An Invitation to A Journey

Who are you following? Who is it that you want to emulate? Who inspires you and makes you want to become more like them? Now, when I was a boy, I wanted to be like Sandy Koufax. I wanted to play baseball for the Los Angeles Dodgers and pitch like my hero. So, every day I would throw a tennis ball against the fence pretending I was striking out Willie Mays or Mickey Mantle. In my mind, I was becoming a great pitcher. But reality was different. When I started playing baseball, I didn’t have what it took to pitch like my hero. But soon, I found a new hero: Arnold Palmer. I wanted to be like Arnie. By this time my dad was taking me to Salem Golf Club where he was the head pro. Now I had someone who could teach me the swing, correct me when I was off and encourage me when I failed. I started to become halfway decent. But again, as much as I wanted to be like Arnie, it didn’t take long to realize that this dream was just a dream.

But that never stopped what was going on inside of me. I knew I was meant to follow someone. Someone who I could emulate; someone who could help me navigate this thing called life. But the problem for me was that I had no idea of who or what to follow. So, like the rest of the world, I soon learned that it was up to me to follow myself. I bought into the myth of the rugged individual, dabbled in Eastern religion and bought into the philosophy of the day, “live for today, for tomorrow you die.” So, I went my own way, followed my passions until one day I woke up realizing that my life was empty, that I had no real purpose or meaning. Following myself wasn’t really working out for me. I needed something or someone to fill the void in me, but at that time, I didn’t know who or what I needed to follow.

Perhaps, you can relate with what I’m talking about. After all, you grew up with the same philosophies shaping your values or approaches to life. You grew up learning that you had to be responsible, work hard, endure setbacks, for there was no such thing as a “free lunch.” Perhaps you also bought into the myth of the rugged individual. Perhaps you grew up hearing the voices telling you to distrust those in authority. Perhaps, you too, learned to be true to yourself, to be the captain of your ship, following no one but yourself. But after a lifetime of plotting your own course, following no one but yourself – can I ask you: How’s that working out for you? Have you become the person you’ve always wanted to become? Or do you still find yourself wondering if there’s more to life than surrounding yourself with material goods, exciting adventures, and living for yourself? Do you find yourself hungering for something more or someone to follow who can give your life joy and meaning?

If that’s you today, then I want to encourage you to open your Bible to the first chapter of the gospel of Mark, where we’re going to see that Jesus does offer us something more, something better than just following ourselves. For it’s here at the beginning of his ministry, Jesus announces that there’s something better than what we’ve settled for – a new way of living is possible, where joy, meaning and purpose can be found – but it’s not found in following your heart, your dreams, or your desires. Rather it’s found in following Him. So, if you’ve found the gospel of Mark, our passage today is Mark 1:14-18, where Jesus shares the good news that a better life is possible and invites you to embrace this life by following Him. That’s where this passage begins, with

1. The Good News: A new way of life is now available to you!
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!” Mark 1:14-15 Jesus has waited for the opportune time to burst on the scene. Up till now, John the Baptist has been the center of attention. His job is done. He’s spent months preparing for the arrival of the Messiah – preparing the stage for Jesus. But now that John’s locked away, Jesus takes center stage and begins his ministry by proclaiming the good news of the kingdom. This is not just any news. It’s good news. This Word translated as “good news” combines angelos, the word for one announcing news, and the prefix eu-, which means “joyful.” Euengeleon means “news that brings joy.” This word had currency when Mark used it, but it wasn’t religious currency. It meant history-making, life-changing news, as opposed to just daily news.

For example, when Greece was invaded by Persia, and the Greeks won the great battles of Marathon and Solnus, they sent heralds who proclaimed the good news to the cities: “We have fought for you, we have won, and now you’re no longer slaves; you’re free.” A gospel is an announcement of something that has happened in history, something that’s been done for you that changes your status forever.

Right here we see the difference between Christianity and all other religions. The essence of other religions is advice; Christianity is essentially good news. Other religions say, “This is what you have to do in order to earn favor with God.” But the gospel says, “This is what has been done in history. This is how Jesus lived and died to earn the way to God for you.” Christianity is completely different. It’s joyful news.

So, Jesus comes announcing joyful news: The Kingdom of God is near! In other words, Jesus is announcing that God has come to redeem our world and make it like it once was in the garden of Eden, a world in which all relationships were whole, where people lived in perfect harmony with God and one another. This is the longing of every heart. When God created us, He created us to experience harmony with one another. He created a world where there was no conflict, no selfishness, no distrust, no abuse, no using people. Adam and Eve experienced this harmony in the garden because God was the King. But then in Genesis chapter 3, something happened that ruined this harmony: Adam chose to be his own king by taking matters into his own hands – choosing to no longer trust God as his King. A by his choice, every person ever born was adversely affected. Now, rather than experience harmony with God and with one another, each of us is born with this desire to be our own king – to refuse to trust God and follow only ourselves. This by the way is at the core of what the Bible calls sin.

