Mark 3:7-12 Jesus withdrew to the sea with His disciples; and a great multitude from Galilee followed; and [also] from Judea, and from Jerusalem, and from Idumea, and beyond the Jordan, and the vicinity of Tyre and Sidon, a great number of people heard of all that He was doing and came to Him. And He told His disciples that a boat should stand ready for Him because of the crowd, so that they would not crowd Him; for He had healed many, with the result that all those who had afflictions pressed around Him in order to touch Him. Whenever the unclean spirits saw Him, they would fall down before Him and shout, “You are the Son of God!” And He earnestly warned them not to tell who He was.

The crowds came to Jesus near the Sea of Galilee from distant places. Yet it seems that the crowds were attracted to Jesus more because of His miraculous works than because of His message about the kingdom of God. They were interested in receiving healing, being miraculously fed food, and seeing Him cast out demons. And so they were coming out to Him, following Him, thronging around him so much that it seemed they would almost trample Him.

It is great that people are attracted to Jesus. But if their focus is on what physical blessings He can do for them instead of His spiritual blessings, they will not follow Him for long. And there are a lot of people today that are attracted to Jesus because of what they think He might do or what they want Him to do for them. If they think He gives them what they want, healing or prosperity or whatever, then they might continue to follow Him as long as the crisis continues. But if in time they find that He doesn’t give them what they want, then they lose interest.

The demons seemed to be giving Jesus honor as well. They cried out when they saw Him, “You are the Son of God.” But Jesus didn’t want them announcing who He was. Jesus didn’t want lip service, especially from demons. And the demons weren’t going to worship Him. They just wanted to expose Him in a way that they hoped would protect themselves.

So Jesus withdrew from the crowds again, this time going to the mountain to be alone in preparation for calling the 12 disciples. Luke tells us in his parallel account that Jesus spent the night in prayer. He was always in communion with the Father. And prior to this choosing of His disciples, Jesus prioritizes that necessity of communion with the Father, and He prays all night until dawn.

Mark relates this event starting in vs 13, saying, “ And He went up on the mountain and summoned those whom He Himself wanted, and they came to Him. And He appointed twelve, so that they would be with Him and that He [could] send them out to preach, and to have authority to cast out the demons. And He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom He gave the name Peter), and James, the [son] of Zebedee, and John the brother of James (to them He gave the name Boanerges, which means, “Sons of Thunder”); and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot; and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him.”

The common tradition of the church, particularly the Catholic Church, has been to portray the disciples as extraordinary men. But in fact, they were the complete opposite. They were what you might call common men, ordinary working class men, without any religious or educational, or social credentials whatsoever. In fact their backgrounds were very diverse. Today the word diverse is a code word for the liberal agenda. And I don’t want to imply any sense of that to these men. I would actually point out that from the standpoint of contemporary diversity, Jesus deliberately seems to choose all men, and all men of one race. So we can dispense with any sense of Jesus trying to be politically correct or fit the social template of diversity that we see in politics and corporate policies and in advertising today.

So we know for sure that four of them were fishermen, possibly as many as seven, but four for sure. But other than that, there was little that they had in common with each other. There really is no reason to assemble these men together, no reason for them to come together, live together, work together, and minister together apart from the purposes of God.

They were very ordinary men in every way. Not one of them is renowned for scholarship; not one of them is renowned for his speaking ability; none of them was a theologian. They were outsiders from the standpoint of the religious establishment of Jesus’ day. They didn’t have any particular natural talents. They don’t appear to have been intellectual giants. They had not studied under a renowned Rabbi. They did not have seminary degrees.

They also came from different political backgrounds. One of them was a Zealot, part of a radical group determined to overthrow the Romans. Another one was a tax collector. He would have been on the opposite end of the spectrum. He was someone who bought a tax franchise from the Romans and then collected taxes from the Jewish people to give to the Roman government. He was considered a traitor to the Jews. So those two would have absolutely nothing in common.

Other than the four fishemen, the rest may have been tradesmen, craftsmen, or farmers of some kind. They were virtually all from Galilee, with the exception of Judas, who was Judean.

They were personally selected out of the many disciples that followed Jesus. And Jesus identified who they were. They didn’t apply for the job; He chose them for the job. He called them – He knew them as only God could know them. He knew all their faults long before He chose them. He knew their weaknesses; He knew their failures; He even knew Judas would betray Him. He chose Judas anyway, gave him all the same privileges and blessings He gave the others.

So you’ve got these 12 nondescript, ordinary, band of eclectic men brought together by Christ. And from a human perspective, the whole program of the kingdom of God to take the gospel to the world depends upon them. There’s no Plan B; there’s no second string in case these guys don’t work out. They’re going to be responsible for relating divine revelation. They and their associates are going to write the New Testament. According to Ephesians 2:20, they’re going to be the foundation of the Church. And it all depends on 12 men whose most notable characteristic is that they were just plain, ordinary men. The most noteworthy thing about them was that they were known to have been with Jesus.

So Mark says, “And He appointed the Twelve: Simon, to whom He gave the name Peter; and James, the son of Zebedee, and John, the brother of James – to them He gave the name Boanerges, which means sons of thunder; and Andrew; and Philip; and Bartholomew; and Matthew; and Thomas; and James the son of Alphaeus; and Thaddaeus; and Simon the Zealot; and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him.”

Just a reading of the names gives us some inkling about the group; there are a number of nicknames included in the list. Nicknames sometimes indicates a certain characteristic of a person. And by the way this is only one of four lists of names of the disicples/apostles. Matthew, Mark, Luke and Acts all have lists. There are a couple of times when the names are changed up a little bit so that sometimes they were called by their given name, and sometimes they were called by their nickname. It was Jesus who nicknamed Simon as Peter. It was Jesus who nicknamed James and John as Boanerges. And then some of them had picked up other nicknames. Thaddaeus isn’t really a name; it is a nickname.

But one important question is why were there 12 of them? Well, the short answer is that it parallels the 12 tribes of Israel. In the old covenant the promises were made to the 12 tribes and they all had an inheritance. But this is the new covenant, and Jesus is showing that there is a new paradigm in the way that the new covenant will operate. The old system of the old covenant will be done away with. In Revelation it tells us that in the New Jerusalem, there are 12 foundation stones, and each stone is engraved with the name of one of the 12 apostles. What that signifies is that the old dispensation to the Jews has been replaced by a new dispensation of grace administered by the apostles to all the nations of the world. And their doctrine and preaching will be the means by which the church is built.

So in a sense, Jesus is repudiating the existing religious system of the Jews and showing that the kingdom of God will be given to all the nations through the administration of the apostles. The choosing and commissioning of the Twelve was a judgment on Israel’s corrupt leaders. If you look at Luke 22:28 for just a moment, I think it confirms that. Jesus says to the disciples, “You stood with Me in my trials; you didn’t forsake Me. And just as My Father granted Me a kingdom, I grant you that you may eat and drink at My table, in My kingdom and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”

With the coming of the Messiah comes a new covenant. With the coming of a new covenant comes a new leadership. The Pharisees, the scribes, the Sadducees, the rabbis, the priests, they were false teachers, all of them. They misrepresented the Old Testament; they misinterpreted the law, they corrupted the people. And Jesus said of them “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.” So they are replaced. And they are replaced by an unlikely group of 12 guys, none of whom comes out of the religious world. Not one was a rabbi. Not one was a scribe. Not one was a theologian. Not one was an academic, a priest, a Pharisee, a Sadducee – not one – which is to demonstrate Jesus’s repudiation of the religious leadership of the Jews.

But these were the men that Jesus chose. Verse 13, “He went up on the mountain and summoned those whom He Himself wanted.” Choosing who would become His apostles is a sovereign work of God just like salvation. These men would live with Jesus for the three years of His life. They were there for His ministry. They were there for His death, even though they deserted Him when it happened. They were there to see Him risen from the dead. They were firsthand eyewitnesses of His life, death and resurrection. And they were the first generation of preachers who preached the gospel of salvation by grace, through faith in Christ, based on His work on the cross and His resurrection. And so Jesus calls them to be with Him.

