The Authority of Christ

(This message was preached 12/16/15 at Heritage Baptist Church http://tinysa.com/sermon/1216152055443)

THESIS: To explain the authority of Christ, and how said authority impacts the believer.

This evening we’ll be considering the verses 21 to 28 of the 1^st chapter of Mark.  Please turn there and follow along as I read. Mark 1:21-28, “And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught.  And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes.  And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God.

And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him.  And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him. And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him.  And immediately his fame spread abroad throughout all the region round about Galilee.”

We have here the narrative account of Christ’s effect as He taught.  We do not in this account get a glimpse into what he was teaching, only that He had a profound effect upon all present!  All we are told outside of this was that it was his practice to go to the synagogue and teach on the Sabbath.  The question of Christ’s effect as he taught is the only significant issue at hand and to this question we turn this evening.  To answer it we need to consider the two portions of the account and find what might have led Mark to include it in his Gospel.  Luke has a parallel account we will also consider.  First off, it may appear that there are two matters dealt with here, Christs teaching and His exorcising a demon.  That would not be accurate.  The demons exorcism is germane to the account of Christs teaching as we will see.

The effect of Christ was such that as he taught, people began to be aware that he taught quite differently from the other Rabbi’s and men who taught in the synagogue.  This was not a just a difference in style, but something much greater!  The Scripture says they were astonished at his teaching.  The Greek work behind astonished is ekplaso and has at its root to be struck.  We might say they were literally awestruck or dumbstruck as he taught.  John Gill says of the teaching that “he penetrated them with it.” [1]

We are told immediately the reason for their thoughts, for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes.  

Consider this – the actual authority of the Scribes was being called into question by Him!  Not explicitly, yet how He taught betrayed the ill manner they taught.  In their minds we must suppose that He taught them in such a way as to call out the very errors of the Scribes – using the Scriptures themselves as the authoritative resource.  But not the Scriptures only, for having established His position He went on to speak directly as the authority.  We need to give some background here.

I want to do three things at this point.  I’d like to give four of the many examples of Christ’s authority being demonstrated from other passages, I want to give a small history lesson on rabbinical teaching methods, and then close with some dialogues of Christ in the gospel of John.  We’ll begin with examples of Christ’s authority.

1.   Consider Christ’s authority as demonstrated in the Sermon on the Mount.  Turn to Matthew 5:20, “For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.   Ye have heard that it was said of them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.” (5:20-22a)

Jump ahead to verse 31, “It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:  But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.” (5:31-32) Christ expounds the Scripture and very plainly adds to the requirement!  He did so on His own authority!  What would you think if I or anyone else did that?!

2.   Christ authority in cleansing the temple.  Here we are presented with an almost renegade of a man! John tells us he made a scourge of small cords and drove them out!  (John 2:13-17)  Now we know that He did this more than once.  In John 2 we read that this was the Jewish Passover then later in John 12 we read of the last Passover when Christ was our sacrifice.  When Mark records for us the temple’s cleansing, he ties it directly to Palm Sunday thus his account is of a second cleansing just prior to His sacrifice for us. In Mark’s account, no one questions him that day, but the day following the ‘so-called’ authorities of the temple ask that famous question. Please read with me in Mark 11:27 and following, “And they come again to Jerusalem: and as he was walking in the temple, there come to him the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders, And say unto him, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority to do these things?

And Jesus answered and said unto them, I will also ask of you one question, and answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men? Answer me.

And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why then did ye not believe him? But if we shall say, Of men; they feared the people: for all men counted John, that he was a prophet indeed. And they answered and said unto Jesus, We cannot tell. And Jesus answering saith unto them, Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things.” (Mark 11:27-33) Do you see what authority the Scribes and Pharisee’s stood upon?  That of other men – they even feared the people.  Christ, on the other hand establishes His authority, in the very testimony of John the Baptist, who indeed was known to be a prophet, that this is the Son of God!

3.   His authority in His preaching at Nazareth (Luke 4:16-22) - This account actually precedes immediately our passage today.  Christ is teaching in Nazareth and is handed the scroll of Isaiah.  He reads a small portion of Isaiah 61 and then proclaims, “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.”  Let me ask you, from what source did He discern that?!  From Himself!  He makes no apology for it, in fact He goes on speaking and provokes the wrath in those unbelieving Jews so much that he is nearly thrown over a cliff! 