Listen how Pastor Tim Keller explains this: We have gone the way of self-centeredness. And self-centeredness destroys relationships. There’s nothing that makes you more miserable than self-absorption: How am I feeling, how am I doing, how are people treating me, am I proving myself, am I succeeding, am I failing? Self-absorption leaves us static; there’s nothing more disintegrating. Why do we have wars? Why do families implode? Why are our relationships constantly exploding? It’s the darkness of self-centeredness. When we decide to be our own center, our own king, everything falls apart: physically, socially, spiritually, and psychologically. We have left the dance. But we long to be brought back in. We long for a true king to come and set the world right. And the good news of the kingdom of God is this: Jesus is that true King!”

So, here when Jesus announces that the kingdom of God is near, it’s good news. With the coming of Jesus, a new way of living is at hand. With the arrival of the kingdom Jesus has come to reconcile relationships, to restore harmony, heal the broken-hearted, and set captives free. Jesus announces that the life you’ve been longing for: a life where people are treated with dignity and kindness, where people are loved with compassion and mercy – this new way of living has arrived with the King.

So that now, when you live as a citizen of His kingdom, you no longer have to live under the confusion and oppression of human culture. Right now, our culture calls the shots. Every last one of us lives under an empire that taxes our paychecks, passes ungodly laws and tells us we must obey them. Every day, our culture bombards us with messages as to how to have the good life, tells us who’s right and who’s wrong, who’s in and who’s out. Our culture is full of voices trying to have a say in how you live… And yet, amidst all those voices Jesus shouts the arrival of a new way – the way of the Kingdom of God. Jesus proclaims a revolutionary way to live: a way of mercy, kindness and peace; a way of faith, hope and love; a way of sacrifice and surrender; a way of humility and healing – And this is joyful news. For with God’s kingdom at hand, you no longer have to accept a shallow and selfish existence. Your life can now have meaning, purpose, joy, hope and so much more.

But to experience this life Jesus calls us to repent and believe the good news. He calls us to “change our minds” about who’s really offering the good life. He calls us to listen to a new voice – His voice. To repent simple means to stop listening to the voices that are trying to have a say in your life and turn to Jesus and listen to the new way of life He offers you with Him. In essence, when Jesus announces the good news of the kingdom, He invites you to follow Him in this new way of life. That’s what we see next:

2. Our invitation to a Journey: Jesus invites you to follow Him in this new way of life
As Jesus walked along 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.” Mark 1:17 Jesus takes the initiative. He approaches Simon and Andrew while they are fishing and summons them to come be with Him. In fact, there are three characteristics of this invitation I want to unpack for us here. First,

Jesus calls you to a journey of relationship: “Come after me” Jesus uses a very specific command here. He uses the word “come” which really carries the idea of “come here.” It’s a call to stop what you’re doing and move towards the one calling. It’s a summons.
It implies action on the part of the one who hears the invitation.

Jesus pairs that word with the phrase “after me.” Jesus is giving specific direction as to where to come. The literal meaning of the word means “behind.” So, Jesus is calling them to put down their nets and fall in behind him. However, this call is not just for them; it’s His invitation for anyone who wants to embrace the new life Jesus offers: When Jesus invites you to follow Him, He makes a very specific call for you to come align yourself with Him as His apprentice. Become my disciple and fall in behind me, learn of me, and I will teach you the new way of living in God’s Kingdom.

Those are very powerful words: Words that imply relationship, investment, belief. A kind of relationship we rarely see today. If you’re like me, you wish you had someone like this in your life. And perhaps some of you did. But today, the good news is that you can have someone like this in your life – if you’re willing to follow Jesus. Jesus is someone who will always believe in you, always teach you, always be with you. He offers you an eternal relationship. He offers you a new kind of life – with Him. That’s some invitation!

But here’s where a lot of people have gotten Christianity wrong. Contrary to what many assume, Jesus did not invite people to convert to Christianity. He didn’t even call people to become Christians; Jesus invited people to apprentice under him into a whole new lifestyle – a kingdom lifestyle – a lifestyle free from the oppression of the prevailing culture – free to become a new kind of person, with godly values and practices.

This is Jesus’ invitation for you today! Jesus invites you to follow Him in this new way of living, with Him as your teacher. He invites you to be His apprentice. That’s what a follower of Jesus is. A follower of Jesus is an apprentice of Jesus: Aligning your life with Jesus so you can learn from Jesus how to live and love like Him. This clear invitation to follow Jesus is why our vision statement says: We are people helping people become friends, family and followers of Jesus. Jesus isn’t just the forgiver of our sins. Jesus is the One who promises to transform you into a new kind of person who can live like Jesus. Which really leads to the next part of this journey that Jesus calls us into, and that is this:

