New Beginning - Jesus Ministry Begins 321
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Introduction
Introduction
1 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.” 9 It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove. 11 Then a voice came from heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” 12 Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness. 13 And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him. 14 Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” 16 And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 17 Then Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” 18 They immediately left their nets and followed Him. 19 When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets. 20 And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him. 21 Then they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and taught. 22 And they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. 23 Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, 24 saying, “Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!” 25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him!” 26 And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him. 27 Then they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? What new doctrine is this? For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.” 28 And immediately His fame spread throughout all the region around Galilee.
Pray
WHAT IF I TOLD YOU THE MODERN CHURCH HAS BEEN COMPROMISED?
WHAT IF I TOLD YOU THE MODERN CHURCH HAS BEEN COMPROMISED?
Point 1: Appointed vs Anointed
Point 1: Appointed vs Anointed
Appointed: Means something is designated beforehand.
Anointed: To ceremonially confer divine office upon.
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
Appointed.
9 It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove. 11 Then a voice came from heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
At the Jordan River, Jesus, in humility, presented Himself for baptism. As He emerged from the waters, the heavens were torn open, and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him like a dove.
The Unveiling Moment: It was in this sacred moment that the Holy Spirit unveiled the divine nature of Jesus. Prior to this, Jesus as far as we know lived a quiet life , seemingly ordinary and at the same time, anything but. The Holy Spirit's descent marked the beginning of His public ministry, revealing the extraordinary nature of the One who walked among us.The Anointed One in the flesh had now been marked in front of man. The appointed was now the anointed. The Spirit of the Lord IMMEDIATELY took control:
12 Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness. 13 And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him. 14 Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,
It says the Spirit of the Lord IMMEDIATELY drove Him to the wilderness. In Scripture, the wilderness is a place of trying. The Bible makes one thing about the wilderness clear:
2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
The testing of our faith produces patience.
Matthew, in his narrative of the events of Jesus’ time in the wilderness presents three temptations:
THE TEST OF PROVISION:
1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. 3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” 4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”
Are you so trusting in God’s word that you know your needs are met or will you be busy trying to manipulate situations around you instead of trusting God’s provision?
THE TEST OF PROTECTION-
4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ” 5 Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ” 7 Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ ”
Are you trusting God’s promises against the snares of the enemy? Do you trust that He is your protector or are you building defenses in the flesh and working out how you are going to get your way out of your situation in your head?
THE TEST OF POSITION
8 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”
Where is God positioned in your life? Where does He fit in your agenda? Are you trying to mix and adulterate Him or is God actually God in your life? Does your level of trust in Him when things hit the fan reflect that?
Jesus passed the test by acknowledging that God’s promises in His word are enough. Are God’s promises enough for you?
Pastor Myron once told us, “God’s promise is just as powerful as His presence.
Do we believe that? Jesus believed that. What is it we believe? Do we know?
If a test of our faith was conducted with our actions being the measure and not our words, what would the results show? Are we possessors or just professors?
You know you are appointed, but what has the anointing called you to do lately? When the Holy Spirit came on Jesus, it says he was IMMEDIATELY taken to the wilderness.
Church where is God moving us?
Jude, the brother of Jesus earnestly implores us in his epistle:
3 Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. 4 For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.
If Jesus saw fit to fully rely on God’s word and to be FULLY obedient to it, then WHO ARE WE NOT TO LISTEN? This same word tells us to CONTEND FOR THE FAITH THAT WAS ONCE DELIVERED TO THE SAINTS.
The modern church has been compromised from the faith that was delivered to us.
Point 2: Delivery of the Faith
Point 2: Delivery of the Faith
Mark 1 tells us how the faith was delivered to us.
1 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.’ ”
Mark 1 chronicles the delivery of that faith. It God Himself wrapped himself in flesh and made himself of no account that we should be made the righteousness of God through Him who KNEW NO SIN but took upon HIM ALL SIN to cover us.
Background:
Jewish teachers often combined several texts or parts of texts, especially if they had a key word or words in common (here, “prepare the way”). Because they were so learned in the Scriptures, they did not have to say which texts they were quoting and often assumed the context without quoting it. Thus Mark cites both Isaiah (40:3) and Malachi (3:1) here, although he names only Isaiah. Isaiah refers to preparing the way for God, who is coming to restore his people; Malachi refers to God coming in judgment to set matters straight among his people. Mark applies these texts about God to Jesus (cf. also 1:7).
He is coming to set free and He will come with righteous judgement!
Like many other ancient peoples, Jewish people practiced ceremonial washings. Their only once-for-all ceremonial washing, however, was the immersion that non-Jews had to go through when they converted to Judaism. Non-Jews who were converting to Judaism would immerse themselves in water, probably under the supervision of a religious expert.
Jewish people also practiced “*repentance” when they did something wrong, asking God’s forgiveness and determining to change. (The *Old Testament prophets often used this Hebrew idea of “turning” from sin; it involves more than just a “change of mind,” which is the literal sense of the Greek term used here.) But the ultimate example of repenting, or turning from a wrong way of living to a right way of living, was when a non-Jew decided to obey the teachings of Israel’s God.
New Testament (Second Edition) 1:1–15: Introduction of the One Who Brings the Kingdom
To tell Jewish people that they had to be baptized or repent the same way non-Jews did would have been offensive, because it challenged the prevalent Jewish belief about salvation. Most Jewish people thought that if they were born into a Jewish family and did not reject God’s *law, they would be saved;
I’m not talking about the Jews today. I’m talking about the modern church. The modern church has been compromised, THIS IS NOT WHAT JESUS GAVE US.
