Mark 1:1-8 "Intro to Mark & Jesus' Forerunner"

Good morning. Please turn in your Bibles to The Gospel According to Mark.

Last week we concluded a chapter and verse journey through the 28 chapters of the Book of Acts…

And, today we begin another… NOW back in the Gospels… examining the life and ministry of Jesus Christ through the eyes of Mark.

Definitely one of my top four favorite Gospels.

That was a test… and if you’re a little slow this morning, I’d suggest visiting our coffee station before we really begin.

When we start a new book… it is always good to first look at the Who, What, When, and Why of the book we are entering…

This will help ground you in understanding the Book we are entering…

So, today we first begin with an introduction to Mark, and then will look at the first 8 verses of Mark’s Gospel…

Where John the Baptist serves as the forerunner to Jesus Christ, preparing the world for him.

Thus, the title of our message today... "Intro to Mark & Jesus' Forerunner"

Let’s pray and then begin with an Introduction to the new book we are entering!

As you open your Bible to the New Testament, the second book is the Gospel of Mark.

There are four Gospels… Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John… Gospel meaning “Good News” and these four authors are sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ…

That the Savior of the world… the expected Messiah has come to redeem mankind back to God…

For all who place their faith in Jesus Christ, their sins will be forgiven… they will enter into right relationship with God… and when they die… they will rise again to live eternally with God in heaven…

Where there is no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, nor pain…

We will have glorified bodies in a city of unimaginable beauty and in the direct presence of God.

Truly the best news ever.

But, why do we need four Gospels? Couldn’t God just have consolidated the account of Jesus birth, life, ministry, death, resurrection and ascension into one account??

Well… sure He could have, but in wisdom He did not.

God… through His Holy Spirit… inspired four men… again Matthew, Mark, Luke and John to write four separate accounts targeting four different audiences…

During the first century, the known Biblical world was dominated by Jews, Romans, Greeks, and a budding church, plus everyone else in the world.

In addition to four Gospel for four different audiences… Jesus Himself is portrayed from four different angles or views.

Some have likened these four angles, view… even characteristics of Jesus Christ to the Cherub pictured in Ezekiel 1…

WHO is described as having four faces… “…the face of a man…the face of a lion…the face of an ox…and the face of an eagle…” (Ezek 1:10).

And, so four Gospels… four audiences… four portrayals of Jesus Christ.

God inspired Matthew… a Jewish Tax Collector and one of the Twelve Apostles… to write to the Jews with great emphasis on Jesus as their King (the Lion in Ezk 1… king of all animals)… the Messiah (the Lion of the Tribe of Judah) who fulfilled many OT prophecies.... as seen a key word Matthew uses… “fulfilled.”

The Holy Spirit (still God) inspired Mark… John Mark… who was NOT one of the Twelve Apostles, BUT a disciple of Peter… and a companion of Paul and Barnabas on their early missions work.

John was his Hebrew name… and Mark was his Roman name…

And, he was used to write the Gospel of Mark to a Roman audience. In the Roman world… slaves were very common. And, Mark portrays Jesus as a servant (the Ox in Ezekiel… the beast of burden).

Jesus was a servant… a worker… who suffered and died… and yet none of that invalidated his claim of Messiah or deity or his proclamations of the kingdom of God.

Quite the opposite in fact… because His miracles, and prediction of His death and resurrection substantiated all His claims as valid.

God inspired Luke… also NOT one of the Twelve Apostles… but a travel companion of Paul and a Gentile Physician… to write to a Greek audience.

He emphasizes Jesus’ humanity… portraying Jesus as God incarnate, thus the Man in Ezk 1.

Finally, God inspired John… one of the Twelve… one of Jesus’ inner three to write a highly evangelical Gospel written for the church… written for all people…

John uses the word “believe” 101x in his Gospel. The other three Gospels combined only use the word “believe” 38x total.

So, it’s no wonder John is a favorite to recommend to people exploring the Bible.

John portrays Jesus as God… the Eagle in Ezk 1… symbolizing the majestic and divine, soaring and transcendent.

It’s interesting how… as these four Gospels depict Christ and reflect on His characteristics… Lion, Ox, Man, and Eagle… King, Servant, Human, and God…

So do the genealogies or lack thereof within the Gospels…

Matthew portrays Jesus as King and his genealogy goes back to king David to prove the the Jews that Jesus is of Royal lineage… the Son of David… which was also messianic… as Messiah would come from David’s line.

Mark portrays Jesus as a Servant thus there is NO genealogy as a slave had no genealogy.