4.   Finally – His authority in sending the 12 and later the 70.  We read in Luke 9:1-2 that He gave them power and authority over devils and diseases.  Luke 10 is similar.  How can one give authority or power which one does not have?

At work I have been given a credit card.  I have authority and power to do all the purchasing for the department I work.  In fact, I do nearly 80 - 90 percent without any explicit permission.  The power has been granted and I use it at will.  Yet I am not free to do whatever I want with that power.  If I bought a ham radio for my personal use, I would quickly find that power and authority lost – I might even lose the job! 

At home, I am the man of the house, and as such I can establish the rules.  Yet even there I have to tow the line.  If I suddenly begin to trample the rights of my wife or children – asking of them things I have no right to ask them Scripturally – I am outside of my responsibilities and in danger of losing the commission. 

Folks, any authority we carry is a derived authority from one another.   We can do nothing outside of our granted authority without risking our possession of it. 

But in the case of Christ we see something different.  Christ preaches something they don’t like – and instead of Him going over the cliff – he escapes their grasp and goes on – for it was not yet His time.  He cleanses the temple and no one interferes.  The following day being challenged the ‘so called’ authorities are not satisfied but sent off with a stern word, Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things.  Men sent to arrest Christ return saying, “Never did a man speak like this before!” Christ’s authority is derived from his deity, ours is from our relationships. 

In our account we have a demon crying out suddenly.  Our text reads, “What have we to do with thee” (vs. 24) but it is probably better rendered, “Why do you interfere with us, Jesus of Nazareth?”[2]  John Knox tells us that even the demons were struck by the teaching of Christ![3]

Demonic possession is really a problem of authority or power.  The person afflicted does not have full control of his faculties and the demon exercises his will over that person.  So Christ’s teachings were a direct assault on this demon.  And when the demon comes under the direct command of Christ – though against his will – he obeys Christ, screeching as he goes.

At this point I’d like to begin a breakdown of the teaching of the Scribes.  I have 3 different sources on rabbinical teaching methods as they relate to Christ’s teaching.  First let’s consider J. Dwight Pentecost’s observations.  He states, “The scribal method was to quote the ancient Rabbis and compare teacher with teacher…. The scribes sought to produce witnesses to support their interpretations of the Scriptures.”[4]   Folks this leads me to a question.  How does what the Rabbis did, as Pentecost described, differ from what we do right here in this pulpit?!  Isn’t it the case that I frequently quote the works of Tozer, Lloyd-Jones, Spurgeon and others?  Don’t Mike, Don & Tim do the same? 

Before we answer this charge it might be helpful to see what two others have to say regarding the Scribal method.  

James Morrison says in his Practical Commentary on the Gospel according to St. Mark, “The scribes were proud of their ability to lead their hearers through endless mazes of the imaginations of the preceding rabbis….They would have no power, or almost none to move the conscience toward true goodness or to stir the love of the heart toward God and toward men.”[5]

I really like the way Morrison puts it.  The scribes weren’t interested in leading the congregation into more holiness – but rather to gain their approval by speaking almost philosophically and moving their minds – but not their hearts.

John Shepard states “They had been accustomed to hearing the rabbis quote extensively the opinions of their predecessors claiming no authority to say a word of their own….Here was a preacher (speaking of Christ) who made His appeal direct to the Scriptures and to God….[He] held in his own possession the authority and right to speak the final words to their hungry hearts.” [6]

We are not committing the same sin, but realize this – we could fall into that very same sin.  It is possible that some in this room have indeed sinned in the same way.  What exactly is this sin which the rabbis were guilty of and which we are in danger of?  When men measure their doctrine against that of other men, and not first by the Scripture, we lose our authority.  If we quote Spurgeon, is it because we seek to lead this congregation to holy living, or are we using him to break down doctrinal straw men we set up previously – so that we look more intelligent?  In other words are the men who preach from this pulpit leading you to more frivolity in discussion and debate, or are we seeking a more reverent congregation? Shall we debate Arminianism, or dispensationalism so as to lift ourselves up before you?!

When we measure man versus man we do no one good.  This is not for the pulpit.  There may be a place for it, but it is not the pulpit.  We cheapen the pulpit by lowering our doctrinal beliefs as though these matters were up to debate.  Never!  The authority of the Word is not to be debated – It is to be reckoned with!

If I discuss whether a man’s doctrinal system is right while in the pulpit, it can be that I begin to sit in judgement of the man and the Scriptures as I interpret them. It is they which judge me!  How dare anyone toy with a passage of Scripture as though it were a sort of mental exercise!