And by the way, I have said it before that the problem with the church today is not a lack of ministers, nor a lack of churches, but I believe the problem is that a majority of pastors in the pulpits of churches today are not called by the Lord to be a pastor. They were sent by a denomination, they might have been called by a pastor search committee, but they are not called by Christ. And if you haven’t been called by the Lord to preach the gospel, then you will not be gifted to preach the gospel. Gifted, not in the sense of talented, but in the sense of empowered by the Holy Spirit.

So these men were called by Christ to be His inner circle of disciples who would after His death become His apostles. And the key to understanding what His intentions were comes in verse 14. He appointed 12 for two reasons: so they would be with Him, and that He could send them out to preach. Now, if they were going to be sent out to preach, first they had to be with Him to learn from Him. So, it’s a simple, two-fold purpose: they had to be with Him so He could send them. They weren’t going to be able to be sent effectively if they hadn’t been with Him and been trained effectively. They started out as learners. “Disciple” is the word in the Greek, mathētēs, which means learner or student. And they will eventually become apostles, in the Greek, apostellō. Apostellō means sent ones, messengers.

So what is it they are called to do? Verse 14, “He appointed twelve so they would be with Him and that He could send them out to preach.” Send them out to preach. Jesus was a preacher. John the Baptist before Him was a preacher. The prophets were preachers. And now this is going to be the first generation of gospel preachers, new covenant preachers. What is a preacher? Someone who proclaims. And their message is to proclaim the gospel of the kingdom of God.

1Cor. 1:21 says, “For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not [come to] know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.” Preaching the truth of the gospel is God’s plan to bring people to salvation. It looks like foolishness to the world, but it’s the wisdom of God in operation. I was telling someone the other day that 30 years ago you typically had a couple of Christian radio stations in the region of the county you lived in. And the format for those stations was that they had preachers who preached messages all day long. But for the most part those types of Christian radio stations don’t exist anymore. Now you have radio stations that just play music all day long. It’s hard to find preaching on Christian radio anymore. And I’m afraid that has contributed to the lack of sound biblical doctrine of a lot of Christians today.

So if the disciples were to preach the gospel of the kingdom of God, then it’s necessary that God gave confirmation that they are speaking the truth of the gospel. So in vs 15 we read, Verse 15, “He gave them authority to cast out the demons.” Irregardless of what you might see on television, normal humans do not have authority over the demonic world.

Matthew 10:1, paralleling this, says that when Jesus sent them out, He gave them authority over disease, to heal all manner of diseases and over demons. They were given divine power to minister in the physical world and the spiritual world.

So, the Lord gave the Twelve power over disease, power over demons, that wherever they went to preach, the new covenant gospel of salvation by faith in Christ, when they spoke, people would know it was the truth of God because of the confirming evidence of supernatural power. 2 Corinthians 12:12 says “The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with all perseverance, by signs and wonders and miracles.” I believe scripture indicates that this was specific to the apostles, during the apostolic age as they laid the foundation of the church and church doctrine. Once their specific ministry was done, I believe the scriptures indicate that those gifts faded away when they died.

Now I think that’s an important point to emphasize. You have people running around today who claim to be able to heal people. Who claim to be able to cast out demons. You see them all the time on television and youtube. But one thing that always marks these men, the common denominator is they all have bad theology. They all misinterpret the Bible; they all misrepresent the Gospel. So the question is why would God authenticate false teachers? If the Lord were to reinstitute that power for some reason, you can be sure that whoever it is, their theology will be biblical, because God doesn’t authenticate false teachers.

Now finally, I want to look really briefly at each of these men. First Simon. He is always first on every list of the disciples. Jesus gave him a nickname: Peter which means Rock. And the only time Jesus called him Simon was when he was acting like his old self. He was the closest to Christ, the spokesman, the leader, the most notable preacher. He’s the dominant preacher in the first church in Jerusalem.

And then there’s James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James. These brothers we already met in chapter 1. Jesus called them; they were fishermen. Their father Zebedee is mentioned often, some think that he might have been related to the high priest in some way because John is able to enter the courtyard of the high priest during Jesus’ trial. But we don’t know for sure. Their mother is also mentioned as asking Jesus if her boys could sit on His right hand and the left hand when He sits on His throne. She was the original helicopter mom.

But Jesus gave a nickname to these two also. To them he gave the name Boanerges, which means “Sons of Thunder.” We see perhaps the reason for that nickname when they asked if they could call down fire from heaven to burn up their critics. I feel the same way sometimes.

And then there was Andrew and Philip. Philip is the leader of the second group of four. He’s from Bethsaida. So, He probably knew the four before Him. After him we have Bartholomew. Bartholomew is not really a name. “Bar” is son of, and “Tolmai” is a name. So, he’s the son of Tolmai. His actual name was Nathanael – Nathanael. Nathanael means God has given.

Then there’s Matthew also called Levi. We met him in Mark chapter 2. The tax collector hated and despised by everybody, considered a traitor to the Jews. Then there’s Thomas. According to John 11:16, he was a twin called Didymus, meaning the twin. He is often referred to in contemporary Christianity as Doubting Thomas because He doubted whether or not Christ had actually risen from the dead.

Then there’s James the son of Alphaeus. We don’t know anything about Alphaeus and we don’t know anything about James. But he’s always the first name in the final group. His mother is mentioned in Mark 15:40, as someone who follows Christ. There he is called James the Less. Another nickname, maybe it means Little James referring to his stature.

Then there is Thaddeus, but his real name is Judas son of James. “Judas son of James” is his official name in Luke 6:16 and Acts 1:13. He is even referred to in John 14:22 as “Judas not Iscariot.” I’m told Thaddeus means “momma’s boy.” Not exactly what you would want to be named. And then there’s Simon the Zealot. He is called Simon the Cananaean. And some people think that means the Canaanite; it doesn’t. It’s from a Hebrew word which means to be zealous. He was a Zealot, a political activist.

And last but not least, Judas Iscariot who betrayed Him. A Judean, perhaps the one with the most noble heritage. He was the one who was the treasurer of the group, because he loved money. He betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. That would have been the equivalent of about 120 days of wages.

So what an interesting group. Nobody could have predicted that they would turn the world upside down. They became the recipients of divine revelation. They were the true teachers of sound doctrine, the apostles’ doctrine. They were the foundation of the Church, Ephesians 2:20. They were the early edifiers of the believers. He gave to the Church first apostles, prophets for the work of the ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ. They became exemplary of virtue. The New Testament calls them holy apostles.Their message was confirmed by signs and wonders and mighty deeds.

And I suppose that the lesson we can take from the calling of the apostles is that the Lord uses imperfect people to perfect His kingdom, He calls the ordinary to do extraordinary things. He uses people just like you and me, if we are willing to follow Him, to join with Him and learn from Him. 1Cor. 1:25-29 “Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God.”

Last week we looked at the story of Jesus healing the paralytic man who was let down through the roof. I refer to it that way, because that is the way most people would remember it. But as I said last week, the most important thing about that event was not that the man was healed from his paralysis. But that Jesus forgave him of his sins.

The main purpose for which Jesus came was to preach the gospel of salvation. To bring forgiveness to sinners and give them new life. If you remember, I spoke of Jesus in that situation as being the Great Physician, who saw the heart of the man who was brought to Him, and He diagnosed the man’s condition, his greatest need, and that was his need for salvation. He was under the condemnation of death, and Jesus was able to forgive Him his sins and give him new life.

That is what Jesus came to do. As the angels had proclaimed at HIs birth, “He will save His people from their sins.” His purpose in coming into the world was not to eradicate suffering and sickness. But to provide the means by which men might be forgiven and give them new life.

Today we are going to look at another event in the life of Christ. I titled this message, God’s favor towards sinners. I don’t mean God’s approval of sinners, but His divine favor, or grace towards sinners. We tend to think that God’s favor is gained by our merit. But sinners have no merit, realize that they have no merit, but yet are the recipient of divine favor.

