Mark 1:1-3 The Good News of Jesus Christ, The Son of God

How to begin one of the Four Gospels of the life of our Savior…Simply by Beginning.This is the very word of God. From the Gospel of Mark Under the eye witness testimony of the Lord’s Apostle Peter; written for us to testify to the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.Read Mark Chapter 1:1-8[1] The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.[2] As it is written in Isaiah the prophet,“Behold, I send my messenger before your face,who will prepare your way,[3] the voice of one crying in the wilderness:‘Prepare the way of the Lord,make his paths straight,’”[4] John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. [5] And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. [6] Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. [7] And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. [8] I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”#1 Introduction to the Gospel of Mark#2 Verses 2-3 Bridging B.C. to A.D. with the entry of the LORDInterlude: WHO wrote it and to WHOM#3 Verses 4-8 John: Prophet of Repentance; Herald of the KingClosing: What is the Outline of Mark?Look in V.1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. (ESV)What’s the big idea going into Mark 1, and indeed the whole book: Banjamine L. Gladd says that Mark proclaims “Israel’s long awaited King has arrived upon the sceneEvery gospel This is why mark is often pictured as a Lion (Gen. 49:9; Num. 24:9). (vs. an Ox, Man, or Eagle).o Speed & Agility – “Immediately” The Suffering Servant-King acting, not long teaching passages…Genre: A Gospel It is like a biography, but with a more central focus on the crucifixion week 50% of the book; it is “History with a Point!”The point of Mark’s Gospel is that there is great and good news that Jesus is the Christ! The long-expected Messiah, God’s anointed Savior, whom Peter confesses in Chapter 8. And that he is the Son of God, the great King, the Lion of Judah, and as the Son of God we learn the second person of the Trinity himself. This is confessed in Chapter 16. By the Centurion who spoke far better than he knew.· Each passage of a gospel informs our heads & hearts about Jesuso Peter says “though you have not seen him you love him” We are to know and love Jesus more and the Holy Spirit can do this through the Gospels.o So always three things in our minds – WHO is Jesus?; WHAT was his message?; and WHAT did he accomplish? All these things are a proclamation of “Gospel ’eungelion” meaning Good News heralded.§ The main point of every account as we go through Mark is not US or even the disciples, it is how they are responding to the Person (who: Christ; The son of God) and the WORK of Jesus (divine power displayed only to humbly suffer and die as a ransom for sinners).· So NO Lord’s Prayer; No Sermon on the Mount, meaning no Beatitudes….But§ Jesus calms the storms, casts out demons, defeats satan’s temptations in the wilderness, heals many, teaches with authority, is the Lord and Ruler of the Sabbath-The Lord’s Day is Jesus’ Day-He declares sins forgiven, feeds 5,000; feeds 4,000; curses the fig tree, cleanses the temple, is transfigured; declared the Son of God by Peter, marches to Jerusalem and sets his face as the Lion of Judah the king who will suffer and lay down his life as a ransom for sinners because the Kingdom of God is at HAND!o And if you stepped into the worship service remember this service is gathered in the name and presence of the risen and reigning King Jesus. And these words are for you this morning. You are not just a random person with no purpose, a cosmic accident, a highly evolved monkey, or spinning the wheel to determine your meaning, identity, and purpose. You are called by this book to repent and believe in Jesus bowing the knee to your king who was gentle and lowly but mighty to save.#2 Look in Verses 2-3 Bridging B.C. to A.D. with the entry of the LORD[2] As it is written in Isaiah the prophet,“Behold, I send my messenger before your face,who will prepare your way,[3] the voice of one crying in the wilderness:‘Prepare the way of the Lord,make his paths straight,’”· John the Baptist is preparing & calling to repentance preparing to enter into the new covenant community. Forgiveness NOT Judgement. Restoration not Evil for those who are prepared in their hearts to turn to God through the messiah who is beginning his ministry.o This ministry of John’s is a Bridging ministry, between B.C. & A.D.§ John is Passing the Baton as the middle runner to Christ and the Apostles who will pen the New Testament.§ John is the final old covenant prophet· And God has prepared the church to expect and respond to this. John Calvin points out that Malachi stands as the final of the Old Testament writing prophets…the Lord then leaves Israel with Just the Law of Moses with no proper prophets. Until John…o We know this feeling of Anticipation. Of Standing on the precipice of the age for a while.§ Movie goers & Video game players are always asking…When are they going to make the sequel???§ And one answer that is often given, is when the script is ready! (James Cameron’s avatar) or When technology allows for the filmmaker to do what he wants (Star Wars);§ And God says, labor Under Moses and the law until “the fullness of time” until you are yearning for the messiah to come and do what the Law couldn’t do! until I send my messenger before your face…we’ll get there in a second….§ Mark’s gospel shows the grace of God! It is the beginning of Good and joyful news, happiness to fallen humanity.o So we can say yes, John is ushering in the Gospel age, the New Covenant Age, he is ushering people into the fulfillment of the chain of the Covenant of Grace From Genesis 3:15 to Abraham to Noah to Moses to David and finally to what it all promised—Jesus.John’s message of repentance is graciouis: Because God makes the first move! God sending John, means the God…after 400 years of silence…is about to SPEAK. Sarch the whole bible is clear, God makes the first move, God speaks “the word of the Lord came, ”God reveals himself, God is on the move and he sends his messengers full of the Holy Spirit…· But Who is he the messenger of?