil spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek.

 ²⁷ The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey him.” ²⁸ News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.

 Do you ever wonder why I am up here?  I mean, do you ever wonder why God would see to it that someone like me stands in front of a group of His people to speak on His behalf – not just me, but any pastor?  Why doesn’t God just speak to us directly?  I have heard many people say, “If God wants me to believe in Him He should just show Himself to me, come down and introduce Himself to me sometime.”  I hope I am not being insensitive when I say that those people have no idea what they are talking about.

You see, there was a time when God spoke directly to His people.  It was when they had come out of slavery in Egypt and gathered at the foot of Mt. Sinai.  The book of Exodus tells us, “On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast.  Everyone in the camp trembled…Mt. Sinai was covered with smoke, because the LORD descended on it in fire.  The smoke bellowed up from it like a smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently and the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder…” (19:16,18,19).  Then, God spoke the words of the Ten Commandments.  After He finished we are told, “When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear.  They stayed at a distance and said to Moses, ‘Speak to us yourself and we will listen.  But do not have God speak to us or we will die’” (20:18-19). 

This is the norm.  Read through your Bible and you will see that on the occasions when God chose to speak directly to a human being, that person was terrified.  It is what happens when a holy God speaks to sinful people.

But, God wants people to know what He has to say.  So, He sends people to speak for Him.  In the Old Testament He sent prophets like Moses and Elijah and Isaiah.  In the New Testament He sent apostles like the men we heard Him call last week – Peter, Andrew, James, John.  Today God sends pastors and Christian teachers to tell people what He has to say.

Unfortunately, there is one thing all of these people have in common – they are not perfect.  Moses, Elijah, Peter, James, John, Pastor Roecker, Pastor Fischer – all imperfect people.  If you want proof – just read your Bible and you will quickly discover some of the sins of the prophets and apostles.  In the case of Pastor Roecker and Pastor Fischer, just hang around long enough and, unfortunately, you will too quickly discover firsthand that we are not perfect.

But, this morning we discover a prophet who IS perfect because He is God.  His name is Jesus of Nazareth and He is the perfect solution to the dilemma.  God could not appear to us in all His glory but He wanted us to know His Word perfectly so, God became a human being and so became the perfect prophet.

I.   You Can Trust What He Says

Last week we heard how Jesus called four men to follow Him as His disciples.  The next day was the Saturday – the Sabbath day – the day God commanded His people to rest and worship.  And since God commanded it, Jesus did it.  You see – He is perfect.

The Jewish synagogues of Jesus’ day did not have a resident preacher like we think of having our own resident pastors.  Instead, there were various rabbis, or teachers, who would teach.  Jesus’ rabbinical reputation preceded Him and so it is not surprising that He was asked to share His knowledge.  Mark does not record what Jesus said but one thing is clear: Jesus knew what He was talking about.  “The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law” (v. 22).

The “teachers of the law” were what the people of Capernaum were used to.  The common practice in Jesus’ day was for rabbis to discuss what they thought about things.  Rare was the rabbi who insisted, “This is what the Lord says!”  No, the rabbis of Jesus’ day tended instead to squabble over the minutia of more than a millennium of rabbinical tradition.  So, when you attended synagogue you heard arguments about exactly how many steps a person could take on a Sabbath day without sinning, what the correct procedure was for ceremonially washing your hands, that sort of thing.  Almost none of which had anything to do with God’s actual Old Testament.  It was much more about what the rabbis THOUGHT than what God SAID.

Suddenly, on this Saturday, the people heard something much, much different.  This rabbi from Nazareth spoke as though He actually knew what He is talking about!  He didn’t say, “Well, here is something to think about” or “Here is my opinion.”  He said, “THIS IS THE WAY IT IS!”  And He could.  He knows the way it is because He made it the way it is.

That has not changed.  The rabbi who amazed those Jewish worshipers in Capernaum two thousand years ago is here to amaze the Christian worshipers in Chesapeake this morning.  Jesus promised that where two or three or more are gathered in His name, He is there with them.  And His Word has just as much authority this Sunday morning as it did that Saturday morning.

When His Word says something is a sin…it is a sin.  Not because you agree with Him.  Not because you “feel the same way” about it.  It is a sin because He says so.  And His Word is the final word – on everything.

When His Word says, “Your sins are forgiven”…your sins are forgiven.  Not because you agree with Him.  Not because you “feel the same way” about it.  Your sins are forgiven because He says so.  And His Word is the final word – on everything.

