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WEEK 7, CELEBRATION SUNDAY
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[ppt 1] “Are We There Yet?”
Mark 1:14-20
As I said in this morning’s bulletin, I have fond childhood memories of those road
trips where my 2 brothers, sister, and I occupied ourselves by picking fights with each
other and drawing imaginary lines in the car seat. We just dared anyone to move into
our personal space! We also said about 10,000 times on each trip, “Momma, make her
quit doing that.” Looking back as an adult, I think my mother must have had nerves
made of suspension bridge cable to have survived raising us!
We threatened to do all sorts of things to each other that would have certainly
landed us in jail—or at least juvenile detention, but we never followed through on our
threats. They were just idol threats to get our bluff in on one another. The honest truth
is – we really loved each other, even on those road trips!
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The most frequently voiced question to our parents on those road trips was: [ppt
2] “Are we there yet?” I’m not exaggerating when I say we asked that question every 30
minutes or every 30 miles – whichever came first. I think as I got older, I actually put my
little brothers up to asking. We hoped it would make my dad want to stop more often. It
didn’t! You see, my dad is one of those road trip warriors who operated by the philosophy that the vacation doesn’t begin until you reach your destination. So, you have to
get there at Mach 2 with as few stops as possible. He only wanted to stop for gas.
Forget about food, restroom breaks, sightseeing, or tourist attractions along the way! I
believe he would have driven to California non-stop if he could have found a car with a
large enough gas tank! Enough about that.
We’re a church that’s been on a quest! This has been a great 40-day adventure
together about living life in the Spirit of Christ. Each week we’ve [1] heard a sermon on
a central theme, [2] talked about it in small groups, then [3] read about it in our devotions throughout the week. The Spirit of Christ has spoken to us and worked among us
– both as individuals and as a community of believers. This has been a great exercise
in uniting us as a body of believers in a common purpose.
[ppt 3] So, here we are on Celebration Sunday! I’ve been anticipating this service all week. I couldn’t wait to get the community of believers together this morning.
Now that we’re here, I need to ask you the all important question at this point in our
quest: “Are we there yet?” [ppt 4] In other words, have we arrived at our final destination on this spiritual journey?
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You’ll remember that we started out 7 weeks ago on the Kick-Off Sunday with
great news – Father has incredible plans for your life and for the life of this church. We
reviewed the lessons from last year that we learned in our Purpose-driven Campaign.
[ppt 5] They were:
1. We were planned for the pleasure of God.
2. We were formed for God’s family.
3. We were created to be like Christ.
4. We were shaped to serve God by serving others.
5. We were made for a mission.
We made connections to these lessons then moved to the question that framed
our entire Quest Campaign. [ppt 6] That question was, “How can I live the life I’ve
longed for?” We determined right then and there on that Kick-Off Sunday that we were
going to open ourselves up to everything God wanted to do for us during the Quest
campaign. We said we would [1] wait on God, [2] listen for His voice, and [3] obey once
we heard from Him. I believe you’ve done that. I believe the Spirit has spoken to you.
And, I believe the Lord has helped us together on this quest in a variety of ways. We’ll
probably never know – this side of eternity – all the things He has done for us.
[ppt 7] On that first Sunday we encountered the fact that Jesus called His followers to live by the Great Commandment and fulfill the Great Commission. The Great
Commandment is found in Mark 12:30-31:
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[ppt 8] “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all
your mind and with all your strength.” The second is this: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” There is no commandment greater than these.
The Great Commission is found in Matthew 28:18-20:
[ppt 9] …go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father
and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have
commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
On that first Sunday we established the fact that these 2 assignments were well
beyond the disciples’ strength and ability. And, these 2 assignments are beyond our
strength and ability as well. And yet, something miraculous happened to Jesus’ first
disciples. After that miraculous happening, they changed their world. Their secret?
The Spirit of Christ living in them and working through them.
Before we jump too far into the story, we need to go back – back to the time
when Jesus first selected His disciples. Our reference point for that event is our text for
today.
