We travel back into the NT by going through the gospel of Mark for the next two weeks. John the Baptist proclaims the way for the Saviour to begin His ministry.
Mark 1: John the Baptist Prepares the Way
1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, "Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way,
3 the voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,'"
4 John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
5 And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
6 Now John was clothed with camel's hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey.
7 And he preached, saying, "After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.
8 I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."
The Baptism of Jesus
9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.
10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.
11 And a voice came from heaven, "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased."
The Temptation of Jesus
12 The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness.
13 And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him.
Jesus Begins His Ministry
14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God,
15 and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel."
Jesus Calls the First Disciples
16 Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.
17 And Jesus said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men."
18 And immediately they left their nets and followed him.
19 And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets.
20 And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.
Jesus Heals a Man with an Unclean Spirit
21 And they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and was teaching.
22 And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.
23 And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out,
24 "What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are---the Holy One of God."
25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be silent, and come out of him!"
26 And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him.
27 And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, "What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him."
28 And at once his fame spread everywhere throughout all the surrounding region of Galilee.
Jesus Heals Many
29 And immediately he left the synagogue and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.
30 Now Simon's mother-in-law lay ill with a fever, and immediately they told him about her.
31 And he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her, and she began to serve them.
32 That evening at sundown they brought to him all who were sick or oppressed by demons.
33 And the whole city was gathered together at the door.
34 And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons. And he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.
Jesus Preaches in Galilee
35 And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.
36 And Simon and those who were with him searched for him,
37 and they found him and said to him, "Everyone is looking for you."
38 And he said to them, "Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out."
39 And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.
Jesus Cleanses a Leper
40 And a leper came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, "If you will, you can make me clean."
41 Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, "I will; be clean."
42 And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean.
43 And Jesus sternly charged him and sent him away at once,
44 and said to him, "See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, for a proof to them."
45 But he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in desolate places, and people were coming to him from every quarter.
Things to think about…
1. Notice John says he “baptises with water, but he (Christ) will baptise with the Holy Spirit”, Mark 1:8. John prophesied this event that would happen over 3 years later at Pentecost. I wonder if people thought this ministry of the Holy Spirit would never come when Jesus had His earthly ministry. Sometimes we have to wait, even when we have heard and know about the promises of God.
2. John the Baptist was the Elijah to come who prepared the way for the Christ, Mark 1:1-8. Part of his ministry was to baptise the Christ, Mk 1:9-11. What an awesome privilege. Look at what happens immediately after Christ’s baptism – a time of trial and temptation. Did this ever happen to you after your baptism. We must prepare new Christians for the trials that come with accepting Christ as their Saviour.
3. Before Jesus begins His earthly ministry He is already thinking about the next generation and who will continue the ministry after He is gone by calling His disciples. We need to train up the next generation of leaders. Keep praying for our young men and women who will lead various ministries in the church after we are gone.
4. Mark was a gospel for the Greeks. They were like us. They wanted everything now and so a quick paced story was required when witnessing to them. Mark knows this and in his presentation of Jesus he uses the Greek word : ‘euthus” a fair bit throughout the book. It means “immediately” or “straight away”. The word is used nine times in this first chapter and about 40 times in this short book.
5. Why do you think Jesus never allowed the demons to speak about who He was or why He was ministering, Mark 1:25, 34? Does truth that comes from a polluted source honour the Lord? Remember Paul rebuked a demon out of a girl at Philippi for the same reason, Acts 16. People who say they know Jesus but their witness shouts ‘the world’ are better off saying nothing at all. The demons in this case were declaring truth but it was more to confuse and inhibit the gospel through emotional reasoning. If people believed He was the Messiah early on they would have desired to make Him king very early in his ministry and the gospel would have been constrained.
6. Even so, in Mark 1:40-45 a leper who is made well is not allowed to speak, but does so anyway. Jesus’ ministry is therefore limited in that region as a result. Emotionalism is a killer to true spiritual activity of the heart and therefore worthless. Emotions that are stirred by truth on the other hand – priceless. To be honest, I have full empathy for this leper. How could he remain silent after so great a deliverance?
Vision statement for CBC
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Sermon:-“The arrival and return of Jesus” – reading Zech 9:9-17
a. What prophesies of Christ have been fulfilled in this reading with respect to the arrival of Jesus? Can you think of others mentioned on Sunday that are found elsewhere.
b. Just as the arrival of Jesus was multifaceted so was/Will be His return. A notable first part of His return was His resurrection. There are a number of others mention in the last few chapters of the book of Zechariah Eg Zech 11:16, 17, Zech 13:1, 2; Zech 14:4; Zech 14:9. Discuss.
c. What is the point and relevance for us that these prophesies have been or will be fulfilled?
Prayer Points
1. That the contacts made over Easter and the Family Fun Day will be maintained and that strong connections and discussions may draw people to Christ.
2. Been a big term for our teachers pray Rosie and our teachers get a good rest over these next 2 weeks.
3. Pray for Chuwar Youth and Jarrod’s ministry. Pray as he meets with youth at Westside, this week as well as the growing young adults ministry.
4. How you can serve in ministry this year.
5. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to remain and increase.
Praise Points
1. Quite a few visitors on Sunday – Pray this continues and they get involved in the life of the church.
2. Young adults ministry is growing – keep praying as Jarrod develops this ministry.
3. Kids@Church and Youth ministries are a great blessing. Pray for Rosie and Jarrod as they start out for term 2.
4. Joy, peace and grace we see at CBC. Thankyou Lord
Announcements
1. Chuwar Youth and Kids@Church start back this week.
2. Mother’s Day High Tea. Sat 10am Church. Speaker and pampering, 13th May RSVP Suzanne 1/5/2023. Ph:- 0418 889 683.
3. Remember to check your duty rosters for term 2.
4. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
5. Tune in again this week on our youtube page. Subscribe to the CBC channel Chuwar Baptist YouTube channel.
Catechism questions for April...
Q. 7. In how many persons does this one God exist? A. In three persons.
