Let’s pray, “0 Lord, speak to each of us wherever Your love finds us this morning, speak to us in our minds, speak to us in our hearts, speak to us by the words of my mouth, and in the thoughts we form. Speak, 0 Lord, we, your servants, are listening. Amen (please be seated)
I have yet to meet anyone in America who responds to the question, “How are you?” with this reply, “Well, for starters, I’m not very busy.” I have never heard that response.
So, we are going to start today with a quiz. But before you get nervous about taking a quiz, it is only a few questions, which are designed make you think about your current life…
1. Are you haunted by a fear that there are not enough hours in the day to do what needs to be done?
2. When approaching a stoplight and there are two lanes, do you find yourself guessing which lane will get going the fastest?
3. At the grocery store, if you have a choice between two checkout lines, do you find yourself counting each person in line and assessing how many items are in their cart? Then do you watch the line you did not choose just to see if you picked the right line?
4. Has anyone ever said to you, “I did not want to trouble you because I know how busy you are?”
5. If tomorrow evening were unexpectedly freed up, would you use it to do work or spend time with your family?
Here’s the deal … if you can answer “yes” to any of those questions, then this message is for you.
However, I am not going to give you a message on how being busy is bad or a distraction. But I am going to share what Jesus experienced on the first 24-hour day of His public ministry, and then, we will see if that makes an impression on you, as it did on me this week.
We know that Jesus was true God and true man, and there is no denying that he was a man that got stuff done. Remember, He actually was a man who ate, slept, and got tired … just like us.
Jesus in the course of three years, started a movement that has grown to over two billion people. And He also paid for the sins of all mankind, so that, we can spend eternity in Heaven.
Even though He was busy, I am confident he would have said “no” to every one of the questions I asked earlier.
Today we are going to look at one of the most incredible passages in the Bible and learn one principle that, if you apply it to your life, could be the GAME-CHANGER in how you see life and your interaction with God.
Jesus’ first day of public ministry takes place in a village named Capernaum. His first day is our Gospel lesson…Mark 1:21-39 … page 699 in the NIV Bible in the chair back
“They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure 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!”
“Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him !”
The impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek. 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 impure spirits and they obey him.” News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.”
Mark 1:21-28
This passage starts, “on the Sabbath,” which means this was a Saturday in the Jewish culture. It was known as a day of NOT WORKING, but listen to what Jesus’ had planned that day.
He gets up to speak, and people are amazed at how good he is as a preacher. Then, right in the middle of His talk, the text says, “a man in their synagogue cried out”, which means the man was part of their normal community.
We don’t know if he had this kind of outburst every week. Scripture is silent on that detail. But regardless, Jesus just looks at him and says, “Be quiet. Come out of him.” The guy starts shrieking and shaking in the aisle, and the spirit comes out of him.
If Jesus didn’t have the people’s attention yet, he had it then. That was a giant attention getter.
This an example of being in the middle of something important, but then getting a call, or an email, or a demon possessed guy yelling at you. You must drop everything and deal with it. If that ever happens to you, Jesus can certainly relate.
Seems like an eventful day already and it is just getting started. But Instead of going out for brunch, or sitting on the porch for the rest of the afternoon, listen to what happens next.
“As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they immediately told Jesus about her.
So, he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her, and she began to wait on them.” Mark 1:29-31
So, the five of them go to Peter’s mother-in-law’s house, and Jesus takes the ill woman’s hand, and heals her immediately, and she serves them. Continuing with our text at verse 32…
“That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon possessed. The whole town gathered at the door, and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was” Mark 1:32-34
The passage says, “THAT EVENING,” so all of this has happened on Jesus’ first day of public ministry.
After sunset, the WHOLE town comes out. They had to wait until sunset because this is the Sabbath and carrying an ill or disabled person to Jesus would have been considered work.
Apparently, the news about Jesus spread really fast since the whole town showed up.
The Bible says that Jesus was fully God and fully man. We read in a bunch of places in Scripture that Jesus grew WEARY. You have to think this was one of those days.
We read in other accounts that when Jesus would do a miracle, power would come out from him. I have never done a miracle, but I can imagine it must be extremely draining.
