Thoughts from Mark 2:23-3:19

Today Pastor Geoff Safford taught on Mark 2:23-3:19

Pastor Geoff was the pastor of Westwind church in Waukee which was planted in coordination with Cornerstone Church. Pastor Geoff is now leaving to plant a church in Indianola in coordination with Cornerstone Church as Westwind has grown and has leadership in place.

In verse 27 of Mark 2 Jesus confirms His deity by informing the Pharisees that He wrote the Law. The Author of the Law is God and the Pharisees knew this. It is a clear declaration of power and authority from the mouth of Jesus.

In verse 5 of Mark 3 Jesus is angered and grieved by the sinful hearts of the Pharisees. Pastor Geoff encouragd us to remember to hate sin. In our world, we often grow so accustomed to the darkness that we call it "Light lite."

Jesus hated the sin of the Pharisees. Jesus was grieved and sorrowful over the sin of the Pharisees. It is my contention that most Christians tend either to do one or the other, but seldom both simultaneously.

We are often either hateful, judgmental, know-it-alls or sentimental saps when it comes to sins. We need not just to be angry about sin, but sad over it. We need not just to be grieved by sin, but mad about it. Jesus was both. The one who only hates sins is never motivated to seek and save the lost through the power of the Gospel because of the stumbling block of their own hardness toward those in error. The one who only grieves sins is never motivated to seek and save the lost through the power of the Gospel because of the stumbling block of preaching repentance to those caught in sin.
Jesus preached repentance and hell and punishment and healing and love and forgiveness. He was grieved over the sin He hated.

In verse 6 of Mark 3 the Pharisees partner with the most unlikely parnters, the Herodians. This demonstrates that while the world disagrees and will kill, debate, imprison, hate, and ostracize their fellow man over any and every thing possible; they are determinedly united on this issue of Jesus: He must be destroyed.

In verse 13 of Mark 3 Jesus calls the disciples He desired and they came.

Two points of interest:

(1) Jesus chose the disciples He desired (not everyone, only some; not every man, only some men; not every person, just men; not the best, those He desired) I find some of the most intense moments of frustration come from my attempts to be the best when the rest that is preached is being desired by Jesus. His Gospel came to me and the Holy Spirit made me afresh and rebirthed me into a new family, those born of God.

(2) Those whom Jesus called came. He did not call 12 and 10 came. He called 12 and 12 came. Those He desired were drawn to Him and came to Him upon His command. Did Jesus just by luck choose the right 12 or did He know ahead of time that these 12 would come? Did He choose the 12 based on His knowledge that they would come when called? Or did Jesus provide the means and grace to come as well as the call to come? This particular Scripture does not expand on this concept much other than to say that those He desired, He possessed; and those He was given, He did not lose.