013 Followers of Jesus – part 1

Mark 3:13-35 (13-19)

January 18, 2026

The apostle Paul wrote a grave warning

To the church at Corinth in his second letter.

2 Corinthians 6:14-18 “Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, “I will dwell in them and walk among them; And I will be their God, and they shall be My people. “Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate,” says the Lord. “And do not touch what is unclean; And I will welcome you. “And I will be a father to you, And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,” Says the Lord Almighty.”

Most people seek to apply it only to the realm of marriage,

But Paul doesn’t even mention marriage there.

He is instead talking about the impossibility of fellowship

Between those who are in two different kingdoms.

You just can’t love both of them.

And Scripture repeatedly speaks this way.

We think of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount:

Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”

Or we think of this statement:

Luke 11:23 “He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me, scatters.”

Or even when Jesus called His followers:

Matthew 8:21-22 “Another of the disciples said to Him, “Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.” But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and allow the dead to bury their own dead.”

Everywhere you look there is just this hard line that is drawn.

THERE IS NO WIGGLE ROOM.

Over the years we have grown to love “The Great Reformation”.

· We have grown to appreciate the work of men like Martin Luther, John Calvin, William Tyndale and the such.

But make no mistake, Jesus did not come to reform anything.

JESUS IS NOT REFORMING, HE IS REPLACING.

He is not here to salvage Satan’s kingdom and make it functional.

Jesus is here to overthrow it.

· He is replacing the old covenant with the new.

· He is replacing the old garment with a new one.

· He is replacing old wine and old skins with new wine and new skins.

· He is destroying the kingdom of darkness and ushering in the kingdom of light.

There is no middle ground.

There is no dual citizenship.

As Paul mentioned,

· Righteousness and lawlessness have no partnership.

· Light and darkness have no fellowship.

· There is no harmony to be had between Christ and Satan.

· There is nothing in common with a believer and an unbeliever.

It is a hard and dividing line.

· You can’t walk through both the wide and narrow gate.

· You can’t travel down both the wide and narrow way.

AND YOU CAN’T BE A MEMBER OF BOTH KINGDOMS.

In Mark’s gospel we have seen this dichotomy begin to reveal itself.

Mark 2:18 “John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting; and they came and said to Him, “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?”

· There Jesus is feasting and rejoicing the salvation of sinners.

· But there are others who prefer fasting and mourning.

Mark 2:21 “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; otherwise the patch pulls away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear results.”

· There Jesus is discarding the old garment that could not cover.

· But there are others who insist on patching it and using it still.

Mark 2:25-26 “And He said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and he and his companions became hungry; how he entered the house of God in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the consecrated bread, which is not lawful for anyone to eat except the priests, and he also gave it to those who were with him?”

· There Jesus understood that humanity is more valuable than ceremony.

· But there are others who cling to ceremony even at the destruction of humanity.

Mark 3:4 “And He said to them, “Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to kill?” But they kept silent.”

· There Jesus understood the objective of God is to do good and save life.

· But there are others who prefer harm and death to men.

The line has been becoming clearer and clearer.

· There is no fellowship.

· There is no harmony.

· There is no reformation.

Jesus came to overthrow the kingdom of darkness

And to usher in the kingdom of light.

YOU OBVIOUSLY CAN’T BE IN BOTH KINGDOMS.

YOU OBVIOUSLY CAN’T LIVE THE SAME IN THE NEW KINGDOM.

When Christ calls you out of Satan’s kingdom,

He first calls you to “repent” and then to “believe”.

SO FOLLOWERS OF JESUS ARE DIFFERENT.

This morning we learned that Jesus is worth following.

Tonight we look at who a follower is & what it means to follow.

In this text there are 5 defining points regarding a citizen of the kingdom,

They will help us determine which kingdom we are serving and following.

WHO ARE FOLLOWERS OF JESUS?

