Rescued & Restored

Acts 15:36-41

Nine hikers (six of which were teenagers) were trekking across a mountain range in Scotland this past spring (2012) when a snowstorm suddenly trapped them there. It had been the warmest March on record in that region and they had no indication that the conditions were changing so quickly. The next day, from their trapped location, they called for help and a search/rescue operation was launched to find them. When they were found they were all airlifted to safety.

There are Christians that were once vibrant servants of Christ that were trekking across the mountains of His service, but through discouragement or some type of personal failure became trapped in an avalanche of guilt, regret, shame and/or fear. They are desperately in need of being rescued and restored to their former usefulness for Christ and to His service, which is a task that should interest all of us.

One such young man in Scripture is John Mark who was an assistant to the Apostle Paul on his first missionary journey. His life is an example of the fact that our God is the God of a second chance.

Follow the story of John Mark’s life leading up to the failure that is recorded for us in Acts.

• John Mark was the son of a certain Mary that was apparently a woman of prominence and means in Jerusalem (Acts 12:12).
• He was of Jewish parentage, his mother being a relative of Barnabas (Colossians 4:10).
• When Peter was released from prison he went to Mary’s house to meet with the Christians who had been praying for his release (Acts 12:5).
• He was called Peter’s son in the faith (1 Peter 5:13).
• John Mark was chosen to assist Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey (Acts 12:25; 13:5).
• During this outreach endeavor John Mark left them and returned to Jerusalem (Acts 13:13).
• When Paul and Barnabas began making plans for their second missionary journey a heated debate ensued about including John Mark (Acts 15:36-41).
• This ultimately led to Paul and Barnabas separating and going different directions.

What could have led to John Mark quitting the first missionary journey? Can we better understand what was going on at the time that he departed from them?

Maybe it was the...
1. Diminishing of emotional zeal
When John Mark volunteered for the trip there was great enthusiasm that permeated the church. He may have been on an emotional and spiritual high when this all began, but as the journey unfolded maybe he felt a sense of “buyers remorse.”

Maybe it was the...
2. Demand of daily tasks
He was their assistant and probably had many mundane, as well as difficult tasks committed to his trust (cf. Acts 13:5; 15:38 -- “work”). Sometimes you get tired doing things that are hard and/or don’t challenge you. Maybe the task was different than he bargained for when he volunteered to go.

Maybe it was the...
3. Distraction of homesickness
John Mark had come from a fairly wealthy family (Acts 12:12) and may have missed the comforts of home along this rugged trip. Ask anyone away from home for the first time and they’ll tell you about homesickness. Especially if your present circumstances are more difficult than the ones you left.

Maybe it was the...
4. Danger of future encounters
If he had continued with Paul and Barnabas they were going to have to cross the Taurus Mountain Range. Not only was the terrain of this mountain difficult to traverse, but it was also infested with thieves and robbers. Maybe fear overcame him and he could not go on.

Maybe it was the...
5. Disapproval of Paul’s message
He was a Jewish young man with a rich Jewish heritage. Maybe he had some concerns about Paul’s methods or message as the trip was advancing among the Gentiles. Prejudice is sometimes an unseen condition that many haven’t faced and eliminated from their lives. Maybe that was underlying his decision to leave and go home.

Maybe it was the...
6. Distribution of ministry control
At the beginning of the journey Barnabas had been mentioned first, possibly indicating he was the leader at the outset (Acts 13:2, 7). But, as the journey unfolded Paul became the dominant leader as the one specifically called to be the Apostle to the Gentiles. Maybe the change of roles disturbed John Mark and left him discouraged.

Maybe it was the...
7. Detection of physical illness
Paul ultimately became ill at some point on the journey (Galatians 4:13) and maybe John Mark saw the developing of this illness. Because of the dangers inherent with the trip he may have been concerned about his own health and felt it better to return to the safety of his familiar surroundings.