When we today reference a godly man of the past – it should be to give weight to the Word – not to debate matters.

Consider the tenor of these two verses in 1^st Timothy: Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do. (1 Tim 1:4)

But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. (1 Tim. 4:7)

Both of these verses speak to handling the Word of God with reverence and seeking godliness in our study of it.  Paul is instructing Timothy, a young minister on the purpose of Scriptural instruction.  And it is not to bring matters up to debate – but to bring the people to godly living.

We must seek to know this book.  But we must seek to do it for the right reasons, and a primary reason is godliness.  Why?  Because godliness glorifies God.  It is the very root of the matter.  If we believe Romans 11:36, “For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory forever. Amen.” then we must study this book, for it is the authoritative witness to us of God through Christ, by the Spirit.  There is much we may not know about the Father – but what is revealed is so revealed that we might be a people set apart for His good pleasure – which is to us, a godly life.  Want to know about God?  Look to Christ!  For there we see Him in radiant splendor as we study our Bibles.  And folks – consider this, we may not see him as did the apostles, yet we know (if we are the children of God) that we will see him face to face!  For now it is through dark glass of the Scriptures. (1 Cor. 13:12)  Yet we are not left without the light of the Holy Spirit to illumine these pages to our hearts!    Let us study and ruminate over this book!

In the book of John we read of several long dialogues Christ had teaching His disciples and others in the crowd.  In studying them briefly, we will again be struck by the question of the authority of Christ.  We read of one such dialogue in John 5:33-47.  We’ll only look at verses 39 – 47 today, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life. I receive not honour from men. But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you. I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.  How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only? Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust. For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me; for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?” (John 5:39-47) Christ calls them out because they will not accept the Father’s witness of Christ.  Verse 43 bears repeating. [bold italics above] The phrase “in my Father’s name” is a reference to both the authority of the Father, and the relationship of Christ to the Father.

Another passage is found in John 6.  It is known as the Discourse on the Bread of Life.  It is a rather extensive dialogue and time will not permit me to read it completely.  But let me reflect on its context with you, and a brief snippet within.  Shortly after the feeding of the 5000 the crowd has been seeking Christ.  They are not interested in the Father’s plan – they want to make Him king (6:15).  Please follow along in John 6:34-42, “Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.

And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not. All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that everyone which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven. And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven?” (John 6:34-42)

Note how the issue at hand was who Christ was – for this is what establishes His authority.  Verses 38-39 especially speak to that point, yet in verse 42 they question that authority, because of unbelief. The questioning of Christ’s authority is always a matter of unbelief!

There is just one other passage I’d like to point you to and it is found in the next chapter of John.  Turn to John 7, and look down to verses 14-20.  Again we have Christ teaching and this time in the temple.  Follow along as I read, “Now about the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and taught. 15 And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?

16 Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself. He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.

19 Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law? Why go ye about to kill me? The people answered and said, Thou hast a devil: who goeth about to kill thee?” (John 7:14-20)

Note the question posed in verse 15. [above] Our Lord gives answer immediately pointing them to the Father in verses 16-18.  Read further down and you’ll see the same thing in John 7:25-30.  I hope that this exercise in the authority of Christ reaches to your very heart!  There are numberless passages we could have looked at and indeed I left many I had hoped to consider. 

So how does our acknowledgment of Christ’s authority touch us?  We who hold to His authority over us, must hold to the authority of the Scriptures over us in every area of our lives!

How does the abandonment of the Bible as authoritative by the rest of the world affect us who still hold and claim the Bible as authoritative in our lives?  In one arena, we could claim that it ultimately does not matter, seeing that God is the Author and Sovereign and therefore we are bound to hold the truth.  And while this is true, it cannot be said that it matters not at all. 

It does matter - in that we will be challenged to bend to the masses.  We cannot do so insofar as the truth of His Word bears upon us.  So there is the rub.  We who hold the Word of God in highest regard will be challenged on our position regularly, and be pressured to compromise.  As public opinion goes increasingly against the Word, we will be subject not only to pressure, but eventually to outright persecution.

Brethren - Let us not lose hope, but remember that if the world persecuted our Lord, it will persecute us.  Recall that they tried to cast Him over a cliff!  Should we expect better treatment?  Consider what we read in John's gospel, "Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you." (John 15:20)  Later in John 16:33, we read, "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." 

