12 Average Men, One Amazing God | Mark 3:13-21 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Gospel of Mark Series)

Excited to open up God's word with you. Meet me in the gospel of Mark in chapter three. Mark chapter three and put your finger on verse 13. Mark three thirteen. Father, this is your word.

This is your voice. Lord, give us ears to hear. We know that Satan hates your word. And, Lord, he will try to interfere with this moment. And so we just ask for a special protection over our minds and our hearts.

We pray that all attacks would be subdued. And we ask, oh, Lord, that your will would be done in our hearts as your word is clearly understood. No confusion, Lord. No stammering. Nothing that would try to, hinder the simplicity of this text.

Let it move us and change us for your glory. We love you, Lord, and we love your word. Speak now in Jesus' name. Amen. And he went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him.

And he appointed 12, whom he also named apostles, so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach and have authority to cast out demons. He appointed the 12, Simon to whom he gave the name Peter, James, the son of Zebedee, and John, the brother of James, to whom he gave the name in the Greek, it would say, Banergeese, that is sons of thunder, Andrew and Philip and Bartholomew and Matthew and Thomas and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. You just heard the names of 12 men whom Jesus set apart as a unique set of representatives who would, in a matter of a few short years, impact the course of human history. Understanding the appointment of the 12 apostles is not a footnote to the ministry and life of Jesus Christ. It is an absolute landmark, a milestone to the grand narrative of redemption.

When you come to this, you realize that there is a surprising election of unrefined, young, Jewish men who would be used by God in such a way that would have unimaginable ripple effects going across the globe and across generations, and promises to have effects until the return of Jesus Christ. You and I today are benefiting from the legacy of these men and their faithfulness to their lord and our lord. And it's almost difficult to imagine how, thus far, studying Jesus in the gospel of Mark excluded the official recognition of these men that we commonly know as the 12. Now that doesn't mean that these men were not with Jesus throughout the early phase of his ministry. It does mean that these men were in the same pool as others who were also following Jesus closely and with great interest up to this point.

But something is about to happen. The Holy Spirit indeed takes his time to give us details about how Jesus is going to separate a dozen of these men so that they would be his agents in an unrepeatable way, by the way, that would do incredible things for the message and the ministry of Christ. And as you come to this, you realize even in a fast paced book like Mark, we see some incredible things to meditate on. We look here and you just heard even the the location of the call. You even see the the preparation of Jesus before the call to an extent as as we parallel it to a different account.

We see here the names of these men. We see the purpose of this call. We see the mission of the call. We even get small descriptions of some of these men helping us see their humanity in something of the grace of God. And because of that, I believe this demands for us to at least look at some of the details and to see how these details are significant to the significant turning point in the ministry of Jesus here now.

And so I I want you to look with me in this body of text. Three things, and they're easy to remember. The first thing we're gonna look at is the planning before the call. And Luke is gonna help us see the planning before the call. But not just the planning of the call, we're going to see the purpose of the call.

What was it that the apostles were set apart for? And lastly, something that I pray will encourage you deeply, are the people who were called. Who were these people? Why did God choose them? What what is it about them that can help us understand how God can use us?

And so as we look at these things, let your heart be ready to to soar as you worship God with me about his wonderful wisdom, his wonderful love in choosing 12 average men. 12 average men. One amazing God. So we come to verse 13. And he went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired.

It would be very wrong for us to assume that Jesus did this spontaneously on some random afternoon. It would be equally an error to think that Jesus made this decision independent of divine guidance even though we are told that he chose whom he desired, whom he willed, whom he longed for, whom he chose. And the reason why I say this is because when you go to Luke's account, which is the only other gospel writer who who gives us this occasion in his version of the ministry in life of Jesus Christ, you see what Jesus did in preparation for this call. Turn with me to Luke chapter six and verse 12. Matthew, Mark, Luke.

Mark's neighbor is Luke. Luke chapter six. Look at verse 12. In these days, he went out to the mountain, the same mountain that Mark speaks about, to pray. To pray.

And all night he continued in prayer to God. And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them 12 whom he named apostles. The night before the appointing of the apostles, we find Jesus seeking the face of the father. Crying out to him so that he would have the revelation of the men who would be set apart for his intimate associates. And it was not an ordinary time of prayer because this was not some small verdict to make.

This was crucial. This was huge. This would have generational consequences. And because of this critical decision for the future of Christ's ministry and the message, Jesus and his humanity saw it necessary to come before God isolated from the busyness of ministry and even the interaction of others to seek God for divine approval. He needed a guarantee from heaven.

Oh, God. Are these the men that you want? Who are the men that you desire? And this is his approach. Even though the position of apostles in this context is unique and exclusive to these men, not to be repeated, not to be replicated.

The approach of Jesus in selecting him is a call for us to imitate. What do I mean by that? Realize that he is demonstrating his humanity here. And what he is proving to you and I as followers of him is that the bigger a decision is, the more prayer is required about it. The bigger the decision is, the more prayer is required about it.

