Mark 1:1-15
Notes
Transcript
“Am I A John The Baptist?”
Mark 1:1-15
Introduction
· Video
· In 1964 The Beatles came to America for the 1st time – They performed for the 1st time on TV
· Americans heard of them and their music – But never saw them
· When it was announced that the Beatles were coming to America, there was much anticipation to see them
· They even went to the airport to see them when they landed
· Like the Beatles, the Old Testament prophesized that the Messiah would come – And there was much anticipation
· And He did came into the world
· Ed Sullivan was for the Beatles was what John the Baptist was for Jesus – Made the announcement the Messiah is here
· I wish the world had the same reaction for Jesus as they did the Beatles
· Ironically, John Lennon said they were more popular than Jesus
Prayer
Mark 1:1-15
1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet,
“Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
who will prepare your way,
3 the voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight,’ ”
4 John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 6 Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. 7 And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
12 The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13 And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him.
14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
· Here, Mark introduces the true identity of Jesus as the SON OF GOD and His earthly ministry
o Inaugurating the Kingdom of God and proclaiming the Gospel
VS 1
1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
The 1st sentence reveals:
· The 2 Main Themes of Mark: Jesus is the Son of God and the Gospel is His life and work
· Christ’s true identity:
o He is that He is the Christ, the Messiah, predicted to come in the Old Testament
o Came to fulfill God’s promises in O.T.
o To fulfill God’s eternal salvation through His life, death, and resurrection
o We too are now sons and daughters of God – His children – When we come to faith in Jesus
· Mark begins saying “THE BEGINNING”
o It indicates God’s activity in history
· Genesis also uses that same term in the same way
o It says “IN THE BEGINNING GOD CREATED THE WORLD”
o Again, it’s God’s activity in history
· Here, “BEGINNING” refers to the start of the Gospel when the Son of God becomes a human being in Jesus Christ
o God’s activity through Jesus fulfilling His overarching plan of redemption and salvation through His life and death
o When Jesus appeared, a new age dawned that requires repentance and faith for forgiveness
o The OT sacrificial system for forgiveness is no more
The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ
· What does Gospel mean? = GOOD NEWS – U-ON-GEL-ION
o In the NT, U-ON-GEL-ION is always singular - There is no other good news than the Gospel
· It’s important to understand that the gospel is more than a set of truths and beliefs
o It is a person, “The gospel of Jesus Christ.”
· The Gospel is the fulfillment of God’s reign and salvation as predicted in the OT through the life and work of Jesus
o The kingdom that God inaugurates is bodily present in Jesus
VS 2-3 – Mark begins by going backwards
2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet,
“Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
who will prepare your way,
3 the voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight,’”
· This is the prophesy found in Isaiah 40:3 and Malacia 3:1 that was fulfilled with the coming of John the Baptist
· The prophesy also reveals God’s calling for his life
VS 4-6
4 John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 6 Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey.
· These VS along with VS 7-8 Go into detail how John prepared the way for Jesus
· He did this by preparing the people to accept Jesus as their savior by way of confessing sin and repenting
o The Jewish people came and recognized their sinfulness and the need of a savior
o This is first required before we come to faith in Jesus
· Repentance = Recognizing and turning around and walking away from sin like turning away from fire
o Then walking toward God and His righteousness
· John’s baptism doesn’t forgive sins but is a symbol (Outward expression) of true repentance (Inward reality)
· Title today is “AM I A JOHN THE BAPTIST?”
