Mark 1:1-8
"The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, 'Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way; the voice of one crying in the wilderness, "Make ready the way of the Lord, make His paths straight."' John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And all the country of Judea was going out to him, and all the people of Jerusalem; and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins. And John was clothed with camel's hair and wore a leather belt around his waist, and his diet was locusts and wild honey. And he was preaching, and saying, 'After me comes One who is mightier than I, and I am not even fit to stoop down and untie the thong of His sandals. I baptized you with water; but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.'" (Mark 1:1-8)
When you don't know where to start, start at the beginning. That is what Mark does. He begins his gospel at the beginning. In verse 1 he says, "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God." It is the beginning of his Gospel. But it all didn't simply begin here. In the beginning of creation, as Adam and Eve sinned, God was already speaking of the coming of the One who would crush the head of the serpent. Then, in the Old Testament prophets, God spoke again concerning the One who would come as the forerunner; one like Elijah: John the Baptist. Verses 2 and 3 say, "As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, 'Behold I send my messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way; the voice of one crying in the wilderness, "Make ready the way of the Lord, make His paths straight."'
So, as Mark's Gospel opens, we find that the stage is almost set for Jesus' ministry to begin. John the Baptist is on the scene. He was there to prepare the way so that the people would be ready to receive the King. He was a voice crying in the wilderness. He was God's bulldozer, sent to build a highway to God; to level hills, raise valleys, straighten crooked ways, and smooth the rough places. His message would be the road on which the Lord would ride in.
When we find John, we find him in the wilderness. It was not that John couldn't find a place to preach in the city. God had sent him to preach in the wilderness. I find this interesting. You see, this is not the wisdom of the world. Some would say that this was not the wisest move, at least if you were looking at it from a marketing viewpoint. I mean, how many people could you draw to the wilderness? Surely the city would be a better place to begin. But the wisdom of God is wiser than the wisdom of man. Not only did the people come, they came in droves. But this raises another interesting question: "Why did they come?" They came because of the message which was being preached.We want to focus on the message which John preached. Let's turn our attention to two aspects of this message: its allure and its authority.
Its Allure
There is no doubt that the people came to John because his message had a deep appeal to them. They willingly made the trek from the surrounding countryside to hear this strange preacher. Strange indeed. He did not live like other men. The Bible teaches us that he clothed himself in a garment of camel's hair and that he ate locusts and wild honey. No doubt, some came in curiosity. But I am convinced that the vast majority were moved by the strange allure of his message. They were moved for several reasons.
They were attracted to John's message because John spoke to a universal need. Deep within us all, there is the realization of our sin. While many like to deny the reality of sin, it is still there. People only intellectually deny it. In their hearts they feel the burden of it and it presses in on them. The knowledge of our imperfections is inescapable. We see them every day. And who hasn't felt the sting of conscience at impure thoughts and wrong actions?
Along with the knowledge of our sin comes the accompanying guilt of sin. Our souls are equipped with conscience. As we sin, we cut a wound in that conscience and we feel its pain. We feel the pangs of guilt. And the weight of sin is guilt. People are driven to suicide because of guilt. More frequently in our day, they are driven to the psychiatrists's couch in an attempt to alleviate this terrible burden. What is sad is that many are told that there is no reason to feel guilty. After all, it's not a matter of right or wrong; there are no absolutes, they say. What's right for you is right for you. What's right for me is right for me. They will tell you the real problem is the "guilt feelings" you are experiencing. Perhaps if you can go back and see just what it was in your past that made you that way, you can quit feeling guilty. As a result, many in our day fix the blame on someone else for their behavior. Now, while there may have been someone else involved, the fact remains that you are still responsible for your behavior before God. And the reason why you feel guilty, generally, is because you are guilty. But guilt is a heavy burden. That is the reason why people will do almost anything to rid themselves of it.
And so, man, sinful and guilty, faces the future with fear. Fear comes from feeling powerless in the face of reality. When we have faced the reality that we are sinful and unable to do anything about it, we are fearful: fearful of what the future holds, of how we will handle it; of what others will think and of what God thinks.
In the midst of all this, we desperately desire freedom. Oh, to be free of this heavy weight. People will crawl along roads until their knees bleed. They will beat their backs with whips in penance. Why? Because the torture of the flesh is less painful than the torment of the soul. And this torment is not limited to those who are the "have-nots." Some have all they want and are not satisfied. They are full of sin and empty without God. That is why things do not satisfy. These people are described as "having everything they ever wanted but not wanting what they had." They are dissatisfied because they are empty.
This was John's day. And that is why they came to John. They had a desire to be free. For that reward, no price would be too high. So they came, and came, and came. Out into the hot, dusty, parched desert, they came. John's message drew them because it spoke to this universal need. Others may dance around the issue of sin, but John was dealing with it openly. And they wanted to hear what he had to say. So they came to this desert place, hoping to hear something that would set them free. Often times, we will find that in the desert of our lives, we will find the living water.
Not only did John's message speak to a universal need, but John's message also offered hope. The word was out. People were finding relief. This wild man of the wilderness was preaching and baptizing and they were finding relief. So they came.
I suppose all of us are attracted by a message of hope. You see, John did not preach condemnation. Some have characterized him as harsh and unloving because he told the truth. This is not so. It is not unloving to tell the truth. You can tell it in an unloving way. But the truth is not unloving. It would have been unloving for John to do otherwise. But while he told the truth about their sin, he did not condemn the sinner to stay in it. He preached a word of deliverance. He preached that now the sinner could become clean. He said that now we could be free, that we no longer needed to be a second-class citizen. This was the part of the allure of his message.
It's Authority
Not only did John's message have certain appealing elements which attracted the people. But it also had a certain authority. He spoke as one who was telling the truth. He was telling it like it was. He dealt with issues other preachers were only dancing around. And in a day when people soft-pedal the truth, it is exceedingly refreshing to find a man who stands for something and will tell you exactly what he believes. John was such a man.
John's message was one of repentance. He called them to turn from their sins. A change of heart and behavior was required. You see, that is what repentance really is. This is why, on one occasion, he dressed down the Scribes and Pharisees for coming to him. He told them to show some evidence of their repentance because they had shown now sincerity in truly repenting from the heart. They had shown no "fruit" of repentance.
He called them to confess their sins. True repentance begins here. It takes a humble man to confess his sins. The Pharisee and the Publican in the Temple illustrate that well. The Publican smote himself on the chest. He was humbled in the sight of God. The Pharisee, on the other hand, while he may have acknowledged that he had faults, was full of pride when he "thanked" God that he was not like the vile publican. Do you thank God that you are not like certain people who have committed what you consider your "unpardonable sin?" Only as we acknowledge that we are sinners that we have a need to turn from our sinful ways, do we lay a foundation for repentance.
There is a great need for true biblical repentance in the church of Jesus Christ today. Repentance is necessary, not only to come to Christ; repentance is necessary for Christians to maintain a close relationship with Christ. Repentance, at its essence, means both a change of mind and a change of behavior. It means that we turn from our ways because we have been convinced by God that they are wrong. It means that we confess our sins, that we humble ourselves before God, that we lay down our pride and bow before Him.
Then John called them to publicly acknowledge their repentance by baptism. You see, true repentance is not secret repentance. The Jews understood baptism well. They understood far better than many today the symbolic meaning of baptism. You see, when a Gentile wanted to become a Jewish proselyte, he had to do three things first: he had to be circumcised, he had to offer a sacrifice, and he had to be baptized. Baptism symbolized the washing away of the past and the beginning of a new life. It is the symbol of a totally new man coming forth. It was such a powerful symbol that under Jewish law, he was considered a Jew. He could, if he wanted, marry a Jewish wife. The first child born after his baptism was called the firstborn son, even though the couple might have had five other sons previously.
But John wasn't baptizing Gentiles. John was baptizing Jews. It says, in verse 4, that he was "preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins." John's baptism indicated that the person had repented and received God's forgiveness, that he was now coming forth a new person in order to live a new life. It's all a part of repentance.
And this is the place to start. This kind of open repentance and confession of sin goes a long way toward building a highway for our God. In true repentance, we pull down the mountains of our pride, we raise up the dashed hopes of fulfillment. We straighten out the crooked dealings of our craftiness, and the rough places of our nature are made smooth. This is the beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
John's message was also one of forgiveness. You see, when you repent, you are forgiven. This is a basic fundamental reality we Christians need to see clearly. Many of our problems would be solved if only we saw and lived by this truth.
