The Joy of Sharing

The Joy of Sharing
Mark: Who is this Man?
Mark 16:14-20

A Review of Mark

• It begins with the birth of Christ in Mark 1
• John the Baptist prepares the way
• Jesus is baptized by John the Baptist
• Jesus is tempted
• He calls His first disciples
• In Mark 2 He ministers in Galilee and causes the paralyzed man to walk
• Mark 3 He declares that He is the Lord of the Sabbath
• Mark 4 He teaches in many Parables
• Mark 5 He heals the Demoniac
• Mark 6 He sends out His 12 Apostles
• Also in Mark 6 John the Baptist is beheaded
• Mark 6 – Jesus feeds the 5,000  (as many as 20,000)
• Mark 8 – Peter’s confession that Jesus is the Son of God
• Mark 9 – The transfiguration
• Mark 11 – The Triumphal Entry
• Move into Passion Week…
• Today, in Mark 16 we are closing out this series with the final instructions that Jesus leaves His followers… 

Read: Mark 16:14-20 - Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.

• Jesus had just defeated death, He had shown Himself to some of His followers and now we see Him giving His final instructions to His followers before He ascends into heaven. 
• He gives His followers what is known as the “Great Commission”.  Of course, these instructions are found in other accounts as well…

Luke 24:45-48 - Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things

Acts 1:8 - But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Matthew 28:18-20 - And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” 

Main Idea: We need to read and follow the instructions that Jesus left us to make disciples who make disciples. 

I: It starts with an obedient heart.

Definition of obedience: Do exactly what you were told, exactly how you were told to do it, with the right heart attitude.” This isn’t called the “Great Suggestion” – we, the Church and the individuals who make up the Church are commanded to go and make disciples.

Mark 16:15 - And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.

A. “Go” comes from a Greek word that means – “go” or “travel”. Could be stated as “As you are going”.
B. Some misunderstand this to mean that you don’t necessarily have to “go” anywhere out of your way…
C. “Proclaim” means to “preach”, “announce”, or be “heralded”
D. You may have heard the quote “preach the gospel at all times and if necessary use words” which is attributed to St. Francis of Assisi even though there isn’t anything that backs that claim up…. It’s necessary – to “herald”.
E. So, if we are obedient, we must “go” and “proclaim”. But what are we going to proclaim?

Main Idea: We need to read and follow the instructions that Jesus left us to make disciples who make disciples.

II: We are to obediently proclaim the gospel in the power of the Spirit.

Acts 1:8 - But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

A. We don’t have to do this on our own!
B. We received the Holy Spirit of God at the moment of our salvation. Ephesians 1:13-14 - In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
C. In addition to empowering our witness, as we see in Acts 1:8, The indwelling Holy Spirit helps us to live out the life we have been called to live. John 14:26 - But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
D. So, the Holy Spirit has been given to us, not only for our own good, but for the good of those around us.  

Main Idea: We need to read and follow the instructions that Jesus left us to make disciples who make disciples. 

III: We must obediently follow through with being disciples and making disciples.

We must share our faith with others, and hopefully lead people to Christ, so that they can be saved – but it doesn’t end with someone saying the sinner’s prayer – we are called to make disciples.

Matthew 28:18-20 - And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” 

A. “Disciples” means to become a pupil – the disciples would have understood this command to go and teach others what the Teacher has taught them.  So, to make disciples it requires that we are, and have been disciples.
B. I’m afraid that we who are obedient to share our faith, tend to make Christians and not disciples.  What I mean by that is we tend to encourage new believers to attend a church and hope they become more like Jesus.
C. In his book, “The Great Omission”, Dallas Willard wrote, “The greatest issue facing the world today, with all its heartbreaking needs, is whether those who, by profession or culture, are identified as ‘Christians’ will become disciples – students, apprentices, practitioners – of Jesus Christ, steadily learning from him how to live the life of the Kingdom of the Heavens into every corner of human existence.”
D. Matthew gives us the most complete understanding of the Great Commission - Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.
E. Go – make disciples of all nations –these are people are to be baptized and taught to obey Christ. 

The plan is simple: go and make disciples who make disciples and repeat.

Conclusion: How are you doing with this?  Are you a disciple who is making disciples?  Are you obeying Christ?  Or are you stuck somewhere?

• More learning needed?  “Grasping God’s word” starts in January
• More community needed? Join a small group.
• Have you been obedient in the clear things God has called you to, like baptism? 

Take a step towards Jesus today.