Luke portrays Jesus as Man and his genealogy goes all the way back to the first man, Adam, emphasizing His humanity.

And John portrays Jesus as God and his genealogy enters into eternity.

John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

John takes us back to the heavenly and then forward to God’s incarnation.

Four Gospels… Four Authors… Four Audiences… Four portrayals of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now… The first three Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke)… while different… they share a common view of Jesus’ Galilean Ministry… thus they are called the Synoptic…

A compound word… Gk “sun” meaning “together” and opsis meaning “view”…Lit. “together view.”

John wrote much later and looks back on Jesus’ ministry from a different vantage point.

I hope this is helpful… we’re going to be in the Gospel of Mark for several months, so it’s good to lay a foundation of understanding.

With that… let’s take another couple moments to look at the Gospel of Mark specifically… and an introduction of the who, what, where, when and why.

So, who is the author. Well we already established this is Mark, but how do we know?

Technically, this Gospel is anonymous since an author is not named, but there is sufficient external evidence from early church tradition that Mark is the author.

The earliest citing of Mark as the author came from early church father Papias in A.D. 110.

Papias also stated Mark was not a eyewitness follower of Jesus… accompanied Peter and heard his teachings… wrote down what he heard from Peter, accurately documenting the life of Christ from Peter’s perspective… though not always in chronological order… and that he was Peter’s “interpreter.”

And, there is an obvious closeness between Mark and Peter, for Peter concludes 1 Peter with the words “my son Mark” (1 Pet 5:13) who was with Peter when he wrote this epistle.

And, there are an number of other early church Father’s in agreement of Mark’s authorship. Eusebius, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Tertullian, Clement of Alexandria, and Origen.

And, while not as extensive, there is internal evidence from within the Gospel that points to Mark’s authorship.

The writer has is obviously closely acquainted with an eye witness to Jesus and has a grasp on the customs, and geography of first century Israel.

As well as the language… both Aramaic and Mark includes more Latin words than the other Gospels… (centurion, census, denarius, legion, and praetorium).

There is one unique scene to the Gospel of Mark… where it is though Mark wrote himself into the Gospel. Mark 14:51-52 when Jesus was arrested at the Garden… the disciples fled, but there was a “certain young man” who followed wearing only a linen cloth. That is he followed until Jesus’ captors attempted to seize him, but only got the lined cloth… and he skirted off in his birthday suite.

Kind of an embarrassing detail, but it is widely accepted as Mark being this young man… and the point was to show how Jesus, the suffering servant, was totally forsaken by all… even by this brave young man.

So, it’s widely accepted the Mark wrote the Book, but who is Mark?

According to Col 4:10… Mark is the cousin of Barnabas.

In Acts 12:12, Peter arrives at the house of Mary… the mother of Mark… an early Jewish Christian in Jerusalem…

It was at their home where many were gathered for prayer, thus the house must have been spacious.... and it’s thought they were a prominent family and of means… since the church gathered at the home of Mary and Mark.

No father is mentioned, so was Mark’s mom a widow?

Mark joined Barnabas and Saul on their first missionary journey, but left prematurely for and unknown reason.

Paul seems a bit salty about this because at the beginning of their Second Missionary Journey, Barnabas was determines to take John Mark, but Paul felt just the opposite because Mark departed them prematurely on the first missions trip (according to Acts 15:37-38).

A sharp contention arose causing Barnabas and Mark to go to Cyprus. Paul chose Silas and went to Syria, Cilicia, Galatia, Asia, Macedonia, and Achaia.

In Paul’s swan song, 2 Tim 4:11 his final letter… the does note to “get Mark and bring him… for he is useful to me for ministry.”

So, there was a turning point where Mark and Paul indeed reconciled.

And, that’s about all we know about our author.

So, Mark is the “Who”… our author. But, what makes Mark’s style unique?

It’s not surprising that… since Mark wrote to Romans… he gets to the point of Jesus’ ministry.

He shows more doing… more miracles of Jesus, and less teaching… less words in Red, as a servant was a doer, and the Roman audience was more action-oriented and less Philosophical (very similar to America today).

Mark is like a Photographer. He captures scenes beautifully. But also like a painter, his use of color and brush strokes... paints the scenes of Jesus’ ministry with great depth.

And, like a modern movie… his Gospel is quick and action packed… moving from scene to scene.

His is the shortest of the Gospels with only 16 Chapters (Matthew (28); Luke (24); John (21)).

