His Purpose...Our Purpose

I want you to take your Bibles and find Mark 1.  This morning I want us to look closely at verses 29-39, and I invite you to stand in honor of God’s Word as I read beginning in verse 29.  God bless you, and you may be seated.

 

I want to share with you a message entitled, “His Purpose…Our Purpose.”  Last Sunday, Bro. Ronnie showed us in Mark 1:21-28 how Jesus had gone to Capernaum and was preaching and teaching with authority like no one that these first-century hearers had ever heard.  He was different, and not only was He preaching and teaching with authority, but He was also casting out demons with authority.

 

In verse 29, it is still Saturday, and Jesus and His first disciples are still in Capernaum. They are now headed to eat after church.

 

 

 

1. The Pressures that Jesus Encountered, Mark 1:29-34

29 Now as soon as they had come out of the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30 But Simon’s wife’s mother lay sick with a fever, and they told Him about her at once. 31 So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her. And she served them.  32 At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed. 33 And the whole city was gathered together at the door. 34 Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him. 

 

Again, it is Saturday afternoon, and Jesus has gone with Peter and Andrew and James and John to Peter’s house.  When they arrived, they found out that Peter’s mother-in-law was sick with a fever.

 

Just a little side note here…why do our Catholic friends require their priests to be single if Peter was married?  We don’t know the reason for this fever, but these folks took this fever seriously as they understood that it could have been discipline for disobedience.

 

Deuteronomy 28:22, 22 The Lord will strike you with consumption, with fever, with inflammation, with severe burning fever, with the sword, with scorching, and with mildew; they shall pursue you until you perish.

 

Regardless, Jesus had already demonstrated his authority earlier in the day over demons.  He now demonstrated His authority over disease.  He stood over her and took her hand, and the fever left her. 

 

Notice her response, which is actually a second miracle.  The first miracle was the fever leaving.  The second miracle was her immediate strength to serve Jesus and her family. 

 

Brother and sisters, Jesus didn’t heal you for you to sit and soak.  He healed you to serve Him by serving this body of believers.  We could always use more help in our children’s ministry.  We could always use help in Back Pack Buddies.  We can use more help as a greeter or usher or singing in the choir.  Jesus saved you for you to serve Him by serving others.

 

In verse 32, it is now Saturday night, and the Sabbath is officially over, and the people have now heard all that Jesus had been doing, and they were bringing to Him all who were sick and all who were demon-possessed. 

I believe this is a great picture of what you and I should be doing.  We should be bringing our spiritually and emotionally and socially sick friends and family to Jesus, but for whatever reason we don’t.  We’re ok with continuing to see them sick and hurting and struggling when we have the cure right here. 

 

They were bringing people to Jesus in a steady stream.  They kept coming.  Notice the two groups that were identified.  It was those who were sick and those who are demon-possessed.  It is important to notice that these are two mutually exclusive groups.  Being sick or ill didn’t automatically mean that you were demon-possessed.  These two groups represent the physically sick and the spiritually sick. 

 

Verses 33 and 34 give us more insight into the pressures Jesus encountered.  Verse 33 speaks of the whole city gathering at Peter’s door.  Even though this is hyperbole, the number was probably in the thousands.  The word had spread, and all the sick and all the demon-possessed were on a bee line straight to where Jesus was staying. 

 

We see in verse 34 that Jesus was healing them.  Mark says he healed many, but Luke says He healed all of them by laying hands on each one.  You have the picture of Jesus standing in the doorway and the people passing by in single file, and He healed them all. 

 

Maybe He touched them.  Maybe he spoke to them, but whatever He was doing, it worked.  The people were healed by the hundreds and the thousands.

 

Can you imagine the scene?  The blind could now see.  The lame could now walk.  The deaf could now hear and speak.  Those who were bleeders, were now clean.  Those who were lepers, were now clean.  There must have been singing and shouting and celebration because of all that Jesus was doing.    He was healing physical conditions, and He was healing spiritual conditions. 

 

 

1. The Prayer that Jesus Extended, Mark 1:35

35 Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.

 

Verse 35 now takes us to Sunday morning and where do we find Jesus?  After a long day of teaching and preaching and healing person after person after person, Jesus slept in and took it easy.  No, in the early morning, He got up and left the house and found a secluded place and spent a fairly long time in prayer.

The text actually indicates that this was in the last watch of the night.  That means between 3 and 6 AM.  Jesus didn’t have an alarm clock, but the Holy Spirit woke Him up and led Him into a secluded place or a solitary place to pray.  The text also indicates that Jesus prayed for an extended period time like several hours.

 

What did he pray?  He prayed to God to give Him direction about future ministry.  All of the healing was so good, and there was so much excitement, and so many people were benefiting, but was that what God wanted from him? 

 

Incidentally, if Jesus needed to get alone to extend prayers to the Father, what does that mean for me and you?  We need to pray.  We need get alone with God on a daily basis and ask for direction.  We need to ask for guidance.  Jesus encountered pressures, and Jesus extended prayers.

 

 

• The Priorities that Jesus Embraced, Mark 1:36-39

36 And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him. 37 When they found Him, they said to Him, “Everyone is looking for You.”  38 But He said to them, “Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth.”  39 And He was preaching in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and casting out demons.

 

We see in verses 36 and 37 that the disciples didn’t understand Jesus’ actions.  They came looking for Him.  They literally “were hunting Him down.”  They even rebuked Him and said, “Everyone is looking for you.”  In other words, “Jesus what are you doing here wasting time praying?  There are a lot of people to heal.” 

 

In verse 38, and we see Jesus’ response to the disciples’ plans of going back to Capernaum to do more ministry or more healing.  Jesus said in verse 38, “Let’s go somewhere else.  I want to preach more.”  Do what?  You mean Jesus would rather preach than do ministry?  You mean Jesus would rather preach than see more hundreds and thousands physically healed? 

 

Jesus even told them and us what His priority or purpose was at the end of verse 38.  Here’s what I mean.  I mean spiritual healing is more important than physical healing.  It great to minister to someone’s physical needs, but more important is his or her spiritual needs. 

 

 

Conclusion

So here are three applications.  First, there is an application for me.  If I am going to follow Jesus the best I can, my first priority must be preaching.  Don’t get me wrong.  I have other priorities that include ministering to this body and praying with my sheep and encouraging and counseling them in times of need and sickness and deaths of family members.  However, my first priority is preaching.

 

Second, there is an application for our members.  Our first priority must be to share the gospel and then minister to people.  If we give to them food and water and financial assistance, but we don’t give Jesus to them, we have made them comfortable before the spend an eternity in hell separated from God.  Evangelism must take be our first priority and ministry our second priority.

 

Finally, if you here today and you’re sick or diseased, I believe that Jesus wants to heal you.  However, before He wants to heal you, He wants to save you.