Jesus calls you to a journey of significance: “I will make you” What I love about this phrase is it’s all about Jesus. It’s not about what you do for Jesus, it’s about what He promises to do in you. The word He uses here is the word for work. It’s a word of power. The Son of God wants to do a work of power in you. What work is that? It’s a work of transformation. When you follow Jesus, Jesus promises to change your life. You’re going to become different than you were before. This is what Paul wrote about when he spoke of what God wants to do in us: For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10

God wants to create a work of art out of your life. He wants to birth love, joy, mercy, generosity and kindness in your heart. And the good news here is that Jesus can do this with anyone who chooses to follow Him. He can change anyone. I know this to be true. Before I started following Jesus, I was full of myself. My friendships were based on convenience and so my relationships had little depth. Now, I’m not proud of who I was, but God graciously began to change me. I see people differently today. I still struggle with being selfish. I still struggle with pride. But people just look different to me now. When I see someone, I might still see their flaws, but I also see what can be. I see their dignity and potential and beauty. And I want to believe in them and seek what’s best for them. That’s so far opposite of who I was before meeting Jesus. I guess that’s why God had to work so hard in me. So, the good news is this – no matter how messed up you are, no matter how much baggage you might be carrying, no matter how many times you’ve messed up, once you start following Jesus, Jesus never gives up working on you. This is God’s promise to you: He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6.

How cool is that? The more time you spend with Jesus, the more Jesus will change you. You’ve got an anger issue? Jesus can heal that. You lack compassion? Jesus can soften your heart. You have trouble loving someone who votes differently than you? Spend time with Jesus and His love for them will began to change how you relate with them. The more you walk with Jesus, the more Jesus will make you like Himself. This is what our world needs today. Our world doesn’t need more politics or programs. What our world needs is more people who’ve been transformed by Jesus.

In fact, as you follow Jesus, one of the biggest changes He will make in you, is that what matters most to Jesus will begin to matter most to you. Which leads to the final aspect of our invitation to a journey with Jesus, and that is this:

Jesus calls you to a journey with a cause: “to be fishers of men” In other words, people are what matter most to Jesus. People who’ve wandered from God, the lonely, the ignored, the unlovely and broken. People who are rebellious, who’ve been rejected, who are angry and anxious. People who think they have it all, and people who have nothing at all. It’s people Jesus left heaven for. IT IS PEOPLE who Jesus died for. It’s people He wants to bring back to God. Its people that He came to heal, to give peace and hope. Jesus has come to bring healing and hope to every single person who draws breath today. Jesus has come to reach hardened criminals and broken-down addicts. Jesus loves every forgotten person in that homeless camp, and every illegal immigrant trying to find hope. For when Jesus looks at people, when Jesus looks at you, He sees you were made in His image and likeness. That’s why the Father sent Jesus into the world, so all people might be reconciled to their Creator. So, they might know what it’s like to be set free from guilt and shame, and to know the One who loves them unconditionally. It’s people who matter most to Jesus. And if you are willing to answer His invitation, if you spend time with Jesus, and learn from Jesus, it won’t take long until what matters most to Jesus will matter most for you. This is why following Jesus is actually the hope of the world. For when His cause becomes your cause, you won’t just see people differently, you’ll want to help them come to know the Jesus you know.

For the Jesus you know He loves the unlovely; you know He binds-up the broken hearted; and you know the joy that only He gives. So, if you’ve been blessed by His grace in these ways and more – as you follow Him, He will make you into fishers of men. You won’t just see people differently; you’ll start loving them as Jesus loved you. This is the journey Jesus calls every follower to share with him. As He said to his apprentices in the upper room: “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” John 20:21

So, this is the good news: The kingdom God is still near! A new way of living with God can still be experienced, you can find the life, the peace, the hope your heart was made to find, if you hear Jesus’ invitation and act on it. This is what Simon and Andrew did. They became apprentices of Jesus and entered this new way of life with Him. And you can do that too. That’s the final thing we see from this passage today:

3.Entering the Jesus Way: At once they left their nets and followed Jesus. Mark 1:18
These first followers did two things: One they left their nets behind. They left their old way of life behind. Two, they followed Jesus as His disciples. As we conclude this morning, let me say this: A net can be anything that keeps you from following Jesus. There are a lot of nets that can keep you from responding to Jesus. Here’s some of them:
1. People can be nets
2. Things can be nets
3. Plans and dreams can be nets
4. Attitudes can be nets
5. Sins can be nets

I’m not going to belabor the fact that there are so many things that can keep you from responding to Jesus’ invitation. People reject Jesus every day. But there’s also a great many who for some reason hesitate. They’re on the fence. Perhaps they’re still following themselves, or someone else. But I will say this: Jesus’ invitation is still open today. And if you’ve never responded to him, then you need to ask yourself this: Is Jesus worth following? For if He is, and you respond to Him, you’ll never regret following Jesus. You’ll only regret that you didn’t do it sooner.

So once again, if you have ears to hear, listen to Jesus’ invitation once more: “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” The ball’s in your court. Will you respond? Let’s pray.