And here's the thing, it would be unfair and unrealistic to say that this is how Jesus prayed all the time. This is how he regularly prayed. He spent all night, he barely slept, he got one hour sleep, two hours sleep every No, that's not true. He did regularly pray, but when it came to major crossroads that he faced, in his humanity, remember, he saw it absolutely necessary to wrestle with God. To wrestle with the flesh.

To wait on him, to take that time to make sure that he has clear direction from above. And you and I in this life, in the short term, as you heard, this mist of a life, at the same time, we'll have dilemmas. You will face times where you have to make a decision, but it will require special seclusion and time of prayer where you come before the Lord to receive undeniable clarity and wisdom from God. And the encouragement I get from this text and I share with you is the example of Jesus in this. Jesus saw prayer as the best and ultimate resource to turn to and to run to.

When you have many options before you and you don't know what to do. Did you hear what Luke said? Go back to the verse in verse 13. And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them. So it wasn't like he had 15 guys, and now he's gonna choose 12 to be on his team.

I'm sure there are many, many, many, many who are walking with Jesus, following Jesus, asking Jesus questions. But from among them, Jesus needed 12, and we'll get to why 12 in a moment. But he did not assume. He did not presume. He did not rely on his own thinking, even though he is God.

Yet in his humanity, I believe the spirit of God wants to show us an example, a model, so to speak. And that detail should bless us because this is an indirect promise, is it not? That when you and I are overwhelmed with options, when we are when we are overwhelmed with the unknown, when we know that there are decisions to make that will alter the rest of our lives, pray. Always pray. Keep praying.

Stay there. Seek him. Wait on him. Repeat yourself if need be until God brings clarity. And by faith, you have to believe that God will either providentially make a known and sometimes supernaturally guide us when we don't know what path to take.

I rejoice in that. Prayer works. Prayer works. Why do you think we pray here every Wednesday? Because we have nothing else to do on Wednesday?

My flesh can think of a 100 other things to do, but pray on a Wednesday night, especially in the winters of Chicago. But I know that God hears. And here's the thing, Jesus is the ultimate example of a servant. Is he not? That's the theme of Mark, the servant of Yahweh.

There is no greater than he, and he sets a pattern for us. As a man, he sets a pattern. As a servant, as a minister, he sets a model. Pray. Seek God.

Wait on God. Look for him. Present to him. And as I come to this text, I also admire the master because of the context of his praying. Why now?

Why does Jesus choose his apostles now? Why does he separate one night just to seek him, separating himself from preaching, removing himself from engagement with other people, and saying, oh, God, I'm coming to you. Why at this point? I believe it you don't have to turn there, but it's because of Mark three six. Remember Mark three six, the spiritual leaders and the political leaders have now come together to destroy Jesus.

The pressure is mounting. The persecution is rising. And Jesus himself knew the special preparation that was required for these men before the crucifixion. And so as he perceives these things, he realizes the time is short, and he comes before the father. Lord, now This is when.

This is this is what I need from you. And why why that blesses me is because you know that the temptation in times of fear, and the temptations in the times of pressure is to not pray, To rely on emotional impulses. To run to so many different avenues before you come to the main one, which is God himself. And yet Jesus here does not make excuses. He he's not frantic here.

He he's not, just making anything happen because well, we gotta get things going. No. If anything, he he he feels this pressure, but it causes him as he squeezed to just cry out to the Lord. Lord, you see. Lord, you know the predicament.

You know the situation. You know the limitations. I need you now. Where do I go? What do I do?

I will not move without you. You know, we consider our church as a as an example. We believe in a multiplicity of elders, and the church by God's grace is growing. Oh, we need it. We need more elders.

We need more leaders. So why don't we just pick anybody because it just looks better. Well, why don't we just anybody that that knows a few verses and and that comes semi consistently. Just anybody. No.

Lord, you see what we need. We'll wait on you. We'll pray. There's some people. I'm getting older.

I'm still single. I'll just take the next guy that can breathe, that can come to church with me and not be annoying about it because I don't know if he's really saved, but God will understand. No. Sister, brother, pray. Wait on God.

He sees it. Look to Jesus as your example. Father, you know what I need. You see the things, the constraints. You see the things that are hindering this being a possibility.

Time is running out. Threats are arising. Please let your known will be known. And please, as you make it clear, help me see it so I can follow faithfully. This is what Jesus is doing.

It's incredible. It's wonderful. Prayer works wonders, but it is contingent upon a certain heart posture. Go back to Mark. Did you notice the wording in Mark three thirteen?

And he went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him. He called to him those whom he desired. Jesus had a will. These 12 are what he desired, whom he desired for himself. And so when I look at that and I compare it to Luke, I wonder if these are the men that he desired, then why did he spend all night praying and asking God for his desire?

Legitimate question. If he had a desire, then why pray all night for God's will to be known? And I think that there is a revelation when you marry these two things. When you bring these two things together, what you see is Jesus's desires were engulfed with the desires of the father. That's what you see.

