Opening Prayer

Almighty God, you Son fasted forty days in the wilderness, and was tempted as we are but did not sin. Give us grace to direct our lives in obedience to your Spirit, that as you know our weakness, so we may know your power to save; through Jesus Christ our Redeemer, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Opening Songs

“Joy of the Lord”, “King of Kings”

Pastoral Prayer

Loving, Creating God, you are in covenant with your people. You have pledged to be our God and ask us to be your people, trusting in you in all our ways. But we find many excuses to prevent us from really trusting you. We erect barriers before our faith journey even begins. Our time, obligations, energy, all become part of the bricks and mortar which fashion this barrier. We can give lip service to the journey; we can daydream about what it would be like to truly place our hands in yours and follow you. But when it comes to actually making the journey, our time constraints and weak commitments loom largely before us. Help us to tear down this barrier. Make us ready for the journey by replacing the fear in our hearts with a sense of joy and challenge of self-discovery and discipleship. Remind us that in service to you, helping others, we will also find our selves made more fully whole. As we have spoken the names of our friends, and family members, and others situations in which healing and comfort are needed, let us remember that we, too, stand in need of prayer and healing. Make us ready to receive your good news and then to be witnesses to your love to all your people. AMEN.

Song of Preparation

“Reckless Love”

Scripture Reading

Mark 1:9–15 ESV

9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately 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.” 12 The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13 And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him. 14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

Kingdom Promises

1. In the kingdom of God, the Spirit is upon God’s children. (vs. 9-11)

Mark 1:9–11 ESV

9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately 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.”

Because we are of Christ, we are God’s children. It is only when we are in Christ that this is possible. Prior to our coming to Christ we are actually enemies of God because we are in our sin. Sin separates us from God and keeps us from claiming sonship in him.

The baptism of Jesus has an important function in the entire gospel of Mark: It establishes identity and authority of Jesus. Our baptism does the same for us. We are identified as sons and daughters of God and marked and sealed by the Holy Spirit. This means that we are a child of God. In Romans 8:16-17, Paul gives us some insight on what this means.

Romans 8:16–17 ESV

16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

Our identity is found in Christ alone. We become heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ. We are given a gift from God. We have not received a spirit of bondage again unto fear; be we have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba Father. We have been adopted in Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit and we can confidently address God as Father in the same way Jesus did. We now have the benefits of being children of God. We have the promise of new life in Christ. We are heirs of what Christ is heir of. What is Christ an heir of?

When we look in Ephesians 1:15-21, we find our answer:

Ephesians 1:15–21 ESV

15 For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.

One of the promises given to us in the kingdom of God is that we are heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ because we are children of God through justification by faith. This faith leads us to that place where God’s blessings are given to us in the form of the authority that rests in Jesus as we take the world for the kingdom - the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.

2. In the kingdom of God, God is with us in the struggles of life. (vs. 12-13)

Mark 1:12–13 ESV

12 The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13 And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him.

If we go back to the passage that we previously quoted in Romans 8:17, being an co-heir with Christ means that we share in his sufferings. It means that there are struggles that we are going face as his people.

Mark's account of the temptation of Jesus is very brief compared to Matthew and Luke. However, there are important clues in this short text to Jesus' ministry. One clue is the wilderness setting which links the temptation of Jesu to the ministry of John the Baptist. The wilderness was a place of conflict and struggle. The forty days parallels Israel's forty years in the wilderness, Moses' forty days on Mt. Sinai, and Elijah's forty day trip to Horeb/Sinai. The wilderness is a place where forces that are hostile to God dwell. Despite this God is present in the wilderness in Deuteronomy 2:7 and Deuteronomy 32:10. The discovery of God's presence and this providence grows out of struggle and testing.

The second clue is the verb peirazo (to tempt or to test) from which this passage derives its traditional name, “the temptation.” Of the various possible meanings of the term the two viable options in this context are enticement to sin and putting to the the test. This passage is about a test of strength between Jesus and Satan.

