Sunday, September 7, 2025 PM

The Priorities of Christ in Mark 1

I invite you to open up your Bibles to Mark chapter 1. Mark chapter 1. We'll begin in verse 35 tonight. Mark chapter 1 verse 35. Let's begin with another word of prayer. Heavenly Father we thank you for tonight.

We thank you for the many wonders that you've done today, for helping us this morning, this afternoon, and this evening. We thank you for the blessings that are ahead in our life as we follow after you, for we know that you are good and you have your glory in mind as well as our good.

You are a faithful shepherd and you help us to understand what to count important and how to follow after you. You're a good teacher and we pray Lord that your spirit would teach us tonight as we look at your word.

And it's in Christ's name we pray. Amen. Let's take up the word and read. Mark chapter 1 verse 35. And in the early morning while it was still dark Jesus rose up, went out of the house, and went away to a desolate place and was praying there.

And Simon and his companions searched for him and they found him and said to him, everyone is looking for you. And he said to them, let us go elsewhere to the towns nearby so that I may preach there also for that is what I came out for.

And he went preaching in their synagogues throughout all Galilee and casting out the demons. And a leper came to Jesus pleading with him and falling on his knees before him and saying, if you are willing you can make me clean.

And moved with compassion he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, I am willing be cleansed. And immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed. And he sternly warned him and immediately sent him away.

And he said to him, see that you say nothing to anyone but go show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded as a testimony to them. But he went out and began to proclaim it freely and to spread the news around to such an extent that Jesus could no longer publicly enter the city but stayed out in desolate areas and they were coming to him from everywhere.

This is God's Word. Praise be to God. This portion of scripture has two major themes. One, we see the priorities of Christ. What did Jesus count most important in his ministry? And two, we see the compassion of our great and merciful high priest as he shows compassion to a leper and cleanses him.

Regarding the first point in verses 35 through 39, we see the priorities of Jesus Christ. And what are they? What are important to Jesus Christ during his ministry? What did he make sure to do even at the cost of other ministries elsewhere, even at the cost of personal rest?

What did he do? What was most important to him? May these priorities be most important to us as well as our hearts and our affections be aligned with Christ's heart and affections. May his priorities be ours as well.

His first priority was prayer. Jesus was a man of prayer, specifically private prayer. It was an often practice of our Lord to go away to desolate and lonely places and make sure to spend time in communion with the Father.

We see in verse 35, it was in the early morning while it was still dark, the sun had not yet risen, that Jesus rose up and went out of the house and went away to a desolate place and was praying there.

And if we go back a couple of more verses to verse 32, we see now when evening came after the sun had set, they began bringing to him all who were ill and those who were demon-possessed. And the whole city had gathered at the door.

And he healed many who were ill with various diseases and cast out many demons. And he was not permitting the demons to speak because they knew who he was. Jesus spent a long night of healing, ministering, helping other people.

They came to him when the sun had set, when it was dark. And all throughout the night, Jesus took time to be compassionate and to help those who came to him. And now the next day, instead of sleeping in, instead of taking extra time to sleep and recover his physical strength, for in the mystery of the incarnation he was fully human and needed sleep, Jesus, instead of taking those extra hours, rose up early in the morning before anyone else, before the sun had even risen up, and he went away to a lonely place so he could pray, so he could spend time with the Father.

And the response of the disciples, Simon and his companions searched for him, verse 36, and they found him and said to him, everyone is looking for you. Jesus is the main center of attention in this story.

And we hear a soft rebuke from Simon. Jesus, what are you doing? We don't have time to pray. There are people to be healed. There are people to be delivered from demons. You have more ministry to do. There's more work to be done.

And here you are praying. What are you doing? And Jesus' response is one of love, for love is patient and kind. He does not chop them down due to their soft rebuke, but he says, let us go to other towns and preach there also.

Even at the cost of sleep and further ministry, Jesus made it a priority to pray. After the feeding of the 5 ,000, he went up on the mountain to pray, and shortly after came to his disciples walking on water.

In John 17, we have the high priestly prayer of Jesus as he spends time speaking with the father about things to come. And when he faced his greatest challenge, the night before he was crucified, he went to the father in the garden and prayed, Lord, if it is your will, if there is any way, let this cup pass from me.

