"The Beginning!" (Mark 1:1-2a)

"The Beginning!"

Falling in Love with Jesus…All over again! An expository sermon series through the Gospel of Mark (message #1)

Pastor Jerry Ingalls

January 16, 2011

As a man created in the very image of God, I dream of playing my part in an epic war. I am a warrior at heart, but I am also a lover. I desire a damsel in distress to rescue, a villain to defeat, a mountain to climb, and a river to ford.

Have you ever yearned to embark on a journey of epic proportions? A journey that you know will change your life and the life of those you encounter along the way.

Have you ever yearned to set sail on the open sea in pursuit of a precious pearl or hidden treasure? A treasure so vast, a pearl so rare in size and beauty that once you see it you know you would be willing to sell all that you have to be able to grasp it in your own hands.

Jesus said, "The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it." (Matthew 13:44-46)

The Bible teaches us that God has given us (every human) a yearning for eternity in our hearts, but He did not give us the capacity to comprehend it (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

Why would God do this? Why would He give us a hunger for eternity, but then not give us the ability to fully comprehend it?

I'll tell you why! Because God has made us to be a people created to embark on an epic journey to find the Kingdom of God! And not just find it, but to explore it and possess it as our very own. God breathed into us the ability to find Him because God wants to be found by us! This is reality is His ultimate desire for all of His creation—to know and to be known! True love affair, intimacy! God handcrafted us to never be satisfied in this life, because the true destination of this epic journey is the other side of the sea, the land beyond the shadows, the final frontier beyond the clouds. We hunger and thirst for our true Home because there is a designed part of us that knows nothing in this life is worth more than the Kingdom of God—a time and place where God is the king and all things and all people are under His rule. Ours is to be a life of seeking after this precious pearl, this hidden treasure of eternity that He planted in our hearts! And once we find it, we find our meaning and nothing else matters…we sell everything, we give up everything to attain it!

I am introducing a twist in the story of your life, just as significant as when Frodo Baggins of the Shire was told by Gandalf the Grey that great evil was after him.

And if he did not leave the only home he knew and loved to go upon an epic journey to mysterious and dangerous places then all would be lost. Just as was true in the Lord of the Rings, your story is set in a world of great danger where forces of good and evil are already on the move; there is a battle that has been waged for millennia and I am here to open your eyes and ears and set you out on a journey…a journey that will most likely move you out of your comfort zone to places you never would have imagined going otherwise!

Don't be deceived, we (you and I) are already on the battle field in a decisive time and place in history, and we are surrounded by the walking wounded, the living casualties, the defeated as well as the victorious. Are you going to answer the call to begin the journey of a lifetime? Are you going to hear the call to be a part of the greatest story ever told? For this is not only the beginning of a story that you cannot afford NOT to know, but today is the beginning of the rest of your Life!

This is why Mark put pen to papyrus in 65 AD. Mark, the scribe of the great Apostle Peter and the fellow missionary alongside of the Apostle Paul, for over 30 years had experienced the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and he wrote this gospel account to convince a Roman audience of their need to begin the journey of faith in Jesus Christ, the Messiah of Israel, the Son of God because as he knew and discovered Jesus Christ is the gateway to the Kingdom of God which was worth more than anything else in this life or the next. Mark found the precious pearl.

Mark found the hidden treasure. Mark found God! And so Mark starts His greatest work with these words found in Mark 1:1-2a, "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. ² As it is written in Isaiah the prophet:"

What we have here in Mark 1:1-2a is not only the introduction to this "historical narrative with a theological intent" (the literary genre of a gospel), but the beginning of the greatest story ever told. This is: The Beginning of the Good News…

The Greek word euaggelion used in Mark 1:1 literally means "glad tidings" and is commonly the title for the ministry of reconciliation that Jesus began and we are still to be completing today. This is the gospel! Mark is declaring the purpose of this epic story from the start…he is recording not a history book, not a biography, but the Gospel that has the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. Within this story is the key to decisive and overwhelming victory in the epic war between good and evil! Within this story is the treasure map to the hidden treasure you are seeking!

Listen to the Scriptures from Romans 1:16-17, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, 'BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.'"