The truth is we don’t know the specific reason(s) why John Mark left. Any of those listed or some we haven’t even considered may have been the motivating factor.

Luke used a Greek word in Acts 13:13 that is a neutral term meaning, “to go away,” to describe John Mark’s departure. In other words, Luke initially records John Mark’s leaving in a general sense without indicating any malice in the term. But, the Greek word Paul used when considering the possibility of John Mark going on the second missions trip is a much stronger one that has the sense of “disloyalty” (Acts 15:38). [Actually, the Greek word Paul used gives us our word “apostate.”] Clearly he had strong feelings about what John Mark had done! Maybe Luke was not led to indicate these feelings originally or maybe they developed as the journey continued to unfold.

Whatever the reason for John Mark’s departure it ultimately led to a division between Paul and Barnabas. The text describes their disagreement as “contention” that was “so sharp” that the two men ended up parting ways. Barnabas took John Mark and headed to Cyprus which was his native home (Acts 4:36) and a safe place for John Mark’s rehabilitation. Paul chose Silas to travel with him to Syria and Cilicia to begin revisiting some of the churches they had planted on their first missionary journey.

I think it is interesting that Luke really doesn’t pass judgment on either of these two men. It is true that Barnabas is not mentioned again in the record of Acts, but I’m not confident that this necessarily indicates that Barnabas chose wrong and Paul chose right. They may have both been right and God used this division of assets to accomplish an even greater purpose than the two men could have accomplished together on a second journey.

Barnabas’ concern was with the welfare of John Mark and Paul’s was with the work. This is a classic example of the conflict that often arises over whether to deal with the interests of the individual first or with the (overall) work first. Men of equally capable abilities and vision will often think differently about some of these matters, possibly dependent upon their own spiritual gifting.

Now, for the rest of the story...

Approximately ten years later:

• John Mark was with Paul during his first Roman imprisonment (Colossians 4:10; Philemon 1:24).
• He seems to have been with Timothy when Paul wrote to him during his second Roman imprisonment and requested that he bring John Mark with him when he came to see him (2 Timothy 4:11).
• Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit he wrote the Gospel of Mark, which is likely the earliest of the Gospel records penned.
• Tradition says that Mark was sent on a mission to Egypt by Peter where he founded the church of Alexandria and suffered a martyr's death in the eighth year of Nero’s reign.

Application:

1. If you are like Paul...remember that when someone fails it doesn’t mean he/she can never succeed again.

2. If you are like Barnabas...remember that trust is something that is lost in a moment and earned over time.

3. If you are like John Mark...remember that FAILURE ISN’T FINAL...UNLESS YOU WANT IT TO BE!

Consider This...

...and [Judas] asked, “How much will you pay me to betray Jesus to you?” And they gave him thirty pieces of silver. (Matthew 26:15 NLT)

Whether you know it or not, Jesus is betrayed all the time for a price. And, people will sell Him out for things worth far less than "thirty pieces of silver." What this shows is that the betrayers don't know the true value of the person of Christ. What a tragedy that Judas didn't recognize the eternal treasure of Jesus and was willing to exchanged Him for temporal treasures that can't last.

Consider This...

Fools have no interest in understanding; they only want to air their own opinions. (Proverbs 18:2 NLT)

Have you ever met the person that just doesn't get it? You know the one...no matter how much you explain yourself, the situation, or the principle all they want to do is argue. Nobody can help a person that has “no interest in understanding.” Stop wasting your time looking for better arguments to convince the one that doesn't care about any other perspective than his own.

Consider This...

Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends. (Proverbs 17:9 NLT)

Too many people “dwell on” things from the past that can never be changed. They’ll throw away lifetime friendships while nursing their bitterness over a hurt suffered months or years ago. You will never have deep, loving relationships if you don’t learn to forgive. Everybody will ultimately disappoint you in some way, but it's important not to hold onto those grievances. If you do, you may end up isolating yourself to such a degree that you'll be the only friend you have.