So in this event, we see Jesus doing exactly that, showing God’s favor towards someone who was considered to be the vilest of sinners. He calls Matthew, also known as Levi, the tax collector to be His follower. Vs13 And He went out again by the seashore; and all the people were coming to Him, and He was teaching them. As He passed by, He saw Levi the [son] of Alphaeus sitting in the tax booth, and He said to him, “Follow Me!” And he got up and followed Him.

Mark is known for his brief style of writing, of really only telling the highlights of the story. But what must be understood is that there were a lot of things that had to have happened before and during that short exchange. First of all, the text implies that Matthew, or Levi, had heard Jesus teaching and preaching about the kingdom of God. Perhaps Matthew’s tax booth was situated near the shore of he Sea of Galilee where he could tax the trade that went on there from the ships that were plying goods over the sea to their shores. And Jesus was preaching on the beach within earshot of Levi’s tax booth.

Tax collectors were people who had purchased something like a franchise from the Roman government whereby they taxed commerce and merchandise and travel and practically anything that moved, on behalf of the Roman government. The Romans used these tax collectors to collect the taxes for them on various commerce, and allowed them to charge a percentage above the tax which was their fee. The problem was that these tax collectors charged exorbitant fees far above what would be considered appropriate. And so they were particularly despised. Not only were they despised in general, those who were Jews who obtained such a position were considered traitors to their own countrymen. And so they were considered the worst of sinners, even unredeemable. No one wanted to even speak to them. They were looked down upon as as the scum of society.

But I think we can assume that Levi had heard Jesus preaching. He had been convicted of his sin, not only because of his sin, of taking advantage of people, of participating in highway robbery, but also because he knew he was an outcast of Jewish society, and thus felt that there was no hope for him. The Jewish religion as it was practiced by the Pharisees in particular offered only condemnation, no possibility of salvation. And so we can imagine Levi standing on the outskirts of the crowd clustered around Jesus as He preached on the beach, being convicted of his sin, knowing that he needs salvation, but dejectedly going back to his tax booth after Jesus finished preaching because he believed that he was outside of God’s favor.

But wonder of wonders, Jesus passed by his booth, and didn’t just walk past without looking at him as everyone else would normally do, but instead Jesus deliberately fixed His gaze directly upon him and said “Follow me.” Jesus knew Levi’s heart. Jesus knew Levi’s desire for forgiveness.

We can get a read on Levi’s heart by his response to Jesus. He immediately got up and followed Jesus. Luke adds the insightful detail in his gospel which is that “he forsook all” and followed Him. He walked away from his way of life. He showed true repentance by making a complete about face, forsaking everything, all the money, all the revenue that he would make, leaving his tax franchise business which probably had cost him a lot of money. In fact, he showed even more commitment to be a disciple than Peter and Andrew and James and John who could conceivably go back to fishing now and then. But once he walked away from his franchise, he would never be able to go back.

True repentance is forsaking sin and going in the opposite direction. It’s like the verse we talked about in Galatians 5 yesterday morning at the prayer breakfast. Walking in the Spirit is diametrically opposed to walking in the flesh. Walking in the Spirit is walking in righteousness, whereas walking in the flesh is walking in sin. To turn and walk after the Lord was to forsake the past, forsake sin, and follow after righteousness.

The other thing that must be understood as implied in the story is that Levi was forgiven. Inherent in the call of Jesus to be His disciple, is that Jesus forgives Him and cleanses Him from sin. Jesus said to him, “follow Me.” Turn away from your life of sin and follow Me. Then as Jesus speaks to the scribes in vs 17, He says, “I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Again, we look at Luke’s gospel and read the added words, “but sinners to repentance.”

The call of God is to repent, to come to Jesus, to turn from sin and look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our salvation. Jesus in John 16:8, speaking of the work of the Spirit, says, “And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.” And so we can be sure that the Spirit of God convicted Levi of his sin during Jesus’ message, and then at the call of Christ to follow Him, Levi repents and believes, forsaking all to follow Jesus.

Now we have further evidence of Levi’s repentance because he invites Jesus to his house that evening for a celebratory feast, and invites all his former associates in the tax industry to join him and meet Jesus. Vs15 “And it happened that He was reclining [at the table] in his house, and many tax collectors and sinners were dining with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many of them, and they were following Him.”

Couple of things to notice there. First, when you surrender your life to Jesus, you invite Him to be the Lord of all your life. You invite Him to be Lord of your home, Lord of your career, Lord of your social life. Jesus changes all of you, not just forgives you of your sins so you can continue to live in your sin. But He now has first place in every area of your life.

Secondly, when Jesus forgives you and cleanses you and gives you new life, that joy of being reconciled to God, of being set free from sin and death, results in you wanting others to know the same Jesus. It’s not some secret between you and God that no one is aware of, that your coworkers never see any evidence of, your family doesn’t see any difference. No, not only are people aware that you’ve been saved, you want to share the good news with everyone.

I remember when I got right with the Lord almost 40 years ago when I was living in California. The next day I drove into work with a friend of mine to pick up my check. On the way there, I was explaining to my friend what had happened to me. He could tell something had happened and it turns out that a few months later he came to Christ at least in part, he said, because he saw the change that occurred in me.

But when we came to the restaurant where we worked, all the waiters were sitting upstairs doing their sidewalk before the restaurant opened, and a couple of them started making comments about me, that they thought I was high. And I remember telling them that I wasn’t high, that I had gotten right with God. I must have had a joy on my face, a peace about my appearance that they thought could only have meant I was stoned. But God had given me a peace and a joy that surpassed anything alcohol or pot could ever do, and it was a testimony to them that I had been changed.

So Matthew has had this conversion through Jesus and He invites all his friends to have dinner with Jesus. And you know what happened? There was a revival in Matthew’s house. Mark says that there were many tax collectors and sinners there dining with Jesus. And of course, Jesus didn’t miss any opportunity to preach the gospel. And Mark says there were many of them and they were following Him. They were forsaking their sin to follow Jesus.

Listen, the hallmark of a revival is repentance. It’s not an emotional outpouring. The hallmark or revival is not some ecstatic experience by the attendees. It’s conviction of sin and repentance. When Jonathan Edwards preached his famous sermon “Sinners in the hands of an angry God” during the greatest revival this country has ever seen, what’s known as the Great Awakening, the hallmark of that revival was people groaning under the burden of their sin, crying out for forgiveness, repenting and weeping over their sin, and calling out “what must we do to be saved?”

I think in Mark’s understated narrative, it is more than appropriate to believe that the tax collectors and sinners in attendance that night were convicted of their sin, and they believed that Jesus offered forgiveness of their sins, by His authority as the Son of God. And so many of them followed Him, presumably leaving their professions of sin, whether it be as tax collectors or prostitutes, or any other sins that defined the term sinners as understood by the Jews.

But notice the criticism of the scribes, the religious leaders of the Jews. Vs16 When the scribes of the Pharisees saw that He was eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they said to His disciples, “Why is He eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinners?”

The Pharisees were kind of like the game “whack a mole.” They were always popping up. They were always hanging around, but not to learn, not to believe, but to find fault with Jesus. I think they had already hardened their hearts against the possibility that Jesus was the Messiah. He wasn’t what they were looking for. In fact, they weren’t looking for a savior at all. They wanted a military conqueror who would restore the political and geographical dominance of Israel and who would sit on the throne of David, and who would elevate them to positions of religious authority in the kingdom. That’s what kind of Messiah they were looking for. Not a Savior from their sin. They were satisfied with their own sense of rightness. They were self righteous. They weren’t sinners like these wretched tax collectors. They were convinced of their own inherent goodness, but in fact they were rotten to the core.

So they are hanging around, watching critically everything Jesus does, and they are perhaps afraid to confront Jesus directly, so they go to his disciples and try to intimidate them. They say “Why is He eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinners?”

