Mark 1:14-20 Turn to Victory
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Developmental question: Remember the little board game called LIFE. Do you feel like you are winning at life? Do you feel like you are living victoriously in the midst of the monotony of life?
Soldiers, Sailors, and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force!
You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hope and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you. In company with our brave Allies and brothers-in-arms on other Fronts, you will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world.
Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped and battle-hardened. He will fight savagely.
But this is the year 1944! Much has happened since the Nazi triumphs of 1940-41. The United Nations have inflicted upon the Germans great defeats, in open battle, man-to-man. Our air offensive has seriously reduced their strength in the air and their capacity to wage war on the ground. Our Home Fronts have given us an overwhelming superiority in weapons and munitions of war, and placed at our disposal great reserves of trained fighting men. The tide has turned! The free men of the world are marching together to Victory!
I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full Victory!
Good luck! And let us beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking.
Dwight D. Eisenhower June 6, 1944 SUPREME HEADQUARTERS ALLIED EXPEDITIONARY FORCE
Jesus Did Not Tie with Satan in the Wilderness
Jesus Did Not Tie with Satan in the Wilderness
Once the Allies had a beach head on the coast of France the Race to Berlin was on and the defeat of the Nazis was inevitable. When Jesus stood up to Satan’s Temptation in the Wilderness at that point Satan and the hosts of Hell knew that the Race to the Cross was on their defeat as well as the defeat of sin death and Hell was inevitable.
Thus Jesus proclaimed the gospel. The gospel is a declaration of victory.
Explain the History behind the word gospel. Good News after a battle. A lookout would watch from a tower and see if the runner has good new or not. This is why Is 52.7 says, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news.”
John the Baptist was handed over to prison like Jesus would be handed over by Judas.
It seems like a defeat because of the arrest of John but that was only to fulfill the time as verse 15 says. God’s plan was for John to prepare the way then get out of the way and let Jesus win the victory.
Sometimes even bad things pave the way for something God ordained that will be life changing or even in this case historic in a positive sense.
But what kind of good new is this? It is good news about the kingdom of God. It is a message of God’s victory. A kingdom implies that there is a king. A king implies that there is One under whose authority you have come. This is why the people say of Jesus in verse 22. He does not teach like the scribes but He teaches as one with authority.
This authoritative, good news requires a response. Repent and Believe!
The King has won there are going to be some changes made to this broken kingdom and those changes begin with you.
Repentance means turning in the Greek. To turn away from an existing object of trust. It can also mean to change one’s mind.
It Happened on a Beach
It Happened on a Beach
Let me tell you a story that displays what repentance looks like.
It is the same story that Mark tells use here.
It happened on a beach. You could feel the warm air blowing off the water. The lake often warm because it set some 685 feet below sea level.
The Sea (a Semitic designation) of Galilee, a warm-water lake about 7 miles wide and 13 miles long, about 685 feet below sea level, was the scene of a thriving fishing industry. It was geographically central to Jesus’ Galilean ministry
Fishing took place at night. during the day the fisherman would mend, dry and prepare their nets for the night when the fish were easiest to catch.
The Fishing was not a leisurely activity. It was an active laborious pursuit. The nets were weighted and had to be cast and drawn back often.
If you were not casting the net then you were siting in the boat mending the net.
Jesus asked them to follow him. The Old Testament Prophets did not ask people to follow them but to follow God.
They turned from their nets and turned to Jesus. They turned away from their father and their friends their thriving business and turned to Jesus.
The Bible Knowledge Commentary (1:17–18)
Later events (cf. vv. 29–31 Jesus heals Peter’s Mother-in-law) show that their response meant not a repudiation of their homes but rather giving Jesus their full allegiance (cf. 10:28 Peter said, look we have left everything to follow you.)
Unlike the Rabbis of that time whose pupils sought them out. Jesus took the initiative to call His own followers to “Go behind Him as a disciple”.
Follow me is literally “Come after Me” a technical expression that meant “Go behind me as a disciple”.
This Christianity thing is not any different than it was for Simon and Andrew and James and John. The same Jesus who called those first men calls you. His message to them is His message to you. Jesus calls you to follow Him. Not to go before Him or beside him but behind Him. When you follow the Lord get to go before you. He gets to fight your battles for you. He gets to clear the way and protect you.
Shepherds in the bible times lead their sheep… they went before them.
In fact remember what they called the 1st Christians? The Way …Because that is what they did and we still do we follow Jesus who is the Way.... We don’t just follow Him along the way …He is the Way.
Jesus still calls people from the monotony and routine…He calls us from the ordinary to do the extraordinary. Remember they were not looking for Jesus He was looking for them. Jesus is looking for you. Jesus want to use you. Jesus wants to call you. Jesus wants to have a relationship with you. I a world were people seem to not care Jesus cares.
Jesus preached to the crowds but the call to follow is give directly to individuals. Remember when Jesus first called you individually?
When Jesus says, “I will make you fish for people,” he is describing the transformation of their lives, not simply a job catching new members or followers. He could just as easily have said to the carpenters, “Follow me, and you will build the kingdom of heaven.” To the farmers, “Follow me, and you will grow God’s people. To the doctors, “Follow me, and you will heal the brokenness of the world.” To the teachers, “Follow me, and you will open minds and hearts to the presence of God.” To the parents, “Follow me, and you will nurture new life.”
The call to follow comes with a promises. They will become fishers of men. Jesus calls you to point others to Him.
What does it mean to you to follow Jesus? Who is the One calling you to follow? Is He a good moral teacher… Or is He the Son of God the King who is proclaiming the good new of the coming victory of His Kingdom?
helping people with their mental health vs. helping people with money.
As american’s we are taught that turning away is like giving up. and changing our mind is like admitting we are wrong. American’s bristle at the idea of repenting of anything.
But there is nothing shameful in turning to Victory. The same is when we who know Jesus carry on with the monotony and routine like life has not changed.
Victory has been declared and we have been called to turn to it. You might be amazed what it does for you mental health if you believed in the gospel of God. If you believed in the reality of His victory.
It happened on a beach. Victory was declared on a beach. The beaches of Normandy and Omaha, Eisenhower even said, “We will accept nothing less than full victory. Jesus also called his first disciples on a beach. The greatest of the disciples.
Find a beach. Find a place where you can turn away from the rat race of this world and keeping up with the Jones and the monotony and follow Jesus. He has declared victory find a beach and follow after Him.
When the time came to completion, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba, Father!” So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then God has made you an heir.
A psalm of David.
The earth and everything in it,
the world and its inhabitants,
belong to the Lord;
for he laid its foundation on the seas
and established it on the rivers.
Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord?
Who may stand in his holy place?
The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who has not appealed to what is false,
and who has not sworn deceitfully.
He will receive blessing from the Lord,
and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
Such is the generation of those who inquire of him,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob.
Selah
Lift up your heads, you gates!
Rise up, ancient doors!
Then the King of glory will come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The Lord, strong and mighty,
the Lord, mighty in battle.
Lift up your heads, you gates!
Rise up, ancient doors!
Then the King of glory will come in.
Who is he, this King of glory?
The Lord of Armies,
he is the King of glory.
Selah