The Beginning--Part 2

We continue our study of Mark’s gospel. Mark, like every disciple of Christ wasn’t perfect. Even so, the Holy Spirit worked in him. The Holy Spirit sanctified him, and transformed him into someone who served Christ and His church. The Holy Spirit inspired Mark to take what he’d learned from the disciples, especially Peter, and to put it all together in this book, the gospel of Mark.

1. John

John was Jesus’ cousin, the son of Zacharias and Elizabeth. His parents were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. Zacharias was a priest, of the division of Abijah and Elizabeth was of the daughters of Aaron. Therefore, John was born of the priestly line, from both sets of parents. An angel announced his birth, saying, Luke 1:13-17 “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

Then, after Jesus was conceived in Mary, she visited Elizabeth and in Luke 1:41-44 we read, “And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.” Already, in the womb, John recognised His Lord! Already he was filled with the Holy Spirit, already, preparing the way.

When John was born, those who witnessed his circumcision wished to call him after his father, but Elizabeth said, “No; he shall be called John.” They didn’t understand her, and ever since his encounter and disbelief with the angel, Zacharias had been unable to speak. He wrote on a tablet— “His name is John.” And full of the Holy Spirit he praised God and said, “Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited and redeemed His people, And has raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of His servant David, As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets, Who have been since the world began, That we should be saved from our enemies And from the hand of all who hate us, To perform the mercy promised to our fathers And to remember His holy covenant, The oath which He swore to our father Abraham: To grant us that we, Being delivered from the hand of our enemies, Might serve Him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life. “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways, To give knowledge of salvation to His people By the remission of their sins, Through the tender mercy of our God, With which the Dayspring from on high has visited us; To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, To guide our feet into the way of peace.”

The Lord God sent John to prepare the way for Jesus, the King and Saviour. John faithfully served God. He was set apart by the Holy Spirit to do this one task. And from what we read in the Bible, he did so faithfully. We don’t know anything about his childhood, his teenage years, and his 20’s. He simply served God and waited until the appointed time. And when the time was right, as indicated by the Holy Spirit, John took on the mantle of the true prophets of Israel. He was clothed in camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey” (Matt. 3:4).

John was not the Christ, he was “the voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.” John did not let fame or notoriety get hold of him. He kept Jesus in focus. He considered himself nothing, and Jesus everything. Speaking of John, Jesus said, “For I say to you, among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” John was the greatest, because he was the prophet who announced the Messiah. Those who came before John were lesser because they were further distant in time. God shows no partiality, but judges each heart equitably.

John came baptising and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. His baptising and preaching, turned “the hearts of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. To turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” Through John, truth was proclaimed. He countered the false religion of the Pharisees, the scribes, the leaders, and the false religions in the world. He preached truth. Some people love it, some people hated it. Nevertheless, he proclaimed salvation from enemies, he proclaimed knowledge of salvation by the remission of their sins, on account of God’s tender mercy. He ushered in the Dayspring from on high, the Son of God, the light shining in darkness, Jesus Christ.

John’s baptism, which we will more closely next week, was for the remission of sins. And like all new things, John drew attention, such that all the land of Judea came to see him, and the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem.

2. All the Land of Judea and Jerusalem

So, why did people, all the land of Judea and Jerusalem come to John? He was in the land of Judea, so people from that land came to him, to see and hear him. These kinds of things still happen today. Remember the Airport Vineyard, and how everyone was transfixed by what was happening there? Remember Willow Creek in the ‘90’s? Or how about the Purpose Driven Church, Purpose Driven Life, or Experiencing God, Bethel, Hillsong, etc.?

Throughout history, people have been drawn to different events, and they attach great meaning to them. In more recent history, we have the suffrage movement, Woodstock, Lollapalooza, etc. It is interesting how music plays a big part in these cultural shifts and events. We can apply James’ caution about the tongue to music, “with it, we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God” (James 3:9).

People were drawn to what John was doing. Some were merely curious. Some were expecting the Messiah—those who were familiar with God’s Word, the prophet Isaiah, and were expecting Jesus. Some doubted.

To those who came, they heard John preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. John was teaching the Bible plainly. He told them, that they were to follow the ways of the world no longer. He told them to be aware of the false teachers and the rulers of the law, the Pharisees. He told them of God’s compassion, grace, and love. And some who heard it, were, by the Holy Spirit, cut to the heart, and confessed their sins. They turned from their self reliance, or religious reliance, and turned in faith to God.

But some who came were priests, Pharisees sent by the Jews, those in power and leadership in Jerusalem. They asked him, “Who are you?” (Jn 1:19b). Are you Elijah? Are you the Prophet? Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself? (Jn 1:21-22). They weren’t interested in hearing John’s message. They wanted his bona fides. They wanted his credentials. They wanted to see his curriculum vitae. By what authority, by whose authorisation, which sect, the Pharisees, the Saducees, the Essenes, who? Was he a false teacher? Was he from some other religion?

They saw he was getting quite a following, so they needed to find out more about him. They were threatened. They were concerned that their revenue stream might be affected, their power might be weakened, their work made redundant. And so they thought to figure him out, and they couldn’t get him to their side, destroy him.

3. All Were Baptised

But not all were like them. Many came who were convicted because of the Holy Spirit’s presence, the Holy Spirit inspired words from John in his preaching. Brothers and sisters, do not let yourselves be captivated by the famous, fame seeking, fortune grabbing preachers out there. Be discerning, not in what you see them do, not in the crowds that follow after them, but rather in what they say, how they proclaim God’s Word. Do as the Bereans did with Paul, “These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so” (Ac 17:11).

Search my sermons, find out whether these things are so, according to the Holy Spirit, as He illuminates the Scriptures. Some of you do this, and we’ve had conversations after church, during the week, via emails or texts. Keep it up! Forgive me when I am not gracious in my reply, keep it up.

But to those who believed John’s message, all who confessed their sins and repented, were baptised. Were some wrongly baptised? Were some there for the wrong reasons? Were some there who didn’t believe? The truth is, there are true believers even in false churches, by the Grace of God, and false believers in true churches. Let each man examine himself, for it is easier to put trust in ourselves, than in God. It is easier to convince ourselves that we’re pretty good, and doing just all right, thank you very much. But let us take warning. God is the author of our salvation. All our hope must be in Him.

4. Confessing Their Sins

Every week, in both services we take time for confession. Those who came to John to be baptised were confessing their sins. John spoke the truth. God’s Word is truth. We have to submit to the Word, and acknowledge its truth. “All have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God” (Ro. 3:23). “As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God” (Rom 3:10-11).

Whatever motivated people to go see John, what they heard was God’s truth, God’s Word. They didn’t realise it, but they came seeking God, because God first sought them. Jesus himself said of Zacchaeus, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Jesus fulfilled God’s promise in Ezekiel 34:16 “I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick; but I will destroy the fat and the strong, and feed them in judgment.”

And let us remember Jesus’ warning in Matthew 18:6-11 “‘Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes! “If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire. “Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven. For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.’”

Brothers and sisters, there are those in the church today who would have people believe that they can sin and still identify as Christian. And by this I am not simply talking about people who sin by doing what is wrong. I am talking about people who sin by doing what is right—but believing not in Jesus, but rather in themselves and their own works, and those who teach them to do so.

Come, let us put all our hope, all our trust in Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, and in the Holy Spirit, who convicts us of sin, who applies the salvation of Christ, and who sanctifies us so that we are able to confess, repent, and live holy lives to the glory of God. Amen.