Nearness before service

Good morning, the Gospel of Mark chapter 1. As our brothers exhorted and talked about our labor of love, I'd like to share with you meditations I've had. Now this will be on the surface, and hopefully you'll have time to explore this on your own. But in the Gospel of Mark chapter 1, I'd like to show you how there was a lot of material that had to be handled by Andrew and Peter and James and John before they were ready to answer the call from the Lord.

If we would read at verse 12, after the Lord's baptism, and immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness, and he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan, and was with the wild beasts and the angels ministered unto him. Now after that, John was put in prison, is a key verse for understanding the teaching today. As far as the chronological timing, Jesus came into Galilee preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God.

Now we have to mentally insert John chapter 1 verse 19 through John chapter 4 verse 44 between verses 13 and 14. I'd like to, though, show you in verse 60, 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 unto them, and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants and went after him.

If you would hold your finger there and go to John chapter 1 with me, I really plan on being down in 10 minutes. I hope I am. I'd like to share with you the experiences of these four disciples and then for your own edification that you might be prepared to serve, qualified to serve.

But as we go to John chapter 1, we see in verse 29, The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. This is he of whom I spake, and so on. In verse 32, this is the reciting of John publicly of what had already happened, taken place in Mark chapter 1, and John bear record saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.

Now the next day, in verse 35, John stood and two of his disciples, and looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold, the Lamb of God. And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. Then Jesus turned and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, which is to say, being interpreted, Master, where dwellest thou? He saith unto them, Come and see.

They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day. It was about the tenth hour, or four in the afternoon. One of the two which heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.

He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messiah, which is being interpreted, the Christ. Now think about this setting. John the Baptist has testified of the Lord Jesus Christ, and now the next day after, he sees him coming, and he's exhorting Andrew and John to follow the Lord Jesus Christ.

And that's exactly what happened in 1 Thessalonians, how with intensity and fervor they serve the Lord in the gospel and in all godliness. And it's no different today for you and me. We're called to do that.

But I want to draw out for us the spending of time with the Lord Jesus Christ to dwell with him. We think about Andrew and John walking down the pathway to where the Lord Jesus was dwelling, and we remember what that must have been like. The moral perfections of the Savior, the heavenly man, our Lord Jesus Christ.

What was the conversation about? Well, he came forth preaching the gospel we read, the gospel of God. But also within that gospel, Andrew and John were already believers. No doubt baptized by John the Baptist already looking for the Messiah, and now they're with him, and he's teaching them and preparing them.

But especially the moral perfections of Christ are in view, I believe, and they spent time with him. And I want to understand your condition today. Spending time with the Savior in your meditations and your prayers is vital for a warm heart, for a bubbling over worship meeting at the Lord's Supper, for power in our walk.

We have a need in our own hearts sometimes, those who have responsibility especially to teach. We find that all of the knowledge we may gain from the scriptures is not bringing us near to the Savior. So all of us need a nearness to Christ to spend time with him.

And so we find before they were called, they had this experience. They spent time with the Lord Jesus. If we would just go forward in the gospel of John, we can see others called, but in chapter two, we have the marriage of Cana.

And so what was the Lord teaching these now four disciples? Because I believe, all six disciples, because I believe James is with them. But what's he teaching them? It's not only the way you live in faith and dependence upon our God, but it's the importance of family. Family matters.

The Lord was in the wedding at Cana of Galilee, not in the limelight, but where the servants were with his disciples. And then he did the first miracle, draining water into wine, as we know. But from that, no doubt a relative of our Lord through birth, he was there supporting it.

And so as the ministry would be going forth from these disciples to remember God's way is to take care of our families as well. So that was a second lesson that was taught unto them. We go further into the chapter, and we go in verse 13, and the Jews Passover was at hand.

And Jesus went up to Jerusalem and found in the temple, those that sold oxen and sheep and doves and the changers of money sitting. And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple and so on. What was the teaching there? The holiness of the place where God has placed his name.

It's his father's house in this setting here. And that there's no hypocrisy and no covetousness, but truly we are there to honor our God. And so we're blessed.

We are the blessed of this, not only of this age, but of all the world being born again of God, but then brought into the place where he has placed his own name. And do we value it in our hearts? Do we rejoice in the strength of the scriptures backing up why we do what we do, my friend, my brother, my sister, the Lord's presence. But it was a holy place and now hypocrisy was being driven out.