Eating a meal together, especially in that culture, symbolized fellowship, friendship, acceptance. So they wouldn’t eat with anyone that they considered a sinner. In fact, they would avoid such people at all costs. They would go out of their way to avoid contact with them. And they are indignant because Jesus is eating with sinners. But true to form, they use that self righteous indignation to try to undermine the faith of Jesus’ disciples.

Well, Jesus knows what they are saying, without having to actually hear them say it. He knows the hearts of man, because God sees the heart. And His response is to answer their objections and at the same time render a condemnation upon their self righteousness. He first uses an analogy to answer them. Vs.17 And hearing [this,] Jesus said to them, “[It is] not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick.”

It’s a very simple analogy. Doctors minister to sick people. It was that simple. Jesus is the Great Physician, He is the spiritual doctor, and He needs to go to the people who need to be healed. If the Pharisees can see how sick with sin these people are – and they readily admit that, they know they are sinners, they condemn them as sinners – doesn’t it make sense that when the Savior comes, He goes to the sinners?

In Luke 19:10 Jesus said, “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” And Paul says in 1Tim. 1:15 “It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost [of all.]”

So His first answer is from an analogy, His second answer is from authority, end of verse 17. “I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners.” And Luke 5:32 adds, “but sinners to repentance.” To call, that is to call into the Kingdom, to call to forgiveness, to call to salvation.

The truth of salvation that must be accepted and believed in order to be saved, is that you are a sinner. That all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. And when you recognize you are a sinner, and confess your sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. But forgiveness doesn’t happen until you recognize you are a sinner. And as Jesus said to the Pharisees earlier in this passage in regards to the paralytic, “the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” He is able to forgive sins because He is God incarnate, and He would pay the penalty for sin through His death on the cross.

But the condemnation of the scribes of the Pharisees was that they didn’t consider themselves sinners in the least. They thought they were righteous. They kept the law as they had defined it. They earned their self righteousness by their works which they did to be seen of men. But their hearts were corrupt and desperately wicked.

Later on, in Matt. 23 it is recorded that Jesus exposed and condemned them for their sinfulness by saying “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”

But back to our story, Jesus said, I didn’t come to call the righteous, those that refuse to confess their sinfulness, that think that their self righteousness will be enough to enter the kingdom of God. They will have to stand before the judgement seat of Christ on the basis of their own merits. But Psalm 14 says there is none righteous, no not one. There is none that does good, there is none that seeks after God. And Isaiah 64:6 says, “All of our righteousness is as filthy rags.” These religious leaders should have known that. They should have been convicted of their sin and desperate for healing. But they would not have this Man rule over them.

So it is today. This church, the believing body of Jesus Christ is not made up of good people, it’s made up of bad people. It’s not made up of people who think they’re righteous, it’s made up of people who know they are sinners. It’s not made up of the people who have worked to attain a certain acceptance with God, it’s made up of people who know they could never attain acceptance before God on the basis of their works.

We are sinners saved by the divine favor of God. Given the righteousness of Jesus Christ in exchange for our sins, which He paid the penalty for by HIs death on the cross that we might be forgiven. Yes, Jesus has the authority to forgive sin, but the only sin He can forgive is the sin of those who know their sinfulness, confess it, and put their trust in Him as their Lord and Savior.

I trust that you have confessed your sin and repented of your sin and believed in Him that He has the authority to forgive your sins and give you new life, and having believed, you will follow Him, walk with Him, and abide in Him.

Baptism is a term that has a variety of meanings or applications when found in scripture.  For instance, in vs 4 a version of the word baptism is attached to John’s name, John the Baptizer.  Then Mark says John came preaching a baptism of repentance.  And in vs 5, they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River.  So that’s three different connotations of the word in those two verses.

Then John adds another application of the word in vs 8 “I baptized you with water; but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” So clearly, though the primary use of the word indicates being dipped under  water, there are other times when baptism is applied to something else. Perhaps  to be baptized in the Holy Spirit means to be immersed in the Holy Spirit.  

But baptism in water itself is obviously symbolic of something else.  It is a physical symbol or ceremony that indicates purification or regeneration.  Water can only clean the outside of a man, so it symbolizes the washing of regeneration that happens in the heart, or soul of man.

But I don’t think that completely describes all the uses of the word baptism.  For instance, consider what Paul said in 1Cor. 10:1-2 “For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea;  and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.”   That usage indicates more of an association or identification.  The children of Israel were identified as the people of God through the baptism which in a sense was performed by Moses in the Red Sea, and the cloud which led them in the wilderness.

There are many other possible applications of the word baptism, but just one more that I want to draw your attention to, which was used by Jesus Christ.  He said in Luke 12:50  “But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished!”  In that statement we can determine from the context that Jesus is speaking of His suffering and death on the cross. So baptism can mean an undertaking of a particular painful activity or role.

Now I have undoubtedly done more to muddle the waters more that I have probably clarified anything so far this morning.  But I think that if we open our minds to understand that baptism can mean much more than simply being dipped or sprinkled by water, it will help us to better understand why Jesus was baptized, which is the main subject that we are reading about today in this passage.

Notice John said in vs 8 that he was baptizing in water, but Jesus would baptize in the Holy Spirit.  But before that occurs, Jesus came to be baptized by John in water.  Look at vs 9, “In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.”

At the time when John the Baptist was baptizing in the wilderness in Judea, and people were coming out to him to be baptized in the Jordan River, Jesus also came to John to be baptized.  Last Sunday we talked about John quite a bit.  He was the one who came before to announce Christ, and to prepare the hearts of the people for the Lord Jesus. He preached a baptism of repentance. Before they could be born again by the Spirit, they must repent and be forgiven of their sins.  And thus baptism symbolized that they recognized they were sinners, and they being dipped into the river, symbolically dying to the old sin nature, that they might rise up and walk in a new nature, that which was born of the Spirit.

That’s what being dipped under the water symbolizes, a washing away of sin, but also a dying to sin, and being raised to new life.

The difficulty that arises though is why does Jesus come to be baptized by John? He is not a sinner.  He had no sin to repent of or to confess.  If you remember from the account of Matthew, he says that John tried to prevent Him from being baptized, saying, “I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?”  But Jesus answering said to him, “Permit [it] at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he permitted Him.”

Now Jesus’ answer to John doesn’t really explain all the questions I have regarding why He was baptized.  But I think we can figure it out based on all the ways that we’ve seen the term used.  First of all, although Jesus Himself did not have sin, yet He took upon Himself our sin. And so in that sense in being baptized, He symbolically showed that He would bear our sins upon Himself. Isaiah 53:6 says, “All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.”

Secondly, the act of being dipped under the water and raised up again symbolized His death and resurrection.  He died as the payment for our sins, and was raised to give us new life. Thirdly, and this is not necessarily in order, He was baptized to identify with sinners.  He was our representative, our Savior, our Lord.

Another reason for His baptism was so that He might identify with and fulfill John’s ministry. He was the One announced as coming by John, and by His appearing to be baptized, the ministry of John was completed, and Jesus’ ministry was begun.  So through baptism Jesus sanctioned John’s message, and fulfilled John’s message, and succeeded John’s ministry. 

And I would add a side note to that, John’s ministry lasted only about another 6 months and then he was arrested and put in prison.  And while in prison, he was beheaded. That’s a pretty amazing thing to think about, that John was born for one purpose, and his ministry lasted only about one year and then the Lord took him, but he was killed by the means of a petty, evil woman’s grudge and a weak King’s drunken response. What that tells me is that our understanding of God’s purposes and the way He works is pretty limited.  His ways are not our ways.  From our perspective, I think we often ascribe God’s blessing or purposes to be fulfilled by what we deem to be proper and fitting.  And yet we see many examples in scripture of God working in mysterious ways that are inscrutable for us.

But to get back to our text,  another reason for Jesus being baptized was so that the testimony of God the Father and the Holy Spirit might confirm Jesus’ ministry by public witness.  When you are baptized, it is a public profession of faith, being witnessed by the pastor and the church, and often testified to by the pastor. In a sense the same thing was being done at Jesus’s baptism, but on a much grander scale.

