Following Jesus: How We Discover Our Life's Purpose (Mark 1:14-20)

A sermon preached at Hebron Baptist Church, Denham Springs, Louisiana on January 17, 2010 by Pastor Joe Alain.

Scripture Reading: Mark 1:14-20
Jesus came “proclaiming the good news of God” (v.14). And that good news is that God’s kingdom is here in Jesus! “‘The time has come,’ he said, ‘The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!’” (v.15). The question is, “What kind of kingdom did Jesus say was near?” When we think of a kingdom, we think of a place on a map, an area that is controlled by a king, after all a kingdom must have a king. And we also think of the fact that a kingdom must have subjects. But we don’t like that picture because often a king takes advantage of his subjects. The subjects of the king are the “grunt workers,” the “have nots” of the kingdom, forever destined to be at the bottom of the food chain. Or perhaps we envision a kingdom with ourselves at the head table. In that case, we are the ones who are ruling, who are calling the shots over other poor unfortunate subjects.

Ideas about the Kingdom
When Jesus spoke of a kingdom, the people of his day
thought of . . .
– An Earthly Kingdom
Jesus’ audience imagined a kingdom where Israel was in charge, where Jerusalem would be the capital, and God’s Messiah (the anointed one by God) would extract complete revenge over Israel’s enemies. It would be a kingdom patterned after the kingdoms of David and Solomon only far greater, more spectacular. But that was not the kind of kingdom that Jesus said was “near.”

Another kingdom and hope that the people had in their minds then and now was . . .
– An Otherworldly Future Kingdom
There is a great amount of fascination in our day about the otherworldly future kingdom. Countless best selling books have been published that seek to understand or lay out this future kingdom for us. Amazon retrieves 47,156 hits alone for “The Book of Revelation” and 12,294 for “Bible Prophecy.” There are already 118 books related to the “Mayan Prophecies for 2012,” of which we have all heard about. That number is certain to rise. The “Left Behind” series sold millions. John Hagee has his end times charts. Tim Lahaye, Joel Rosenberg, Hank Hanegraaff are all best-selling authors and end times is their bread and butter.

With a few exceptions (Mark 14:25; 15:43), for Jesus the kingdom of God was . . .
– A Present Spiritual Kingdom, the Reign of God
We could translate the “kingdom of God” as the “kingly rule of God.” The kingdom is internal rather than external, over the hearts of people rather than the military powers of the day. This reign of God has begun in the person of Jesus. Jesus said that this kingdom “is near” (NIV, v.15) or “at hand” (NKJV, ESV). Mark intentionally does not say that it “has come” (Msg.) for the reason that he wants to emphasize both that the kingdom of God is present (now) and still future (then). The kingdom is now for those who accept the rule of the king (Jesus), but the kingdom will not be fully realized or manifested or revealed until the king Jesus returns again. So in a unique way, the kingdom is both present and yet to come.

What we are able to experience as believers now is a glimpse of what is to come. As the hymn states, “Oh what a foretaste of glory divine” (Blessed Assurance). We are able to experience God’s presence now, but then we will be face to face. We are able to have joy and peace now, but then we will have paradise restored. We are able to experience God’s abundant life now, but then we will enjoy life forever with God. We live in the now and the then.

What am I to do with this knowledge about the kingdom? Jesus not only preached that the kingdom of God was near, but He calls us to “Repent and believe the good news!” (v.15). Jesus calls us to enter the kingdom, to allow God’s rule over my life and . . .
– We Enter the Kingdom through Repentance
and Belief
If this sounds familiar it is because John the Baptist preached a similar message. But here’s the difference. Jesus said we are to turn away from our sins (that’s repentance) but we are also called to “believe the good news.” Only Mark highlights this truth which is not surprising because belief or trust is a major theme in Jesus’ message and in Mark’s Gospel. In Mark, faith is commanded, commended, and unbelief is rebuked.

We are commanded to believe, but what do we believe? The good news that God’s kingdom is here in Jesus Christ. Where Jesus Christ is, there the rule, power, and kingdom of God is actively at work. But for people hearing this then and now, this truth about Jesus is not self-evident. To be seen, it must be believed. And when you simply believe, your eyes will be opened to the reality of who Jesus is. However, believing in Jesus is not the end, it’s just the beginning of our new life.

– We Live a Life of Purpose through Following Jesus
This is the first time that we are introduced to the disciples in Mark, but many think that there was an earlier experience where they first believed in Jesus (see Jn. 1:35-42). But here the emphasis is on the call to continuous discipleship. It is one thing to believe in Jesus and receive forgiveness for sins, it is another to fully commit to a life of following Jesus and yet that is exactly what the disciples did and God calls us to a similar lifestyle.

Think of the subtle but important distinction between the call to salvation and the call to discipleship like this. Perhaps you’re invited to join a company. You examine and accept the offer. A little later on the owner calls you aside and says, “I am going to make you my partner. As my partner, you are going to follow me and learn everything there is about this company and how it operates. You will do this so that you can succeed and be prosperous in this company.” You accept this offer to go further in the company. You feel a great sense of joy and purpose because you are invested in the company. Literally, discipleship is partnering with Jesus, following Him and as we do, we discover purpose in life.

