April 27, 2025
Faith Under Pressure
Pastor Frank Bowden

Sermon Notes

I. What you want will shape who you follow

Mark 3:7-12
Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea, and a great crowd followed, from Galilee and Judea and Jerusalem and Idumea and from beyond the Jordan and from around Tyre and Sidon. When the great crowd heard all that he was doing, they came to him.And he told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, lest they crush him, for he had healed many, so that all who had diseases pressed around him to touch him. And whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.” And he strictly ordered them not to make him known.

Crowds can be enthusiastic,
but crowds are rarely committed

II. Who you believe you are will determine where you stand

Mark 3:13-19
And he went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him. And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach and have authority to cast out demons. He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter);James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder); Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

When you know you are desired by Jesus,
pressure won’t push you away; it will draw you in

III. What you live for will decide what you’re willing to risk

Mark 3:20-21
Then he went home, and the crowd gathered again, so that they could not even eat. And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.”

Life–real life–isn’t found in what Jesus gives.
It’s found in Jesus Himself

Next Steps

• Today, I see Jesus for who He is and surrender to Him as my Savior and Lord for the first time
• I want to join a small group of believers where I can be discipled and learn to truly follow Jesus
• I commit to inviting one person this week to be my guest at church next Sunday

Deep Dive

1. Read Matthew 7:15-20. What is one step you can take today to move from passive crowd-follower to active, obedient disciple?
2. If others followed your lead, would they be drawn to Jesus for who He is or for what He does? Explain.
3. How does knowing Jesus desires you affect how you see Him and how you view yourself? How can this truth encourage someone you know?

Springboards

1. Do you find it hard to forgive others? Why or why not?
2. Read Matthew 3:22-30. Why do you think the scribes chose to attribute Jesus’ miracles to Satan instead of accepting them as works of God?
3. What does it mean to blaspheme the Holy Spirit?