|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
READ: Mark 1:1
CHALLENGE: Hope in Christ
v1 – The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God,
Mark is considered the first gospel written of the four. It doesn’t say who wrote it per se, but early church leaders agree that it was written by John Mark and he based it off the teachings of Peter. This is remarkable to ponder. John Mark??!! Isn’t that the same guy who bailed out on Paul and Barnabas on their very first missionary journey? He tucked tail and ran before the mission was completed. He later becomes a point of controversy between Paul and Barnabas because Barnabas wanted to give his cousin a second chance while Paul did not. The dynamic duo divided over this issue.
Paul lost trust in him due to his actions, leading to an eventual rift (Acts 15:38). Given Mark’s unimpressive resume, Paul’s later commendation of Mark indicates a remarkable turnaround (Philemon 1:23–24). Toward the end of Paul’s life, we witness a full reconciliation between Paul and Mark (2 Timothy 4:11).
John Mark’s turn around is impressive. 2 Timothy 4:11 – Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry.
It’s interesting that he bases his gospel on the teachings of Peter. Like Peter, John Mark, failed at a point in his life. Peter denied Christ, but he overcame that and became an amazing communicator of God’s truth. John Mark, after failure, authored one of the gospels. People may fall but people also get back up. So, if you have failed, don’t think you’re a failure. The Bible teaches that you can also do great things.
May we always have compassion on the sinner and especially those who are making amends. The book of Mark is written to a Gentile audience and shows Jesus as a servant to God. It’s written to help people with their faith. Let’s take a look and learning what we can.
- YOU NEED A SPIRITUAL BEGINNING
The beginning! It’s a fascinating way to start the gospel. The beginning! How does the book of Genesis start? In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth 1:1. We learn that in the beginning God was doing something to bring life. This world is beautiful and incredible.
How does the gospel of John start? “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1)
This is the beginning of the good news. For Mark to start the gospel this way shows that this truth must be as epic as the creation of the world! Genesis is about the world being made. The gospels are about the world being saved.
How important is “the beginning”? Anything good is impossible without a start. How can anything happen that did not “begin”? We may not think of it often, but everything good that has ever happened in our lives has a beginning. There was a day you were born and now you’re here and where is that story going? You celebrate your birthday or “beginning” every year I imagine. Some think their beginning is SO important that it deserves a week! Not so sure about that but I’m happy to be here.
I’ve planted blueberries and that had a beginning. And it’s beneficial and where we started is not where we’ll end up. Can you think of a new beginning that has totally made your life better? Marriage … hopefully. Perhaps a career change. A savings program. A side hustle. Starting a business. Starting a family. There can be so many things.
And so here is a spiritual beginning. A start of good news about Jesus Christ. The beginning! And while we’re on it, you had a spiritual beginning too. It’s hard for me to grasp when people say, I always believed. At some point, you had to make a decision to follow Jesus. And perhaps you haven’t. Like we have a physical beginning at birth, we have a spiritual beginning at our second birth and as Jesus said to Nicodemus, we must be born again! Have you had a spiritual beginning?
And this is good news! The beginning is going to bring positive changes to life. It’s truly amazing!
- WE FIND A GREAT LIFE IN JESUS CHRIST
the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God,
The beginning is good news about Jesus! And if you ask me, this world needs heavy doses of good news. There are fears and anxieties abounding. There are endless things to worry about. People fret over the economy and their finances. People might fret about global warming and the future and any other host of things. We might even fret spiritual warfare, darkness, and temptation. Somedays you just need good news and Mark has it.
The good news is not found in possessions. It’s in a person. It’s in the person of Jesus Christ. His name means “deliverer”. He is the Messiah which means the “anointed one”. He is the “son of God”. And He wears that designation differently than any of us ever could. He’s the SON OF GOD. He is God. We can say we are the children of God but we’re not God. Jesus is the EXACT representation, the fullness of deity, and radiance of God. Jesus is fully made of God-stuff.