The First Miracle Mark portrays is a Demon Cast Out (of Humanity healed)- Mk 1:23-26

His Conclusion is the Ascension.

Key Phrase: “Immediately” 36x (“Straightway” in KJV)

And, even in Chapter 1, we will see how quick Mark is to show the works of Jesus… and less the words… for example Jesus is baptized and tempted all in just 5 verses… where Matthew and Luke both dedicate 16 verses to these accounts… adding more words and theology of Jesus in the accounts.

So, that’s Who? (Mark authored the Book) and What? (an Action Packed style)… now When?

When was this gospel written? There is no internal evidence that gives us a specific date, so scholars lean towards church tradition and general internal evidence.

It seems that the Temple was still in existence, based upon Jesus’ discourse on the Temple… so that would place our date prior to A.D. 70.

Which scholars generally agree upon.

Where scholars divide is was Mark written prior to when Peter was martyred (it’s held Peter was killed somewhere around A.D. 64-68)… or did Mark write after Peter’s death?

Scholars who lean towards an earlier dating cite A.D. 57-59 as the range when Mark’s Gospel was written… the early part of Emperor Nero’s reign… and they have logical reasoning.

Other scholars lean later… A.D. 60-70.

If written after Peter’s death in 64 A.D., this may account for why Mark frankly points out Peter’s failures… without undermining his position as a leader in the church.

Also, this later time-frame is when Nero fanned the flames of persecution against the church… and then blamed the church for the Great Fire of Rome in A.D. 64 (a fire that Nero probably was truly responsible for).

And, Mark’s Gospel depicting Jesus as the Suffering Servant would serve as an encouragement to many brothers and sisters also experience persecution for His name’s sake…

And, as Jesus said in the Beatitudes “Blessed are you when...”

So, we don’t have a precise date for the writing of this Gospel. Somewhere around the year 60 A.D. is safe.

Who, what, when… let’s wrap up our introduction with why?

Why did Mark write this Gospel? Mark writes to Roman believers… writing as a Pastor to those who had heard and believed the Gospel.

He provides them with a succinct biographical account of Jesus Christ… the Son of God… the Son of Man… the Savior of the World… and the Servant who suffered.

As reflected in what very well could be the key verses of this book…

Mark 1:1 “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”

And, Mark 10:45 “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”

And, just as these Roman Christians were subjugated to the Roman empire… and served…

Marks Gospel would strengthen their faith to face persecution and servitude.

This Gospel would teach them what being a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ truly meant.

Mark’s is not the most beloved Gospel, yet it has inspired purpose… a clear presentation of the Gospel that even the most simple can grasp.

As we enter into this book, let’s approach it with humility and adoration… knowing this is the inspired word of God… and our hearts are to pay it it’s just due.

Let’s begin!

Mark 1:1-8 “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 2 As it is written in the Prophets: “Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.” 3 “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight.’ ” 4 John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. 5 Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins. 6 Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 And he preached, saying, “There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose. 8 I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

As Mark begins his Gospel… we will see in VSS 2-13… that Mark quickly highlights three events that prepared Jesus and the world for the start of His ministry and mission on earth.

John the Baptist’s ministry as the forerunner to the Messiah.

Jesus’ baptism… then His temptation.

But, V1 sets the tone and theme for the entire writing of this Gospel. Mark clearly begins pronouncing what this book is all about… Jesus Christ.

Mark never titled this writing “The Gospel of Mark”… that’s what we did. Mark titles this book “The Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”

And, our hearts should always do the same as Mark does here… to point to Jesus Christ.

Just as John the Baptist humble proclaimed, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30)

This is the beginning of what we know as 16 chapters of a Gospel message… it’s Good News for all who would pick this book up and read it.

Why is it good news? Because it is the account of Jesus Christ… Jesus is His name… and Christ is His mission.

Jesus is English translation of His name in Greek. In Hebrew His name is yehôšūa‘ (“Joshua”), meaning “Yahweh is salvation.”

Christ means “the Anointed One”… the Messiah. Christ is not His last name, but His purpose… to be the Savior of the world.

And, this writing is the beginning of the account… the historical facts of Jesus’ ministry, death and resurrection.

Mark also calls Jesus the Son of God… which is to be equal to God. The only prince of a king is the future... at some point he becomes the king.

This title “Son of God” highlights Jesus’ unique relationship to Father God.

Jn 1:14 declares Jesus as “… the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

John 1:18 states “No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.”