Christ and the father were one in so many ways, and one of the ways they were one was in their wishes. What the father desired, Jesus desired. Whatever the father's will was, it was the will of Jesus Christ. And there was never a time where Jesus worked independently from God. And there was never a moment where he entertained or desired to do so.

He said it clearly in John six thirty eight, for I've come down from heaven not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. And so when you see here whom he desired, his desires are in complete alignment with the desires of the father. And that's what prayer can do by the way. That's what prayer does. As much as it changes things, it ultimately changes you.

When you really pray, when you really come into the presence of God and fellowship with him, If you're ever concerned whether prayer or not works, if it ever changes anything, know this for certain, it will change you at least. And it conforms you and it shapes you and God sees your humility and he sees that posture of prayer. And as you pray, he promises that he will exalt us. He will conform us. He will work on us.

He will fill us. He would do wonders in us as much as we're asking to do wonders outside of us. Do you wanna secure an open heaven over your life? Do you want the strongest signal possible if I can use that language in your relationship to God and how he responds to your request and your desires? Then make sure day by day that you examine your heart and you are confident to say, I want what God wants.

Whatever God desires, that is what I desire. And God will bless you as he blessed his son. Jesus prayed. Big decisions require unusual praying. But now we come to the purpose of the call.

We see the preparation, the planning behind it, but we come now to verse 14 and we see that he appointed 12 whom he also named apostles so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach and have authority to cast out demons. Seems pretty straightforward. But when you slow down and you look at the order of the objectives, then you will see something very special about our Lord. What was the first thing that Jesus desired from those whom he desired? That they might be with him.

That they might be with him. And second to that, going out to preach and doing miracles with the delegated authority that he has given them. Here's what you have to see from this. Jesus desires intimacy more and before ministry. That's what you have to take out of this.

Before there was preaching, before there was pastoring, before there was writing, before any of that, Christ called these men to be in close proximity to him. And from that place of fellowship, from that place of one on one relationship, ministry, service would flow. And that discipline remained with the disciples even post resurrection. Remember what they said in acts chapter six when the when the church grew? And there was there was demand for tables to be served.

The apostles pause and they said in verse four of acts six, but we will devote ourselves to what? Prayer, and then the ministry of the word. That order is not by accident. In the minds of the apostles, we have to first pray. Meaning, we have to remain in close connection to God.

So we have to seek God, speak to God, worship God, lay ourselves up before God, wait on God. This is primary to how we serve the Lord. And everything else will come from that. And this truth excites me. I pray that it stirs you.

Do you know why it should stir you? Because we see that no matter how grand your ministry may be, no matter how much demand there might be on your life, Christ prioritizes personal one on one communion with himself. That's what he longs for. Even in the context of you serving him, I see something here. Don't mistake what my desire is ultimately, and that's for you and I to be acquainted with one another.

And this was the heart of Christ before his incarnation, before his incarnation, during his time on the earth, and it is even now today while we sit here and hear about it. Perhaps you're not convinced. John tells us who was sitting on that throne in that famous vision of Isaiah. It was Jesus himself. And when you go to Isaiah chapter six, which I encourage you to turn to, you see that while Jesus pre incarnated, is sitting there in his glory and majesty and splendor, there are these creatures that are around him.

And those creatures were known as the seraphim, a word that's that describes the burning ones. And do you remember what the seraphim were doing when they were in the presence of Jesus and his glory? Well, let me remind you in Isaiah six one. In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim.

Each had six wings. With two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. I always ask the bible questions. And I look at this text and I am moved by the sight of the power of Jesus just by sitting on a throne and the attention and adoration that just his presence on the throne demands. But I look at these creatures known as the seraphim and I ask myself, why is it important for me to know how many wings they had?

And why is it important for me to know what each pair of wings are doing in the presence of Jesus Christ? And I know one thing that will keep me asking that question until I get an answer. It's not there for no reason. It's not there just to paint some mystical picture. It's there because there's instruction.

And so you look at these these pairs of wings and you ask, why do I need to know that four of them are covering different parts of who they are, while two are mobile and remaining in flight? And then you read on in verse six, and you see at least what one pair is is for. Isaiah six six. Then one of the seraphim flew to me, Isaiah says, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And so Isaiah is there.

Right? This prophet who before this chapter is pronouncing woes upon Israel. And now he looks to himself and he says, woe is me. Overwhelmed, overcome by the holiness of God in Jesus Christ, he crumbles and here is one of the seraphim who with his two wings that are mobile, flies. He flies to Isaiah and he assists Isaiah so that he can gird up his loins and stand in the presence of this mighty one.

So I know at least what one pair of these wings are for. They're for service. And the fact that they are remaining in flight implies that they are ready to serve Christ. Swift to respond, not hesitating, not contemplating. Whatever the word is, we will be ready to go.

And we see that exemplified just in a few verses in this context. So I see that these two wings are for service. Okay. That that answers that, but what about the other wings? What about the two that are covering the face?

