Year of Biblical Literacy: The Story of God (Jesus)

Mark 1:1-39 The Story of God Jesus Introduction: If this is your first time at Refuge Christian Fellowship, Welcome. As a part of our year of Biblical Literacy we are doing a series of miniseries on different themes in and from the Bible. We spent all last month looking at the Bible specifically - what it is, what it claims about itself - it’s authority, it’s accuracy, it’s purpose. In our teaching about, What the Bible is - we talked about how it is first of all a story (Not a fairy tale), but a congruent true story that gives meaning and shape to our lives. Everyone has grand narrative that they are living by, a story that they tell themselves about why we are here, how we got here and where this life is going. Christians believe that the Bible is the true story of God - from Creation to New Creation and it is through this story that we find our meaning, purpose and place in this world. So far in the grand narrative we’ve looked at Creation, the Fall, and the beginning of redemption through Israel.. We said a few weeks ago, If Genesis 1 & 2 (The Creation narrative) teach that God is king; Genesis 3 shows how humanity rejected God’s kingship humans disobey and rebel If Genesis 1 & 2 show earth as God’s good kingdom - Genesis 3 shows humans corrupting it with sin, bringing it under a curse and handing their authority over to the Serpent If Genesis 1 & 2 shows Humanity created to be covenant partners with God - Genesis 3 shows human rebellion, human autonomy - working chaos into God’s creation, suspicious of God’s goodness and intentions. As Nicolai showed last week - Though the seeds of sin are seen in Genesis 3 the rest of scripture shows how sin permeated everything through further human rebellion and collusion with the divine beings. Yet God, in his mercy, not willing to allow his creation to be given over to sin, chaos, and destruction started a new work, a new people through which he would redeem the world and bring it back to what he intended it to be. This was the family of Abraham- the nation of Israel - Nicolai did an excellent job of walking us through the history of Israel. As we come to the close of the Old Testament, whether the Jewish order of Chronicles or the Christian order of Malachi, the Old Testament leaves us wanting and waiting - waiting for God’s true king, his kingdom to be re-established, waiting for the end of the exile (Though the nation of Israel is no longer in captivity in Babylon, they are still under foreign occupation, without a king, without a kingdom) and the judgment of God on sin and evil and finally for the nations to be delivered from Idolatry and brought to know the one and true God. Waiting for the end of Exile, waiting for Redemption. This is what the Gospel is all about - God becoming King again, the exile is over, God is making earth his kingdom! Jesus of Nazareth is the true Israelite who restores God’s kingly reign on earth, as it is in heaven. “We cannot grasp the meaning of the story of Jesus until we begin to see that it is in fact the climatic episode of the great story of the Bible, the chronicle of God’s work in human history. When his good creation was fouled by human rebellion, God immediately set out on a salvage mission. He had created it, and thus it belonged to him by right. Now he would redeem it, buy it back for himself, so that it might be restored to what he had always intended it to be. Last week we looked at how God worked through the nation of Israel to make progress toward this goal - his first acts of redemption and restoration, and repeated promises that one day he would complete for the whole creation, what he had begun with the one small nation of Israel. God’s plan is to make all things new - a new creation, a new heaven and earth where righteousness dwells - and he has and is accomplishing that through the work of Jesus Christ.. In his life, Jesus shows us what salvation looks like: the power of God to heal and make new is vividly present in all his words and actions. In his death, Jesus accomplishes that salvation: at the cross he wages war against the powers of evil and defeats them as he takes the sin of the world upon himself In his resurrection, Jesus opens the door to the new creation - and then holds that door open and invites us to join him.” - Paraphrase from The Drama of Scripture.. 1. Jesus is the New Beginning, the New Israel, the New Adam, the New Creation - The True King. 1. Though we often make Jesus in our own image, using him for our political and social causes, ripping him from his context and the context of the rest of the Bible - the Gospel writers go to great lengths to show that Jesus is not just some Jewish revolutionary that insist on throwing out the old and bringing in the new, he isn’t some random character that shows up on the scene out of nowhere, healing people, performing exorcisms, loving all the crazy messed up people - like prostitutes, tax collectors and the like.. then giving his life on the cross so our sins can be forgiven and we can all go to heaven when we die… Who is Jesus? Every part of Jesus life is drenched in OT typology, symbolism, themes, characters, prophecy and fulfillment..etc 1. Mark (The first written of the gospels) begins the story of Jesus with John the baptizer - to remind us of the OT prophecy of the forerunner who is to prepare the path for the Messiah 2. Matthew’s gospel looks back further - rooting Jesus’ ministry in the story of Israel begun in Abraham: for Matthew, Jesus enters history in order to complete Israel’s story. 