Return to God
Audio Recording
Sermon Outline
Speaker: Rev. Scott Strickman
Sermon Series: Behold the Glory of God
Mark 1:14-34 (ESV)
1 14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
16 Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” 18 And immediately they left their nets and followed him. 19 And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. 20 And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.
21 And they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and was teaching. 22 And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes. 23 And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, 24 “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.” 25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” 26 And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him. 27 And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” 28 And at once his fame spread everywhere throughout all the surrounding region of Galilee.
29 And immediately he left the synagogue and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30 Now Simon's mother-in-law lay ill with a fever, and immediately they told him about her. 31 And he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her, and she began to serve them.
32 That evening at sundown they brought to him all who were sick or oppressed by demons. 33 And the whole city was gathered together at the door. 34 And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons. And he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.
Sermon Outline
Jesus calls us to return to God (v15)
1. What is the kingdom?
v15 “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand”
v14 “Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God”
2. Why is this announcement good news?
v15 “believe in the gospel”
v17 “I will make you become fishers of men.”
v24 “I know who you are—the Holy One of God.”
v32 “That evening at sundown they brought to him all who were sick or oppressed by demons.”
v27 “What is this? A new teaching with authority!
v28 “his fame spread everywhere…”
3. What should we do?
v15 “repent and believe”
v17 “follow me”
Prayer of Confession
Our Father in heaven, your name is holy. Jesus taught us to pray for the forgiveness of sins, so we are doing that now. We have wandered the earth ignorant of your glorious kingdom. We have not seen the gospel as good news, but we have resisted it, resented it, and dismissed it. We have tried to save ourselves. We have tried to hold on to our sins while also receiving relief for what they are doing in our lives. We have gotten stuck in our sin and misery. Today you call us to return, so we repent, turning from our sins to you, the living, merciful God. We believe the gospel of Jesus Christ, and we receive and rest in him alone. Amen.
Questions for Reflection
If you could come up with a short message (1-3 sentences) that is good news for all people, what would you want to tell them?
Why is it good news that “the time is fulfilled”? What does that mean (Mark 1:15)?
Why is it good news that the kingdom of God is at hand? What does that mean?
Why is it good news that Jesus calls us to repent and believe the gospel? What does that mean?
What can we understand about the ministry of the apostles from Jesus telling them he will make them “fishers of men”?
Why does Jesus cast out demons and heal the sick? What does that show us about him? About the kingdom of God?
What does it mean to repent? Why is the call to repent difficult?
What does it mean to believe the good news? What can someone having trouble believing it do?
What is good about Jesus’ call to follow him? Why is it necessary?
How is the kingdom of God “upside down”? What are some of the ways that how Jesus thinks and acts (and wants us to think and act) are very different from the ways of the world?