#1 THOSE HE CHOOSES

Mark 3:13a

It is a statement that might be hotly contested in our evangelical age,

But from an exegetical standpoint it is clear as can be.

“And He went upon the mountain and summoned those whom He Himself wanted…”

Much of Jesus’ preaching has been occurring BY THE SEA.

· We said it provides a natural amplification off of the water,

· And it provides him a reprieve from the crowd

· When He can get in the boat and push a little way off of land.

The seashore has been THE preaching location.

The seashore has been THE ministry headquarters.

But here Jesus leaves the sea and climbs a mountain.

He moves from a crowded place to a secluded place.

This isn’t about making Himself accessible.

Jesus isn’t looking for fame, He’s looking for followers.

He climbs a mountain and “summoned those whom He Himself wanted”.

There is no resume process here.

There are no volunteer opportunities.

· Jesus is doing all the picking.

· Jesus is doing all the selecting.

Mark adds the word “Himself” to drive the point home even further

This selection process was solely

At the personal will of Jesus.

SO MANY TODAY REJECT THE NOTION,

But it is absolutely true that

THE KING GETS TO DETERMINE WHO ENTERS THE KINGDOM.

In John’s gospel Jesus told His disciples:

John 15:16 “You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.”

In John 6 when Jesus offended the crowd

· Most of His disciples abandoned Him,

· He looked at the 12 and asked if they wanted to leave too.

· This was the response:

John 6:68-70 “Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. “We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.” Jesus answered them, “Did I Myself not choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is a devil?”

They were there because Christ chose them,

They remained because Christ chose them.

IT WAS ALL UP TO HIM.

I REALIZE WE LIVE IN A DAY

Where man insists that he is sovereign over salvation.

That entering the kingdom is purely the prerogative of man.

“If I want to come, I should be able to come.”

What kingdom works like that?

Every time we have gone on mission,

You not only have to have a passport, but you must have a visa.

· That nation must allow you in.

· It’s not up to you, it’s up to them.

AND CITIZENSHIP IS THE SAME WAY.

This decision is up to Jesus.

He “summoned those whom He Himself wanted”

Here we find both the DOCTRINE OF ELECTION

And the DOCTRINE OF EFFECTUAL CALL.

Isaiah 43:1 “But now, thus says the Lord, your Creator, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine!”

We’re not going to spend forever here,

But there are reasons why it must be this way.

THE MAIN REASON is because of the sinful nature of humanity.

Romans 3:10-12 “as it is written, “There is none righteous, not even one; There is none who understands, There is none who seeks for God; All have turned aside, together they have become useless; There is none who does good, There is not even one.”

That is a direct quotation of Psalms 14:1-3

It is God’s estimation of humanity.

God knows that no man seeks Him naturally.

No man comes of His own accord.

God DOES require man to recognize Him.

God DOES require man to seek Him.

Failure to do so causes you to abide under His wrath.

THE PROBLEM IS THAT EVEN SO NO MAN WILL & NO MAN DOES.

If salvation only occurred after man showed an interest in God

And then to sought Him out then no man would ever be saved.

Fallen sinful humanity is just not looking for God.

We call this ABSOLUTE INABILITY or TOTAL DEPRAVITY.

The only way anyone is ever going to enter Christ’s kingdom

Is at the selection and calling of Christ.

That DOES NOT MEAN that Christ is actively hindering

Those who want to come from coming.

We read:

John 6:37 “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.”

In another place He says:

Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

That is a universal call.

That is a call to all humanity.

But we have learned that humanity will reject that call every time

If God does not do an effective work in his heart.

· It requires an effectual call.

· It requires a sovereign call.

· It requires a holy recruitment from God.

AND THAT IS WHAT WE HAVE HERE.

JESUS IS CHOOSING.

The first description of a follower of Jesus is those WHO HE CHOOSES.

And the flip side of this is also true.

Followers of Jesus are also:

#2 THOSE WHO COME

Mark 3:13b-14a

We simply read “and they came to Him.”