Mark says in vs 10, “Immediately coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opening, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him;  and a voice came out of the heavens: “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.”  

Many Bible scholars have made much out of the fact that the trinity is revealed in this passage.  The word trinity is not found in scripture, but this is a very vivid account of it’s existence.  You do not have the Father identified per se, but it’s evident from His statement that it is the Father saying, “You are My beloved Son, in you I am well pleased.” There is also the Spirit descending like a dove.  The Spirit is not a dove, but took on the form of a dove. And then of course, the third member of the trinity is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. All three are equal in divinity and in nature, and are One God, and yet in three persons with different roles.

Notice also the mode of Christ’s baptism. I don’t think that the method of baptism is one to break fellowship over necessarily, whether it is done by dipping under the water or by sprinkling with water.  But I would point out that it definitely seems that Jesus was in the water, because Mark says “coming up out of the water.” I don’t see how you could use that phrase if Jesus was sprinkled. The argument may be that baptism is symbolic, so there is no need to be dipped, only that there be some water.  But I would suggest that the symbolism of being dipped under water suggests death, being buried with Him in the likeness of His death, and not just ceremonially cleansed by sprinkling water.

I think it’s also imperative that baptism is a cognizant act that is done by people who desire to identify with Christ, and join the fellowship of believers by association, and symbolically portray a heart of repentance.  And that must be done by someone who is able to comprehend what they are doing.  So there is no indication in scripture that you should baptize a baby, who has no capacity for understanding what he is doing or what is going on.  Nor is there any indication that the physical act of baptism is the means of acquiring righteousness.  But only by faith is one’s sins forgiven and righteousness imputed.

Mark says as Jesus comes up out of the water, He saw the heavens opened.  We are not sure what that looked like.  But notice it doesn’t say heaven opened, but the heavens.  The heavens is a reference to the atmosphere, the sky, the clouds.  So I would suggest that the clouds parted and the sun appeared in it’s full, blazing glory and shone upon the Lord Jesus as He came out of the water.

Next you see the Spirit descending like a dove on Him.  I have already said that Mark is not saying the Spirit is a dove.  The Spirit cannot be seen. If someone tells you that they have seen the Holy Spirit then I would urge you to take that with a grain of salt. Or tell them to take two aspirin and call me in the morning.  Because you can’t see a spirit. But in order that He might be seen, He took the form of a dove, or better, He looked like a dove. All three members of the trinity are to be witnessed, and so you hear the Father, see the Spirit like a dove, and see Jesus the Son of God in human flesh.

But I suppose that we all want to ask the question, why is the Spirit like a dove? What symbolism does the dove imply? Well, most commentators see some correlation of a dove and the idea of peace, or gentle, as being correlated to the Spirit descending like a dove. I suppose that may have some merit, but I’m not convinced that is the symbolism that is implied.  I can’t help but see another parallel, at another baptism of water, if you will.  And that is the flood that came upon the whole world and only Noah and his family escaped on the ark.  When the rain finally stopped, you will remember that Noah sent out a raven first, and he didn’t return.  Then a few days later he sent out a dove.  And at the first attempt the dove returned.  Then he sent it out again and it returned with an olive leaf in it’s beak.  Noah knew then that the waters had abated and new life had begun again.

Now so far as I know, I’m the only one crazy enough to find a correlation with the dove in the flood with the descending Spirit in the form of a dove at Jesus’ baptism.  But since the Bible doesn’t tell us,  it’s all conjecture anyway, I think my interpretation is as valid as any.  I think the waters of the flood was the cause of death for the sins of mankind, and the dove symbolized new life. The wrath of God was satisfied, and He brought forth new life and a new beginning.  To me, that ties in nicely with the symbolism of baptism.

So I don’t think that the dove is a perpetual symbol of the Holy Spirit, but God used it at that time, first so that the Spirit descending upon Jesus might be witnessed, and secondly, so that the baptism might be of water and of the Spirit. But I confess that it is a mystery that we might never fully understand until we get to heaven.

I also want to consider the statement of the Father.  It seems that the people in attendance heard the voice of God.That’s a pretty amazing thing in and of itself.  I think of the Israelites who heard God speak from Mt. Sinai and they were so afraid they wanted nothing to do with it.  They told Moses, you speak to God and then you can tell us. But we can’t hear God and live.

There was another time that God spoke from heaven, and it was at the transfiguration. In that case God said ““This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!” He said it as a rebuke to Peter, who wanted to build three tabernacles to Moses, Elijah and Jesus.  God made it clear that Jesus was the Son of God, Moses and Elijah were merely His prophets. 

In this statement at His baptism, God the Father speaks to Jesus in the presence of all. God doesn’t speak to John the Baptist, He speaks to Jesus saying, “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.” 

Now though the Father speaks to Jesus, yet He must be speaking for the benefit of those who heard Him.  I’m sure that God the Father and God the Son were in constant communication and this was not the first time God spoke to Him.  But in a sense,  He spoke to Him to publicly coronate Jesus as the King of Heaven.  God the Father proclaims that this  is His Son, fully God and yet fully man. And only in that dual nature is He able to make atonement for the sins of the world.

In John’s gospel, we are told that at a later time John saw Jesus coming and he said, “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” For that metaphor to be true, the sacrificial lamb must be spotless and without blemish in order to be accepted as a sacrifice to the Lord. So in this statement by the Father at Jesus’ baptism, the Father indicates that Jesus fulfilled the requirement of being the spotless Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.  The Father says, “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.”  Jesus perfectly fulfilled all the requirements of righteousness, and holiness.  He was without any sin, and thus perfectly qualified as both God and man, sinless and perfect, able to undergo His baptism for the remission of the sins of the world.

Immediately after His baptism, Jesus must be tempted to fulfill all righteousness.  Once again, we cannot comprehend all that was involved in the temptation of Christ or how it was even possible.  But we know that it was part of the plan of God.  And Jesus submitted Himself to the Father’s will. Mark speaks of this temptation in a very simple, sparse way.  

Vs 12, “Immediately the Spirit impelled Him to go out into the wilderness.  And He was in the wilderness 40 days, being tempted by Satan.  He was among the wild beasts, and the angels were rendering service to Him.”

Do not make too much of the wording there which says the Spirit impelled Him to go out into the wilderness.  In another gospel, it says Jesus was led by the Spirit.  All that simply means is that Jesus submitted to the will of God.  It doesn’t mean that Jesus was forced to do something that He didn’t want to do.  But as Jesus will say later, “I and the Father are One.”  He did all that the Father wanted Him to do.

But you could say also say that it indicates He was empowered by the Spirit.  Certainly He was deity that was equal in stature to the Father and the Spirit. But in HIs human nature, He was able to be strengthened and empowered but the Spirit, just as we are commanded to walk in the Spirit.  

And the Spirit led Him to go into what we must assume was an even more desolate place in the wilderness.  There was no one there to comfort Him, no one to encourage Him. But the Spirit was with Him. And Mark says that the angels ministered to Him.  We know from another gospel writer that the angels specifically ministered to Him after He had fasted for 40 days and been tempted by the devil.  But that doesn’t mean that they did not render service to Him during that 40 days, perhaps by watching over Him and guarding Him from the wild animals while He slept.  We know that there were lions in those regions and other predatory animals that would have perhaps attacked a man out there alone and defenseless.  Yet the angels rendered service to Him.

Mark says that He was among the wild beasts, and some fanciful writers have imagined that means the animals worshipped Him. I don’t think that at all.  Animals are not creatures of reason or rationale and they would have acted according to their nature. So the fear of being attacked or killed by wild animals might have been one part of the temptation of Christ. But the angels rendered service to Him.  He trusted in God to take care of Him, in much the same way that David proclaimed God’s protection for him in many of his psalms when he was in the desert tending sheep.

Another part of that temptation was to be in the wilderness for 40 days, without a bed, without shelter, and without food or water.  In the Bible, fasting is predominately attached to prayer.  It was also used in conjunction with repentance. I think we have already dispensed with the idea that Jesus needed to repent of any sin.  But He did need to be in constant communication with HIs Father.  And so by denying the needs of the physical, He was better able to focus on the spiritual.  

