Mark 1:14-20 "Changing Directions"
Mark 1:14-20- After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!"
16 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. 17 "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." 18 At once they left their nets and followed him.
19 When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. 20 Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.
Change is a part of life- 1. Change is part of following Jesus.
We are talking about changing directions today.
Arriving home from work at my usual hour of 5 p.m., I discovered that it had not been one of my wife's better days. Nothing I said or did seemed to be right.
By 7 p.m. things had not changed, so I suggested I go outside, pretend I had just got home, and start all over again. My wife agreed.
I went outside, came back in and, with a big smile, announced, "Honey, I'm home!"
"And just where have you been?" she replied sharply "It's after seven o'clock!"
2. Changing direction isn’t always easy
Sometimes starting fresh changing direction is easy- sometimes it isn’t
You are walking- and see something or someone in front of you that you don’t want to encounter
You turn on your heels and head the other direction
Or you are walking and you hear the voice of a loved one behind you= and you to turn heading toward their voice.
But changing directions in life isn’t always this simple or easy
Sometimes it is a bit difficult to change directions- it is not always immediate
Uhaul- trailer story- crossing the country- somewhere in South Dakota I pulled Our minivan and trailer into a parking lot because we thought we were lost [aside- sometimes you can make bad decisions when you are lost- not thinking clearly- you have no sense of which way is right- so you just pick any old way- have you been there? And I am not just talking about driving either...] Anyways...
I wasn’t that great at maneuvering a trailer- and unfortunately the parking lot that looked large when I pulled in was smaller than it appeared- and it had obstacles at every possible inconvenient location- isn’t that the way it goes?
It took me- it seemed- about 20 minutes of pulling up, backing up, steering and such to pull out of a parking lot that it took just a second or two to get into
The first change of direction was easy- You know, coming off the highway and into the parking lot
The second change was very difficult- getting out of the parking lot with my van pointed in the right direction - without damaging other cars
This is sometimes true in life
We sometimes make abrupt decisions and changes
Hey- that’s Jesus- the guy that John the baptizer said was so cool and righteous- I wonder what he’s doing here-
Woh- he’s talking to me- he wants me to follow Him.
And boom- they take off following this teacher- giving up fishing- for Jesus following- and fishing for people
But this isn’t the only change of direction in their lives- following Jesus out of the boat or away from the nets= is just the first step
Along the journey Jesus will teach Simon, Andrew, James and John- many truths- that will cause them to change the way they think- they will they live and treat others= Jesus will even change Simon’s name to Peter
Three of these four= Simon, James and John will be with Jesus on a mountain- when Jesus transfigures- when he shows a bit of his glory- They began to realize they weren’t following just a good teacher- they were following the Christ- the Messiah- this would change everything.
They will not be just followers- but close friends of Jesus- they will witness his death and also the resurrection- a decision to follow changed everything
Let’s Look Closer at this Story
Who can we see having life changes in this story?
Well first off John the Baptizer- went from preaching to prison- that’s what happens to prophets- they tell the powers that be- how things really should be and the powers lock them up- So John’s physical life changed direction- he now lived in a cell not in the wilderness- but in a very real sense John did not change direction at all because in the cell or in the wild- John was being faithful to his call to serve God
Second we see Jesus- is making a change- Right before this story we have been told that he was in the desert for forty days. He was fasting- and facing spiritual challenges. He was finishing off his preparation- and about to begin his ministry- here we see Jesus preaching for the first- "The time has come" he said.
He moved from preparing to preaching.
Next, we see Simon and Andrew- Jesus invited them to become "fishers of men"- at once they knew that he was not talking about throwing nets around people- they dropped their nets and followed him. They gave up their livelihood- job- and decided to become students.
James and John- are in a similar situation- they too are brothers. But there are some clues that tell us that they are likely wealthier than Andrew and Simon. They are in a boat. They have servants. They are leaving their job, but they also may be leaving behind a very angry father- maybe they are losing their inheritance- we don’t know.
There are the servants that John and James leave behind. Maybe they were happy. There was less hands to do more work and maybe this meant more pay. Or maybe not.
Then there is papa Zebedee- we don’t know if he was ticked off by his boy’s actions or not. For all we know he may have been a big fan of John the Baptizer and maybe he was excited for his sons to have a chance to become students and followers of this Jesus character- someone that John the Baptizer praised highly.
CHANGE- is the common link in this story. Changing directions is part of life- and it is especially part of following Jesus. Some change we control- and some change happens to us- and is out of our control- JBAP and Zeb.
