003 The Beginning of the Gospel – part 2

Mark 1:1-20 (11-20)

November 30, 2025

As you know, we began our study of Mark’s gospel

With a bird’s-eye view of the gospel last Sunday morning.

JUST A COUPLE OF REMINDERS.

· Mark is fascinated with “The Amazing Jesus”

· Everything here is rapid pace.

· Over and over we see the word “immediately”

· Mark is like a kid dragging you through an amusement park

· He loves historical present tense verbs

Mark is mesmerized and he wants you to be too.

· He’s not looking at the past like Matthew.

· He’s not scrutinizing history like Luke.

· He’s not even speaking on a personal level like John.

· Mark is just watching Jesus in the present and he is blown away by him.

Our goal is to look at Jesus through Mark’s eyes

And recapture our amazement as well.

LAST SUNDAY NIGHT we started looking at this gospel of Mark.

Mark’s gospel starts with this phrase:

“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”

We are learning very quickly from Mark that

Jesus is both the subject and the preacher of the gospel

That Mark wishes to reveal.

And as we started looking at Mark’s gospel we made some observations.

#1 IT STARTS WITH A PROPHET

Mark 1:1-3

Mark does make a quick reference to Old Testament prophecy.

· Now in typical Mark fashion, he does not give you all of the prophecy.

· Mark doesn’t even give you the name of both prophets.

Verse 2 is actually from Malachi 3:1

Verse 3 is actually from Isaiah 40:3

Both of those prophecies have far more to say that what Mark quotes,

And certainly there is value there.

But Mark’s objective is simple.

He is reminding you that we have all been waiting for someone

To come to prepare the way for the Messiah.

Mark is building your anticipation.

We also discovered an important word in the second prophecy Mark quoted.

(3) “THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, ‘MAKE READY THE WAY OF THE LORD; MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT.”

“STRAIGHT” there is (yoo-THOOS)

It’s the same word that is translated “immediately”

Some 40 times in Mark.

It does mean “straight”

It also means “forth with” or “immediately”

We are talking about the straightest and fastest way

For sinful man to get right with God.

That is what John came preaching and the answer is: REPENTANCE

Mark wants you to call to your mind your anticipation

That one day God would prepare His coming with a forerunner

And then John can’t wait to tell you who he is.

#2 IT WAS SEEN IN A PREACHER

Mark 1:4-5

That is Mark’s first big point.

· He’s not so interested in digging through Old Testament prophecy,

· He simply wants you to know that the forerunner is here!

It is “John the Baptist”

We marveled Sunday night that although John is a little out of touch culturally, he is wildly successful.

· He is calling Israel back into the wilderness (a place where Israel wondered under God’s displeasure)

· He is calling them to repentance and baptism (the process of proselytizing a Gentile to Judaism).

· And yet, despite the humiliation, John is successful.

· Everyone is coming.

It’s as if they realize that their ritualistic religion

Had failed to actually remove their sin or bring genuine peace with God.

What is happening with John is remarkable.

But even that is not Mark’s main focus.

Mark moves on because he wants you to hear John’s message.

#3 IT IS STATED AS A PROMISE

Mark 1:6-8

Everyone wonders if John could be the long-awaited Messiah,

And John says, “NOT EVEN CLOSE!”

· Not only could I not untie His sandals (the work of a lowly slave)

· I’m not even worthy to bow down in front of Him (think Isaiah in the temple)

· He is higher and mightier than I in every way.

And here is where Mark has been racing to get to.

John says, (8) “I baptized you with water; but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

You remember that as the same message Jesus preached to Nicodemus in John 3.

There is One coming who won’t just wash your outside,

But who will wash your heart!

· He will usher in the new covenant.

· He will cause you to be indwelt and filled with God’s own Spirit.

· He will bring genuine conversion.

· He will bring genuine salvation.

· He will bring absolute and lasting redemption.

THAT IS THE ONE YOU ARE LOOKING FOR.

And so through 8 verses Mark has managed to cover

What it took both Matthew and Luke 4 chapters to cover.

Mark has been running you through this at rapid pace

Because he wants to show you this main attraction.

#4 IT IS SATISFIED IN A PERSON

Mark 1:9-15

AT THIS POINT we are all supposed to be on the edge of our seat

Wondering who this One who will baptize in the Holy Spirit is?

· How will we spot Him?

· How will we know Him?

I want to read for you again the passage we left off with Sunday night.

