Mark’s Gospel Introduction (Part C)

It would say I'm telling you the extraordinary story of God coming to serve men salvation and we should not be so accustomed to the Gospels, they no longer have a punch for us. There's always more. He is God. The servant God the father first and foremost in that key verse mention from chapter 10, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life, ransom for many. This is cross reference radio with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the gospel of Mark. Please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about cross reference radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching, and now here's Pastor Rick with the conclusion of his introduction to the gospel of Mark in Mark chapter 1 we read in verse 52 and he let the linen cloth and fled from them naked. Was I had to do with anything, random, well it's a cameo it's Mark saying that was me and you learn this you learn to pick these things up. The more you read the Gospels and the more you read the Scripture you learn the pink thing was, I see how Jeremiah's rights. Now I understand what he's doing. I've read. Let's just take G. Campbell Morgan, Harry Einstein, Warren Weathersby, I probably read about 20 or more of their books. I'm not bragging, this would be a good chance to but I'm not. My point is I can usually tell you what it will quote from them without seeing their name because I've just been so familiar with how they'd speak with the words they use this part of reading. This is the case with the Bible to you. Read Isaiah and often when you get to the New Testament. He says in Isaiah. Quote and you will find yourself right. Very often, so these little Lisle of benefits they are in there anyway.

It was the unanimous testimony of the early church fathers that John that Mark will John Mark was the writer of the gospel that we have associated with his name and some of the most important evidence comes from the pious and he quotes an earlier source than himself and he was born about the time that Paul was making his way towards Rome Mark. I'm going to read what papyrus writes is is Mark having become Peter's interpreter wrote down accurately. Everything he remembered, though not in order of the things earlier said or done by Christ. He made it is one concern not to omit anything which he had heard or to make any false statement in them if that wasn't true. There were plenty leaders in Christianity that had a chance to object to that state goal statements, but no one objects it's it's likely very true's true statement, I believe it is. And this Peter as papyrus says Peter gave the gospel account that we have no known as Mark to Mark and Mark wrote it down and published it to you in that then there's your apostolic authority for this document being in in our Bible first Peter 513. Peters says she was in Babylon at this a reference to the church through Peter is elect together with you, greets you and so does Mark. My son and so Mark and Peter were together even after the early phases in the book of acts of Mark was plugged into church leaders of acts chapter 12 as I read earlier. The disciples were praying in the house of his mother, Paul and Barnabas send verse 25 of acts 12. As I read earlier.

Also Barnabas was his cousin and the two of them were together with Paul for a while. The big argument develop between Barnabas and Ann Paul over John Mark's failure in service and then Barnabas and Mark went off and did ministry together.

Apart from Paul for a while but Mark ends up coming back this account that we have of Mark's gospel to show the influence of Peter in chapter 10 of acts peters the outline he uses to share the gospel with Cornelius is the outline Mark uses for his entire gospel.

It is you start off with the baptism and works its way to the miracles and wonders that Christ had done that and then it ends with the crucifixion and resurrection, and Mark follows that pattern that there are other distinctives that belong to this gospel.

That should excite you is up as believers. Its connection to the Old Testament in presenting Christ as the servant of God God. The servant servant of God the father and the power of God the Holy Spirit.

Isaiah chapter 41 God speaking to Isaiah about the coming Messiah. He refers to him as my servant. He says behold my servant, whom I uphold my elect one in whom my soul delights. I put my spirit upon him, he will bring forth justice to the Gentiles. Nobody can nobody fulfill that many of anywhere in Scripture or history Christ again Isaiah 52 verse 13 behold my servant shall be approved deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled and be very high.

These superlatives belong to Messiah and so he outright. Mark does declare the servant hood of God. We see he doesn't have to say oh you see Isaiah he said this and now we see Jesus doing it. He doesn't do it that we could've done it that way, but he does not, I would've done it that way. I would cross referenced Isaiah, but they didn't have a Bible in the way we have it today.

We just come to the page and boom you guys still had scrolls and codecs is another thing that were just not as smooth as what we have in our age. Instead what he does to declare the servant hood of God is, he has a single word that he uses more than any of the others.

In fact, the word in the Greek appears many times in the New Testament.

40 of them used by Mark and his gospel and the word is immediately and immediately and immediately next boom that we think the word immediately means right then right at that instant. But John is not Mark John Mark not using it that way. He is saying in action and boom. He does it and then he bills that out will cover that as we move through the gospel, but no one uses the word is masterfully it is an action word that the Roman mind would would quickly pick up and we then pick it up when it went, told that's right. I keep seeing him use that word and I see that he doesn't use it as I would expect them to use it. But then when I think about it. See how it's connected to the man of action, the servant, who is in action and not just claiming I'm a servant actually doing something action results influence can separate we we say about other Christians in the church.

I love that guy is such a servant.