---

[1] Gill, John. Exposition on the Entire Bible. Entry on Luke 4:32
[2] Both John MacArthur and F.F. Bruce concur on this translation change.
[3] Notes in Geneva Bible on Luke 4:34
[4] Pentecost, J. Dwight. The words and works of Jesus Christ: A study of the life of Christ. Grand Rapids. Zondervan Publishing House. 1995
[5] Morrison, James. A Practical Commentary on the Gospel according to St. Mark. London. Hodder and Stoughton. 1892
[6] Shepard, John W. The Christ of the Gospels. Grand Rapids. Eerdmans.  1946
 

 

Our Greatest Challenge

This was written 11-27-1996 (19 years ago!) before the internet blog was common, for a church newsletter.  It does (to me) seem dated, yet it still has some valid points.  I would probably write it quite differently today, but to keep it in it's setting, time, place, and writers style, I will not change it, but I may add comments in red.

It seems apparent that something has gone wrong. Why do people feel nothing when they see others violently die in a television news show? How is it that we can have horrible vengeful thoughts against the one who cuts us off in heavy traffic? To what extent will perversion of the law need to go? Why does the world seem to be in a great moral and Spiritual spiral downward heading who knows where? I have for a long time known that the answer is to be found within the Bible, but it is truly difficult to find the answer until we can really understand the problem which underlies the crash our society is experiencing.

When we as Christians feel at a loss to explain these things among ourselves, it can be difficult to explain them to others. In our effort to explain them to others we can easily bypass the most important foundations for the answers to these questions people are looking for.

We say there is sin in the world. We say the world is full of sinners. Granted. ...but we also say the world is not our home. We cry out in anger that if only we could get a Christian in office (you fill in the political place) we would not see such horrible societal shames. We say that the problems of the world are due to the lack of Christian involvement.

What is not always apparent to us as Christians is these answers are actually hurting the situation. Not only are they insincere, they are filled with all kinds of other messages. Such as the world is not our home so I don’t care. Or, if we could get a Christian in office then things would be better since Christians don’t sin. Or worse yet, if we could get a Christian in office we could get rid of (you fill in the blank) and establish credibility in America. It is as if to say all non-Christians are beasts! Of course, I am not advocating any form of perfectionism here, just positing the ideas which some seem to implicitly embrace.

One of the strongest examples of this poor attitude is in some recent T.V. commercials. The goal of it is to persuade those people on the side of a womans choice that abortion is wrong. What happens during these ads I do not know. One scene of each of these ads shows a poor aborted baby. This is a shame to Christians everywhere!

Christians, who purport to value life, and the dignity of life, and who use this value as a tenant of their belief against abortion, have abandoned this tenant when they show ads such as these. Any ordinary person who has died is given a proper respectful place of display in a casket, open or closed, prior to burial. If the deceased one had died in a horrible disfiguring accident the casket would be closed. This is due to the value all people place on human life. How can we justify our attitude with ads such as these? This is both convicting to me, but I also see the validity to the display now.  We only need to look at Emmet Till to find a modern parallel. I think I have changed my position on the matter - but I am not certain - for the points I raised are still valid.  The issue is not that human dignity is not sacred, but that the crimes ought not be 'swept under the rug' for decency sake.  As long as there is a reverence for the life taken, since this one not only deserves dignity, but also justice, showing the crime, by presenting the results, may be reasonable.

There is the response that we have up to this time given to the world when they ask rightly, "Why is the world in such a mess as it is?". As a Christian I have been grieved by the answers given by such groups as "The Christian Coalition", or "The COalition of Politically Active Christians (COPAC)". It seems as though something dreadful has happened. Have we actually bought into the idea that society can be changed by changing the laws? It seems so, since these organizations would cease to exist without some form of donation. What about the Biblical truth that renewal comes from a change in the heart!? (see II Corinthians 5:17-18 & Romans 12:1-2). Haven’t we turned the equation around. If we think that the heart will change if the laws are different we are kidding ourselves. Changing the laws in Washington will not affect those who desire to have an abortion! I do not believe that we as Christians are showing true humility in the answers we have been giving. Have we forgotten God’s sovereignty? Do we no longer believe God is really in control?  Now, while I agree with all of this, I do not mean to say that we should not be seeking to end abortion legally - but that the reasons we are doing so, are frequently to invalidate the gospel!

We are not to judge non-Christians. God has already condemned them for their sin as he did you and I. We ought to pray for them, care for them, love them, so that they are no longer our enemies. Moreover we should witness to them of our God and Savior Jesus the Messiah who is in control (if we really believe that...) and Who desires them to accept the sacrifice He paid for the payment of their sins by dying on the cross.

