John And Jesus

John and Jesus

Mark 1: 4 - 11

Intro: A young American engineer was sent to Ireland for 2 years by his company. He and his fiancé vowed that upon his return they would be married. As time drug on, the girl became worried that her fiancé would not be able to resist the beautiful Irish lassies. He swore his faithfulness to her. In the next mail, he received a package from his fiancé. It contained a note and a harmonica. She wrote,” I’m sending you this harmonica so you can learn to play it and have something to take your mind off those Irish lassies. At the end of the 2 years, the engineer was transferred back to the U.S. He flew back to his home and his sweetheart. As he rushed forward to embrace his love, she held up a restraining hand and said, “Just hold there. Before any serious huggin’ and kissin’ let’s hear a tune on that harmonica.” (Adapted from Bits & Pieces 10/15/92).

I Just as playing a tune on the harmonica was a sign of fidelity, Mark introduces his gospel with the character of John who was a sign of God’ faithfulness to God’s people.

A Jesus called John the greatest man who ever lived. LK 7:28 “Among those born of women, there is no one greater than John the Baptist.” What Jesus meant was there was no one more focused on Christ and more devoted to Him.

B John was the son of Zachariah and Elizabeth who lived in the dessert wilderness, ate grasshoppers, and wore a hairy robe held together with a leather belt. He was sent to prison and had his head cut off.

C VS. 4 “And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” God spoke to John and he obeyed. When God speaks to us His will for each of us, we should listen and go. John didn’t teach improvement, he taught repentance: to have a full life we need to empty ourselves and go where God leads.

II Both John and Jesus emerge from the wilderness to preach to the people. John links Jesus to God’s promises in Israel’s past.

A Before Jesus walked ON water, he walked INTO the water. Jesus was 30 years old when he went to the Jordan River where his cousin John was baptizing.

B Jesus was baptized by John for 2 reasons:

1) To show that Jesus was the perfect Son

of God.

2) To show why the perfect Son of God

came to earth.

C By stepping into the Jordan River, Jesus says to us: “I will become what you are: a lazy student, a worry wart, a dirty old man, a sassy woman, a whiner, a grudge-holder. I will let God collect all your sins and dump them all on me at the cross.”

Concl: When you were baptized with water, God’s name was pronounced, and Jesus was picked up the tab for all your sins; past, present and future. You are a child of God because in baptism, God put His sign on you that you belong to God. --- Today, Jesus calls us all to stand before a mirror and be honest. In Jesus we can see how beautiful God has made us and that life is better if we follow Christ Jesus. Because of the lives of these two great men and many other men and women of faith, we can say with confidence: I am forgiven so that I may forgive; I am loved so that I may love; I am empowered by the Holy Spirit so that I may daily live by faith; and I am given a mission by God so that I can be a person of purpose and live to serve.