Consider This...

Those who mock the poor insult their Maker; those who rejoice at the misfortune of others will be punished. (Proverbs 17:5 NLT)

The temptation is always there to “rejoice” when someone you dislike meets with a personal “misfortune.” Before you know it you’re talking about what happened to them with a measured glee in your voice. But, what you really may be doing is bringing punishment on yourself. Jesus advised a much better path, “...love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you.” (Luke 6:27-28)

Jesus: Declared To Be God

John 5:31-47

A few years ago a reporter from our local newspaper called me to ask if I would comment about the interfaith movement in our city and to explain why I did not participate in this increasingly popular alliance. Just so you understand what they mean by an interfaith movement, let me read you a portion of the article that was front-page news a few days later when it came out.

“…people of widely divergent faiths—Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists and Hindus—prayed together during an Interfaith Encounter…Tri-State pastors from about 20 denominations have been praying together regularly for months…Downtown congregations—Protestant and Catholic—get together each year to observe Ash Wednesday…And coming Tuesday, a newly formed Religious Club…conducts only the fourth meeting of a group that wishes to ‘treat all religions as valuable’...What gives? Are religions burying the hatchet? Are they getting along nowadays better than they used to? …Cooperation, like it or not, is increasing…” (Herald-Dispatch, Saturday, March 10, 2001, Faith Work On Cooperation)

As you can imagine, I perused the article with great interest to see how the comments I had made would be utilized. In the process of reading I came across this quote by an Episcopal minister who was one of the coordinators of this interfaith encounter. Assuming the reporter accurately represented his statement, this is what it said…

“Verses that proclaim the exclusivity of Jesus as the Messiah—such as John 14:6—don’t really say what readers think they say,’ (according to this pastor). ‘No man cometh to the father but by me is a quote from the fourth gospel, which was written 65 years after the death of Jesus,’ he says. ‘The New Testament includes stories about Jesus, but all these stories don’t quote the exact words of Jesus. The gospels show how the writers interpreted him; they made him say things he never said.” And then he said, “Jesus never claimed to be divine.”

• Jesus did claim to be God

That is either a statement of ignorance, deceit, or more likely, a denial of the Scriptures’ inspiration because it does record for us that Jesus claimed to be God in the flesh. Look at a couple of them with me:

Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. Jesus answered them, “Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?” The Jews answered Him, saying, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God.” (John 10:30-33)

Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by. (John 8:58-59; cf. Exodus 3:14; Isaiah 43:10)

And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was. (John 17:5)

• Called the “Son of Man”

In addition, every time Jesus refers to Himself as the “Son of Man” (this was His favorite self-designation - found more than 80 times in the Gospels), He was making a claim to deity. This is a title that clearly distinguished Him as being God because this designation equated Him with the Divine Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament (Daniel 7:13-14).

Hank Hanegraaff writes in his book Christianity In Crisis, “Every orthodox scholar in the 2000-year history of the church has recognized that when Jesus called Himself ‘the Son of Man,’ He was indeed claiming to be God. During the incarnation, Jesus was 100 percent God as well as 100 percent man. He did not lay aside His divine attributes. To say that Jesus surrendered even one attribute of divinity is to assert that Jesus Christ is less than God and is therefore not God at all.

While Christ voluntarily veiled His divine glory (Philippians 2:5-11), Scripture insists that He did not surrender His divine attributes.” (Hank Hanegraaff, Christianity In Crisis, p. 140)

• Called the “Son of God”

There is also the matter of the number of times that Christ was referred to as the “Son of God,” which is a title He never refused to accept. Satan and the demons called Him by this designation (Mark 3:11; Luke 4:3). The disciples referred to Him in the same manner (Matthew 16:16). Caiaphas challenged Him about the title and Christ acknowledged that it was true (Matthew 26:63-64) and God the Father used it of Him (Mark 1:11; 9:7).