When we stoop to such a level as we have been, we trade jab for jab with our opponents in a boxing match we will loose. If we who are Christians jump down to their level, we deny the sovereignty of God by saying "God is not doing anything (or enough), so I guess I’ll have to go to work to help Him!", and "God’s obviously impotent, so I’ll have to pitch-hit for Him!"

How can this be!? Our battle should be placed before the Lord. Who are we, as puny people, to dare speak to God this way. Our actions have been screaming this and more.

In Corinth, Paul had a situation where a Christian brother was having an affair with his stepmother and boasting about it. Even the gentiles were in shame over such a sin. Is it any wonder our evangelistic efforts are ineffective? May we seek to do good in a right way and not just so the end is justified - lest our efforts to do good be invalidated.   

Our Greatest Loss

This was written 11-23-1996 (19 years ago!) before the internet blog was common for a church newsletter.  It does (to me) seem dated, yet it still has some valid points.  I would probably write it quite differently today, but to keep it in it's setting, time, place, and writers style, I will not change it, but I may add comments in red.

There have been many things upon my heart to write recently. It is my hope that this short essay elicits some very deep thoughts. We have, as a society, given in to the sound bite to such a degree that I don’t think we think deeply enough. It is not as though we are shallowminded, but rather we tend to get flabby minded because we do not exercise our deep thinking skills enough.
The title of this essay is Our greatest loss. As a society we have truly lost something invaluable. Some might say that we never had it, but I believe that we all have it to varying degrees and some of us have surrendered more of it than others. What is it that we have lost?

What we have lost is of a cost too great to be paid. Although in theory some might try to regain it by working hard. Let me try to explain. This which we have lost has left us each with an emptiness where it once was. So we try to fill the hole or cover the hole so as to appear whole and be whole in and of ourselves. Since what we have lost is so difficult to replace we spend inordinate amounts of time and money to find the perfect fit, something to hide our great loss. What is worse, we lose more and more of it on a regular basis for varying reasons. In sort of a desperation we begin to point to other people and their loss to redirect the attention of people away from what has now become our shame.

Confused yet!! It really should be apparent, yet because of our attempts to hide our loss, it may not be. I am referring to the loss of our innocence. Not only as a people, or nation, but as individuals. It is innocence which we seek to find, as we diligently look to fill the place it once resided within our hearts. And this was in Adam.
As a participant observer I have seen this search take many forms, in others as well as myself. One might long for the "good ol’ days" however they are defined for him. Another might immerse herself in a search of her roots. Some might try to redefine innocence as something far less so, thereby finding consolation in that they have not lost so much. Personally, I have felt a strong desire to live in a small town like where I grew up.

No matter how hard we try, innocence is not going to be found. Except by the guilt that takes it’s place naturally. Which brings us to the difficult part of this essay. Earlier I mentioned all of us having some degree of innocence. This means that we all have varying degrees of guilt as well. Some of you will not agree.

Guilt implies some law to exist in order that it may be broken. Some of you may disagree that any law exists, but many laws exist, some with great permanency. For instance, take the law of gravity. It exists as surely as you can walk on the earth, for without it you couldn’t! The laws of nature are not laws that one can take or leave. We are all subject to them. A man cannot give birth to a baby. If you really believe you can pick and choose what laws to obey, why do we all look both ways before we cross the street? Because it’s either the bus or me! (credit the example to Dr. Ravi Zacharias)

To whom or what do we therefore have this guilt? Or are the laws we live by just random chance, as in the theory of evolution. If so, we are truly in a hopeless position and might just as well eat, drink, and party, for who knows what comes next?

Scary thought, and dismal too, isn’t it? Many of us live in just this paradox. We live in such a broken up, sound bite world. We tend to have our whole life in tiny compartments. Thereby the guilt we feel in one area need not affect our whole life. Who are we kidding?! We are whole people who are guilty though our whole being. It is important to remember that though we have varying degrees of guilt, any bit of guilt at all results in that we are now guilty. Perhaps not so guilty as another, but indeed guilty. We may not even feel the guilt, but we do feel the loss of innocence. If there really is a law out there which we have broken, the penalty must be paid, so that we can get on with life. What kind of life is it to hide guilt all day long? Or to hide our loss?

