Verse 30, page 1013.
They left that place and passed through Galilee.
Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were,
because he was teaching his disciples.
He said to them,
The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men.
They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.
But they did not understand what he meant,
and were afraid to ask him about it.
They came to Capernaum, where he was in the house.
When he was in the house, he asked them,
What are you arguing about on the road?
But they kept quiet,
because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.
Sitting down, Jesus called the twelve and said,
If anyone wants to be first,
he must be the very last and the servant of all.
He took a little child and had him stand among them.
Taking him in his arms, he said to them,
Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me,
and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me,
but the one who sent me.
Teacher, said John,
We saw a man driving out demons in your name,
and we told him to stop,
because he was not one of us.
Do not stop him, Jesus said.
No one who does a miracle in my name
can in the morning,
in the next moment,
say anything bad about me,
for whoever is not against us
is for us.
I tell you the truth,
anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name
because you belong to Christ
will certainly not lose his reward.
And if anyone causes one of these little ones
who believe in me to sin,
it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea
with a large millstone tied around his neck.
If your hand causes you to sin,
cut it off.
It is better for you to enter life maimed
than with two hands
to go into hell,
where the fire never goes out.
And if your foot causes you to sin,
cut it off.
It is better for you to enter life crippled
than to have two feet
and be thrown into hell.
And if your eye causes you to sin,
pluck it out.
It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God
with one eye
than to have two eyes
and be thrown into hell,
where their worms do not die
and the fire is not quenched.
Everyone will be salted with fire.
Salt is good,
but if it loses its saltiness,
how can you make it salty again?
Have salt in yourselves
and be at peace with each other.
Thanks very much, Maria.
Well, please keep your Bibles open
at that section we've just read.
We've just started a new series,
which is looking at the second half
of Mark's Gospel,
which really is the last few months of his life
while he was on earth
and the journey that he takes
with his disciples towards the cross.
So we're going to be looking at that section
that Maria just read.
And before we do,
we're going to pray.
Hopefully you've got a piece of paper,
maybe to take notes,
or you can use the back of your news sheet there.
And if you have any questions
or anything that you want to ask after,
then please feel free to do that.
So let's pray.
Father, we thank you for this account
about Jesus while he was here on earth,
for the things that have been recorded.
And yet, even as we've just read them now,
some of them sound quite strange to us.
Some of it perhaps quite hard.
And so, Father, we need the help of your Holy Spirit
to not only understand with our minds,
but we need your Spirit
so that it will change our hearts
to show us what it is
to be a disciple of Jesus.
So please help us right now.
We come as disciples,
people who want to learn from you.
We want you to teach us
through your word.
So come, Spirit, teach us.
We ask this in Jesus' name.
Amen.
Now, before I start,
has anybody got the flicker?
I'll do it.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
You're hired.
That's what every contestant longs to hear
from Lord Sugar
as they seek to become the winner
of The Apprentice.
What's on offer?
Well, a six-figured salary
and the opportunity to partner with him
in a multi-billion business.
The way to win is simple.
You must be arrogant and stubborn
with a ruthless desire to be successful.
Stab your opponent in the back.
Rather than serve people,
you must use people.
In Mark's gospel here,
we are introduced to the apprentices of Jesus.
Verse 30.
They left.
That's Jesus and his disciples.
They left that place and passed through Galilee.
Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were
because he was teaching his disciples.
known as the Twelve.
They were to learn what it meant to be a disciple.
That's what disciple means.
They are a learner.
And Jesus is teaching them
what it is to be a follower of Jesus.
But in contrast to Lord Sugar,
not sure who gave him that title,
the one and only Lord Jesus Christ,
offers his apprentices not success,
but suffering.
Look at verse 31.
He said to them,
The Son of Man is going to be betrayed
into the hands of men.
They will kill him,
and after three days he will rise.
The Son of Man was a title for Jesus,
a title of absolute power and supreme authority.
But this man of great power,
the God-man,
would be killed.
You see, the death of Jesus
is not just the means for becoming a disciple,
but is also the model for living as a disciple.
That's why he's teaching about his death.
It's not just the means for becoming a disciple,
but his death is also the pattern,
the shape of a disciple's life.
At this point in the account,
Jesus is six months from his death,
and the journey that is going to lead him to his death
is a journey that we are called to live
every single day.
It is nothing less than a life of humble service
with a ruthless desire to remove any hint
of self-centred living.
Look at verse 32.
But they didn't understand what he meant,
and they were afraid to ask him about it.
Who in their right mind
wants to model their life
on someone who's going to die a terrible death?
Do you?
Surely there must be an easier way to go.
No.
This is a call to radical discipleship.
If we crave comfort
and a nice, gentle lifestyle,
if we long for popularity and acceptance,
if we desire to be the ones who control our life,
then please close your Bible right now.