What about the two that are covering the feet? Oh, I think it is so clear when you realize what's happening in that room. This is passionate worship coming from the seraphim. The covering of the face demonstrates the absolute awe that they are under for Christ. Even these sinless creatures are overcome by the glistening glory of God in his purity, and the covering of the feet, I believe speaks of a kind of humility.

We are unworthy to be in the presence of Jesus. We are unworthy to be in such close proximity. We are unworthy to be in this position of service. And so they cover the feet. The feet that we have so that we can follow where he tells us to follow.

We see that demonstrated by these these strange celestial beings. And when you take all of this into consideration, and do a simple math equation, you come to Revelation. Out of the six wings, two are dedicated to service while four are set apart for worship. Meaning what? These servants of God gave more attention to adoring devotion than to practical ministry.

How true it is that it's the opposite for so many that they put more focus and energy on doing things for Christ than enjoying, loving, and worshiping Christ. How is it that we dedicate most of our strength to just serving him as great as that is, but leave little to no little to no strength and attention to simply looking at him, loving him, expressing our love for him? God longs for us to serve him. He calls us to serve him from the exercise of sweet communion with him. And that should not the service to him should not challenge the intimate with with him, and the intimacy with him should not challenge the service to him.

If it is done according to his word, we will be blessed and our ministries will be blessed. Or else we get into just robotic ritual, and the preacher comes up to preach because he can cleverly put things together, but he hasn't been spending time with God. And the worship team comes up and let's just get this over with. I'm not really feeling it today, and I haven't been worshiping God all week, And the people come and they just wanna volunteer just so they can, you know, say that I volunteer. And there's there's missing something.

Where's the connection? Where's the cord of love that everything is flowing from? Well, it comes from doing what the seraphim do. Oh, Lord. Help me keep my gaze on you and all that I do for you.

And I'll tell you, those who are the most intimate with Christ are the most effective for Christ. All the time, there's a touch from God on it. Because the Lord knows that they're doing it from a place of loving him. And so I just admonish you, be careful. Don't lose focus of what this is all about.

And the thing that keeps you anchored, and your heart pure, and your strength real is when you sit with him, meet with him, commune with him, and let everything come and proceed from that place of posturing yourself in love before him. That they might be with him. That's what he wanted. And from that place that they would go out and preach and cast out devils with his authority. And the the focus I want you to have now on that second part of ministry is the authority.

The authority that the apostles received from Jesus. Remember, these men are gonna be sent out into the four corners of the earth. Ephesians tells us that they're gonna lay the foundation of the church. They're gonna take what Jesus is gonna teach through the Holy Spirit, post resurrection, and then give it to us, and you and I are benefiting from that through the epistles. These are these kind of men.

And we see here that Jesus gave them a certain capability. They possessed it, and they operate in it, because it was delegated by God. But it was in a unique way. It was very special. And when we come to this, we have to understand that that is not to say that God cannot work through his people today to accomplish miraculous things.

But it must be understood, it must be balanced with an understanding that God always always has distributed certain measures of power at his will and for specific purposes that might not be shared in the same way throughout history. I'm I'm telling you this for a reason. I'm getting to the reason why in a moment. But I want you to look at this and realize that they had received authority to cast out demons. That authority came from Jesus.

It was not whipped up by human command. It was not something that they can just do in their own will. No. It was something that Christ unlocked, enabled, a switch that he turned on, and he reserved it for these 12 men in specific. And here's the thing, the 12 disciples knew that.

Paul, a later apostle knew that. That they had been granted a very unusual scale of authority in order to validate their apostolic position, and to confirm the gospel message that would be preached into introductory stage of its form and forming. Can I prove that to you? Go to second Corinthians twelve twelve. Second Corinthians twelve twelve.

This is Paul writing and he says in second Corinthians twelve twelve, the signs of a true apostle the signs of a true apostle were performed among you with utmost patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works. This proves it. Does it not? Paul was aware and even taught that there were distinct signs exclusively performed by those who were true apostles. Some might be saying, well, preacher, you're preaching out of Mark.

And I say, yes. And they say, have you read Mark 16? I said, yes. And some of you know where I'm going with this because when you go to Mark 16 and you go to verse 15. Jesus said to them, go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.

Whoever believes, whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe, not apostles, preacher, not apostles. These signs will accompany those who believe. You're a believer, so these signs should accompany you. In my name, they will cast out demons.

They will speak in new tongues. They will pick up serpents with their hands, and they will drink any deadly poison. It will not hurt them. They will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover. They will accompany those who believe, and you have to come to church long enough to know what I'm gonna say from Mark 16 when we get there.

But let me give you a heads up. I do not deny that God can not still work through his people in miraculous ways. But the reason why I bring this up is because there are those who teach this is why I'm bringing this up. There are those who teach that unless you are regularly healing the sick, unless you do speak in tongues, unless you do cast out demons, even unless you raise the dead, you're not a true believer. Because Mark 16 says that these signs will follow those who believe.

And the argument goes this way. Hey, are these signs following you as a believer? Let me see your track record. Let me see your history. Do you have any testimony?