John 1:14 – The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
God became flesh and made his dwelling among us! Now most scholars believe that Mark was written from Rome. I would say that these were bold words when you considered the location and audience. Wasn’t Caesar considered divine? Yet here’s John Mark, the guy who ran, setting the record straight about true divinity.
I want you to think about what a culturally significant statement this was. Julius Caesar allowed himself to be worshiped as a god, but his successor Augustus only allowed emperor worship outside of the city of Rome. Augustus is known in some inscriptions as CAESAR DIVI FILIUS, Son of God, that is, Son of eternal Caesar. Oaths were taken on the divine spirit of the emperor. His image was publicly adored. Worship of the image was a regular military duty. Caligula was the first emperor to demand to be worshiped, he demanded that citizens everywhere bow to his statue. Nero also claimed to be divine, although in neither case was there a requirement to worship the emperor. As Augustus had been Zeus incarnate, so Nero was Apollo incarnate. Even Seneca called him as the long-awaited savior of the world.
Jesus talked about false Messiahs and here they existed in the form of powerful men claiming that they were a god. However, as we’ll see, no emperor could ever do what Jesus did. Jesus will prove that he truly was the Son of God. As the Roman Centurion said when Jesus died on the cross – surely THIS was the son of God! Again – quite an admission when you think that they said Jesus was a king on a sign on the cross and a centurion said he was the son of God which is even greater!
Jesus is THE Son of God. This would be in direct opposition to Caesar considering himself God. It was a bold statement and it’s still a bold statement today. Lots of people believe in God but believing in Jesus as an authority in our lives is something far different.
If you believe in God you can believe generally without your life changing. Jesus was calling people to repentance. Jesus has expectations on us like, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you and don’t lie and don’t lust.
This Jesus means good things for us and we’ll see that as well. Remember what the angels declared to the shepherds. I’ve got news of great joy for all people. There’s something about Jesus that brings good to the world and to our lives.
John 10:10 – The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
- FACE LIFE WITH HOPE
Vv2-3 – as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way”—3 “a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’”
God predicted Jesus would come and before that there would be a messenger who would “prepare your way”. A voice of one calling in the wilderness, “Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him”. There would be the voice of one calling in the wilderness.
BUT, it’s a wilderness. You’re in a wilderness like the wilderness wanderings. It’s barren. It’s a dry and thirsty land. You wonder how you’ll make it. And then there’s a voice in the wilderness telling you to get ready for God’s arrival. Hey, in the wilderness, God is going to show up. Right where you’re at. Right when you think that no one cares. God is here!
In one of the great hymns about the birth of Christ it says that “the weary world rejoices”. Jesus invites all who are weary to come to him. Solomon noted that life includes great burdens. But in this meaningless and barren world there’s a voice! Make straight paths because God is going to show up! It’s good news!
Who was the one making the announcement? It was John the Baptist. And not Baptist as opposed to Presbyterian. Or Baptist as opposed to Lutheran. It’s not a denomination. He was immersing people in water as a symbol of them ridding their lives of sin.
The idea of straight paths would mean that you’re smoothing out the road for a dignitary. The only reason you would bother going ahead would be to make that a better path for someone of extreme importance. When it’s talking about Jesus and comparing that to God, this is demonstrating who Jesus truly is.
As Mark says, this is a reference from the book of Isaiah and we find this verse in the 40th chapter. Who was Isaiah writing to? People who would be in exile in the land of Babylon. People suffering in bondage due to sin. People who desperately needed hope. Who is Mark writing to? People in the Roman Empire, an empire that could also be oppressive. The Jewish people were occupied by a psychopath who thought he was divine.
This world can seem oppressive at times. We have spiritual enemies. Some have gotten off the path. Some are stuck and need hope. In the wilderness we hear a voice and we are to make straight paths.
Since this is a quote from Isaiah 40 I was curious about the context so I took a read through that chapter. We can learn some things about the gospel and what’s important to God.
- The Context is Comfort.
