Thank you for joining me for the Weekend Sermon. I hope that all of you are having a good week and doing well.
Last week, we began a new series of messages on the Gospel of Mark. We just did a basic introduction and focused on verse one that presented Jesus as the Messiah and the Son of God.
In our message for today, we turn our attention to John the Baptist. John was someone who was foretold in the Old Testament. In our text for today, we have one of the places that tells us about John. Isaiah said that there would be someone who would come before the coming of the Messiah. He would be a messenger that would tell the people that they needed to prepare their hearts for the coming of the Messiah. Another place where we see a prophecy of the coming of John the Baptist is in the book of Malachi. We are told that Elijah would come. Jesus said that John the Baptist was the fulfillment of this prophetic word.
John, as we know from the Gospel of Luke, was Jesus' cousin. He was the child of Elizabeth who was Mary's cousin. When John was still in his mother's womb, he recognized the mother of the Lord who was herself carrying Jesus in her womb.
John the Baptist was an interesting person. He dressed in a camel hair garment with a leather belt. His diet consisted of wild locusts and honey. He appeared on the scene by the Jordan River, and there, he began to proclaim his message. First of all, he preached a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.
People came out to hear what this new preacher had to say. John called them to repent of their sins and turn their lives and their thinking around. That is what it means to repent. In essence, it means to change one's thinking about God and what God requires. It means leaving behind the way that seems right to us and embracing the way of the Lord.
The people when they heard this message, confessed their sins. Subsequently, they were baptized. This demonstrated the washing away of sin and the beginning of a new life.
In order to truly follow the Lord Jesus, we have to be willing to admit that we are sinners and need a Savior. Part of coming to know Jesus is to confess ones sins and ask Jesus to forgive us of our sins. We then ask Him to be our Savior and the Lord and master of our lives.
Following conversion, a new believer follows in baptism. Jesus taught that a person should be baptized in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Baptism does not save. It is the outward sign of an inward work. For the Christian, it symbolizes that we are buried with Christ and we arise to newness of life in Him. Our sins our washed away, and we are a new creation in Christ Jesus. Baptism is a testimony to the world that we are identifying with Jesus. We are committing ourselves to following Him and His way of life.
Now, John the Baptist also told us about Jesus. He said that one was coming after him that was more powerful. When this one would come, He would baptize with the Holy Spirit.
As we will see as we continue our study in Mark, Jesus is the one that was the one more powerful. Jesus was the Messiah. He was the one who came to show people the way and to redeem the world from sin. In another Gospel, John identifies Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
Jesus came to tell people that the Kingdom of Heaven had come. He came to show us the way to have life now and eternal life to come. He came to redeem us and to set all of creation back to the way that it existed before the fall.
When Jesus ascended into Heaven, He told His followers to wait in Jerusalem for the coming of the Spirit. On the day of Pentecost, those gathered in the Upper Room received the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
When a person comes to faith and trust in Jesus, that person is indwelt with the Holy Spirit. We receive the Spirit who is our comforter. The Spirit convicts of sin, and the Spirit points us to Jesus.
I hope that you have put your faith and trust in the Risen Lord. If you have, I hope you will follow in baptism as the Lord commanded. Then, go and tell others about the Lord. Tell people that Jesus has come and they can be reconciled to God. Amen.
Prayer Requests
I am feeling some better, and I thank the Lord for that. Please keep me in your prayers.
As you are aware, the situation in Iran is tense. Let us pray for a peaceful transition to a democratic government for that nation.
Please continue to pray that the United States, my country, will not try to take over Greenland by force. There is no way that this can be justified.
Let us continue to pray for peace in other areas of the world that are in conflict. Pray for peace in Ukraine, Israel, Gaza, Syria, Yemen, Sudan and Myanmar. Pray that peace and good things will come to Venezuela.
Keep praying for those suffering as a result of natural disasters. Pray for those in California and Washington affected by flooding. Pray for those affected by winter storms in Europe.
For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in the nations of Libya and Mongolia. Pray that many will come to know Jesus.
Next week, we will continue our study in Mark. I will post the verses on Tuesday. May God bless you all.
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