Put it under your seat,
close your eyes,
and go to sleep.
Because what follows
is not for you
if you want a gentle life.
After all, as we've just read in verse 31,
Jesus doesn't want others to hear
what it is that he teaches
to his disciples.
Because not everybody can handle it.
So what does he teach?
Well, first,
being a disciple means
serving the weak,
not seeking to be great.
Verse 33,
they came to Capernaum.
When he was in the house,
obviously,
of one of the disciples,
he asked them,
what were you arguing about on the road?
But they kept quiet,
red-faced,
and embarrassed.
Because on the way,
they had argued about
who was the greatest.
So who do you think
is the greatest in this church?
Go on.
Who do you think?
Well, we don't like to publicly
talk about it, do we?
That is embarrassing.
But we can unconsciously
practice it.
You see,
we can be preoccupied
with appearing great,
that we simply forget
to do great things.
Verse 35,
sitting down,
which in that culture,
in that time,
was actually a position
of authority.
So Jesus sits down,
he's saying basically
to his disciples,
hang on a minute,
you're talking about greatness?
Well, listen to the one
who knows what true greatness
is all about.
He called the twelve
and he said,
if anyone wants to be first,
he must be the very last
and the servant of all.
Did we get that quite right?
Did he say last?
Did he say servant?
How is that greatness?
But yet,
that's what Jesus came to do for us.
He was the one
who was great,
but became last,
the lowest of the low.
He was the one
who became a servant,
giving up of his rights
and ultimately,
giving of his life.
That's what greatness is.
And Jesus now demonstrates
to us what this
will look like
in practice.
verse 36.
He took a little child
and had him stand among them.
What's so great about that,
you think?
Well,
children
in that culture
are not treated
as they are
in ours.
We have a special place
for children
in the
Roman Greek culture.
The father would decide
if the child
actually lived or died
when it was born.
If he thought
they couldn't support
the child
for financial reasons,
or if they thought
the baby was going
to be sick,
they were left
outside
or abandoned.
So children
in this context
were a good example
of the lowest
of all people
and nobody.
But look what Jesus does.
It's both shocking
and surprising.
He takes the little child,
has them stand
among them,
but not only that,
he takes him
in his arms
and he said to them,
whoever welcomes
one of these
little children
in my name
welcomes me.
Now this isn't
about cute
little kids.
It's about
all those
regardless of age
who are considered
insignificant
and less
than everybody else.
So through this
very visual example,
Jesus is saying
to his disciples,
look,
if you want to
not just appear
great,
but if you
really want
to do
great things,
then we need
to begin
to serve
the weak
and the insignificant,
the nobodies
within our community.
For us,
it might mean
inviting
not the popular
nice people
to our home,
but the outsider,
the one that
nobody really
bothers with.
It might mean
giving of our
time.
Not to those
who are like us
and might say
thank you
or give us
something in
return,
but to those
who are
ostracized,
those who
struggle to fit in,
those who
can't give
anything in
return.
Isn't that
what Jesus
did for us?
Jesus came
into this world
to serve
weak,
insignificant,
nobodies
like us.
He came
to welcome
sinful
outsiders
like us
to welcome
us in,
to bring us
in,
to be part
of his
family.
You see,
a church
family that
does not
welcome
all people,
regardless of
their race
or their
particular
social
background
or class
or their
religion,
is a church
of pseudo
disciples,
fake believers
who want
to appear
great
rather than
do great
things.
So first,
being a
disciple means
serving the
weak and
not seeking
to be
great.
Second,
he goes
on,
being a
disciple means
humility in
ministry,
not superiority
in ministry.
Verse 38,
Teacher,
said John,
well,
we saw a
man driving
out demons
in your
name.
But don't
worry,
we told
him to
stop because
he wasn't
one of us.
Literally,
he wasn't
following us.
Now,
how arrogant
is that?
John,
it seems,
is more
concerned about
his privileged
position.
John wants
status,
not service.
discipleship.
But John
is so far
from true
discipleship
because the
way of
Jesus was
marked by
humility.
He didn't
hold on to
his position.
He gave
up his
position for
us.
He humbled
himself to
the point of
death on a
cross so that
we might become
the privileged
followers of
Jesus.
In fact,
Jesus shows us
the kind of
humility that
he looks for
from his
disciples.
Verse 39,
we can just
picture it,
John,
do not
stop him.
no one who
does a
miracle in
my name
can in the
next moment
say anything
bad about
me,
for whoever
is not
against us
is for
us.
Can you
not see
it's not
about superiority
over people,
but humility
towards people.
It's about
being generous
hearted to
other believers,
other disciples,
even if they're
not part of
your little
particular
denominational
group.