The third clue to the theological significance of this text is its structure. In addition to Jesus, the only human being in the scene, four other figures appear in the passage: the Spirit, Satan, the wild beasts, and the angels. Though some see in these wild beasts allusion to the peaceful coexistence of Eden, the more likely sense of the passage is that the beasts, like Satan, belong to the realm of the wilderness. This is paradigm of understanding the cosmic struggle which underlies the entire Gospel of Mark. The ensuing drama in the Gospel portrays the nature of Jesus’ testing, the authoritative way he engages in conflict, and the evidence of his victor over Satan and all evil powers. Satan’s power is real but limited. It is bracketed in this text by the commanding Spirit and the sustaining angels of God.

We learn from Hebrews 4:15:

Hebrews 4:15 ESV

15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

Jesus has been tempted and tested as we are. He has suffered far more than we can image. But in those times when we are struggling and face testing and temptation, we know that Christ is with us. And this is the kingdom promise - God is with us in the good and bad.

3. In the kingdom of God, belief produces sight. (vs. 14-15)

Mark 1:14–15 ESV

14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

“The time is fulfilled” includes at least three dimensions of meaning. Most broadly, the coming of Jesus fulfills God’s plan for the grand sweep of history. At that time (“after John was arrested”) and in that place (Galilee) God stepped into human history in a unique and decisive way. The time is fulfilled, and ours is an invaded planet. Second, Mark links the time of John’s arrest with the time when Jesus starts preaching the gospel. The time of John the prophet is over; the time of Jesus and fulfillment has come. A different era begins in God’s dispensation: It is the gospel time. Third, and most precisely, Mark ties the turning point in time to the preaching of Jesus. When the good news of God is preached, it is is decision time: The time is fulfilled.

What does “the kingdom of God is at hand,” or “has drawn near” mean? The other Gospels have Jesus speak of a kingdom that is present and realized. In Mark, however, Jesus proclaims a kingdom that is about to appear. John the Baptist announced that the imminent appearance of Jesus and Jesus appeared. Jesus announces the imminent appearance of the Kingdom of God and the kingdom appears. For Jesus in Mark 1:15 the kingdom lay in the immediate future. As the narrative unfolds, those who are confronted by the power of God in the words and works of Jesus experience the kingdom as present, yet hidden; its full manifestation still lies in a future that has drawn near.

Jesus then adds, “Repent, and believe in the gospel.” “Repent” is the same message John had preached. Calvin points to the two dimensions of repentance as changing our lives for the better and as conversion and newness of life. The latter, deeper dimension of the term is the primary meaning of “repent” in this verse. Jesus calls his hearers to turn around, and shift the direction of their lives, to look, listen, and give their full attention to the kingdom which is arriving.

The climax of the appeal of the unit is “Believe the good news!” Jesus calls his hearers to believe the good news that the Kingdom of God is arriving. Where Jesus Christ is, there the rule, power, and Kingdom of God is actively at work. But for hearers then, just as for hearers today, this truth is not self-evident. To be seen, it must be believed. The relationship between faith and sight will be elaborated at important points later in the Gospel.

When we are confronted by the gospel of Christ, we are confronted by the kingdom and must make a decision about what we will do. Will we expect to be a part of that kingdom and believe in Jesus Christ to see the fullness of that kingdom moving in history or will we reject the gospel and remain in our sinfulness?

And so in John 9, we have the story of the blind man, Bartimaus, who is given sight by Jesus and then is thrown before the religious authorities to be put on trial as to why he was able to see.

John 9:39 ESV

39 Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.”

The Kingdom promise is that when we believe, we will see the kingdom before us. Jesus as the light of the world.

Closing Song

“When I Survey the Wondrous Cross”

Benediction

The first step on the journey, that of readiness, is one of the hardest. We keep thinking that we have forgotten something. God has called you by name, to this journey. You will have all that you need. Go in peace, and know that God is going with you. AMEN.