He Has The Power Series

ESSENTIAL KING JESUS: HE HAS THE POWER

MARK 2:1-12

#kingjesus

USE AUDIO BIBLE: Mark Chapter 2:1-12 [4:02]

https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/mclean/esv/Mark.2

INTRODUCTION… HE-MAN (p)

He-Man is a superhero and the main character of the sword and sorcery-themed Masters of the Universe franchise which came out in the early 1980s. It was the toy to have at the time. I had them. He-Man includes a toy line, several animated television series, comic books and a feature film. He-Man is characterized by his superhuman strength and he and his friends defend their planet Eternia and the magic and secrets of Castle Grayskull from the evil forces of Skeletor. It is a good versus evil classic cartoon from the 1980s designed to sell toys. It worked. The Castle Grayskull toy, which I got for Christmas in 1983 or 1984, sold 3.5 million units so we know it was popular (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castle_Grayskull).

He-Man becomes He-Man when he raises his Power Sword and says “By the power of Grayskull, I have the power.” He then grows muscles and even transforms his pet into the best armored cat around.

I mention this silly cartoon and toy from the 1980s, because if you had asked any kid in the early 1980s, what fictional hero was the Master of the Universe and the strongest and best… many kids would have said “He-Man!”

Today we are continuing a sermon series on the Gospel of Mark that I’ve themed ‘Essential King Jesus.’ Each week we will take a look at one passage in a chapter. First week, chapter 1. Second week (this week!), chapter 2. And so on. Each week a passage from that chapter. My prayer overall is that as we make our way through the Gospel of Mark, that we will encounter the Essential King Jesus and bolster our faith or perhaps find it for the first time. And… each week I want to share with one essential truth that is important for us to believe and then also communicate to others about Jesus. We are going to focus on the Essential King Jesus.

ESSENTIAL KING JESUS

What is the Essential King Jesus from this passage? As we go through Mark 2 today, we will find that: Essential King Jesus: Jesus has all authority and all power to forgive sins. Forgiveness of sins is a central Truth about Jesus Christ and we need to make sure we understand and we communicate to others that Jesus Christ not only has the willingness to forgive sin, but also the authority and the power.

In the passage today, verses 1-12, we find Jesus Christ having all the power and all the authority and we are not talking about a fictional character, we are talking about Jesus of Nazareth. Understanding what it means that Jesus has all authority and all power is important in understanding Who King Jesus is and what He has to do with us.

BACKGROUND ABOUT MARK

Before we get into the particular passage for today in Mark 2, a little more background about the Gospel of Mark. We have four unique works in the Bible called Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Christians call them ‘Gospels.’ A ‘Gospel’ is not a biography or history or a memoir or a narrative or advertising, but a bit of a combination of all of those. There is nothing written quite like the Gospels in the ancient world or even today which makes them unique. Probably because the subject matter… Jesus… is not like any other Subject!

A ‘Gospel’ is a record of Jesus’ life inspired divinely by the Holy Spirit and written without error by the author. The record of Jesus’ life is ‘good news’ which is why the name for the book is a Gospel. ‘Gospel’ means ‘good news.’ Mark is the shortest of all four Gospels even in the original language with 11,304 words. It has 16 chapters. It is the shortest of the Gospels, but it is packed with the life, ministry, and teachings of Jesus Christ.

Let’s dig into Mark chapter 2.

HOPELESS SITUATION (VERSES 1-4)

The beginning of chapter 2 presents us with a hopeless situation.

In chapter 2, we find Jesus at His home in Capernaum which is a town on the northwest side of the Sea of Galilee. We may not realize this, but after His baptism and after His temptation in the wilderness, Jesus moved from Nazareth where He grew up to Capernaum and lived there (Matthew 4:13, 9:1-2). It was here that He met Peter, Andrew, James, John, and Matthew who would all become five of His future Apostles.

Jesus is at home after having been out and about in Galilee preaching and teaching. We know from Mark chapter 1 that He spent His time teaching, healing the sick, and driving out demons. He got noticed. Miracles tend to get one noticed and even in a world without radio or TV or email, news about Jesus spread. He was a bit of a celebrity and when people found out He was a home they gathered around His home.