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Eagle Ridge Lake Elsinore — Sunday, November 3 “The Gospel of Mark” (Mark 1:1- 11 ) 🖥 (title slide) Introduction to the Gospel of Mark
- Author
• Mark or John Mark; not one of the original disciples of Jesus.
- The cousin of Barnabas, accompanied Paul on his first missionary journey, and a
disciple of Peter.
- Date
• Some scholars date the book as early as 50 A.D.
• Others believe the date to be in the mid to late 60’s.
- Purpose
• Presents Jesus as a servant.
• Unlike Matthew or Luke, Mark does not record any genealogy, or give an account of
Jesus’ birth.
- Mark is “matter of fact” and gets right to the ministry of our Servant-King.
• Placing emphasis on his humanity, yet clearly not denying the fullness of His deity,
as we will see from the very start in verse 1.
- Theme Verse
• Mark 10:45, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to
give his life as a ransom for many.”
- Ultimately, this is about the gospel message of Jesus Christ!
• The book opens with John the Baptist declaring the good news, to repent and be
baptized (1:4).
• The book concludes with our commission as followers of Jesus to “Go into all the
world and proclaim the gospel...” (16:15- 16 ). 🖥 Scripture Reading (Mark 1:1- 11 ) 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.” 9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
Scripture Reflection ( 1 - 2 minutes) Verse 1 1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
- From the very onset, mark is declaring WHO is the purpose of his writing.
• Gospel = good news
• Jesus = Yahweh is salvation
• Christ = Anointed/Messiah
• Son of God = Points to the submissive/servant role of Jesus.
- Not forsaking His deity, as the book will go on to define.
- Everything about this book (all 16 chapters), defines, describes, and points to Jesus
Christ.
• All roads lead to Jesus... so is our life!
• We don’t look for opportunities to shape the narrative around or about us. It’s not
about us! It’s about Jesus, and how our lives are to be a witness to His name, His glory, His salvation. Verses 2- 5 (introduction to John the Baptist) 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.
- Mark immediately takes us back to scripture in what was foretold by God through the
prophets Malachi (3:1) and Isaiah (40:3).
- (Verse 2 & 3) “Prepare your way and the way” = road, journey, a path of life.
• Although focused on the arrival of the Messiah, Mark takes time to explain the
prophetic ministry of John the Baptist.
- Luke 1:15-17, [the angel Gabriel speaking to John’s father, Zechariah] “...and he
will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”
- As John’s ministry was meant to prepare the people for the coming Messiah, so is
our ministry today to prepare people for the 2nd coming of Jesus Christ!
- Rodney Smith, “There are five gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and the
Christian. Most people will never read the first four.”
- How are you fulfilling your calling?
• This is more than just an ‘act’ of your faith.
• Holy Spirit = leads, guides, strengthens, keeps us accountable, frees us from the
weight of the law, teaches us the way of righteousness.
- Are we living in the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives?
- Are we living out the characteristics/fruit of the Holy Spirit, as a testimony to His
presence in us?
- Whereas water is the symbolic gesture of inner change, the Spirit’s presence in us
is living proof of that change.
- Did Jesus need to be baptized in order to be cleansed from sin?... Absolutely not!
• Jesus is sinless (2 Corinthians 5:21, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so
that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”)
• He did not have to be baptized. He did not have to die on the cross.
• He did those things as God the Son to associate with us, and so we could identify
with Him.
- 🖥 Romans 6:3-5, “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into
Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.” Verses 10- 11 10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
- The Holy Spirit descends on Jesus like a dove.
• Extreme divine heavenly power, manifested in peace and gentleness.
• This is how we operate in our faith, knowing we have the power of the Holy Spirit
in our lives.
• We have been given the authoritative Spirit of God, yet are to be loving, gentle,
king, patient, etc. (Galatians 5:22- 23 )
- In this moment, Jesus is anointed in His ministry for what He was about to do.
• 🖥 Isaiah 61:1, “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has
anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;”
- God the Father speaks and affirms from heaven who Mark claimed Jesus was from the
beginning... “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
• This is the Son of God...This is God the Son.
• When we speak of the gospel of Jesus, the good news comes from the Son of God,
Jesus Christ, Lord, Mighty, Spirit-filled, God in the flesh!!
- There is power in the name of Jesus!
Closing Prayer/Response 🖥 Communion (self-serve; we’ll partake together)
- Come up and take a wafer and a cup of juice, and then take your seat.
- Once everyone has seated again, read...
• 1 Corinthians 11:28, “Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread
and drink of the cup.”
- Spend some time in prayer, examine yourself before the Lord (one minute)
• 1 Corinthians 11:23-24, “For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to
you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, ‘This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
- Let’s partake together.
• 1 Corinthians 11:25-26, “In the same way also he took the cup, after supper,
saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.”
- Let’s partake together.
Offering box in the back Worship, Prayer, Ministry
