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Mark 1:21-34 Jesus' Kingdom Authority

Mark 1 has already given us several lines of testimony declaring Jesus as Messiah, Son of God, anointed by the Spirit, and baptized to identify with sinners. After overcoming His wilderness testing, Jesus came forth proclaiming that the Kingdom of God is at hand and calling people to repent and believe in the gospel. Last week, in verses 16-20, we saw Jesus call four fishermen to leave everything behind and follow Him. Jesus spoke with authority, calling these men to step out in faith because the kingdom of God is at hand. But does Jesus actually have the authority to promise such things as salvation and entry into God’s kingdom? Authority is not real just because someone claims it or even because some people submit to it. True authority is the ability to back up your claim and enforce your words. Mark 1:21-43 (and even into Ch. 2) shows that Jesus has the authority to bring the Kingdom - to the creation and the hearts of sinners. Verses 21-43 give us the events of a single day. A day in the life of Jesus’ ministry as He and His new disciples enter the synagogue of Capernaum on the Sabbath.

By Jesus’ words and His works, we see how the kingdom of God is indeed at hand. Jesus teaches with authority that amazes the people as He announces the kingdom and calls them to repent and believe the gospel. Then, Jesus demonstrates His power to overcome the corrupted kingdom of this fallen world. He has authority over the evil spirits who tremble at His word, and He has authority to banish the sickness and disease that entered this creation through the corruption of sin. In Jesus’ words and His works, we glimpse through the keyhole at what the creation will be when the kingdom comes in fullness. There will be no more corruption of sin nor any effect of the fall. No more death, suffering, or evil when the King returns to make everything new. Though we look forward to this day, in Jesus, the kingdom of God is indeed at hand. He has authority over all other kingdoms, and as His gospel goes forth, Jesus’ kingdom is overcoming sin in our hearts and all creation. Today, Jesus bears the King’s authority and is seated upon His throne until all His enemies are placed beneath His feet.

I. Jesus’ Authority In His Teaching (v. 21-22)

II. Jesus’ Authority Over Evil Spirits (v. 23-28)

III. Jesus’ Authority Over Disease (v. 29-31)

IV. Jesus’ Authority To Bring The Kingdom (v. 32-34)

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Mark 1:16-20 Follow Me

Having worked through Mark’s prologue (v. 1-13), we have been given all the information needed to understand who Jesus is. Before Mark begins the account of His ministry, he gives the readers the answer to the question everyone in the book grapples with. Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. He is the Messiah, anointed with the Spirit. The sinless Lamb has identified Himself with sinners through a baptism of repentance and stood in their place through testing in the wilderness. Through this extended introduction, Mark has demonstrated that Jesus bears the authority and divinity of almighty God. He is God in the flesh. So, when Jesus comes declaring, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel,” we hear the unequivocal voice of God calling us to Himself. Jesus is bringing the Kingdom of God to pass.

On the heels of this declaration, Mark gives a condensed version of Jesus’ authoritative call to four fishermen. The command He gives is simple and to the point...Follow me. Mark shows us a definitive picture of what repenting and believing look like. Sunday, we will examine Jesus’ call to follow Him and the promise embedded in that call. Likewise, these four men will radically respond to Jesus’ call. Today, Jesus still calls sinners to leave their old lives and follow Him. Later in Mark 8:34-35, Jesus will tell the crowd the same thing. "34 And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, ’If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.’" Sunday, we will examine the calling of these fishermen who would eventually turn the world upside down. Although it doesn’t seem initially evident, when we compare the timeline between Mark 1:16-20 with John 1:35-40, we see just how applicable this call is for us today.

I. The Content Of Jesus’ Call (16-17)

II. The Promise Within Jesus’ Call (17)

III. The Response To Jesus’ Call (18-20)

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Mark 1:9-15 The Kind of Messiah We Need

Last week, we introduced ourselves to the gospel of Mark. Mark is a fast-paced account, mainly of Jesus’ actions and ministry, emphasizing Him as the suffering servant Messiah who has come to give His life as a ransom. Chapter 1:1-13 functions as a prologue to the gospel, revealing Jesus’ identity to the reader before He begins His public ministry in v. 14-15. Last Sunday, we worked our way through 1:1-8 and saw the testimony of Mark (v. 1) that Jesus is the Christ and the Son of God. Likewise, the scriptures testify that He is the Lord long foretold to come, also pointing to a forerunner who would prepare the way for Him. John the Baptist was this messenger, preparing the people by preaching a baptism of repentance and calling them to turn to the one who would come after him. John calls them to repent and trust in the coming Messiah, promising that He would baptize them with the Holy Spirit. Sunday, we will jump back into this prologue, examining v. 9-15. In these verses, we find two events that are very familiar to us but are strange in their meaning. Jesus comes forth from Galilee as the crowds are repenting, confessing, and being baptized, and rather than beginning His ministry to them, He joins them in their baptism. As He does this, the heavens open, the Spirit descends upon Him, and the Father declares His pleasure in His Son. Immediately after these events, the same Spirit that "anoints" Jesus drives Him into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. Only then does Jesus begin His preaching in v. 14-15. Although Mark’s account of these events is significantly shorter than the other gospel writers, he records them for a purpose. These events prepare Jesus, in His humanity, to be the kind of Savior we must have. Only God can be the Holy and perfect fulfillment of His covenant and law, but only a human being can represent humans before the Father. Jesus willingly submits Himself to a baptism of repentance, though He has no sin to repent of, in order to identify with us in our plight. He is anointed by the Spirit and commissioned as Messiah, the only man in whom God is perfectly pleased, and then, He is sent into the wilderness to do what no one has ever done before. He must stand in the place of Adam and Israel who fell to temptation, and emerge victorious to be the kind of Savior we need. We will explore the significance and application of these truths Sunday as we gather to worship and receive the Lord’s Supper. 

I. The Preparation Of Our Messiah (v. 9-11)

II. The Testing Of Our Messiah (v. 12-13)

III. The Proclamation Of Our Messiah (v. 14-15)

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Mark 1:1-13 The Beginning Of The Gospel

It seems appropriate that we begin a new book on the first Sunday of the new year. Having studied through a few epistles, we turn our minds back to a gospel narrative as we present our hearts to God’s word. The Gospel of Mark is the shortest of the four gospels, but it is no less impactful in showing us Jesus and what it means to follow Him. Each of the four gospels emphasizes a different aspect of Jesus and His ministry, and Mark’s emphasis is Jesus as the suffering Servant-Messiah (foretold in Isaiah). Many see Mark 10:45 as the thematic point of the gospel as Jesus says, "For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” As this servant emphasis is reflected, Mark also vividly shows us the cost of discipleship and what it means to truly follow Jesus. Throughout the book, the disciples, the crowds, the religious leaders...everyone struggles to understand who Jesus is. However, Mark does not expect the reader to wrestle with this question. From the first verse, Mark tells us that Jesus is the Christ and the Son of God. In fact, Mark 1:1-13 functions as a prologue of sorts, giving several lines of testimony regarding Jesus’ true identity. Mark himself, John the Baptist, the Old Testament prophecies, and the Father Himself testify to who Jesus is right at the beginning. This Sunday, we will examine 1:1-8 and hear the testimony of these witnesses as we prepare our hearts to serve this servant Messiah.

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