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Home , Crescens, John Mark

The Life of - Week 2 Sunday, April 26, 2020

I. Intro

A. Last week, we started a short message series on the life of John Mark

1. The purpose of this series is to follow the redemption of this young man

2. To see how God uses forgiveness to restore people

3. To encourage you to follow God’s blueprint for forgiveness in your life

a) It’s time to forgive others

b) It’s time to forgive yourself

B. Summary so far:

1. John Mark was in the garden the night was arrested

2. John Mark’s house was Peter’s destination after the broke him out of jail

3. John Mark went on the first missionary journey with Paul and

4. John Mark abandoned the team (:13) and it upset Paul

5. When planning the second journey, Barnabas wanted John Mark to come

C. Let’s pick up the story there

II. Text

A. :36-41

1. “Sharp disagreement” is Greek for “an outburst” or “fiery argument”

a) So, Paul was very unhappy with the idea of giving Mark another shot

b) We don’t know the details about Mark leaving, but it created a split

c) Paul took and Barnabas took Mark

2. Pause and reflect on Luke’s wisdom in including this narrative

a) The early church was not filled with sunshine and roses, there were issues

b) We often think that a healthy church has no issues

(1) Wrong, a healthy church has the same issues as everyone else

(2) The difference is how we handle those issues

c) Let me explain

3. This issue in Acts 15 is not really about who was right and wrong

a) Paul was right because bringing Mark would create leadership and trust issues

b) Barnabas was right because everyone deserves a second chance The Life of John Mark - Week 2 Sunday, April 26, 2020

c) Luke is showing us that handling issues requires the wisdom to see all sides

4. You won’t always agree with every believer on every issue

a) Some issues will be trivial and some will create sharp disagreements

(1) When issues arise, we use the blueprint of reconciliation as our guide

(2) We don’t fight to be right, we work toward peace (Matthew 5:9)

b) Peace most often looks like compromise, especially in this situation

(1) Compromise meant two missionary teams instead of one

5. Barnabas took Mark under his wing, but something else happened during this trip

a) At the beginning of Acts 15, we learn why everyone was in

b) The church leaders were meeting to discuss Gentiles getting saved

(1) Could they get saved? What rules did they need to follow?

(2) This was another disagreement in the church

(3) Their compromise was in Acts 15:28-29 “It seemed good to us and the Holy

Spirit…”

c) Peter was there and supported Gentiles getting saved, even eating with them

(1) However, Judiazers came to town ( who followed the Law)

(2) Peter’s insecurities kicked in

d) Paul tells us what happened in Galatians

B. Galatians 2:11-14

1. Paul confronted Peter about his insecurities leading others astray

a) Peter stopped fellowshipping with Gentiles because of the Judiazers

b) This decision also affected his friend, Barnabas

c) Peter and Barnabas received the correction and things were settled

2. But, this story clues us in on what happened to Mark after he went with Barnabas

a) John Mark went with Barnabas for the second missionary journey

b) That relationship connected him to Peter, who was familiar with mistakes

(1) Peter denied Jesus, but was restored on the beach

(2) Peter was rebuked by Paul, but restored through repentance

c) Now, Peter has an opportunity to mentor Mark about reconciliation The Life of John Mark - Week 2 Sunday, April 26, 2020

3. We know this because Peter writes about John Mark in 1 Peter

C. :12-13

1. Mark is now serving under Peter, and is considered a son

a) This relationship actually inspired the writing of the of Mark

b) Peter told Mark all the things Jesus said, and Mark wrote them down

c) Mark’s gospel was so powerful, it was source material for Matthew and Luke

2. Now, let’s pause and calmly reflect on that

a) The man who ghosted his first missions assignment wrote the first gospel

b) From one mistake, God taught Mark about forgiveness/restoration and we are

blessed today because of it

3. We can draw a line from the beach to Mark’s pen and it encourages us to forgive

a) Some of you need to forgive yourself

(1) You feel similar to Mark, you messed up and the choice haunts you still

b) Some of you need to forgive others

(1) Things were done to you, and you have let that become your identity

c) Some of you need to ask for forgiveness

(1) You were either malicious or inadvertent and it hurt someone

4. No matter where you are, it’s time to raise the flag of forgiveness and move on

a) I know this is easier said than done, but ask yourself, “Why can’t I forgive?”

b) The answer is most likely, “Because you are afraid you will never see justice"

(1) We want to see punishment or restitution for the wrong committed

(2) And, if we let go of the offense who will make plans for justice?

(3) We must keep the offense alive because it is the only way to make it right

5. This line of thinking actually challenges Jesus for His judgment seat

a) He is the righteous judge and promises punishment for wickedness

b) But, we don’t trust Him or His timing so we want to pronounce judgment

c) This creates a struggle for who is the righteous judge, you are Jesus

d) This is why Jesus says in Matthew 6:15 “but if you do not forgive others their

trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” The Life of John Mark - Week 2 Sunday, April 26, 2020

(1) He is saying, “if you want to judge others, I won’t advocate for you”

(2) Trust me, you don’t want that!

III. Conclusion

A. What happened to the relationship between Paul and John Mark?

1. :10 “Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, and Mark the cousin of

Barnabas (concerning whom you have received instructions - if he comes to you,

welcome him), “

2. Philemon 1:23-24 , my fellow prisoner in Jesus, sends greetings to

you, and so do Mark, Aristarchus, , and Luke, my fellow workers.

B. These two letters tell the story of a man who was reconciled

1. Mark made his way to , where Paul was in prison, and became a great friend

2. To show the depth of that friendship, let’s read one of Paul’s last letters

a) Paul wrote 2 Timothy while in prison, not house arrest

b) This was the very end of Paul’s life

3. :9-13

a) “Do your best to come to me soon. For Demas, in love with this present world,

has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. has gone to ,

to Dalmatia. Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is

very useful to me for ministry. I have sent to . When you come,

bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the

parchments.”

4. At the end of Paul’s life, everyone but Luke deserted and Paul had 5 final requests

a) A visit from Timothy, his cloak, his books, his parchments, and John Mark

b) Mark abandoned Paul, then Paul abandoned Mark…

(1) …but forgiveness had the last word

(2) Because the gospel message is built on the foundation of forgiveness

5. I pray this story stirs your heart for forgiveness

a) It’s time to walk in forgiveness

b) Your mistakes or the mistakes of others aren’t the end of the story