Jesus in Galilee (Part B)

There are some really beautiful lakes with Galilee as is not one that you look at and see all is so beautiful and those of you may have seen Galilee and use it is beautiful you are just saying that because it's Bible really isn't and is made beautiful by Christ. It is the most important Lake in Western civilization, history since Christ appeared in human form and and that's what makes it special to us. This is cross reference radio with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville.

Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the gospel of Mark. Please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about cross reference radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching. Now here's Pastor Rick in the gospel of Mark chapter 1 with a new study called Jesus in Galilee, rock stars will always out attract us when not after the crowds were after souls. That's the work of the Holy Spirit in setting up a bait and switch that turns out only to be bait is not honorable. It's not what we are supposed to do Bible disagrees with that approach, we are to preach the gospel and we see Christ with John in prison not sing well me know.

Maybe John did it wrong. Maybe I shouldn't preach the gospel like John did all get people that something that makes them feel comfortable just to get them to come out to hear me and then keep giving them something comfortable. So they want to continue to come out to hear me but I will give them the gospel. Thank you Lord that that is not the case, and we should not be ashamed of these things we should be eager about them excited in a rush to tell the story world can get more the world from themselves.

Any truth from Christians when the church becomes like the world. We only give them a defeated Christianity just what Satan wants to play into their hands. Because Christians are ashamed to be different for same to stand up as well do that. I don't even like that and if I do like that. I know I should like and I'm fighting appreciate you trying to get me to do that when the Christian becomes like the world no longer becoming like Christ was supposed to be Christlike.

And that's hard enough. It's hard enough in a sheltered environment. Returning to what Jesus has delivered us from whenever we tried to be like the world when Israel adopted pagan lifestyles. The pagans that were around them.

They lost that's the Old Testament old is up to us time and time again to drain the books of Kings and Chronicles read the prophets major and minor alike. When Israel turned to idols. God stop blessing them.

The doctrine of balance was to mingle in the world with those who claim to believe in God's word and in so doing, he corrupted individuals and if it had not been resisted and stopped there would be no Israel today they would've gone the way of the Amalekites and the Philistines and the Canaanites and all the others, but Israel is still here because God's word does not return void and she is proof of that is real whether they believe or not is not the point.

The point is, God said that nation that people as a nation will not be removed from the earth and if you take them out of the promised land. They will retain their identity as my people and I will come back to them. The guilty Jewish people will be treated like guilty Jewish people before the throne of God and the righteous Jewish people will be treated like righteous Jewish people before the throne of God.

And so it is with the Gentiles also, but Israel is this blinking light in the face of the planet throughout all history. God is real and is nothing you can do about it. You can come up with theories you can come up with your arguments you can write books, you can do movies you can slaughter Christians, but the light keeps blinking verse 15. This is of course still speaking of Christ, marketers, and saying this is what the preaching and Volvo included in saying the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand repent and believe in the gospel. The time is fulfilled, it has arrived. It is a distinct action of God. It is a fulfillment of prophecy that makes it spiritual is a spiritual feature now is not just a man standing up and say I got a good idea. I am the one that everybody should listen to me and if you don't listen to me were going to kill you there other religions that do that. My Christianity Christianity has this long record this unbroken witness of prophecy that is being fulfilled. To this day John's gospel chapter 1 and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, and as the glory of the only begotten of the father full of grace and truth. Oh Lord, may we have grace and truth. May we hold onto it tightly. May we treated as though it is golden. More. A new era begins with the coming of Christ into his preaching is God's dealing with human beings. Paul writes about it in Galatians to those churches in that region. He says when the fullness of the time it come, God sent forth his son, born of a woman, the virgin birth. That's what Paul is saying, continues in verse 15 and the kingdom of God is at hand. Christ visible. That is walking on the earth. The kingdom of God personified in him is more to it. Just don't never have enough time ticket to go in depth – we do go in depth here routinely with them.

We don't go to the next level because it really takes up a lot of time and and the will of the good that the surface lessons of the Scripture powerful in themselves is touching lives and he's being touched. We know that because the crowds pushed and shoved and came to him and he touched them, and they touched him. Remember the woman in Christ said, who touched me. Is that you kidding right you your air and a mob at at it.

Did you glasses like getting on a New York City subway at rush hour and say don't touch me, which I have seen and the fistfights that followed, well the kingdom of God is at hand Luke's gospel chapter 10 when he was sending out the 70, Jesus said this, among other things with them. He says Satan them, the kingdom of God has come near you in Christ preached to them about the Messiah coming specific of an imperative for directive to believers to this day.

Say to them the kingdom of God is near to you.

Luke 10 nine then he says repent and believe in the gospel so John is in jail but he still alive. And Jesus continues to preach this the same message as John was preaching rather than kindness into shoving him out of the way. Okay, now it's my time, he will not shove him out of the way, he will develop he will develop the message but right now while John is still on earth. Christ preaches the message of repentance. Repentance is an attitude with action. That's what repentance is it not just lip service.

It's not just you know not of the head.