To whom or what do we therefore have this guilt? To the lawmaker, most obviously. God did create the world, and the rules which govern it. Therefore it is to Him that we need to pay the penalty. Recall my earlier statement - what we have lost is of a cost too great to be paid. Our guilt has too high a price tag for us to pay. If not surely we would have determined the price. Consider some of the great religions of the world, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Shintoism. They each had some price to free people from their guilt. Some sort of sacrifice usually, although in various forms. Either a personal sacrifice of lifestyle, or an actual sacrificial offering given to a priest to be offered up to God. Yet none of these things is satisfactory to a God who is all powerful and perfect. Even our best sacrificial efforts to pay for our guilt are unacceptable. Why should this be so? Why can’t God just accept our offerings and restore our innocence? It is much like a young boy who has disobeyed his father. The boy can make all kinds of attempts to satisfy his father but he must realize that his father doesn’t want any of that.

God is ready to forgive you, free you of your guilt, and restore your innocence. Are you ready to quit trying to earn your right to be heard by God? Isn’t it enough to know he desires only that you recognize Him as God, and He has already set up a rule for restoration? For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life. God did not send his Son into the world to be its judge, but to be its Savior.

Please, if you have not settled accounts with God, do so today! Tommorrow has never been promised. Speak to Pastor John or Dave or one of the Deacons about this essay.These men were the Pastors and deacons of Forest Glen Baptist Church, Chicago IL  If you live out of the Forest Glen area speak to the Pastor of the church local to you. Why gamble on tommorrow living a semi-satisfying existence? I would not have worded this last sentence like this today.  My revision might look like this, "Why gamble on God's grace - you do not know if you have tomorrow!" 

If Christ provides only a part of our salvation, leaving us to provide the rest, then we are still hopeless under the load of sin. - J. Gresham Machen

This is what my mother struggled with 2 months before she succumbed. She said to me, "I just don't know if I have done enough for Him." I then illustrated to her again how that Christ died for her sins BEFORE she had yet to commit even one of them! "Which of them" I asked, "did He not die for? Surely you do not think that He died for only those sins you committed until you believed?" She left uncertain that night. I can only hope her trust was in the Lord Alone! My mother passed April 18th, 2004.

The Calling of Christ

(This message was preached 11/18/15 at Heritage Baptist Church http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=1119151234296 )

THESIS: to illustrate the call of the Lord upon believers and the appropriate response to said call.

This evening we’ll be considering the next 7 verses in Mark Chapter 1.  Please turn there, vs. 14-20, “Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

Now as he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men. And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him. And when he had gone a little farther thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets. And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after him.” (Mark 1:14-20)

Introduction

This is the 4^th time I am speaking to you from Mark, and I’d like to remind you of the essential themes of each message.  The First message, on verses 1 – 8, were on John the Baptist and his preparing a people for the Christ. Next we considered verse 9 – 11, the baptism of Christ. Last month we looked at verses 12 – 13, the temptation of Christ. 

Are you seeing a pattern develop?  Today’s message is on The Call of Christ.  You see, while the various gospel accounts each have their own individual theme, together the overarching theme is Christ, the Messiah has come!

And as we are looking at Mark once again, I’d like to ask if there are any of our young people who can tell me what is the theme of Mark, or the key verse.

The revealing of the servant of the Lord.

“For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45)

Verses 14-15 we read of the arrival of Christ, immediately after his baptism and temptation.  Recall that Galilee was some 90 miles north Judea and of the city of Jerusalem.  Here it is that Christ officially begins his ministry.   Towns such as Cana, Capernaum, Nain, Bethsaida, and Nazareth are found there, as well as the Sea of Galilee.  This sea has had a number of names over the years.  The Sea of Gennesaret, the Sea of Galilee, and the Sea of Tiberius.  Mark simply calls it the Sea of Galilee. 

To give you an idea of the size of the sea, compared to a nearby lake, Geneva Lake in Wisconsin.  This lake is 8 square miles in surface area.  The Sea of Galilee is by contrast 64 Square miles. 

It is in this area Christ begins to preach much the same message as John.  And after John is essentially off the scene.  Christ calls out Repent and believe the gospel!  The time is come!

Body of Message

Mark simply tells us that He saw Simon and Andrew casting their net into the sea.  What we don’t read here is that it was Christ who asked them to do so! 

In Luke 5:1-11 we read of the same account from Luke’s point of view.  It is a familiar account.  Please follow along as I read.

And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret, And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets. And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship.

Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake.

