"The Time Has Come" based on Mark 1:14-20

The Third Sunday after the Epiphany/Mission Sunday, January 25, 2009

Pastor Troy Slater, Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, Herington, Kansas

“The time has come, the kingdom of heaven is near. Repent and believe the good news.” … Those words are the very first words of Jesus that Mark records for us in the gospel that bears Mark's name. “The time has come, the kingdom of heaven is near. Repent and believe the good news.”

Obviously Mark felt those words of Jesus were extremely important to place them in such a prominent position in his Gospel – to record those as the very first words of Jesus. And indeed those are very important words. I would even say that they summarize Jesus’ entire message - the Christian message. “The time has come.” NOW is the day of salvation. In Jesus and in Jesus alone God has broken into our history to establish His eternal kingdom. He alone is the Lord, He alone is God, He alone is the Savior promised long ago. Yes, “the time has come, the kingdom of heaven is near.”

And so "Repent!" Jesus says. Repent and believe. There's no straddling the fence, there's no "Jesus, eh, I'll take Him or leave Him." There's no middle ground when it comes to Jesus. Rather with Jesus - this decisive in-breaking of God's kingdom - it's time to repent. Turn from your sin and believe that salvation has come - believe that life and forgiveness has come. "Repent and believe the good news." That's what our faith all comes down to - "repent and believe in Jesus." That's what it all comes down to.

And so with that in mind, I would like to ask you. What would it look like for a church today to take all this seriously? What would such a group of believers look like? Understanding that our time here is limited, that the time of others is limited and that salvation is only found in Jesus, what would that mean for their lives? If a group of believers really believed and acted on this message in its full seriousness and urgency, what would they look like, how would they be living? …

Well I suppose such a church would be a people that first of all takes the Lord’s Word seriously. They would be a people that recognizes the importance of getting the message of the church right. After all if we depart from God's Word, we have absolutely nothing. And so such a church, well it would be a people in the Word. Home Bible reading, group Bible studies, mothers and fathers teaching their children the message of God's Word. Yes being in the Word, that's a church that takes Jesus' message seriously. A church in the Word and holding to that Word.

And I suppose such a church - a church that takes Jesus' message seriously - well that Word would not just be head knowledge, it would be lived, it would shape their life - how they live. Over and over again in Scripture you'll hear God exhort His people to turn from sin - to live a life different than the unbelieving world around them. As followers of Christ we are to be IN the world, yes, but not OF the world. And so a church that takes Jesus' message seriously causes others to look at them and say, "Hey, they're a bit different over there - and it's a good different, there's a joy, a hope, a love about them." You see a church that takes the message of Jesus seriously is a church that lives the message - that loves and forgives others because they have first been loved and forgiven by their God.

And such a church, well it also realizes that they, that you, me, your family, your friends, your neighbors - we’re never guaranteed another tomorrow, we’re not even guaranteed the rest of today – none of us are. We each one day will stand before our Maker and from there it will be one of two places - heaven or hell. Heaven through faith in the Savior come to die for the sin of the world; hell for those who have rejected that Savior. And so sharing the message of Jesus - that's a church that takes Jesus' message seriously. Sharing the message upon which hinges eternal death or eternal life.

Being in the Word, living that Word, sharing that Word, that's what a church that takes seriously Jesus message to us today looks like. And so I now ask, are we such a church? Are we such a people? In the Word, living the Word, sharing the Word? … Are we such a people?

Now, please note here that I’m not doubting anyone’s salvation. I mean Jesus has come to you and put His name upon you through the waters of Holy Baptism. He has called you by name, the Holy Spirit has granted you that gift of faith in our Lord Jesus and Jesus has invited you to a life of following Him – a following that, thanks to His cross and resurrection, will take you through the very gates of heaven. You have been saved by God’s grace in Jesus. But what do we do with it? Do we keep it to ourselves as if we’re some privileged class and the others, well, let someone else worry about them? …

In our reading for today, it says that Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee. And as He’s walking along the shores well He sees two men – Simon, whom we also know as Peter, and his brother Andrew. Well their out doing their job – fishermen. And Jesus says to them, “Come follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” Come follow me - the Way, the Truth and the Life - and I will give your life meaning - I will make you to be a blessing to others - an eternal blessing to others. "Follow me and I will make you to be fishers of men." … And evidently they took this call by Jesus seriously. For our text tells us that “At once (immediately) they left their nets and followed him.”

Then, going a bit further, He sees James and his brother John, also fisherman. He calls them also and again, they respond, following Jesus. They left everything; they threw in their lot with him, holding back nothing of themselves. They didn't test the water with their big toe; instead they dived in. They didn't negotiate a "trial discipleship". Unlike Lot's wife, who looked back at what she had left behind, only to find herself a pillar of salt, they don't look back. Instead they hear and heed the master when he says, "Anyone who puts his hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the kingdom of God.”