There's a determination that goes with it, took control to fight to stop to slow down the progression of sin in my own life in my own heart. You are the salt of the earth. That's what that means you slow it down resisted. Don't give in salt is that which not only taste good and raises your blood pressure but it also slows down corruption and the Lord reinforcing John's message saying people have to face their sin their personal sin of the good have contact with God. Nero would not, for example, Paul preached to Nero, Nero, is the season when Paul was arrested, and God said to Paul, you will stand before Caesar needed.

We don't have Babbitt verbalize we have that promise that's good enough. Nero would not repent that he got worse, way worse. Simon Peter will come to in a moment he would repent, depart from me, for I am a sinful man.

He said to Jesus, and Jesus said no I don't depart from centers I've come here to seek and to save impenitent fake believers will not repent, plus they will cause trouble amongst believers to bring the vision with Paul writes the dude to the church in Rome. He says avoid the divisive.

They just come in and accommodate then impenitent they want repent. They want face their sin and they want you to entertain their sin and all put a little finger foods and little cups of this and that and just everybody sit down and be happy in the face of sin. Peter preached at Pentecost. He said, and remember to remember this point to Peter's preaching going to get back to that repent.

Acts chapter 3 verse 19.

Therefore, and being converted change teams and continues that your sins may be blotted out. Who wouldn't want that, so that times of refreshing may come in the presence of the Lord is either. That's what repentance brings us all those who say I'm a believer but refused to repent refused to deal with sin.

They're not refreshed and they do not refresh others. Quite the opposite this trip everybody down demanding that everybody excused them and turned a blind eye to the things of Christ.

Those who accommodate sin will be dominated by sin. This is a fact is not.

You have to believe me doesn't care what you believe me or not. It is a fact when the plant to the challenges us to preach to Christians who have repented and struggle with sin and not trust them because they're doing the right thing by fighting their sin even though they not gotten the victory. The fact that there on the battlefield distinguishes them from those who try to pretend that sin really isn't that bad, you should have a sip.

Take a bite of this we know what the fruit was there in the tree in general. In Genesis chapter 3 in case you don't know bananas bananas. Clearly I don't like bananas because since the nonbiblical fruit you little fact about banana some of you really like bananas and you need to be rebuked for that little fact is a gorilla will kill you for that banana so right little pastoral help their no charge for that. If you would like more nevermind where was I know I am right here. First Corinthians note again the grid. Look, I know of churches that when I go passable here about their name in Corinthian church but anyway there they were just, you know I very happy about how they were excusing sin in the congregation and Paul writes of the message of glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump. Of course you know that in those days everybody would lead did.

And these things don't play with this stuff asked the ancient churches in Galatia and I die Ron Berg Thomas of Laodicea asked them about not repenting make, believing that there believers. While they trample God's word. Revelation 221 I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent. So when Christ comes along. He says repent and believe in the gospel, he's got this thing for understatement. He does this quite powerful.

If you were if I were to get back at the subway deal.

I don't know what it is it's morning I'm maybe just thankful that I probably will never have to write another subway again but anyway if your driver to take you down to the subway in some city where there were subways and say that's the third rail. There appear to rails for the carriage train to roll upon and there's 1/3 one looks just like them but it's elevated and there's more electricity going through that in your body can handle.

And if you touch it, and your foot is not you know not where supposed to be you going to be cooked, microwaved instantly. Believe it or not I forgot why I brought that I worked on these things. I had to go to these classes and I remember one time they had this at this is a picture of someone in the hospital that touched the third rail was a horrific and that's what I'm thinking of now, so I forgot the specter point and Chino you miss out got I got it understatement.

So if I said don't touch that rail sets understatement. What I show you pictures and now more graphic with this making my point toward Christ did not usually hold up pictures outside of his parables and the things surrounding him.

So when he speaks.

It is there is a sustained seriousness in his prohibitions and we have no right to come along and and downsize it well you know he was he gets a little over-the-top sometimes know he does not is full of grace and grace does not lose its balance. Verse 16 and as he walked by the Sea of Galilee, saw Simon and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. Now some of you have mentioned to me that in both. Don't apologize for going over this keep preaching were going to try that this morning at 2 o'clock we should be done with this section, you asked for it yet.

This sea of Galilee, 60 miles from Jerusalem to Jerusalem is the hub we need to know that if you not familiar to Jerusalem that's that's where the temple isn't all you go 60 miles north and and and there you are heading due to the Sea of Galilee.

