Stepping onto the Road

Intro

Every road has a beginning. Some roads are smooth, some are rocky. Some are clearly marked, and some we wander along blindly. But the most important road any of us will ever walk is the road that leads to Jesus—and ultimately, to the cross. we’re going to take a journey together through the Gospel of Mark—a road that takes us from curiosity to confusion, from surrender to resurrection. Along the way, we’ll see what it really means to follow Jesus.

To help us see this road clearly, we’re using a simple visual: a traveler’s bag. Every week, we’ll pull something out of the bag that represents what every disciple carries with them—their expectations, their fears, their faith, and sometimes the things they need to surrender. As we unpack these items, we’ll discover how following Jesus changes the way we see the world, ourselves, and God.”Some roads lead to dead ends—but the road we’re walking leads to life. And it begins the moment we take the first step. This week, we step onto the road.

Mark 1:1–8 CSB

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way. A voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Prepare the way for the Lord; make his paths straight! John came baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and they were baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins. John wore a camel-hair garment with a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, “One who is more powerful than I am is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the strap of his sandals. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

Right from the start Mark is building the case for who Jesus is. He points right away that the beginning of the Gospel the good news didnt start when Jesus was born it started way before that in the Old Testament. The road to the cross didn’t start at Christmas the road to the cross started way back in Genesis three. when sin entered the world and God promised that one would come and crush Satan, sin, and death all at once. Then all throughout the Old Testament God reminded his people. He’s still coming. then in Isaiah Mark reminds us that God said he would send someone to get everyone ready. He would send someone to point to the road to make sure we didn’t miss it. and now Mark is telling us the time has come.

He’s here. God promised and now he’s keeping his word.

1. You Can Trust this Road

This sounds simple but it is something that we cannot miss as we step onto the road. Because I dont know about you guys but I hate traveling with people who do not keep their word. They say they are going show up and they don’t. They say they are going to bring the snacks and show up empty handed. They say they are going to split the gas but when the time comes their wallet is no where to be found.

I only want to travel with someone I can trust. Someone who keeps their word. Mark is letting all of us know from the very first verse God keeps his word. You can travel his road because you can trust him. You don’t have to wonder if he’s going to show up, you don’t have to be scared that he wont do what he said he would do. He’s not going to leave you holding the bill. We have a God who keeps his word.

When we sinned in the garden and his response should have been to kill us he instead responded with a promise. I am going to send someone to set everything right. The road to the cross started there continued all throughout the Old Testament and now we see God keeping his word to send John the Baptist to prepare the way. and of course Jesus who is the way.

As we step onto this road of following Jesus we need to know at the start he is going to ask us to give things up. He is going to have us empty out the things that we are bringing with us on the road. Thats why its important that from the jump we see that when he asks us to give things up, when he asks us to follow him because his way is better we can trust that he’s telling us the truth. When he says his road leads to life we can trust what he says because he keeps his promises.

Mark 1:9–13 CSB

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John. As soon as he came up out of the water, he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well-pleased.” Immediately the Spirit drove him into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and the angels were serving him.

The first step on the road to the cross that Jesus takes wasn’t some big miracle. It wasn’t a big charismatic sermon. It was an act of humble submission. Jesus began his public ministry by openly and outwardly submitting to God’s will. Jesus had no real need to be baptized. He hadn’t sinned. But he did it as a sign for us to show us that even he. Jesus the Son of God would humble himself to God’s plan.

We love our plans don’t we? For me there is nothing scarier than not having a plan. in every area of my life I like to have some kind of plan to get from where I am now to where I want to be. We try to make plans for our finances, for our careers, our education. and then when we get done with that we start making plans for our kids and their education, their careers, their finances.

We all step onto the road with plans. like a map. on a map we can clearly see where we are, where we are going and the path to get there. all of our plans, assumptions, and expectations of where life and faith should lead. We come up with it. we map it out. we step onto the road thinking we know where we are going. and we are inviting Jesus along for the ride.

2. You Can’t Bring Your Map.

You can’t step on to the road with Jesus while carrying your map planning to give him directions along the way. We have to lay our maps our plans at Jesus feet and humbly submit to his destination for us and how we get there. The same way Jesus did.

Jesus could have come to earth and conquered it, He could have done what his disciples wanted and overthrown Rome and been the most popular person in the world. But instead he humbly submitted to God’s purpose. He didnt just lay down any plans of earthly greatness he laid down his life. Just like when he was baptized and he was lowered under the water. His body would be laid down in the grave, but just as he was pulled up out of the water. He was pulled up out of that grave 3 days later.

If we are going to follow Jesus on his road we got to take our plans as great as we think they are and lay them down. Not to ask God to say yes to our plans. but to lay them down like Jesus did. To say not my will but your will. To understand that from the moment we step on the road we are called to lay not just our plans down but our lives down. There is no version of Christianity that exists in the Bible where we you get to come to Christ say you’re a Christian but still hold onto all of your plans and all of your life, and still walk the road with Jesus.

