Wednesday Night Bible Study

Mark 1:9–11 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.”

God, the Father, has been orchestrating redemption from before the world began.

(CSB)

THE BAPTISM OF JESUS

9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by 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. 11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well-pleased.”

The plan of redemption, which Jesus lived, was in place from before the creation of the world.

11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well-pleased.”

Illus: We can begin to understand God the Father through his deliberate actions. THere is no action that more clearly displays who he is other than His sending of his son Jesus to the world.

Illus:

We need to highlight 2 attributes of God here. (1.) God is love. (2.) God is sovereign.

God knew before he ever created the world that His very creation, man would rebel agains Him and require his wrath. IN God’s infinite sovereignty and foreknowledge, through love, he predetermined a plan to save men. Before God ever created the men, he knew he would send his son to die for men. He created us knowing he would die for us.

Don’t miss that the story of the Gospel is the unfolding of God the father’s eternal plan. Every step Jesus took was apart of God the Father’s bigger plan.

Illus: (CSB) 3 Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavens in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him., 5 He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace that he lavished on us in the Beloved One.

(CSB) 3 Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavens in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him., 5 He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace that he lavished on us in the Beloved One.

God the Father sent Christ to this world.

GOD’S RICH BLESSINGS

3 Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavens in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him., 5 He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace that he lavished on us in the Beloved One.

God the Father sent Christ to this world.

11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well-pleased.”

Illus: There is authority built into the trinity. What we see is God—sent Jesus—who sends the Spirit. The Father, Son and Spirit are equally one in God, but there is a distinct order in them. When we see Jesus, Jesus does not act in anyway separate from the will of the father. In fact Jesus works to the orders he was sent with.

Illus:

God is deliberate in all of his actions. He does not do anything accidentally.

One of the questions people often ask about their life is “What is God’s will for...” Understanding God’s great motivation for this world gives us understanding for what God wants in our lives. In your life what would maximize God’s mission the most. How can you develop relationships to further God’s mission. How can you live to be about God’s purposes.

Illus: (CSB) 16 For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Anyone who believes in him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.

16 For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Anyone who believes in him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.

God, the Son, lives out the plan of redemption.

9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by 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. 11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well-pleased.”

Jesus’ primary motivation was to obey and honor God.

9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by 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. 11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well-pleased.”

Illus: Our understanding of how Jesus relates to the father helps us to understand who God is.

Where the book of John highlights the love of God, Mark gives us a different perspective. Mark paints Jesus in a missional light. He shows how Jesus lives purposely in accomplishing the mission God gave him to do.

Have you ever considered how intentionally you live for Jesus? How many of your decisions are driven from a desire to please God, or does the things of God serve as an after thought for you?

Jesus wrestled with following

Look at JEsus’s motivation in his final days:

(CSB)

Illus: (CSB) 41 Then he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, knelt down, and began to pray, 42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me—nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”

Jesus has always been, and is God.

41 Then he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, knelt down, and began to pray, 42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me—nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” Jesus has always been, and is God.

Jesus has always been, and is God.

9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by 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. 11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well-pleased.”

Illus: We have talked about how Jesus, is from God… i.e. sent from God, but we also need to take a moment to see that Jesus is God himself.

How does this work, I don’t know. But we see in this passage the father, son, and spirit all present, separate and yet on in the God head in this story. There is no human analogy to describe who God is as three in one.

Think about the poor illustrations we use: Ice, PBJ sandwich, eggs… Though all try to show how three can be in one, none of them properly describe God.

Illus: (CSB) 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 All things were created through him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created. 4 In him was life,, and that life was the light of men. 5 That light shines in the darkness, and yet the darkness did not overcome it.

(CSB) 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 All things were created through him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created. 4 In him was life,, and that life was the light of men. 5 That light shines in the darkness, and yet the darkness did not overcome it.

PROLOGUE

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 All things were created through him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created. 4 In him was life,, and that life was the light of men. 5 That light shines in the darkness, and yet the darkness did not overcome it.

God, the Spirit, confirms God’s plan of redemption.

9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by 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. 11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well-pleased.”

The spirit is sent to confirm the work of God.

Illus: Notice the Spirit’s job in this passage, He confirms God’s work and pleasure in this story. The Spirit does the same today. He confirms God’s message and helps us understand God’s purpose.

Illus: (CSB) 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth. For he will not speak on his own, but he will speak whatever he hears. He will also declare to you what is to come. 14 He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.

John 16:13–14 CSB

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth. For he will not speak on his own, but he will speak whatever he hears. He will also declare to you what is to come. He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.