I think we
can suffer
with John's
attitude,
I know I
can,
wanting to
hold on to
my position,
wanting to
have status,
thinking that
the only
possible way
that God
can work
is through
me,
or that
the only
way God
can work
is through
this church
or through
that particular
denomination.
well,
as disciples,
we need to
quickly understand
that God's
work is not
confined to
any one
person or
one church.
If they are
preaching Christ,
or as it says
in verse 40,
whoever is
for us,
they can't be
against us.
then we
should be
humble enough
to accept
them and
welcome
them.
It seems
that Jesus
has a
broader view
of ministry
than perhaps
we do.
Jesus came
in humility
to minister
to us.
He didn't
just dismiss
us or
ignore us,
but he
stretched out
his arms
on the
cross to
include us.
His
ministry
was broad
enough
to bring
close to
himself
people like
us who
were against
him.
In
humility
he came.
Look at
verse 41.
Jesus
says,
I tell you
the truth,
anyone who
gives you
a cup of
water in
my name
because you
belong to
Christ will
certainly not
lose his
reward.
Jesus is
looking forward
at this stage
to a time
when the
disciples will
actually be
out on
ministry
themselves,
no longer
with Jesus.
Jesus will
have returned
to heaven
and they
would be
out on
their own.
And he's
saying,
look,
as you
go about
doing
ministry,
you're
going to
meet people
and they're
going to
come to
you and
serve you,
perhaps give
you some
water or
some food.
They're
going to
welcome
you.
And the
people who
do that,
it's evidence
that they
too are
disciples,
that they
too love
Jesus.
So the
question is,
are we as
generous and
welcoming of
God's people?
People who
perhaps come
to this
family of
this church
from other
places,
other Christians
who've
moved here?
Do we
show that
generosity
of a
welcome?
Or do
we kind
of keep
people at
arm's length
with a
sense of
superiority
because,
well,
they don't
really fit
in and
they don't
do things
our way,
you know.
So being
a disciple
means humility
in ministry,
not superiority
in ministry.
Third,
being a
disciple
means being
ruthless
with sin,
not casual
with sin.
Verse 42,
and if
anyone
causes one
of these
little ones,
that is,
any other
disciple,
a follower
of Jesus,
if anyone
causes one
of these
disciples who
believes in
me to sin,
it would
be better
for them
to be
thrown into
the sea
with a
large
millstone
tied around
his neck.
How
serious
he is,
causing
another
disciple,
another
follower
of Jesus
to fall
away
from God
or to
turn away
from God
is serious.
Because what
we say
and how
we live
as a
disciple
really
matters.
Sin is
not personal,
it's not a
private matter,
it not only
affects my
life
if I
sin,
but
my sin
affects the
community
of believers
around me.
In fact,
it is so
serious that
such a
person will
face the
full weight
of God's
wrath.
It will
be like,
as he says
at the end
of verse
42,
being thrown
into the
sea with
a large
millstone
tied around
his neck.
Jesus
took sin
seriously.
he came
into the
world to
take
our sin
on himself.
He faced
the full
weight of
God's
wrath around
his neck
for us.
He died
in our
place on
the cross.
He took
the blame
for our
sin so
that we
could live
a different
way,
so that
we could
be ruthless
with the
sin that
is in
our lives.
let's
read the
verses of
verse 43
to 48.
If your
hand
causes you
to sin,
cut it
off.
It is
better for
you to
enter life
maimed
than with
two hands
to go
into hell
where the
fire never
goes out.
And if
your foot
causes you
to sin,
cut it
off.
it is
better for
you to
enter life
crippled
than to
have two
feet and
be thrown
into hell.
And if
your eye
causes you
to sin,
pluck it
out.
It is
better for
you to
enter the
kingdom of
God with
one eye
than to
have two
eyes and
be thrown
into hell.
If ever
we were
in doubt
as to
the seriousness
of avoiding
sin in
our lives
or not
dealing with
sin in
our lives,
this awakens
us to the
terrible and
eternal
consequences of
being casual
about sin.
sin.
I'm going to
read that
again.
If ever
we're in
doubt as to
the seriousness
of avoiding
or not
dealing with
sin in
our lives,
this must
awaken us to
the terrible and
eternal consequences
of just being
casual.
sin.
So as I
read this,
and maybe
you're thinking,
how come I
still have my
two hands and
my two feet and
my two eyes?
Have I never
sinned?
Well, you can be
sure it's not
because I never
sin.
I do.
Too much.
Jesus'
teaching about
cutting and
plucking is
not to be
taken literally.
We're not to
go and perform
surgery on each
other and cut
each other's hands
and feet and
pull each other's
eyes out.
But this means
we are to take
things seriously.
He's using
strong language
deliberately to
drive the point
home.
Whatever we do
with our hands,
wherever we
happen to go
with our feet,
whatever we
see with our
eyes, if any
part of our
life causes
us to sin,
kill it,
cut it out,
deal with it
before it
kills you.
Anything
less is to
ignore the
reality of
hell itself.