Mark is writing the gospel story to invite all who have eyes to see and ears to hear to answer the invitation to embark upon the epic journey of faith. The Gospel is the portal into the Kingdom of God! The Gospel is more than a story; it is the story that demands a verdict by each person who hears it. It is how you respond to the Gospel that determines whether today will be the beginning of Life or another day in darkness.

The Bible teaches us of the Gospel in Hebrews 4:2, "For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard."

Making the decision on whether or not you are going to put your faith in this Good News according to Mark will impact every day of the rest of your life, both on earth and in eternity. But this doesn't need to seem like an impossible decision.

Putting our faith in someone or something else is an everyday occurrence! Have you ever been a passenger in a car, gone scuba diving, or jumped out of a perfectly good airplane? I want to show you a video that captures my occupation for some years: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrggphCtTm8&feature=related This is how I used to make my living—I was an Airborne Ranger, a paratrooper in the 82^nd Airborne Division. In fact, my wife Kimberly was an Airborne Medic and we both used to jump out of perfectly good airplanes on a regular basis.

When you are training your mind, heart, and soul for war, you learn quickly to trust your equipment and the people you fight with and who support you. A myriad of little things can ensure death or serious injury on any routine jump.

Faith is not as foreign of a concept as many would like to think. We do it every day! We put our faith in chairs, in cars, in people, in elevators, etc. Who are you trusting your life with on a daily basis? Why? Have they proven themselves trustworthy? What are you putting your faith in? Why? Has it proven itself trustworthy? Who or what do you put your faith in?

Mark continues in Mark 1:1 by telling us that this Good News is actually about a specific person, The Beginning of the Good News about Jesus of Nazareth (Jesus was a real person in real history!)…

Did you know that Jesus Christ is a real person, in real history, with real emotions, who dealt with real temptations, and had a real faith? There is one thing that Mark, the gospel writer, will not let his readers do and that is have a philosophical faith. Mark demands that you put your faith in the person of Jesus Christ! So we are quickly learning that this journey we are on is not just about salesmanship by us buying into an idea called the Gospel, it is about relationship by us falling in love with a person. Not a mushy Hollywood love, but the I'll set out on a quest to the end of the world to find the hidden treasure because Captain Jesus said it's worth it!

So, we need to ask ourselves, if I am going to put my faith into this Gospel, that means I need to put my faith in the person of the Gospel and that person is Jesus Christ! Who is Jesus?

Jesus was a real man in real history with a real mother and real brothers and who worked with his hands and dealt with neighbors in a small town like just we do! Listen to this hometown account from Mark 6:1-3 states, "Jesus went out from there and came into His hometown; and His disciples followed Him. When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue; and the many listeners were astonished, saying, 'Where did this man get these things, and what is this wisdom given to Him, and such miracles as these performed by His hands? 'Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are not His sisters here with us?' And they took offense at Him."

The person of the Gospel is a first century Jewish carpenter, an untrained teacher who was not respected by the religious elite of his day because he was from the north and did not train in Jerusalem as the notable Rabbis did. Jesus had real emotions (Mark 3:5) and made real human connections (Mark 5:41) and dealt with ragamuffin disciples like us (Mark 4:40 & 8:17).

In fact, the Bible teaches us that Jesus of Nazareth can relate to us as one who knows us and the temptations of our lives. He knows the difficulty of living as a human in this world and all its universal and timeless pressures.

The Bible declares that Jesus was tempted in all things as we are, but remained pure having no sin. Hebrews 4:15 states, "For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin."

If you want to be a master electrician or carpenter you find the best and you study what they do, when they do it and how they do it. You become their disciple! You want what they have so you follow them. If you want to be a master human then you have to learn from the man who lived life perfectly. There is only one to choose from, so choose wisely—His name is Jesus of Nazareth and he walked and talked and felt real human emotions and showed us the way to live our lives, every aspect of our lives, and here is some good news: his life and lifestyle and behaviors and attitudes are recorded for us in the four gospels. We are studying the first one written—Mark--this is the essential read of eternity. If you want to be a disciple of Jesus Christ then Mark has provided for us a portrait of this Jesus, the central person of the Good News. Jesus is the way to attaining the priceless pearl, the hidden treasure! If this is true, then it naturally leads us back to this question: Who is Jesus? [show picture 1] We, Christians have made one of two mistakes regarding our image of Jesus: 1) we make Jesus in our own image and we bind Him in our cultural identity [show pictures 2, 3, 4, 5] or 2) we make Him so otherworldly that no one can relate to Him [show pictures 6 & 7] Let's journey together and fall in love with the Jesus of the Gospels allowing God to remake us in His image! [show pictures 8 & 9]

Does your faith allow you to see Jesus as a real person in real history who can teach you how to live your day to day life? Who is your model for work, rest, and play?