• “Equal with God” was His claim

In the miracle of John 5:1-18, Jesus was clearly understood by His Jewish opponents as claiming to be God. Following the healing of the lame man, the religious leaders sought to persecute Jesus because He had performed this miracle on the Sabbath. When He responded to them, He said,

But Jesus answered them, “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.” Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God. (John 5:17-18)

• The need for additional witnesses

There can be no denying that Christ claimed to be God! But, in accordance with Jewish law He called other witnesses to testify on His behalf (John 5:31-47; Deuteronomy 17:6; 19:15; 2 Corinthians 13:1; 1 Timothy 5:19-21; Hebrews 10:28-29).

He called as witnesses:
1.   John the Baptist (v. 33; cf. John 1:19-34)

And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God. (1:34)

2.  His miraculous works (v. 36; cf. John 3:2; 9:30-33)

Water to wine, feeding of the 5000, lame man healed, dead raised, healing of the blind. The healing of the blind was the most often recorded miracle of Jesus Christ and was intended to demonstrate that Christ was the Messiah in fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy (Isaiah 29:18; 35:5; 42:7).

3.   God the Father (37)

1. His inner witness (1 John 5:9-12)
2. His written witness (v.38 -- the Old Testament prophets)
3. His verbal witness (Matthew 3:17; 17:5)

4.   The Scriptures (v.39)

In Genesis He is the seed of the woman;

In Exodus He is the Passover lamb;

In Leviticus He is the anointed high priest;

In Numbers He is the brazen serpent;

In Deuteronomy He is the prophet like Moses;

In Joshua He is the captain of the Lord’s host;

In Judges He is the messenger of the Lord;

In Ruth He is the kinsman redeemer;

In 1 Samuel He is the great Judge;

In 2 Samuel He is the seed of David;

In 1 Kings He is the Lord God of Israel;

In 2 Kings He is the God of the cherubim;

In 1 Chronicles He is the God of our salvation;

In 2 Chronicles He is the God of our fathers;

In Ezra He is the Lord of Heaven and earth;

In Nehemiah He is the covenant keeping God;

In Esther He is the God of providence;

In Job He is the risen and returning redeemer;

In Psalms He is the Holy One of Israel;

In Proverbs He is the wisdom of God;

In Ecclesiastes He is the One above the sun;

In Song of Solomon He is the chief among ten thousand;

In Isaiah He is the virgin born Immanuel;

In Jeremiah He is the Lord of righteousness;

In Lamentations He is the faithful and compassionate God;

In Ezekiel He is the Lord is there;

In Daniel He is the Son of Man;

In Hosea He is the King of the resurrection;

In Joel He is the giver of the Spirit;

In Amos He is the plumbline;

In Obadiah He is the destroyer of the proud;

In Jonah He is the longsuffering One;

In Micah He is the Bethlehem born;

In Nahum He is the avenging God;

In Habakkuk He is the everlasting, pure, glorious, and anointed One;

In Zephaniah He is the King of Israel;

In Haggai He is the desire of all nations;

In Zechariah He is the pierced One;

In Malachi He is the sun of righteousness;

In Matthew He is the King of the Jews;

In Mark He is the humble servant;

In Luke He is the perfect man;

In John He is the eternal God;

In Acts He is the ascended Lord;

In Romans He is the Lord of righteousness;

In 1 Corinthians He is our resurrection;

In 2 Corinthians He is the God of all comfort;

In Galatians He is the redeemer from the Law;

In Ephesians He is the head of the church;

In Philippians He is the supplier of every need;

In Colossians He is the fullness of the Godhead;

In 1 Thessalonians He is the coming Christ;

In 2 Thessalonians He is the consuming Christ;

In 1 Timothy He is the Savior of sinners;

In 2 Timothy He is the author of Scripture;

In Titus He is our great God and Savior;

In Philemon He is the payer of our debt;

In Hebrews He is the heir of all things;

In James He is the great physician;

In 1 Peter He is the chief shepherd;

