Why are you here?  What do you want out of Jesus?  Friends?  Kids asking about Jesus?  Relational healing?  Forgiveness for your sins?  Healing of deep wounds?

Jesus Wants More for You than You Want for Yourself Big Idea:

The Invitation: Mark 1: As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 17 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 18 At once they left their nets and followed him. 19 When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. 20 Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.

The Invitation: Mark 1:16-19  Why is this story so cool?  Jesus chose these men!  Uneducated messed up men  Free from any requirements  Didn’t have to prove themselves to him  Common theme with Jesus  Mark is showing us that Jesus has a different type of heart and different type of authority than regular Rabbi’s

The Response: Mark 1:16-19  “At Once” they dropped what they were doing  They were overjoyed to be chosen  Jesus’ invitation spoke to their hearts.

What had they signed up for? “When Jesus says to Simon, and Andrew, “come, follow me,” at once they leave their vocation as fishermen and follow him. When he calls James and John, they leave behind their father and friends right there in the boat. We know from reading the rest of the Gospels that these men did fish again, and they did continue to relate to their parents. But what Jesus is saying is still disruptive. In traditional cultures you get your identity from your family. And so when Jesus says, “I want priority over your family,” that’s drastic. In our individualistic culture, on the other hand saying good bye to our parents isn’t a big deal, but for Jesus to say, “I want priority over your career” that’s drastic. Jesus is saying, “knowing me, loving me, resembling me, serving me must be the supreme passion of your life. Everything else comes second.” -- Tim Keller, “King’s Cross”

What is Jesus calling us to? Jesus wants to be the supreme passion of our lives!!

What had they signed up for? “If you say, ‘I’ll obey you Jesus, if my career thrives, if my health is good, if my family is together’, [if we can have healthy kids, if I make enough money,…] then the thing that’s on the other side of that “if” is your master, your real goal. Jesus does not want to be a means to an end; …he wants to be the end goal.” -- Tim Keller, “King’s Cross”

Jesus Heals a Leper: Mark 1: A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” 41 Jesus was indignant. He reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” 42 Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed. 43 Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: 44 “See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” 45 Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.

Jesus Heals a Leper: Mark 1:40-45  Leprosy was bad stuff!! No friends No community People avoiding you Living on the outskirts of town  Of course he wanted healed!

Jesus Heal the Paralytic: Mark 2:1-5  Walking again would have changed this man’s life This man wanted physical change His friends wanted physical change Jesus heals him…AND MORE Jesus heals his heart as well by forgiving his sins  Both stories these men wanted Jesus to physically heal them  Jesus desires deep soul restoration as well as physical healing

Our Response:  We could ignore it: Be content with the way things are Be ok with performance based, rules keeping, guilt driven relationship we are accustomed to Be content treating Jesus like a vending machine and only turning to him when there are problems.

Our Response:  We could embrace it: Be curious about Jesus, His life, His ministry, what He has called us to Be curious about how he loved, served, sacrificed. Live radical lives of faith in Jesus because we are accepted Dive further into community Embrace transparency and authenticity Lead each other with clarity and strength

Jesus Wants More for You than You Want for Yourself Big Idea:

Kris and Brooke Ethridge Testimony: