This transcript was generated by whisper.ai.

Welcome to Daily Drive Time Devotions and day three of our look through Mark
chapter one. Yesterday we began looking at the introduction of Jesus in this
first chapter, at the introduction by the prophet Isaiah and the fulfillment of
that by John the Baptist. And then we also looked at the introduction by the
Father himself at Jesus' baptism.

Today we're going to look at two additional introductions, the introduction of
Jesus with Satan in a temptation and the introduction of Jesus to his disciples.
The introduction of Jesus with Satan in Mark is just two very short verses, Mark
chapter one verses 12 and 13. Let me read those verses for you.

At once the Spirit sent him, Jesus, out into the desert and he was in the desert
forty days being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals and the angels
attended him. The interesting thing here is you go immediately from the
mountaintop to the valley, it often happens this way spiritually.

You go from this moment of Father, Son and Holy Spirit at the baptism and this
is my beloved Son and I'm well pleased with him. And at once, it says in verse
12, the Spirit impelled Jesus to go out into the desert. I want you to notice
that the Spirit sent him to that place where he was going to be tempted.

Satan was there out in that wilderness and he was tempted out in that wilderness
and the Spirit sent him to that place. How in the world does that happen? Does
the Spirit want Jesus to fail?

Obviously not. The Holy Spirit knew that this was a place where Jesus would say
no to the temptation and he sent him to that place because it would strengthen
his spiritual life. And I want you to notice that not only was Satan there but
also the angels were there.

The angels were there out in that wilderness to comfort Jesus and to strengthen
Jesus. You need to know this about temptation. It is a spiritual challenge and
it is usually a physical challenge.

It's a spiritual challenge, something going on in our mind, in our hearts. It's
also a physical challenge, something we feel like we're missing physically. And
I need an answer to both of those.

I need spiritual comfort when I'm tempted and the angels did that for Jesus. You
don't need angels to do that for you because as a believer in Christ, you have
God's Holy Spirit living in you. That's better than an angel.

So when you're tempted, one of the things you need to do is say, "God, would you
give me spiritual comfort right now? Comfort my heart to know that I don't need
this thing that I'm tempted by, that you will meet my needs. " But it's
important to realize that temptation also has behind it a physical cause many
times.

You feel that you lack something physically or you may actually lack something
physically. And you need to know that God will meet your needs. In this case,
the Bible says the angels attended him.

God sent him messengers that obviously didn't just spiritually encourage him,
but somehow they attended him, somehow they met his physical needs out there in
that wilderness. And God will meet your needs. When you're tempted, say, "God,
meet my spiritual needs.

Help me to see within that I am comforted, that I'm strengthened in you, and
help me to see that you're going to meet my physical needs. I don't have to do
it myself. I don't have to depend on myself.

I don't have to follow that temptation. " Now as we read what Mark has to write
here about the temptation of Jesus, this is one of those places where you really
get the feel of Mark's Gospel. In the other Gospels, the temptations are
described at length, and Jesus' response is given, and you get a paragraph or
paragraphs about the temptation of Jesus.

Mark just goes straight to the point. Spirit sent him to the desert, he was
tempted for 40 days, and the angels attended him. That's it.

You get the whole story right there. The whole story is when you and I face
temptations in our lives, we're encouraged to realize that God's Spirit will be
with us, that we will not be alone, and you might even want to just right now in
your mind recognize that a place of temptation in your life, that when God has
compelled you to go to places that are not comfortable for you, places where you
might face temptations, and there are no places where you don't face temptations
eventually in this world, or places where you might face dangers that you're not
used to, there were wild animals out in this wilderness, it's a moment to
recognize God's promise. God's promise to be with you, and not only to be with
you, but to use every circumstance in my life, in your life, for your growth and
for God's good in your life.

And so choose right now to focus not on the circumstance, choose right now to
focus not on the temptation, but choose to focus on God who is greater than the
circumstance, who is greater than the temptation, and who can work even through
the circumstance and temptation to grow you. Did you know that God works in your
life to grow you through your temptations? Every time you say no to a
temptation, you grow spiritually.