We don ‘t know how late he stayed out that night, but you have to guess it was well after midnight. Jesus was busy with everybody else’s needs. Ever felt like all you do is help one person after another? If you are a mother, I guarantee you do.
Can you picture Jesus and his disciples finally walking or maybe even staggering away to where they were going to sleep that night?
That’s quite a day? Now let’s check out the next few verses; and here is where we find out about Jesus’ SECRET.
“Very early in the morning , while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” Mark 1:35
The next morning, Jesus got up after at most a few hours of sleep. He left the disciples – who no doubt were still fast asleep.
He went to a solitary place … a place with no distractions, where he could really concentrate. For Jesus, this quiet time with God was imperative, if he was going to live out the mission that he was on earth to live out.
“Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!”” Mark 1:36-37
How did the disciples know that everyone was looking for Jesus? I suspect it is because they first walked through the entire town looking for Jesus, since logically that is where they expected to find Him. Why would they expect Jesus to be back in Capernaum with all the people?
They wake up and notice Jesus was gone, and their first thought is, “That crazy guy, guess he just wanted to get an early start, and keep the momentum going from last night with all of his new fans and followers.”
But Jesus does not go where Peter and the other disciples would have gone. He does not go where I think I would have gone. Jesus replied to the disciples with this…
“Let us go somewhere else – to the nearby villages – so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” So, he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.” Mark 1:38-39
You have to think all the disciples fully expected they would spend the next day, maybe even the next week, in Capernaum because they had been so well received there.
But, here in the morning, 24-hours into His public ministry, Jesus had different plans, way different than His disciple’s plans. Perhaps His plan was different because He was the ONLY one that had spent time in solitude with God.
Do you believe there can be a big difference between a GOOD IDEA and a GOD IDEA?
For example, perhaps going back to Capernaum was a GOOD idea, but it wasn’t a GOD idea. Jesus was the only one who was capable of knowing the difference, because he was the only one making it a priority to spend quiet time listening to God.
What made the difference for Jesus?
Among this crazy busy schedule, Jesus made time with God His FIRST priority.
If we start applying what we read in Scripture, He will change us from inside out to become more and more like Him.
You see, God is constantly molding us into better parents, spouses, grandparents and followers of his. When I make time to listen to Him, He takes the time to guide me and mold me.
Last week, we walked through how to start having a regular quiet time with God. In our remaining time, I want to quickly walk through THREE disciplines Jesus demonstrated in this passage that enabled him to not just live a life driven by good ideas, but a life driven by God’s voice.
[They come from a Richard Foster’s book titled “Celebration of Discipline”].
1. The discipline of Solitude
“Very early in the morning , while it was still dark, Jesus got up , left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” Mark 1:36
One of people’s greatest fears is loneliness. Our fear of being alone drives us to noise and crowds and company.
From our smart phones that have all the world’s facts at the push of a button, and all our 1,000 closest friends constantly posting what they just ate on Facebook, it’s nearly impossible to find silence.
God calls us from loneliness to solitude. But loneliness or clatter is not our only options. We can cultivate an inner solitude and silence that can set us free from loneliness and fear as well.
We must understand the connection between inner solitude and inner silence. The two are inseparable. God grows in us the ability to really listen, when we train ourselves NOT to constantly fill our minds with noise.
We must seek out the recreating stillness of solitude, if we want to be with others more meaningfully.
This is even more true in our relationships with God. We learn through an encounter Elijah had with God that our God does not speak through fire or the wind, but He speaks in a still, small whisper that can only be heard when we’re still enough to hear it.
Let me share a way to practice the discipline of solitude in your life, and let’s see if it can impact your craziness.
First, what if we took advantage of the “little solitudes” that fill our day. Maybe it’s the early morning moments in bed before your family wakes up.
Maybe it’s in the bumper-to-bumper traffic on your way to work.
Perhaps it’s discovering the solitude when you are waiting in line for a Fizz Bizz, or standing in the checkout line at Broulim’s.
These tiny snatches of time are often lost to us. They can be REDEEMED. Instead of scanning through Facebook posts on your phone or listening to mindless TV shows, slow down your breathing and just say, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. ”
We do that, we are well on our way to the discipline of solitude.