No. You might not be a believer. You see people preach that? Yes. And thousands upon thousands are believing it.

And they are living under a burden that Jesus never intended to place on his people. So that might be foreign to you, but understand what I'm trying to say. God can work through his people miraculous ways. But that Mark 16 scripture reference does not mean that unless these things are uninterruptedly happening through your life, then you're not really a believer. Some might say, well, these things are not true today because and the best argument to them is, well, we have the scriptures.

We have the canon close. We have all that God needs to tell us today. There's no need to confirm anything. There's no need to prove anything like these apostles had to when they're performing signs and wonders, in the introductory phase of the gospel being presented to the world. And so, we don't this stuff isn't real anymore.

And so certain things ceased, while certain things continue, and the things that cease are the things that we see in acts, and things that we see in the gospels. And so, that's kind of the answer that people give. And I think that the burden of proof for that school of thought is is on them from the scriptures than to say, where do you get that from the bible? So if people say and come and say, well brother, where are these things today then? Were they just with the apostles and they ceased?

I don't see anything happening today. My argument, my answer would not be, well, we have the Bible. And that's it. Because I have to I have to do a lot of gymnastics with the text to make that clear. My concern is the Bible.

What does the Bible say? And here's the answer that I would give. You ready? Hebrews chapter two. Hebrews chapter two verse three and four.

Remember, my point is this, that there are some who claim that unless you exercise apostolic authority, you might not even be a Christian. You might not be a believer in Jesus Christ. And here's what I see in Hebrews two three, How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard. While God also bore witness by signs and wonders.

Pause. Notice, God bore witness by signs and wonders. The apostles performed miracles at a rate and to an extent that when they preached, people would see the signs that accompany the message and it would be undeniable. Signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit, look at this last part, distributed according to his will. So they bring you back to the question.

Brother, why do we not see these things so much? In in the West at least, because different parts of the world you'll hear testimonies. Why is it not why is it not like we see it here in the word? And here's my answer. Biblically, I'm going to the bible for the answer.

Not philosophy, not inference, just the text. Because God willed it. God wills that a different portions, a different segments in history went to pour his holy spirit, to what extent, and through whomever he chooses. It's his will that at different parts, he moves in different ways in church history has proven that. That God in his sovereign wisdom knows when and how and through whom to do such things.

And we see that even in our own history beyond this, we see that God has anointed certain men to do wonderful things just by preaching. Think of guys like Jonathan Edwards, George Whitfield, John Wesley. These men were touched by God in a special way that brought massive salvation to even America. And so my answer is, well, it's God's God's choosing. And if he wants to gift the church in a certain particular way, he can do that if he wants.

So what are we to do? Well, we do what we can. Who we do what we are called to do. And we preach, and we teach, and we disciple, and we go to the mission field. And let me give you a heads up.

And as we proclaim the message, God and his sovereignty knows when to accompany the message with his power. That's how it works. And so we see that these men have a unique authority, an apostolic authority, a necessary authority in this dispensation of if I can use that word without scaring people, of the church age. This was their purpose. Now we come to the people who are called.

These men were specially called, but they were not very special. You heard the the praying behind the call. You heard the purpose of the call to proclaim the gospel, to be trained so that when it came to Jesus ascending into heaven, he would have his band of men to send out into the world and to teach that truth in special power. But have you considered when you come into this text, have you considered instead of just trying to memorize the name of the disciples so that when it comes to a random bible quiz, you'll know how to answer all their names? Have you meditate on this?

Because when I come to the names here, I don't just see numbers. I see personalities. I see nicknames. I see the power of the gospel when it grips the human heart in a saving way. And what is possible with people from different backgrounds to experience when they all live under the banner of Jesus Christ.

So you look at these names and you realize that Jesus chose 12 and he brought them in. And when you compare the different lists, and maybe you've seen this in the different gospels, you you might see that there are some different names. And you're wondering, well, is this an inconsistency? Right? You look at some names, you're like, Thaddeus is here.

Where's Nathaniel over here? Then there's another thing here. And you're wondering, did they get it wrong? No. They didn't get it wrong.

Can I tell you what that is? They're nicknames. Sometimes they're the same person. Can you think about how that's that's so human. These guys came together and they did life together day by day, and they gave each other nicknames.

And so speaks really just of how how real they were. But ever wonder why 12? Why not 10? Why not 15? Why not 32?

Why not 50? Why not four? Why 12? It's a very very significant number in the Bible, very significant to the Jewish people. I believe one reason was to send a message to Israel.

I believe by Jesus choosing the 12, he is saying we have a new government. A new government is being established because a new covenant is about to commence. And in the same way that the 12 tribes in the old testament were raised up to display the glory of God to the rest of the world, Christ was signaling to this generation that a renewal was coming to Israel. Something new is here. A new structure is going to surround and centralize around the person of Jesus Christ, the son of David, and these leaders that he chose to be under him.

