Timestamp

• 00:00 - Livestream starts & Introduction

• 07:20 - Message: Who Encourages You to Do Stuff that Scares You?

• 33:53 - Worship Intro

• 38:52 - Worship: I will exalt

• 43:51- Thoughts for those heading off to uni or who had just had their exam results.

• 51:27 - Catch Up

• 56:14 - Final Thoughts and Close

Where we are up to?

We’ve been working our way through Mark’s Gospel - and really this book is a Chronicle of the earthly life of Jesus, and it hones in specifically on that part towards the end of His life. And we've been following the story - the journey that Jesus has been on, the journey that the disciples have been on and the journey that everyone else has been on.

And so far, it has been an amazing story. It has its lows, sure, and it has it’s highs. We’ve regularly seen the miraculous, we’ve seen Jesus transforming lives, setting people free. We've been privy to some very private conversations that Jesus had with folks including prayers and conversations between Jesus and the Father.

It’s been incredible and exciting and educational. It's been challenging but also filled with compassion. But now we come to a really interesting turning point in the story.

We are starting to head into the final week of Jesus’ life. They are leaving their home town for the last time, and they are going to start towards Jerusalem. It’s a pretty long journey that they are going to take. So let’s read about this turning point.

Jesus and his disciples were on the road that went up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was leading them forward. The disciples were filled with wonder and amazement at his bravery, but those following along with them were very afraid. As they approached the city, he took the Twelve aside privately and told them what was going to happen. “I want you to know that we are going to Jerusalem, where the Son of Man will be handed over to the ruling priests and 

So there are a few things that I want to draw out of this passage.

1. The journey with Jesus is not always safe. We read that right at the start...those following along were very afraid. It’s not always safe...which leads me to my next point, a question that arises in my head when I read this...

2. Who encourages you to do stuff that scares you? And this is a really important question - one that we will get into a lot today.

3. Confront the brutal facts...but I want to add a little twist to that…but we will get to that in a little while...

The journey with Jesus is not always safe

Jesus and his disciples were on the road that went up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was leading them forward. The disciples were filled with wonder and amazement at his bravery, but those following along with them were very afraid. Why were they afraid? What was it that was scaring them? Well, one of the things that we have seen in Mark is that Religious leaders at the time would often confront Jesus, and try and trick Him. This wasn’t always pleasant for disciples. But, in some respects, it was manageable. No one really likes confrontation, but if it’s manageable, we do it. 

And one of the things that made it manageable was the fact that these confrontations often occurred in the small towns and villages…where very few people importance lived.

But now they are on the way to Jerusalem. And that’s a whole different ball game. And the disciples recognise that they are going to be confronting a whole different level of aristocracy. It’s like they are going from the minor league to the major league, or as we would say in the UK, going from the championship league to the premier league. 

On top of that, there was a belief at the time, a tradition if you like, that there would be a terrible war preceding the final establishing of the Messiah’s Kingdom in which the aristocracy in Jerusalem could prove to be as evil as the Romans.

They believed that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah and they believed that He would establish a new Kingdom as a result of being on earth. 

So there is going to be confrontation, between good and evil and even the people that belong to their own tribe could turn on them. And on top of that we have the Roman Garrison to contend with - and they weren’t known for their compassion.

So they were afraid, and understandably so. 

When we journey with Christ, He can often lead us to places that are scary. And that’s OK and it’s right.

To quote Rocky, that well known sage, “The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows, it’s a mean and nasty place”. And it is. And Jesus doesn’t take us out of it.

He puts us right smack into the middle of it. 

He might send us to places that are dangerous. He might call us to places that are not safe. And that’s OK. Safe is not a sign of the blessing of God. Don't get me wrong - this is not a license to be reckless. God is not a reckless God. But there is a strong chance that life will not always be safe, it will not always be comfortable - and you know that? That’s OK! 

And it’s OK because He is with us in the midst of it all. The irony being, of course, that this makes it the safest place to to be! 

Shakleton’s ad

There is a story surrounding the famous explore Ernest Shackleton. He’s a bit of a hero of mine, and he needed some men to join him on an expedition- so an advert appeared in the newspaper - it read:

Men wanted for hazardous journey. Low wages, bitter cold, long hours of complete darkness. Safe return doubtful. Honor and recognition in event of success.

If you are new to Christianity - let me tell you that the call to be a Christ Follower could follow the same idea. And I wonder if Shackleton got the idea for the copy from this piece of Scripture? It follows the same outline.

We are going on a journey - there is a mission. It’s going to be dangerous and stuff may well happen. But the rewards are something else.

Jesus is taking the disciples to Jerusalem. It’s a dangerous place for them to go, and they know it. Then Jesus starts talking about being tortured and killed. It’s gonna kick off. It’s gonna get dark. But you know what? The rewards are something else, because three days later he will rise again - which literally changes everything.

