The Holy One of God.

Authoritative Teacher

It is good to be back, i am honured once again to be given this wonderful prevailage of bringing yall God’s word this evening. We are gonna continue through Mark’s gospel.

Personally, Mark’s gospel is my favourite, i love the imgagery, the writing style, the Gospel of Mark dipicts well the life, the message and the mission of Jesus Christ, as he piants various images of Jesus throughout the 16 chapters, these images/potraits consist of a Teacher, a beloved, Prophet, a Shepherd, Messiah/Christ and finally King of the Jews.

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Body:

You see, Mark’s gospel dates as Dan has mentioned 64.AD a city that was rather progressive, upsacle, and cosmapolitan but with the imergnce of the emperor Nero as Micheal Williams in his book puts it “under Nero, Christians soon became the scapegoat t for the public discontent caused by his poor leadership.”

Nero, the Roman Emperor, employed brutal methods to persecute Christians who refused to renounce their faith. He organized public executions, often involving Christians facing savage animals like dogs or being crucified. One gruesome form of execution involved burning Christians alive as human torches. Nero used these burning bodies to illuminate his extravagant gardens at night.

The point of burning, Christians we are called to be the light. And these burning were a mockery.

Hence, Mark encourages the believers to remember that their true life is found in God, through the perfect sacrifice of His Son, Jesus.

As most of yall know, I am orginally a Pakistani, a country with close to 240 Million people, now the population of Christians in that country is only 1.2%, 97% of the population Muslims. Last month, August 12th they celebrated the miniority day within the country, and then on the 14th of August the entire nation celebrated their independence. And on the 15th of August, 400 muslim Men stormed into a Christian neighbourhood, burned down over 60 christian homes, and 6 churches all in the name of blesphemy. Brothers and sisters, time and time again, the flood of persecution often seems to sweep through the nations, kings, emperors, rulers of the land, tend to harss, kill, and destory christians. But our message remains the same, as Mark’s it does not change, it can not change.

We here in north america are not different, we may not face phyical warefare but what we experien

As Malcom Muggeridge once said “We look back upon history and what do we see? Empires rising and falling, revolutions and counterrevolutions, wealth accumulating and and then disbursed, one nation dominant and then another.” In the words Shakespeare “rise and fall of great ones that ebb and flow with the moon.”

But behind these solemn supermen, these self-styled diplomatis, these kings, queens, the presidents and the leaders, stand a singular figure, in whom and through whom all things came into being, the person of Jesus Christ, I present Him today as the Holy One of God.

Turn with me to Mark chapter 1 verses 21-34

Mark 1:21–34 NASB95

They went into Capernaum; and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and began to teach. They were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. Just then there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, saying, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!” And Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him!” Throwing him into convulsions, the unclean spirit cried out with a loud voice and came out of him. They were all amazed, so that they debated among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.” Immediately the news about Him spread everywhere into all the surrounding district of Galilee. And immediately after they came out of the synagogue, they came into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was lying sick with a fever; and immediately they spoke to Jesus about her. And He came to her and raised her up, taking her by the hand, and the fever left her, and she waited on them. When evening came, after the sun had set, they began bringing to Him all who were ill and those who were demon-possessed. And the whole city had gathered at the door. And He healed many who were ill with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He was not permitting the demons to speak, because they knew who He was.

These verses begin with a long list of miracles the list contains:

They tell us how our Lord cast out devils in Capernaum, and healed Peter’s wife’s mother of a fever. Mark’s gospel is filled pithy statements, for instance in these 14 verses he uses the word “immediatley” 4 times, and goes on to use this word 41 times in the 16 chapters.

Alright, lets unpack this passage here:

In verse 21 , we see Jesus teaching them with authority. This is important, His teachings are unlike the scribes, His teaching are tied to His person, His deity, in the next chapter Mark 2:10 ““But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” hence Jesus’ interpretations are dfifferent from the teachers of their day. We see that even in the sermon on the mount, where we see new content, the announcement of the kingdom, and satan’s defeat. You, the scribes taught the written word, whereas with Jesus it was the living teaching the written word.

Verse 22 is where it gets better, now there was a man with an unclean spirit, and as he sees Jesus, he acknowledges/recognises Jesus as the “Holy one of God.”

Here’s the interesting part, Jesus is holy one of God, the promised Messiah, the anointed one, the one who would rescue His people, delivere His beloved.

You see, the scribes, the Pharaisees, the rulers and teachers of the day, fail to see the promised Messiah, despite of having the scriptures, they fail to believe.

Gen 3:15 Jesus, is the seed of the woman, who would ultematley crush the head of the serpent.

In Exodus, Jesus is the Passover Lamb.

Numbers we see a foreshadow of the cross, in the image of the bronze serpent.

Deuteronomy Jesus is the promised Prophet, sent by God. In Hosea Jesus is the faithful Husband, seeks after His adulterous wife, meaning you and I. Amos presents Him as the descendant of David, Zechariah, talks about the Messiah and his entry into Jerusalem. Isaiah He is promised Messiah Jeremiah, Jesus is the Lord of Our righteouness, Ezekiel He is the good shepherd, Daniel He is son of man.

Yet, the scribes failed to see Jesus as the Messiah. On the contrast, what we do see is that the unclean spirit, reognises who Jesus is. +

Which leads me to my first point

Mere knowledge about God means nothing.

James 2:19 “You believe that God is one, you do well. Even the demons believe --- and tremble”

This passage highlights the insufficency of mere intellectual knowledge alone is inadequate for salvation.

And as we journey through Mark, you will begin to see the mission of Jesus, the key passage in this gospel is found in 10:45 “Son of Man came to seek and save, the lost.”

Our knowledge ought to lead to us to a willful submission to God, in obedience to walk in His rightousness. That’s our testimony.

Does your knowldge about Jesus, change/affect the way you live? or Do we praise Him with our lips but are hearts are far away from Him? Do we delight in the fact that Jesus is the Holy of God? If so, where are you on the spectrum, are you half-hearted, are you far off, or are you fully commited?

We give thanks to you, O God;

we give thanks, for your name is near.

We recount your wondrous deeds. Psalm75:1

God is the ultimate judge. No one else is. Only God. That is the message of this psalm.

Where does this truth land on your own life today?

Perhaps you find yourself haunted by a past in which you were a victim of some form of abuse. God will judge.

Maybe your life today is plagued by animosity from family members toward you. God will judge.

Perhaps you feel discouraged when you read or listen to the news and hear the media, and those whom they interview, twisting the truth. God will judge. All will be put right.

Or maybe you find yourself tormented by a conscience that knows you yourself to be the perpetrator of evil - of selfishness, of mean words, or relational withdrawal, of deceit.

If so, repent and seek restitution with those whom you have wronged. But beneath it all, take heart in the greatest truth of Gods judgment: God judged his own righteous Son in place of us unrighteous rebels, so that any who turns to take refuge in him gets the future that Jesus deserves. This above all else is reason to give thanks to God for his wondrous deeds.

Application:

So, where do we go from here, Mark 1:1 “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”

Looking back at Church history, church has thrived under persecution, why?

Question:

What would you do if you ever had to choose between your faith and social life?

2. What abot the preaching made you uncomfortable or brought you closer to God?

3. What’s the one takeaway from this sermon, you would like to out into practice? // Or one takeaway you would talk to with someone?