"Remission" in the Greek means, "to put away." Our sins are put away from us by repentance. This is what it means to be forgiven by God. When He forgives, he puts our sins as far away from Him as east is from west. He plunges them into the sea of forgetfulness and remembers them no more. We become free from sin and guilt. We are cleansed by the blood of the Lamb. We are clean, forever clean, and we need to start to see ourselves that way. And we need, also, to begin to see others that way as well.
You see, so many have "unpardonable sins" for others. This is usually the result of a person's inability to deal with their own guilt. They develop a certain attitude toward people who have committed "that" sin. Maybe it's adultery, or divorce, or homosexuality. And even though they repent, they are never quite good enough. That sin is always kept over their heads. Perhaps, in their opinion, it's alright for a non-Christian to have fallen; but if a Christian falls, then it's all over. "How could a Christian have done that?" "How could a Christian have fallen into adultery?" "How could a Christian have ever been involved in a divorce?" "How could a Christian have fallen into a homosexual encounter?" Let me answer that. I don't know how. But I do know that some have and some do. And I also know that if they turn to God in sincere faith and repentance, that He forgives them. And I know something else. He restores them. That is the point of the prodigal son. He was restored. God forgives and forgets. And if he forgives, who are you to do any less? You may say, "But God hates that sin." Yes, He does. But does God hate the sinner? You may say, "Well, God may forgive them, but they'll never be the same." No, not if you have anything to say about it, they won't. Don't you see? This is the very place where God desires for us to be like Him. God forgives. Let Him. God forgives. Be like Him.
John's message was one of new life in Christ. You see, John was only the forerunner to lead us to Christ. He knew that his ministry was one of pointing to the coming Messiah. That is why he said that he was unworthy to even untie the laces of Christ's sandals. This was a job reserved for the lowliest servant. John saw that his message was only a beginning. He was only baptizing with water, but there would come One who would baptize with the Holy Spirit. He would complete what John had started. John would fade into the background as Christ came into the foreground. And that was OK by John.
Only Jesus could take us into the Kingdom. Repentance and forgiveness are only the beginning of God's work in our lives. John can bring us to God, but only Jesus can take us on with God. This work can only be done by the power of the Spirit of God. That is why we need the One who can baptize with the Holy Spirit. Only as we are filled by the power of the Holy Spirit can we experience new life in Christ.
The good news is that God will fill us with the Holy Spirit. That is His desire. That is your destiny. This is what God intends for your life. And that is good news. "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus." "To as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God." "Predestined to become conformed to His image." You see, that is the hope. That is the good news. That is what John was preaching in the wilderness. That is why the people came. That is why they still come. That is why you come. That is why I come.
My purpose in sharing this with you today has been simple. But pointing out the themes of hope, repentance and confession, forgiveness and forgiving sin, release of guilt and fear, and the possibilities of new life in Jesus, it has been my hope that I may touch those needs in you: Needs to be more honest before God; to be humbled before His love for you; to be more open; to be forgiven and forgiving; and to desire to go on with this great God who made all this possible.
So let me ask you, where are you today? What is your need? Can you hear the message of John calling to you? Are you burdened by sin, keenly aware of your own inadequacy? Do you sense the need to truly repent? Is it your desire to get down to business with God and be honest before him? John's message is as relevant today as it was then. Repentance is still the door through which we must walk to find God.
Do you need to receive God's forgiveness? There are basically two reasons why people fail to receive forgiveness. The first is that they fail to repent. But the second is that they fail to forgive. Jesus was very explicit about this in Matthew 6:14 and 15. He says, "For if you forgive men for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions." Is there someone you need to forgive today? Do not let what others have done destroy your life. We can't be forgiven unless we forgive. Turn loose of that bitterness and allow God to work healing in your life.
John's message calls us to confront and confess our sins; to turn away from it in sincere repentance; to receive God's forgiveness; and most importantly, to look to Jesus. Perhaps you have a need to simply look to Jesus today. Perhaps you have a need to draw closer to him. Like the prodigal son, God will run to meet you. He will throw His arms around you. He will forgive you. He will restore you. He will keep you as His son or daughter. Draw close to Him today, and He will draw close to you.
Based largely upon a sermon by J.D. Hoke