So can we be open to change- believing that at certain times God calls us to do something new- and not the same old thing?
This goes for our families- when a new one comes in, or someone leaves- or the home is an empty nest- changes come- could God be calling you to something new? It goes for our church- It is true for this city
Let’s look at Papa Zebedee again...When our children decide to follow Jesus- this is a marvelous thing. But we have to come to peace with the truth that God will work with them according to the plan he has for them- not the plan we have for them. He will surely listen to the prayers of parents- like father Zebedee, like you and I- but the changes in store for our children- and grandchildren are beyond our control
For those of us who have children or grandchildren that have not yet decided to really follow Jesus- to make him their true God- more important than anything else- even family, even career even friends- If you desire for your children or grandchildren to follow Jesus- can I ask you something straight up? Are you doing anything about it? Are you being blunt in Jesus’ name? Saying things like, It’s time to get back to worshiping God. Or encouraging them with the blunt truth that Jesus loves them and has a good plan and purpose for their life. Now, you and they should know that doesn’t mean that they have to become boring preacher like me- Following God- means letting God live with you wherever you are at- I think father Zebedee might very well had been a Jesus follower- but somebody had to stay and manage the business.
God is calling you to be a disciple
It is often said that there were 12 disciples- this is only half right. There were 12 disciples- but really there were thousands and now there are billions through history that have been students and followers of Jesus.
Following Christ doesn’t mean saying one prayer or signing a belief statement and boom that’s it- It is a life-long journey. Filled with changes of direction. Filled with frustration and celebration.
Filled with repenting and believing.
Following Jesus- reading his words- praying to him will very likely change many things
How you relate to family- it should deepen your love and challenge you to practice forgiveness and patience
How you relate to neighbors-
How you relate to strangers-
How you make life decisions
Jesus said"Repent and believe the good news!"
Repent means to confess a problem and change behavior
It means changing direction
Maybe God is calling you to a life change today-
Maybe God is calling you to be open to someone in your life making a change of direction
But believe this- God is always calling you to discipleship.
Disciples would sit at their teachers feet= follow them around and learn from them
God is calling you to sit at his feet to learn from him- to follow him
God loves you and wants you to live a life of commitment
16 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. 17 "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." 18 At once they left their nets and followed him.
19 When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. 20 Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.
Change is a part of life- 1. Change is part of following Jesus.
We are talking about changing directions today.
Arriving home from work at my usual hour of 5 p.m., I discovered that it had not been one of my wife's better days. Nothing I said or did seemed to be right.
By 7 p.m. things had not changed, so I suggested I go outside, pretend I had just got home, and start all over again. My wife agreed.
I went outside, came back in and, with a big smile, announced, "Honey, I'm home!"
"And just where have you been?" she replied sharply "It's after seven o'clock!"
2. Changing direction isn’t always easy
Sometimes starting fresh changing direction is easy- sometimes it isn’t
You are walking- and see something or someone in front of you that you don’t want to encounter
You turn on your heels and head the other direction
Or you are walking and you hear the voice of a loved one behind you= and you to turn heading toward their voice.
But changing directions in life isn’t always this simple or easy
Sometimes it is a bit difficult to change directions- it is not always immediate
Uhaul- trailer story- crossing the country- somewhere in South Dakota I pulled Our minivan and trailer into a parking lot because we thought we were lost [aside- sometimes you can make bad decisions when you are lost- not thinking clearly- you have no sense of which way is right- so you just pick any old way- have you been there? And I am not just talking about driving either...] Anyways...
I wasn’t that great at maneuvering a trailer- and unfortunately the parking lot that looked large when I pulled in was smaller than it appeared- and it had obstacles at every possible inconvenient location- isn’t that the way it goes?
It took me- it seemed- about 20 minutes of pulling up, backing up, steering and such to pull out of a parking lot that it took just a second or two to get into
The first change of direction was easy- You know, coming off the highway and into the parking lot
The second change was very difficult- getting out of the parking lot with my van pointed in the right direction - without damaging other cars
This is sometimes true in life
We sometimes make abrupt decisions and changes
Hey- that’s Jesus- the guy that John the baptizer said was so cool and righteous- I wonder what he’s doing here-
Woh- he’s talking to me- he wants me to follow Him.