READ TEXT HERE
[ppt 10-11] Mark 1:14-20
After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of
God. "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe
the good news!" As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his
brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. "Come, follow me,"
Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed him. When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his
brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. Without delay he called them, and they left
their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.
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As you look over this passage, notice that:
[ppt 12] 1. Jesus chose ordinary people.
“for they were fishermen” (Mark 1:16)
We often read Bible stories and glamorize the people and setting of those stories. Any tourist to the Holy Land will tell you – there’s nothing glamorous about the setting. Oh, sure some shade trees line the lake shore, but it doesn’t look like Hawaii!
Clinton Lake maybe.
There’s also nothing glamorous about those first disciples. They were just ordinary common fishermen. You know, the kind that wear dirty clothes and smell like fresh
fish in the hot sun. Their skin was leathery and weathered; their hands were calloused.
They were the kind of people who might embarrass you if you took them to a formal
black-tie dinner party.
When you stop and think about it, in most ways, we are all just like them. Jesus
did not choose superstars to be His disciples. That’s no accident, you know. It’s actually a Christian principle. Paul states the principle in 1 Corinthians 1:20-31. It’s rather
long, but I’m going to read it in our hearing anyway because it’s so important.
Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age?
Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the
world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of
what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand miraculous signs and
Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and
foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks,
Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser
than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength. Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose
the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the
world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised
things--and the things that are not--to nullify the things that are, so that no one may
boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for
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us wisdom from God--that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore,
as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord."
What does that say to you? It says to me that the Lord has chosen to build His
Kingdom with 1-2 talented people. It says He can work through us if we are willing to let
Him and if we will give Him the credit for all that is accomplished. It says He has a
place for you and me in His work plan.
So what about you? Are you willing for the Lord to use your 1 or 2 talents for
building His Kingdom? Are you willing to allow Him to have all of the credit for what is
accomplished in your life? Think about it.
[ppt 13] 2. Jesus chose ordinary people to do an extraordinary thing.
“Follow me.” (Mark 1:17a)
It sounds like such an easy thing to do. It rolls off the tongue easily enough: “Follow Jesus.” We follow an Adkins diet plan. We follow the Chiefs. We follow the weather map as a storm tracks its way toward our house. It’s easy to say “Follow Jesus”; not
so easy to do.
You see, it is an extraordinary thing to follow Jesus Christ the way He challenged
His first disciples. To follow Him -- I mean really follow Him, not just play along the sidelines – to follow Him is to leave behind many other loves and interests in life. Many of
these loves or interests are not sinful in and of themselves. However, they can become
a roadblock when they stand in the way of God’s call for us. Just as the disciples left
their nets to follow Jesus, He calls us to leave behind time consuming things of lesser
importance.
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What might Jesus be asking you to leave behind? Are you willing? The disciples’ nets represented their livelihood. Jesus asked them to leave their nets -- to step
out of their comfort zone -- and let Him take care of them. Are you willing to step out of
your comfort zone like those first disciples did? Think about it.
[ppt 14] 3. Jesus made an extraordinary promise.
“I will make you fishers of men.” (Mark 1:17b)
Jesus Christ promises to make us into the people He wants us to be. If He could
take those first disciples – those fishers of fish – and make them into fishers of men,
then He can transform us into the people that will honor and glorify Him. This transformation began as they initially left all to follow Him.
The transformation jumped to the next level when the Spirit filled them on the
Day of Pentecost. The rest of the Bible’s accounts of those early disciples chronicles
the adventures they pursued as they took the world by storm through the power of the
Spirit of Christ who worked within and among them. It was the Spirit working through
them that changed their world.
I love that line in the book of Acts that describes what happened as these common, rough workmen stood before the most powerful religious leaders in the country. It
says,
[ppt 15] When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had
been with Jesus. (Act 4:13)
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The world can always tell when someone is powered by the Spirit of Christ. Jesus made His first disciples an extraordinary promise. And, He promises no less to us!
We can be the people He’s promised to make us. If He didn’t want to do it, He wouldn’t
have promised us.
