#6 Jesus Begins His Ministry Series

#6 Jesus Begins His Ministry

Series: Mark

Chuck Sligh

January 26, 2020

NOTE: A PowerPoint presentation is available for this sermon by request at chucksligh@hotmail.com. Please mention the title of the sermon and the Bible text to help me find the sermon in my archives.

TEXT: Please turn in your Bibles to Mark 1:14-20

INTRODUCTION

Illus. – I remember when I was 17 and had the opportunity to preach to a youth group I had studied, and prepared, and prayed, and was so hopeful to make an impact. I got up to preach, thinking my sermon would last about the 30 minutes I had been allotted. I was through with it, from start to finish, in 7 minutes. Alarmed, I started speaking extemporaneously and was able to go on for about another 5 minutes, until I had exhausted my store of knowledge and sat down. All my friends said it was a great sermon, but I think it was because of its brevity. Unfortunately for you, brevity is no longer a problem for me!

First-time sermons are the stuff of legend among preachers.

Illus. – One time a young preacher in training got up to preach his first sermon.

After a few extemporaneous introductory remarks, he began his sermon and to catch everyone’s attention, he said, “Behold I come...”—his introductory salvo of a sermon on the second coming of Christ.

He remembered that one dramatic line, but forgot the next part, and when he looked down at his notes, he had somehow got his notes out of order. He remembered his pastor had told him that if he forgot something or needed to stall for time, just repeat what you had just said, as if you are adding emphasis until you remembered your next thought or found your place in your notes. While shuffling through his notes, he said again, this time a little more loudly, to add effect, “Behold I come...”, this time raising his hands to add emphasis.

Still lost as to what was next, and shuffling to find the first page of his notes, he thought everyone would be on to him, so he decided this time to REALLY make it dramatic to make the congregation think he had planned it all along, hoping in the meantime to finally find the right page. So he reared back, and then leaned forward and shouted as loud as he could “BEHOLD I COME...”…but this time, he tripped over the pulpit and fell onto a little old lady sitting in the first row.

Embarrassed, he started apologizing. She said, “It’s not your fault, Honey. You warned me three times you were coming!”

I suspect every preacher had a shaky start—except one! The start of Jesus’ ministry was impeccable. His teaching was perfect; everything He said was truth itself, not once tainted with error; His exegeses of Scripture was flawless; His stories were spell-binding; and His application of spiritual truth was the most penetrating in all of history.

Today, we’re going to look at Mark’s perspective of the start of Jesus’ ministry. As we look at verses 14-20, I want us to see Jesus’ early ministry activities and what we can learn from them.

Notice with me two key things Jesus did to launch His ministry:

I. NOTE FIRST OF ALL, JESUS PREACHED GOOD NEWS. – Verses 14-15 – “Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.”

The foundation of Jesus ministry was first and foremost preaching. The Greek word for “preaching” means to “proclaim.” It is different from teaching. The purpose of teaching is to convey information, to educate and give knowledge and wisdom; the purpose of preaching is persuasion. Preaching is intended to arrest people’s attention, to help them to see the need to urgently change the direction of their lives to follow God. Preaching starts with a call to the lost to be saved, but also often includes a call to the saved to sacrifice and dedication and reexamination and discipleship and continual repentance and obedience.

There are many aspects of biblical ministry, including fellowship, worship, learning, and service, but they should all built upon biblical preaching from God’s Word.

Notice what Jesus was preaching: Verse 14 calls it the “the kingdom of God.” The word “Gospel” simply means, “good news.”

Now the “Good News” Jesus preached was not the fully formed Good News Paul said was the Gospel that saved the Corinthians, namely the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus for our salvation. The Gospel Jesus preached was seminal. It pointed people to Himself as the Messiah and the chosen one for God’s action on earth.