It is all in from the start. We may step onto the road thinking we know where it goes. But its not our job to figure out where its going. We step onto the road with our plans but Jesus invites us to trust him instead.

Jesus makes this clear in the first red letters of the book of Mark. Mark 1:14-15

Mark 1:14–15 CSB

After John was arrested, Jesus went to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

How Mark writes can give you whiplash. He leaves a lot of stories out that the other Gospels includes because he is laser focused on teaching two things. Who Jesus is. and What our response needs to be.

In the first 14 verses he tells us who Jesus is. The son of God the incarnation of all of God’s promises in one person and he’s telling us for the first time what our response should be. Repent and Believe.

In light of seeing that God keeps his promises, and Jesus God’s son submitted to God’s plan and purpose. Our response to this good news is repent and believe.

3. You Have to Turn Around

If we are going to walk with Jesus. If we are going to follow him on his road. I got news for you his road our road will not join up at any point. Because they are going in two opposite directions. Jesus’ road will never come in line with your road. Jesus road is going towards the cross. The way of total surrender and eternal life. Our road without him leads to self destruction and eternal death. If we are going opposite directions our two roads cannot merge. I left here after church and went out to exit 407 and I went left towards knoxville, and you went right towards Ashville our paths would never cross because we going the opposite direction.

The only way for us to meet up would be for one of us to stop and turn around and go the opposite direction. The response that we need to have to the good news is the same. Stop going the way you’re going and go the opposite. That’s what repentance means. Jesus doesn’t say believe in me and take me with you as you keep going the direction that you are already headed.

No he says believe and repent. Not believe or repent. Believe and repent. He isn’t promoting easy beliefism. That all you got to do is say you believe and now you are following me. The belief he is talking about isn’t just about consent it involves commitment. a belief that the way you are going is the wrong way. and commitment to turn and go the way of Jesus that you believe is the right way.

There is nothing I hate more than backtracking. To be going the way that you thought was the right way and realizing its not and having to turn around. Alysa I were driving to Virginia to visit her family a few years ago. A drive we had taken many times So I felt confident I didn’t even turn the GPS on because I thought I had it. We at some point on the drive theres a split. To the left the intersate continues to Virginia. and to the right it veers into the mountains. and We were driving along and I wasnt paying attention. Probably because I was so focused on talking to the love of my life. but I took the wrong turn into the mountains. And I dont notice for 30 minutes.

Once I realize it I was in disbelief for a bit and kept going the wrong way thinking maybe I could keep going this way and cross over. I was trying to do anything I could to avoid having to turn around and admit I had wasted all that time. But eventually I had to believe I was going the wrong way. Stop turn around, and commit to going the right way.

That is what all of us have to do to step onto the road with Jesus. You got to acknowledge that the way you are going. Your way is the wrong way. You got to stop turn around and commit to going the right way. and every fiber of your being will tell you. don’t just keep going eventually your path and the right path will come together just keep going forward. but its not true.

The good news of the Gospel that Jesus is proclaiming wouldnt be good if we didn’t need it. If we could find our way on our own. but we cant. The good news is good because without it we would be stuck on our dead end roads. We would be going straight to the grave clutching the maps for our plans. without knowing there’s a better way. There’s a better road and its being with Jesus. To get on it we have to turn around.

Conclusion

I don’t know where you are at this morning. I don’t know if you are on the road, just stepping on or debating weather you want to get on. But here is what I know. It is the message Mark wrote his Gospel to say and I want to say it clearly to you this morning in week one of this series. Mark’s goal was for his readers to understand who Jesus is and what their response should be. That is what you have heard this morning.

Jesus is the Son of God the messiah that was promised Because God fulfilled his promise to send Jesus you know you can trust God and you know you can trust his road.

So what should your response be to that. No matter if you are just stepping onto the road of following Jesus, havent stepped on yet or have been traveling the road for years. The response we are called to is the same.

Lay down your plans, lay down your life, and turn around. In the words of Jesus Repent and believe.

You can’t follow Jesus without turning from the direction you are going and doing a full 180 to join him on his road. My question to you today is have you done that. have you gone all in. admitted you are going the wrong way as painful as that can be and turned around to place your full faith full trust in Jesus.

For those of us who have been on this road for awhile. I want you to take invintory with me this morning? have you been guilty of trying to pull your map back out of the bag? have you been been making plans based off of what God wants or what you want? I want to encourage you this morning. Don’t hold so tightly to your plans for you that you miss God’s plan for you.

His plan is better. Take this opportunity this morning to lay your plans down before the Lord this morning and humbly submit to following his plan.