That was another lesson that was taught to these disciples, these God-fearing Jewish men. And now the Lord himself goes, this is all they had ever known in the outer courts and how the people would go three times a year to the temple and they would come from a distance and not be able to take their sacrifice with them and give their silver in exchange for it. And how inflation and greediness and the hollowness of it all from those that were the money changers and selling those sacrifices.

See, and it just speaks to my own heart to make sure it's always real. I want to be real before my God. I want him and it's not a form.

It's an affection. So we see that lesson. And as we would go through the scriptures, we would see here the Nicodemus experience.

I'm not sure if the disciples were in the room. They well could have been in that room with the Nicodemus experience. And it's interesting to note here in John chapter three, after the Nicodemus experience in verse 22, and these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judea.

And there he tarried with them and baptized, but also simultaneously note verse 23, that John was still baptizing. Now, logistically, I'm not suggesting that they were side by side. They probably weren't, but both of the groups were baptizing at the same time.

And this is the key of interpreting Mark chapter one, by the way, is understanding John is still baptizing, whereas in verse 14 of chapter one, Mark, he was put into prison. That's by the way. And so what an experience.

And then if you read chapter four in verse one, when therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John, though Jesus himself baptized not but his disciples. You see, the people just kept on coming, just kept on coming to John the Baptist, to the Lord Jesus and the disciples, the Messiah has come. So the disciples not only did those things that we've discussed through John chapter one and up to this point, but they also baptized.

They were being prepared by our Lord Jesus, doing a work before they were even called. When we look at John chapter four, this is another eye opener. Because we know, we study our Bibles, that the shortest way from Judea to Galilee is through Samaria.

But the religious rulers said you couldn't go to Samaria. So they would have to go east to the Jordan and walk along the Jordan banks and all the way to either going north to Galilee or down south to Judea. But the Lord must needs go through Samaria.

And you know the story well, the woman at the Samaritan well, the Lord is weary, the disciples are hungry, they go buy the food and yet when they come back, they marvel, they just marvel that the Lord is talking to this woman, to the Samaritan woman. I believe the Lord Jesus Christ is teaching these disciples grace, grace. Grace is so needed.

The servant of the Lord must be gentle to all. Grace, no matter what circumstances and we who do work with people on the street and some people are in a certain circumstance that we would never find ourselves in. And that's what those disciples maybe were thinking about that woman at the Samaritan well, but yet the Lord went to her and that woman was saved and became a trophy of grace.

Not only that, but she brought other people to Christ and Christ dwelt two days in Samaria, that's Samaritan city, in the world but not of the world. And our feet should go to the lost and perishing. And that's an exhortation brethren and sisters.

And so now as they come up, they come up from Samaria into Galilee and then we go back to the gospel of Mark chapter 1 and the Lord Jesus came into Galilee preaching the gospel and then he's walking along the seashore and he sees Andrew and Peter. They've experienced all this. They've been with him every step of the way.

They know him and he knows them. And just at the right time, the Lord's time, he calls men who have been employed with taking care of their family, employed in the work of the industry that they have been found in, being responsible, doing it with vigor. And the idea here I think is they were in a little boat.

They're just casting a little net. Nets, there's three different nets in our New Testament. A little net just over your shoulder catching little fishes.

The Lord says come and follow me and I will make you to become fishers of men. They were qualified. They were ready to learn how to become.

And the emphasis is on become. It's a long process to become fishers of men. We need to be thoroughly engaged in it.

Whereas we find John and James in a bigger ship further away, no doubt the Lord lifted his voice and he called them come. They were mending their nets. And the idea that mending, and many in this room know it, but it's the idea of fixing with the purpose that it may be qualified to use in the future.

And if you would look at that word mending, you would find the restoration of the saints of God used in the epistles. You'd find in Galatians 6 and 1 the same word. Ye which are spiritual restore such a one.

And I think about the writings of the Apostle John as his light is dimming physically speaking, but he reflects back on his life with Christ and how the person of Christ is being attacked by air and by the and through the Holy Spirit. He's mending the Christians on the truth of God, the person of Christ. So brothers and sisters in the Lord, it's encouraging to see us all here today because we do love our Lord Jesus Christ.

Many young ones are here today. Young, vibrant people who are married with children in the prime of life. Teenagers who are saved in Christ.

And the exhortation is to be with Christ, to be responsible also, to continue working that at that moment when you are called for something, it may not be an evangelist like Brandon Dahl. It may be a sister who's a helpmeet to many. It may be children's work.

It may be just a testimony in your community or your job. But each of us has been called to glorify our Lord Jesus Christ.