Mark 1:1-11 "The Beginning Of The Unstoppable Good News"

Isaiah 40:6-11, “A voice says, “Cry!” And I said, “What shall I cry?” All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the Lord blows on it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever. Go on up to a high mountain,   

O Zion, herald of good news; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news; lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!” Behold, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms;he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.”

Let us read Mark 1:1-11 together, “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, ‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way, the voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,’

John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 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. Now John was clothed with camel's hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. 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. I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.’

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 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. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

There were a couple reasons that we spent a month looking at Isaiah 40. First, as we came to the end of the Book of Judges we should have had a desire to see the King that Israel. You will recall that the theme of the Book of Judges was, “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in their own eyes.”

Secondly, we also saw in the Book of Judges the importance of true repentance. We are ‘sinful individuals, living in sinful families, among a sinful community’; therefore, we must deal with sin rightly. In Judges 19-21 we saw that repentance is important, however, it is not always done rightly.

I chose the Gospel of Mark to study next because I wanted to get to know the King and learn about the blessings of true repentance. In this gospel we’re immediately introduced to the King in verse 1 which says, ‘The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God’. And in vv. 2-8 we see the centrality of repentance in receiving gospel comfort. In Mark 1:2-3 Mark uses a quote from Isaiah 40 and that is why we spent some time looking at that chapter.

Last week we saw in Isaiah 40:9-11 that Isaiah was commanded to take his stand upon a tall mountain and begin to proclaim the Good News. The LORD told him to speak with boldness, strength, and without any fear. Isaiah was to fulfill his ministry by faith, receive God’s grace, and this would produce these very virtues (among many more!).

In Isaiah 40:6-8 we learned that this ministry and message was to be an on going ministry that Isaiah was to speak continuously in all different contexts. Let me make a couple observations about this.

• First, from the very first day that Isaiah climbed up on to that high mountain (Kingdom Platform) and began to speak, he was to do it with boldness, strength, and without fear. Sometimes we can overcome our fears and speak with passion and zeal because we have done it so often. But the LORD is letting Isaiah know that from the beginning, and throughout his ministry, he was to rely on God for the grace to fulfill this calling. Isaiah, as a consistent manner of life, was to walk by faith, receive grace, and grow in the fruit that characterizes these things. Isaiah’s was never to become self-reliant and function independent of the these things.

• Secondly, isn’t this the way we are to have a long and faithful ministry? If we try to fulfill our callings through our own strength, motivated by our own feelings, we will struggle, grow weary, and probably even quit.

With this in mind, as we come now to the Gospel of Mark we should acknowledge that we are reading the words of a man who initially tried to do ministry according to his own strength and according to his own feelings. In the Book of Acts Mark was with Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey. During this missionary journey he abandons the mission and returned to Jerusalem. (Acts 13:13)

Some time later, Barnabas tried to bring Mark on the second missionary journey but Paul objected and did not want him to come. As a result, there was no small disagreement between Paul and Barnabas over these things. Eventually they Paul took Silas and Barnabas took Mark and they went their different ways. Eventually Mark joined up with Peter and he was mentored by him. Because of this we now have this Gospel to treasure as a part of the Cannon of Scripture. What Paul could not do or was unwilling to do, Peter did for the benefit of Mark and for the universal church throughout the ages.

Over time Mark matured and learned to climb up on his ‘Kingdom Platform’ by faith, to receive grace, and to speak boldly, strongly, and without fear. Eventually Paul would write to Timothy, saying, “Luke only is with me. Having picked-up Mark, bring him with yourself, for he have proved to be useful to me for service.” (2 Timothy 4:11)

I bet that throughout Paul’s ministry many people come and went. There were some who proved to be like Demas who was in love with this world and abandoned Paul and the ministry. Despite how it had begun, this was not John Mark’s legacy. Mark proved to be faithful because at some point he learned that if he were to fulfill his calling all the way to the end he would have to live by by faith, receive God’s grace, and let the grace produce the things that make for a faithful and effective ministry. Paul might put it this way, “Because Mark engaged in ministry by faith and received grace he has proven to be useful to me for service.”

This gospel was written when the church was being persecuted. Mark wrote this gospel when it would not have been easy to climb up on that mountain and begin to proclaim the Good News and be associated with Jesus Christ. The church could be hit from the Jews on one side and Nero on the other. Under Nero’s reign both Paul and Peter would be killed.

Despite these things, Mark pens this Gospel to encourage God’s suffering people. In this Gospel Mark presents Jesus Christ as the God-King-Savior who was a servant who was willing to suffer to fulfill His Ministry. Mark 1:1-8:30 demonstrates that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who came to save us. Mark 8:31-16:8 presents to us that Jesus Christ was the Suffering Servant.

Mark will teach us that faithfulness in serving God and doing His will will often lead to opposition, persecution, suffering and even death. Serving God in this world does not typically lead to popularity and to the approval of men. As a result, we minister by faith, receive grace, and obey without fear.

Jesus Christ was opposed, hated, and eventually killed. When John Mark wrote this letter believers were being arrested and even executed. One of the purposes Mark had in writing this letter was to remind believers that a relationship with Jesus Christ can cause suffering. Serving God faithfully often leads to some sort of trouble in this sinful world.