3. Luke reaches back even further to Adam- to show that the good news of Jesus has significance for all humanity 4. And John takes us back to the time before creation to show that Jesus is the eternal, uncreated Word, present with God from the beginning. 1. Jesus life is drenched, saturated in the OT, you really can’t understand Jesus, and appreciate the fulness of his work apart form knowing and reading the OT. 2. New Beginning - The Gospel of Mark starts like this “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus the messiah, the son of God.. 1. Mark uses the words "in the beginning" or "the beginning." It's supposed to awaken echoes of the first phrase in Genesis. "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." And Mark uses the same kind of language to awaken your mind to this new beginning. A new beginning is happening here in Jesus. Jesus is a new beginning to Israel's story. But also a new beginning to the whole world, the story of the whole world. Jesus is rebooting the story. Jesus is redeeming humanity's story. In Jesus, the story of humanity is being restored. And, just as in Genesis where God initiated creation by speaking, here at this time God is initiating salvation and new creation. 2. What Mark is saying is, "God is taking decisive action in Jesus Christ to redeem and to save the world.” 3. New Israel, and True King -The next part of Mark we are brought to the baptismal waters where Jesus is baptized - Now John’s baptism is about repentance for sin - As the one who is preparing the way for the Messiah - John’s baptism was an invitation to the nation of Israel to a new beginning - a cleansing from sin - back to the baptismal waters of the Jordan, once again, entering into the land, cleansed and ready to take up their task again to be a light to the nations. Now along comes Jesus one day, and he insist on being baptized by John (found in Matthew’s gospel) - But we, the reader already know that Jesus doesn’t need repentance, he has no sin.. so what is this all about? In the baptismal waters Jesus is taking up the mantle of Israel, taking up their story in order to fulfill and accomplish all the promises of God to Israel and to the nations. When Jesus comes up out of the water something radical happens - "Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” 1. The word’s “You are my Son” are taken directly from Psalm 2 - A song about God and his anointed (Messiah) king who will rule, not only Israel, but over the nations and the ends of the earth. 2. The words of the Father affirm that Jesus is Israel’s anointed king, here to inaugurate the kingdom of God. The Spirit will empower him to carry out this work.. 4. New Adam -Israel, through the leading of Moses passed through the baptismal waters and then went into the wilderness, for forty years on their way to the promise land. It is significant that Jesus spends forty days in the wilderness, being tempted by the Satan (The garden Serpent) - Jesus is not only the new Israel, he is the new Adam, tempted not in the paradise of God with luscious provision around him, but tempted in the wilderness with no provision - but the power of the Spirit and yet he overcomes the Satan.. 5. New Creation -Mark 1:10, "Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open…" Heaven is torn open? Whenever the Old Testament uses this sort of language, it's saying that God is about to speak or act, and that someone will get a glimpse into the purposes of God. 1. This happened in Ezekiel 1:1 when the heavens were opened and Ezekiel saw a vision. However, this isn't heaven opening, this is heaven being torn open. Isaiah actually prayed this. Isaiah 64 says, "Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down.” 2. The prophet Isaiah prays that the barrier between heaven and earth (what was lost at the fall) would be torn open and God would be among His people. Mark is saying that this is happening in Jesus. In Jesus, the fabric of heaven is torn open and God is among His people. God is among us and this irreversible cosmic change has taken place. And what has been opened cannot be closed, what is torn is never the same again because Jesus is on the scene. 1. We don’t have time to look at all of these this morning but John in his Gospel shows us through the language that he uses that Jesus is the new temple of God (Eden) - the place where God and humanity come together and fellowship is restored-sin no longer bars the way to God’s presence. John says, the Eternal Word, became human, and tabernacled (Temple language) among us, and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the father, full of Grace and Truth. (John1:14) 2. The Gospel of the Kingdom 1. "After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” 2. The good news of God - this term "good news” would have had it’s own significance in Jesus’ day because Caesar Augustus’s coming to power was proclaimed as Good news or Gospel - he claimed to be the son of God, who brought peace… But this would have had an older, deeper and richer meaning for the Jews of Jesus’ time. 3. Again, Isaiah the prophet, In chapter 52, paints this vision of the people of Zion, of Jerusalem watching, waiting for a messenger who will bring the “Good News” - that their exile in Babylon is over, that judgment is complete - "How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!” Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices; together they shout for joy. When the Lord returns to Zion, they will see it with their own eyes. Burst into songs of joy together, you ruins of Jerusalem, for the Lord has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem. The Lord will lay bare his holy arm in the sight of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God.” - Isaiah 52:7-10 1. The Kingdom of Heaven or the Kingdom of God is a huge Biblical idea woven throughout scripture. To proclaim that the kingdom of God was here was a was hugely packed statement! For the Jew the Kingdom of God referred to God’s final and eternal reign over his creation - God has returned to be our King! The Kingdom of God meant, a guaranteed new heavens and new earth, a healed material creation; absolute wholeness and well being- physically, spiritually, socially, and economically. 2. The Kingdom was bound up with the Old Testament concept of shalom - The peace and glory of God permeating every part of the creation. The Kingdom was said to be fully established when all that is broken and wrong with this world is mended and made right. As such, it is tightly bound up with poverty, oppression, misery and sin in all its various forms being brought to an end, and an ushering in of absolute flourishing, prosperity and blessing of the creation. Jesus was claiming that THAT kingdom was here and inviting anyone who heard to join and get on board.. 3. Jesus teaches the people what it looks like to live under the reign of God through his various teachings and especially the sermon on the mount. Jesus through his parables begins to remind Israel that God’s kingdom is also about the nations - and says things like, Gentiles will come from the ends of the earth and sit down in the kingdom, with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, yet the sons of the kingdom will be thrown out. This is the upside down Kingdom of God - the poor are in the rich thrown out; the weak are made strong, the strong made weak - it is a total reversal of this world.. 3. The Signs and Evidence of God’s kingdom 1. In the next section of Mark Jesus is casting out demonic spirits, showing his authority over them (The true and rightful king is here), and also healing many, and various diseases, casting out more demons, healing those with leprosy..And this is something that you probably don’t have to even read the Bible to know about Jesus he was a miracle worker. He healed people, not just once - many times, with a word, sometimes even when the person needing healing wasn’t present - Jesus raised people back to life; he miraculously provides food in the wilderness on multiple occasions; makes delicious wine out of water; walks on water; calms the storm and the raging sea; commands fish (Hundreds of them) right into nets and the list goes on.. 2. Have you ever wondered why Jesus is doing these things? If you don’t read the OT you won’t know that these are many of the signs that YHWH performed in the OT, and what the OT said would happen when Messiah came and God’s kingdom broke into earth. 1. Have you ever noticed how the miracles in the NT are never about power for the sake of power, they always relieve suffering and bring Joy and wholeness. Why is that? Because it points forward to the new creation - to a restored creation, when the curse of sin and all the effects of sin on the world will be removed.. 2. Often we talk about miracles as being supernatural but that is because we are living in a world under the curse of sin. Miracles, like sight to the blind, the dead being raised, are actually the most natural things the world.. they are not the suspension of the natural order but a restoration of the natural order.. Because God did not make a world with sin, and cancer, and blindness, lameness, suffering, hunger and death. 3. “When Jesus expels demons and heals the sick, he is driving out of creation the powers of destruction, and is healing and restoring created beings who are hurt and sick. The lordship of God, to which the healings witness, restores creation to health. Jesus’ healings are not supernatural miracles in a natural world. They are the only truly ‘natural’ thing in a world that is unnatural, demonized and wounded. .” - Jürgen Moltmann, The Way of Jesus Christ 4. The NT writers, especially John, refer to Jesus’ miracles as signs - and that’s exactly right - The miracles are signs pointing us to what is to come: a new, healed, fully restored creation, under the authority of our True King.. 4. The Opening of God’s Kingdom 1. From Mark chapter 1-8 Jesus is this unstoppable force, and it looks like the Kingdom is going to steam roll all opposing parties - The Romans, the Sadducees, the Pharisees - Jesus is taking all of these on - the crowds love him and then all of a sudden, almost out of nowhere Jesus begins to say this sort of thing - “He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again.” - Mark 8:31 1. - The Son of Man is the Messianic figure in the book of Daniel 7:13-14. After Daniel sees a vision of the different rulers and kingdoms of this world being conquered he sees this “There before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.” 2. YHWH appoints the Son of Man to rule over the nations forever and ever… and Jesus is saying that this Son of Man must first, be rejected, suffer, die, and rise again.. In fact, in Mark’s gospel, Jesus says this three times almost back to back.. so what is that about? 