When His Word says, “I love you.  I care about you.  I will get you through this”…That is the way it is.  He loves you.  He cares about you.  He will…get…you…through…this.

So, when you sit in these pews and hear His threats or His promises, take those words to heart.  Don’t pass them off as interesting philosophical conversation.  And, whatever you do, don’t sit in judgment on what He says, thinking you can decide whether or not you agree with Him.  Jesus is not giving you His opinion.  He is giving you the truth.  He is the perfect prophet.  You can trust what He says.

II.  You Can Trust What He Can Do

Needless to say, the devil was not happy having Jesus in Capernaum’s synagogue that day.  The name “devil,” after all, means “liar.”  The devil was perfectly content as long as the rabbis were babbling about their own opinions Sabbath after Sabbath.  Their opinions weren’t bringing people any closer to God.  But on this Sabbath day things were different.  God Himself was sitting in the synagogue and telling people the way it really is.

So, the devil and his allies took action.  “Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an evil 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’” (vv. 23,24)!  Many people today believe that evil spirits are a superstition of the ancient world and that people in the modern world know better than to believe in such fantasies.  But, if we believe that the devil and his demons do not exist then it is we who are living in a fantasy world.  Evil spirits are very real and they are very dangerous.  They are at war with God and God’s people.  They will use any means necessary to keep people from knowing the truth about God.  There was no need for an evil spirit to disrupt the synagogue services in Capernaum prior to Jesus’ arrival because the worship was going just the way the devil wanted.  No one was teaching with divine authority.  But now that Jesus was teaching the truth the devil sent one of his minions to try and stop it.

The devil was well aware of how dangerous Jesus was to his plans.  The devil was well aware of who Jesus was.  “I know who you are – the Holy One of God!”  Jesus is the “Holy One.”  To be holy means to be perfect.  The devil knew that Jesus is the perfect prophet.  And from the devil’s point of view Jesus had to be stopped.

But, Jesus cannot be stopped.  “’Be quiet!’ said Jesus sternly.  ‘Come out of him!’  The evil spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek” (vv. 25,26).  What power the Word of Jesus has!  He commands and it is done.  Even demons cannot stand up to the powerful Word of the perfect prophet.

Nothing has changed in two thousand years.  The devil and his minions are still seeking souls to spend eternity with them in the hell God has prepared.  Make no mistake about it.  They want your soul to spend eternity with them.  They are aware that Jesus has already paid the price for your sin.  They are aware that there is no reason for you to miss out on the joys of heaven.  After all, your entry fee has already been paid.  So, their only chance is to get you to think that you don’t need Jesus, that you don’t need His forgiveness, that you don’t need His Word.

So, they distract you.  In a modern world which does not believe in the supernatural they probably won’t possess people as often as in Jesus’ day.  That would only wake people up to the reality that they exist.  Today they prefer to stay in the background, using the busyness of modern life to keep people from hearing God’s Word.  It is just more effective.

But, the devil and his evil spirits cannot stand up to the Word of our perfect prophet.  Jesus is just as powerful today as He was in Capernaum that day.  His Word drives away our fear and replaces it with peace.  His Word drives away our doubt and replaces it with confidence.  His Word drives away our worry and replaces it with wonder.  His Word drives away our guilt and replaces it with comfort.  You can be sure of these things because He is the perfect prophet and you can trust that He can do what He promises.

We live in world that makes it difficult to trust people.  There is so much fraud and lying and cheating that a person can easily become cynical.  “Can I trust this mechanic?  Can I trust this doctor?  Can I trust this plumber?  Can I trust this preacher?”  Isn’t it good to know that in the most important area of our lives – our relationship with God – there is someone we can trust?  When Jesus says it – it is so.  When Jesus promises it – it will be.  No wonder we are so eager to listen to Him.  He is the perfect prophet.   Amen.

•  5:30 pm           Catechism for students
•  6:15 pm           Dinner
• 7:00 pm            Pioneers for children
• 7:00 pm            Faith of our Fathers Bible Class
• 7:00 pm            Who’s Who in the Bible-Bible Class

Mark 1:14-20 

¹⁴ After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. ¹⁵ “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!”

 ¹⁶ As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ¹⁷ “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” ¹⁸ At once they left their nets and followed him.

 ¹⁹ When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. ²⁰ Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.