Again, Jesus had a unique relationship to the Father… we cannot see the Father…

In this present physical form, we cannot approach Him… we would fall down dead and be vaporized by His glory.

1 Tim 6:16 declares God is the sovereign King “...who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see...”

In Exo 33, Moses said to Yahweh “Please, show me Your glory.”

And, in Exo 33:20 the LORD (all caps) responded “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.”

John 1:18, 1 Tim 6:16, and Exo 33:20 pose a major problem for Jehovah Witnesses (J-dubs) when you look at the account of Abraham being approached by three men in Gen 18.

Pay attention if you want to learn a great apologetic against the Jehovah Witness false teaching that Jesus is NOT God.

J-dubs would say they all three men in Gen 18 were angels… and two certainly were Angels… “two angels” Gen 19:1 who went on to judge Sodom and Gomorrah.

Never are they called angels in Gen 18.

BUT, 4x the LORD (all caps… the tetragrammaton… YHWH… Yahweh) is recorded in conversation with Abraham… as Abraham intercedes on behalf of Sodom and Gomorrah…

“If I find in Sodom fifty righteous… forty-five righteous… forty…” You remember the exchange.

This is the LORD… Yahweh... face to face with Abraham. Abraham served Him food at the beginning of Gen 18.

How can this be? Compared to John 1:18, 1 Tim 6:16, and Exo 33:20… “no man has seen or can see” God in glory…

How did Abraham see the LORD face to face and live?

The solution is simple. This was a Theophany… God’s appearance to human beings… specifically a Christophany… Jesus in the flesh appearing to Abraham in the OT.

The LORD… Yahweh is Jesus Christ… again… Gen 18 is a perfect example of the the unique relationship Jesus has with the Father… Jesus is the Son of God.

(And, all this just crushes Jehovah Witness false teachings that Jesus is not God).

Phil 2:5-7 exhorts “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.”

That’s such a great cross reference to the essence of who Jesus is in Mark’s Gospel… God and Man… and a humble servant.

Let His selfless humility and willingness to serve… let that mind be in you also.

So… V1… move right along… at this pace… we won’t need to finish the book because we will be caught up in the air and see Him in the clouds.

When that happens… remember V1… remember who Jesus is…

The Christ.. the Son of God… He who brings Good News.

VSS 2-3 … Mark doesn’t focus on Jesus’ incarnation or upbringing… he fast forwards straight to Jesus’ forerunner… John the Baptist… who’s coming was prophesied in the Prophets…

And, Mark quotes from the OT… showing that John’s coming was foretold long ago and now had been fulfilled.

In Matthew’s Gospel… there are a number of citations by Matthew the author… of OT fulfilled prophecies in the life of Christ… which was important for Matthew’s audience… Jews.

But, for Mark… besides Jesus’ direct quotes of OT scripture… VSS 2-3 are the only OT verses Mark as an author cites.

That’s very interesting, but again… Mark is writing to a different audience… Roman Christians.

They didn’t need to be convinced that Jesus was Messiah… they needed to see how He lived… so they could know how to live.

It’s one of the things I’m excited about as we enter this Book. We are not facing the same persecution as Christians of the first century in 2023 Warsaw, IN USA, BUT it’s getting increasingly more difficult.

We know our brothers and sisters in California are still in litigation over hosting church services during Covid restrictions.

We know there are agendas swarming our media and infiltrating our public schools.

We know there is compromise within the church… and equally wrong… harsh judgments within the church… when Jesus laid the right model before to speak truth, but to do it in love.

And, so I’m excited to enter the Gospel of Mark to prepare our hearts on how WE should live… can we have the mind of Christ… the Suffering Servant?

In VSS 2-3, Mark quotes from a few verses…

The first part of this quote pulls from both

Exo 23:20 “Behold, I send an Angel before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared.”

And, Mal 3:1 “Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me.”

The second part of this quote in V3 cites

Isa 40:3 “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God.”

John was the forerunner to the king.

He was likened to the servant of the king who ran before him to prepare the towns ahead of the king’s arrival.

“Make your paths straight. You’ve got potholes and rough roads… fix them. The king is coming.”

All this was fulfilled in John. After Malachi closed his book there were 400 silent years… where there was no “Thus sayeth the LORD...”

Malachi’s closing words Mal 4:5-6 spoke about John the Baptist’s coming… and looks even beyond into our future when Elijah will stand as one of Two Witnesses before Jesus’ Second literal return.

Mal 4:5-6 reads, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. 6 And he will turn The hearts of the fathers to the children, And the hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.”

