The Journey Begins (Mark 1:1-13)

A sermon preached on Sunday, January 10, 2010 at Hebron Baptist Church, Denham Springs, Louisiana by Pastor Joe Alain.

Scripture Reading: Mark 1:1-13
Today, we’re going to begin looking at the Gospel of Mark. In your bulletin there is a brief overview of Mark’s Gospel (see related article online). The opening verse sets forth the theme of the book. For Mark, the “gospel” (Literally, “Good News”) is all about a person, described in verse one with the three-fold title, “Jesus” (“the Lord Saves”), “Christ” (“Anointed One” by God) and “the Son of God” (i.e., Jesus is divine). Mark is the Gospel of action and he presents the historical facts about Jesus in a brief way. He give us the facts so that we will commit ourselves to following Jesus without reservation. Mark’s Gospel also has a discipleship focus, to follow Him.

What evidence is there that Jesus is the Son of God and that this truth is able to change my life?
I. Evidence that Jesus Is the Son of God
In the opening verses, Mark presents various testimony to show that Jesus is the “Son of God.” There is the testimony of . . .
1. John the Baptist (v.8)
John was called by God to prepare people for the coming Messiah. He preached that “people should be baptized to show that they had repented of their sins and turned to Gd to be forgiven” (v.4, NLT). But John was a man who knew what his mission was and what it was not. John always deflected praise and attention away from himself to the only one who could save, God’s Messiah who he would clearly identify as Jesus (see v.8).

2. The Old Testament
Because John is writing to a non-Jewish audience, He does not go to great lengths to show that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament; however, he does give us some evidence that what is taking place is in line with what was expected long ago in the OT.
About John (See Is. 40:3; Mal. 3:1). The OT predicts John’s ministry prior to the coming of the Messiah.
About the Holy Spirit (See Is. 59:20-21; Ezek. 36:26-27; Joel 2:28-32). What does the entrance of the Holy Spirit mean? Why is this significant?
– The Holy Spirit here means that God is with us in a more intimate way than He was before. God is personal.
– The coming of the Holy Spirit means that the kingdom is now here, the kingdom looked for in the Old Testament.
– The coming of the Holy Spirit means that there is a new power for living that is available to us. The Holy Spirit will enable us to be changed on the inside so that we are able to follow God.
The Holy Spirit’s coming is now a reality with the coming of Jesus. This is why John would say what he does in verse 8.

Further evidence is found from . . .
3. God the Father Himself (1:11; 9:7)
The heaven “torn open” points to the reality that a new revelation is being given by God in Jesus. Furthermore, access to God is now open through Jesus.

Here the Father puts His stamp of approval on Jesus. The language here is reminiscent of Psalm 2, a coronation psalm. The baptism of Jesus is the beginning of Jesus’s ministry, it is His coronation. The Father is saying, “He’s the One!” The baptism of Jesus signifies the beginning of His public ministry, it shows that He is identifying with those He came to save, and it serves as a model for us His disciples to follow. In baptism we are openly declaring that Jesus is the “Son of God.” We are pledging our allegiance to Him.

4. Demons and Angels (See 1:12-13; 3:11; 5:7)
Satan and the demons certainly believed that Jesus was the Messiah and they came against Him because they knew who He was. The Jews came to believe that the desert was the haunt of demons. We have here pictured an epic battle going on in the desert between the forces of good and the forces of evil. The Bible says that the angels were there and they ministered to Him.

5. Believers (1:1; 15:39)
By addressing Jesus as the “Son of God,” Mark is making a statement that only came to be fully understood later on – that Jesus was fully God. So Mark is making a statement that came to be believed and a confessed by the early church. This was also the confession of the Centurion who was at the crucifixion of Jesus (15:39). He too came to realize that Jesus was the “Son of God.” The changed lives of believers then and now who have confessed Jesus as the “Son of God” stands as powerful evidence that Jesus is the “Son of God.”

II. Evidence that Demands a Verdict
If what Mark says is true in these opening verses and in his Gospel, what should be my response? What is the purpose of me knowing this information? How does this information change me? With this overwhelming testimony that Jesus is the “Son of God,” . . .
1. I Should Turn to God and Receive His Forgiveness and His Spirit
If forgiveness is available, if access to God is now opened through my turning to God, then I should do so immediately and without reservation. His Spirit is able to bring incredible change in my life that only He can do. However, having only information without application will not change my life. You have the information, now will you make the application?

2. I Should Openly Confess Jesus As My Lord
The practice of the early church was that those who followed Jesus openly confessed their allegiance, their participation with Him. Baptism is the way that we openly confess Jesus as our Lord. We should not be ashamed to do that, it’s a simple act of obedience. Baptism shows that we have turned to God, it shows that we are identifying with Jesus, that we belong to Him. We should not fear that, but openly declare that Jesus is my Lord.

3. As a Disciple, I Should Endure Testing with Joy
In this chapter you get the sense that following Jesus involves spending some time in the desert, meaning withdraw but also testing. Mark was in part written to encourage disciples who were beginning to experience persecution. We are able to endure testing times with inner joy knowing that Christ Himself faced times of testing and He walks with us through our testing as well.

For His Glory!
Pastor Joe