“Make me clean, make me clean.” Imagine the visual. A grown man comes out of nowhere in tattered rags and bows the knee to Jesus in total humility. The very fact that this man was willing to violate God’s Law for lepers, breach all societal rules of decorum, and approach Jesus told Jesus all that he needed to know about him. This man was desperate.
In the clearest sense, leprosy in the Bible is a picture of man’s sinful condition. It’s destructive, pervasive, ugly, and incurable. Just as leprosy destroys physical health and makes a person an outcast with other men, so sin destroys our spiritual health and makes a person an outcast with God.
Pastor Ronald H. Gann looks at the life of Christ through the eyes of John Mark in this thorough but concise sermons series.
07 - The Christ Who Cleanses
Mark 1:40-45
March 10, 2019 • Pastor Ronald H. Gann
01 - Introduction: The Servant Of God
January 27, 2019 • Pastor Ronald H. Gann
Written by Peter's personal confidant, the Gospel of MARK chronicles the ministry, sermons, and parables of Jesus Christ. It showcases Christ as the servant Messiah who, as the Son of God incarnate, was sent to suffer and serve in order to rescue and restore mankind. The shortest of the four Gospels, MARK is divided into two sections: The first eight chapters depict Christ's ministry in the north (Galilee) whereas the last eight chapters depict his ministry in the south (Judea). Culminating in the cross, Mark presents the death and resurrection of Christ as the supreme example of servanthood. Pastor Ronald H. Gann looks at the life of Christ through the eyes of John Mark in this thorough but concise sermons series.
02 - The Path Preparer
February 3, 2019 • Pastor Ronald H. Gann
John the Baptist was sent by God to prepare the Jewish people for the arrival of Jesus Christ. But how, exactly, did he do that? In two ways: First, John prophetically announced to his countrymen that, although he was not the Messiah, the Messiah had indeed arrived. And, second, he baptized the penitent in water. Being baptized by John demonstrated a recognition of one's sin and a desire for spiritual cleansing. But why was such a ritual necessary to prepare the way for the Messiah? Pastor Ronald H. Gann looks at the life of Christ through the eyes of John Mark in this thorough but concise sermons series.
03 - Baptized For Battle
February 10, 2019 • Pastor Ronald H. Gann
The place is the Jordan River, where John was baptizing. The scene is the baptism of Jesus Christ, over which John would preside. And the event is the coronation ceremony of the Messiah, to which John would later bear testimony. But Mark 1:9-13 contains much more than a mere baptism. After the Lord's coronation by water, he endured a 40-day battle at the hands of the devil as a test of his coronation. Did Jesus pass or fail? And what was at stake? Pastor Ronald H. Gann looks at the life of Christ through the eyes of John Mark in this thorough but concise sermons series.