This prophecy was partially fulfilled in the ministry of John the Baptist.

John came in the power and likeness of Elijah… foretelling the coming of Jesus Christ.

Jesus Himself likened John to Elijah in Matt 11:14 when Jesus said, “And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come.”

And an angel of the Lord told Zacharias, John’s father in Luke 1:16-17 “And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

Just as Malachi foretold, John’s ministry would be one of reconciliation… of turning many Jews back to God… and fathers turning their hearts to their kids… and kids hearts to their fathers.

This is what we see in VSS 4-5 in Mark… John was out in the wilderness… the desert… away from the comforts of culture and convenience… and the people were hungry for truth and God…

And, droves of people… “all the land of Judea” in V5… left the comfort of civilization to have a real encounter with God.

There were tire of the religious show of the Pharisees… the hypocrisy of having money changers in the temple district… turning the temple… a house of worship into a den of thieves.

John preached truth to the people. Not a seeker sensitive message that would tickle their ears, but he preached repentance for the remission of sins.

John’s first words in Matthew’s Gospel are “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”

There were 400 silent years between Malachi and John and he broke that silence telling the people to Repent…

Repent means “a change of mind or heart.” Gk. mĕtanŏia.

It’s a “reversal of the past”… some have called it a “U-Turn.”

And, the people in Malachi’s and John’s day… they were heading the wrong direction…

They had turned away from God… they were heading the wrong direction.

Their relationships with God on the vertical and with one another (Fathers and children)… it was all broken… and they knew it.

And, there is nothing new under the sun. The cultural ailment I’m describing from 2000 years ago… it’s the same as it is today.

And, the remedy… the prescription for this illness of sin (of missing the mark)… is the same as it was…

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”

Turn from the thing that is killing you and destroying all of your relationships… on the vertical with God… and on the horizontal with those you love.

Turn your heart back to God… Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength… And love your neighbor as yourself.

If you are driving the wrong way… driving into danger… maybe the road is out ahead… or there is a flash flood… or your driving the wrong way on a One Way street…

And a voice cries out warning you… “Turn back… there is danger ahead!”

If we can put aside pride, we should be appreciative of that person who warned us.

John then… and John’s message still today is relevant. If you have drifted from God, you need to turn back to Him.

Tell Him how you have failed… tell someone here today… and the “remission” or “forgiveness” of sins is granted to you.

1 John 1:9 promises, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Imagine how many thousands of people… “all the land of Judea [the region], and those from Jerusalem [the city]”…

… were leaving the comfort of civilization to find John in the wilderness… to humble themselves and be real about what was going on in their lives.

They were baptized with water in the Jordan River.

Today, millions of Christians are still getting baptized in the Jordan River.

I have a slide of one of the Jordan river baptismal sites.

In 2014, I got baptized for a third time… which I probably really needed… this time in the Jordan River… and the site our group went to is called the Yardenit Baptismal Site.

What’s interesting is when you enter… there a placard commemorating Chuck Smith for being a friend to Israel and the Yardenit Baptismal Site.

One article I read was the build out of steps, ramps, showers, and viewing areas, was primarily financed by Calvary Chapel under the direction of Pastor Chuck Smith.

So, some pretty cool Calvary Chapel history in Israel.

So, why Baptism? Frankly, it’s a bit of a confusing topic. Jews baptized, John baptized, Jesus baptized, Christian baptism…

There’s a lot of people dunking people in the Bible and for various reasons… so don’t feel bad if this is confusing to you!

Jews baptizing converts to Judaism to show their cleansed nature…

Converts renounced sin, immersed themselves in water, and then were re-clothed now as a member of a holy community… those who kept the OT law.

That’s not why Christians get baptized.

John baptized Jews and Gentiles… everyone unto repentance to prepare the way of the Lord.

His baptism prepared everyone’s heart to receive the coming Messiah… Jesus Christ.

Still different than Christian Baptism.

John’s baptism was even confusing to the Jewish religious leaders confused? Why would Jews need to be baptized?

Plus, who gave John the authority to do these things!?!

In John 1, Pharisees questioned John’s authority and asked, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”

Humbly, in John 1:26-27 John replied, “I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know. 27 It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me [meaning ranks higher than me], whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.”

Which is the same message we read in Mark 1:7.

Followed by Mark 1:8 “I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

In Luke 3:16, John is recorded also saying , “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

Jesus indeed is a baptizer…

He either baptizes with the Holy Spirit granting miraculous power.