If we serve the Lord we will not be given many awards, acknowledgments, or receive many accolades. Mark wanted us to realize that Jesus Christ did not deserve to suffer but He did throughout His earthly ministry. Therefore, like Mark, we need to learn to do what God has called us to do, not by feelings or emotions, but by faith which receives God’s grace and then produces the virtues that we need. (boldness, courage, with out fear)

Mark takes his stand upon his ‘Kingdom Platform’ and from the opening verse Mark shows us that he is willing to be imprisoned, persecuted, and even die for being a believer on Mission!. When he stands upon his ‘Kingdom Platform’ he speaks with boldness, strength, and without fear.

Mark would have also spoken with joy because he had Good News to share. In Mark’s day Good News was used in two ways. First, the good news was proclaimed when there was a great victory over an enemy. Secondly, good news was also proclaimed when there was the installation of a new king upon the throne. In the case of Jesus both of these things are true. Mark had Good News to share about the coming of God’s Kingdom and of the King of that Kingdom- Jesus Christ.

Mark writes in verse 1, “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” One reason that Mark could have joy under these circumstances is seen in the word ‘beginning’. This is the word ‘arche’ in the Greek and it speaks of the starting point from which something begins to unfold. It speaks of the dawn of a new age of God’s saving work. It is the beginning of a work that re-creates (or restores) things into the way that God intended it to be from the beginning.

Because Mark had a worldview and a theology like this he could be strong, courageous, bold, not fearful, and even joyful under these circumstances. Mark knew that at the end of this book Jesus was killed (14-15), but then He rose again, and His work continues through the ministry of the Spirit and His Word through the ministry of His Church (16).

Because of these things, Mark really did believe that Jesus began a work that could not be stopped by the combined effort of all the nations. (Ps.2) From the very beginning of this Gospel Mark proclaims that the coming of Jesus is the beginning of something that will never end. (16:19-20) Nero is not all that GREAT and significant in comparison to Jesus Christ the Son of God.

In Mark 1:4-8 we are introduced to John the Baptist and he is another man who was called by God to climb upon his ‘Kingdom Platform’ and begin to speak. (Mt. 11:11) John did not seek to draw attention to himself, but he sought to introduce the people to the Lord- Jesus Christ. This is the ambition of all the faithful saints.

Many people heard and responded to what John the Baptist said. We are told, “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.” Despite this success, not everyone liked John the Baptist and his message of repentance to prepare the people for the coming of the Christ. Despite this, John the Baptist continued to proclaim these things by faith, receiving grace, and displaying the virtues associated with this grace: boldness, courage, and fearlessness. This faith and grace enabled John to call everyone to repent of their sin: the powerful and the common man). In the end, this would cost John the Baptist his life.

We read of this in Mark 6:17-28, “For it was Herod who had sent and seized John and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, because he had married her. For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife.” And Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death. But she could not, for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he heard him gladly. But an opportunity came when...immediately the king sent an executioner with orders to bring John's head. He went and beheaded him in the prison and brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. When his disciples heard of it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.”

This morning we have spent some time speaking of Isaiah, Mark, and John the Baptist. These men climbed upon their ‘Kingdom Platforms’ in obedience to the command of the LORD. They did this by faith, received grace, and spoke with boldness, courage, strength, and without fear even in the face of danger and death. If we have been encouraged by these men, then just consider how wonderful it will be to see the One to Whom they all spoke about. We have looked at these men who received grace and spoke the truth, but now we get to see the man who was full of grace and truth! (John 1:16-18)

In Mark 1:9-11 we are introduced to Jesus Christ. Jesus is introduced to us by Someone far greater than even the faithful men we have considered. Let’s read Mark 1:9-11, “In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 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. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

Oh, what a moment in history this was! If the gospel comfort that was given in Isaiah 40 was surprising, this moment of Gospel Comfort is even better. This is when the Father and the Holy Spirit reveal the Son Who will fulfill all of the Promises that He had made in Isaiah 40:1-11.

As this unfolds, Jesus comes to John to be baptized by him and we are told that many were coming from Jerusalem and Judea, but here is Jesus coming from Galilee. I love John’s surprise when Jesus wants to be baptized. His response confirms that John understood that Jesus was the perfect Lamb of God Who would pour out the promised Holy Spirit upon His people. Mt. 3:13-17 speaks of John’s surprise, “Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’ But Jesus answered him, ‘Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.’ Then he consented. And when Jesus was baptized…”.

John, like Peter who did not want Jesus to wash his feet, obeys Jesus and baptizes Him. When he does this the man from Nazareth who was blameless, spotless, and free from sin identified with sinners and conveyed to everyone that He was willing to be the one who would propitiate our sin. As Jesus does this the Father says, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” Jesus is willing, the Father approves, and the Holy Spirit consecrates Jesus into this ministry as our Prophet, Priest, and King.

All of these exciting things are happening and we are only in the beginning of this Gospel. I feel like Jesus’ words to Nathaniel are appropriate for us, “Nathanael answered him, ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!’ Jesus answered him, ‘Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.’ And he said to him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”(John 1:49-51) As we begin to study this Gospel we are about to see amazing things. Mark’s gospel more than the others concentrates, not on Jesus’ sermons, but on His works.

As we witness these things let us humbly respond in faith, receive grace, and climb upon our ‘Kingdom Platform’ and speak with boldness, courage, and without fear as God enables us to do this by His grace.