And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken: And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men. And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him. (Luke 5:1-11)

So here we have Christ using Peter’s boat as a platform to teach the people (v. 3). I want you to notice the response of Peter – He explains to Christ that the fish aren’t cooperating!  We have toiled all night and taken nothing. Nevertheless, at thy word, I will let down the net.   

And after the amazing catch we see Peter’s confession in verse 8, Depart from me Lord, for I am a sinful man.  Our Lord’s response is a compassionate one, as seen in the phrase Fear not!

So as we go along I have to ask, why are the two accounts different?  Again we are forced to address this question!  One reason, I suspect, is that Mark is, as he gathered his material from Peter, only reflecting Peter’s recollections.  In addition, Mark himself may be helping Peter save face in not recording the confession, “I am a sinful man”

Does it matter that Marks account is less complete than that of Luke’s?  I bring this up because we live in a day when the foundations are being destroyed, and our foundation is the Word of God!

While I was a student at Bible school, I was taught the synoptic ‘problem’ and it’s ‘solution’ – a figmentary document called ‘Q’.  Never mind that no such document has ever been found or even referenced historically.  Yet here at a supposedly conservative school was this liberal theory being taught!

Yet apart from this false theory, we do have to address the question of Mark’s apparent incompleteness.  As believers in the inerrancy of Scripture, that it is without error, and its infallibility, that it is unfailing, we therefore look to this Book as the complete Word of God.

Does the book of Mark stand apart from the Scripture as God’s Word?  There may be a sense in which it does. Yet such times are long past.  Marks account stands as part of a completed Canon. We look at the whole of the Bible as Scripture and though any given unit is a complete unit, the Bible itself is only completed if all the individual books are a part.  Mark does NOT stand alone.  We must allow Scripture to inform us on Scripture.  One of my very favorite study tools is the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. It is an extensive list of cross-references on each and every verse in the Bible.  Get a copy if you don’t have it!

So we are right to consider Luke’s account as we exposit Mark.  Indeed we would be wrong not to do so! Let us now go on to the theological matters of the call of the Lord upon our lives.  In verse 20 of our text we see what the Lord did was to call the men.  Therefore let’s do a short word study.

A.  Review of the textual examples the word call

a.    The call to life (effectual call) John 11:43, Lazarus, come forth!

This is that first or primary call which one hears and which results in our salvation.  Our brother has been preaching on this very passage for a number of weeks so I won’t dig too deeply here.  We were dead in sins and trespasses and hearing the call, are made alive in Christ.  When Christ calls a man – he is bound to come.  It has been said down through the ages, that if Jesus in calling Lazarus to come forth had only said, “Come forth!” all the dead would have arisen. 

b.   Calls in Genesis

                                                            i.      Gen. 17:5, This is the renaming of Abram (exalted father) to Abraham (father of a multitude). The application of the term reflects here a recognition of a change in relationship.  Abram is not the high father any longer, but God having exalted him even higher – by making him a father of many nations, changes his name to show him that which was, but was not yet.

                                                        ii.      21:12, “for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.” This is using the word call as a reference to a position. Rebecca was being tormented over her son Isaac, by Hagar.  This long awaited son, born to an elderly couple would be to great Joy and not trouble. Hagar’s son would NOT have the position.

                                                     iii.      32:27-28 (also 35:10) Jacob (supplanter) is renamed Israel (Contended with God) after the wrestling with God.

 

c.    NT Examples of a change in relationship or identity

                                                            i.      Rom. 1:1, 6, 7; 8:28 “called to be an apostle”, “the called of Jesus Christ”, “called to be saints”

                                                        ii.      I Cor. 1:1, 2, 24 “called to be an apostle”, “called to be saints”, “But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.”

                                                     iii.      Jude 1 “Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called.”

                                                      iv.      Rev. 17:14b “they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.”

 

d.   Examples of a change in purpose

                                                            i.      I Thes. 4:7 “For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.”

                                                        ii.      II Thes. 1:11a “Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling”

                                                     iii.      II Tim. 1:9a “Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling”

I went through that long list to establish something.  There are many, many, more verses we could look up in order to be exhaustive in the matter.  But I believe I have selected enough to establish the following point.

The idea of the call brings with it a measure of identity.  It brings with it a measure of relationship.  And it brings a responsibility to the table.  When Christ calls you to follow Him, it is no light matter.  Your identity is utterly changed!  You are not who you once were!  And what you do now, in light of this new creation you have become is a reflection of that change.  Not only is it a reflection of the change, what you do, how you live, who you befriend, how you speak – all of these things, and many more, reflect upon the One who called you.  There is that aspect of relationship. 

