Audio Access Available Above
“The Beginning Of The Gospel” • 6.6.21 • Calvary Christian Fellowship, Sunday Morning Service
Intro.
- The gospel that lay before us is called the "Gospel According To Mark." It was written during a particularly difficult time in church history, during the reign of Caesar Nero.
- The year is somewhere between 64 and 67 A.D. The church is just over 3 decades old and most of the first generation's leaders are about to pass from the Earth.
- In fact, it is believed that Paul is on the "chopping block" and that Peter and his wife, have just been crucified, a severe and personal blow to John Mark, our author.
- Mark has quite a storied history in scripture. He was too young to be a disciple of Jesus, but he often found himself in their presence, even at the Garden of Gethsemane on the night of betrayal!
- Most scholars believe that Mark speaks of himself as the "streaking boy" that ran from the soldiers on that infamous night in Mark 14:51,52.
- A few years later, he joined his cousin Barnabas on a missionary journey with the Apostle Paul. When he couldn't cut it, he went home, no doubt a little dejected. Enter Peter.
- Scholars believe that Peter made Mark his personal assistant, his own disciple if you will. Mark grew under Peter's tutelage and the Apostle called Mark his son! (I Peter 5:13)
- Mark teaches us that failure in the Christian life is just God's way of getting you into the right position to serve Him! He wanted to be a disciple, a missionary, but God wanted an "Author!"
- Mark's gospel is certainly reflective of his time. It's the shortest gospel and is the most urgent. In it, Jesus is presented as God's Servant, who tirelessly works at His Father's bidding.
- It's a fitting message for a church that is serving it's Father at a time of great distress. Serving God is a matter of urgency, so who has time for details! Mark jumps right in at verse 1.
Text
• Mark
1:1-3 : "The beginning of the
gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in the
Prophets: 'Behold, I send My messenger before
Your face,
who will prepare Your way before You. The voice of one crying in the
wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; Make His paths straight.’" : Mark begins his gospel account with events that relate to these
two scriptures. This is where the good news comes from!
- To John Mark and to all that have been affected by the "gospel," it is good news indeed! It is news of victory over Satan and victory over sin by the agency of Jesus Christ!
- It is the news that the Victor, Jesus Christ, the Messiah, is and will always be the unique, eternal, co-equal Son of God! But how would he or anyone else know that to be true?
- Mark's perspective begins with this verse from the section of scripture called the "Prophets." The first verse is taken from Malachi 3:1, the last book of the Old Testament.
- It is one of the final authoritative words written by a prophet of God before a stunning 400 year period of silence. No wonder the Jewish people kept it close to their hearts!
- It is a command of God. "Look carefully! I will be sending My angel, my messenger who will prepare Your way before You." God the Father is making a promise to God the Son, His Messiah.
- This messenger will "prepare" the Messiah's way which covers the idea of a person traveling in advance to a location to make sure all the details of his charge's arrival were in place.
- He was responsible to construct or erect necessary infrastructure and platforms for appearance. He would remove obstacles from the road and select locations for visitation.
- Every detail would be worked out to smooth his Lord's path. This was John's spiritual assignment! He was building a platform and clearing the road in the hearts of men!
- God promises the Son that He would not bring Him into the world without a person specifically making a people's heart ready to receive Him.
- At this point, Mark combines the first verse with the second verse, this one from Isaiah 40:3. It is a singular voice crying out like a man on a deserted island calls out for any other inhabitant.
- It is not a team of voices or a nation of voices. There is a single, solitary voice involved.
- The cry is indiscriminate. "Whoever will hear me, please respond!" The setting is in the distance. It goes out from and into wilderness.
- It is not in the cities or among the usual institutions. It is coming from an unusual place. It's content is focused and singular.
- His message is for all to make their hearts a ready place to receive the Lord. Make His path to your heart straight, level.
- These verses were the signal, the trigger to Mark that God was beginning His program! If the Messiah were to come, he'd need the right man! In His time, all of Judea saw such a man. Verse 4.
• Mark 1:4 : "John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins." : Enter into time, John, otherwise known as "John the Baptist." Mark explains that he is the fulfillment of Malachi 3:1 and Isaiah 40:3.
