Repent and Believe

Intro.: [AGS]: The Gospel of Mark is written to prove that Jesus is God’s Son, the Messiah. This is emphasized throughout: at Jesus’ baptism in Mk. 1:11 “11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well-pleased.”” with demons and unclean spirits acknowledging it in Mk. 3:11 “11 Whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God!”” and Mk. 5:7 “7 And he cried out with a loud voice, “What do you have to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you before God, don’t torment me!”” ; with God reaffirming it at the transfiguration at Mk. 9:7 “7 A cloud appeared, overshadowing them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my beloved Son; listen to him!”” ; with Jesus teaching it in parables in Mk. 12:1-12; with direct confession of it in Mk. 14:61-62 “61 But he kept silent and did not answer. Again the high priest questioned him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” 62 “I am,” said Jesus, “and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming with the clouds of heaven.”” ; with the Roman centurion confessing it in Mk. 15:39 “39 When the centurion, who was standing opposite him, saw the way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!””; Mark’s Gospel communicates in a swift manner, going from one account of Jesus’ ministry to another in a fast pace; even still, the Gospel of Mark communicates a sense of urgency; roughly 40 times in the Gospel, and almost in every chapter, the word “immediately” (εὐθὺς) appears. The question we must ask of ourselves is this: Have we accepted, embraced, and trusted that Jesus is God’s Son, the Messiah? If we have, we must then respond to this truth. [TS]: Jesus inaugurated his Galilean ministry by urging people to repent and believe. [RS]: Maybe you come today having not solidified in your mind who Jesus is- you’ve heard it preached; you’ve heard it taught in SS; you’ve read about it, but you have not personally embraced Jesus as the Son of God. Today, we examine the Gospel Jesus proclaimed. As we do so, we have an opportunity to respond to that Gospel, personally.

TS: Let us examine together a few takeaways from this passage:

We should proclaim the Gospel as we go. [v. 14]

Jesus inaugurated his ministry in Galilee by proclaiming the good news (κηρύσσων τὸ εὐαγγέλιον) as He went (ἦλθεν):

…Jesus went to Galilee- ἦλθεν = Second aorist (pointed, decisive), active, indicative

…proclaiming - κηρύσσων = present, active, participle- adverbial particle expressing the manner of which he went- he went in a manner characterized by proclaiming...

…the good news - τὸ εὐαγγέλιον = accusative of direct object

Let’s notice the first two parts about this Gospel which Jesus proclaimed:

The time (ὁ καιρὸς) is fulfilled: this is a distinct moment in time, characterized by an important event- this event, that marked a new era of time- is the very presence of Jesus which marked the fulfillment of all the promises of the OT and the prophesies which foretold his coming as the Messiah.

and the Kingdom of God is near (ἤγγικεν): The Kingdom of God had come near- indeed was present physically in Jesus. Though it did not look like the people perceived it would. The Kingdom had come near to rule and reign in every heart that would receive Jesus. Nonetheless, in a sense, the Kingdom had come then, and the Kingdom is coming today. People were faced and confronted directly with the Kingdom of God in Jesus.

If Jesus went about proclaiming the Gospel, so should we.

Transition statement: Because Jesus proclaimed the time fulfilled and the Kingdom near, the people were left to respond. How? Jesus instructed them how they should respond.

We should repent of our sins and believe the Gospel. [v. 15]

Those who are confronted with the kingdom of God must repent, that is, “change their minds leading to a change in behavior.” It is both a rational decision and a willful act. It involves a turn from sin and a turn to the Savior. It is a call that we find in the preaching of John the Baptist, Jesus, and Peter (Acts 2). It is at the heart and soul of our response to the gospel and the coming of the King.

a. Recently, I read a post on social media that read, “Too many people want a God that saves them, but doesn’t change them. The Gospel doesn’t work like that.” (Shane Pruitt)

b. To believe in the Gospel is to trust it- to acknowledge and to embrace it for what it is- the good news for salvation for all who believe. Rm. 1:16 “16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek.”

Response Questions:

[1] If you have never responded to the Gospel, the Good News, what is your response today? Will you repent and believe?

[2] If you have believed that Jesus is the Son of God and have repented of your sins, have you proclaimed the Gospel as you have gone daily about life?

Bibliography:

[1] Daniel L. Akin, Exalting Jesus in Mark, ed. Daniel L. Akin, David Platt, and Tony Merida, Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2014), 19.

[2] R. Alan Cole, Mark: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 2, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1989).

[3] Kenneth S. Wuest, Wuest’s Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: For the English Reader, vol. 1 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997).

[4] Ross H. McLaren, “Mark,” in CSB Study Bible: Notes, ed. Edwin A. Blum and Trevin Wax (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017).

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