02.07.16 Notes (Good News Week 5)

"It Begins Here"

Pastor Bill Petty - Good News Week Five

The Gospel of Mark

February 7, 2016

The Gospel of Mark is most overtly what we would today consider a docudrama, a bios, or “life”, focusing on the person of Jesus through what he did and said.  His active ministry.

It Begins Here!

Everything has a beginning.  Within the first few verses, they speak to “the beginning.”

Mark 1:1   1 The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah,the Son of God

Luke 1:1-3  Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us,  just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us,  it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus..

John 1:1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Opening Scripture – Mark 1:1-9

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.”

Calling of Disciples
We read in 1:16 that Jesus first calls Simon and Andrew – brothers and fishermen.

 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.”^{[e] 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.

Immediately!  εὐθύς euthys  Yuh--thuse

They followed him.  ἀκολουθέω akoloutheō  Ah-Kah-Loo-They-Oh   To join one as a disciple.

In Mark 2:13, we see Jesus pass by a man named Levi, sitting in a tax booth somewhere close to the sea.  Levi…also called Matthew…rose and followed him.

Mark Chapter 3, we receive a list of the Twelve Apostles. 

·       Simon (Peter)

·       James son of Zebedee

·       John – the other son of Zebedee

·       Andrew

·       Philip

·       Bartholomew

·       Matthew

·       Thomas

·       James son of Alphaeus

·       Thaddeaus

·       Simon the Cananean

·       Judas Iscariot

It Begins…Hear!

Jesus uses parables (application stories) to share the Truth.  With his disciples in tow, he shares the parable of the sower and the seeds, which he finishes with the seed landing in fertile soil where it grew and produced 30, 60 and 100 fold.

He who has ears…let him hear!

God expects a grateful return of his gifts to us, and a useful improvement of his gifts in us.

It begins…Here.  If you have ears…listen!  This is important!

The fandom surrounding Christianity is dangerous.  It’s really easy for us to get caught up in following Christ around, but not following him as Lord.  Because, once the weeds grow up and choke out the Son… If the seed of faith takes root in that rocky place in our hearts that eventually starves at the root..  Where are we?

Can we legitimately look at ourselves in the mirror every morning and greet the disciple in the reflection?