- Who else could he be!? Mark reports his actions of baptizing, not in the cities, but in the wilderness, a place of desolation. The man is yelling, calling out to any that would hear.
- He is "preaching." This particular word reflects what a delegated official would do on behalf of a King. He would go into a town's square, unroll a scroll and simply relay a series of commands.
- John was calling for men to be baptized as a outward symbol of their inward repentance toward God! It was repentance in anticipation of the remission of sins!
- This is such an important element to consider, when one considers the mission of the Messiah. God is not primarily concerned with societal woes or governmental structure.
- God is not dealing with the world's ills, but with His people's sin! Sin is the issue! Sin will keep men from their Messiah! Sin is what will keep men and women from eternal life!
- Of all the obstacles within a human heart, sin is the primary problem facing mankind!
- Therefore, the man that would fulfill the office of the forerunner, must call for God's people to repent from their sins. To "repent" means to "change your mind." Think differently about your sin!
- Think differently about where it is leading you. Understand your guilt and make a decision to reverse your course!
- When one changes their mind and changes their course, they are delivered from their sins! That is what it means to have them "remitted." They are no longer captives to them.
- This is again a vital understanding of the nature of sin. It seems to us, that we are AT LEAST in a mutually beneficial partnership with our sin.
- We get what we think we want and it gets to have a place in our hearts. What is really taking place is that our sin takes a foothold, an ownership over our hearts, blinding us to our true condition.
- We are not masters of our sin. It is mastering us! We are it's captives until we repent! John is not among us today, but I pray that you clearly hear his message!
- If the Messiah will take His place in your life, there can be no other master residing in your hearts! "Prepare the way! Make straight a path for Him!" How did people respond? Verse 5.
• Mark 1:5-8 : "Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, 'There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose. I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.'" : Remember that John has stationed himself in the Judean wilderness. It is an imposing landscape, filled with steep canyons and harsh, seemingly endless, desert vistas.
- It is home to places like "En Gedi" and the Dead Sea. Filled with caves, it once preserved the Dead Sea scrolls and housed various revolutionary groups and fugitives, including King David.
- John is speaking there and in a nod to God's Spirit moving in the hearts of the people, men and women from cosmopolitan Jerusalem all went out to be baptized by him!
- This doesn't mean that every single person did this without EXCEPTION, but that every KIND of person came out without DISTINCTION!
- Matthew reports that "great multitudes" came out. (Matthew 4:25) Religious leaders, tax collectors, even Roman soldiers came out to examine John. (Luke 3:7-14)
- When God begins to move, distance becomes a non-issue and pride is easily moved to the side! These sophisticated city dwellers were happy to come and confess their sins!
- When one is hungry for God's presence, distance to and quality of production mean nothing! This nation was hungry for God's presence, especially in the face of a growing religious hypocrisy.
- They didn't come for a show. They came to "confess" their sins! They came to agree with God that the action that they had taken or the attitude that they had fostered, was sin.
- Call it what it it is! It is not a "white" lie. It's a plain lie. It's not an "affair." It's adultery. It is not prolonged borrowing, but thievery! It is out from that attitude that these people came!
- They were driven to John by God's Spirit! It didn't matter how far they had come or how wild John was. I mean, look at his description!
- John's entire profile reveals a man that lived out from the rest of civilation and WAY off the grid! Camel's hair, leather belt and a vegan's dream diet revealed a practical, minimalist's dream.
- Of course, there are deeper thoughts to consider here. John's vestment is very reminiscent of the prophets that preceded him. He baptized near the place where Elijah was taken to heaven!
- One commentator even mentioned that the camel's hair belonged to Elijah! His clothes and way, speak of a man that doesn't want you focused upon himself!
- John has no desire to draw these people to himself. Mark tells us that he kept announcing that there was One who was coming after Him. He is mighty and John isn't worthy of Him!
- The action that John speaks of would be performed by the lowliest slave in a household. John wasn't even worthy enough to perform that task! He saw himself as lower than low!
- This isn't false humility. He is pointing to the nature of his work. It is a baptism with water. In a way, any human being can officiate such an activity, as long as there is water.
- John's office was humble, in that he could only prepare people for what was coming!
