III. THE GALILEAN MINISTRY OF THE SERVANT vs. 14-20
MARK 1:14– LESSON 1 CONT.
A. Jesus Preaches the Gospel, vs. 14-15.
1. His MESSAGE was much LIKE John’s, v. 14; Matthew 3:2, “And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
2. This is the TIME prophesied in the Old Testament concerning the Messiah. v. 15a. Galatians 4:4, “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law.”
3. The message: REPENT and BELIEVE, v. 15b; Acts 20:21, “Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.”
B. He Calls FISHERS of men, vs. 16-20.
1. These men were already believers in the Lord, John 1:35-42.
a. These were John the Baptist’s DISCIPLES, John 1:35-36, “Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples; 36 And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!”
b. Knowing who He was John’s disciple made Him their master and followed, vv. 37-38, John 13:13, “Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.”
c. John had prepare a people disposed to follow the Lord, Luke 1:17, “And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
2. These men had a humble occupation, v. 16:
a. There work was not accomplished by their own power, Zechariah 4:6, “Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.”
b. They were not considered wise men by the world’s standare, 1 Corinthians 1:26-27, “For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty.”
1) Moses was keeping sheep when God called him, Exodus 3:1, “Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.”
2) Gideon was threshing wheat when he was called, Judges 6:11, “And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites.”
3) Elisha was plowing when called to take the place of Elijah, 1 Kings 19:19, “So he departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth: and Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle upon him.”
3. He called them to become fishers of men. v. 17.
a. Come after me, Luke 14:27, “And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.”
b. I will make you to become fishers of men, Luke 5:10, “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.”
c. They would be casting a different kind of net, Matthew 13:47, “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:”
4. Though there was no offer of security, straightway they followed Him. v. 18.
a. As soon as He called, Matthew 4:20, “And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.”
b. The power of His call, Matthew 19:27, “Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?”
5. James and John were also busy men, v. 19.
a. Busy people are the kind of people God will use, Proverbs 12:24, “The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute.”
b. These are fervent in spirit, Romans 12:11, “Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord.”
6. They too, left all to follow Him, v. 20; Mark 10:28-30, “Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee. 29 And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s, 30 But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.”