Can I just say to you watching this - if life is safe and predictable, if it has become routine and the adventure is missing, if you have moved from the city to the suburbs maybe literally maybe metaphorically, then maybe, just maybe we need a bit of Shakleton thinking? Because the Jesus we follow likes to mix things up every now and then.

I think Christianity is a dangerous adventure. And if you are new to the Christian Faith, if you are new to the very idea of the Christian Faith, then let me tell you - it is the greatest thing in the world, but it is going to take bravery and it is going to take courage from you. Are you up for it?

“The disciples were filled with wonder and amazement”

There are some intense emotions going of for the disciples right now. These are grown men, logical men. Practical men. They’ve seen some amazing things in the last few years. Yet, at this specific point in time they were also afraid. But at the same time as being afraid, they were filled with wonder and amazement.

And that’s a really interesting juxtaposition to be in - and one we can often find ourselves in as Christians. The adventure may be dangerous, but at the same time you are filled with wonder and amazement. And this is the healthy balance when it comes to doing stuff that scares you.

You can’t just have the emotion of fear. I don’t think that is a healthy place to be at all. And, if I am honest, it doesn’t make sense. Yet - I know that I can be scared, and be in situations that are well out of my comfort zone and still be in awe and wonder and amazement of Christ, for what He has done and what He is still doing in my life and in the world around me.

Essential to being able to go places that scare you for the sake of His Kingdom is the corresponding awe and wonder of Him.You should never separate the two. Which is why it is so important that we have people in our lives who encourages to do the stuff that scares us.

And one of the ways they encourage, is to make sure that we are in awe and wonder of Him!

Who encourages you to do stuff that scares you?

Let’s define this a little - what does encouragement mean? When you encourage someone, you give him or her the courage or confidence to do something. Encouragement is about building courage. It’s about bravery. It’s about confidence. 

So who builds courage in you? Who helps you to be brave? To take a risk?

In the Bible, there was a church in Thessalonica - which is in modern-day Greece. They needed courage. They need to brave because it was all kicking off for them. So Paul, one of the guys that started the church, sent a guy called Timothy to do just that. You see, he knew they were struggling so he sent an encourager called Timothy. You can read about it in 1 Thessalonians 3:1-5.

Who is your Timothy?

The church needed someone to encourage them. They needed Timothy. Who is your Timothy? I know if you are Christian watching this - you could say that Christ is your encourager. And He is. And that’s wonderful. But I believe God also sends people into our lives to encourage us. 

Paul didn’t just tell the Thessalonian church to pray more. He sent Timothy. We all need an encourager - even if you are a Christian - someone that encourages you so that you are not shaken by the storms of life - that encourage you to stand and to take ground even when it scares you?

Who is builds courage in you? It’s a great question isn’t it?

Picture them in your mind now. Thank God for them. And if no one comes to mind, ask God to send someone to you. Maybe that’s one of the reasons you are watching this? Connect with what’s going on and be encouraged.

For me there are several people that I immediately think of. 

My mum. She’s always encouraged me. Her methods maybe a little unorthodox for the the modern era - but you know what…they worked. I started to get bullied at school, so mum packed me off to Judo school to learn how to fight and stand up for myself. If I went to Judo competitions, she realised that if I was in my usual, laid back, chilled out mood - I wouldn’t really care. So she would get me angry, she would make it so I cared. And you know what - when she did, I won.

Mum has always been an encourager to me.

I think about my amazing wife - my CEO - my Chief Encouragement Officer. Most of the scariest things I have faced in life, I have had to face since being married. There was marriage itself! I didn’t know if I could do it. I screwed up every relationship before hand, so my track record wasn’t great. Then we started to plan for kids…oh my goodness! I hear a lot of stories from folks about how their Dad wasn't great. I didn’t want to be that Dad. I didn’t want my kids to have to sit in a meeting and talk about how much I screwed their lives up. Then there was setting up my business - and we set that up just after Josh was born, and we had no money and Sharon had stopped working to look after Josh. That was scary. There have been several times on that path where the business has almost gone under, where I had no idea how we would meet payroll that month, where I have had to confront people, I have had to let people go, I have lost good friendships and faced a lot of difficult decisions. I have had to turn down work when I needed the money. I have had to pray when the needle was on empty in the car and didn’t have the cash to put petrol in the tank. 

The journey has been nuts and scary - but in all of that Sharon has been my Chief Encouragement Officer. She has built courage inside of me, courage to keep going, courage to trust God was in it and working and courage to change and grow and develop as a character. 

Sharon is the most encouraging person I know. She tells me to go for it. She prays for me. She’s got my back. 

I think of Tony and Anni Uddin who have had to face difficulties and trials that many of us as spared from. Tony was who I talked to about marriage. He was who I talked to about business. Recently, there were a couple of tricky situations that I was facing. I talked to Tony. He gives me his wisdom and encourages me to go for it. 