It was a day none of them would ever forget.  They were simple fisherman who plied their trade on the Sea of Galilee.  They were followers of the true God.  They had come to believe that an upstart traveling preacher from Nazareth was the long-awaited Messiah – the One the LORD God had been promising for thousands of years.  They had first seen him way down south near the Jordan River, east of Jerusalem.  That is where some of them had been introduced to Him.  They had heard Him preach and teach.  Now, they were back home in Capernaum – back to their old way of life.   No doubt, they had plenty of time to think about what this Jesus had said as they spent long nights on the Sea casting their nets hoping for a catch.   

Now, Jesus had come to Capernaum.  As He walked along the shore of the Sea He spoke to them.  His words that day would change their lives forever.  “Come, follow me…and I will make you fishers of men” (v. 17). 

Peter and Andrew, James and John could not possibly have known what following Jesus would mean for them – not entirely.  Three of them would be put to death for following Him.  The fourth would endure the isolation of being banished to a small island called Patmos.  They could not have known all that following Jesus would mean.

For now, they knew it would mean leaving their livelihoods behind – leaving behind all that they knew.  For what?  To follow a traveling preacher who had nothing of earthly value to offer them.  But, Peter and Andrew, “…left their nets and followed him.”  James and John, “…left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.”  They could not have known all that it would mean for them to follow Jesus.  What they DID know was that this man, slapping His sandals along the shore, was special.  He had shown Himself to be special by His words and the wonders He had performed.  This man was the promised Messiah.  So they followed.

Jesus calls you to follow Him too.  Are you aware of what that entails?  Are you aware of what that ensures?  Let’s take a look at both.

I.   It Entails Unconditional Commitment

Following Jesus entails unconditional commitment.  Jesus is not looking for half-measures.  Let’s look at four features of the unconditional commitment called for by Jesus.

First, it entails subordinating everything to the Savior.  Jesus is up here.  Everything and everyone else is down here.  Nothing and no one is to be more important than Jesus.  The disciples left their livelihoods, their possessions, even their families to follow Jesus.  Earlier, we heard how Elisha left a thriving and successful agricultural business to become God’s prophet.  Twelve yoke of oxen was nothing to sneeze at.  He was a wealthy man.  He left it all behind.  Now, Jesus does not always require this.  The point is that we must be WILLING to give up everything in order to follow Him.

Secondly, following Jesus entails simulating the Savior’s ways.  Jesus calls you to think the way He thinks, speak the way He speaks, love the way He loves, be patient the way He is patient, be kind the way He is kind, help others the way He helped others, forgive the way He forgives.

The problem is that we want to lead.  We want to do things OUR way rather than HIS way.  Or, at the very least, we want to walk alongside of Jesus and have an equal partnership.  When Jesus goes this way, instead of following, we want to say, “Let’s talk about this, Jesus.  Let’s work out some kind of deal.”  But notice, Jesus did not say to the disciples, “Come, lead me!” or “Come alongside of me!”  He said, “Come, FOLLOW me!”

By the way, I am not suggesting that Jesus is going to tell you the answer to every single decision in your life.  He doesn’t promise that.  What I am saying is that here in the Bible Jesus shows you the way God wants you to live your life.  And when you want live your life in a way that is contrary to what He says in His Word, He says, “Follow my way, not your way.”

The third thing following Jesus entails is sharing the cross of the Savior.  I certainly don’t mean that you or I or anyone else could share the agony Jesus endured to pay for the sins of the world.  He went to the cross, alone.  He had to.  No one could contribute in the slightest way.  Only Jesus could pay the price for the sin of the world.

Sharing the cross of the Savior means enduring whatever you need to endure in order to keep following Him.  Later in the Gospel of Mark Jesus would famously put it this way, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it” (8:34,35).  Our crosses will come in many shapes and sizes.  It might be the cross of being ridiculed for your faith or the cross of losing a friend because of your faith or losing a job because of your faith.  Following Jesus might mean telling the truth when telling a lie would be much easier.  It might mean leaving a boyfriend who is leading you away from Jesus.  It might mean leaving a church which is not teaching what Jesus taught.  Whatever the cross is, following Jesus means being willing to carry it.

Finally, following Jesus entails sharing the work of the Savior.  In the case of the four disciples in our text, Jesus directly called them to be fishers of men – to catch souls for the kingdom, to pull people from the depths of their sin into the ship of salvation.  You have not been called to be Christ’s apostles the way Peter, Andrew, James and John were.  But, you have been called to share in the Savior’s work.  And what is His work?  Nothing less than the salvation of souls.