I have fasted a few times in my life for a very limited time.  I think the longest was 3 days, and most of my fasts were 24 hours or so. But I can assure you that fasting for 40 days is enough to kill a normal person.  One must be very strong spiritually in order to survive that.  Physically you would be as close to death as possible, if you survived it.

So because of His isolation, because of His deprivation, Jesus experienced the greatest temptations that Satan could imagine when He was at His lowest point physically.  Hebrews 4:15 says, “He was tempted in all points, like as we are, yet without sin.” 

Mark doesn’t tell us the details of the temptation as some of the other gospel writers do. He simply says that Jesus was tempted. The question that arises is how is God tempted to sin, when He has no sin, and no sin nature?  Some Bible scholars say that Jesus did not have the capacity to sin. James 1:15 says God cannot be tempted by evil. But how to understand that is beyond our comprehension. I think it just means God will not sin, because He cannot abide evil.  It is against His nature.  But how temptation can affect Him we cannot know, because we cannot ascertain the mind of God.

The point is, that both in Hebrews as well as in the gospels, it says that Jesus was tempted by Satan. He suffered the same way (in all points) like we do, yet without sin. Satan is the adversary.  He is the ruler of this world.  He is the Prince of Darkness.  And he comes out to fight the King of Heaven in a spiritual battle.  Perhaps Jesus was only tempted in some way in His human nature. I don’t know.  But we know that in all the temptations, Jesus was victorious.

It’s interesting though to consider the timing of it all.  As Jesus is coronated by baptism and the Spirit descending upon Him and the statement of the Father proclaiming His deity and His righteousness, the next step in His ministry is to be driven to a place of desolation, of loneliness, of suffering, of deprivation of essential things like food and water and shelter, and then be tempted by the devil.  And all of that taking a precious 40 days out of the beginning of a 3 year ministry.

It should be instructive to us, as we are born again, and given new life, beginning a new ministry, that trials and tribulations sometimes beset us immediately.  The honey moon period of our salvation is often quite brief.  But when we come through these trials and temptations, without succumbing to them, we find that our faith is stronger, the power of the Spirit is ever more present in our lives, and we have a more effective ministry as a result of a time of proving our faith.

I hope that you have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, that He was the Lamb of God that took away our sins, and through faith in Him have received the righteousness of God, that gives us new life.  You must be born again, having died with Christ to the old man, and raised to walk in newness of life.  

As Peter preached on the day of Pentecost; “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.”

Paul has established in his letter to the Galatians, that we are not under the burden of the law, but are to walk in the Spirit. That the flesh and the Spirit are diametrically opposed to one another. And if we walk in the Spirit, then we will keep the spirit of the law, but not be under the bondage of the law.

At the end of chapter 5 he also gave us characteristics of living in the flesh as opposed to walking in the Spirit. He says in vs 19, “Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Those sins are the characteristics of living according to the flesh, and he said those that practice such things are not saved. The caveat is that they practice such things. It’s their life pattern. It’s not that those that are saved can never commit such sins, but they are not their life practice.

However, he goes on to say that the life practice of the saved exhibit the fruit of the Spirit. Vs22 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” The fruit of the Spirit is love, and all those things characterize love.

And in Vs24 Paul adds, “Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.” Paul says we are to die to the passions of the flesh so that we might walk in the Spirit. But the implication there is that this is an ongoing battle with the flesh. It’s not a once and done deal where you no longer have to deal with the temptations of the flesh. But you are no longer held captive by the flesh.

Now in chapter 6, he continues to talk about this war between the flesh and the spirit. Notice that it is addressed to those who belong to Christ Jesus. He is speaking to the “brethren.” This last chapter is bookended by the word “brethren,” which is a word that is reserved for those who are saved, those who belong to Christ.

But inherent in this admonition, is the recognition that all we like sheep have gone astray. There is a tendency, even among those who are walking in the Spirit, to turn aside to the lusts of the flesh. This is speaking about Christians who have stumbled in their walk. This trespass is not their practice, it is their past, but nevertheless, they have fallen back in to sin.

So Paul speaks to that in chapter 6 vs 1, “Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; [each one] looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted.”

You who are spiritual, that is, you who are walking in the Spirit, then manifest the fruit of the Spirit, which is gentleness. I think that this is a broad admonition, which can be applied to all within the church. But I think Paul may have specifically in mind the pastor of the church when he says, you who are spiritual. And I say that because it is the shepherd’s job to correct the wandering sheep. That’s not to say that there aren’t other spiritual people in the church. We would seriously hope so. But the context of this section of scripture seems to be oriented towards the pastor more than the rest of the congregation.

But regardless of who catches someone in a trespass, the point is in how you deal with someone who has stumbled and fell into sin. The idea is approaching the person with the goal of restoration and with gentleness. Not harsh condemnation. Not some heavy handed approach that says you’re on double secret probation for the next year to make sure you never have this problem again. But with gentleness, with humility, lifting that person up from where they have fallen, and showing them the means by which they might be restored.

And as we discussed last week in our study in Psalm 27, when David had been caught in the double trespass of adultery and murder, the path to restoration was through repentance and forgiveness. The word restore comes from the Greek word “kataritzo” which means to ‘put in order’ and so to ‘restore to its former condition’. It was used in secular Greek as a medical term for setting a fractured or dislocated bone. It is applied in Mark 1:19 to the apostles who were ‘mending’ their nets.” So the idea is restoration of fellowship with the Lord. Sin always breaks fellowship. And you can’t walk in the Spirit unless you are in fellowship with Him.

But the one who is spiritual is to restore the fallen one in a spirit of gentleness because they recognize their own proclivity to the weakness of the flesh. Some pastor from many years ago made famous the remark upon seeing a saint of God that had fallen into sin, “There, but for the grace of God, go I.” Jude said, in Jude 1:23 “And others save with fear, pulling [them] out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.” The fear is that but for the grace of God, go I. Realizing that we are all prone to the weakness of the flesh. We are all prone to being overtaken by the hounds of hell that assail us, and tempt us, and cause us to despair.

That’s why we need one another. We need help, we need encouragement, we need someone to lean on. In vs 2, Paul says, “Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.” The picture that comes to my mind is one of two brothers in arms on the battlefield. One is wounded, and they have their arms around one another, holding each other up as they run.

The one wounded is not the enemy. He is your brother. He needs your support. He doesn’t need your condemnation or judgment. He doesn’t need you to gossip about him. He needs a brother in arms to help bear the burden of his sin. To help him to know forgiveness, even as Christ forgave us.

And that support that you give is called love. Paul says when you bear one another’s burdens you fulfill the law of Christ. What is the law of Christ? It’s the law to love one another. Jesus said in John 13:34 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” You know, that whole list of sins which we looked at back in ch.5:19-21 are aberrations or perversions of love. The whole world is seeking love in all the wrong places, through all the wrong means, with catastrophic results. So much can be changed by the right kind of love. I’m not talking romantic love. I’m talking a love for one another. Someone who cares about you, listens to you, talks to you, has fellowship with you can eliminate a lot of temptations to find the wrong kind of love.

So rather than being condemning of others who may have fallen, be mindful of your own weaknesses. Paul says in vs 3, “For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.” First of all, be mindful of the sin of pride in your own life. Pride in thinking that you are not as bad as your brother. But in actual fact, you are a sinner saved by the grace of God, and only made righteous by the grace of God. It’s not your righteousness that saves you, it’s Christ’s. Your righteousness accomplished nothing.

1Tim. 5:24 says, “The sins of some men are quite evident, going before them to judgment; for others, their [sins] follow after.” That means some sins are more evident than others. Your brother might have problems with the temptation of drugs or alcohol. You might have trouble with the sin of pride and envy. You don’t think your sin is evident to others. It may or may not be. But it’s still a sin, and God sees it and wants you to deal with it, not deceive yourself by thinking you’re better than someone else.

