Last week, we saw the start of what would be ongoing and increasing hostility of Jewish religious leaders to Jesus. The trend continues in this morning’s passage which records the call of Levi and the party he threw for Jesus and his friends. Contemporary religious sensibilities argued that a truly spiritual man should have nothing to do with the rabble who had not carefully studied God’s Word and who made no attempt at meticulously observing the religious traditions designed to help one to keep the law. Jesus turned this kind of flawed thinking on its head. He came to save sinners, and while that includes all of us, the ones he would save would be those, and only those, who recognized their need for salvation. Nothing is more dangerous and deceptive than self-righteousness.

A major shift in Jesus’ ministry takes place in our text for this morning. Beginning with the healing of the paralytic, Mark records five consecutive events which show the increasing escalation of opposition to Jesus from the Jewish religious leaders. In the first confrontation, Jesus has been presented with a paralytic by four of his faithful friends, and rather than pronouncing healing upon the man, he instead forgives the man of his sins. This causes the Jewish scribes who were present to object strenuously, since only God can forgive sins. In fact, this is the issue at hand, as Jesus’ authority over sins will serve to reveal his true identity.

A significant part of Jesus’ earthly ministry involved healing. The gospels record 26 separate and distinct healings performed by Jesus; everything from blindness to paralysis; from bleeding to a severed ear; from demon possession to death. But Jesus’ primary ministry was not healing: it was preaching the good news of the kingdom of God entered into by repentance and faith. His miracles served as visible proof of the truth of his message and a glimpse into who he really was–the Son of God. But there is something especially profound taking place in this morning’s text which records the healing of a leper.

This morning, we are pleased to have Corey Navarro bring the message from God’s Word. In this sermon, we will seek to answer the key question of human existence―what is the chief end of man? This very familiar question comes from the Westminster Shorter and Larger Catechism, and the answer is that the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. But we are going to flip this answer around and see that by knowing and enjoying God we will ultimately bring him the greatest glory. Our text is from the writings of King David―Psalm 16.

Directly on the heels of a busy but wonderful day of ministry, Mark records that Jesus got up very early the next day before the sun had risen and went off to an isolated place to pray. On its face, this may not appear to be incredibly significant, but we should stop to carefully consider Jesus’ actions. Despite likely fatigue, the Son of God made his highest priority that of spending time in prayer with his Father. If Jesus needed time alone with God, how much more do you and I? This morning, we will take time to think about the priority of prayer in our Lord’s life and how that should be a model and motivator to all of his disciples.

Sometimes, it is easy for us to pass over very familiar Bible accounts without considering their significance in the bigger story of God’s rescue of sinners. This morning’s passage is a perfect example. Immediately on the heels of his authoritative teaching and demonic showdown in the synagogue of Capernaum, Mark records the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law from fever and the resulting rush for healing by the people of this community. While these healings were certainly miraculous, is that all there is to the story ― that Jesus was a miracle worker? Let’s consider what these miracles mean for us today.

After a couple of weeks away, we return this morning to our study in the Gospel of Mark to a passage that demonstrates a point we previously made, that in the coming of Jesus, God’s redemptive purposes have now come to a climax. This text almost has the feeling of one of those old westerns with the gunfight featuring the villain and the hero. Jesus continues his attack on the kingdom of darkness, not only through his teaching, but through his exercising authority even over the demons. The people in this Galilean synagogue were amazed at what they heard and say, and this should be no less true of us today.

This morning, we will be hearing from one of our church family on the power of God’s transforming grace in his life. Bob Staten loves the Lord and has the gift of evangelism. His life has been totally changed since Christ captured his heart in 1994. Now, nearly a quarter century later, the Lord has seen fit to give Bob an incredible challenge ― a terminal lung disease that through Bob’s faithfulness, the Lord is using to impact a significant number of people with the love of Christ. Our prayer is that God will use Bob’s testimony to speak a word that someone (or many) desperately need to hear today. Please continue to pray for Bob and his wife Cheryl as they seek to love God, love others, and finish the race that God has sovereignly called them to.

This morning, we are privileged to have Mike Nixon, our newest elder, bring the message from God’s Word. Mike will have us look at what it means to be broken. Brokenness, the acceptance of and engagement in God’s discipline, is God’s method of growing us. Without being increasingly aware of our sinfulness, we discount grace, we demean our holy God, and we fail to value and get the most of the lessons God is teaching us. There may be no better picture of true brokenness than in Isaiah’s account of his vision of God. May we seek this kind of brokenness as we are confronted with the holiness of the true and living God.

In this morning’s passage, Mark introduces us to the first four of Jesus’ disciples. These men will accompany Jesus for the next 3½ years. They will have heard him preach the good news throughout Galilee and Judea. They will have seen him perform miracle after miracle, confirming his divinity. Later, they will be commissioned to carry on the work that Jesus began. In that respect, their role is our role. We have a message to share ― the same message Jesus preached and repentance and faith in the gospel. We have a Master to follow ― the same rabbi these fisherman sat under and learned from and followed all the way to the cross. This was their calling and it is our calling, as well.