Mark: From Failure to Faithfulness

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=50 BGCOLOR="#333366" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>Mark: From Failure to Faithfulness</B></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=165 BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="132" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 35 ><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="21"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id20.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Responding to the Call"><U><B><IMG SRC="008151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="20"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="35" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="20" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="13"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="27"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <div> previous/next sermon</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="www.stanbaker.org"><U><B>Home</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Biblical and Theological Studies"><U><B>Biblical and Theological Studies</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Church Ministry"><U><B>Ministry Studies</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id15.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sermon Notes"><U>Sermon Notes</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U><B>Links</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id5.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Personal"><U><B>Personal</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> <div> <A HREF="mailto:stan@stanbaker.org" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:stan@stanbaker.org"><U>stan@stanbaker.org</U></A></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=430 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>“Mark: From Failure to Faithfulness,” Berean Bible Church, June 11, 2000am</B></div> <div> <B>Series: Understanding Who Jesus Really Is (The Gospel of Mark, 1-8)</B></div> <bR> <div> Sergio Zyman, the man who introduced “New Coke” in the 1980's brought about a huge failure for Coca-Cola. But the return of Classic Coke made the company stronger. Sergio Zyman eventually got his job back, too.</div> <div> We need to realize that there is hope after failure. When we have blown it big time, God is a God of grace, and chooses to allow us to return to him so that he can continue using us.      </div> <div> We don’t have to let failure be final in our lives. Notice the story of Mark, the author of the gospel.</div> <bR> <div> <B>I. Mark experienced failure, but moved on to faithfulness.</B></div> <div> A. Mark traveled with Barnabas and Paul, but soon deserted them (Acts 12.25, 13.13<B>)</B>. This may have been due to homesickness, unwillingness to follow the leadership of Paul rather than cousin Barnabas, disagreement over direct ministry approach to Gentiles (Mark was a Jew from Jerusalem), as seen in dealing with Roman proconsul Sergius Paulus.</div> <div> B. Acts 15.36-38, When the opportunity to travel with him came again, Paul refused and Barnabas insisted.</div> <div> Paul and Barnabas, about Mark:</div> <div> <I><U>Barnabas</U></I>: But Paul, Mark had a good reason for leaving us, he’s ready to go again; I know he will stay with us this time.</div> <div> <I><U>Paul</U></I>: He didn’t have a good reason, Barnabas, he just ditched us. I can’t work with quitters. He stays here!</div> <div> <I><U>Barnabas</U></I>: Proverbs 11.17 says, “A kind man benefits himself, but a cruel man brings trouble on himself.” You’re being cruel, Paul, not to give him a chance. You’ll be the one to pay for it now.</div> <div> <I><U>Paul</U></I>: Proverbs 25.19 says, “Like a bad tooth or a lame foot is reliance on the unfaithful in times of trouble.” Even though he is your cousin, I can’t trust him, Barnabas; he’s a quitter and he’ll let us down again.</div> <div> <I><U>Barnabas</U></I>: I’m not going without him.</div> <div> <I><U>Paul</U></I>: I’m not going with him.</div> <div> They parted company (vss. 39-41), after several years of working together. Neither was right or wrong, just different. Paul needed to see proof (intensely committed missionary that he was), Barnabas saw the potential (encourager that he was). Last we hear of Mark in Acts, assume he was gone forever from effective ministry.</div> <div> C. Later, Paul commended Mark as a partner in the work, (evidently Mark proved himself in his journeys with Barnabas).</div> <div> Colossians 4:10, “My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you his greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. You have received instructions about him; if he comes to you, welcome him.”</div> <div> Philemon 23-24, Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends you greetings. And so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas and Luke, my fellow workers.</div> <div> Even later, Paul requested that Mark be sent to his side to assist him in the ministry (2 Tim 4.9-11).“Over the course of time, Mark proved himself faithful, and he set aside his failures and became a man Paul could count on.” Paul went from saying, “I can’t work with a quitter” to “I need Mark, he is helpful to me in the ministry.”</div> <bR> <div> <B>II. Consider your failures . . .</B></div> <div> – Attempted ministry/service and it overwhelmed you and you quit before you saw effectiveness</div> <div> – Let a friend down when he or she most needed you; you still regret it to this day.</div> <div> – Found yourself in position to serve others, but struggled with selfishness and ended up serving yourself.</div> <div> – Unwilling/unable to commit yourself to your own prayer life, devotional life.</div> <div> – Blown it in your marriage, by being selfish or uncooperative. Maybe the marriage is over, maybe not.</div> <div> – Tried to share the gospel with people (as a habit), but gave up because of fear.</div> <bR> <div> <B>III. Don’t let failure be final in your life.</B></div> <div> A. Failure does not have to be final. <I>Choose to learn from your own mistakes</I>. If you learn from your own mistakes and grow from them, you become an even more useful servant of God’s.</div> <div> 1. Admit your failure and examine what went wrong.</div> <div> 2. Pray for wisdom and strength. </div> <div> 3. Ask for help from others.</div> <div> B. Failure does not have to be final. <I>If someone has failed you, forgive him</I>, and <I>give him a chance</I>. Don’t neglect a partnership with him again if he has proved that he has learned and grown as a result of previous failure. Give people a chance over time to prove themselves.</div> <bR> <div>  Start today to rewrite your own story, so that the story of your life in the end is one of faithfulness, where your hear those words, “well done, good and faithful servant.” Maybe you have tried life without God, and you are seeing what a failure it can be. You need to trust Christ for deliverance from sin and for the power to live the kind of life he wants you to live.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> copyright, 2000, Stanley Baker</div> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> </td> </tr></table></body>