Some may ask, “Can you be saved and not be a disciple?” But I would say, “Why would you want to be?” You discover purpose in life only as you follow Jesus. You will never be satisfied on the sideline because God didn’t create you to do that. You were created for so much more. The disciples were created for more than fishing and repairing nets and so are you.

“What if I don’t have that holy ambition? That passion to follow Jesus? After all, it’s pretty comfortable down here where I am.” If that’s you, just begin where you are, tell God how you feel, get close to Him, ask Him to give you a holy ambition, a desire to follow Him. Then before long, you’ll be saying, “put me in coach, I’m ready to play.”

So what is involved in this call to discipleship that Jesus extended to the first disciples and that He is extending to us this morning? What does Jesus mean when He says, “Follow me . . . and I will make you fishers of men” (v.17)? Following Jesus is a major theme in Mark and it is expressed in several different ways, but when you put all the biblical language together you have a fuller picture of what it means to follow Jesus.

Following Jesus involves . . .
1. Response to His Call
Here, the word “Follow” is not a suggestion, it is an imperative, a command and it comes to us in a personal way. Jesus is calling you to salvation and to discipleship. Have you personally responded? I find Jesus’ choice of His first disciples interesting. The first disciples were twelve ordinary men. They were common people, working people, fisherman. Why fisherman? To show us that He wants to do something with us. God chooses ordinary people, common people. It was Lincoln who said, “God must love the common people – He made so many of them.”

It’s also significant that Jesus called these men at work. Their fishing and repairing their equipment. Their in the shop and in the field. The call of God does not have to always come in a stained glass sanctuary, it comes to a man or woman at work or in the home. In the shop, in the field, in the home, in the school, in the store, God wants men and women everywhere to follow Him.

We need to rediscover the truth that we find in the New Testament. That is, there is no sacred and secular as if there are two worlds in which we live. We think that being a committed disciple means enduring many Bible studies at church or holding some kind of position at church. But being a disciple is following Jesus in every area of your life – at home, at work, at the park, wherever and whenever. Think of it like this. Your occupation (i.e., what you do, what occupies your time) may be a school teacher, bank teller, engineer, plant worker, etc., but your vocation (i.e., what you are, what drives you) is to follow Jesus.

2. Attachment to His Person
We follow a person – Jesus! Discipleship is following a person, not a program or institution, or other man. We attach ourselves to Jesus. We encounter problems when we attach ourselves to people or institutions. Eventually our wife, husband, job, church, etc, will disappoint us, we will become disillusioned, burned out. If you try to find your life’s fulfillment in a person or some other thing, you will be unfulfilled and empty. But if you will attach yourself to Jesus, He will never fail, He will never disappoint!

3. Acceptance of His Authority
Following Jesus means that we accept His authority over our lives. Jesus becomes your guide, your mentor, your way, your teacher, your leader. God is not looking for perfect people, he’s not looking for people with leadership abilities, He’s looking for people with the ability to follow. God is not looking for leaders, He has one – Jesus. We don’t need more leaders, we need more followers. The world is looking for leaders, God is looking for followers of Him. The world is looking for better methods, God is looking for better men.

4. Imitation of His Example
We tend to imitate the people that influence us. To follow Jesus is to naturally lead us to imitate His example. What did Jesus say? “Follow me, follow me by responding to me, by attaching yourself to me, by accepting my authority in your life, then I will make you fishers of men.” If we are following Jesus, then we also will be imitating Him by fishing for men. Our heart and actions will be focused on reaching men and women who are lost. Our passion will be to imitate Jesus by extending His grace to our world. Our holy ambition will be to see others enter the kingdom of God. Our efforts will be focused on doing what Jesus did.

To be honest, many of our efforts are not focused on what really matters – bringing people to Jesus and teaching them. What are we doing that is leading others to Jesus? Who are we imitating? Who are we trying to please? God? Or men? If we’re not fishing for men, are we really following Jesus? We need to ask ourselves that question.

5. Continuation and Pursuing His Goal
This means that we’re in it for the long haul. We keep on following Jesus, we keep attaching ourselves to Him (which means if we fall away, we get back at it), we keep on accepting His authority in our lives, we keep on pursuing the goal – His goal which is to become like Him. We keep at our fishing so that others will hear and believe. In following Jesus, we are offered a life long task. The early disciples were not program directors or leaders, they were followers on a mission with a task to be fishers of men. As they followed Jesus, He would make them fishers of men. They would find a life filled with purpose.

The first disciples responded with a sense of urgency. “At once they left their nets and followed him” (v.18). “Without delay . . . they left their father . . . and followed him” (v.20). Why does a man leave something? He does so only if he thinks there is something of greater value and purpose. Men pursue things in life from various motivations. Some pursue things out of a sense of adventure. Some for money. Some for glory and honor. The kingdom of God is of such great value and purpose that all else pales in comparison. Jesus is calling men and women today. He’s calling people to a great work, a work that He will empower you to do, a work that will change history, a work that begins with a decision of the heart and will, a decision to follow Jesus.

For His Glory!
Pastor Joe