OceanSide church of Christ

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INTRODUCTION OF GOD’S SERVANT

Mark 1

Victor M. Eskew

 

INTRODUCTION

 

A.   John Mark has provided us with a narrative of the Life of Christ.

 

B.    His primary audience was Roman.

 

C.   He writes to present Jesus as “The Servant of God.”

 

D.   The “Key Verse” of the book is Mark 10:45.

 

For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

 

E.    In this lesson, we begin a chapter-by-chapter study of the Gospel of Mark.

 

F.     In chapter one, we see the “Introduction of God’s Servant.”

 

I.           PREPARATION “FOR” AND “OF” THE SERVANT OF GOD

 

A.   John the Baptist (Mark 1:2-8)

1.     It has been some 400 hundred years since the last prophet of God had uttered a work from God.

2.     Interestingly enough, Malachi had closed his prophecy with a prediction of a coming prophet who would prepare the way for the Messiah (Mal. 3:4-5).

3.     As Mark’s Gospel opens, this messenger breaks the silence of four centuries.

4.     Two major aspects of Johns mission:

a.     To announce the Christ (Mark 1:7-8)

 

And preached, saying, There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose.  I have indeed baptized you with water:  but he shall baptized you with the Holy Ghost.

 

b.    To admonish Israel to repent and be baptized (Mark 1:4)

 

John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

 

5.     God prepared mankind for His actions.  The Jews, especially, should have been able to see that Jesus was the anticipated Messiah.

 

B.    Jesus

1.     His baptism:  the divine introduction (Mark 1:9-11)

a.     He was baptized of John in Jordan (Mark 1:9).

b.    The Spirit of God descended like a dove upon Him (Mark 1:10).

c.    The voice of God spoke (Mark 1:11)

 

And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.

 

Here, we have direct confirmation from the Father that Jesus was His Son and that He approved of His mission.

2.     His temptation (Mark 1:12-13)

 

And immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness.  And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels minis-tered unto him.

 

a.     In His temptation, the humanity of Jesus is clearly demonstrated.

b.    Three things are noted:

1)     Temptation

2)     Elements to fear, the wild beasts

3)     Heavenly assistance

3.     The fact that Jesus was the “God-man” is evidenced by Mark in these opening words about the Servant of God.

 

II.         PREACHING OF THE SERVANT OF GOD

 

A.   The Message (Mark 1:14-15)

 

Now after that John was put into prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand:  repent ye, and believe the gospel.

 

1.     The nearness of the time:  “time is fulfilled” and “at hand”

2.     The kingdom

3.     Repentance

4.     Belief in the good news of the coming Messiah

 

B.    The Might (Mark 1:21-22)

 

And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the Sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught.  And they were astonished at his doctrine:  for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes.

 

1.     Jesus had not been trained in the rabbinical schools.  Yet, his message was authoritative.

2.     He was God’s prophet, the one like unto Moses who was to be heard in all things (Deut. 18:15, 18-19).

 

C.   The Masses (Mark 1:38-39)

 

And he said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also:  for therefore came I forth.  And he preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils.

 

1.     Jesus addressed multitudes of individuals during His earthly ministry.

2.     But, He never left Palestine, and He only spake to the Jewish nation, except for an occasional outsider.

 

III.       PUPILS OF THE SERVANT OF GOD (Mark 1:16-20)

 

A.   In this section, four men are called to follow Jesus:  Simon, Andrew, James and John.

1.     All of them were fishermen.

2.     These four, along with eight others, became the apostles of Jesus.

3.     Three of them, Simon, James, and John, became part of what some refer to as “Jesus’ inner circle.”

 

B.    These men were called to do three things (Mark 1:17-18).

 

And Jesus said unto them, come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.  And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him.

 

1.     Leave their nets

2.     Follow the Christ

3.     Become fisher of men

 

C.   Lesson:  These are the same three actions that we must accomplish today if we are to become disciples of Christ.

1.     We must leave the world and all things that keep us from the Christ.

2.     We must follow Jesus and His will in all things.

3.     We, too, are to become fishers of men.

 

IV.        POWER OF THE SERVANT OF GOD

 

A.   Four miraculous displays of power are revealed in Mark 1.

1.     The casting out of an unclean spirit (Mark 1:23-28).

2.     The healing of Peter’s mother-in-law (Mark 1:29-31).

3.     The healing of the diseased and demon possessed (Mark 1:32-33).

4.     The healing of a leper (Mark 1:40-45).

 

B.    This display of power was manifested for many reasons:

1.     To reveal the serving nature of the Christ.

2.     To manifest the power of Jesus over all dominions (Mark 1:27).

3.     To cause individuals to believe in Jesus as the Son of God.

4.     To display divine concern for the travails of mankind.

 

V.          PRAYER OF THE SERVANT OF GOD

 

A.   Mark 1:35

 

And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.

 

B.    Prayer reveals several things about the Servant of God.

1.     He was human.

2.     He was dependent upon the Father.

3.     He needed God despite the fact that he was powerful and could do so many things for Himself.

 

C.   Lesson:  If Jesus needed to pray, how much more do we need to avail ourselves of the resource of prayer.

 

CONCLUSION

 

A.   In this lesson, we have introduced the Servant of God:  Preparation, Preaching, Pupils, Power, and Prayer.

 

B.    The facts we have learned should cause us to do as the early disciples did:  forsake all, follow Jesus, and fish for men.