This work takes many different forms.  It takes the form of a mother reading bible stories to her child.  It takes the form of a father leading his family in prayers and devotions.  It takes the form of serving on the church outreach committee for some and serving as a Sunday school teacher for others.  It takes the form of folding service folders for worship.  It takes the form of cleaning the church.  It takes the form of inviting your coworker to worship with you.  It takes the form of placing an offering in the plate.

The list could go on nearly forever.  What forms does it take for you?  Whatever the Savior’s work looks like in your life, it entails unconditional commitment.  It takes commitment to spend time holding a devotion with your family.  It takes commitment to prepare a Sunday school lesson.  It takes commitment to serve on a committee or clean the church.  Often it is not easy.

II.  It Ensures Incredible Consequences

So, why say “yes”?  So far, following Jesus doesn’t sound terribly appealing.  It sounds difficult.  It is.  So, why follow Him?  Because following Jesus ensures incredible consequences.  To put it another way: You will never be sorry you did.  And, you will be eternally sorry if you don’t.

What are these incredible consequences?  First, following Jesus ensures a meaningful life here on earth.  Isn’t that what everyone wants?  We want our lives to mean something.  People’s satisfaction with their jobs has more to do with meaning than it does with money.  They are looking for satisfaction.  They want their job to make a difference in some way.  This is the reason for the famous “mid-life crisis” many people experience.  They get to the middle part of their lives and suddenly ask, “What does it all…mean?”

Following Jesus ensures that your life will have meaning.  You will spend your life serving Him and serving others.  In some cases you might be doing the very same things you would be if you weren’t a follower of Jesus.  But, because of Jesus, those things have meaning.  You see, following Jesus means that when you make dinner for your family you are doing that on behalf of Jesus.  He is providing food for your family through you.  Following Jesus means that when you deploy for six months you are deploying on behalf of Jesus.  He is protecting people like me through you.  Following Jesus means that whether you fix people’s phones or clean people’s homes or vacuum the church or change your child’s diaper you are doing those things on behalf of Jesus.  Peter, Andrew, James and John went to the ends of the earth preaching the good news on Jesus’ behalf.  But, you don’t have to go to the ends of the earth for your life to have meaning.  Your life has meaning every time you go the extra mile to serve others on His behalf.

But, of course, there’s more.  Not only does following Jesus ensure you will have a meaningful life here on earth, it ensures you will enjoy an eternal life in heaven.  After all, where did Jesus lead those four disciples?  He led them from the shore of the Sea of Galilee all the way to the halls of heaven!  If you were able to ask Andrew whether he regrets having left his fishing business behind that day, how do you suppose he would respond?  “Well, we did have a good thing going there.”  No!  It is laughable to imagine Andrew having second thoughts about following Jesus once he entered the glories of heaven.  You won’t either.

So, answer Jesus’ call to follow Him!  Follow Him when times are good and when times are bad, when it is easy and when it is hard.  Follow Him today and tomorrow, in happiness and in sorrow.   Follow Him over every hill and through every valley until that glorious day when He finally leads…you…home.   Amen.

S.D.G.

John 1:14     The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.

Where do you find the glory of Christmas?  There are plenty of examples of that glory around us.  Walk through your neighborhood to see the lights gleaming in the darkness.  Walk indoors to discover the soft glow of Christmas lights.  Look under the tree to discover the bright colors of wrapping paper.  Gather around a decorated table with a freshly carved ham.  These are the pictures of Christmas glory presented to you through TV and radio, in books and in movies.  When these things are missing, something just doesn’t seem right.  Yet you know these things aren’t the real glory of Christmas.  That is why you are here this morning.  There is something more to the glory of Christmas.  As you look  at the Christmas accounts found in Matthew and Luke, you also see the glory of Christmas shine forth.  The angels appeared to the shepherds and the glory of the Lord shone around them.  They break forth in songs of jubilation and praise.  The shepherds are terrified, and then marvel over all they see and hear. 

All of the excitement, all these displays of God’s glory, it’s all there on Christmas night.  But now the angels have left.  The shepherds have returned to their flock.  The sun has risen and cast the last shadows of night away.  But the glory of Christmas remains.  It is not just the things we see, but also the things we don’t see that reveal the glory of Christmas.

It was hidden as the Word became Flesh:
The Christmas morning sun brought a new picture for the town of Bethlehem to see.  You can almost see the glow on Mary’s face as she holds her new infant.  The new mother was in her glory, caring for her newborn child even though she was probably tired from all the events of the day before.  Forget animals and fodder in the stable.  Forget the dirt and the grime and the smell.  None of that mattered anymore.  She held her firstborn.  She was able to care or her son.  Even though we can imagine the glory of a new mother, there is another glory, hidden and unassuming in the room.