So there is no question that this is the interpretation. We have 12 we have 12 men who signified 12 people who will establish a new government for a new covenant that was prophesied in the Old Testament. And if you think that that's a stretch, all you have to do is look at the words of Jesus. Go to Matthew nineteen twenty eight and look what Jesus says to these 12, and what their mission would be beyond their lifetime, beyond the great commission. Matthew nineteen twenty eight.

Look what Jesus says. Jesus said to them, truly I say to you in the new world, when the son of man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on 12 thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel. It's clear. It's it's so direct. He lets these men know who asked the question, hey, we gave up everything to follow you.

What's in it for us? And he assures them, look, there's not just gonna be blessing in this world, but in the new world. You know what that means? That that is a description of the millennial reign of Jesus Christ. He's not talking about heaven here.

There's gonna be no judgment issued in heaven. There is a new world coming in which Jesus, when he comes to sit on his throne in Jerusalem, yes, not a figurative Jerusalem, not an allegorical Jerusalem, a literal Jerusalem. There will also be 12 different thrones, each designated for a different tribe of Israel that will be occupied by one of the apostles. And you know what's so amazing? That word new world in the Greek, it's not two words.

It's one word. And it's only used in one other place in the entire New Testament. The the phrase there new world is the same word that Paul uses when he teaches through Titus about our salvation. And he says in Titus three five that he saved us by the washing of regeneration. That's the same word.

And that's why maybe in some of your translations you don't see new world, you see the word what? Regeneration. Do you know what he's trying to say? When I come back to physically rule and reign on the earth, this world as we know it will undergo a rebirth. That's what he's saying.

There will be a transformation that will take place upon my return. And we read of those characteristics throughout the old testament sprinkled here and there. We will see that the animals will be at peace with one another. We will see that war will cease. We will see that even geography will shift, and that life, human life will be extended.

There is something, there is a regeneration coming to our planet. You know, you can take that truth and and use that for us. If if Jesus is gonna come back and cause a regeneration for this world, how can we believe that we as humans in our personal salvation can be regenerated and nothing change? Like, how? How?

How? How? The same way that this world will be transformed in an observable way, so when I'm regenerated something's gotta change. Something's gotta change. And so, there is a new world coming.

A regeneration coming, but here's what's so beautiful. Then the same way in your personal salvation, you don't become completely perfect, neither will that new world be. It won't be completely perfected. That will come at the end of the millennial reign when we read that there will be a new heaven and a new earth. And so we see even in the regeneration of the earth, there will be some kind of hints of sin, the possibility to disobey Christ though he will rule the nations.

And it is true with us in our regeneration as well, is it not? That we are still capable of sinning. We are still capable of rebelling or be encouraged by that truth. But besides the point, we see here that Jesus promises his apostles, you guys during that time, the the nation of Israel will remain as an ethnic people. That's not politics.

That's Bible. They will remain as an ethnic people until the end of the age, and you 12 will rule over them, judge them, clarify things to them, direct them for a thousand years. And so Jesus even having a future vision in the millennial reign, realize now I must choose 12 men who will be my representatives in that new world, who will judge the 12 tribes of Israel. So he chooses he chooses 12 and prepares them now and trains them now. Oh, we can end it here.

Can we not? Your stomachs might be grumbling, but hang on. Because we can't stop. I can't stop. Sometimes I feel like Paul, I wanna go till midnight.

But I'm afraid there's too many Eutyches that will feel differently about it. If you don't know who Eutyches is, make it a study for your afternoon this Sunday. I look at this list of men, and I realize something about the grace of God. I look at these names, and I see individuals. I see real people with with the things that I experience in this body, with different ways of thinking, with different dispositions.

And as I look to this list of men, you can do a whole series of messages just on the 12 apostles. Because the Holy Spirit gives us enough to work with to realize God really does choose average people to serve him. Isn't that wonderful to think about? And again, I'm not gonna keep you here till midnight, but I wanna just at least wet your appetite to see how when you even come to a list of names like this, don't just try to memorize their names so that if you're quizzed on it, you know how to name the 12 apostles. It's so much more rich than that.

So this is just my own meditation. You could come with a dozen points from the 12 apostles, even more. But let me just give you a few to contemplate on. When I look at this list of men, I think number one, that God longs for family members to serve him in his new family. In this list, we read verse 16.

He appointed the 12, Simon to whom he gave the name Peter, James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James. And we know in verse 18, Andrew is Peter's brother. You know, the Lord could have called Peter and not Andrew. He called called James and not John. But his desire was for these pairs of brothers to work alongside him together.

He wanted these brothers who lived together, who argued and fought with each other growing up, who have the same parents, who have memories, who probably have scars from roughing around as children. He wanted these men to be a part of his apostolic journey for them. And it's true, they each had the choice to say, you know, I don't wanna be an apostle. This is too much. They one could have gone forward and one could have stayed back, but I don't wanna look at that.

I wanna look at God's heart in this matter. As the Lord had a plan for these brothers, believe that he has a plan for your family. He really does. He looks at your family as he does these brothers. These brothers became a team for the gospel.