- When the Lord comes, He will also baptize His people, not with water, but with the Holy Spirit! Truly, His church will be filled with people who are brought into the body of Christ by Spirit birth!
- John's person, position and performance all pointed to his subjection to Christ! This is the Prophet's proclamation. We'll find that he was not alone in his assessment. Verse 9.
• Mark 1:9 : "It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan." : God's people came out to see John and the Messiah Himself came and walked among them there!
- Now, if this were not the truth, one could hardly believe what was happening! God has sent a Prophet, not to the middle of Israel's capital city, but to the desolate region of the Judean desert.
- When you look at him, you see a half crazed man with locust legs for toothpicks! John doesn't even own a pair of skinny jeans! Then, God decides where His Messiah will come from.
- Once again, you forego the obvious choice of a forward thinking center of Israeli thought, to a back water truck stop! "He's not from L.A. He's from Blythe!?"
- In case you are missing it, God is not into impressing people with what impresses people!
- Nazareth is what small towns call a small town! Nazareth, in the time of our Lord's life, was home to a very small and insignificant population. This is where Jesus grew up.
- Beyond the consideration of these seeming contradictions, the next phrase has often caused me to wonder. Jesus came down to the Jordan, not to take over for John, but to submit to baptism!
- Why did Jesus submit to a baptism of repentance when He had no sin to repent from? According to Matthew's account, John registered the very same question.
• Matthew 3:13-15 : "Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. And John tried to prevent Him, saying, 'I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?' But Jesus answered and said to him, 'Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.' Then he allowed Him." : John in this moment is a wonderful contradiction. He is trying to prevent the Lord Jesus from being baptized. The language indicates the he kept trying to restrain Him!
- He is humbled by Christ's appearance and somehow, at the same time, emboldened to contradict Him! These characters are just like us, but, if He is the Lord, there is only one response!
- John doesn't understand but the Lord won't leave Him hanging! He explains it by saying that His baptism would be a fitting action to "fulfill all righteousness."
- The word indicates that there is a cramming in to the very top. Every bit of righteousness that is to be had must be executed to it's fullest potential.
- On the Lord's part, His action endorsed John's ministry. It fulfilled righteousness in that it opened the way for people's hearts to be readied for Christ's greater work.
- With regard to Christ, when He submitted to baptism, He entered into the symbol of what His work would accomplish in the lives of His own followers. He identified with us!
- He stood at the beginning of the road, where every sinner must stand! He meets mankind right there! After John baptized Him, an amazing moment took place. Verse 10.
• Mark 1:10,11 : "And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove." : At the very moment that Jesus emerged from the water something incredible took place.
- He saw, he had come to be aware of the heavens parting. They were being "rent apart!" Who is the "He" in this verse? The capital letters make it seem that it is the Lord. That is very likely true.
- In this case, the Father was revealing to the Son that He was ready to begin His mission!
- God Spirit, gently as if He were a dove, descended upon the Lord! Jesus, in His humanity, was the very portrait of a life dominated by the Holy Spirit's rule.
- Jesus was born without a sinful nature and grew in "wisdom, stature and favor with men." (Luke 2:52) Even then, He could only have fulfilled God's righteousness by the Holy Spirit's power!
- From this moment on, Jesus is filled and directed by the agency of the Holy Spirit.
- Jesus is assured of the power of the Holy Spirit and John, who also witnessed this moment, is assured that Jesus is who he thought He was! Turn over to John 1. Listen to these comments.
• John 1:29-34 : "The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, 'Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water.' And John bore witness, saying, 'I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.'" : John wasn't shy about proclaiming Jesus to be the Lamb or the Son of God! He had proof and God's own Word! v.11
• Mark 1:11 : "Then a voice came from heaven, 'You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.'" : Please take note of the characters that are present. The Son of God is in the water with John. The Spirit of God has descended and remained upon the Son.
- Now, we have God the Father speaking His approval of the Son from heaven's throne room!
- The Trinity stands in agreement at this very moment of Christ's launching into ministry.
- The words of the Father are affirming. "You are My beloved Son!" With all that Jesus is about to face from the Jewish leaders, He will do so with this ringing endorsement!