Jesus called them to follow Him and by God's grace they responded. They followed Jesus; they followed Him throughout Galilee, through Samaria, into Judea. They followed Him as He healed, as He taught, as He forgave. They followed Him as He calmed the waves and fed the crowds. They followed Him as He went to Jerusalem where there He was put to death - the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. They followed Him after He rose again on the third day and sent them into all the world to preach the good news of the kingdom. And they did, they did go into all the world. In fact church history tells us that of these four men that Jesus called that day along the Sea of Galilee, only one of the four - John died of natural causes. The other three were put to death for their faith as they went out into all the world, preaching the good news of their Lord. They followed Jesus wherever He led them.

Now did they follow perfectly? Hardly. I suppose most famously take Peter, right? "Never Lord will I deny you; even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you." he boldly said the night before the Lord's crucifixion. But of course before the rooster crowed twice, Peter had denied his Lord three times. The Lord later restored Peter though, didn't He? Forgave him. You see the Lord doesn't call us to follow Him and to be perfect - but He does call us to follow Him and to repent; to repent and to believe the good news of forgiveness in Him. He does call us as His redeemed and forgiven people, to follow Him. …

We look around at the world and what a mess. What a mess. Our schools teach our children the fairy tale that princes have evolved from frogs. Ron can marry Don and society tells us "Don't you dare say it's wrong you religious fanatics." We kill our unborn children by the millions but don't you dare touch even a single spotted owl. We've got terrorists threats, corrupt leaders, and economic collapses. AIDS is all over Africa and bloodshed is all over the streets. The Christian faith is under attack as every few months you've got someone writing a book trying to deny God's existence or presenting evidence trying to portray Jesus as just another man. You look at the mainstream press and the Hollywood elite, and its like, don't dare say anything disparaging about Mohammed or Buddha or any other major religious figure, but Jesus, well He's fair game - fire away. We may think, "It's not a good time to be a Christian." We may think, "Why doesn't the Lord just come and end all this nonsense right now?"

But you know what? The truth is that there is no better time to be a Christian. The time has come to share the message. Now is the time. Our God is a God of history - He rules all of history and so with Him, there are no accidents, there are no mistakes. He has put us here for a reason. The Lord has put you here for a time just such as this. People are dying every day around us without that saving faith in Christ Lord the Savior. And we have the message of that Savior. We have the message of the One crucified and risen that whoever believes in Him may not perish but have eternal life. We have the one message that changes lives and so it is a great time to be a part of the Lord's church and involved in the proclaiming of the powerful message of Jesus. It's a great time to follow our Lord.

Now to be sure we're not all called like Peter and Andrew, James and John were - we're not all called to leave behind the family business or our home town or whatever and move to Africa. But each of us is called to share the love of God in Christ with those whom the Lord puts in our lives. Each of us is called to share the good news of God's kingdom with those we come into contact with in the various vocations the Lord gives us in life - be it as a neighbor, a friend, a mother, a father, a grandparent, a member of the body of Christ. The Lord has called you and made you to be a part of His church that you might join the church's work of "fishing for men." You can be a part of it no matter who you are or where you are.

And that work, that fishing, well it begins in prayer. It begins in prayer. All can join in asking the Lord to send harvesters into His harvest field. All can join in lifting up our voices asking the Lord to send out His powerful message of His life and forgiveness into all the world that many might come to be saved. You can pray for our missionaries including our Together-In-Mission partner, Rev. Tim Heiney. Pray.

And certainly give. No, most of us are not called to leave our homeland and go to a foreign land. But with our gifts and treasures we can all support those who do. I know I've said this before but it certainly bears repeating. If it weren't for the gifts from many of the congregations of the Kansas District, including our own, our church's missionary efforts in Guinea would not be near what they are today. In fact here a few years ago LCMS World Mission almost cut the missionary staff to Guinea for financial reasons. But because of the Together-In-Mission partnerships like the one we have with Rev. Heiney that cut did not occur. In fact here a couple of years ago a young woman - Andrea Herman - was commissioned to minister among the women of Guinea. And so more men, women, children - sinners in need of a Savior, just like each of us - more are hearing the good news of Jesus proclaimed and by the power of the Holy Spirit are being brought to faith through YOUR gifts. Hearts are being changed, lives are being eternally saved. God has blessed you that through you He might bless others. And so be open to "give" towards the work of the church in mission.

And of course we mustn't forget that Jesus has called each of us to follow Him and to be His witnesses whether that be in our homes with our children or grandchildren, in our workplace, at the grocery store, at school, at the senior center. The mission field is not just in Africa, it's all around us, even in Herington. Gone are the days you could assume your neighbor was a Christian - in fact today you're probably more accurate in assuming your neighbor is not a Christian. And so through our words, through the way we live, treat others, help others, we can give the reason for the hope that we possess. We can share the good news of what God our Father has done for us in Jesus. We can be living witness of the living Lord whom we follow.

After all, it is THE message that all need. These are dark times, these are urgent times. But they are also great times. Great times to be God's people; great times to proclaim the good news to a lost and dying world. "The time has come, the kingdom of heaven is at hand." It's THE time to proclaim Jesus and His message of life and forgiveness; that message that God has graciously given to you; that message that you can now be involved in taking to Herington and to the ends of the earth. Yes, the time has come. Amen.