12-31-2023 The Beginning of the Good News (Mark 1:1-20)

The Beginning of the Good News Mark 1:1-20 Mark 1:1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. euangelion- good news, the gospel, an announcement usually pertaining to a victory in battle If Jesus brought the 'good news,' what was the 'bad news?' • Our world is filled with the brokenness of the human condition. • This brokenness has led to great evil and a deep darkness. • Humanity ceased to worship God and instead worshipped bankrupt idols–money, power, sex, and human pursuits of holiness. 2 Kings 21:2-5 2 He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, imitating the detestable practices of the nations that the Lord had dispossessed before the Israelites. 3 He rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had destroyed and reestablished the altars for Baal. He made an Asherah, as King Ahab of Israel had done; he also bowed in worship to all the stars in the sky and served them. 4 He built altars in the Lord’s temple, where the Lord had said, “Jerusalem is where I will put my name.” 5 He built altars to all the stars in the sky in both courtyards of the Lord’s temple. The Good News: • God was fulfilling His plan to save the world. • Jesus is at the center of God's rescue mission to restore and give life to His people. euangelion- good news, the gospel, an announcement usually pertaining to a victory in battle Euangelion reminds us of conflict and announces a change in the powers that be. Here's the good news, how will you respond? Mark 1:14-15 14 After John was arrested, Jesus went to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God: 15 “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” Repent (metanoia)- a reorienting of what life is all about • Repentance calls us to turn away. If we are turning away, what are we turning towards?  • In repentance, we turn away from the powers of sin that have held people captive and we turn toward the power of God that sets us free. How does the story of the grace of God become the center of the life that follows?