- Before Jesus did a single thing publicly, the Father announced His endorsement and pleasure! Jesus Christ has all of God's approval forever! What an amazing picture for us!
- One can imagine the excitement of this moment, but it didn't last very long at all! Verse 12.
• Mark 1:12,13 : " Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness. And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him." : Jesus is barely dry from His baptism. He has no time to celebrate His baptism. God's Spirit drove Him straight into the wilderness!
- Jesus was "ejected," "cast out," into the wilderness and He was out there for forty days! Each of those days was a time of spiritual temptation, which Mark doesn't comment upon.
- Jesus is absolutely alone, not surrounded by friendly humans, but by the wild animals that live in the wilderness. It is there that the Devil meets Him!
- Matthew and Luke both record the details of the Lord's conflict with Satan. (Matthew 4:1-11, Luke 4:1-13) Jesus faced the Devil without any provision from God.
- He went without food for 40 days, a remarkable and miraculous proposition. It was in that condition that Satan sought to challenge Jesus with the same temptations he used with Adam.
- He called Jesus to give in to the lust of the flesh. "If you are the Son of God command these stones to become bread." "Give in to your body's needs. They are only natural!"
- He tempted Jesus to surrender to the lust of the eyes. "Throw yourself down from the Temple and watch the glory of God's angels as they catch you." "Give into your ego's demands for glory!"
- Finally, Satan appealed to the pride of life. "All of the Kingdoms of the Earth I will give you if you bow down and worship me." "Take what is rightfully yours! Embrace your power now!"
- This is the entirety of Satan's repetoire! He has no need for another tactic, as these work with all human beings! Unfortunately for him, Jesus wouldn't fall for it.
- Jesus passed where Adam failed by simply answering each temptation with the words "It is written!" Interestingly, He passed where Israel failed, fasting 40 days without any provision from God!
- He's the greater Adam in His obedience and the greater Israel in His unwavering loyalty to His Father. When the temptation was over, God's angels ministered to His needs. Verse 14.
• Mark 1:14,15 : "Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.'" : There is an entire year that has passed between verses 13 and 14. Much had changed!
- John, the celebrated prophet that lived at the center of a national revival, has gone from the freedom of the wilderness to the bondage of a prison, courtesy of Herod Antipas.
- Mark doesn't include the details, but when a prophet confronts an insecure, self-proclaimed "King" about an immoral, adulterous, illegal marriage with his brother's wife, he's bound for trouble!
- At that time, Jesus came into the North of Israel, the region of the Galilee and began to announce the gospel of the Kingdom of God! "Time" speaks of a limited moment of opportunity.
- The NLT translates verse 15, "The time promised by God has come at last!" The Kingdom is being revealed, first by the presence of the King!
- Jesus, the Messiah that will rule over a people, has presented Himself! He will unveil the principles of the Kingdom in His teaching and pay for it's citizen's sins with His own blood!
- In so doing, He will propitiate the wrath of His Father and impute His own righteousness into all that respond to Him. What must they do? Repent, and believe in the gospel!
- The first word of the gospel message begin with repentance. You cannot go one way in life without turning from another! And why would you if you didn't believe in the gospel?
- Why not remain on the highway of your own pleasures? Forget that they are leading you to an eternity separated from God! You don't want that, you say? Repent and believe in the gospel!
- Believe in it's promise of forgiveness and cleansing. Believe in it's power to draw you toward intimacy with God.
- More than anything, believe in the sufficiency of it's central person, Jesus Christ, the One who was affirmed by the Prophets, God the Father and even the Tempter that failed to tempt Him!
Conclusion
- As we conclude this first section, allow me to expose what we have
just seen. Mark affirms that his gospel presents the Victor, Jesus Christ, the
Son of God!
- He has the "Right Forerunner" in John the Baptist. He has the "Right Endorsement" from the Spirit who resided upon Him and the Father, whose voice registered His pleasure with Him.
- He has the "Right Ability" facing down our enemy on his turf, defeating him without a single friend or provision from God, save His Word! Finally, Jesus has the "Right Message."
- Repent from your sinful attitudes that betray a self-sufficiency. Turn from your foolish, sinful ways and believe in the promise of forgiveness, delivered by the power of Christ's work!
No comments:
Post a Comment