For far too long we have made Jesus in our image and that has blinded us and impeded us from entering the Kingdom of God. Jesus is our exemplar, our teacher, but the burden of who He is demands an even greater verdict that cannot fall short. Mark won't allow it as one who recorded the gospel so he finishes verse 1 and enters us into verse 2 by saying that our view of Jesus cannot be limited to Jesus of Nazareth. There is more to this epic story that we must understand by faith! Mark states, this is The Beginning of the Good News about Jesus of Nazareth, who is the Messiah, the Son of God, as foretold by the prophets of God!

Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah, literally in the Greek it says, the Christos, the Christ, which is the title given to the anointed One of Israel, the Messiah, the one long foretold by the ancient prophets of Yahweh who would be filled with the Holy Spirit and redeem the people of God from their sins!

The early church in Acts 10:38 wrote this of Jesus of Nazareth, "You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him."

And it was not just the early church who attributed this title to Jesus (like some contemporary scholars would argue as they simultaneously castrate the gospel!), but Jesus knew Himself to be and declared as such His messianic title and role to Israel and the nations. Mark records this of the beginning of Jesus' ministry in Mark 1:14-15, "Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.'"

It was the Messiah who would come and preach the gospel--the Good News--and usher in the Kingdom of God--this is not a temporal or geographical kingdom. This is the eternal reign of God brought from Heaven to Earth by the anointed One of God long foretold by the prophets, especially the prophet Isaiah as Mark points out and as Jesus quotes in his own preaching. From the Gospel of Luke 4:17-19, "And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to [Jesus]. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written, 'THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED, TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD.'"

The Gospel is Good News because it is worth more than anything we can attain in this world and it is the work of the Messiah who was Jesus of Nazareth to bring it to us! This book, the Gospel of Mark, we are embarking upon, is the epic journey to attain this hidden treasure. We are going to study it verse by verse as if it were the detailed map to Treasure Island because in its very words are the details of Jesus Christ, who is the One who has brought redemption to all humanity! Jesus the Christ, the Messiah, is not just a man who walked a perfect life filled with the Holy Spirit (as amazing as that is!); this is the epic story of the Son of God (who is one with God and has always existed with God!) who stepped down from His throne in Heaven, and stepped into time and creation to become a man for the purpose of returning humanity back to Eden (perfect relationship with God) through a plan foreseen (the gospel has always been in the mind of God) and a promise made to the first Patriarch Abraham. Listen to this verse from Galatians 3:8, "The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, 'ALL THE NATIONS WILL BE BLESSED IN YOU.'"

All the way back to when God established the Abrahamic Covenant in the year 2,100 BC, God had in mind the way for every people group to be blessed. From the beginning of the story, God saw that He would be the one who would come and fulfill His promise! From 2 Corinthians 1:19-20, "For the Son of God, Christ Jesus, who was preached among you by us--by me and Silvanus and Timothy--was not yes and no, but is yes in Him. For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us."

What God has ordained to happen will happen! And God has made a promise that all the nations would be blessed through Abraham. We are a part of the fulfillment of that promise today and that fulfillment is called the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, which was foretold long ago through the Prophets of God!

This Good News is the Victorious News because it is the strategic victory (the D Day) of the epic war between good and evil. It is Victorious News not to those who hear it, but to those who hear it and then receive it in their hearts by faith. It become the Victory of God in your life when you believe in the One who was a real person in real history and who is the Son of God, the Messiah, the Christ!

The Bible teaches us of this Victory in 1 John 5:4-5, "For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith. Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?"

Will you be counted amongst the victorious subjects of the Kingdom of God? Mark begins to tell a story, a story you cannot afford NOT to know!

Mark invites us to begin an epic journey, the journey of the rest of your life today…