· Verses 2-3 is a combined references to Malachi 3:1-4 (that last prophet) and Isaiah 40:1-5 (the greatest Prophet arguably).o Right away the New Testaments roots are sunk deeply into the Old Testament. Mark’s understanding of the Messiah Jesus flows directly from the OT roots. The Old Testament promises what the NT fulfills. Unified. But greater light, greater revelation.o Malachi 3:1§ Malachi says, a Messenger will prepare the way for GOD to come to his temple….This is echoes both in the tabernacle and temple will the glorious presence of God fills the temple!§ Now John prepares for JESUS to come to the Temple of God, where he in his very flesh will be in the temple to cleanse…· Malachi 3: asks those “But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. [3] He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the LORD. [4] Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old and as in former years. (ESV)o The messenger who prepare the Way of YHWH to come in judgement….o SO John is warning them—God is coming to dwell with us again, this is great and joyful news, but also God is still Holy, Holy, Holy a purifying fire let us respond to the grace of the King of Kings coming in Repentance and receive the sign of our repentance & cleansing by water baptism.The second reference is to Isaiah 40…Also a reminder that repentance and renewal is a Joyful and ultimately produces peace with God peaceful and peace from this fallen world.· Isaiah 40:1–5 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins. …not not double punishment for sin but double pardon!It is said Jesus come full of grace and truth---James 4:6 says, but he gives more grace…More mercy, greater pardon, probably the understanding that our exile is over, we are Home and at Peace.· DO you feel at home and at peace with God? Jesus tells his disciples they will abide in him and him in them….that by the Holy Spirit we rest in the strength and life of the resurrected Jesus.· And that is the key isn’t it. God did not remain at a distance…He did not turn the four hundred years of silence into 4,000. NO, he has Hebrews 1 say,o Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, [2] but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. [3] He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,· And here in Mark 1 verse 3, we hear the voice of John the Baptist crying in the wilderness. Prepare the way for the LORD (all caps); YHWH; make it a highway; bring the dynamite and blast through every hill and barrier so that this is a railway straight through the mountains so GOD can come to his People and the Temple.And Isaiah 40 verse 5 says, “And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed,and all flesh shall see it together,”· To be Clear John is - The Voice of one calling in the wilderness· The LORD all caps in Isaiah in Hebrew is YHWHo This is in fact heavily implying that Jesus is God! Jesus is Lordo The final implication is also that from here on out when marks says, lord in Greek “kurios” he is thinking of Jesus’ divinity.o So fix firmly in your mind that in Mark’s gospel the earliest gospel from the first Paragraph it is clear that Jesus is Lord, and he is YHWH. It’s a bold claim. And it carries through in your ear how you hear “the Lord Jesus Christ” as a title from here on out.Interlude: WHO wrote it and to WHO?1. By Mark?? If I asked you to name “the 12 apostles…would using the names of the four gospels help you? “Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John?” Indeed, not. Mark & Luke are not apostles but are associates writing under the apostles.a. From earliest church history Mark was associated with Peter who stays at Mark’s mothers home in Jerusalem, Mark then become a ministry companion of Paul and Barnabas; He returns back to Jerusalem which upsets Paul but gives him more time with Peter; Paul has an argument with Barnabas about Mark, so Barnabas and Mark travel together in effective ministry, eventually so reconciled with Paul that he asks for John-Mark to come to him in prison.b. HE is in the words of Laurence Housman “The saint who first found grace to pen, The life which was the Life of men.”i. [Mark the writer of the first gospel was rejected as useful by Paul himself….When you fail in work, family, and Christian service in some way. No one has a final word on your future usefulness to the Lord, and no has formed a final opinion on you!]ii. A second humerous note; Mark is receiving this gospel probably in the 60s from an old Peter as the key eyewitness. So whenever Peter seems ridiculous in his reactions and statements, remember it is the older & wiser Peter tattle-tailing on himself. Was he said? Fondly remembering what he got right and what they got wrong? I think so, like any older man would.2. Who is this gospel written to?a. In one since we could say, since everyone needs life from Jesus because we are lost wretches without him. Then Mark was written to every man, woman, and child who can listen to the life of Jesus and in it know – that is my savior, he forgives sins, he heals everything broken in my soul.b. So Mark is for all people in all ages. And he wanted it to go far and wide.c. Mark a little more specifically is for people he need a savior who suffers, who serves, who touches the sick, who listens, who is your creator who made you, who knows you.d. More specifically Mark’s first audience may have been those suffering under Nero’s persecution. To initially Roman Christians….There are little Latin explanations of Greek terms throughout Mark. That make it likely he wrote it while in Rome, during the time of Nero.e. Mark is saying the apostles are dying one by one—I know times are difficult, but do you BELIEVE? Do you have FAITH will you today whisper of the hope of Christ to someone else….Mark’s ending has these words Mark 16:8 And they [the women who visited Jesus at the tomb] went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. (ESV)f. And we the audience say – NO! they have to TELL someone!And Mark knows they will….They eventually do make it to the 11 disciples behind locked doors and tell them…But initially Shock and fear. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jamesensley.substack.com