Who is Jesus? Why Does It Matter?
January 10, 2021
Mark 1:1-20
HOW DO WE KNOW IT’S TRUE?
- Mark 1:2-8
- Biblical prophecies from prophets like Isaiah
- There are 300 such prophecies that specifically predicted the life and ministry of Jesus.
- The probability of just 48 of these coming true is 1 : 10 to the 157 power.
- Historical Setting of John the Baptist
- Josephus, a 1st century historian also spoke of John the Baptist being well known throughout Palestine.
WHY DOES IT MATTER?
- Mark 9-13
- Jesus is the fulfillment of the promised Messiah
- Jesus came to restore and redeem a creation that was broken by our sin
- “For the Spirit of God to be pictured as a dove is not particularly striking to us, but when Mark was writing, it was very rare. In the sacred writings of Judaism there is only one place where the Spirit of God is likened to a dove, and that is in the Targums, the Aramaic translation of the Hebrew Scriptures that the Jews of Mark’s time read. In the creation account, the book of Genesis 1:2 says that the Spirit hovered over the face of the waters. The Hebrew verb here means “flutter”: the Spirit fluttered over the face of the waters. To capture this vivid image, the rabbis translated the passage for the Targums like this: “And the earth was without form and empty, and darkness was on the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God fluttered above the face of the waters like a dove, and God spoke: ‘Let there be light.’” – Tim Keller
- Jesus is victorious over temptation and sin where mankind failed
INVITATION TO FOLLOW
- Mark 14-20
- “The Kingdom of God is at hand”
- “Repent & Believe”
- “Follow Me”
APPLICATION
- HUMBLE HEARTS
- What does it look like for you to immediately follow Jesus today? What God-dishonoring beliefs or behaviors do you need to turn away from as you turn toward Jesus. What good things do you need to leave behind as you follow Jesus?
- FAITHFUL HANDS
- The faithful hands of a disciple are first empty hands before a holy God.
- What merit, past obedience, good work, painful experiences are you carrying in your hands with a desire to bargain with God?