My Story
When my journey with Christ began, it was a messy experience. There were habits and practices and indulgences in my life that contradicted life with Jesus, and obedience came hard. It felt less like flipping a switch, turning on the light, and more like engaging a strobe light. Light and darkness were flashing and intermixing interchangeably. A battle was on. I would obey for a season, fail miserably, and stay in that failure for way too long.
Those early weeks and months and years were times of rapid growth, and pretty soon, the struggles weren't as raw. However, I eventually discovered the struggle for obedience never stops. With each passing year, I have found new areas of discipline the Spirit calls me to walk in, and new ways I want to demonstrate my allegiance to Christ.
Believers' Experience
Believers who allow God's word access to their lives realize there are always new areas of obedience for which we struggle. God's word is like a mirror that enables you to see yourself correctly. It is like a lamp that exposes the true you. It is like a fire that burns away that which is unholy. But giving God's word room in your life will reveal countless areas for obedience to Christ.
And though obedience is often a struggle, God is there to help us overcome our weaknesses and live in submission to his will—this is our best life. Every day of the Christian life is a battle between flesh and Spirit, darkness and light, evil and good. God's mercies are new every morning, and every day we must cling to him. We need his daily aid in the struggle for obedience.
Our Passage
The bulk of our passage today concerns an amazing moment where Jesus walks on water to his disciples out in a storm. It all happened right after the feeding of the five thousand. You can imagine the frenzy surrounding Jesus. John's gospel tells us they wanted to make Jesus king right then and there (John 6:15).
Perhaps the disciples got caught up in the crowds' nationalistic messianic enthusiasm. But Jesus came with the mission to die, so he had to deal with the groundswell of excitement. He knew just what to do:
45 Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46 And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray. (Mark 6:45-46)
Pray
Mark does not highlight the prayer life of Jesus as much as the other gospel writers. He only records three times Jesus prayed. The first was after a period of early success in Galilee, when alone with his Father, he was refreshed in his real mission of preaching, as opposed to healing (1:35). The third time Jesus prays in Mark is the garden of Gethsemane, right before he goes to the cross to fulfill his mission (14:32-42).
And the second, the middle episode of prayer, is right here after he fed the five thousand. I believe this moment of prayer, like the others, had to do with his mission. On the mountain, he was reminded of the nature of his kingdom (46). It was not external, mere feeding of the masses. He came with inward salvation, and for that, he had to die on the cross. He had to dismiss the crowd to save the crowd, and on that mountain, Jesus received strength to press on (45).
If our Lord needed prayer before his Father to reinforce his focus and refresh his vision, so do we.
Made
For Jesus to get to the mountain alone for prayer, he had to send the disciples away. Mark says Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side (45). He made them. He compelled them, forced them, urged them to get into the boat. This was not their first instinct or idea, but Jesus made them go. And go, they did.
This is the first step. You'll never even struggle for obedience if you don't first launch out into Christ's direction for your life. Everyone here knows someone who has verbally identified with Jesus but has never taken even the first step to conform their lives to his word, his dictates, his law, or his standards. For such a person, there is no struggle. Obedience is not even an afterthought because it has never even been a thought. This person is on the shore because they never got into the boat in the first place.
But the disciples ventured out in the direction Jesus had for them. They were going to the other side (45). They got into the boat. They were trying to obey. This is the first step: you must go where he directs you.
Biblical Obedience
Now, there are two main areas of obedience to Jesus that I want you to think about today. The first is biblical obedience. What I mean by "biblical obedience" is obedience to the basic, universal commands of Scripture.
In this category, you find things Christ wants you to stop doing. Believers must not be slanderous people, for example. The tongue is like a spark that can start massive fires, so we must not lie, slander, or misrepresent others. Another example would be sexual integrity: God has a standard for our lives, and we must put off all forms of whatever Scripture calls immorality (1 Thessalonians 4:3). But there are many examples in this category of things we should stop doing: jealousies, hatred, unrighteous anger, theft of any kind—each of these should be put off.
But there are also things Christ wants you to start doing (or again do). We are called to be honest people. We are meant to be generous and service-oriented. We are called to pray, share the gospel, and demonstrate compassion.
All these "stop doing" or "start doing" areas of obedience apply to every believer. They are Scriptural and universal.
His Leadership
Then there is his personal leadership of your life. What career path should I choose? Is it time to move? Should we try to have a baby? Who is Christ leading me to befriend? Should I serve in that ministry?
In other words, every believer should flee all forms of immorality, but only some believers should become dentists. Some forms of obedience are universal and Scriptural, while some are personal as he operates as the Lord of your life.
Start
In all these areas, you must begin the process of going and doing whatever he directs you. You must not argue. You must not fight. You must get in that little obedience boat and start paddling.
In our struggle for obedience, we must first head in the direction he gives us. Next week, we will consider the next step.
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For the entire Mark series, go here. Thank you.