Isaiah 64 “Oh, that You would rend the heavens and come down, That the mountains might quake at Your presence— As fire kindles the brushwood, as fire causes water to boil— To make Your name known to Your adversaries, That the nations may tremble at Your presence! When You did awesome things which we did not expect, You came down, the mountains quaked at Your presence. For from days of old they have not heard or perceived by ear, Nor has the eye seen a God besides You, Who acts in behalf of the one who waits for Him. You meet him who rejoices in doing righteousness, Who remembers You in Your ways. Behold, You were angry, for we sinned, We continued in them a long time; And shall we be saved? For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. There is no one who calls on Your name, Who arouses himself to take hold of You; For You have hidden Your face from us And have delivered us into the power of our iniquities. But now, O Lord, You are our Father, We are the clay, and You our potter; And all of us are the work of Your hand. Do not be angry beyond measure, O Lord, Nor remember iniquity forever; Behold, look now, all of us are Your people. Your holy cities have become a wilderness, Zion has become a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation. Our holy and beautiful house, Where our fathers praised You, Has been burned by fire; And all our precious things have become a ruin. Will You restrain Yourself at these things, O Lord? Will You keep silent and afflict us beyond measure?”

In Isaiah’s prophecy it was the turning point.

· It saw the moment when Israel finally realized their fallenness

· And the uselessness of their religion and begged for mercy.

· They humble themselves and submit as clay does to a potter.

· They ask for salvation.

But you recognize how the passage began.

“Oh, that You would rend the heavens and come down…”

They were remembering Sinai.

· They were remembering how God split the sky and descended on the mountain.

· They were remembering how He called them to be His people.

· They were remembering how He promised them salvation.

Isaiah saw the day when Israel would ask for that again.

Well in Mark’s gospel, IT HAPPENED.

(10-11) “Immediately coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opening, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him; and a voice came out of the heavens: “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.”

You remember that Mark used a different word for “opening”

Than the other gospel accounts.

The word Mark chose spoke of rending asunder or tearing in two.

Mark saw God split the sky apart and announce His Son from heaven.

· This is the One!

· This is the Savior!

· This is the One who will baptize in the Holy Spirit!

· This is the Potter, you are the clay!

Mark wants you to watch that scene and be amazed!

Jesus is the long-awaited Savior!

Now, that is where we LEFT OFF LAST WEEK.

So let’s pick back up here this morning.

Mark is absolutely mesmerized that Jesus has come

And God has split the heavens to announce Him publicly.

This is the One!

It is the Amazing Jesus.

BUT THAT IS NOT ALL

We also love that God said, “in You I am well-pleased.”

No other human ever measured so highly.

While God has been merciful and patient to humanity,

That is not the same thing as being pleased.

Psalms 103:10 “He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.”

Psalms 103:14 “For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust.”

It was Bildad who asked:

Job 25:4 “How then can a man be just with God? Or how can he be clean who is born of woman?”

· Man is fallen.

· Man is sinful.

· Man, by our very nature, are unpleasing to the Holy God of the universe.

We are like Isaiah, “men of unclean lips”

While God has not treated man as he deserved,

That does not mean that man was pleasing

Either in his behavior or in his nature.

BUT JESUS WAS.

He had lived 30 years upon this earth, ultimately accomplishing only one major task.

· Jesus was living a righteous life.

· He was obeying the Law.

· He was honoring God in his words, deeds, thoughts, reactions, motives, desires, etc.

· He was loving God with all His heart and His soul and His mind and His strength.

And Jesus did it to perfection

So that God gave Him a verbal commendation from heaven.

As you are well-aware, this is what we call His ACTIVE OBEDIENCE

And it is essential to our salvation.

For not only does the gospel teach

· That our sin will be imputed to Him for which He will be punished on the cross

The gospel also teaches

· That His righteousness will be imputed to us for which we will be rewarded in heaven.

2 Corinthians 5:21 “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

Jesus’ perfection and God’s recognition of it are huge things to us!

THIS MAN IS CERTAINLY HIGHER AND MIGHTIER THAN JOHN.

Can you imagine a man so holy?

Can you image a man so pure?

Can you image a man so devoted?

· He never uttered a foul word…

· He never entertained a lustful thought…

· He never stumbled into revenge or hatred or rage…

· He never withheld forgiveness…

· He never succumbed to greed…

· He never wallowed in self-pity…

· He never looked to a single idol…

He was perfect.

