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1. During my quiet time with God this morning, one verse stood out: "When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, & #39;He is out of his mind.& #39;” (Mark 3:21)
2. The context is this. Jesus had begun His public ministry and was encountering opposition.
3. His family members, for whatever reason, weren& #39;t keen on either Jesus& #39; prominence or the opposition. So, they decided that they would "protect" Jesus and, at the same time, spare themselves from being perceived as having any connection with His ministry or teaching...
4. ...His family members, for whatever reason, weren& #39;t keen on either Jesus& #39; prominence or the opposition. So, they decided that they would "protect" Jesus and, at the same time, spare themselves from being perceived as having any connection with His ministry or teaching.
5. They wanted to "take charge of Him" because, they told those gathered nearby, "He is out of His mind."
6. Peter, at one point, showed a similar desire to "protect" Jesus. After Peter confessed his faith in Jesus as the Messiah and the Son of God, Jesus told him and the other disciples that, as Messiah and God the Son, He was going to Jerusalem, where He would be...
7. ... rejected, scourged, and crucified and then rise from the dead on the third day. "This will never happen to You, Lord," you& #39;ll remember Peter telling Jesus.
Jesus scolded Peter for being a "Satan," in league with the devil in trying to prevent Jesus...
Jesus scolded Peter for being a "Satan," in league with the devil in trying to prevent Jesus...
8. ... from fulfilling His saving mission for the human race. It was only after Jesus& #39; death and resurrection that Peter understood what Jesus meant.
9. The Bible tells us, "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect..." (1 Peter 3:15).
10. Christians are called to be witnesses for Jesus who share Jesus and the good news that all who repent and trust in Him have life with God that never ends.
But God doesn& #39;t need our "defending."
God is big enough to fend for Himself.
But God doesn& #39;t need our "defending."
God is big enough to fend for Himself.
11. Christians can get caught up in meaningless political battles thinking that in doing so they& #39;re "protecting" God or Christ& #39;s Church.
But we see from Jesus& #39; refusal to allow His earthly family to "take charge of Him" that God doesn& #39;t want or need our protection.
But we see from Jesus& #39; refusal to allow His earthly family to "take charge of Him" that God doesn& #39;t want or need our protection.
12. He& #39;s the almighty King of the universe.
He acts according to His sovereign will.
Nothing happens to Him or His Church that He doesn& #39;t anticipate or that He doesn& #39;t know will ultimately work for His glory and our eternal good.
He acts according to His sovereign will.
Nothing happens to Him or His Church that He doesn& #39;t anticipate or that He doesn& #39;t know will ultimately work for His glory and our eternal good.
13. And nothing that human beings might do to the God we see in Jesus will lessen His lordship or thwart His good purposes. Nothing we might do for God will increase His power.
14. The call of Christians then is not to defend the God we know in Jesus, but to tell His story and what He is doing for us--saving us from sin, death, and darkness for eternal life with Him.
15. Telling Jesus& #39; story, what the Bible calls "the good news" or "the gospel," is the one and only call and mission of Christians and the Church.
16. And because this gospel story is so powerful and so true, we know that sharing it will bring many to faith in Christ, faith that saves. That& #39;s why, in the power of God& #39;s Holy Spirit, we keep telling the story.
17. Christians can trust the words of the apostle Paul to be true: "...faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ." (Romans 10:17).
18. On the day when Jesus returns to usher in His eternal kingdom in fullness and perfection, He won& #39;t be looking for people who have engaged in meaningless acts of "protecting" Him. He& #39;ll be looking for people who trust in Him--believe in Him--have faith in Him.
19. And He really can be trusted. He is the very author and perfecter of love, even for you and me. "This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." (1 John 4:10)