The reason they came is because they were chosen.

Christ is sovereign here.

But we also do not nullify the requirement of HUMAN RESPONSIBILITY.

Scripture is clear that for salvation to occur:

· God must regenerate

· God must select

· God must call

· God must atone

· God must seal

· God must sanctify

THAT IS TRUE.

And yet we also read in Scripture that for salvation to occur:

· Man must repent

· Man must believe

· Man must follow

· Man must obey

· Man must endure

· Man must seek sanctification

So many try to see those two things as opposites

And jump into one camp or the other.

THEY ARE NOT OPPOSITES.

They are the same salvation from two different vantage points.

One view of salvation is from heaven looking down.

The other is from earth looking up.

THEY WORK IN TANDEM.

As sure as Christ must select and call

So man must also hear and respond.

AND THOSE WHOM CHRIST CHOOSES WILL RESPOND.

To read it again:

John 6:37 “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.”

NO ONE IS GOING TO

· Reject Christ on earth,

· Fail to repent,

· Fail to believe,

· Fail to obey,

· Fail to endure,

And then stand before God to find out that

He still goes to heaven because He was chosen.

THAT WILL NOT HAPPEN.

Men must COME to Christ.

Men must CALL ON Christ.

Men must FOLLOW Christ.

Men must BELIEVE Christ.

You cannot be in Christ’s kingdom if you do not recognize Him as King.

Romans 10:9 “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;”

You don’t get to keep Satan as your king and still enter the kingdom.

There is a non-negotiable line there.

YOU LEAVE ONE KINGDOM TO JOIN ANOTHER.

Perhaps you’ve heard it like this:

Matthew 16:25 “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”

· You lose one to find the other.

· You sell all that you have to gain the pear.

· You sell all that you have to gain the treasure.

You leave the world and you come to Christ.

HIS FOLLOWERS DO THAT.

But the BENEFIT here is absolutely beautiful!

I’m so glad that Mark included this.

(14a) “And He appointed twelve, so that they would be with Him…”

· Salvation is NOT JUST the process by which you escape hell.

· Salvation is NOT JUST the process by which you are freed from captivity.

Salvation is the process by which you gain Christ.

Philippians 3:7-8 “But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ,”

And by that I DON’T just mean:

· To gain Christ’s salvation

· To gain Christ’s deliverance

· To gain Christ’s righteousness

Yes it’s true, when you come to Christ

You gain all of those things are they are glorious.

But the reality is you gain Christ!

You get to be with Christ.

You get fellowship with Christ.

· You get unlimited access directly to Christ.

· You can talk to Him.

· You can give Him your burdens.

· You can make requests to Him.

· You can gaze upon Him.

· You can marvel at Him.

· You can listen to Him.

· You can enjoy His peace, His wisdom, His comfort, His hope

How did John describe it?

1 John 1:1-4 “What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life— and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us— what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete.”

· John says that our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.

Jesus selects us that we might be with Him.

Do you remember what He told the twelve the night before He died?

John 14:1-3 “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.”

Do you remember what Jesus prayed on that same night?

John 17:24 “Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.”

Do you remember the promise Jesus made before He ascended?

Matthew 28:20b “…and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

When we enter Christ’s kingdom we enter a relationship with Christ.

This is such a fundamental distinction

And it’s so easy to see in our day.

HOW MANY

· Come to church for a season,

· Just long enough to get baptized

· Or get their children baptized

· And then they run back to the world?

They thought they came for salvation

And now they are going back to their old kingdom.

Do we really think they are saved?

NOT AT ALL!

They got wet, but they didn’t get Christ.

John said that too:

1 John 2:19 “They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us.”

We read it in Hebrews this morning:

Hebrews 3:12-14 “Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end,”

TRUE FOLLOWERS COME TO CHRIST AND STAY WITH HIM.

It is obvious when a person leaves the old kingdom

And enters the new one. YOU CAN’T RUN THEM OFF.

· They’ve got Christ.

