Hi, my name is McKenna Kipperman. I'm in seventh grade and I go to the Venetian middle school. After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee proclaiming the good news of God. The time has come, he said. The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news. As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake. For they were fishermen. Come follow me, Jesus said, and I will send you out to fish for people. At once they left their nets and followed him. When he had gone a little farther, he saw James, son of Zebedee, and his brother John in a boat preparing their nets. Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him. They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. I know you who you are, the Holy One of God. Be quiet, said Jesus sternly. Come out of him. The impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek. The people were also amazed that they asked each other, What is this? A new teaching and with authority. He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him. News about him spread quickly over the region of Galilee. This is the word of the Lord.

Good job. Good job, bro. Thank you. All right. So that's our scripture for the day. We got a lot of work to do. If you're with us and you're newer, um, we are in the Gospel of Mark and we're just doing this verse by verse. We uh teach the Bible around here and we do it expositorily, which means we spend and take a lot of time just going like piece by piece. That was loud, sorry, um, through uh scripture. So we just started recently, we're still in chapter one. Uh, this is a treat because last week I did like three verses. Today we're gonna do many, many more. So you're gonna cruise right along. And really, so far, what we've met is we've met a guy named John the Baptist. And then last week we saw where Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist and then was sent out into the wilderness, and then it's just coming back. Um, a few uh months back, uh, I was standing in the safe way. I was standing in the safeway line, actually. This is a place where joy goes to wait, and the vibe was totally normal. Um one guy's like arguing with a self-checkout uh machine, like an owed of money, right? Then there was a mom there and she's like negotiating with a toddler, like it's a hostage situation. And then there was like a man buying exactly one banana, and I'm just like, okay. Like everything felt normal and routine, right? And then all of a sudden, uh someone behind me gasped, like not loud, but like loud enough that everybody that was in line pivoted like synchronized swimmers, you know, like what's what's going on? You could feel the tension in that moment like ripple through strangers. Why? Um, because it's moments like that that remind us like things can shift instantly. Uh, reality has hinges, rooms turn, lives can pivot so quickly. And sometimes the deepest moments don't arrive with trumpets, they slip in like through side doors. And what's crazy is how quickly your whole body knows something has shifted before a lot of times your brain even does. Like your heart begins to beat differently, your stomach can drop. It's like your soul grabs your shoulders and whispers, like, pay attention. And here's the truth uh the most life-changing moments don't announce themselves. You ever had that happen to you where they just ambush you? They interrupt you, they catch you mid-scroll, they crash your regularly scheduled program. And this is the kind of moment that Mark's describing today in these verses 14 through 28. It's not fireworks or special effects, it's it's not theatrical, it's deeper. It's actually quieter, like the bass that you feel before you hear it. A few years ago back, I was also just sitting in an airport gate waiting for a delayed flight, which is basically what airports are for. Um, and everything was normal, right? Uh people scrolling, yawning, eating$19 snacks. And then suddenly, like without any kind of warning, everyone just went silent. Like it was crazy. Everyone. No announcement, no alarms, just like a shift. The air itself had changed weight. And then a moment later, a group of soldiers walked through the terminal and someone whispered, like, they're coming home. And nobody told people to stand, no one told them to pause. The whole room just knew, like, honor had walked in, presence had walked in, a moment walked in. And that's our scripture today. A moment when Jesus walks into a room and the atmosphere just sits up straight. And yet Mark doesn't begin with the moment. I think he begins with a sentence that hits us like a punch to the ribs. It starts out like this after John the Baptist was arrested. Now that's how life can fall apart, and it's how quickly life can fall apart. One sentence, right? One phone call, one diagnosis, one job loss, one betrayal, one breakup, one unexpected bill, one moment that makes you think, what just happened? And John, this fiery prophet, the baptizer, this voice that was crying out in the wilderness, is now in prison, silenced. Like we see he's caged, cut off, or canceled, which means the whole world still feels uh unsafe, unjust, or unpredictable, where Rome in this time still ruled, Herod uh still spiraled, and fear still reigned, and truth was still dangerous enough to get you arrested. And it's into that world, not a peaceful, organized, spiritual one, this spiritually warm one, that Jesus actually steps in. Not once Israel had gotten us act together, not once John had been released, not once you know the spiritual climate improves. Jesus steps in while everything is falling apart. And I'm gonna tell you right now, that's good news for anyone who thinks God waits for your life to be ready before he shows up because he doesn't. Jesus actually brings his ministry right into the middle of heartbreak, disappointment, political tension, like just overexhaustion and unfulfilled expectations. Look at the next line. So right off the bat, what we need to know is Galilee. This is a place that wasn't impressive. Like it wasn't prestigious, it wasn't elite, it wasn't, it was actually probably