In 2 Peter He is the beloved Son;

In 1 John He is our propitiation;

In 2 John He is the Son of the Father;

In 3 John He is the truth;

In Jude He is the preserver and only wise God;

In Revelation He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

5.   Moses (vv. 45-46)

1. Specific Passages (Genesis 3:15; 22:18; 49:10; Numbers 24:17; Deuteronomy 18:15)
2. Spiritual Types (Passover, manna, the rock, offerings)

These are not all the witnesses to Christ’s deity. Consider two others with me:
6.   The Holy Spirit (John 16:14)

7.   The Resurrection (Romans 1:3-4)

What if we awoke to read these headlines from Jerusalem? “Dateline Jerusalem: On the eve of the annual celebration of the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, the 1 million inhabitants of this city were shocked by the announcement that a body, identified as that of Jesus, was found in a long-neglected tomb just outside the boundary of the city. Rumors had been circulating the last week that a very important discovery was about to be announced. The news, however, far outstrips all of our wildest guesses. The initial reaction of Christians here and around the world has been one of astonishment, bewilderment, and defensive disbelief. We will have to wait and see just what effect this discovery will have on the 2,000-year-old religion. To the mind of this unbelieving writer, it appears that Christianity will have to take its place on the same level with the other religions of the world. No longer can its followers claim that, unlike other religions, the tomb of its founder is empty. Evidently a 2,000-year-old lie has come to an end.” (Michael P. Green, 1500 Illustrations for Biblical Preaching, pp. 303-304)

The fact is that they cannot produce a body nor have they ever been able to do so because Christ is alive and He is seated at the right hand of the Father.

Adam Clark writes, “The resurrection of Christ from the dead was such a manifest proof of our Lord's innocence, the truth of his doctrine, and the fulfillment of all that the prophets had spoken, as to leave no doubt on any considerate and candid mind.” (Adam Clark Commentary, Romans 1:4)

John MacAuthur writes, “As Paul goes on to explain, the most conclusive and irrefutable evidence of Jesus’ divine sonship was given with power by the resurrection from the dead. By the supreme demonstration of His ability to conquer death, a power belonging only to God Himself (the Giver of life), He established beyond all doubt that He was indeed God, the Son.” (John MacAuthur, Romans, p.16)

R.C. Sproul writes, “When God declares the unique sonship of Jesus, He does not drop subtle hints here and there or offer esoteric suggestions that only the most brilliant of theologians can figure out. The evidence that God gave to confirm the claim of Jesus to be the Son of God is the resurrection.” (R.C. Sproul, The Gospel of God: Romans, p.21)

D. L. Moody lived over 100 years ago. Whenever he would preach, newspaper editors would send stenographers to take down his messages and print them in the next day’s paper. He preached to hundreds of thousands of people in his lifetime and many thousands were saved. On one occasion he met a man who professed to be an atheist and this is what he said…

“I once was talking with an atheist in my hometown, and I got him to read the New Testament. He came back in a few days and said, ‘Mr. Moody, I have taken your advice and read the life of Jesus Christ, and I have come to the conclusion that John the Baptist was a greater character than Jesus Christ.’ Well,’ I said, ‘you go through the countries and preach in the name of John the Baptist, and I will follow, and preach in the name of Jesus Christ, and I venture to say that I will win more converts than you.’ ‘Oh, well,’ he said, ‘of course you would, because people are very superstitious.’ ‘No, that’s not the reason,’ I replied. ‘When they buried John the Baptist he hasn’t gotten out of the grave yet. But when they buried the Son of God the grave could not hold Him. He rose again. We don’t worship a dead Christ. He is a glorified Christ.’”

What does all this mean to you and me? Read: Acts 13:29-39

Because He is alive we preach the “forgiveness of sins...”

• For the believer this means your sins are gone forever, removed by the living Christ who died and rose again for you.
• For the unbeliever this means that you can be forgiven today if you will only come to the living Christ in faith.