Vs4 “But each one must examine his own work, and then he will have [reason for] boasting in regard to himself alone, and not in regard to another.” Instead of deceiving ourselves, we must make a careful and a sober examination of our works before God. If we don’t, and if we carry on under our self-deception, then we may think our works are approved before God, when really they aren’t. We want to have our work approved before God, so that our rejoicing on the day of reward can be for our own work, and not in the work of another.

Paul isn’t advocating taking pride in yourself. But in a honest examination of yourself. In 2Cor. 13:5 Paul says, “Test yourselves [to see] if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you–unless indeed you fail the test?” And he says in 1Cor. 11:31 “But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged.”

And in the next verse Paul speaks of that judgment that each man will have to bear in vs 5, “For each one will bear his own load.” At first glance this might seem like Paul is contradicting himself. Earlier, he said, we are to bear one another’s burdens. Now he says, each must bear his own load/burden. But there is a different word in the Greek that is used for burden in those two verses. In vs2, he speaks of our need to care for others in the body of Christ. In vs5, Paul speaks of our final accountability before God.

So what he is saying in vs 5 is that each man will stand before the judgement seat of Christ when our works will be examined before the Lord. Rom 14:10 says, “But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.” And Paul speaks of that day of accounting again in 2Cor. 5:10 “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” So rather than judging others, we should examine ourselves that we will not be judged.

As Christians, we are not going to be condemened at the judgement for our sins. Jesus was condemned in our place and He bore our punishment. So God will not be so unjust as to commit double jeopardy. He will not judge a sin twice. What we will be judged for though as Christians is our works. What we have done with what God has given us. What kind of steward have we been with what God has entrusted us with.

And to that, Paul speaks in vs 6, “The one who is taught the word is to share all good things with the one who teaches [him.]”. I take great pride in the fact that as a pastor I rarely speak of the need for giving to the church. We never make appeals for money. We purposefully don’t pass an offering plate at this church, as so many other churches are wont to do, simply to avoid looking like we are serving our own interests.

But when the scripture which we study verse by verse brings up the topic, I must expound the word then as diligently as I do other passages. But it is not a comfortable topic for me to talk about. Martin Luther, (not King, but the Reformer Martin Luther) said on this verse, “These passages are all meant to benefit us ministers. I must say I do not find much pleasure in explaining these verses. I am made to appear as if I am speaking for my own benefit.”

Nevertheless, to share in all good things has the idea of financial support, but it is not limited to it. One commentator said, “Of the variety of interpretations of Paul’s words here the most common is also the most likely: this takes share in the sense of active giving and all good things in the sense of material goods.

This is a basic, though sometimes neglected spiritual principle. Those who feed and teach you spiritually should be supported by you financially. Paul repeated this principle in several other places. 1 Cor. 9:11 says, “If we have sown spiritual things for you, is it a great thing if we reap your material things?” And 1 Cor. 9:14 says, “Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should get their living from the gospel.” One more; 1 Tim. 5:17, “Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine.”

For those who are reluctant to share in all good things with those who teach them, Paul reminded them of God’s principle of sowing and reaping. Vs 7, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.” Their giving (to share in all good things with him who teaches) isn’t like throwing away money; it is like planting seeds, and whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. I would remind you that your giving should be as if you are giving to God, and not to man. And if you do it unto the Lord, then the Lord will reward you. And the Lord sees and the Lord knows what you sow and He will provide the increase.

If I had a choice, I would not mention this verse about sowing and reaping at all. It has been much abused by the television evangelists that promise that if you sow a seed by sending them some money, God will grant you health or wealth or whatever it is that you desire. Usually they promise you more money. I don’t want to sound like I am aligning with that fleecing of the sheep that goes on with those false teachers. But there is a spiritual principle here that the Lord advocates as a means of increasing your reward in heaven. I don’t suggest that it will enrich you on earth, but you will be enriched in heaven for what good you have done on earth. I would hope that is enough inducement for you to share.

And I would also say that under the OT law, the nation of Israel had to tithe about 25% of their income once you added all the special offerings and regular offerings and so forth that were mandated under the law. Now we are not under the Mosaic Law, as Paul has made expressly clear in Galatians. However, the principle of giving remains, and if we are walking in the Spirit, then we will give, but cheerfully and not under compulsion. So we are not mandated by the law to tithe, but we are asked to share as God has prospered you.

Vs8, “For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.” Jesus relayed the principle in this way in Matt. 6:19-21 saying “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

So then, vs 9 “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.” It takes a long time to grow a crop and reap the fruit of that crop, doesn’t it? We should not expect to see an immediate response to our good deeds. We don’t always see a quick benefit to our pocketbooks. But in due time we will reap. Due time speaks of the appointed time. And that time which is appointed, when either we shall die, or the Lord returns, is coming in due time. Paul says don’t get discouraged. Don’t be like so many Christians, who are hot for a while, and then they go through a cooling down period. And then one day they are cold, stone dead. The Christian life calls for perseverance. Being faithful until the end. Being consistent in season and out of season.

It’s kind of like exercise. I was talking with my wife about my new year’s resolution to be more diligent in my exercise. I’m sure that’s a common resolution for many people. But I don’t get up in the morning and think about whether or not I feel like going out for my walk when it’s cold and dark outside. I don’t think about it. I just lace up my tennis shoes and put on my coat and walk out the door and begin my walk. If I waited until I felt like it, I would never do it. I imagine the same principle is true in the Christian life. Do what is right whether you feel like it or not, whether you are discouraged or happy. And that discipline will overcome the weariness that threatens to discourage you.

In summary then, Paul says in vs.10 “So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.” While we have opportunity. Jesus said in John 9:4 “We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work.” There is coming a day, an appointed time, when for each of us our work will end. And then we will stand before God and give an account for the work that we have done or haven’t done. While we have the opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

How are we to conduct ourselves as Christians? Paul has argued exhaustively that we are not under the law. We do not regulate our lives according to the Old Testament law that was given to Moses. We do not cut off our flesh in circumcision in order to live the Christian life. We do not observe the Sabbath or other Jewish feast days as a restriction in order to accomplish the Christian life. We do not restrict our diet in order to live the Christian life.
On the other hand, Paul has made it clear we do not have license to sin as a Christian. We were cleansed from sin, forgiven of our sins, and given power over our sin nature as a Christian. So we don’t continue in sin that grace may abound. Christian freedom isn’t found in returning to the captivity of sin.

How then are we to live as Christians? Now that we have been born again, born of the Spirit, how are we to live in the world? Well, Paul answers that question in this last section of chapter 5. He says that now that we are saved, now that we have been changed, converted by the grace of God, we are to walk in the Spirit. That sounds simple enough, but it’s a little like receiving a puzzle for Christmas that has 500 pieces, but no photo of what it is supposed to look like when it’s put together. We are kind of at a loss as to how walking in the Spirit is supposed to look.

I think Paul helps us to know what that looks like by the use of a succession of steps. And to make it more clear he contrasts each work of the Spirit with the work of the flesh. Sometimes it easier to define what something is by saying what it is not. And so he does that in each step of the life in the Spirit.

Let’s start with the first step which is what I might call the effect of walking in the Spirit, which is found in vs 16, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.”

Now we can extrapolate a lot of things from these verses, but at it’s simplest, Paul says that if we walk in the Spirit, we can’t walk in the flesh. Because the flesh and the Spirit are diametrically opposed. It’s as if there is a road that goes south to north. You can either walk north, or you can walk south, but you can’t walk both directions at the same time.

And you can’t carry out the desires of the flesh and carry out the desires of the Spirit at the same time. They are in opposition to one another. It’s a totally different direction. So before he actually tells us how we are to walk in the Spirit, Paul tells us here the result of walking in the Spirit. But included in this verse is a hint of how we can live the Christian life. You’re not going to accomplish it by adhering to the law. But by walking in the Spirit.

Another thing that we learn from this verse is that there is a war going on in our hearts. The flesh is in opposition, that is it is contrary to, warring against the Spirit, and the Spirit is in opposition to the flesh.

