In my own immediate family, with my wife and children, we infused
some values into our children through Scripture. For instance, we infused the 3
Rules of Respect into our children. These came from 1 Thessalonians 4, where
Paul instructed the Thessalonians how to behave if they wanted outsiders to
respect them. These, we told our children, were musts if they wanted people to
respect them.
Tate (my son) was recently flown out to Boise, ID to take part in
a young boy’s Eagle Scout ceremony. The boy chose Tate to receive his mentor’s
award. (The family paid to fly Tate out there for this). At the ceremony, Tate
was to share a something to advise this young man for life; he infused some of
his story; he chose to share The 3 Rules of Respect.
You are a part of a developing family history and story that
shapes who you are, how you view the world around you, and what you hope for.
You are also a part of HisStory. God the Father has a family
history and story that includes you; It’s HisStory.
Read Mark 1:1-8
A. It’s
God’s history . . . it’s HisStory. He told it before hand through the prophets.
He spoke of the redemption of peoples through his prophets from long before
this part of the story that we read here in Mark and shows it’s culmination in
what John the Baptizer himself speaks.
B. It’s
God’s self-revelation in the person of Jesus Christ.
C. It’s
God’s identification with man needing salvation.
HisStory is not mere words, tall tales, theories or things to be
forgotten; it’s grounded in the real events of a prophet preparing the way, the
event of a real baptism, and the events of actual temptations.
I. God’s HisStory
A. Why “HisStory” rather than merely “history.”
God planned the redemption of peoples from the beginning of
HisStory. This Good News that culminates in the preparation of John the
Baptizer and Jesus’ life is not just some kind of good news; it’s THE Good News
as revealed by God historically through the prophets, experientially through
the history of Israel, and now culminating in the person of Jesus Christ, the
Son of God. Jesus’ own baptism parallels Israel’s baptism into Moses in the Red
Sea Crossing (1 Cor 10) and his triumph over 40 days in the wilderness and
temptations parallels Israel’s 40 years in the wilderness. He had been
revealing it for hundreds of years. Right here, Mark demonstrates historical
continuity through John the Baptizer’s arrival with mention of three prophets
and Jesus’ triumph where Israel had failed. Note the three connections to
prophetic fulfillment with John the Baptizer:
3) Elijah’s coming--he prophesied 800 plus
years before John the baptizer (in 2 Kings 1:8, Mal 4:5, 6).
So, you see, God said this prophet, John the Baptizer, would
arrive. No surprises here, right? There were long years of teaching us the
truth of what was to come through the voice of the prophets and the redemptive
experiences of the Israel. It can’t be said that the event of Jesus’ arrival is
accidental or coincidental; it was planned. It is the beautiful culmination of
HisStory.
B. John the Immerser’s Role
Israel had always had a messianic hope. What do I mean by
“messianic hope” you ask. Messiah means “savior.” God had taught Israel to hope
for a savior, somebody who would build a bridge for people to gain access to God’s
presence. He taught them to teach the rest of the world this hope as well.
Israel’s consciousness or awareness of this hope ebbed and flowed
throughout HisStory, but it was always present at some level. John’s role was
to heighten consciousness of this hope. It was to get people ready to see it
when it arrived and ready to respond to it when they were given opportunity.
His job was to kind of go around and shake people by the shoulders and say, in
not such a quiet voice, “After me comes he who is mightier than me, the strap
of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I have immersed you
with water, but he will immerse you with the Holy Spirit!” He is fanning the messianic
hope into a roaring flame.
Here’s how people respond to the “get ready” message: They are
immersed in repentance. What does immersion mean? . . . it simply means to be
consumed by it. What does repentance mean? . . . it means to have a change of mind
. . . in this case, to agree with God--to agree with God about what is right
and wrong and to do it. In The Gospel of Luke, John says it like this, if you
have two shirts, share with somebody who doesn’t have one; if you have food, do
the same; if your job is tax collecting, don’t rip people off, if your job is
protecting the public as a law officer, don’t use your position to exploit
people. So, he is essentially saying, “act in ways that accord with the
Character of God.“
When we repent, we respond to the Good News and receive the
benefit of the Good News. The benefit: he will immerse you in his own Spirit.
