The Gospel of Jesus Christ
Gospel of Mark • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 6 viewsIntroduction to the Gospel of Mark
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Intro to Mark
Intro to Mark
This morning we will be starting a series of messages looking at the Gospel of Mark, and this morning we will be looking at the first eleven verses.
Mark wrote his gospel to Gentile readers and more specifically to the Romans.
In the Gospel, Mark presents Jesus as the ultimate servant.
Of the four Gospels, Mark is the earliest written and the shortest of the four.
Some believe that Mark wrote the gospel from Peter’s recollection.
The key verse of the Gospel of Mark is 10:45
45 For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
As Jesus is our great example to live by, we need to see that as Jesus came to serve and give His life as a ransom, we also should live for service to our heavenly Father, and give of our life in that service.
As Mark is writing to Gentiles, it is believed that those Gentiles were believers of Jesus Christ. This helps us to understand the style and approach that Mark makes.
The emphasis in this Gospel is on activity.
Mark does not record many of Jesus’ sermons because he focuses more on what Jesus did rather than what He said.
They says the best sermon a person can preach is the actions and lifestyle they live out each and every day.
Mark reveals Jesus as God servant, sent to minister to suffering people and to die for the sins of the world.
In the first eleven verses we hear from several dependable witnesses to assure us that Jesus is all that He claims to be.
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 thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. 3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 4 John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. 5 And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins. 6 And John was clothed with camel’s hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; and he did eat locusts and wild honey; 7 And preached, saying, There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose. 8 I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.
9 And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. 10 And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him: 11 And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
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I. Mark’s Witness
I. Mark’s Witness
1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;
Here we see that Mark boldly states that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
For Mark to believe this, we must assume that Mark was an eyewitness of some of the events that he wrote about.
Mark states that this is the beginning of the gospel, the word gospel means “the good news.”
To the Romans, the word gospel meant “joyful news about the emperor.”
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the Good News that God’s Son has come into the world and died for our sins.
It is the Good News that our sins can be forgiven, that we can belong to the family of God and one day go to live with God in heaven.
The Good News is the announcement of victory over sin, death, and hell.
II. Witness of the Prophets
II. Witness of the Prophets
2 As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. 3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
Here Mark cities two quotations from the Old Testament prophets, that of Malachi and Isaiah.
Malachi 3:1 (KJV 1900)
1 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me:
And the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple,
Even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in:
Behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.
3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
“Prepare the way of the Lord;
Make straight in the desert
A highway for our God.
The words messenger and voice refer to John the Baptist, the prophet God sent to prepare the way for His Son.
In biblical times, before a king visited any part of his kingdom, a messenger was sent before him to prepare the way.
The messenger not only spreads the word of the coming king, but also prepares the way by fixing roads.
John the Baptist prepared the way for the coming of Jesus by calling the people to repentance.
III. Witness of John the Baptist
III. Witness of John the Baptist
4 John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. 5 And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins. 6 And John was clothed with camel’s hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; and he did eat locusts and wild honey; 7 And preached, saying, There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose. 8 I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.
Jesus called John the Baptist the greatest of the prophets.
11 Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
John the Baptist has been related or compared to Elijah due to the way he dressed - which verse 6 tells us that he was clothed in camel’s hair and with a girdle of a skin about his loins.
He was also related to Elijah due to the manner of life he lived and the message of repentance he delivered.
John the Baptist lived and preached in the wilderness, which is the rugged wasteland along the western shores of the Dead Sea.
Being out in the wilderness, John the Baptist was in a way saying symbolically that the people were in a spiritual wilderness, which is far worse than the physical wilderness which the physical wilderness that their ancestors had endured for forty years.
John the Baptist was essentially calling the people to leave their spiritual wilderness, and place their trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and enter into their inheritance.
John the Baptist was careful to magnify Jesus and not himself.
One of my favorite verses is John 3:30
30 He must increase, but I must decrease.
John the Baptist states that he was baptizing those that repented in water, but there was One coming that would baptize them with the Spirit.
4 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. 5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
This did not mean that John the baptist baptism was unauthorized, or that water baptism would one day be replaced by Spirit baptism.
Rather, John the Baptist’s message and baptism was preparation for the coming of Jesus Christ.
That is the message and baptism of John the Baptist was to prepare the people to meet and trust in the Messiah, Jesus Christ.
IV. Witness of the Father and Holy Spirit
IV. Witness of the Father and Holy Spirit
9 And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. 10 And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him: 11 And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
When Jesus was baptized, the Spirit came on Him as a dove, and the Father spoke from heaven and identified His beloved Son.
The people who were there did not hear the voice or see the dove, but Jesus and John the Baptist did.
29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. 30 This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me. 31 And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water. 32 And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. 33 And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. 34 And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.
The word beloved not only declares affection, but it also carries the meaning of the only one.
The Father’s announcement from heaven reminds us of Psalm 2:7
7 I will declare the decree:
The Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son;
This day have I begotten thee.
and also in Isaiah 42:1
1 Behold my servant, whom I uphold;
Mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth;
I have put my spirit upon him:
He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.
Mark did not just write the Gospel about just any Jewish person, but about the very Son of God who came from heaven to die for the sins of the world.