A second discipline we learn from Jesus in this passage is…
2. The discipline of Submission
Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else – to the nearby villages – so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” Mark 1:38
It’s almost as if Jesus is saying this out loud not only for the disciples to hear, but for himself as well. I picture Jesus the night before, excited about going back into Capernaum because he had been so well received.
After this quiet time alone with God, Jesus’ plans have completely changed. The Father had reminded him that he was on a mission not to reach rock-star status in Capernaum, but to preach the good news to those who had not heard it yet.
When we go into a time of training by using the discipline of submission, God builds in us the ability to lay down the terrible burden of always needing to get our own way.
The obsession of demanding that things go the way we want them to go is one of the greatest bondages in human society today.
People can spend weeks, months or even years stewing on something small that didn’t go our way, but in this discipline, we are released to drop the matter and forget it.
God wants to grow in us the peaceful realization that most things in life are NOT major issues, so DON’T blow them out of proportion. We can deal with them much more lightly. Unfortunately, because we often greatly lack in this area, marriages end in divorce, families get fractured, and people leave churches.
In submission, we are at last free to value other people. We are free to give up our own rights for the good of others, and to actually love people unconditionally.
But Jesus was the ultimate example of living a life full of submission. Even in the garden of Gethsemane right before he would be taken away to be crucified, he had the inward strength to say, “Not my will but yours be done,” meaning God’s will. I want that SAME strength in my life.
Here is a really simple way to practice the discipline of submission. Pray these lines one at a time with a pause after each to reflect on what it looks like for you today.
Let’s say these out loud together.
SLIDE 35
1. Your kingdom come, Your will be done in my actions today.
2. Your kingdom come, Your will be done with my words today.
3. Your kingdom come, Your will be done with my thoughts today.
After you’ve fully submitted all the parts of your day to God , we can move to the last discipline we learn from Jesus in this passage.
4. The discipline of Service
“So, he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.” Mark 1:39
Jesus didn’t just finish His quiet time and check an imaginary box to indicate He had completed His Christian duty. He left that morning on a mission.
He didn’t just look for opportunities to COME to him. No, went to SEEK the opportunities. He walked into each village ready to bless whoever he came in contact with.
I believe there are two kinds of people in the world … “THERE You Are” kind of people, and “HERE I Am” kind of people.
Jesus was clearly a “There You Are” kind of man. He lived His life serving other people. The “There You Are” person walks into a room looking for those who are on the fringes, and perhaps disconnected from the whole thing. They go out of their way to make that person feel like they are the most important person in the room. They ask great questions, listen intently, and lift other people’s spirits.
Whereas the “Here I am” person walks into the room and wants to make sure people know they have arrived. They talk about themselves and find a way to make every topic revolve around something about them.
You might think this does not sound much like a discipline as it does just something any good Christian should do.
But, when you have spent time in solitude in God’s presence, and been quiet enough to hear his voice, he actually FILLS you up to then be able to overflow to others.
Let’s look back at our first lesson where Paul wrote…
“Praise be to … the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-5
Jesus had been FILLED UP by the Father, so He was now able to love everyone he would come in contact with that day. While this sounds good, it is not natural for us.
What is natural for us, because of our sinful human nature, is to look out for our own good. But what if each day we made it a point to somehow uplift each person we meet?
Pastor John Maxwell adopted what he called the “30-second rule.” He has disciplined himself to spend at least 30 seconds with every person he meets.
Can you imagine if we had that same discipline? Maybe a similar trait was part of the reason so many hurting people flocked to Jesus.
Solitude. Submission. Service
How could you incorporate all three, or even one, of these disciplines into your life starting today?
Like the disciples, we can do a lot of good things, but if we don’t use these disciplines, we may miss the things that God wants to do in our lives.
God is not desperate for what you or I can do for Him. We should be desperate for what God can do in and through us.
Let me close my message with one last passage…
“Therefore, … as you have always obeyed … continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” Philippians 2:12-13
I encourage you to continue to work on your spiritual disciplines, and “God WILL work in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” in you. Amen.