But not my will, but thy will be done. Jesus prioritized prayer, and this was a regular, often habit of our Lord. It's important to Christ, and it must be important to us as well. We also face a busy life in service to God, fulfilling our own particular ministries, being a father, a husband, a wife, a child, a student, everything in life.

Whatever our ministry, whatever our calling, we have a busy life of service, and praise to God for that, right? May we be thankful that we're busy. We're not slothful people, but God's Holy Spirit has called us to work, and we are by his power, by his grace, doing works, not to be saved, but because we are saved.

But in all of our busyness, in all of our service to God, may we never fall prey to the temptation to neglect private prayer with our Father, and how often we can excuse ourselves from private communion with the Father due to the busyness of life, and we can often have the perspective of Martha.

Instead of, like Mary, her sister, sitting at the feet of Jesus, spending time with him, we can get caught up in the busyness of life and service. She was caught up in things we would probably say are essential, necessary acts of service, but the Lord says that Mary chose the better thing.

As we serve, let us not neglect private time with the Father. May the busyness of life not keep us from prayer, but may it keep us dependent on prayer, and let us not excuse ourselves from private prayer due to the good things of corporate prayer with the body of saints.

It's a good thing to come together on a regular basis and to pray, to pray with one another, to pray for one another, but let's not have that be our excuse to say, I've already prayed for the day. I don't need to go and spend time alone with the Father.

May it not be the same when we spend time in prayer with our spouse, with our family, both very important and necessary things for us as believers, but may we never neglect private time with the Father.

And Jesus sets the example too, early in the morning, and this is the most excellent time to pray at the start of your day. And if you don't rise in the morning, pray at the very start of your day, whether you're rising in the afternoon or in the evening.

If that's the start of your day, start your day with prayer. Start your day talking with the Father. I appreciate the words of Charles Spurgeon. He says, look no man in the face till thou has seen the face of God.

Speak thou with none till thou has had speech with the Most High. Woe unto that man whose devotion is observed by everybody and who never offers a secret supplication. Secret prayer is the secret of prayer, the soul of prayer, the seal of prayer, the strength of prayer.

If you do not pray alone, you do not pray at all. Let us make sure to pray alone with the Lord on a regular and oftentimes basis. And what a blessing this is. It's a wonderful question to ask other believers.

If you had opportunity to sit down and talk with someone from the Bible, who would it be? And there's always that exclusion of you can't say Jesus. But we have that opportunity to speak with the Most High, to speak with the one who is holy, holy, holy, the Lord of glory.

We have opportunity to speak with Jesus who died for us in our place and for our sake. We have opportunity to speak with him who sits now enthroned at the right hand of the Father, making all of his enemies his footstool.

What a great blessing and what sweet fellowship is there in private prayer. A time to pour out your heart to the refuge of the soul, to give God everything, your joys, your sorrows, to pour out all of your heart to him.

Not everyone understands what we go through, but it is the Lord who understands better than we do. What we go through, he understands like no one else. And he cares like no one else. Let us cast our cares upon him for he cares for you.

Private prayer is a time to speak with your greatest friend. I appreciate the words of a dear sister of mine. For many, many years, she was stuck in a cult under the oppression of spiritual darkness. Yet she was brought out of that by the loving care of Jesus Christ.

And now she is a believer, living a life with him. And recently, she texted me and said that she was driving in the car and started to pray. And her intention was, I'm not going to do this for very long.

But in the end, she spent many hours speaking with the Father. And the reason why? She said she had too much fun. Too much fun. I'm thankful for my sister. It's often a joy to speak with a good friend, a spouse in private, maybe even a child or a parent in private, to get to know them, to be in relationship with them, communion with them.

But how great it is, the greatest thing in fact, to be in communion with the Most High, our Lord and our God. I appreciate the words of Psalm chapter 5, verse 3. Oh Lord, in the morning, you will hear my voice.

In the morning, I will order my prayer to you and eagerly watch. Jesus was a man of prayer and he set it as a priority. May we also be people of prayer and set private communion, private prayer, as a priority in our life.

The Priority of Preaching the Gospel

Another priority of Jesus Christ was preaching. And we see this in verses 38 and 39. Verse 38, and he said to them, let us go elsewhere to the towns nearby so that I may preach there also for that is what I came out for.

And he went preaching in their synagogues throughout all Galilee and casting out the demons. It's interesting to see that Jesus says, let us go. He involves the disciples even though they bring him this soft rebuke.