Can you imagine that? . . . being immersed in God’s own Spirit . . . living in
it so that it’s the atmosphere you live in? Yes, of course you can, if you have
submitted to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. It’s affects your decisions, your
countenance, your purpose, your ability to live a life pleasing to God, your
ability to become like Jesus . . . it changes everything. John was about
clearing out the rubble and building anticipation to get people ready to
respond to this miracle.
Are you ready? I’m going to share two events with starling
implications.
II.God Came to Men as a Man
Read Mark 1:9-11
A. How He came.
We know, especially according to what He tells us in John 4:24,
that God is Spirit. Now we need to understand how God, who is Spirit, chose to
reveal himself to us. He revealed Himself to us in creation . . . yes. We look
around and see that HE IS. He revealed himself to us through the prophets like
Malachi and Isaiah . . . yes. But He finally revealed Himself to us most fully
in a life lived. Jesus is not another God. Jesus is not something other than
God. Jesus is God. Jesus is God revealing Himself to you and me in the life
lived. We learn this in Jesus’ baptism; we see that this is where God, by His
own Spirit, dwells, in a body of flesh, among us . . . to love us in a specific
way that has eternal implications.
Illustration: The best
way to reveal yourself, your true intentions, and your motives to people is to
become one of them . . . to enter into their situation. When I was in college I
had a beta fish. I thought it would be cool to have a pet, but found it was
really just a hassle. He lived in a little bowl with a hollowed out ceramic log
in the bottom of it. Every time I approached the bowl to feed him his little
piece of frozen shrimp fishy food, what do you think he did? Some types of fish
race to the top to grab a bit--not him. He swam to his log as fast as he could
in fear. He misunderstood my intentions. He probably thought something like,
“big scary monster coming to get me” or something like that. Can fish brains
think like that? Anyway, if I could have become a fish for a day, maybe I could
have finally explained my intentions. God became man for a time and explained
his intentions.
In the life of Jesus, God most fully reveals what He wants us to
know of Him and, at the same time, what He plans for us to become . . . that is
that we are to become like Jesus. What is Jesus like? The rest of the Gospel
According to Mark tells this story.
B. What did He accomplish by revealing himself in this way?
1) Tearing
open the barrier
Here we see the genius of Mark at work. This is the first place we see this genius
that shows up in so many places in Mark. Note how the heavens are “torn” open.
Mark used a different Greek word here than did Matthew or Luke. Mark made a
front bookend so-to-speak. It matches the word that he, and the other gospel
writers, used at the end of the story (15:38).
[σκιζομένους (1:10) and ἐσχίσθη (15:38) are both forms of σχίζω.]
Here God is tearing open the heavens as if to demonstrate that he
himself breaks through the barrier between men and God to come and to identify
with man. Now God can be with men. [Spoiler Alert!] . . . At the end of
the story, he tears through the temple veil—the same Greek word—that
represented the barrier that kept men form coming into the presence of God. Now
men can be with God. This is an ingenious method to make these profound
theological statements.
2) The first of many beloved children
Here Jesus hears the voice of a father saying: “You are my
beloved son, with you I am well pleased.” I think this is a summary of the
Gospel. Every person who is immersed into the Spirit immediately lays claim to
this same statement from God. “You are my beloved child, with you I am well
pleased.” This is amazing; is it not? Many of us need to hear this. As much as
we long for this from our earthly fathers, only God is able to authenticate the
conditions that truly please. I don’t expect to hear this from my earthly
father. Why? Because my life is riddled with things that have displeased my
earthly father. To be sure there have been pleasing things that he can speak to
and affirm, but to say flatly that I am “well pleased” to the extent that
there’s nothing about you that I find displeasing would be an unauthentic
statement. However, this is patently the kind of “well pleased” God is with us
as we repent and are immersed in His Spirit. Two things authenticate this “well
pleased” statement:
1) First, in Jesus Christ, he authentically
removes all things that displease by the power of the blood of Christ.