Isaiah 40:1-2 – Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. 2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.
God wants to comfort his people. The voice in the wilderness is speaking encouraging words. Telling them that their sin has been paid for. Isn’t this the gospel? Jesus Christ paid for sin. You shall name him Jesus for he will save his people from their sins.
Your sins have been paid for and this is the essence of forgiveness. You had a debt but now you don’t because it’s been paid for. And what I would have to pay to personally atone for my sins is a price that I could never handle. It would be my life. My eternal existence in misery. I just had no way of paying the tab.
This is what forgiveness is. It is not making you pay! I’m not reminding you of what you’ve done. I’m letting it go. I’m not evening the score. You want some comfort? Let go of the resentment and be at peace. That’s comforting for sure.
- The Context is Rescue
Vv10-11 – See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and he rules with a mighty arm. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him. 11 He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.
Are you concerned in the wilderness? God has a MIGHTY ARM! I had a big old branch that had fallen and it was covered in poison ivy and I took the front end loader on my tractor and I pulled it away. I’ve moved trees with it and fixed messes on my property. It’s so strong.
God’s mighty arm saves. The same chapter in Isaiah says that the nations are but a drop in the bucket. Reminder, “Hey Rome, you’re nothing”. You’re a drop in the bucket. A piece of lint on a bathroom scale. You’re an acorn on a highway. You amount to nothing compared to God.
God has a mighty arm and He can help you with your problems. God does things that would be impossible for us to do. He can heal marriages. Beat addictions. Change hearts. Bring peace. He is the one we rely on.
God tends his flock like a shepherd and gathers the lambs in his arms and holds them close to his heart. Remember. They were in exile. This is a voice in the wilderness to those struggling. Jesus came to rescue the stray … the lost lamb.
Our powerful God is a shepherd! I will not be in want. I will lie down in green pastures beside the still waters! And even when walking through the valley of the shadow of death, his rod will comfort me because He is with me. He’s set me up at a banquet in the presence of my enemies! His goodness and love will follow us all of our days.
So when there is the voice of one crying in the wilderness! That packs a punch because we’re talking about rescue. This voice is letting us know that God still cares about us. He’s looking to gather us.
- The Context is Renewal
Vv28-31 – Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. 29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. 30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 31 but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
God never gets tired or weary. That reminds me that I’m not God because I certainly do get tired. However, He shares His limitless strength with the weary. He increases the power of the weak. People who hope in God will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles.
Spiritually speaking God gives us the strength that we need.
If you need comfort. If you need rescued from sin. If you need revived in your strength, you’ve come to the right place. If you need to change your life and need something new, we have the answers! We have great news and the great news is embodied in the person of Jesus Christ.
Ultimately John’s role was to prepare the people. His role was to get them ready. And you need to get ready because God is coming.
The message was to straighten the path. Remove the obstacles. If God were to show up in our life today, where is the obstacle? He was calling people to repentance. They were removing the sins to make way for God to do something better!
Perhaps a good question to conclude on would be whether or not there are obstacles to God’s working in your life. Perhaps there are things that are in the way. Anger. Addiction. Resentment. Pride. Greed. Bitterness. Immorality. Pornography.
What might it be that we need to straighten?
Even in our relationships. We want the light shining on us but what are we willing to do? If it’s a busted thing between you and your spouse. What prideful obstacle is there? What do we need to let go of in order to get along better? Sometimes you’ve got to make a decision.
Jesus and loving like Jesus and forgiving like Jesus can certainly help. But what are you doing to make the path smoother? It’s easy to look at everyone else but what about you. If a dignitary were coming down your road and asked you to clean up the street. What would you do? I assume you’d focus on your own yard. Not on everyone else’s yard. What needs to get cleaned up there?
And the comfort is that we can change our lives. There is hope. It’s not over. We can start over. We can come to God. We can have something better. You think back to the testimony last week. There’s always hope. There are always second chances.
Perhaps for you it’s time to get your life right with Christ.