So you see this introduction of Jesus with Satan, they had known each other for
a long time, but here's this introduction on planet earth where the battle is
still going on. And then there's a fourth introduction in this first chapter of
Mark, there's the introduction of Jesus to the disciples, there's a lot
happening in this first chapter of Mark. In Mark chapter 1 verses 14 to 20, if
you get a hold, if I get a hold of what happens in these verses, it could change
everything, in your family, in your group, in you.

Listen to what happens, beginning in verse 14 through verse 20. 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 is near, repent and believe the
good news.

" And 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 make you fishers of men. " At once they left their nets
and they followed him.

When he had gone a little further, 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 they followed him. This
passage begins by talking about John being put in prison.

He was put in prison, we learn in the other gospels, because King Herod didn't
like his preaching against the sexual immorality that he was involved in with
his brother's wife, and so he put John in prison. But that's not the purpose of
Mark mentioning it here. Mark mentions it here because it's a transition in the
ministry of Jesus.

John has gone off the scene, and now Jesus and his disciples are coming on the
scene. There's these incredible experiences. Now remember, John Mark is a friend
of Peter, and so Peter has told John Mark what happened this day.

Can you imagine Peter telling Mark this story, the day that everything changed?
Jesus walking beside the Sea of Galilee, and he sees Simon. Simon by the way is
Peter's name, his name was eventually changed, Simon Peter.

He sees Peter and his brother Andrew, and they're fishing, and he says, "Come,
follow me. I'll make you fishers of men. " Everything changed.

Everything changed that day for Peter and for Andrew, and then a few moments
later for James and for John, and I want you to notice two things that caused
everything to change. First, they left something behind. In verse 18, Peter and
Andrew left their nets, it says, and they came and followed him.

And then in verse 20, James and John left their father with the hired help. We
didn't leave them alone, but they left their father, and they followed Jesus. If
I'm going to follow Jesus, if everything is going to change, I've got to leave
some things behind.

The idea that everything in my life can change, but I don't have to leave
anything behind, you can see how ridiculous that is. But here's the challenging
part to me. If everything's going to change, I have to leave some good things
behind.

Peter and Andrew left a good fishing business. James and John left their father
the opportunity to work together in the business with their dad. They left some
good things behind to follow Jesus.

I think we all know I've got to leave some bad things behind if I'm going to
follow Jesus. There's some habits in my life, I've got to leave those behind.
There's some relationships, some bad things in my life, I've got to leave those
behind.

But what about the good things? You see, I just don't have room in my life for
everything that I want to do. I don't have room in my life for every good thing.

And it's often been said, and it's true, that the good is the enemy of the best
in your life. So what are the good things that you need to leave behind? In
kindness, in love, but you need to leave them behind in order to be all that God
wants you to be.

Everything cannot change unless you leave some things behind. And there is grief
in that. But in that grief, there's eventually going to be joy.

First they left some things, and then the second thing that happened that
changed everything, the second thing that happened that changed everything for
the rest of their lives is they followed him. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, and
they did. They followed him, and because of that, they became new men.

They became someone new. And if you want to become a new man, a new woman, he'll
take you to places you have never been before. He'll take you to experiences
you've never been in before.

He'll do things in your heart that have never happened before. It doesn't happen
by watching him. It doesn't happen by studying him.

It only happens. It only happens by following him. Maybe you've been studying
Jesus.

Maybe you've been watching Jesus, thinking about Jesus. Today's the day. If
everything's going to change, there's some things to leave behind, but that's
not enough.

If everything's going to change, the positive thing that has to happen is right
now, today, you decide in a fresh new way, "I'm going to follow him. " Why?
Because I can trust him.

Why? Because he loves me. Why?

Because he knows what's best in my life. Why? Because he called me to.

Do you hear him saying it to you right now? "Follow me. " Jesus, we hear your
voice, and when you call us to follow you, it is a call of love and significance
and life, and I pray for myself today.

I pray for every one of us that are thinking about these verses. Jesus, help us
to follow you today. We can't follow you tomorrow or next year or even next
week, but we can follow you today.

Help us to follow you in this moment today, to make that radical decision that
changes everything. We pray this, Jesus, in your name, amen.