· They love Him every day.

· They fellowship with Him every day.

· They talk to Him, they listen to Him, they are His and He is theirs.

This is a mark of a follower of Jesus.

· He has chosen them and they have come to Him.

There is another way to tell who are followers of Christ.

#3 THOSE HE COMMISSIONS

Mark 3:14b-19

We read in verse 14 that the FIRST ASSIGNMENT was “so that they would be with Him”,

But that is not the only assignment.

You can also tell a follower of Jesus

By whether or not they follow Jesus.

To read it again:

John 15:16 “You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.”

Jesus said they were chosen and appointed to go.

Citizens of the kingdom serve the kingdom.

Look at what Jesus said about the twelve He chose here.

“that He could send them out to preach,”

Why would He send them to preach?

Because that is what He did.

That is what He came to do.

Mark 1:38-39 “He said to them, “Let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby, so that I may preach there also; for that is what I came for.” And He went into their synagogues throughout all Galilee, preaching and casting out the demons.”

So if you join His kingdom; if you join His army;

THE MISSION SHOULD BE OBVIOUS.

Those who are called by the Lord are called to Himself

AND THEN CALLED TO PREACH.

· Some do it in a pulpit.

· Some do it around the dinner table.

· Some do it in the grocery store.

· Some do it in the street corner.

BUT WE ALL DO IT.

People with the light shine the light.

Lights that don’t shine are an oxy-moron.

· Jesus said a city on a hill cannot be hidden.

· Salt that doesn’t taste is thrown out.

· Branches with no fruit are cut off and burned.

There is a constant testimony beaming from them regarding Christ.

To be certain it comes in different degrees and in different stages,

But those who know Christ testify of Him.

I CAN GIVE YOU A SIMPLE EXAMPLE FROM THIS WEEK.

Charlena Fitzgerald called the church.

She loves the church and misses the church, and I hope when you’re in Lubbock and you have a chance you’ll visit her.

But Charlena was talking about her therapists and she said,

“I’m getting the chance to witness to them.”

Do you know what she was doing?

· She was listening to gospel music,

· And when they would come in she’d say, listen to this.

· Her nurses would sit on the bed and listen to the song.

It may not be preparing a message to preach on the street corner,

But it is testifying of the Lord to those around you.

THAT’S WHAT CHRIST’S FOLLOWERS DO.

They just can’t help going out and bearing witness of Him.

People who bear no witness of Christ are not followers of Christ.

Spurgeon said it clearest.

“Every Christian is either a missionary or an imposter.”

It’s what Peter and John said even when threatened:

Acts 4:19-20 “But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

· That is a follower.

· They just can’t help it.

They have been brought near to Jesus,

He is so delightful they cannot help but bear witness of His glory,

Even if it is as simple as sharing a song.

That is true of all believers.

Now, we see another characteristic here

That was certainly true of the 12, but which is not true of all followers.

Jesus also gave the 12 an additional authority.

(15) “and to have authority to cast out the demons.”

· The fact that the word “authority” is used regarding casting out demons and not regarding preaching

· Indicates to us that there is a different type of authority

· Needed to cast out demons than to preach.

This authority was given to the 12.

It was also given to the 70 whom Jesus sent out in His day.

But not all followers have that authority.

In fact, we are not commanded to do so.

· We are called to resist the devil, not to rebuke him.

· We are told to stand against Him and His schemes.

· We are told to expose His lies and destroy speculations.

In 2 Peter it is the false prophets

Who run around rebuking and mocking the devil.

2 Peter 2:10b-11 “Daring, self-willed, they do not tremble when they revile angelic majesties, whereas angels who are greater in might and power do not bring a reviling judgment against them before the Lord.”

· Peter says that the false prophets are “daring”

· Not even realizing what they are doing when they “revile angelic majesties”.

· Peter says even the holy angels don’t do that.

