Old Llantrisant Hill
Introduction
- To now beginning considering the gospel of Mark
- Maybe to return to Genesis later in the year
- The word of God
- A remarkable thing
- It should not be ignored or left on the shelf
- Yet society seems to have done just that
- The standing of the Bible has seriously diminished in our society
- Example of St. Fagans - this was the case once
- Less of a need of a physical Bible [e.g. electronic apps], but it seems to have lost it's importance in our lives and homes
- What place does the word of God have in our lives?
- There is such a great need for Christians to lovingly declare the word of God today
- There can be no faith without the word of God
- How can society come to know Jesus Christ if they are not hearing the gospel?
- With this in mind, the gospel of Mark is a great place to start
- The purpose of this book is to declare the gospel of Jesus Christ
- It shows us what it means to follow Jesus Christ
- What is the relevance of the gospel today?
Mark's Confidence
- Mark has utter confidence in what he is about to write
- Thus it is the most important thing that people need to read and know about
- This is a message burning within him
- He has to share this message
- Mark's confidence is not unique to him - consider the other gospel writers
- cf. John 20:31
- cf. Rom 1:16
- There confidence was such that the lived and died proclaiming it
- The early Church was scattered due to persecution - but they spread the gospel - Acts 8
- Mark was not ashamed about what and who he wrote about
Relevance
It is necessary
- Many would say these words were necessary at the time, but not for us today
- The world says that religion is not needed anymore - we have science
- The world says we are far more intelligent than our religious ancestors
- The world says that you would be crazy to believe thee things
- Consider the workplace, our neighbours, our family members
- Should we still be preaching the gospel, should Christians today have the same confidence in the gospel?
- If the apostles were around today - they would not stop preaching the gospel
- Not a quick fix or activism - but life in Jesus Christ
- The Gospel is good news
- It is necessary to out inerrant position
- It is not for general interest or enjoyment or through emotion
- It is not temporal
- It is not for material needs
- It is not political
- Some may say 'it is not for me'
- Nothing is as precious to humanity as the gospel
- It deals with the matter of life and death
- It deals with the soul
- There is an urgency with the gospel
- It deals with eternity - heaven and hell
- How happy is the world today?
- Misery and anger
- This is the problem of life
- This is why the gospel is so important
- Jesus moved for compassion for the people as they were like sheep without a shepherd - Mark 6:34
- Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost
It is historical
- Something that has happened
- Written in history
- It is not an ideology or a story
- It cannot be re-written, refuted or changed
- Not a way of life
- It is about the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ
- History cannot deny the man of Jesus Christ
- Solely based on Jesus Christ
- Not based on the disciples, apostles or Jesus' followers
- What is the point of living a good life?
- Good deeds do nothing for the heart of man
- Good deeds do not give life to the dead
- The gospel gives life
- By Jesus' perfect life all our sin can be laid on Him
- cf Mark 10:45
- Isa 53:4-10a
- It is wonderful news
- We preach Christ who died and Christ who is risen
- Jesus has the power and authority to forgive sin
- We must count the cost - we will lose, but we will gain so much more
Closing Remarks