He NEVER sinned…EVER

Such a thought is too lofty for us.

Our minds can’t even really comprehend such a man.

HE IS AMAZING!

John washes with water, this Man will wash with the Holy Spirit.

Jesus is Amazing!

He is the One we have been waiting for.

BUT MARK ISN’T FINISHED.

In verse 12 we get our next “immediately”.

(12) “Immediately the Spirit impelled Him to go out into the wilderness.”

I know you wanted to stand at the baptism exhibit

And ponder for a moment on the glory and grandeur of Jesus,

But Mark yanking on your arm and running you to the next big thing.

“COME LOOK AT THIS!” Mark is declaring.

And Mark immediately takes us to this scene

Of Jesus heading into the wilderness to be tempted.

But again, it comes from a perspective that is uniquely Mark.

FOR ONE, Mark uses again a much stronger word.

Matthew 4:1 “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.”

Luke says it the same way in Luke 4:1, that Jesus “was led”.

But Mark uses much stronger language.

Mark says that “the Spirit impelled Him to go”

“impelled” is (ek-BOL-o)

You’ll see it again many times in Mark.

Mark 1:34 “And He healed many who were ill with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He was not permitting the demons to speak, because they knew who He was.”

Mark 1:39 “And He went into their synagogues throughout all Galilee, preaching and casting out the demons.”

There it is “cast out” or “casting out”;

As in what Jesus would do to demons.

The word is NOT a suggestion.

This is a command.

YOU WILL ALSO NOTICE

· That the verb “impelled” has that asterisk

· It is in the historical present tense.

So Mark wants you to close your eyes

And see the Spirit literally “impelling Him to go”.

Now that DOES NOT mean that Jesus was resistant to the Spirit’s leading

Or that it was some sort of an internal struggle on Jesus’ part.

Jesus was totally submissive

To the Spirit’s leading and authority in His life in all things.

But clearly Mark wants you to understand that

Jesus going into the wilderness was NOT AN OPTION.

Clearly Mark wants you to see that

God is deliberately sending Jesus into this wilderness.

There is something divine and eternal in play here.

The Spirit is giving Jesus His marching orders.

· This is the first mission.

· This is the first advance.

· This is the beginning.

(12-13) “Immediately the Spirit impelled Him to go out into the wilderness. And He was in the wilderness forty days being tempted by Satan; and He was with the wild beasts, and the angels were ministering to Him.”

Clearly Mark wants you to see the Spirit driving Jesus into the wilderness

To be “tempted by Satan”.

WHAT IS A LITTLE STRANGE TO US,

Especially since we have the other gospel accounts,

Is that Mark doesn’t tell us much about what happened when He got there.

Both Matthew and Luke give us much more information.

· They tell us about Him fasting 40 days.

· They tell us about His hunger.

· They tell us not only about Him being tempted, but give us 3 specific

temptations He faced.

For Mark to be so adamant that we see Jesus

Being cast into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit,

He certainly doesn’t give us much information

Regarding what happened when He was there.

HE ONLY SAYS that He was there “forty days being tempted by Satan’ and He was with the wild beasts, and the angels were ministering to Him.”

WHAT IS MARK’S POINT?

There are certainly various ways to look at the temptation

And all are important.

You can see it as an Adam vs Jesus analogy.

· Adam was tempted in a garden, Jesus in a desert.

· Adam was surrounded by friendly animals, Jesus by wild beasts

(incidentally that word “wild beasts” is used to speak of the pit viper

That attached itself to Paul’s hand on the island of Malta in Acts 28:4-5.)

· So Adam faced a serpent and so did Jesus.

Of course where Adam failed, Jesus triumphed.

That would be one fascinating way to look at the temptation.

You could look at it as a Jesus vs the wandering Israelites.

· They wandered 40 years, He wandered 40 days.

· They grumbled about bread, Jesus gave thanks to God.

· They tested God and rebelled, Jesus trusted and submitted.

Jesus was not only the new and better Adam,

Jesus was also the true child of God that Israel was supposed to be.

That is also a fascinating way to look at the temptation.

BUT FROM MARK’S PERSPECTIVE

It would seem that the focus is not necessarily on a Adam comparison

Or even on a wilderness wanderings comparison.

I THINK MARK HAS A DIFFERENT COMPARISON IN VIEW.

THE STATEMENT

“in the wilderness forty days” certainly draws our minds to the children of Israel and their wanderings.