Paul speaks of this war in our innermost being in Romans 7: 21 “I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.”

Now how we are to deal with our flesh Paul will address a little later on. But it’s enough to know for now that if you walk by the Spirit you will not carry out the desires of the flesh. They are two different directions, they are in opposition to one another.

The next step in learning to walk by the Spirit is found in vs 18, “But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.” Now Paul gives us another contrast in this verse. Either you are led by the Spirit, or you are under the condemnation of the law. How does a Christian walk in the Spirit? Paul indicates that it is by being led by the Spirit. I think you have all seen a parent holding onto the hand of their toddler who is learning to walk, and the parent leads them, supports them, keeps them from falling as they take one little step after another. Perhaps that’s an illustration of how the Spirit leads us as we learn to walk in the Spirit.

Now how does the Spirit lead us in practical terms? I suggest it is primarily through the word of God. I don’t suggest that it is by listening to some inner voice. I think that approach is problematic. I do believe the Spirit speaks to us through our conscience, or through our mind, but I believe that it originates from scripture. He brings the truth of scripture to our mind, enlightens our mind, telling us the truth through scripture, which results in being led by the Spirit. After all, the Spirit is the author of scripture. And so though we might not be led by a scripture verbatim, the truth of scripture informs us as to how we should walk, how we should live.

Now when Paul speaks of our walk, it simply indicates our conduct, or manner of life. You are alive while you are asleep, but the living of life involves action, moving, working, conduct. We speak of people as being from all walks of life. We mean by that their manner of life. And so I think that is what is indicated as walking in the Spirit. It’s your manner of life, the conduct of your life. Our way of life is to be directed, led, controlled by the Spirit. And if you are controlled by the Spirit, then you are not controlled by the law.

That contrast is once again presented as Spirit vs flesh. The flesh is correlated with being under the law. Paul gave that contrast as an allegory in chapter four, when he compared the law to being born of the flesh, and being free as born of the Spirit.

But he goes on in the next section to make that contrast more clear by means of the evidence of your life. Your manner of life is evidence of which you are of, the flesh or of the Spirit. He begins with the flesh. Vs.19 “Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

This is what the flesh produces; conducts, deeds, a manner of life characterized by the practice of these sins. I won’t take the time to define each of those sins this morning. I think we are well familiar with such sins. Those sins characterized our life before we were saved. We practiced such things. We were controlled by such conduct. They were habitual sins to which we were enslaved.

I wish I could say that having been saved, those things were no longer a part of our lives. That we never succumbed to the temptation to do those things again. That they were ancient history. But I must confess that for most of us, they continue to be something that we are tempted by. Because our old nature is still there. Our flesh is not done away with. As Paul said in Romans 7, I find a war within my members, and I do things that I don’t want to do.

But even though that might be true, I believe Paul is saying that those that have been born of the Spirit no longer practice such things. Those sins are no longer the characterization of our lives. And if they are still the characterization of our lives, if they are the daily practice of our life, then you must recognize the truth of what Paul says – then you are not born of the Spirit. You are not a part of the kingdom of God. You haven’t been converted. You may have tried turning over a new leaf, but it didn’t last. God hasn’t made you a new creation. If such is the pattern of your life, the practice of your life, then you are not saved.

Though I don’t want to take the time to define all these sins of the flesh, I will point out something that should be obvious; that Paul doesn’t list only really, really grievous sins and leave out what the Catholics call venial sins. No, he groups them all, from anger to immorality as evidence of deeds of the flesh which are equally damning.

In contrast to those sinful desires of the flesh, Paul says in vs22 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

It’s interesting to notice that Paul calls these things fruit. Fruit is the natural product of the life of a tree or plant. So fruit is the natural product of life in the Spirit. If we are born again of the Spirit, we have life in the Spirit, and life in the Spirit produces a certain manner of life. The law does not produce such life. The law only serves to expose sin and condemn sin. But when we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. So that the product of this new life by the Spirit is the fruit of the Spirit.

You could really summarize the fruit this way – the fruit of the Spirit is love. And then all the other items in that verse elaborate on what love is like. As we read earlier in the chapter, love is the fulfillment of the law. So love produces joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control. If you love your neighbor, you will do no harm to your neighbor. But rather you will do good for them.

It also may be helpful to understand the works of the flesh in contrast to this love of the Spirit. Each one of the works of the flesh is a violation or a perversion of love. Immorality, impurity and sensuality are counterfeits of love among people. Idolatry and sorcery are counterfeits of love to God. Hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, and murders are all opposites of love. Drunkenness and revelries are sad attempts to fill the void only love can fill.

So as an admonition to those temptations of the flesh, Paul says in vs 24 “Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” This is the answer to the implied question in vs 16, how do you not carry out the desires of the flesh. The answer is you crucify them.

But how is that practically accomplished? This speaks of something that the believer does, being directed and empowered by the Spirit of God. Crucifying the flesh is not the sovereign, “unilateral” work of God. We are told to crucify the flesh. In Matthew 16:24 Jesus said unto his disciples, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”

The old man, the sin nature inherited from Adam, is crucified with Jesus as the sovereign work of God when we are born again. Romans 6:6 says, Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him. We are simply told to consider or count the old man as dead in Romans 6:11. We are not told to put him to death. But the flesh is another matter. We are called to choose to work with God to do to the flesh exactly what God did all by Himself to the old man: crucify the flesh.

John Stott says, ““Please notice that the ‘crucifixion’ of the flesh described here is something that is done not to us but by us… Galatians 5:24 does not teach the same truth as Galatians 2:20 or Romans 6:6. In those verses we are told that by faith-union with Christ ‘we have been crucified with him’. But here it is we who have taken action.”

Paul speaks to that in Rom 8:12 saying, “So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh– for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.”

So you see there the correlation of putting to death the deeds of the flesh, to being led by the Spirit of God. There is a war in my members, and those led by the Spirit put to death the deeds of the flesh. Paul speaks of this necessity again in Colossians 3:5 “Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience, and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them. But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, [and] abusive speech from your mouth.”

The final step of life in the Spirit is given in the last two verses of this chapter. Vs 25 “If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.”

At first glance it may seem that Paul is just repeating what he said earlier in vs 16. But we can better understand what Paul wrote here if we recognize that the ancient Greek word for walk is different in vs16 than in vs 25. The first walk in vs 16 (peripateo) is the normal word for walking, used there as a picture of the “walk of life.” The second use of walk in vs 25 is (stoicheo) which means “to walk in line with” or “to be in step with.” So Paul here in vs 25 is saying, “Keep in step with the Spirit, or walk with the Spirit.”

I’m reminded of Psalm 139 which says, Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. The lamp illuminated the path one step at a time. The same idea is at work here. As the Spirit leads you, keep in step with Him. Psalm 23 which we recently studied on Wednesday night says, “you lead me in the paths of righteousness.” That’s being led by the Spirit, and keeping in step with the Spirit. As He reveals truth to you, keep walking in it. Keep following. Keep in step with the Spirit. In other words, the Spirit doesn’t drag you like a child screaming and kicking in the supermarket behind his mother, but as He leads you on, you walk in step with Him. That indicates obedience.

And then Paul concludes with a warning, that as we walk in the Spirit, we are not to become boastful, or conceited or envious of others. He reveals that the problem of pride is a stubborn sin, a deceitful sin that is not so easily put to death. And pride can affect the child of God who is walking after the Spirit, putting to death the deeds of the flesh, and then before you know it taking pride in their righteousness, taking pride that they are always right, and looking disdainfully upon their neighbor who they feel is not living as right as they are. Pride is a stubborn, deceitful sin that must be guarded against. Pride in accomplishment is the opposite of grace. And but for the grace of God, we have nothing to boast about. But we can be grateful to God for the grace that was given to us, that saved us from our sin, and relieved our penalty of death, giving us life in the Spirit and of the Spirit, that we might inherit the kingdom of God. But we must guard against pride that it does not nullify the fruit of the Spirit, which is love.