There was once a time, when you did not concern yourself with what you did and how you did it, unless it bugged you personally.  Now however, you want to live so that He who has called you to new life sees that new life within!  You want to show Him his calling was NOT in vain! 

For those of you who are married, you have a new calling, now that you are bonded to another.  Indeed, if you were the female you even had your name changed!  This is that same idea.  So when we think of Christ calling Peter to be a fisher of men – this was no small matter either to Christ, or to Peter!  The very purpose of Peter’s existence had been modified!  And such is this with you, Christian! 

You received a call from Christ.  You now have a new relationship, identity, and purpose.  You have been called in a holy calling to live holy lives because you reflect a Holy God!

Now this calling does not come without responsibilities – and such responsibilities sometimes are that which undo us.  Please turn to Luke 9:57-62.

B.  Challenges to the call (Luke 9:57-62)

And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.

And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.

And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. (Luke 9:57-62)

This is where we find this new relationship, this new identity and purpose most difficult.  We think to ourselves, how can I put my hand to the plow and NEVER look back?!  That’s not possible.  And what about sin? Isn’t it the fact that I am constantly disqualifying myself?

We should shudder at times reading such passages.  Yet we should not live in a craven fear that we will not make it!  We should remember that we are to examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith. (2 Cor. 13:5)  So how do we answer Christ, when He sees us as not being fit for the kingdom?

Well, as this is a message on the call of Peter, Andrew, James and John, let’s look at how one man did.  Consider Peter – that first among the apostles.  Yet this man, who said he’d never deny the Lord did so, and even abandoned Him in His hour of need.  Even before Peter denied Him, he fell asleep when he should have been praying.  The Lords commentary is revealing though.  Matthew 26:41, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” He knows our weakness, that we are only dust.  Nevertheless, though Peter could not stay awake 1 hour, though he fled, Christ did not turn from him.  He pursued Peter.  This call was not a new relationship for Peter only.  When Christ calls a man, it is the fact that there is an evident love He has for the man.  A love so deep that He was willing to die to get the man.  So while it is the fact that we are to put our hand to the plow and not turn back, when we do, we ought not to lose heart.  “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” (1 Pet. 5:7) Remember that verse? – Peter wrote it!

C.  Challenge to the congregation (appeal)

Let’s review what we’ve looked at this evening.  Christ calls his first disciples and they left everything, and followed Him.  No small sacrifice was asked, the boats, the nets, the business relationships – all was left behind. That’s what He is asking of us!

Have you left it all behind?  Or is there some small closet where you have held out.  What about keeping you hand on the plow?  Have you let it slip? 

Or how about those new idols you’ve taken up.  Sure you say – I have a great testimony – left it all for Christ.  But that was years ago!  What worldly ways have you returned to?  What small idolatry has taken root?

This call is a relationship change.  That means work.  Think about your best friend.  It could be a spouse, but it might by a close friend.  Ask yourself – are you growing in that friendship?  You should be!  Such is the natural course of life. 

What have you invested in that friendship to keep it living?  Went out for coffee? Wrote an e-mail? Went for a walk just to be with them?  How about the relationship with the Lord who saved you for a holy calling out of the sin and filth you once lived in?  Are you cultivating a vital friendship with Him?

Do you read His Word regularly?  Do you think on it – pondering His character, or pondering what He would have you to do in light of given circumstances?

How often do we really live in the light of Christ?  I really wish I had some interesting stories to illustrate the point of this probing questions, but I suspect, many of the stories are already written. Read your Bible!  Hebrews 11 is often the first place we look, and perhaps rightly – but don’t forget to ponder the lives of Joseph, David, Daniel and others! 

Look to the biographies of saints of old.  Often we can be so completely challenged and encouraged to read of the struggles they worked through as they answered this call of Christ in their lives! 

We’ve been blessed this year to have a number of our young people follow the Lord in the waters of baptism.  Think about it – there was a great celebration.  What about it – Are you continuing on?  The marriage begins after the honeymoon is over!  Don’t let the amazement that He called you grow cold! Cultivate it!  Read, pray, act in accordance with holiness, since that’s your new life! 

Now, while the majority of this message was directed to the Christian, what about you who haven’t yet come to Christ.  You’ve been thinking about it.  What’s holding you back?  Some of you young people may be for the 1^st time thinking about what Jesus did for you.  Are you ready?  Has He called You?!

Amen.