BUT Do you know why the children of Israel wandered for 40 years?

Do you know where God got the number 40?

Numbers 14:33-34 “‘Your sons shall be shepherds for forty years in the wilderness, and they will suffer for your unfaithfulness, until your corpses lie in the wilderness. ‘According to the number of days which you spied out the land, forty days, for every day you shall bear your guilt a year, even forty years, and you will know My opposition.”

God chose 40 years as one year for every day that the spies went out to spy out the land of Canaan.

Mark’s focus seems to be on the mission of conquest

That Jesus is about to be undertaking.

Those 12 spies were sent,

· They were “impelled” into the land of Canaan to spy out the land.

· They were to examine what was at stake.

· They were to get a good look at the enemy.

As with Mark’s account of Jesus in the wilderness,

Not much is told to us about what they actually saw or experienced during that 40 day mission.

This is all we get.

Numbers 13:27-28 “Thus they told him, and said, “We went in to the land where you sent us; and it certainly does flow with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. “Nevertheless, the people who live in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large; and moreover, we saw the descendants of Anak there.”

Numbers 13:32-33 “So they gave out to the sons of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone, in spying it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants; and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great size. “There also we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and we became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”

We know they faced the enemy and saw the terrors,

But there wasn’t much beyond that in the way of detail.

BUT WE ALSO KNOW THAT AS A RESULT:

They quit, rebelled, retreated, grumbled, and wanted to go back to Egypt.

· They went out, faced the enemy, came back and gave up.

· They faced their mission and retreated.

NOW SEE JESUS.

Jesus was also sent out by the Spirit.

He is purposely being sent to face the enemy.

He is sent to see the power and force of the enemy.

WHICH HE DID.

· He was “tempted by Satan”

· “He was with the wild beasts”

And yet, God was with Him, just as God was with the children of Israel.

· We read that “the angels were minister to Him.”

SO STOP for a moment and let Mark build the story for you.

Close your eyes, and see Jesus, like those spies

Being sent into the wilderness to face the enemy.

Go see what your mission consists of.

Go get a look at who you will be fighting.

· Go examine the giant.

· Go examine the battlefield.

· Go spy out the coming war.

(Empire of the Summer Moon – when the soldiers first reached the caprock)

And we see Jesus departing into the wilderness.

There He goes, the One just boldly announced by the Father from Heaven.

· He is marching out…

· He disappears from sight…

· And now we wait for 40 days to hear His report…

How will He respond to His mission

Once He gets a really good look at the enemy He is fighting?

That is the question we are all pondering as we wait.

And here comes the answer:

(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.”

Jesus went into the wilderness

· He spied out the land

· He got a really good look at the enemy

· He got a taste of the danger

AND HE CAME BACK WITH HIS REPORT.

Do you see it?

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

That’s certainly a contrast from the spies of old:

Numbers 13:31 “But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are too strong for us.”

Jesus gave a totally different report!

· The time is now!

· The kingdom is here!

· It is time for you to repent, leave the wilderness, and join Me in the kingdom!

IT IS HERE! IT IS YOURS!

But you must let go of your rebellion.

You must let go of your fear.

You must let go of your grumbling.

And you must follow Me into the glorious kingdom of God.

WHAT A MESSAGE!

· Jesus was NOT intimidated by the enemy.

· Jesus was NOT put off by the danger.

· Jesus was NOT afraid of the fight.

In fact, Mark is going to chronicle several battles Jesus will have with demons,

And Jesus is going to handle them just like Joshua in the conquest.

None of them will be able to stand before Him.

None of them will be able to deter His plan.

Jesus saw the enemy up close and came away as confident as ever.

“I can beat him, and if you come with Me, you can beat him too!”

The days of the Canaanite are over.

The days of the Satan’s dominion are through.

Jesus went into Satan’s heartland

And was more convinced than ever that he was defeated.

It is now time for the “kingdom of God” to advance!

Mark wants you to see Jesus emerging from the wilderness,

Not in retreat or fear, but in absolute confidence of victory!

And let’s just STOP AND SAVOR that for a moment.

WE READ:

(14) “Now after John had been taken into custody…”

As if the sight of the enemy in the wilderness had not been intimidating enough,

· John, the prophetic voice, is now arrested.

· He is taken captive and will soon be beheaded.

Certainly Satan was firing a warning shot

Of what should be expected if Jesus tries to go public.