I want to be like that God we want people to say that about us, which is a man that guy's okay is terrible servant only in the life I want our there's something compelling about Mark being the one to emphasize the servant hood of God again. Matthew makes the connection that this is your Messiah. Luke says, consider the wisdom that came from this one is greater than Aristotle and Socrates and all the rest put together an Marxist watch him work. Watch what he does.

You tell me because Mark himself failed as a servant. He was the rich kid that was used to all of the nice things in life there in Jerusalem.

But you know he wanted to be in ministry wanted to servant. He had a chance to serve. Would Paul no lesson on his cousin Barnabas and then he goes out there and he finds out.

The food was disgusting.

So were the mannerisms, so does the lifestyles of the Gentiles were just too much for marketing just couldn't stomach God. Instead of saying what you know Mark you were tough enough. I don't really have much for you know God doesn't do that are always as you know I have admits what you I'm going to take you and I'm going to have you write the gospel according to Mark and as I said earlier it's going to be the springboard for the other Matthews as you know what Mark man is so much information that I can add to what Mark has because I was there. Look will come along and say I research this. I have the word he uses Lou when he opens his gospel of peace. As I performed an autopsy on the facts we get our English word autopsy from most word that is exploring these things so thorough.

Luke was in his research, he brings things that Matthew and Mark did not have men because they didn't have the ability, but good, but Luke had the time he traveled around the interviewed people and he be begotten witnesses to, and substantiated his the testimony of these witnesses and it is is quite refreshing to see it then. It'd. It is this niche of Mark that gives us this gospel and says this to us. You can fail in ministry because you just haven't found yourself yet but I hope you get there and I will use you and you will be used. No genealogy of Jesus Christ in this gospel like we have in Matthew and and in Luke and why we all get to why we don't have it in John but what we have here want us to John first in John's Gospel, the genealogy is not given, because Christ has no ancestry. He is the word he is self existent and that's where John is coming from slow.

Let us look beyond the incarnation, let me tell you about the existence of Jesus Christ unto us a child is given a son is born in a going and the goes on to say in his name will be wonderful, counselor, the mighty God, everlasting father. That's what John is focused on as well. You don't have a genealogy, there he takes is nowhere near the cradle the deity of Christ. Christians, it is paramount you get to clarifying that form declaring that with someone you're witnessing to about Jesus Christ but Mark.

He doesn't give a genealogy for different reason and the reason is who's interested in the servants genealogy yes no pedigree worth mentioning is presenting a servant in the interests concerning a servant is this what can he do okay are we comes from. I'm hiring to work or embed. I have him to serve. How does he serve is he a good hand or bad one in the industry that I come into my vocation. That meant everything. You're either a good handle, you were not and this servant Mark chapter 10 verse 45 is a flagship verse that's God. The servant right there in that verse in the inner on the Navy in the Navy. The flash if that's where the Adm. is that's with the commander of the fleet of the squadron is an Mark 1045's.

Is this for even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many powerful letters I've come to be killed for others. I'm God but I'm going to serve men not the way men think or not, and be bringing you cups of tea and stuff like that. I'm going to bring you salvation, something that nobody else can do and that begins the gospel story of the New Testament. That's what it's all about. And now we come to verse one the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the son of God. That's the theme this breaks the silence in print of 400 years. Malachi was the last printed document of God and is been 400 years a little more since that publication of Malachi to the publication of Mark. No, of course, the silence was broken when of the announcement of John the Baptist was going to be yelling and Mary of that that's God breaking the silence. But in in print. It is Mark if if you believe this is the first published gospel is there much evidence for Matthew and Luke being for I don't think so.

That's what a hold that opinion, but when I got to go into that. The beginning of the gospel.

It continues I had an unbeliever or someone I was witnessing to asked me years ago. What happened after Easter, as was around in all resurrection Sunday and his word for it was Eastern. Whatever happened after that since an excellent question. Luke tells us. Acts chapter 100. Theophilus will player size are get to the parts of the former account I made that is the gospel of Luke go Theophilus acts chapter 11. Of all that Jesus began both to do and to teach.

So Mark says. Here's the beginning. Luke comes along is as yet and that beginning continue on into the apostles their lives and their followers. The disciples of Jesus Christ. Source of origin should be very important to us and care about the truth go back to asked just for a minute where I mentioned that we will John Mark and how he had his rich child there in Jerusalem when Peter was imprisoned one point course is delivered from jail and he goes to John Mark's house.

The mother was Mary and he knocks at the door and one of the girls God Rhoda by name. She comes to the door and she sees it, Peter. Now they're having a prayer meeting for Peter's being delivered to say from jail. Rhoda is so excited she does open the door for Peter. She leaves this fugitive from justice man justice man on the lamb she leaves him at the door to worry and she runs in and tells the people in the prayer meeting. Luke tells us they thought she was beside herself at the she's guilty she's come on your hallucinating. She is insistent and fine we go to open the door that Peter now Peter lets us know this is a sticky situation is easy put the same sheets quietly but here the probably looking for and my point is also what they say to her what they say to Rhoda is you probably seeing his angel and re-so I want to get this into the kooky stuff that was in the church.