It's so I've got some stats here who wants to hear them is handle it that way. This sea of Galilee is several names. The Jews call it can interact the shape of a heart to heart and is of you know Vanessa Retzer, a regression version of that because the sea of Tiberius when the Romans came in they named it after. Of course their heroes Galilee to to the north and it is an underwhelming body of water when you go to Galilee, at least for me when I first went to Galilee. It was like that's not entirely because I knew that Christ walked on that but but still it's really not mean there are other lakes and other places that are beautiful and sell atoms like seat guided kept running out of paint colors did everything in black and whatever you know there's some really beautiful lakes with Galilee as is not one that you look at and say all is so beautiful and those of you may have seen Galilee and use it is beautiful you are you just saying that because it's in the Bible really isn't and is made beautiful by Christ. It is the most important Lake in Western civilization history since Christ appeared in human form and and that's what makes it special to us, even the Jews came to know what is Galilee of the Gentiles. And whenever the Jews spoke of Gentiles. It was not a compliment when when Paul was preaching and he mentions the word Gentile. The crowd went nuts and tried to kill him. They were cheering like a sport in the crowd goes wild know the crowd went wild. Rick tear him apart were not for the Roman soldiers he be in pieces so Isaiah oh I don't know 700 years before Christ was born over 700 says this, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan in Galilee of the Gentiles. There is promising the coming of Messiah will bring light but it it had that mark because usually the invading armies would come from the north and entered towards Jerusalem and they would come by this sea of Galilee of this is just the way it was, was the place that the foreigners had come to enjoy and claim and thus the Jews looked down on it, even in Jesus day their dialect was different. They spoke differently from the Jews in Jerusalem and so it's not it.

It was a different place. Even in those days in the promised land while here at the sea of Galilee.

It says he saw Simon would Jesus always sees. He sees you he sees every body, and he just couldn't get he's God the son, but as with Simon, and so with us when Jesus looked at Simon. He saw no one else saw.

He does that with everyone who comes to him you know as an artist looks at a campus that you know you and I will I look at cams I see something white for somebody else to draw something on an artist looks that they already see what they going to do with this with the going to start. They don't see the canvas and it is the same here with Jesus Watson Oracle. How many of you have heard of him. Yet one, he's the guy that did Mount Rushmore. And if you look at pictures of Mount Rushmore before Gottesman shows up it's just the general stonefaced Rocky Mountains not it's nothing how he saw these faces in there and got them on that mountain. This is incredible that this is what Gottesman said for globe. That's his last name will say it three times fast before we leave this morning and he create this is what Barnum said the faces are in the mountain all I have to do is bring them out. That's what Jesus does long before Borland comes along with the difficult name Jesus would look at look at Simon and he just sees saw this the rock in Simon. He just had to bring it out and he did. Jesus saw Simon as a campus to be covered with Peter the face of the mountain to be sculpted John chapter 1 verse three. All things were made through him and without him nothing was made that was made. Christ is the one that makes things happen in people. Simon Peter always the center in the crowd always where the action was always giving Christ opportunity to spread the things he said would amend say that I am and then Simon birds out of the Messiah, Christ, and then the base had since Jesus is saying to him Satan's and you Peter Dimino so that that's Peter of the beloved disciple of Christ. Mark names in first among the apostles in his gospel and will come to him later is the first of the apostles actually to really right call. Call Christ, the Messiah directly. Philip did flirt with the idea himself early on, and Andrew his brother, it says here this is I do now your Peter is an easy one. We do a whole sermon on Peter very easily. We do a couple of sermons in a row. Andrew ever comfortable and content with being his brother quote unquote and Andrew look at verse 16, and Andrew his brother. And that's how handled all pretty much introduced to us each time we meet him. As you know those of you familiar with the Scripture is bringing someone to Christ the Andrew spirit and the law of the Lord saw that he saw that and Andrew when he called these men.

He saw what is going to put on that campus. He saw what he was going to choose a lot of these men not know her like a con artist chiseling out of people but as a sculptor Michelangelo when he looks at you know a slab of marble.

He saw David that what is version of David, I see a man that needs a towel to say like that's not funny, Michael. I have my pipe. I wonder if it was too hard to draw a towel to chiseling over than that difficult. Anyway, he saw them casting a net into the sea.

So he's calling these men while they doing what working the lessons here for us.

Here he sees them casting their nets, but at the same time he sees Peter all three years later, leaving 3000 souls in a single sermon to Christ saying those words we brewing all repent. The times of refreshing may come from the Lord. That's what Christ on Peter even saw him crucified. He says, for they were fishermen.

The Lord doesn't make a habit of calling idle people to be his disciples but busy people. This lesson comes out in Scripture and in Luke's gospel. He says to in the parable that the master said to his servants do business till I come work until I come.

This is true of Moses. He was working as a shepherd.

Gideon threshing wheat hiding David the shepherd Elisha with 12 yoke of oxen Nehemiah and Amos. The apostles even Paul was working at persecuting Christians when he was called that's units thorough Rebecca. She was hauling water jug and Rachel was a shepherdess when God brings these people into our presence from the pages of Scripture we find them working because laziness is not a virtue. It is a vice and is so easy to be lazy. There are some people that are afraid of being lazy.

So much so they just are constantly working. I rather be. I'd rather burn out than rust out but I rather last altogether and in that is possible. Verse 17 then Jesus said to them, follow me and I will make you become fishers of men, and positive before we get into verse 17. Martha she she was one that was working to a fall.

She lost her balance and Mary wasn't lazy she just put first things first, I should just throw that in and I always like to put markers response to Jesus review was admirable because she doesn't make the same mistake twice next time to find who she is. She works that she leaves her sister alone. You have to report that thanks for tuning in to cross reference radio for this study in the book of Mark cross reference radio is the teaching ministry of Pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville in Virginia to learn more information about this ministry.

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