2) Second, though there be mistakes along
the way, this is not a fiction, because, by His Spirit, he makes us able to
live and progressively become like Jesus. In increasing measure, He conforms us
into the likeness of Jesus who is the standard for God’s intentions for the
genuine human experience.
I have heard this for myself: “You are my beloved Son, in you I
am well pleased.” This is enough for me . . . it’s the good news I need today.
Is that true, did Stacy Abernathy hear this today? Yes, it’s
true. I hear this every day and believe it, because God Himself creates the
necessary conditions, authenticates the reality of it, and longs for me to
believe it.
STOP for a moment here. Read this statement out loud, putting
your own name in the blank:_________, you are my beloved child, with you I am well pleased.
Have you heard it today? You have heard it, and it’s true if you
are in Christ Jesus. This truth has been the most overwhelmingly profound
realization in my own life.
III.
God
Identified With Man
A. What he accomplished in the temptations.
Illustration: One of my
vocations over the past decade of my life has been to minister to the Lord’s
church. A big part of my vocation, or job (if you will), is helping people in
their life’s difficulties. More times than I can say, my offer for help has
been rejected. Rejection often comes for reasons like these:
1) You don’t
really care; you’re just doing it because you get paid to minister.
2) You
don’t understand; you haven’t experienced what I have.
3) What
you’re suggesting can’t be done.
Some of this is true. I haven’t experienced every difficulty that
every other person has experienced. (Thank you God.) And all of those people
haven’t experienced every difficulty that I have. (Thank you God.)
However, it seems to me that if I had experienced everything that
every one of you has experienced, and had come out triumphant on the other side
ahead of you, you all might just be more willing to listen to any advice that I
might have. You might just be willing to follow my lead.
Read Mark 1:12-13
This portion of the story is about Jesus identifying with each
one of us. By God’s choice he experienced difficulties, trials, and temptations
like we do. He was hungry; he was tempted to grasp at power; he was tempted to
strive after the affirmation of men. He was tempted and tested in every way yet
was without sin. He experienced life and came through it triumphant. He has
dissolved these excuses:
1) You
don’t really care . . . wanna bet . . . But we see
him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus,
crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the
grace of God he might taste death for everyone. (Hebrews 2:9)
2) You
don’t really understand . . . wanna bet . . . For
because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are
being tempted. (Hebrews 2:17, 18 ESV)
3) What
you are suggesting can’t be done . . . wanna bet . . . For
we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses,
but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.
(Hebrews 4:15 ESV)
As a pastor, a minister, I cannot identify with you in every
trial. I have not preceded you triumphantly in everything. And, though I do
authentically care, I cannot love you in the same measure that God has loved
you through Jesus Christ. This I can assure you: God chose to identify with you
in every necessary way, in every temptation, every need, every desire, every
joy and every hurt. He knows. He understands. Not that he didn’t know and
understand before, oh but what lengths has gone to show you. Do not think that
you cannot turn to Jesus and not be understood or helped.
B. Yes, you still have trials.
You might assess your situation and say, “okay, where is he now?”
The angels did not stop the tests and temptations from happening; they did not
completely drive the wild beasts from his presence . . . they ministered to him in the midst of
it. If you are in Christ today, I think he is saying this to you now: “my
beloved child, in whom I am well pleased, I understand; I hurt with you; I
rejoice with you; I am with you in the midst of your trial ministering to you.”
Close--Will you be written
into HisStory?
Could you entrust your life . . . for all of eternity . . . to
this Jesus who has humbled himself to identify with you in every way?
He will immerse you in his own Spirit to make you able.
He has identified with you.
Will you now identify with him through your own repentance and
baptism?
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