2009 Winter Sermon
Series
Follow the Leader
Mark 1:14-20
Opening Words Our
scripture lesson for today comes from the Gospel of Mark. The
historic setting of these words is worth noting. The year is 64 AD
and Nero is on the throne in Rome. History tells us Rome burned
during his reign. The truth is the Emperor caused the fire but the
Christians were blamed. Christian persecutions became a reality. The
Gospel of Mark was written to encourage the believers to hold fast
to the faith.
Some have called the
Gospel of Mark Peter’s Gospel because the author, John Mark,
was a close associate of Peter. The central character in the Gospel
is obviously Jesus but the main theme is discipleship. We find
ourselves today in the first chapter of Mark, verses fourteen
through twenty. Let me call this message Follow the Leader.
Mark 1:14-20 14After
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!" 16As
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." 18At once they left their nets and followed
him. 19When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of
Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets.
20Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee
in the boat with the hired men and followed him.
In None of These
Diseases S.I. McMillen tells a story of a young woman who wanted
to go to college, but her heart sank when she read the question on
the application blank that asked, "Are you a leader?"
Being both honest and conscientious, she wrote, "No," and
returned the application, expecting the worst. To her surprise, she
received this letter of acceptance from the college:
Dear
Applicant:
A study of the application
forms reveals that this year our college will have 1,452 new
leaders. We are
accepting you because we feel it is imperative that they have at
least one follower.
Do
you consider yourself a leader or do you consider yourself a
follower? Our world is yearning for leaders. The church is not
immune. Over the past few decades my desk has been covered with a
variety of workshops and continuing education events on the topic of
leadership. In most cases the church has borrowed business
principles and terms in an attempt to solve our leadership vacuum.
Several
years ago the name Peter Drucker burst on the scene. Everyon e
seemed to be reading him. He tried to cultivate the leader hiding
within all of us. He said a leader must trumpet the organization’s
goal and must hold fast to five basic qualities. These five
qualities are the secret to turning you into a leader. Do process
any of these qualities?
(1) A
leader works;
(2) A
leader sees his assignment as responsibility, not privilege;
(3) A
leader wants strong, capable, self-assured, independent associates;
(4) A
leader creates human energies and vision;
(5) A
leader develops followers' trust by his own consistency and
integrity;
How
many of those qualities do you possess in your life?
I
think it is humorous that the church had to search out Peter Drucker
to teach us about leadership when we have had studying the greatest
leader in the history of the world for generations, Jesus! If you
don’t believe me take those five qualities of leadership and
apply them to Jesus.
(1)
Jesus was not afraid to work;
(2)
Jesus saw his assignment as responsibility, not privilege;
(3)
Jesus looked for independent associates;
(4)
Jesus cast a vision;
(5)
Jesus created trust because he was a person of integrity;
The
question for today is not if Jesus was a leader. The question is,
are you a follower? Years ago the Master gave Peter, Andrew, James
and John the invita tion, follow me. They accepted the invitation
and it change their lives. The problem is everyone is not
comfortable following, some people are comfortable in the lead. Some
people don’t like change, they have grown comfortable with the
same old thing. What is your story? Are you a follower or are you a
leader.
Today,
I want to talk about three changes you can expect when you learn to
completely follow Jesus. Many people say they follow Jesus. The
problem is they follow Jesus under their conditions. As long as we
follow Jesus under our conditions we will never fully receive the
assets of true discipleship. I will be honest with you. I find two
of these changes positive. The last one is challenging. So if you
are ready to examine the three changes you can expect when Jesus
takes the lead in your life say, “Amen!”
A
New Direction
The
first change you can expect when you learn to completely follow
Jesus is a new direction. In November 1975, seventy-five convicts
started digging a secret tunnel designed to bring them up at the
other side of the wall of Saltillo Prison in northern Mexico. On
April 18, 1976 the tunnel was complete. When they broke through the
earth they discovered they were not on the other side of the wall.
They discovered they had tunneled to a nearby courtroom. Many had
been sentenced from that same courtroom. The surprised judges
returned all seventy-five to jail . Can anyone here relate to that
story? Have you ever felt like you needed a new direction? Have you
ever felt like your life was at a stand still? Have you ever
wondered if there is more to life then paying bills? Would anyone
here like to make a difference?