And boom- they take off following this teacher- giving up fishing- for Jesus following- and fishing for people
But this isn’t the only change of direction in their lives- following Jesus out of the boat or away from the nets= is just the first step
Along the journey Jesus will teach Simon, Andrew, James and John- many truths- that will cause them to change the way they think- they will they live and treat others= Jesus will even change Simon’s name to Peter
Three of these four= Simon, James and John will be with Jesus on a mountain- when Jesus transfigures- when he shows a bit of his glory- They began to realize they weren’t following just a good teacher- they were following the Christ- the Messiah- this would change everything.
They will not be just followers- but close friends of Jesus- they will witness his death and also the resurrection- a decision to follow changed everything
Let’s Look Closer at this Story
Who can we see having life changes in this story?
Well first off John the Baptizer- went from preaching to prison- that’s what happens to prophets- they tell the powers that be- how things really should be and the powers lock them up- So John’s physical life changed direction- he now lived in a cell not in the wilderness- but in a very real sense John did not change direction at all because in the cell or in the wild- John was being faithful to his call to serve God
Second we see Jesus- is making a change- Right before this story we have been told that he was in the desert for forty days. He was fasting- and facing spiritual challenges. He was finishing off his preparation- and about to begin his ministry- here we see Jesus preaching for the first- "The time has come" he said.
He moved from preparing to preaching.
Next, we see Simon and Andrew- Jesus invited them to become "fishers of men"- at once they knew that he was not talking about throwing nets around people- they dropped their nets and followed him. They gave up their livelihood- job- and decided to become students.
James and John- are in a similar situation- they too are brothers. But there are some clues that tell us that they are likely wealthier than Andrew and Simon. They are in a boat. They have servants. They are leaving their job, but they also may be leaving behind a very angry father- maybe they are losing their inheritance- we don’t know.
There are the servants that John and James leave behind. Maybe they were happy. There was less hands to do more work and maybe this meant more pay. Or maybe not.
Then there is papa Zebedee- we don’t know if he was ticked off by his boy’s actions or not. For all we know he may have been a big fan of John the Baptizer and maybe he was excited for his sons to have a chance to become students and followers of this Jesus character- someone that John the Baptizer praised highly.
CHANGE- is the common link in this story. Changing directions is part of life- and it is especially part of following Jesus. Some change we control- and some change happens to us- and is out of our control- JBAP and Zeb.
So can we be open to change- believing that at certain times God calls us to do something new- and not the same old thing?
This goes for our families- when a new one comes in, or someone leaves- or the home is an empty nest- changes come- could God be calling you to something new? It goes for our church- It is true for this city
Let’s look at Papa Zebedee again...When our children decide to follow Jesus- this is a marvelous thing. But we have to come to peace with the truth that God will work with them according to the plan he has for them- not the plan we have for them. He will surely listen to the prayers of parents- like father Zebedee, like you and I- but the changes in store for our children- and grandchildren are beyond our control
For those of us who have children or grandchildren that have not yet decided to really follow Jesus- to make him their true God- more important than anything else- even family, even career even friends- If you desire for your children or grandchildren to follow Jesus- can I ask you something straight up? Are you doing anything about it? Are you being blunt in Jesus’ name? Saying things like, It’s time to get back to worshiping God. Or encouraging them with the blunt truth that Jesus loves them and has a good plan and purpose for their life. Now, you and they should know that doesn’t mean that they have to become boring preacher like me- Following God- means letting God live with you wherever you are at- I think father Zebedee might very well had been a Jesus follower- but somebody had to stay and manage the business.
God is calling you to be a disciple
It is often said that there were 12 disciples- this is only half right. There were 12 disciples- but really there were thousands and now there are billions through history that have been students and followers of Jesus.
Following Christ doesn’t mean saying one prayer or signing a belief statement and boom that’s it- It is a life-long journey. Filled with changes of direction. Filled with frustration and celebration.
Filled with repenting and believing.
Following Jesus- reading his words- praying to him will very likely change many things
How you relate to family- it should deepen your love and challenge you to practice forgiveness and patience
How you relate to neighbors-
How you relate to strangers-
How you make life decisions
Jesus said"Repent and believe the good news!"
Repent means to confess a problem and change behavior
It means changing direction
Maybe God is calling you to a life change today-
Maybe God is calling you to be open to someone in your life making a change of direction
But believe this- God is always calling you to discipleship.
Disciples would sit at their teachers feet= follow them around and learn from them
God is calling you to sit at his feet to learn from him- to follow him
God loves you and wants you to live a life of commitment
posted by Palouse Fed. Church at 9:20 PM
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