[ppt 16] In answer to our question for this Quest Campaign, the good news this
morning is: You can live the life you’ve longed for! Each week for the last 6 weeks,
we’ve focused in on a particular discovery for our spiritual journey. The banners behind
me depict 5 compass points on this journey. Let’s celebrate each one again on this
Celebration Sunday.
We have a Guide for our lives. He’s not just a messenger from God; He is God
Himself. He speaks to us and lives within us. He comes to us [ppt 17] as a free gift for
the asking.
God gives us a perfect love with which we can love both Him and everyone in our
world. As John says, “His love becomes complete in us – perfect love.” (1 John 4:12).
[ppt 18] It’s a free gift for the asking.
God gives us a pure heart with which to serve Him and our world. Cleansed of
selfish interests, we follow Jesus as our example. [ppt 19] It’s a free gift for the asking.
God gives us power for living – not just enough power to get by. He gives us
enough power to live in victory over all that would defeat us. It’s not just battery power;
it’s the power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead! [ppt 20] And, it’s a free gift for the
asking.
Over time, God transforms us into people with Christlike character. As we spend
time in the Christian family and with God, we take on the family resemblance. Charac-
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ter is formed in us 1 decision at a time. In time, our lives remind others of Jesus. [ppt
21] It’s a free gift for the asking.
That’s why our memory verse for week 1 was Ephesians 2:8-9: It describes our
entire Quest Campaign. I would like for us to repeat it together.
[ppt 22] For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from
yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians
2:8-9)
I remember as a child the big celebration our family had around the Christmas
tree as we opened presents together. At the end of that event, after all the presents
were opened and dad had gathered up all of the wrapping paper and boxes, we inventoried our loot! In other words, we’d sort of address the question, “How’d I do?” I think
you know what I mean.
Well, on this Celebration Sunday, I want you to [1] look back over what God has
done for you, [2] what’s He’s doing right now, and [3] what He’s promised to do in your
future. What do you see? Is there enough to live the life you’ve longed for? I believe
there is if you read Day 40 of the book. For most of us, that was yesterday’s reading.
I waited 40 chapters to throw you the punch line of the entire book. It was hard
to wait. I really wanted to start with it and work backward from there. But, I waited. Let
me give that punch line again – [ppt 23] “The life you long for is not about you!” Please
allow me to say that again; it’s so important. “The life you long for is not about you!”
You’ll never find the life you long for by trying to please yourself. You can buy
the clothes, the car, or any other possession you want, but they won’t satisfy. You can
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fix your hair like the models in the magazines, but it won’t satisfy. You can get the job
you long for or retire if you long for that. Sorry, that’s not it either.
You see, the message of Christianity is full of paradoxes.
1. Jesus is God, but He lived as a human on earth.
2. God cannot die, but Jesus did.
3. Dead people don’t come back to life after we have a funeral and bury them, but
Jesus did.
Here’s a paradox that relates to us:
4. If you want to save your life, you have to lose it.
With the idea of paradox in mind, remember that the life you really long for is a
life lived with Christ as your example.
1. [ppt 24] That means the aim and focus of your life will be on others. Your goal
will be to serve them.
2. [ppt 25] You won’t seek to find yourself; you’ll seek to lose yourself.
3. [ppt 26] You won’t become strong; you’ll recognize your weakness and find your
strength in Him.
4. [ppt 27] It’s not about what you become; it’s about what He becomes through
you.
So, “Are we there yet?” In other words, have we reached our final destination on
our spiritual journey? No, we haven’t reached our final destination. We’re on a journey
together with God. [ppt 28] God has put enough of an adventuresome spirit within us to
give us a lifetime of quests together with Him. The adventure will continue until He calls
us home.
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But, until that day, we’ll celebrate just as we are this morning, because we’re in
good hands! [ppt 29] The Spirit of Christ fills us, guides us, loves through us, purifies
our hearts, gives us power, and forms Christ in us. What a life! Why on earth would we
settle for anything less?
Go out there this week and enjoy the journey as you quest together with God!
Let’s close our time together this morning by singing a song of praise to God for this incredible plan of full salvation.
Close by singing the Doxology