When
I was young reading this passage. At that point in my life I
wondered how the disciples could instantly leave everything and
follow Jesus. Mark does not give us any prior history the disciples
had with him, they just left. It really wasn’t a logical (or
responsible) thing to do. However, as I have grown older I have
grown to understand how they did it. I believe they accepted Jesus’
invitation because they needed a new direction in their lives. Their
lives had grown stale and they hungered for change. If you are going
to follow Jesus then be prepared for a new direction. Jesus will
force you to move the spotlight off of yourself and your needs and
wants. He will move the spotlight of your life onto other people’s
needs and wants. And when you do that you will make a difference in
this world. And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”
A
New Future
The
second change you can expect when you learn to completely follow
Jesus is a new future. Do you have someone in your life that won’t
let you forget the past? It may be a mother or a father. It maybe a
brother or a sister?=2 0It maybe a friend. Is there someone in your
life you hate seeing because they are constantly reminding you of
your mistakes or failures? Maybe this is a better question, how much
time do you spend resenting your past?
William
Glasser has made his impact on the world of psychiatry. He has
developed something called “reality therapy.” His
approach is a little blunt but it sounds good to me. While most of
the fields of psychiatry spend a great amount of time untangling
your past. For example, why you hate your mother and why you resent
your brother. Reality therapy spends time in your future. It says
you have the rest of your life to live, get over your past and do
something with your future. Do you spend too much time in your past?
Wouldn’t you like to tell them to get over it and start living
today?
Jesus
may have been the first reality therapist. Have you ever noticed how
little time Jesus spends talking about the past? He is much more
interested in the future. When he found the woman in the adulterous
relationship he forgives her and says, “Sin no more.”
(John 8:11) When Nicodemus appeared on that dark night with the
question Jesus told him to move forward in life. You must be born
again. (John 3:3) In the parable of the prodigal son the young
brother messed up but they father accepts him back and has a party.
(Luke 15:11-31) Jesus is not interested in your past. The same is
true for you. He is more i nterested in what you are going to do in
the future then what you did in the past. When you learn to
completely follow Jesus you can expect a new future. And all of
God’s people said, “Amen!”
A
New Lifestyle
The
third change you can expect when you learn to completely follow
Jesus is a new life style. William Gladstone, in announcing the
death of Princess Alice to the House of Commons, told a touching
story. The little daughter of the Princess was seriously ill with
diphtheria. The doctors told the princess not to kiss her little
daughter and endanger her life by breathing the child's breath. Once
when the child was struggling to breathe, the mother, forgetting
herself entirely, took the little one into her arms to keep her from
choking to death. Rasping and struggling for her life, the child
said, "Momma, kiss me!" Without thinking of herself the
mother tenderly kissed her daughter. She got diphtheria and some
days thereafter she went to be forever with the Lord. Real love
forgets self. Can anyone here question Princess Alice’s love
for your daughter? Jesus died on the cross as the perfect sacrifice
for our sins. How can we question his love? Can anyone question our
love?
Clarence
Jordan tells the story of getting a red-carpet tour of another
minister's church. With pride the minister pointed to the rich,
imported pews and luxurious decoration. As they stepped outside,
darkness was falling, and a spotlight shone on a huge cross atop the
steeple. "That cross alone cost us thousands of dollars,"
the minister said with a satisfied smile. "You got cheated,"
said Jordan. "Times were when Christians could get them for
free." Could that be the story of our time?
How
many beautiful churches are closing? The reason they are closing is
not a lack of money or people. The reason they are closing is a lack
of vision. At some time in their past they stopped worrying about
the world and became preoccupied with self. If you want this church
to close then stop worrying about the needs of this world and act in
a way that will only benefit us. The great reformer Martin Luther
said it best, “A religion that gives nothing, costs
nothing, and suffers nothing, is worth nothing.” The third
change you can expect when you learn to follow Jesus is a new
lifestyle. And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”
In
1789 an uncertain George Washington is urged to seek the presidency
by Governor Morris, a Pennsylvania delegate to the Constitutional
Convention. He saw Washington as a natural leader. Morris writes
Washington: "No constitution is the same on paper and in
life. The exercise of authority depends upon personal character.
Your cool steady temper is needed for set the tone for a new
government.“
Here
is the good news for today! No one is asking you to be the
president. No20one is even asking you to be a leader. The only thing
I am going to ask you to do is be a follower. Follow Jesus and
experience life as God intended from the very beginning. When you
learn to follow Jesus you will discover a new direction, a new
future and a new lifestyle. And all of God’s people said,
“Amen!”