Or consider Jude:

Jude 1:8-10 “Yet in the same way these men, also by dreaming, defile the flesh, and reject authority, and revile angelic majesties. But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” But these men revile the things which they do not understand; and the things which they know by instinct, like unreasoning animals, by these things they are destroyed.”

· Jude says the same.

· They “revile angelic majesties”

· But even “Michael the archangel…did not dare pronounce against [the devil] a railing judgment.”

What you are seeing Jesus do in the New Testament

Is totally unique.

He is doing what even angels didn’t dare to do.

He is rebuking the devil and they are fleeing.

His followers could not do that

Unless He gave them specific “authority” or permission to do it.

And here He did because it testified of His conquest.

He was overthrowing the kingdom of Satan.

The 12 were given this power uniquely as apostles.

· Not only did it demonstrate Christ’s current power,

· But it would also give the apostles authority later to write the New Testament.

Hebrews 2:3-4 “how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will.”

· Notice how the writer of Hebrews stated it?

· “God also testifying with THEM” (i.e. Not us)

That does not mean that God never casts out demons today, He certainly does.

Just like God still heals today.

But we don’t see people with the authority to heal on demand

Or cast out demons on demand like Christ or His apostles did.

What you are seeing here is unique, but it spoke to the battle of His day.

Christ’s kingdom was advancing and His followers in that day

Were granted authority to join that.

WHAT WE SIMPLY UNDERSTAND IS THIS.

· Christ’s followers are chosen by Christ.

· Christ’s followers come to Christ.

· Christ’s followers are commissioned by Christ and thus join His work.

THAT IS THE POINT.

It would not have been difficult in the New Testament

To tell who was with Jesus and who was not.

He was polarizing.

His message was polarizing.

His authority was obvious.

You just couldn’t be a part of both kingdoms.

Those kingdoms were at war with each other.

Jesus chose these men and then commissioned them.

And here they are.

(16-19) “And He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom He gave the name Peter), and James, the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James (to them He gave the name Boanerges, which means, “Sons of Thunder”); and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot; and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him.”

If you want a good reference here, I recommend John MacArthur’s series: “The Master’s Men” where he does a character sketch of each of these 12 to help you see what type of men they were.

I’ll put a link in the notes and on the recommendations tab of our app if you are interested that you can get online.

Https://www.gty.org/sermons/series/79/the-masters-men

You are familiar with these men.

You know of “Simon (to whom He gave the name Peter)”

· Jesus called Simon a rock.

· Peter was not the first called, but he is called the first.

· He was the leader of the 12.

Then “James, the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James (to them He gave the name Boanerges, which means, “Sons of Thunder”);

· I heard someone say they weren’t sure if that was a compliment, but I think it’s the coolest nickname ever!

· Your dad is the Thunder!

· If Tammy had been alive then, I can guarantee you T-shirts would have been printed!

“and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew (you know him as Nathanael), and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot; and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him.”

An interesting list to say the least.

· Fishermen and then the man who taxed fishermen.

· An Israelite in whom there is no deceit and a man who was a terrorist.

· And then Jesus selecting the man who would ultimately betray Him.

But you get the idea of what makes a man a follower of Christ.

1. All of these were chosen.

2. All of these came.

3. All of these were commissioned.

They left the kingdom of darkness and entered the kingdom of light.

There are two more points to make about a follower,

But tonight we simply use what we see to evaluate our own walk.

AM I FOLLOWING JESUS?

You can say, “Well how would I know if I’ve been chosen?”

That’s easy, “Do you want to come?”

· If you want to come it is evident that He has chosen you,

· For men don’t naturally want to come to Jesus.

· So do you want to come, then come on.

And if I think I’ve come, how would I know?

· Do you fellowship with Christ?

· Do you share Christ with the world?

· Have you left the old kingdom and are you on mission in the new one?

IF NOT, THEN COME ON!

Just as Jesus said, and we saw this morning:

Mark 1:15 “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

That’s it!

We’ll look at the next two realities next time.