But it doesn’t effect Jesus in the least:

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God,”

What courage!

What faith!

What confidence!

We live in a day of unrest and fear.

Every day we add a new line to our list of words or phrases we cannot say because they might be offensive…

· We see a rise, even in our own borders, of Islam

· We see racial tensions being provoked by the media

· We see violence becoming the first response more and more

We think of the dangers of missionary work.

· What happens if you go into a foreign country?

· What happens if you enter an Islamic region?

· What happens if you confront Hindus?

· What happens if you work in the inner city?

We see such Satanic strongholds all over the world,

And we understand the apprehension or fear

Of entering any of them with the gospel.

And the result is that the gospel fails to be proclaimed.

Words like “repent”

Or messages that “Jesus is the only way”

Are often carefully navigated around.

And I’m not standing here before you as some gladiator who is trying to belittle you if you are apprehensive.

· Preaching from a pulpit in Spur, TX is hardly the same thing as taking the gospel to the streets of Syria.

I just want you to ponder for a moment how scary it can be

To be called to go and spread God’s kingdom into hostile territory.

THE SPIES OF ISRAEL

· Had just witnessed God parting the Red Sea on their behalf

· They saw God destroy the greatest army in the known world

· And still they were too afraid to enter Canaan.

BUT LOOK AT JESUS.

· Where is the fear?

· Where is the dread?

· Where is the worry?

· Even after getting a close up look at the enemy.

· Even after John is arrested.

THERE IS NO FEAR OR RETREAT IN JESUS.

He emerges from the wilderness and He announces the gospel of God.

He calls for men to repent of their fear and comfort and join Him.

“repent and believe in the gospel.”

WHAT IS THIS “gospel” WE ARE TO BELIEVE IN?

IT IS JESUS.

· That He is the One in whom God is well-pleased.

· That He is the One who will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.

· That He is the One who can usher in God’s kingdom.

· That He is the One who can save you from the enemy.

It is NOT a call for you to have self-confidence.

It is NOT a call for you to try harder or fight longer.

The call is for you to repent and fall in behind Jesus

As the victor over the enemy and the Savior from your sin!

“repent and believe in the gospel”

(stop thinking how you’ve been thinking and believe this good news!)

AND DO YOU WANT TO SEE IT WORKED OUT?

So the gospel:

· Started with a prophet

· Seen in a preacher

· Stated as a promise

· Satisfied in a person

#5 IT IS SEIZED BY FOLLOWING

Mark 1:16-20

LOOK AT THAT!

· Jesus has emerged from the wilderness,

· He declares it is time to leave fear and sin and to enter the kingdom,

· And now HE IS CALLING RECRUITS TO FOLLOW.

ARE YOU WATCHING THIS?

Maybe you’ve seen the movie “The Patriot”.

That scene when Gabriel enters the church and calls for men to join the fight against the British, and one by one they stand to volunteer.

Jesus is recruiting men for the gospel.

There is a war coming.

You want to see the coming war? Just look at the next section.

Mark 1:21-28 “They went into Capernaum; and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and began to teach. They were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. Just then there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, saying, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!” And Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him!” Throwing him into convulsions, the unclean spirit cried out with a loud voice and came out of him. They were all amazed, so that they debated among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.” Immediately the news about Him spread everywhere into all the surrounding district of Galilee.”

Here Jesus is calling men to join that conquest.

To follow Him and set captives free.

(16-18) “As He was going along by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew, the brother of Simon, casting a net in the sea; for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.”

And again:

(19-20) “Going on a little farther, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who were also in the boat mending the nets. Immediately He called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went away to follow Him.”

These men are now set to follow “The Amazing Jesus!”

· The General!

· The Captain!

· The Deliverer!

· The Savior!

The One who can overthrow Satan’s rule and reign

And usher in God’s kingdom for God’s people!

Perhaps we’ll talk more about this even next time,

But for now, THE CALL COULD NOT BE CLEARER.

Are you willing to follow Him?

· Will you put aside your fear?

· Will you put aside your love of comfort?

· Will you stop it with the talk of returning to Egypt?

Will you see this One who can overthrow the enemy and join Him?

Isaiah 61:1-3 “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, Because the Lord has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives And freedom to prisoners; To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, To grant those who mourn in Zion, Giving them a garland instead of ashes, The oil of gladness instead of mourning, The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”

His is the victory!

His is the power!

He is “The Amazing Jesus” and He is the only hope we have!

Follow Him!