Mark 1_1_13

The Credentials of Jesus Mark 1:1-13

Intro: A blonde woman walks into a bank in NYC before going on vacation and asks for a $5,000 loan. The banker asks, "Okay, miss, is there anything you would like to use as collateral?" The woman says, "Yes, of course. I'll use my Rolls Royce." The banker, stunned, asks, "A $250,000 Rolls Royce? Really?" The woman is completely positive. She hands over the keys, as the bankers and loan officers laugh at her. They check her credentials; make sure she is the title owner. Everything checks out. They park it in their underground garage for two weeks. When she comes back, she pays off the $5,000 loan as well as the $15.41 interest. The loan officer says, "Miss, we are very appreciative of your business with us, but I have one question. We looked you up and found out that you are a multi-millionaire. Why would you want to borrow $5,000?" The woman replies, "Where else in New York City can I park my car for two weeks for only $15.41 and expect it to be there when I return?"

Credentials are important; you can’t do much of anything without showing proof of who you are. You can’t get a loan, you shouldn’t be able to votes, you can’t get or renew your drives license. I recently made Balen an appointment to get his drives license; I was amazed at what all we had to do and bring in order to prove he was who we say he is.

In the opening verses of the Gospel of Mark we see Jesus’ credentials as Mark proclaims Him to be the Servant/Savior of the world.

CONTEXT

CPS: Jesus is the Christ sent forth by God the Father to save us from our sin and to bring eternal life to those who by grace through faith believe!

Jesus was Announced by the Prophets 1-8

Announce = make a formal public declaration about a fact or occurrence, in our context it means to make known the arrival of the Christ. The Prophet’s announcement proves that Jesus is the Christ!

ILL. Newspaper Announcements

Author’s Proclamation

Prophetic Prediction As it is “written”

Malachi 3:1 (450 years earlier) (Coming Judgment)

Isaiah 40:3 (800 years earlier) (Comfort from God’s pardon and peace)

Historic Proclamation

Preaching baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sin

Preaching one is coming who will baptize you with the Holy Spirit

ACTS 2:1-4

Jesus was Anointed by the Father 9-11

Anoint – religious ceremony granting the office of a priest or monarch (In Jesus’ case He is both). At Jesus’ baptism He is anointed by God the Father proving He is the Christ!

Human Identification

He identified with man by laying His name down (Phil.2:6-7)

Jesus’ baptism was a foreshadowing of His death and resurrection! Though man He had no need to repent because He was perfect righteousness by baptism He identified with sin because on Calvary’s cross He would become sin. At Jesus’ baptism He fulfilled all righteousness.

Heavenly Consecration

This was the divine mark that Jesus was set apart for the Messianic Ministry

Ps. 2:7

Acts 10:37-39

Jesus was Approved by the adversary 12-13

Approved – officially accepted as having the moral character needed as Messiah, blameless. In Jesus’ temptation the adversary proves that Jesus is the Christ!

Israel failed when tested in the wilderness but Jesus succeeded victoriously

Spiritual compulsion

Satanic Persuasion

Satan’s plan was to get Jesus to break His unity with the Father by trying to get Him to act independently of the Father

Personal temptation (Depend upon His own resources)

National Temptation (Force the hand of the Father)

Universal Temptation (Refuse Calvary)

In this passage Jesus, endowed with the Spirit, enters into conflict with Satan and defeats him; in the rest of the Gospel Jesus drives out demons and heals the sick, is opposed by Satan’s religious and political agents, and ultimately overcomes Satan’s opposition by the resurrection. This passage promises that Jesus endows his followers with this same Spirit for the same conflict they must face in proclaiming God’s kingdom and brings confidence and assurance to the persecuted (Roman believers) that their belief is true giving them strength to endure.

Conclusion: There is a story told of a great English actor Macready. One day an eminent preacher said to him: “I wish you would explain to me something.” “Well, what is it? I don’t know that I can explain anything to a preacher.” “What is the reason for the difference between you and me? You are appearing before crowds night after night with fiction, and the crowds come wherever you go. I am preaching the essential and unchangeable truth, and I am not getting any crowd at all.” Macready’s answer was this: “This is quite simple. I can tell you the difference between us. I present my fiction as though it were truth; you present your truth as though it were fiction.”

Today I present to you the facts of Jesus’ credentials as the Christ as recorded in the truth of God’s all inspired, infallible, inerrant word, the question I ask today is… do you believe that Jesus is the Christ sent forth from God the father to save us from our sin and bring to us eternal life? The opening verse’s of Mark’s Gospel proves that Jesus is the Christ because He was announced by the prophets as the Christ, anointed by God to be the Christ, and approved in the wilderness as He defeated Satan to be the Christ.