Or, for those who reject Him the is a baptism with fire unto eternal judgment… just read Luke 3:17 the context is indeed judgment.

Now, for us today… Christian water baptism is different from any of the aforementioned baptisms.

It is a public declaration of faith… for one confesses Jesus is Lord and is baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Symbolically, baptism represents putting to death the old man of flesh, and rising out of the water cleansed… now living as a new man… alive in the spirit.

In Baptism, we identify with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

It’s interesting that when John baptized people… they had NO IDEA… this act of baptism also foreshadowed the death and resurrection of the Christ.

Jesus died… his body of flesh was buried in the tomb of earth.

He arose three days later in a glorified body.

Christian Baptism is one of two sacraments we practice as believers. Baptism and Communion.

Baptism specifically was commissioned by Jesus in Matt 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.”

“Make Disciples” is the command, but this is done by going, baptizing, and teaching…

If you’re a disciple of Jesus… you should be baptized. And, if you haven’t… let’s baptize you. Just let me know, and we’ll make it happen.

Like the Ethiopian Eunuch… “see here is water.”

I got baptized in a river in 2016 in obedience to the ordinance.

In 2012, I prayed for the Baptism with the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:5 & 1:8)… and 6 months later… at a Church water Baptism… God spoke to me to put to death the old man and get baptized again… and when I came out of the water… I wasn’t only wet… I was overflowing with His Spirit.

He was preparing me to be a witness for Him. And, I’ve been a different man since… not flawless… but I’m not an alcoholic anymore… I tore down high places in my life… I have a passion and understanding of His word… I can sit with His word for 20 hours a week after working a full-time job…

People consistently say to me, “I don’t know how you do that.”

I do. Jesus said “… you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me…

I’ve got the power of the Holy Spirit… that’s how I do it.

Hey, and that same power is available to you… you just have to ask. Pray with me later if you want to ask. He gives good gifts to men…

So, get baptized… in every way a Christian should today.

In water to obey and identify with the Lord Jesus Christ.

And, by with the Spirit to be empowered with the Holy Spirit to be a witness for Jesus Christ.

Now… I was never baptized by someone as wild or manly as John the Baptist…

That would have been really cool. I could just imagine coming out of the water with my mouth open and some honey from his beard dripping into my mouth… maybe even with a little locust leg stuck to it.

I’d be cleansed and fed all in one fell swoop.

John the Baptist not only came in the spirit and power of Elijah… but also the appearance…

In 2 Ki 1:8 Elijah is described as “A hairy man wearing a leather belt around his waist.”

And John in V6 is described as being “...clothed with camel’s hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.”

That’s a pretty similar description. Two manly dudes being bold for God. Not much better than that.

And, where John really just takes all our man cards away guys is through his diet.

Locust and wild honey. I can get with wild honey, but I’m not so sure about Locusts.

It’s supposed to be a good source of protein and minerals, but I know of some other sources for protein and minerals.

There’s just some things better left not eaten… and I’m a pretty adventurous eater.

I was actually going to show a slide of some modern locust dishes, but it’s fellowship lunch day… and I didn’t want to spoil any appetites.

Anyhow… when you have a character like John… bold in speech… holding authority but humble… and the intense look and diet that so countered the refined religious leaders.

A guy like this is a draw. But, even more was his message… that was the real draw.

He spoke truth that sin is not ok… turn from it.

And, he spoke truth that the Messiah was coming, and our hearts need to be prepared.

A message as true 2000 years ago as it is today.

And, a very relevant message as we partake in communion today…

As we do… consider John’s message. He beheld the Lamb of God… and his message was to turn from anything NOT of God, and turn to God.

Consider those words as we take communion.

Let’s Pray!

1 Cor 11:23-29 “...the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes. 27 Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.”

Please distribute the elements...

Communion is a time for us to look three directions…

We look back remembering Jesus’ sacrifice… His broken body and shed blood for the remission of our sins.

His new covenant. Salvation by faith and in grace.

Look forward in hope of His imminent return… we proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes. He is coming.

And, looking inward to examine yourself…and take communion in a worthy manner.

Time to do business with God.

Once you have prayed… take the communion elements individually.

Our worship team will play one worship song, and then close us in prayer.

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If you have never accepted Jesus as Lord...

...either let the cup pass and do not partake in communion -or- the better option...

...accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior today.

Pray to God and tell Him you believe in Jesus and accept Him as your Lord and Savior, and ask for forgiveness.

...then take communion. And, be sure to let us know. Salvation is something to celebrate!

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