Anyone who holds an infant in their hands holds a miracle.  Mary held in her hands her infant.  Even though Mary’s miracle looked like any other child, there was something different, something hidden.  In her arms Mary holds the magnum mysterium—the great mystery!  In her arms lay the divine Word!  Christ himself has clothed himself in humanity!  God himself became an infant!  The all-powerful God is a helpless child!  The creator of the world is now born of his creation.  This is the great mystery we marvel over on Christmas day.  It is in this great mystery that we begin to find the hidden glory of Christmas.

John refers to Christ as the Word as he describes Christ’s divine existence before he was born.  Then he declares: The Word became flesh.  These words describe the mystery of the incarnation—that God took on flesh and blood.  But when Christ took on flesh and blood, he did more than zip a costume on for a few years.  When the Word became flesh, it encompassed everything that makes us human.  He took on our wisdom—he grew in stages and his mind developed like any other child learning to be discerning and rational.  He had the same desires that we have—he would grow hungry and experience parched lips.  There, hidden in the mediocrity of humanity, is the glory of God, looking as ordinary as a day in December.

Yet even though this glory is hidden for a moment, we will someday see it with our own eyes in all its brilliance.  This is our joy and delight at Christmas.  Jesus himself became a man.  He hid his divine glory as he took on flesh and blood so that we would someday be able to see his glory.  For not only did he take on himself our humanity, he also placed himself under the very law he requires us to live under.  Only he did not sin.  Through his perfect life he redeemed us from the demands of God’s law.  He did this so that we would become an heir of heaven.  There we will see his glory—no longer hidden but fully revealed.  And we will rejoice with the angels who announced his birth as we praise God with the song of the angels, Glory to God in the highest.

It was hidden as the Word dwelt among us:

What does it look like to have someone dwell in the same home as you?  You probably see their clothes lying on the floor.  There will probably be wrapping paper with their name on it strewn throughout the house.  You see them, you care for them, you know they are there and their wants and needs.  What about God?  What is it like to have God himself dwell with you?  Does he leave his clothes on the bedroom floor, or forget to brush his teeth?  Does his voice raise as he talks to others.  It is hard to imagine.  Yet on Christmas, The Word became flesh, and made his dwelling among us.  Christ dwelt among us!  Let me repeat that in case you missed the profoundness of that statement.  God himself lived in a home as we do, he walked the earth as we do, he interacted with people as we do.  And the people around him did not run screaming from him and his glory as he did so!  What a contrast to the way he revealed his glory in the past. 

In the past God dwelt among his people as a pillar of cloud and fire.  He appeared in his glory, covered by smoke at the top of Mt. Sinai so that Israel wouldn’t see it and die.  The sinful people of Israel trembled in fear of the holy God.  But there was no trembling in fear on Christmas morning.  Mary didn’t cringe and cover he face instead of holding Jesus.  Joseph didn’t flee from the presence of God.  No, the glory of God was set aside and hidden.  Now the Word lived as a helpless child.

But where is the glory in this?  As Christ made his dwelling with us, he “moved in” with his creation as it stumbled and bumbled its way through each and every day.  He ate with them and talked with them and endured their smelly odors and put up with their foolish actions and tolerated their nonsensical conversations.  He suffered under the scorn of others and felt the tugs of temptation, only he did not stumble and fall into the dark clashes of sin.  It doesn’t seem very glorious at all.  But in this way we find his glory.  For he dwelt in the world and experienced the same temptation we experience and endured the same type of hardships and persecution and rejoiced when things went well and mourned when things didn’t.  Now he is able to comfort us in trouble, to help us in temptation, to rejoice with us when we rejoice and mourn with us when we mourn.  He is able to do all this because he hid his glory and was born of a virgin and dwelt among us.

Where do you find the glory of Christmas?  AS you go home today, you will probably enjoy some of those familiar pictures of Christmas glory—the gifts given by loved ones, the gathering with friends or family, the chance to sit down and rest for a few hours.  But do not allow these things to overshadow the hidden glory of Christmas.  Marvel once again at the great mystery of Christmas—that God himself set aside his glory and became incarnate, taking on flesh and blood, so that he could bring you into glory with him for all eternity.  Amen.

We are a growing church in Chesapeake, Virginia. No matter who you are or where you are from, we look forward to serving you. At Resurrection you will discover how God’s promises of eternal life affect your everyday life. Browse our site to learn more about who we are. Better yet, come and visit!