God's
love.
Johnny, you
can't really
mean this,
can you?
If Jesus
didn't literally
mean cut
off your
hands, then
it's not too
far to kind of
go as far to
say, well, he
didn't literally
mean hell.
Well, to
underline that
hell is real,
Jesus quotes
from Isaiah.
Look at
verse 48.
The end of
verse 47, he
says, you'll
be thrown
into hell
where?
And he
quotes Isaiah
where their
worm does
not die and
the fire is
not quenched.
That quote is
from the very
last verse,
you can look it
up later if you
wish, the very
last verse in
the book of
Isaiah, which
comes at the
end of two
long chapters of
God's wonderful
salvation, his
promise of
restoration and
renewal and
all that he's
going to do, but
at the very end
it ends with
this serious
note of
judgment.
The very last
verse.
Let me read
it to you.
Here's the
full verse.
They will go
out and look
upon the dead
bodies of those
who rebelled
against me.
Their worm
will not die,
nor will their
fire be quenched
in other words,
this is eternal
suffering and
they will be
loathsome to
all mankind.
It's a reality.
And you know
what?
If it were not
for the death
of Jesus,
we would all
be facing
hell.
Jesus came
to be ruthless
with sin
because we
could never
do it.
He came to
be our
sin.
He took
on all the
wrong things
that I've
ever done
and that you've
ever done.
He endured
the judgment
that we deserve.
He suffered
the depths
of hell
for us
so that we
don't have
to.
He did it
all for us
so that we
could actually
live a different
way so that
we could
fight the
sin in our
lives.
This is a
sober reminder
to all of us
as disciples
of Jesus.
How we view
sin and
more importantly
what we do
with the sin
that is still
in our lives
determines
our eternal
destiny.
so being a
disciple means
being ruthless
with sin
and not
casual with
sin.
I said it
was hard
and I think
that's why
Jesus took
his disciples
alone
because it
is difficult
but yet
there's joy
in discipleship.
This is the
radical nature
of discipleship.
This is what
it means
to follow
Jesus
and if we're
in any doubt
as to its
difficulty
look at
verse 49
everyone
will be
salted
with fire.
In other
words he's
saying the
path of
discipleship
will mean
a life
of suffering.
Serving
the weak
being humble
towards others
being ruthless
with sin
that's not a
walk in the
park
that's really
tough.
but it's
really good.
It's really
good.
It's good
for you.
Look at
verse 50
changing the
metaphor
Jesus says
salt is
good
but if it
loses its
saltiness
how can you
make it salty
again?
Have salt
in yourselves
and be at
peace with
each other.
water.
We don't
use salt
in the
same way
but again
in the
times that
it was
written
salt
will
preserve
and salt
will purify
food.
So Jesus
is saying
the suffering
and the
path that
we take
as disciples
it will
preserve
and purify
you.
if there's
no salt
in the
food
it's going
to rot
and be
mouldy
and stink
and go
off.
So without
the salt
of suffering
we will
never become
the disciples
and the
people that
God calls
us to be.
so he
says it's
good.
And
thankfully
Jesus
took the
ultimate
suffering
for us
our sin
death
hell
itself
so that
the path
of suffering
that we
now walk
as his
disciples
as we
journey
with him
it will
change us
and transform
us
and make
us to be
more like
Jesus.
in a
contradiction
to the
world's
standards
suffering
is good
for us
and we
can be
joyful
in walking
the path
because
one day
suffering
will end
and
suffering
will
have
fulfilled
its work
within us
because we
will see
Jesus
and not
only will
we see
Jesus
but we
will be
like
Jesus
the
ultimate
and true
disciple
we will
become
like him
in every
way
living with
him
for all
eternity
this is
the joy
in being
a disciple
is it
hard
absolutely
is it
worth it
without
a doubt
are we
hired
are we
an
apprentice
of the
Lord
Jesus
following
him
as his
disciple
let's
pray
father
perhaps
in some
ways
we're
just
like
the
disciples
as they
first
heard
those
words
of
Jesus
we
find it
hard to
understand
and
we're
even
afraid
to ask
what all
this
means
this is
hard
for us
this is
not easy
for us
so please
would you
give us
a heart
to
accept
your
teaching
and to
follow in
it
trusting you
that your
way is
perfect
and good
and the
journey
and the
path
that you
call us
to
while it
is hard
it is
good for
us
and it
is your
good way
of changing
us and
transforming us
to be more
like Jesus
so that as
we go out
into the
world we
reflect the
beauty of
Christ
and we
begin to
serve
others who
are weak
the nobodies
and we
begin to be
humble in
our ministry
and we
begin to see
the sin that
needs to be
rooted out
father be
gentle with
us
and continue
your work
in our
lives
as we
seek to
follow you
and learn
from you
in Jesus
name we
pray
amen
and we
you