the place that a lot of people joked about. If Judea was this major city in the region, Galilee was like the off-ramp that no one um brags about visiting. Like, think of the place that only has like one diner with a billboard that says voted number three fish sandwich in the region out of three, right? And that is where Jesus began the revolution of heaven. Like he starts in the margins, and he always has. And frankly, friends, I think he always will. He begins with a line that still shakes the universe. He says, The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the gospel. So let's just slow down real quick because every phrase is loaded here. This first one, the time is fulfilled. See, Jesus isn't talking about like the clock. Uh, he isn't thinking like your schedule. He uses a word here, it's called kairos. It's divine timing, like God's moment. This is heaven's window, meaning this is the moment heaven has been orchestrating. It's the hinge point, it's the doorway. And some of you, I think, maybe are even sitting in a kairos moment right now, and you don't even know it yet. The kingdom of God has come near. This next line right here. That what that is not far, not someday, not after you fix your issues, not once you know you get spiritual, no, near, like close enough to brush against you, close enough to interrupt you, close enough to transform you, like it's here, it's close, it's beside you, it's touching your timeline. You know what he meant? He meant it's near your fear, uh near your confusion, near your mental health battles, near your relational mess, near your heartbreak, near your loneliness. And Jesus isn't just pointing at a distant horizon, he's pointing at himself. The kingdom isn't a place, it's a presence. And then right after that, Jesus gives two commands. This first one, repent, he says. Like not feel terrible about yourself, not perform and impress and perfect. Repent means to change your mind and then to change your direction, to stop walking towards your current uh destination or your destruction and towards the one who already is turning toward you. And repentance isn't punishment. Oftentimes we can think it is, it's actually liberation. It's the moment you stop uh cooperating with things that are actually killing you. The second then he's thing he says is, and believe the good news or the gospel. Before the good news, this was tough. Uh believe the good news. And so we can sit there and be like, well, what's good news? Well, I'll tell you what it's not. It's not um the anxious news that's in your head. It's not the condemning news from your past, it's not the impossible standards that um you've set for yourself. And then believe that Jesus is who he says he is, believe he is near, believe he is good, and believe that he actually came for you. And so then now the story shifts. And Jesus goes for a walk because God does eternally significant things in just these casually ordinary moments. Says then he's passing alongside the Sea of Galilee. He saw Simon, who's known as Peter, and Andrew. These guys aren't at a revival service. Uh, they're not praying, they're not fasting, they're not seeking, they're working, right? Been there? Mid shift, mid-smell like fish, mid-ordinary life. Like they're doing what they do every day: throwing nets, casting nets, cleaning nets, repairing nets, arguing who forgot lunch. And Jesus steps into their Tuesday with a sentence that remakes the world. He says, Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men. Not a suggestion. This isn't like a spiritual TED talk. This is a calling, a formation, a promise. I will make you become. In other words, you don't have to be ready. I'm ready. You don't have to have what it takes. I do. Just follow me. And becoming will happen along the way. Some of you are exhausted because you've been trying to become without following. You're trying to transform yourself through effort when Jesus transforms through proximity. I will make you become. Funny enough, I actually just got that tattooed on my arm in Italy with some friends. You're not supposed to know everything yet. Um you're not behind. You're not late. You're not failing. You are becoming. And then scripture drops this line. Immediately they left their nets and followed him. Immediately. What a word. And he uses this so many times. It's without answers, like uh doesn't have all the answers yet, without a plan, uh, without a spreadsheet, without the five-year trajectory, what this looks like. And it's important to note that their nets were actually their income. Uh, this was their identity, this was their inheritance, it's their stability. And they drop them. They don't follow Jesus because they understood him, they followed him because his voice carried authority. And then Jesus sees James and John. Says when he had gone a little further, he saw James, son of Zebedee, and his brother John in a boat, preparing the nets. And without delay, he called them, and he they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him. See, Jesus builds his team from the shoreline, not from the synagogue, like the church. That's what the synagogue was. And he picks people who didn't pick themselves. People with rough hands, people who weren't impressive, people who were not spiritually polished necessarily, people whose greatest qualification was obedience and availability. And if you've ever felt unqualified, congratulations, my friends, because you are exactly the material Jesus builds with. Then the scene shifts. Jesus now walks into the synagogue on Sabbath, which is this day of rest. And again, he's walking kind of into this church space. You know, people are in their normal seats, the predictable rhythm is unfolding, just like a Sunday morning. And then Mark writes, they went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. The people were amazed at his teaching because he taught them as one who had authority. Okay, so picture this scene. The room is full. People are worshiping, kids are whispering, people sitting in the same old seats because that's what good church people do. I see all of you in the same exact spots. Everyone expecting just a normal Sabbath, right? And Jesus speaks and the room goes still, not with fear, but from weight. Like every word lands with gravity, every sentence carries warmth, clarity, and depth. And you gotta know the truth just hits different when it's spoken by the one who invented it, right? But right when the atmosphere is full of wonder, everything explodes. Because the scripture says, and then just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out. Okay, so just pause, parenthetic for a bit. This is why um church cannot just be a place of comfort because the kingdom confronts what's hides. I mean, like, imagine the shock. Like I'm mid-sermon, let's just say, or just we're all mid-normal, and a man jumps up screaming, saying, What do you want with us? Which all already you're like, whoa, whoa, wait, what's us? Jesus of Nazareth, so he knows exactly who he is. Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God. Now notice this the demon has better theology than half the room. It recognizes Jesus, it fears Jesus, and it obeys Jesus. And Jesus responds with simple authority. He says, Be quiet. Sternly. Come out of him. Not this ritual, not some special chant, not theatrics, just a king giving a command and darkness obeys. Says that the impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek. Essentially, the demon throws the man down, screams, and leaves, and then scripture ends the moment like this. People were so amazed that they asked each other, What is this? A new teaching and with authority? He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey. Some translations even give us uh a little bit more breath to that, if we go back to it real quick. Um, instead of just we're so amazed, they use a bigger word called astonished. And then Mark concludes, he says, News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee. So just step back into that room for just a moment. The man is free, the room is stunned, every eye, I think, is just darting between like Jesus and the man who just seconds earlier was screaming with a voice that didn't sound human. And in that holy silence, truth settles in. That Jesus isn't just another teacher, Jesus is the collision point between heaven and hell. They didn't just see a miracle, they saw a collision, two kingdoms crashing into each other and only one surviving. They saw that darkness is loud, but it is not strong, that it has a voice, but it does not have authority, that it can occupy a man, but it cannot stand in the presence of Jesus. And think about that. This entire drama unfolds in a synagogue, a church service, not in a cemetery, not in like a spooky forest or a haunted mansion. It's in a worship gathering where people came expecting normal. That's the kingdom. It doesn't wait for spiritual moments. It breaks into the most routine places of your life. Your apartment, your car, your anxiety, your friend group, your history, your trauma, your questions, your Sunday morning where you dragged yourself here wondering if God could still speak to you. The kingdom doesn't knock politely, it walks in and it sits down. And Jesus still does in this room what he did in Galilee. He announces the kingdom, he calls ordinary people, he teaches with authority, and friends, he breaks chains. And this is what happens when heaven puts its foot down on earth, and this is what Mark wants you to feel that when Jesus walks into a room, the deepest realities shift. Because if Jesus can do That in a synagogue 2,000 years ago, he can do it in this room. Right now. I think that overall, this passage teaches us four things about the kingdom and four things about your life, my life. Because Mark is doing more here than telling just a story. He's revealing the pattern of how Jesus moves. So first, Jesus starts where things are breaking. Mark could have said, after John finished his ministry, a nicer way to put it, or after things settled down, or after people repented. But instead he starts the section with, after John was arrested. The beginning of Jesus' ministry is birthed out of disappointment. The last great voice goes silent, and the true greater voice walks in. The message, what feels like the end to you, might actually be the beginning to God. Some of you know exactly what that feels like. You are in a season where things are fragile, your mental health, your finances, your relationships, your confidence, your purpose, your faith. And you keep thinking God will move once this stabilizes. But Jesus moves in instability. He always has. God isn't waiting for you to get out of your John was arrested season. Friends, he is walking into it. And where you see a fracture, I'm telling you, he sees foundation. Where you see ending, he sees openings. The second thing I think we can learn about him and us is Jesus calls you while you were still in your routine. Simon and Andrew, or Peter and Andrew, weren't at a worship night. They weren't at a retreat. They weren't in some holy moment. They were knee deep in water, holding nets, probably annoyed about how small the morning catch was. In other words, they were living their Tuesday. And Jesus calls them right there, says, Follow me, and I will make you become. Why? Because every message that you hear is figure your life out, build your brand, pick a path, decide who you will be forever. And Jesus says, you don't need to know the whole story, you just need to know about the author. And some of you are exhausted because you're trying to write your destiny, and Jesus is inviting you to follow him and discover it. He doesn't need you to be wise. He just needs you to be willing. He doesn't need you to have vision. He has enough for both of you. And he doesn't need your plan. And that's why they drop their nets. Not because they were impulsive, but because his voice carried a future that their nets couldn't hold. The third thing is Jesus teaches with authority that cuts through the noise. See, when Jesus begins teaching, the text says that people were astonished or so amazed, that's not impressed, not entertained, not like that was uh an