They became a team. And I believe with all my heart, when you look throughout the bible, you see couples serving God together. You see fathers and sons. You see this variety of of of the family unit set apart for the glory of God. And I say that I believe God has put you and I in our particular families intentionally more than just, having a safe place to grow up, more than just having companionship, but for units and teams to be made for the glory of Jesus Christ.

I encourage you not to look at your spouse merely as a romantic partner. I encourage you not to look at your kids merely as miraculous gifts from God that you enjoy and provide for as much as that is true. I want you to see in the way Jesus saw these brothers as a partnership, disciples working together for the glory of God. I know that might not be true for for many of you here who you're the only one who's saved with your siblings and with your parents. But I'm saying if God allows you to have a family, come with that mindset.

That as you look for somebody to marry, that they would be some somebody that you would put your hand in and to serve Jesus Christ with. As you pray for your children, that you would look at them as servants of Jesus Christ. Arrows in your quiver that you can shoot out into this world. Believe that with all of your heart. God has a plan for your family.

God has a desire for you. One of the greatest joys that I have in my life is to know that my brothers love Jesus Christ. And again, I know that that is not something that everybody can attest to, and that is the beauty of the family of Jesus Christ. That even if your blood family doesn't serve the Lord, you have something deeper in this family, a spiritual bond. But, oh, for those who are now stepping and many of you are stepping into that season, I I pray that you have a sanctified view of the family unit, that it would be a team that plays a part in this larger team of the church that would glorify God.

Ask God, Lord, what is your will? Ask God that every single one of those babies that come would be future ministers. Maybe not full time ministers, but ministers nonetheless. I see that God longs for family members to serve him in his grand family. I also look and I see that God is willing to recruit a variety of personalities, even unsanctified ones.

You know where I get that from? Verse 17. James, the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James, to whom he gave the name Benergis. That is sons of thunder. What a nickname.

Sons of thunder. Bible, enthusiasts have debated over the years of why Jesus chose this kind of a nickname for James and John. I don't think it's a mystery. Just read through the gospels and you'll see why. Just read through the different moments where you see James and John interacting with people, interacting with Jesus, interacting with certain situations, and it all makes sense.

Sons of thunder. Yeah. It was James and John who were called to go through a Samaritan village, and they were rejected, so they came to Jesus. The same Jesus who teach who taught about love and loving your enemies and praying, he says, hey, Lord. We saw your power.

Why don't you call fire down from heaven? Let's turn this Samaritan village into a Sodom. And you know what that tells me? That James and John, I kinda have a hint of who they really looked up to in the Old Testament. Like, Elijah kinda ministers.

Guys that had like power. Guys that had that no joking around. You wanna compromise, you're done. Those are the kind of guys that James and John really admired and looked up to. And it showed.

Jesus rebukes them. Do you realize that very shortly, John is gonna try to stop people from casting out a demon in the name of Jesus because they were not the apostles. And it didn't work. So he comes to Jesus and says, hey, Jesus, I tried to stop a guy who was using your name to cast out a devil. And Jesus, like, so what?

They're not against us. They're for us. He's like, alright. James and John approach Jesus in the presence of the other apostles and says, Lord, we want front row seats when you come in your kingdom. We know we can't sit on your throne, but if we can sit on your left and your right, we want it.

The others are looking at them, and they get angry. In another account, they actually have their mom ask, which is kind of interesting. There's no question that these men were zealous. They were not just zealous, they were aggressive. They were ambitious.

They were unafraid. They didn't tolerate nonsense. They didn't tolerate compromise. Sons of thunder. But with that strong personality comes weaknesses.

And you even see it through their lives. You get the impression that they're insensitive, that they didn't really exercise wisdom, and that's often the case when people are overcome with zeal. It's it's usually not met with much wisdom at least at first. And you know what? Jesus knew that before he even called them.

He knew how hot headed they were. He knew how explosive they were. He knew that they were, able to get violent if need be, and he still calls them. And you see that he refines them, and he rebukes them. And he as a great teacher, as a great spiritual father, as a great spiritual elder brother takes his time to channel that passion for good and not for harm.

And I look at Jesus here and I see, Lord, if you're willing to be so long suffering with them, help me be patient with my brother who might be a son of thunder. Help me understand that you are patient with them. You are patient with me. Help me also be patient with those who just have a different wiring than I do. Help me believe, Lord, that as long as they are willing to be worked on that you can you can use even a son of thunder to do wondrous things for the glory of God.

But just think about the kinds of people that God uses in this text alone. You have those who are dynamic like Peter and vocal like Peter and and dynamite like like James and John. And then you have these other guys that you don't really see much. They kinda work in the background. They're kinda quiet, but they're serving Jesus just as wonderfully.

They might not have it's, outstanding personalities, but they are still persons who are set apart for the glory of God. God's roster of men and women are very colorful. And the Holy Spirit is willing to animate every single type of person as long as they are willing to allow him to work in and through them. And so I see I mean, there's so many examples I can use from these lists of men of the different personalities, but just to wet your appetite. I see something else.