He says, let us go into the nearby towns and continue to preach, continue to bring the gospel to other people. He continues to draw them to himself. Though they have this hard heart, it is slowly softening with time with the master.

And he still involves them and still teaches them. Let us go. He's still training them. And even at the cost of further ministry and further healing in this particular area near the house of Peter's mother-in-law, Jesus says, my priority, my main emphasis in my ministry is what?

Is preaching, bringing the gospel to people, bringing that message of his person and his work to souls. His main focus here is not healing, but it's bringing the message that can free the soul. It's telling other people about himself.

The message is central and of utmost importance. The gospel changes the world. It advances the kingdom and it brings the power of God to sinners. People can be healed and even delivered of demons, yes, but their greatest need is to hear the gospel and respond in faith.

What is this gospel that Jesus preached? Mark tells us earlier. Turn back chapter 1 verse 14. This is the message that Jesus Christ brought to the world. Verse 14 of Mark 1. Now after John had been delivered up into custody, Jesus came into Galilee preaching the gospel of God and saying the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand.

Repent and believe in the gospel. This is the message that changes the world. Let us not be deceived. Social programs, politics, efforts of people cannot change the world. What changes the world is the gospel of Jesus Christ.

It's the message of him. It's a trustworthy saying. Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. He who knew no sin became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in him by faith.

This is the most important thing to bring to unbelievers and to believers. Preaching was important to Jesus Christ and it was important to the church of the New Testament over and over again in the book of Acts, in Paul's letters, everywhere in the New Testament.

What is the main focus, the main emphasis? The apostle Paul writes, him we proclaim. The power of God for salvation. This is the gospel. And near the end of his life, what was the main emphasis and focus of Paul?

He writes to Timothy, preach the word. Be ready in season and out of season. He doesn't write to Timothy and say, keep the healings up. Keep the demon deliverance up. He says, preach the word. This is of utmost importance.

This is the main emphasis of the church. Jesus Christ is the main emphasis of the church. Isaiah 61 verses one and two. It foretold of the preaching of Christ. It says, the spirit of Lord Yahweh is upon me because Yahweh has appointed me to bring good news to the afflicted.

He has sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim release to captives and freedom to prisoners, to proclaim the favorable year of Yahweh and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn.

Jesus brought good news to the afflicted. He brings the truth to hearts and the truth sets men free. Sets them free from their own sin, from the power of the devil, from this wicked world. The gospel is the power of God unto salvation.

Even if we're not called to preach, preaching must be a priority for all of us. We must seek to take it in, to receive good preaching. Every Sunday we must take in the preaching of the word of God. And what makes for good preaching?

Does it make much of Jesus Christ? Jesus said to the Pharisees, the religious leaders of the day, you search the scriptures for in them you think you have life, but these are they that testify of me. Paul said it is him we proclaim.

What makes preaching good? Does it center on Christ? Does it bring Christ out of all the scriptures? In the old testament concealed, in the new testament revealed. Again, I appreciate the words of Charles Spurgeon.

He says, a sermon without Christ in it is like a loaf of bread without any flour in it. He goes on to say, know Christ in your sermon sir, then go home and never preach again until you have something worth preaching.

What makes the sermon good? Does it proclaim Christ and give an amen to him in whom all the promises of God are yes? It's a joyous thing to see a man called to preach, preach the gospel of Jesus Christ.

There is no other work like it. Let us pray for those who are called to preach, asking God to work mightily in them and let us trust contrary to our flesh in the gospel. The gospel changes our neighbors, it changes politics, it changes the world.

The gospel even saves politicians. Yes, there will be politicians even in heaven for the is strong. The grace of God saves even us. The gospel saves even us. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you for this day.

Lord, we thank you for seeing the priorities of Jesus Christ and Lord, may these priorities be our own. May we submit to your word, may we submit to good preaching that you bring to us by your grace and by your spirit through the men that you call.

Lord, we thank you that you use earthen vessels to bring us this glory so that the excellence of the glory may be of you, Lord, that you might receive the praise. We know, Lord, your word says faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ.

Oh, Lord, may that word sink deeply within us. May we love Christ, may we be people of prayer and may we count preaching as a priority in our lives and in all the world. We thank you most for Jesus Christ, your beloved son, and it's in his name we pray.