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Mark 1

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Verses 1-3, "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in the Prophets: 'Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You. The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Prepare the way of the Lord ; Make His paths straight." ’ ” The gospel is the good news of Jesus Christ, the promised Messiah. Jesus existed before all things, which were created by Him and for Him.  Colossians 1:15-18, "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence."

John prepared the way for Jesus preaching repentance of sins. John was prophesied about in Isaiah and Malachi as one who would be the forerunner for Jesus. He also baptized with water but spoke of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Verses 6-8, "Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, 'There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose. I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.' ” John also baptized Jesus and saw the Spirit descend upon Him. Verses 10-11, "And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove. Then a voice came from heaven, 'You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.' ” John also got to hear the audible voice of a God.

Verses 14-15, "Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.' ” After John was imprisoned, Jesus continues this ministry, but not without some serious tempting of the flesh at the hands on Satan beforehand. He was led into this wilderness experience by the Spirit, which was all part of God's plan. Having been tempted, Jesus can relate fully to us and the weakness of our human state. Hebrews 4:15, "For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin."  No matter what others may say, he remained sinless which is why He is the perfect sacrifice for our sins.

Jesus called His disciples and they immediately followed Him, leaving their earthly lives behind. I'm sure many who knew them thought they were nuts for doing so. We need to be willing to lose our lives in order to find eternal life. Mark 10:28-31, "Then Peter began to say to Him, 'See, we have left all and followed You.' So Jesus answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life.  But many who are first will be last, and the last first.' ” Notice that persecutions accompany the process of leaving things behind. Not only do we need to let go of relationships and posessions that hold us back, we also need to be willing to endure the persecution as we do it. Hebrews 12:1, "...let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us."

Matthew 16:25, "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it."

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  1. UnknownMarch 16, 2015 at 2:11 PM

    Mark 1:1-8 "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in the Prophets: 'Behold, I send My messenger before your face, who will prepare Your way before You.' 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord; make His paths straight.' John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. Then all the land Judea and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel's hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, "There comes One after me who is mightier that I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose. I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

    This account written by John Mark is based on his understanding of what Peter had taught him of Jesus' ministry. It is believed that he was a young boy, age 12, when Jesus was crucified. Mark was a companion of Peter. Peter referred to him as his son, his son in the faith. There is an insertion in the Gospel of Mark that you won't find in the other gospels. It is Mark's account of Jesus' arrest in the garden of Gethsemane. Mark referred to a young boy who was restricted during Jesus' arrested. He managed to squirm free of his capture by wiggling out of his coat. Many believe that this boy is in fact Mark himself.

    Mark's mother, Mary, was a very wealthy women from Jerusalem. Her home was used by the church as a gathering place for fellowship. When Peter was held captive and released by the angel, it is believed that Mary's home is were he went to take refuge. Mary also is the sister of Barnabas, Paul's companion on his first missionary journey. Mark joins them in in second missionary journey.

    As Mark starts this book, he begins with the baptism of John the Baptist and starts his account with Jesus' ministry.Mark emphasizes the servanthood of Jesus Christ. Mark starts out with prophecy of Malachi and Isaiah. He paints a picture for us of what John the Baptist was like. A loner in the wilderness. who ate of only locust and honey. So one who didn't need the material things of this world but was content in what he was called to do as far as paving the way for Jesus Christ.

    In verses 9-11, we see again the three person godhead as Jesus is baptized by John. "And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove. Then a voice came from heaven, "You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

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