Re:Verse passage – Mark 1:9-15 (day one)
Join us as Senior Pastor Chris Johnson, Associate Pastor Aaron Hufty and Associate Pastor Bryan Richardson walk us through Mark 1:9-15 in our Winter Sermon Series: “reMARKable” a study of Mark.
Incarnate Immanuel
Re:Verse passage – Mark 1:1-8 (day seven)
I love Mark! Unlike the other synoptic gospels, he cuts right to the start of Jesus’ ministry. It’s not because the birth story isn’t important, but he is laying a foundation for his readers to know who and what this “good news” is about. He gives them a map. He shows them where the journey is taking them while also dropping deep theology that he will develop throughout the book. Mark is showing us that the gospel is simple:
“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”
God loves us so much that He became man (Incarnate) and dwelt with us (Immanuel). This is the Christmas story.
“As time has passed on, my theology has grown more and more simple. It is simply this, ‘Jesus loves me!’” – Charles Spurgeon
A New Beginning
Re:Verse passage – Mark 1:1-8 (day six)
The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Mark 1:1
The beginning…in the beginning.
Mark is the earliest of the Gospels written most likely to gentile believers in Rome. It came at the right time, as Christians were facing intense persecution under Emperor Nero. They needed to hear the inspired words of John Mark, protege of Peter the Apostle. They needed to hear good news. They needed to see Jesus.
Mark’s Gospel, like the others, is a proclamation. A declaration. The old has passed away, and the new has come. A new paradigm. A new beginning. A new kingdom. A new creation. Jesus, the Son of God.
Look, he is making all things new! That’s the message of Mark.
Countercultural
Re:Verse passage – Mark 1:1-8 (day five) “And he was preaching, and saying, “After me One is coming who is mightier than I”.
John the Baptist is countercultural. From Mark’s writing, it’s fairly easy to see and recognize. The clothes (camel hair). The diet (locusts). The setting for his ministry (wilderness). His message (repentance). There is one more countercultural aspect of John that caught my heart and mind. His perspective. Let me explain.
I have spent over 30 years in youth ministry. As I have taught and counseled teenagers, there have been themes that have consistently bubbled up. One of those was to press back against instant gratification. Think longer and deeper about mission, priorities, actions, and purpose. The phrase I used was to think, act, and plan “eternally”. As I watched them grow up and move into adulthood, I’ve come to believe is that instant gratification is not just a youth problem. It’s a human heart problem. Yet in Mark chapter one, we find a man in his 30’s who doesn’t seem to have this problem. “After me”. Faith, ministry, and the purposes of God are wiser, deeper, and longer than ME. This eternal perspective changes everything. The way we encourage and challenge others. The way we witness. The way we parent. The way we serve. The way we love.
We would all do well to think about eternal things with eternal timing in mind. John the Baptist did.
Your Mission…Should You Decide to Accept It
Re:Verse passage – Mark 1:1-8 (day four)
John the Baptist was an amazing man. Hundreds of years before he was born, the prophet Isaiah foretold his life and his mission. While he was still in the womb, he recognized the Savior. When he was born, he was obedient to his call and mission. When John preached repentance, all of Judea came out to hear him. He preached, he baptized, he prepared the way for the Lord and then had the privilege to introduce the long-awaited Messiah! In all, his public ministry was only about six months…but what an obituary! Jesus himself said there was no greater man born of woman.
We may not have such an exalted assignment, but have you considered what God has planned for your life? How has God designed your life to impact the world for Him? Certainly obedience, but what about compassion…what about bold witness…what about faithful praying? Will it be said of you, he or she was faithful to the end…they completed the race? It doesn’t take long to accomplish what God has in store for us. Who will be in heaven because you were faithful to your call and mission?
Prior
Re:Verse passage – Mark 1:1-8 (day three)
“… preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins…”
The Pharisees didn’t listen to John, so they weren’t going to listen to Jesus. Pharoah didn’t listen to the nine plagues, so he wasn’t ultimately going to listen to the tenth. The family of the rich man in Jesus’s parable of Lazarus hadn’t listened to the prophets, so they wouldn’t listen to a resurrected Lazarus. Do you see a pattern here? God has designed reality in such a way that the now can prepare you for the next. You can refuse to accept the now, or you can turn and face it and let God’s Spirit teach you and form you. Is today inviting you to get ready for tomorrow? Probably.
Confess and Repent
Re:Verse passage – Mark 1:1-8 (day two) John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. vs. 4
Mark goes out of his way to talk about John’s appearance, doesn’t he? My love for a nice camel hair coat aside, John’s presentation was probably a bit disheveled, even for the first century. That’s what makes the response to his message all the more compelling. He wasn’t attractive, but the freedom from the burden of sin was. We have such a backwards view of confession and repentance. People came in large numbers to hear John’s words. They received the message, and freed their hearts from the burden they had been carrying. This message is not just for new believers. All of us should be reminded of the power of repentance. Why not start again today?
Monday Re:Verse Blog Post – 11/30/2020
Re:Verse passage – Mark 1:1-8 (day one)
Join us as Senior Pastor Chris Johnson, Associate Pastor Aaron Hufty and Associate Pastor Bryan Richardson walk us through Mark 1:1-8 in our Winter Sermon Series: “reMARKable” a study of Mark.
Out of Context
Re:Verse passage – Philippians 4:10-23 (day seven)
Throughout my time playing football, I saw Philippians 4:13 used in many different ways. Some guys had this tattooed on their body. I heard coaches and players pray using this verse before games asking God for victory. Others would say this after the victory as a means to give God glory. You have probably seen and heard much of the same in your profession.
These usages of this verse are very much out of context. Paul did not want us to claim victory in sport through the power of Christ, nor was he assuring us that we could overcome our physical insufficiencies if we believed hard enough. What Paul was telling us was that with Christ we will be content in all things. If we truly wanted to apply this to the sports world, Christ helps us be just as content after a loss as after a victory.
More specifically to the context of the passage, we as Christians are not promised riches, prosperity, or even three meals a day. What we are promised is that no matter our situation, good or bad, we can be content. Christ is sufficient for all we need.
Sharing
Re:Verse passage – Philippians 4:10-23 (day six)
14 Even so, you have done well to share with me in my present difficulty. Philippians 4:14
The Philippian church had gone to great lengths to help Paul while he was imprisoned. They were partners with him in the Gospel, and when things got tough they did not abandon him (like many others), but did what they were able to ensure his needs were met.
This is the kind of gritty Gospel Paul has been talking about throughout his letter:
To live is Christ,… work out your salvation with fear and trembling,… I press on toward the goal,… I have learned to be content.
Because of God’s promise in the Gospel, because of Jesus, we keep moving forward with joy. But not only for ourselves. Gritty Gospel living, allows us to freely and kindly, ensure that others do the same. We share in their difficulty.
Joyful, humble travelers never travel alone. With Gospel kindness and grit we nudge each other along, especially when the road gets hard. It’s what we do; it’s what Jesus did, because the glory to come eclipses the difficulty we may face. Our sharing in the difficulty of our brothers and sisters reminds them of that greater truth.