1. See, before God’s kingdom can truly be established - God as king, creation restored, humanity brought back into the presence and purposes of God - Sin, evil, and death must be overcome - Otherwise no one can actually be a part of God’s kingdom - because the poison of sin is in each of us, we are enslaved to sin and the demonic world - and we owe a debt to God. 2. All the evil, sin and rebellion beginning with adam and stretching all the way into today - must be dealt with. Jesus comes to remove the barrier that blocks us from the kingdom and the purposes of God. It is at the cross, that Jesus is both made a sacrifice for sin - the sacrificial lamb, the passover lamb - shedding his precious, sinless blood for our sin.. and at the same time bringing all the evil, darkness and demonic power of the world into one place it was killed - crushed, put to death in his own body - he is like the fox and fleas… 1. Jesus is the ball of wool. The spotless lamb allows the evil of the whole world to be concentrated on himself. HE doesn’t repay evil for evil, he doesn’t over throw the powers that be through war and blood shed. Instead he takes the weight of the world’s evil upon himself, so that the world can emerge clean 3. See the Jews of Jesus day do not understand what is going on with Jesus and they can’t understand why he is dying, and not fighting the powers that be - establishing his kingdom through a bloody holy war like David, like Judas maccabee.. But this is because Jesus comes to deliver us from the power behind the power - the power of sin, by becoming sin for us he puts sin to death in his own body - there he kills it and it’s power over humanity… 4. This is what Isaiah means when he says in Isaiah 53 - Who would have believed that this was the mighty arm of God - the victory of God? - He’s not majestic; he’s not beautiful; he is despised and rejected; a man of sorrows and a close friends with grief; he’s like a man we can’t stand to make eye contact with - so we hide our face from him; he is despised and we didn’t think anything of him… But he’s bearing our grief and carrying our sorrow.. He is wounded for our transgressions; he is crushed for our iniquity - his punishment is what will bring us peace and by his wounds we will be healed….Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him, he has put him to grief and made his soul an offering for sin and guilt…. It is in the cross that Jesus accomplishes victory over sin and the release of all humanity that were under it’s power. 1. “What looks like (and indeed was) the defeat of goodness by evil is also, and more certainly, the defeat of evil by goodness. Overcome there, he was himself overcoming. Crushed by the ruthless power of Rome, he was himself crushing the serpent’s head (Gen 3:15). The victim was the victor, and the cross is still the throne from which he rules the world. - John Stott, The Cross of Christ 5. The Resurrection - God has done in the resurrection of Jesus what he plans to do to the whole world - to make all things new. 1. John 20:1-17 - It happened on the first day of the week early in the morning, even before the sun had risen. We find a woman in a garden, weeping, distraught over the power of death…as the gardener approaches. It is the first day of the new creation and we find ourselves again in a garden. 1. “On the third day the friends of Christ coming at daybreak to the place found the grave empty and the stone rolled away. In varying ways they realized the new wonder; but even they hardly realized that the world had died in the night. What they were looking at was the first day of a new creation, with a new heaven and a new earth; and in a semblance of the gardener God walked again in the garden, in the cool not of the evening but the dawn.”- G. K. Chesterton, The Everlasting Man 2. John through his descriptive language wants us to understand that the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ has changed everything. It’s a new day, in a new garden, with a new humanity and a new creation. All that God had wanted for Israel and for the world is coming to pass through Jesus. - “If any one is in Christ, they are a new creation the old has gone and the new has come…” Conclusion: Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God. Not just another prophet. Not just another Rabbi. Not just another wonder-worker. He was the one Israel had been waiting for: the Son of David and Abraham’s chosen seed, the one to deliver us from captivity, the goal of the Mosaic law, Yahweh in the flesh, the one to establish God’s reign and rule, the one to heal the sick, give sight to the blind, freedom to the prisoners and proclaim good news to the poor, the lamb of God come to take away the sins of the world. This Jesus was the Creator come to earth and the beginning of a new creation. He embodied the covenant, fulfilled the commandments, and reversed the curse. This Jesus is the Christ that God spoke of to the serpent, the Christ prefigured to Noah in the flood, the Christ promised to Abraham, the Christ prophesied through Balaam before the Moabites, the Christ guaranteed to Moses before he died, the Christ promised to David when he was king, the Christ revealed to Isaiah as a suffering servant, the Christ predicted through the prophets and prepared for through John the Baptist. This Christ is not a reflection of the current mood or the projection of our own desires. He is our Lord and God. He is the Father’s Son, Savior of the world, and substitute for our sins–more loving, more holy, and more wonderfully terrifying than we ever thought possible. -Kevin Deyoung Through the work of Jesus: God is king again The Dwelling place of God is with humanity once again Humans are being brought back into covenant partnership with God and the earth is being reclaimed as the kingdom of God The Exile is over - God’s plan is back on track Now, we actively wait, as his people till he makes all things new - in a new heaven and a new earth. 1.