Beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ

Introduction

Mk 1: 1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). (Mk 1:1). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

I. Today we begin a study on the Gospel of Mark. The key verse of the Gospel of Mark is verse 1, “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

a. In past studies we found that the Gospel of John was to show that Jesus Christ is the messiah and through Him and only through Him one can be saved.

b. the Gospel of Mark is a straight forward and direct declaration of the gospel.

II. Who is the writer of the Gospel of Mark

a. 2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;

b. 2 Timothy 3:17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

c. 2 Peter 3:20 “All the scriptures is inspired by God, but God chose men that were moved by the Holy Spirit to write His word”

d. 2 Peter 3:21 “knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.”

III. Mark does not come right out and tell us who wrote this gospel. But church tradition holds that this was written by John Mark.

a. John Mark’s mother was Mary (not the Mary the mother of Jesus) and this is where Peter went when the angel delivered him out of jail, when Herod intended to kill him the next day: Acts 12:12 “And when he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John who was also called Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying.”

b. John Mark was the cousin to Barnabas Colossians 4:10 “Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, sends you his greetings; and also Barnabas’s cousin Mark (about whom you received instructions; if he comes to you, welcome him);”

c. John Mark had accompanied Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary trip. Acts 13:5 “When they reached Salamis, they began to proclaim the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews; and they also had John as their helper.”

d. During that first missionary trip John Mark left Paul and Barnabas. Acts 13:13 “Now Paul and his companions put out to sea from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia; but John left them and returned to Jerusalem.”

e. Now according scripture John Mark leaving them was not a good thing, as it is indicated by a rift between Paul and Barnabas who were deciding on taking second missionary trip. Acts 15:36-37 "After some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit the brethren in every city in which we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.” Barnabas wanted to take John, called Mark, along with them also. But Paul kept insisting that they should not take him along who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. And there occurred such a sharp disagreement that they separated from one another, and Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus.”

f. But in the end Paul had reconciled the issue with John Mark as he stated in 2 Timothy 4:11 “Only Luke is with me. Pick up Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for service.” and Philemon 23-24 “Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you, as do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, Luke, my fellow workers.”

g. John Mark was also under the mentor-ship of Peter and this is where tradition has taken that Mark wrote the gospel account according to what Peter had passed down to him. 1 Peter 5:13 “She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you greetings, and so does my son, Mark.”

IV. So Mark’s gospel is considered to be just that, the gospel of Jesus Christ. it is held that Mark wrote his first and that Luke and Matthew had used his account as a reference.

V. What is the gospel of Jesus Christ?

a. In John 14:6 clearly stated, “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

b. Jesus also stated in John 6:29 “Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.”

c. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 “Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,”

d. This scripture clearly and is completely the unadulterated gospel of Jesus Christ. This gospel does not need help by adding or deleted from it to convince people of it as Paul stated in Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

e. The power of God is in the gospel just as outlined above in 1 Corinthians 15. Do you know that adding or deleting anything from the gospel. Or coming up with a different gospel that person is cursed?

f. Galatians 1:6-9 “I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!”

g. Mormonism - Joseph Smith received his revelation from an angel Moroni.

h. Islam, The voice called after him, "O Muhammad, you are the messenger of God, and I am the angel Gabriel." This revelation was soon followed by others about the one true God. Eventually, the angel told Muhammad to begin proclaiming God's message.

i. There are many more out there, prosperity gospel, etc...

VI. There is only one true gospel and that begins and ends with Jesus Christ.

VII. How to receive the gospel and be saved:

a. John the baptist came repent the kingdom of God is hand and be baptized.

i. Repent of your sins, turn from your sinful ways.

ii. baptism signifies that there is a true conversion from old to new.

b. Jesus came and died, buried and resurrected for us so that we in baptism in Him, die to the old and be resurrected in newness of Life, which signifies that we are now new creatures in Christ.

c. The receive the Holy Spirit, which John the Baptist stated that I come baptising the repentance of sin, but one is coming after me which will baptize you in the Holy Spirit.

VII. So as we begin our journey in the study of the gospel of Jesus Christ outlined in the gospel of Mark, if you don’t know Christ and you have not received Him then right now I reach out to you and bring the invitation to receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior.