The Gospel of Mark
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The Gospel of Mark --Part 1: I Surrender All--
Deacon James L. Kraft, who was superintendent of the Sunday school at North Shore Baptist Church in Chicago and founder of Kraft Foods, said that as a young man he had a desire to be the most famous manufacturer and salesman of cheese in the world. He planned on becoming rich and famous by making and selling cheese and began as a young fellow with a little buggy pulled by a pony named Paddy. After making his cheese, he would load his wagon and he and Paddy would drive down the streets of Chicago to sell the cheese. As the months passed, the young Kraft began to despair because he was not making any money, in spite of his long hours and hard work.
One day he pulled his pony to a stop and began to talk to him. He said, “Paddy, there is something wrong. We are not doing it right. I am afraid we have things turned around and our priorities are not where they ought to be. Maybe we ought to serve God and place him first in our lives.” Kraft then drove home and made a covenant that for the rest of his life he would first serve God and then would work as God directed.
Many years after James Kraft said, “I would rather be a layman in the North Shore Baptist Church than to head the greatest corporation in America. My first job is serving Jesus.”
If we had to use one word to describe the opening verses of the Book of Mark, I would choose the word, POW! [SLIDE]
If we had to use one word to describe the opening verses of the Book of Mark, I would choose the word, POW! [SLIDE]
Right off the bat, Mark challenges the reader by beginning the book with a short bio of John the Baptist. John was totally surrendered to Jesus.
This is fitting, because Mark's Gospel is the story of Jesus from the viewpoint of the disciple Peter- a man of compulsive action.
Mark was the young missionary that went out with Paul and Barnabas, and was also a companion of the Apostle Peter. He wrote from Peter's viewpoint the life and deeds of Jesus while on Earth. Peter becomes a voice to Gentile Christians in Rome and was a man of action and brought this personality trait into his witness of Jesus. Peter was more concerned with communicating what Jesus did as opposed who He was.
Mark was the young missionary that went out with Paul and Barnabas, and was also a companion of the Apostle Peter. He wrote from Peter's viewpoint the life and deeds of Jesus while on Earth. Peter becomes a voice to Gentile Christians in Rome and was a man of action and brought this personality trait into his witness of Jesus. Peter was more concerned with communicating what Jesus did as opposed who He was.
Peter surrendered his life to Christ, and did what Jesus asked him to do, namely to put aside his assertiveness for his own cause and to use his personality to spread the Gospel and to sacrifice himself.
Peter surrendered his life to Christ, and did what Jesus asked him to do, namely to put aside his assertiveness for his own cause and to use his personality to spread the Gospel and to sacrifice himself to the cause.
Mark wants us to understand that surrender is the pathway to total fulfilment.
"The Gospel is neither a discussion nor a debate, it s an announcement!" --Dr. Paul S. Rees
Peter wants us to understand what He came to realize, which is that surrender is the pathway to total fulfilment.
Mark, following Peter's witness, begins his account with the surrendered life of John the Baptist.
Peter wants us to understand what He came to realize, which is that surrender is the pathway to total fulfilment.
"The Gospel is neither a discussion nor a debate, it s an announcement!" --Dr. Paul S. Rees
John surrendered his Personality (vv. 1-3)
John surrendered his Personality (vv. 1-3)
The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:
“I will send my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way”—
“a voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.’ ”
John's life is a testimony of a fully surrendered person.
John's life is a testimony of a fully surrendered person.
He left everything behind to follow Jesus.
He presented the message Jesus gave him.
The popularity or the unpopularity of the message did not concern him.
Delivering the message was his utmost concern.
John used his personality to serve the Lord.
John used the uniqueness of his personality to to be the messenger Good designed him to be.
You and I might not be called to a public ministry like John, but whatever personality we are given, we are to use for Christ.
You and I might not be called to a public ministry like John, but whatever personality we are given, we are to use for Christ.
He created you a unique person, with a unique set of gifts, abilities, and personality, and He has a unique plan just for you.