· Well I hope so because we are called to be
o Like John the Baptist, we prepare the way for unbelievers to accept Jesus as their savior when we evangelize – Share this Gospel message
VS 7-8
7 And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
· Here we see John’s humility – He becomes less so Jesus becomes more
o We must do this too
o His will, not ours
o We make Him the King who sits on the throne of our life
o Dying to self and alive in Christ – New creation
· John says that he baptizes with water but Jesus baptizes with the Holy Spirit
o Not water baptism here – Although water baptism is the symbol of this reality)
o This baptism refers to receiving indwelling Holy Spirit upon faith
o And the Holy Spirit is our guarantee that we have been forgiven and received eternal salvation
Ephesians 1:13-14
In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
VS 2-8 – JOHN SETS THE TABLE, JESUS SEALS THE DEAL
VS 9-11
9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
· Jesus is baptized by John – But why? – He never sinned
· He was baptized to:
o To identify with the people – To show their sin
o His baptism also provides us with the importance of being baptized when we come to faith
o Christ’s baptism was the outward expression of the inward reality that He will take on and bear the sins of the world for forgiveness and salvation
o Our baptism is the picture that our sins have been forgiven because of Jesus
· Here we see all 3 persons of the Godhead – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit
o When the Holy Spirit was poured into Jesus, it anointed Him with power to carry out His earthly ministry
o We too receive the Holy Spirit that empowers us to carry the ministry God has called us to do and for evangelism
· VS 11 – A 2nd, more powerful proclamation that Jesus is the Son of God because it is God the Father who reveals it
VS 12-13
12 The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13 And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him.
· Again, why? Jesus would never fall to temptation and sin
· He went to:
o Show us that He is victorious of Satan when tempted
· We too are constantly being tempted to sin – And since Jesus experienced this in the wilderness, He understands our temptations
Hebrews 4:14-16
14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
· The key for us is that when we are tempted, we come to Him
o He gives us the power to be victorious over temptation
VS 14-15
14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
This indicates the start of Christ’s earthly ministry and what that entails
· 1st – He came to proclaim (share) the Gospel
o That He will fulfill God’s overarching plan of redemption and salvation
· 2nd - Jesus also came to inaugurate the Kingdom of God
o “Kingdom of God” = God establishing His reign on earth and establishing His rule in the hearts and minds He has chosen as His own people
· Last - Jesus ends with a command for all people to repent and believe
o Jesus still gives that command today
Conclusion/Application
Today’s text is the MAIN THEME OF MARK:
· Jesus is the Son of God
· And His earthly ministry was to
o Inaugurate the Kingdom of God and proclaiming the Gospel
What can we learn and apply to our lives
· God had a plan and purpose for John the Baptist and it was determined before he was even born – We know this from the OT prophesy in VS 2-3
o Same is true for us
o God created us with a specific plan and purpose determined before we were even born
o God gave us spiritual gifts to carry out the specific ministry he has called us to and for the universal call to evangelize
o Our future has already been written for us – It is futile to fight against God’s will for our lives
· Question Becomes: Will we be determined to find out what our spiritual gifts are and then be obedient to God carrying out the ministry He has called us to?
Moving on, let’s look again at the title for today’s sermon
“Am I a John the Baptist?”
· Jesus’ earthly ministry of proclaiming the Gospel still goes on today, just not from earth:
o Jesus ascended to Heaven after His death and resurrection
o He is now the living Lord who is at work in the church and world, calling people to faith in the gospel
o And how? – US - We are the means of continuing His earthly ministry
· So, “Am I a John the Baptist?”
o Do I prepare the way for Jesus by sharing the Gospel with unbelievers?
o Am I humble like John? – Make myself less so Jesus becomes more?
o Do I do His will rather than my own?
o Have I made Jesus the King of my life?
o Have I died to self and been made alive in Christ? – A new creation?
Isaiah 52:7
7 How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of him who brings good news,
who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness,
who publishes salvation,
who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”
The last application
· Jesus commands all people to “Repent and Believe in the Gospel” Have you?
o Everyone who has ever lived must answer these 2 questions – “Who is Jesus Christ?” and “Will you repent and believe in Him for forgiveness and salvation?”
For this week:
· Read the other Gospel accounts that go into much more detail - In bulletin
· Also read the Scripture for next week
o Mark 1:16-28