can focus in talking and listening to God’s voice.
My end up with popularity from the people than to seek
Prayer is the busiest work of all duty. brothers, do you have a special place where you can God as His priority for the salvation of humankind. INTRODUCTION always meet God? I don’t know where is your solitary Jesus might get the crown from people without the place to meet God? It may be at the corner of church, cross and acceptance without the suffering. Prayer is PRAYER is the not the preparation of the work, it is or at Jubilee’s prayer garden? Or may be at your a must for Christ, for Christ prayer is not the the work! Have you ever wonder why Jesus need to personal bedroom? And how God wish to see that you preparation for the work, but it is the work that must pray, while busy doing His ministry on earth? I special solitary and quiet place will strengthen your be done before any things else He does in His ministry. remember one of my busy day in doing City Hope faith in God through prayer and that lonely place is impact in Valencia city two months ago (August) with not a place of abomination of sin (sin and pray, pray the nursing students. The activity was initiated by the and sin). One thing, I have remembered from our Brothers! I know from now and then, we will serve our MS. Our group was assigned around Roy Plaza to beloved professor said to us during in the class of God in the field. And I also have experienced that the distribute tracts, exchange fruits with Cigarette, offer systematic theology, “How many times do we not work of our ministry will keep us busy. And we tempt to free BP checkup. We met one of Muslim family, they commit sin when we are alone? In other words, how focus on the work rather than the God of the work. sold second-hand clothes. When they saw us, they look many times do we refrain from sinning when we are APPLY: at us such a dangerous stranger, but when introduced alone? Friends, May each one of us be like Jesus when As we read Mark 1:35, we know well about ourselves to them and told them we are here to give we are alone in the lonely pace. There, Jesus was Jesus’ teaching and how Jesus shows us the example free BP checkup, one of the Muslim sailor move fast to praying to receive power for His ministry of preaching, what must be our priority in preparing people for His call her family, friends and relatives for free-BP healing and teaching. Anyone must have place where soon return. We must be busy like Christ in praying. checkup. We are become very popular and known to he can be alone with God (Matt. 6:6)—“above all we Jesus is the Man of busy prayer and the same time the people, more and more people wanted us checkup must not neglect secret prayer”—Step to Christ, p. 98. busy in God’s work. Jesus had balance-life in His for them. Because so many people there so we ministry. finished only in that one place, and the more worse in Let us learn more, did Jesus really need of prayer as Imagine from 3:00 to 6:00 is the time for that day was we forget to pray for the work and the for His priority in the ministry? people to sleep but Christ spends this precious time to people that we were reaching for Christ. PROVE: pray. I can imagine that at the Sabbath sunset, people Mark presented Jesus as the One who was started to bring Him all who were ill, demon- For Jesus, prayer is the first duty, the way of life, the busy doing God’s work. We can see the busy events of possessed, and the people of the whole city were at breath to the soul. Compare to the busy work, for Jesus in His early ministry in all Galilee. Jesus was the door’s house of Peter (v 32-33). We can feel how Jesus, prayer is must be the busy work! preaching the gospel of God (v14), Jesus was walking busy the Lord is…! The Bible says sunset and we don’t Open your Bible to the book of Mark 1:35 and calling His first disciple (v 16-20), Jesus was know how many hours left for Jesus to go to “In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got teaching in the Synagogue on the Sabbath (v21-20), sleep…and even busy, tired, late at night in doing God’s up, left the house, and went away to a secluded and finally, Jesus was healing many people and casing work but Jesus always keep his priority time to meet (solitary) place, and was praying there”. Let me ask out many demons (v31-34). All of these events were God and seek God through His prayer personally. you question “What was Jesus doing in the early telling us how busy Jesus is! in doing God’s ministry. As Through the prayer all the living sources and power morning at the solitary place?”—Jesus was praying. the son of God, Jesus considers Himself nothing (Jn from God will strengthen His preaching, healing and Let us pray! 5:19). According to Desire Ages p. 143, EGW wrote teaching ministry on earth. “the marvelous works Christ did were accomplished by Doing God’s work is the life-and-death EXPLAIN: the Father’s power”, even the word he spoke were matter which we need to depend on God alone In His busy activities of the day, Jesus was given by the father (Jn 8:28). At the center of Jesus’ through the power of prayer. If we want life-changing busy also in prayer. Prayer was always be a personal, busy ministry Mark the author, see Jesus as the Man ministry with Jesus, we must make our prayer’s life to priority and privacy for Christ to commune with God. of prayer. Without prayer with God, Jesus will be be disciplined. We must seek priority to meet Christ In this context, we know that the beginnings of Jesus’s tempted to use His own power to do the ministry. rather to work without Christ in the ministry. Do not ministry, He had a very busy schedule in teaching, Friends! Jesus learned to depend His ministry on God let the busy work steal our time with Jesus, we need to healing and preaching. But one thing above all things who the one direct His plan, will and His purpose. And renew our