When we follow the makers' instructions, we will be the fullest possible version of ourselves.
When we follow the makers' instructions, we will be the fullest possible version of ourselves.
God does not want you to become a robot and act foreign to your personality. He wants you to surrender yourself and your personality to his use.
“We may easily be too big for God to use, but never too small.” --D. L. Moody
“We may easily be too big for God to use, but never too small.” --D. L. Moody
God does not want you to become a robot and act foreign to your personality. He wants you to surrender yourself and your personality to his use.
John surrendered his profession (vv. 4-5).
John surrendered his profession (vv. 4-5).
And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.
mk 1
John the Baptist surrendered the comforts of life and the respect of people to make the announcement of the Gospel.
"Preaching repentance for the forgiveness of sins."
John lived to proclaim Christ- he was sold out to Jesus.
Not all of us are meant to be John the Baptists but his lifestyle is a model of the followers of Jesus:
Not all of us are meant to be John the Baptists but his attitude is a model for followers of Jesus:
Sacrifice: Verse 4, not trusting the comforts of this world to bring meaning to our lives.
Single-mindedness: Verse 5, Jesus only is our message. repent and be baptized.
Not focused on behavior modification but on life transformation.
John focused his message on Jesus, not the behavior of sinners.
His message of repentance was not meant to make a person moral, but to cure disease of the terminal, deadly affects of sin.
Our message to the unbeliever can not focused on behavior modification but on life transformation.
We can trust God to clean-up a persons’ life. But if we focus on behavior, we teach a message of works.
We have only made a person moral on their way to hell.
Be baptized, not be behaving (as all other religions teach.)
John surrendered his Self-Perception (vv. 6-8)
John surrendered his Self-Perception (vv. 6-8)
John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
The Gospel tells us we are not sufficient ourselves, it tells us we are deficient-that we alone are not enough-we have to have help and Jesus is the only person who can help us.
John lived separately from the rest of the world.
He did not seek the approval or respect of others.
John was careful to magnify Jesus and not himself.
As messengers of the Gospel, we cannot be overly concerned with our popularity or standing with others.
As messengers of the Gospel, we cannot be overly concerned with our popularity or standing with others.
John preached a message of repentance because mankind is born sinful and in rebellion against God.
The Gospel tells us we are not sufficient ourselves, it tells us we are deficient-that we alone are not enough-we have to have help and Jesus is the only person who can help us.
The Gospel tells us we are not sufficient ourselves, it tells us we are deficient-that we alone are not enough-we need help and Jesus is the only person who can help us.
We are all born with a pre-conceived idea that we know what is best for ourselves and we all want to be in charge of us.
We are all born with a pre-conceived idea that we know what is best for ourselves and we all want to be in charge of us.
The Gospel tells us we are not enough. We need a savior because our best efforts to gain Heaven are woefully inadequate.
John dealt with the "sin" issue head-on.
Mark begins this book with an immediate assault on our notions of autonomy and self-sufficiency.
Not on individual sins, but on the sin nature that all of us possess.
We must dealt with the "sin" issue head-on.
We must deal with the "sin" issue head-on.
"Those who talk about the 'innate goodness of man' know neither the Bible nor their own hearts."-Warren Wiersbe
The reality of sin:
The reality of sin:
The heart is deceitful above all things
and beyond cure.
Who can understand it?
The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?
For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.
The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?
Accept your circumstances: Repent and call upon God to re-make you.
For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.
Accept your circumstances: Repent and all upon God to re-make you.
Believe that Jesus is your only hope.
Confess that Jesus is YOUR lord and Savior.
Take this with you...
Take this with you...
The Gospel is the good news that God's Son has come into the world and died for our sins. Its 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.
Do you admit that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the only hope for the world?
Will you take up the call to be Jesus' messenger to your part of the world?
God is not asking for some of your life, He is asking for all of your life.
The question we all have to answer is: How much are we willing to give Him?
When we follow the makers' instructions, we will be the fullest possible version of ourselves.
“We may easily be too big for God to use, but never too small.” --D. L. Moody
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