Dave Connolly encourages me. John Harding encourages me. I could go on and on - I am incredibly blessed because there are a lot of people around me that encourage me, most of whom I don’t have time to list as we would be here all day.

So who encourages you?

Do what leaders do

More importantly - who do you encourage? Because that is what leaders do. We spend most of our time building courage in others to keep going. 

I think of Moses, one of God’s champions that is talked about a lot in the Old Testament and in the Jewish faith. He was one of God’s leaders…and God tells Moses to encourage and strengthen Joshua - the guy who is fast coming through the ranks to lead God’s people through the next stage of their journey - and Moses’ job is to encourage him. You can read about it in Deuteronomy 3:28.

Who are we encouraging?

Sometimes that’s walking with people through some of the most difficult situations they will face. Often though, it is the small, unseen things.

I think of my friend, Al Marshall…a super encourager. He sends me text messages, as I know he does to many people, just saying that He is praying for me, God is with me and to keep going. It encourages me.

Who are we encouraging? Who are we building courage in? Who are we sending text messages to telling them to keep going?

I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.
— Nelson Mandela

When we encourage someone - we are not trying to hide or disguise the fear - but we are there to help people triumph over it, to help those that feel afraid for whatever reason, to conquer that fear. 

And this leads my nicely to my final point of the day: confronting the brutal facts.

Confront The Brutal Facts.

You must maintain unwavering faith that you can and will prevail in the end, regardless of the difficulties, and at the same time, have the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.

— Jim Collins

In leadership - this is the balance that we must hold - that we can and will prevail, but also confront the reality of where we are at. Churchill was great at this during the war. He had an unwavering faith that is for sure. During some of darkest times, he wrote:

We are resolved to destroy Hitler and every vestige of the Nazi regime. From this, nothing will turn us. Nothing! We will never parley. We will never negotiate with Hitler or any of his gang. We shall fight him by land. We shall fight him by sea. We shall fight him in the air.

— Churchill

So he believed we would prevail, but at the same time - He was fastidious about making sure he was given all the facts, no matter how bad or how dark. And this is important because, according to Collins, one of the single most de-motivating actions you can take is to hold out false hopes, soon to be swept away by events. 

We face the fears, we don’t pretend that there are not there. Nor do we pretend that the consequences are not real.

Let’s look at what Jesus said to the disciples.

Here, Jesus is confronting the brutal facts. He is letting the 12 know what is going to happen. And it’s not pretty. Jesus is going to get tortured and He will be killed. Talk about confronting the brutal facts. In fact, you could say that Jesus is brutal in confronting the facts. There are no holds barred.

And we must be the same. For ourselves when we face things that scare us. And for those that we encourage. We have to be real. We have to confront reality. But at the same time - we need an unwavering faith that we will prevail.

And here’s the amazing thing about Christianity, about our faith in an unwavering God, and about the hope that we have - as bad as it gets, as dark as it is going to get, we can prevail because of the work of Christ.

If you read what Jesus said to the disciples and just leave it there, it feels final. It feels hopeless. He tells them it’s going to get bad, it is going to get dark, it is going to get evil and ultimately, he tells them that he will be killed. That’s dark, really dark. 

But that’s not all that Jesus tells them.

Look at what He says after that:

That’s the hope that we have. As bad as it is going to get - there is resurrection. Even death can’t defeat Christ. He confronted the brutal facts, be He had an unwavering faith that He would prevail, even in the face of death.

And because of that, because He went before us and conquered the grave and defeated death, we can have that hope too.

Now remember that, for the disciples, this hasn’t happened yet - there is only the fear of it happening. They are at the start of the journey - on the road. And it is a scary place to be. The truth is, as we will see in the coming weeks, that it is going to get much much harder for them.

The could turn around now. That’s always a possibility. There will be times that they wished they had turned around I can tell you. But I admire them, because they didn’t.

And this call of God, this journey that we are on, this adventure that we are living will be, at times, a scary road. We are going to have to deal with fear. We are going to have to face them. And we need people along side us, people that will encourage us to keep going, to confront the truth of where we are heading to but at the same time, encourage us and strengthen the unwavering faith in us that we, through his grace, will prevail.

If you are exploring the Christian faith, and think that it is irrelevant for your life today, I hope you can see from the passage today that it couldn’t be more relevant? I hope you can see, how in one short story at the turning point in the story of Christ, there is so much wisdom we can use in our own lives, there is inspiration and encouragement for us?

But if that’s all it was, then the Bible is nothing more than a self-help book full of principles that we can use. But I think it is more than that and I think that there is more to this than that.

It stops being a self-help book when Jesus took this journey and died on the cross. It has to be more than that. It’s about the truth that Jesus came to earth as a man, a God man, to encourage us, to build courage in us, to do do stuff that scares us, to believe in Him, to Hope in Him and follow him on this great adventure and let me tell you He is worth following because he thought that you were worth dying for.