strength each day with God. Praying is the for Christ is that He never forgets to pray. The Bible Jesus left us His example how His work is to be done! breath of the soul, if our soul dies—our ministry will says in Mark 1: 35 “In the early morning, while it was For the ministry to be successful and effective is only die (no fruits) as well. So, if, the Son of God needed to still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away when we learn to depend on God alone, who is the pray, how much more we are His servants need to to a secluded place, and was praying there”. source and strength of our ministry. If we neglect of pray. When it comes to prayer, time is important. prayer to God it means that commit sin of self- CONCLUSION: Early in the morning before any agendas in life of the dependence. We use our own energy and power to When I read this text of Mark 1: 35” In the day Jesus went to meet God in prayer. How often do work for God than letting God’s power to use us in early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left you pray my friends? Many of us are always busy in the ministry. Let us learn to trust and depend on God the house, and went away to a secluded place, and our daily works, especially in the Lord’s work and we through prayer like Jesus. Like many of the people said was praying there”, now I start to realize the words end up our day without any strength from God…but “more prayer, more power”. spoken by pastor Adil during the class introduction to look! Jesus our God how busy He is! He was still Throughout the chapter One of Mark we mission, he said, “If any students were telling him praying. Because without living connection with the see the Satan (v13), a man with an unclean spirit about themselves that, they are very busy in the Father, His source of strength in preaching, healing and (v23), sickness and demon-possessed (v32), Jesus is Lord’s work”, one question comes into his mind is “ is teaching all be in vain. Here the word “was praying” is aware all of these problems that He needs the this student still praying?” Friends! We are like those in the imperfect tense—it means that ongoing action presence and the power of God in order to overcome students who always like to do God’s work and wanted in the past, Jesus was spending His time continually them in the ministry. to show off the work that we have been done for the throughout early in the morning hours to pray. Here, After praying of Jesus in v 36 “Simon and his Lord. Busy in doing God’s work is not wrong but the the Bible says “It was still dark”, in this context, Mark companions searched for Him” and in v 37 they found first thing we need to do is to balance our ministry means that the last watch of the night from 3:00 to Him, they said to Jesus, "Everyone is looking for You” with prayer. We must seek God and spend time with 6:00 A.M. Oh, how Jesus in need of God in His ministry and can see in the same story was recorded in Luke God in order to receive power for that busy work. on earth. If Jesus is in need of God through prayer, 4:42 “the crowds were searching for Him, and came to Remember without Christ we can’t do nothing (John how much more about us are in need of Him to Him and tried to keep Him from going away from 15:5). Remember Christ is our example in the ministry empower us to live and do His ministry. We have been them”. In this time, Jesus became very popular even and His preaching, healing and teaching is very given clear instruction, when to pray—before we rise more (v28), the disciples wanted to bring Jesus back powerful. The question come to our mind, where does in the morning “the very first outbreathing of the soul home for continuing the work of miracle. They seemed this power come from? It comes from the living in the morning should be for the presence of Jesus” to think that Jesus might waist the time to again connecting with God through His prayer. (my life today, p.15) popularity and win more followers. But Jesus cares Brothers! Let us get up like Christ to pray Not only time is important but also the about personal relationship with God than the and let us wake up from our sinning of self- place. So, where did Jesus pray? Bible says, “Jesus popularity. And the following verse 38 Jesus said to dependence in God’s ministry and go to our special went away to a solitary/lonely place”. Jesus does not them, "Let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby, place to seek Christ in prayer as our priority, Because only need time to meet God but He also needs a so that I may preach there also; for that is what I came Christ will give us His presence and power in the special place to talk with God. A place which is a way for." Though this text, we can see that Jesus always ministry of serving Him. Let us, indeed, pray. This is my from the busy noise and distraction, a place that He seeks priority than popularity. Jesus ministry might prayer, Amen. Text : Mark 1:35 In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there (NASB). Pericope : Mark 1:14-39 Subject : What was Jesus doing early in the morning at the solitary place? Complement : Jesus was praying Idea : Jesus was praying in the early morning at the solitary place Homiletical idea: The only source of strength for Jesus in doing the ministry is prayer Context : Jesus’ busy ministry in Galilee. During Sabbath morning was teaching in the synagogue, at Simon’s house at the day and also healing Simon’s mother-in- law, healing the sick and casting out demons at the door after sunset, and finally went out from the house to pray in the early morning at the solitary place. KIAS : At the end of the sermon, I want my hearers to live a balanced-life ministry with God through prayer. Even though they are busy in doing God’s work and also busy in prayer as their priority time with God for the power of the ministry and the presence of Christ in the ministry.