I see that God is able to unite unlikely men through the power of the gospel. I get that from verse 18. Andrew and Philip and Bartholomew and Matthew and Thomas and James, the son of Alphaeus and Thaddeus and Simon Simon the Zealot. Now Simon the Zealot is not another nickname. It it was kind of a nickname, but Simon actually belonged to a group, a political group known as the Zealots in Jesus' time.

They were fanatical. They were radical. They lived for Jewish independence. They hated the Roman government. They encouraged a rebellious attitude even to the point of reckless behavior and violent behavior.

These zealots, they abhorred Rome, and they abhorred those who affiliated with Rome at any level, including tax collectors. And in that same verse, you read of Simon the Zealot, and you read of who? Matthew, the tax collector. One is pro government, the other one is anti government. Like, the furthest ends of the spectrum politically and socially.

I believe Jesus has a sense of humor. He puts these guys on the same team. Matthew meets Simon the Zealot. Simon the Zealot meet the former tax collector, Matthew. If Simon the zealot was with his group of zealot friends, if they ever bumped into Matthew outside in the world, they would have eaten him up alive.

And yet, in all the gospel accounts, I can't find one argument, one altercation, one point of division, silence. Do you know why? Because the gospel brings people together. That's why. When you see these two coming together, you have to realize that this is a significant change that is taking place in the deepest parts of human conviction.

Think about it. Simon the Zealot, what do you think he felt when he heard his rabbi from Nazareth say, give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar. Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar. Caesar doesn't deserve anything. Nothing of the sort.

He works with Matthew. He serves with Matthew. He prays with Matthew. He preaches with Matthew. He eats with Matthew.

He travels with Matthew. Because when you have two hearts who are truly given to the allegiance of Jesus, all other viewpoints bow down and surrender to the supremacy of his will. All. All. And when I see people divide over issues, different issues, I realize one thing, that the supremacy of Christ is not real in their lives.

That is not to say that we are ecumenical and we just join with anybody who says they love Jesus, or wears a cross on their neck, who goes to some church building. I'm not I'm not proposing that at all. I'm talking about real surrender to Jesus like these apostles. And in this crucial hour of bitter division in our world, on multiple fronts, the lordship of Jesus Christ is what the church must trumpet into the world. Do you understand what I'm saying?

There is no other unifying force that this world can offer apart from the grace found in our Lord and savior Jesus. And no other thing there is no other solution. And so, it breaks my heart when I see once faithful ministries adopting worldly ideologies, and psychological and social concepts to try to build bridges between people. Critical race theory is not gonna cut it for various reasons. Social justice ideas are not gonna cut it.

What you see on the news and what you see from modern day philosophers and psychologists is not going to cut it. It is the gospel of Jesus Christ that is able to bind the most unlikely hearts together. To not just agree on some things, but to be completely consumed in love for Christ and love for one another who also love Christ. So I'm not one who says, you know, just preach the gospel. Let's not address what's happening in the culture.

Let's not let's not try to understand what's happening in our world. No. You know that. But I am those who will say, the gospel is the only solution. It is.

I'm not here to offer anything else because there's nothing else to offer. Who does Jesus use? He uses average people. Who does Jesus use? Broken people, fragmented people, people with unique personalities, people from different backgrounds and he doesn't hold it against them.

And he brings them together through his wonderful grace, and he does wonderful things through them. And I'm so glad because I know I'm an average person, and I know I have a unique personality, and I know I have a certain wiring that people don't share, and I praise God for that. But I look at this one amazing God, and I worship him for his goodness. And I look into this group of people, and I see average people, Different histories, different leanings, different temptations, but we all serve one amazing God. He will use us.

He will guide us. He will empower us. He will delegate different kind of authority and giftings to each of us, but he is worthy of worship and all. Let's pray. Lord, we thank you That in that unique event of choosing the 12, we see ourselves in that moment.

Not because we see ourselves as apostles, but we see ourselves as average men and women who are unworthy to be considered to bear fruit for your name's sake. Here we are. Here we are, Lord, in your house with different cultures and backgrounds, different types of giftings, and even personalities. We thank you that we have felt the unifying power of the gospel in this place, and we pray that it would only continue. Lord, help us in this season of world history where a lot of important decisions have to be made.

Some are contemplating moving. Some, don't know what to do with their children. Lord, may they be reminded that you prayed, and you gave persistent, persevering, passionate prayer to important things. Help us do the same. Help us, Lord, understand that you have gifted us uniquely and that, Lord, we will honor you by being faithful to the giftings that you've given us.

And, Lord, in this day of hour, would you pour out your Holy Spirit so that we can see greater demonstrations of your power in this broken, dark, and filthy world? And, lord, lastly, help us be faithful and patient with one another as these disciples were. Help us look to you, the patient one who did not give up on these 12, and you will not give up on us as long as we continue to walk with you. Help us not give up on each other even when we fail, even when we fall into the flesh. Help us demonstrate your kindness.

Lord, we worship you for these truths, and we glorify you, and we say thank you. Thank you for your word. Thank you because you are amazing. Amen.