Even then we may see his angel. What is that is Angel look like him when he is back this up when I was of the no folklore that crept into the lives of old Eliza crept into the church. I sure wish somebody would've dealt with the right and it's someone's what are you talking about the snow angels either Peter or not Peter so when we come back to this the beginning of the gospel, we want to get our facts lined up with the Scripture in its entirety and not come up with harebrained little ideas and theories about a friend of the Gospel of Thomas is no gospel.

It is a fraudulent document. We received nothing from such documents. The reason why Matthew Mark and Luke a part of our bylaws because they proven themselves to be trustworthy and authentic minor discrepancies of the documents just that so minor they're not even really worth mentioning. Most of the time anyway. This material this action-packed material went missionaries translate begin to translate the New Testament.

Historically I would have to much of that nowadays. But in the earlier days when missionaries would go into places where no gospel had not gone and they would begin to translate the Bible into that vernacular and and circulated, Mark was usually the first book they would pick when I lead someone to Christ.

I usually send them to the gospel of Mark is a gift to the point to get to the foundation very quickly. The other stuff will come. Gotta start somewhere.

But Mark is usually the book. I can't remember if I was reading an Mark or Matthews gospel. I do remember is when things Matthews that I wore for my point. Let's pray not not yet. I got so convicted by that gnashing of teeth. Me, I did not want a part of that well these men who give us the gospel state they preached it. They lived it.

They preached it, and then they published and that that's how it gets to us, but I got some interesting stuff I don't want to Passover so move quickly with this this living it, preaching it publishing it was what Jesus promised John chapter 14 verse 26, the helper who is the holy one says what the helper of the Holy Spirit whom the father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you, and that's what were getting when we come to our Scriptures.

Mark tells us how it all began his gospel. Incidentally, frequently concerned itself with the beginning he uses that word relatively more than any of the other Gospels as he goes with the word immediately and this next word eventually on evangelism and our language, and this is interesting because the Romans they use this word to and when they used the Greek it would be this word and they used it and remember that's Mark's audience. There is a an inscription that was in Turkey at about 10 years or so before the coming of Christ that announced Caesar Augustus birth and it announced it in in just this way. Use that word assist the inscription speaks of of Augustus birth as the beginning of the gospel announcing this for the good, the Roman Empire, so Mark takes that the Holy Spirit sort of says hold on a second. That's not accurate.

The beginning of the good news is relative to the people and what that news is to God and the coming of Caesar Augustus was not good news to God and really wasn't good news to man.

However, the coming of Jesus Christ. That is the good news and it is the good news of God for sinners, so the Holy Spirit appropriates the word long announced Savior is now here.

This Savior would be sovereign. It would be a servant, and he would be holy and none of the seizures could claim all of those they could claim sovereignty to some degree before they were assassinated, which can't backfire backs down there. Sovereignty is as of Jesus Christ. Christ, of course, the subject if you are say Mark what are you doing here what you doing with this is opening these opening words and he would say I'm telling you the extraordinary story of God coming to serve men salvation and we should not be so accustomed to the Gospels that they no longer have a punch for us. There's always more. He is God.

The servant of God the father first and foremost in that key verse mention from chapter 10, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life, ransom for many. Almost done course, the outcome would be through the cross. This Jesus would give us an example of serving John's gospel chapter 13 verse 15 Jesus speaking for I have given you an example, my servant hood is important to us that you should do as I have done to you most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is he who is sent greater than he was sent him if you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. The Bible just will never let the flesh rest and the flesh will never let the spirit rest and that's why there is war and we are supposed to be up for this war, and as I mentioned, Mark's repeated use of the word admit immediately that dominant word is to show us that Christ was instantly responsive to the father. That's our example yeah Jesus gave a parable. He said you know you meant it to Sunday said son I wanted to go do this in one sense okay daddy didn't do it the other sons that I want to do it. I'm not doing it and he goes out and does it both the wrong one was not as wrong as the other. Christ is son I want you to do something okay and he goes and does it, that is the example that he he acts on the command without hesitation we hesitate is not perfect knowledge.

Often when a source of the balloon. We are sure was sure God wants me to do this better do it regardless of what others may think it also others may think very highly is not always bad. Not only the people are always against you be involved often on those wonderful son of God, that is God's declaration in Revelation that Jesus is the son of God, God the son, we could say this distinction of course requires that you be self existent uncreated as Christ was his authority was that he was God's son and all the mighty works that would follow would be in the strength of the Holy Spirit in God. The servant so Philippians 25 let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus being in the form of God did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, taking the form of a slave coming in the likeness of men. Quite powerful came in the form of a slave so hesitation there in full in the fullness of the time, God's son is beginning is not a star.

It is state. This is not is this the beginning of something is where he is on the calendar and Mark will spend his words proving these points move thanks for tuning in to cross reference radio for this study in the book of Mark cross reference radio is the teaching ministry of Pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville in Virginia to learn more information about this ministry.

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