interesting thought. Thank you for that. Right? Astonished, meaning like shaken, disrupted, awakened. Because Jesus' authority doesn't sound like human authority. It sounds like truth that remembers who you were before pain taught you otherwise. It sounds like freedom that remembers you underneath the you that life broke. It sounds like love that names you before shame that tried to rename you. And I want to tell you, everyone that I have ever pastored, I think right now, is carrying more noise in their mind than previous generations can bind. I'm behind, I'm not enough, I should be further along. No one sees me. I don't know who I am. I don't know what I'm doing. I don't know what God wants from me. I don't know my calling. I don't know if I messed everything up. I don't know. I don't know. And this isn't just your kids you're talking to. This is us. And Jesus speaks into that storm and says, peace, be still. Not shame to you, but to recenter you. And his authority is not intimidating, but it's anchoring. It's like hearing the one voice in the room that finally tells truth. Lastly, the fourth thing is Jesus confronts what you can't carry anymore. Here's the part of the story that hits deep. The demon-possessed man didn't run into the synagogue from outside. He was already inside. Meaning, it is possible to sit in church for years with something tormenting you and no one knows. Depression can sit beside you in worship. Shame can sit beside you in your Bible study. Anxiety can sit beside you during communion. Addiction can sit beside you while leading a small group. Trauma can sit beside you while you sit beside God. But when Jesus walks in, what's hiding can't hide anymore. And that's not judgment, friends, that's mercy. Notice something beautiful. Jesus doesn't yell at the man, he yells at the demon. He separates the person from the problem. He doesn't confuse your struggle with your identity. He doesn't confuse your addiction with your worth. He doesn't confuse your trauma with your calling. Jesus sees the real you that the darkness has been disguising. And then he commands it, be silent and come out. Those are the two things the enemy hates the most, losing its voice in your life and its grip on your life. And Jesus gives both commands in one breath. Because what torments you doesn't get to have the final say. The demon then throws a tantrum, screams, convulses the man, but it comes out. Meaning freedom can be messy before it's beautiful. It rarely does. Sometimes it looks like tears. It looks like awkward honesty. It looks like shaking. Like confessing something you've hidden for 10 years. Like breaking the cycle that you've been numbing with entertainment. Like stepping away from the relationship that is undoing you. Sometimes it looks like ending the pattern that's been draining your soul. Friends, freedom is not neat, but it is real. And the people watching don't say, Wow, what a display of supernatural chaos, right? No, they say a new teaching with authority. In other words, Jesus doesn't have information, Jesus also has jurisdiction. He's not just someone who can explain scripture, he is someone who can enforce it. And then Mark ends this section with, and at once his fame spread everywhere. Not because Jesus was trying to go viral, not because he was building influence, or because this was the big PR campaign, but because once you see Jesus break chains, you can't keep it to yourself. You walk home different. You walk into work different. You walk into conversations different. Because once the kingdom breaks into your room, you start believing it can break into somebody else's too. So what does this all mean for us here now? In this room, in your story. It means your John was arrested season is not the end of the story. It may be the beginning of your calling. It means Jesus is walking into your Galilee, your ordinary, you're overlooked, you're unglamorous, and literally declaring a kingdom moment. It means his voice is speaking through your noise, not with guilt, but with gravity. It means whatever darkness has been stalking you, whatever shame has been narrating you, whatever fear has been following you home does not get to stay when Jesus speaks. It means you might be standing on the shoreline of your life holding nets that feel safe. The net of control, the net of predictability, the net of performing for approval, the net of self-protection, the net of I don't want to be disappointed again, the net of spiritual numbness or the net of fear disguised as wisdom, the net of shame disguised as humility. And Jesus is looking right at you saying, follow me. Not follow perfection, not follow performance, not follow pressure, follow me. I will make you become not instantly, not painlessly, but faithfully. And some of you need to hear this clearly. Jesus is not asking you for what you don't have, he's asking you for what you're holding, your nets, your fears, your excuses, your need for control, your carefully curated image, your low-key addictions, your hidden loneliness, your unspoken insecurities, your unprocessed grief, your bruised self-worth, and to put them at his feet and watch friends what he builds. Because the kingdom is not far, the kingdom is near, and the king is in the room. And this is your Kairos moment. A divine interruption, a turning point, a shoreline, a synagogue moment, a holy collision, and the invitation has not changed. Repent, turn toward me, believe, and trust the good news, and follow. Step into becoming. Would you pray with me? Father, I just want to thank you for your gentleness, your kindness, your peace, the joy that you bring, the comfort that you bring, and the courage that you will give many of us in this moment to again repent, believe, and to follow. Give us the courage and the faith to let go whatever is holding on to us that's not of you, and to let you have it all. Father, I believe you are in the room. And would your Holy Spirit just minister to my friends, this faith community, in the way you deem appropriate in this moment? And would we welcome it with open arms in your holy son's name? Amen. Amen.