Mark 1:35-45 "Time to Get Moving." with Pastor Michael Petit of Calvary Chapel Devine, Texas.

  ​What happens to the body when it just sits? The combination of no exercise and a sedentary lifestyle significantly increases your risk of developing heart issues (high blood pressure and heart attack), cognitive brain issues (even alters the brain chemicals), kills the joints and muscles and finally gives you a higher risk of cancer. All from not moving and exercising. Our relationship with Jesus, requires movement as well. Faith is verb and requires action. In Mark 1:35-45 we see three areas of movement. One we Jesus moved to pray, Second Jesus moved to compassion and finally the healed leper moved to share Jesus.
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First, are moved to Prayer? We see two distinct things in 
 
Mark 1:35 And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.
 
Jesus was served in ministry the day before until late into the evening as he poured out Jesus knew how to be refilled for the next day. Jesus wakes early in the morning and prays. Jesus was not too busy to spend time with God the father. Remember Jesus Fully God and Fully Man would get tired and hungry just like you. Yet Jesus set time in the early morning meaning sometime between 3am to 6am to pray. Do you have a busy life? A life too busy for pray. Do you tell people I will pray for you and never pray? Sadly, we will find time for the things we think are important and priority in our day. Maybe binge watching a series on Netflix, getting up early to hit the coast to go fish, or even ministry has you to busy. If it was important for Jesus to pray and hear from the father, it should be important to us. Jesus also went to desolate place so turn-off the phone or the music and have a two-way conversation with the Lord. Try listening more than talking.
 
“Don’t pray when you feel like it. Have an appointment with the Lord and keep it. A man is powerful on his knees.”
 Corrie Ten Boom
 
Second, we see Jesus moved to compassion by a man that was in the advanced stage of leprosy. I was reading the law during the time would require a leper to sleep outside the camp or city. If he came near people he would have to cry out “unclean, unclean”. It was said they had to cover their mouth and kept six feet from people. Sounds familiar, right. Unfortunately, we see a form of this today with COVID but that is another thing altogether. Jesus was moved with compassion.
 
Mark 1:41 NKJV
Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.”
 
Jesus just did not just heal this man but touched him. The leper could not receive a hug or a kiss cause of the law. Jesus moved with compassion touched him. It still breaks my heart today to know we loss family, friends, and co-workers to COVID and the family member never got that last touch. Getting to hold the hand of loved one or one last kiss goodbye.  As a Pastor we wanted to come listen, hold a hand and pray with our church family, yet the government would not allow it. It still breaks my heart. We should be moved to compassion just like Christ. We have so many people that may feel like outcast of society, maybe struggling fear to go out into public, or those still sick needing help. We should be moved to compassion to bring a meal or just an ear to listen, bring comfort and pray with them. Would you be moved to compassion to help, bring a meal or to hold a hand and pray?
 
And lastly, we read about the healed leper moved to share Jesus with everyone. Jesus gives the healed leper strict instructions to show himself to the priest and offer those things Moses Commanded.
 
Mark 1:43-44 And He strictly warned him and sent him away at once, [44] and said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing those things which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”
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You can imagine the priest freaking out as they are looking at this healed leper. It was not common. You can imagine them thinking I remember the story of Naaman the Syrian, but what is healing offering for this? It just was not common, this was big.
 
 Luke 4:27 And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian."
 
Yet the healed leper could not contain the joy of being touched and healed by Jesus. He wants to tell everyone, and he does.
 
Mark 1:45 However, he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the matter, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter the city, but was outside in deserted places; and they came to Him from every direction.
 
This man was touched and healed by Jesus and he is moved to share Jesus with everyone. Yet we are commanded to share Jesus and we do not. Why? Are excited about sharing Christ like the healed leper? I know when I reflect on January 11, 2009 when Jesus saved me, it brings tears to my eyes. I was broken yet Jesus loved me, forgave me and now I am child of God and an ambassador of Christ. That still excites me.
 
Matthew 28:19-20 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [20] teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
 
"The Lord told him not to tell anybody and he told everybody. He tells us to tell everybody, and we tell nobody." J. Vernon McGee
 
Do you remember the excitement of what Jesus did in your life, what did Jesus’ touch in your life and heal? Maybe Jesus healed you of an illness like Cancer, Covid or Autoimmune disease. Do you tell people about Jesus? Maybe Jesus touched your life and freed and healed you of Pornography, Alcohol, Drugs, Unforgiveness, Anger or others. Do you share that with people? We need to see the church moved to share Jesus with everyone. It was not a suggestion but a command. So, have you become stagnant and stopped moving in your walk with the Lord? Our relationship with Jesus requires movement daily. We need to spiritually exercise being moved to prayer and be in the word daily, being moved to compassion to help others and moved to share Jesus with everyone.
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God Bless
Pastor Michael