The Bible says:
8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.
Right there is the Bible’s position on tolerance of false teachers and teachings.
We see the religious experts thinking that they were too good to turn around because they were doing all the right things in a check list and true turning just didn’t fit their pattern because they had their own images to protect. They were too worried about their reputations and appearing to have it together to get ugly at the altar of God. They attend church and check that off, they say 2 prayers a day and check that off, they operate in the appointing but never the anointing.
IM NOT TALKING ABOUT THE JEWS.
Church, where has the Spirit of the Lord led you lately?
THE MODERN CHURCH HAS BEEN COMPROMISED
Point 3: Compromise: Demon in the Church
Point 3: Compromise: Demon in the Church
The definition of compromise means to, “accept standards that are lower than desirable” The Bible is very clear on standards:
28 Do not remove the ancient landmark Which your fathers have set.
Have we tried to move the landmarks that God has set down as a limit and a precedence?
Let’s continue in Mark’s narrative, and I will show you something interesting:
21 Then they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and taught. 22 And they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. 23 Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, 24 saying, “Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!” 25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him!” 26 And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him. 27 Then they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? What new doctrine is this? For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.”
Jesus came to the synagogue as was His custom. He attended church regularly.
NOTICE how the word IMMEDIATELY keeps happening. Are we immediately obedient to the Spirit? Delayed obedience is disobedience. Who moves faster when God speaks, you or the demons?
The synagogue was a place of worship, a sacred space where the Jewish community gathered to seek God. It was a center for spiritual learning and communal devotion yet something happens here. Jesus, with the Holy Spirit resting on Him, the fulfillment of all that had been prophesied in the Old Testament, went unnoticed as this fulfillment to the men possessing thousands of Scriptures, and the first one
to notice him was a demon.
Pay attention: This demon wasn’t in a bar or a night club. He was at church.
The demon in the church today is called COMPROMISE.
Putting the name church on a building does not make it Holy. The holiness of a space is determined by the Spirit of the Lord setting it apart. We set atmospheres by reverencing God. What is the number one way to reverence God?? Obedience to His Word. The appointed must become the anointed.
It is the Spirit of God moving that makes these grounds Holy.
Jesus was appointed, but it was His choice to MOVE and He moved IMMEDIATELY.
You see it is obedience to the Holy Spirit that sets about the process. It is not being able to quote the word and check off the boxes or having the right name on the door.
The synagogues were full of men who memorized entire testaments of Scripture and a society so learned in its pretexts that they did not need explanation as we said above. It was in the midst of worship that the evil spirit acknowledged the presence of the Son of God. This teaches us that our spiritual battles are not always external but can be internal, even within the confines of our religious practices.
I’M NOT TALKING ABOUT A BUILDING.
II. The Danger of Compromised Influences (Mark 1:23-24)
The demon cried out, "What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us?" This desperate plea reveals the discomfort demons experience in the presence of Christ. It reminds us that the forces of darkness are uneasy when confronted with the light of Jesus.
Infiltration of Compromised Spaces:
The demon's presence in the synagogue serves as a warning that we must be vigilant in guarding our hearts and minds. Just as the demon infiltrated the sacred space, we must be aware of the potential for compromise in our lives, even within the church. Appointing doesn’t equal anointing.
C. The Fleshly Influences:
The demon's location challenges us to evaluate the influences that control us. It wasn't in a bar or a club but in the synagogue where the demon resided. Likewise, we must be cautious of the subtle influences that can control our lives, even those that appear harmless within the context of religious activities.
4 For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.
It was subtle. They crept in unnoticed.
III. Guarding Against Spiritual Compromise (Mark 1:25-28)
A. Jesus' Authority Over Demons: Jesus, with divine authority, rebuked the unclean spirit and commanded it to come out of the man. This demonstrates that no influence, regardless of where it originates, can stand against the power of Christ.
B. But we must discern
As followers of Christ, we are called to discernment. We must be vigilant in recognizing and resisting the subtle influences that can compromise our faith. This discernment is cultivated through prayer, studying the Word, and relying on the Holy Spirit.
A Life of Holiness:
Let us strive for a life of holiness, not just within the church walls but in every aspect of our lives. By staying close to Jesus, we can overcome the influences that seek to control us and lead us away from God.
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
I told you Mark 1 declared the narrative of how the faith was delivered. Jesus came to liberate, but He now comes to judge. Still reliant on the word of God (sharp two-edged sword), Jesus warns one of the seven churches with:
12 “And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write, ‘These things says He who has the sharp two-edged sword: 13 “I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. And you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. 14 But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality. 15 Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate. 16 Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth.
They held fast to His name and did not deny His faith. You see they were appointed to do these things. Yet, they did not allow their obedience to their anointing to cause them to be fully obedient to the Lord which called them to not move the landmarks and to contend for the faith in such a way that compromise would not take root.
Do you know what the deeds of the Nicolaitans were? Greasy Grace. God will forgive me so I can go out and live how I want. They turned the grace of God into lewdness and in doing so they denied Jesus and their appointed tasks were but ash burned up at the feet of the Lamb.
Do you know what the the stumbling block was? Simple.. living like the world in the midst of completing their appointed tasks but in doing so, they sat in a pile of ash burned at the feet of the Lamb.
Even though they completed the appointed tasks, they did not obey the appointing?
What has the Holy Spirit asked you to do, lately?
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