The Gospel Song - An Animation

Mark 1:1-15 “Reflections on Mark’s Prologue,” by Pastor Daryle Worley

The Gospel of Mark presents us with a portrait of Jesus Christ, the Son of God (1:1)—he who is undiminished deity and perfect humanity together in one Person forever.  He suffered on the cross as the bearer of God’s wrath against sin—a substitutionary sacrifice for all who believe, giving his life as a ransom for many (Mar.10:45), leading them along the way of suffering in this fallen world to the very glories of his full and final kingdom reign in perfect, unending righteousness (Mar.10:29-30). 

Mark exploded out of the starting blocks identifying Jesus in the opening verse as Messiah (Christ) and the Son of God—God’s promised Deliverer who was also His unique Son, wholly like the Father, “God of very God” (Nicene Creed).  These two designations will be progressively revealed throughout the remainder of Mark’s written record.

But Mark’s statement that this is the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ (1) spotlights Jesus’ arrival, not so much Mark’s writing.  The gospel, here, is the unfolding story of God’s purpose and plan in history.  Messiah is coming!  And that story begins with the preaching of John to prepare the way (3). 

Quoting Malachi 3:1, which echoes Exodus 23:20 and flows into Isaiah 40:3, Mark drew together several expressions of Israel’s hope to introduce their latest prophet—the first in nearly 400 years.  He united the prophetic voice of the Law and the Prophets to introduce the forerunner who would introduce Jesus, God’s full and final Deliverer!  In the summarizing words of William Lane (46): Ex.23:20 contains God’s promise to send his messenger before the people on a first exodus through the wilderness to Canaan.  In Isa.40:3 the messenger announces the second exodus through the wilderness to the final deliverance prepared for God’s people. 

Israel spent forty years in the wilderness during the first exodus.  Spiritually, they had now spent some 400 years there, not having heard from God since the prophet Malachi.  But with his closing words he announced the coming forerunner: Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes (Mal.4:5).  This description assigned a specific identity to Malachi’s earlier prophecy: Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me (Mal.3:1a).  

John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins (Mar.1:4a).  He was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist (recalling Elijah [2Ki.1:8]) (Mar.1:6a).

Israel had to go out to the wilderness to meet John—acknowledging their sin, humbling themselves, to get right with God.  And they did it! (Mar.1:5)  But if John’s wilderness work was for repentance and forgiveness, why (9) did Jesus come out from Nazareth of Galilee (Mar.1:9) to be baptized?  Simply put, this is the beginning of the gospel—Jesus identifying with the sin of his people, fulfilling all righteousness (Mat.3:15) by showing that he would endure God’s judgment on their behalf.

But a remarkable thing happened when he came up out of the water.  Immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove (Mark 1:10).  

Isaiah’s prophesies were being realized!  His prayer was being answered! 

What prophesies?  Isaiah 11:1-2: There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.  And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.  Isaiah 42:1: Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.  Isaiah 61:1: The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.  The Spirit of God is upon Jesus!  And it was made visible at his baptism!

What prayer is being answered?  Isaiah 64:1-2: Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence—as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil—to make your name known to your adversaries, and that the nations might tremble at your presence!  The prophet was hungry for the presence of God among his people.  They had expected full restoration of his presence in the Temple after the exile.  They hadn’t yet seen it.  But now this happened!  At the baptism of Jesus, God rent the heavens, torn them open, and the Spirit descended on him!  And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased” (Mar.1:11)

Everything Israel was hoping for, looking for, for centuries, even millennia, was beginning to happen!  And the Father declared his good pleasure with it all!

The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness.  And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan (Mar.1:12-13a).  Thus Jesus himself began to prove the nature of his identity that had been now been affirmed by Mark (vss.1-3), John (vss.4-8), the Spirit (vs.11), and the Father (vs.11).  And the result would be that Isaiah’s prophesies of the suffering servant would finally begin to mesh with Israel’s long held understanding of a conquering Messiah.  And Jesus would call all comers to follow him along the way of suffering toward eventual, unfolding, unending glory that is available the all who will repent and believe in the gospel (Mar.1:15).

From Time To Time

From time to time I will be inviting guest bloggers to share with you. Last week, as I was listening to our Pastor preach the first sermon in a series on the book of Mark I couldn't help but think about the ways he was connecting dots for me. Not specifically about finding Christ's presence in joy and sorrow but rather seeing Jesus, the Son of God, as Israel"s long awaited Messiah. Pastor Daryle Worley, Senior Pastor of Grace Church of DuPage, superbly explains God's unfolding plan through the pages of the Old Testament that Messiah would come and this is how they would know and believe.


You could be asking, how does this relate to finding Christ's presences in joy and sorrow? Seeing and believing has everything to do with suffering. Christ is no stranger to suffering. He suffered at the hands of man in the most brutal way known to man. Can He not relate to our suffering? Has he not walked the path of suffering before us? Was it not the joy set before him? Is it not our joy, too?


Dear reader, if you have never pondered who Christ is and his sacrifice for your sin, I would encourage you to begin this journey through the book of Mark. Pray that God would open the eyes of your heart to receive Him. Jesus said to him, " I am the way, and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6.

He's always been faithful by Sara Groves

Where Dots Intersect

This past Sunday evening as our college pastor was preaching through Lamentations chapter 3, I found myself sitting on the edge of my pew nearly restraining myself from jumping up and shouting out, "There's a dot connection here." Was he going to tell us about the similar connection between the plight of the author of Lamentations and that of the of the psalmist in Psalm 73? Would he take us to the Psalm and show us how the two connect even though they were different writers in different times and circumstances? Could I contain myself in such a way that I wouldn't look like a lunatic or a know it all? And then...


In past blogs I have shared how the psalmist in Psalm 73 found himself on a downward spiral of  perplexing despair as he contemplated the question, why do the wicked prosper when the righteous frequently seem to suffer. It wasn't until he took his problem to God and saw the destiny of the wicked and his own self righteousness that he could begin to make any sense of the whole thing. At that point there was a God-ward reorientation in his thinking in which he began to understand that God is God. Then, he was able to say, "My flesh and my heart may fail but, God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." Psalm 73:26


Moving ahead through the pages of time in scripture to Lamentations we find the nation of Israel in captivity. In chapter 3:1-20 the author is describing himself as a man of affliction and losing hope as he contemplates his plight and the judgment of God. Sound familiar? The only contrast between the 2 authors is that we see the writer of Lamentations at rock bottom of his downward spiral and the psalmist was moving in that direction very fast. In verse 19-20 he laments, " Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall. My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me."  Have you ever been that low? Honestly?!  I have!


But, (one of those wonderful transition words so strategically placed), in verse 21, he begins to call to mind and hope is restored. What did he recall? What caused the reorientation in his thinking? He remembered; he began to meditate on the fact that God is God. He began to understand from the ash heap of his despair, "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness." Lam 3:22-23. And then (here comes the biggest dot yet)  he says, "The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I hope in Him." Lam 3:24. Does that sound familiar, or what? Like the psalmist he moves from rational thinking to spiritual thinking.


Dear reader, there is one truth I would like for you to take from this- you begin to understand that God is God. In the midst of dark sorrow and suffering there is a glitter of hope found when we come to the place where we can say as Paul said in 2 Corinthians 12:9, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness." Paul understood that his strength and hope was found in Christ. In both strength and weakness God was his portion forever. Do you know the life transforming power of the gospel that lifts hope from despair? I would invite you to check out www.gracechurchofdupage.org to hear the Lamentations Chapter 3 sermon in its entirety.

Robin Mark When it's all been said and done

A Better Way of Thinking and Riding

On days when things seem hard we often find ourselves asking God the "why" question. Isn't my life supposed to be good and full of blessings from God? Doesn't every good and perfect gift come from above? If that true, why is this happening to me?

Two verses that come to mind are Romans 8:28 and James 1:17. I know for myself trying to make sense of difficulty in light of these 2 verses often leads me down the path of wrong thinking and flawed theology. As I ponder these verses in light of trials and suffering several things come to mind.

Romans 8:28, And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.

James 1:17, Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

First, I need to understand the significance of the words all, good, and purpose. All is defined as the whole of-as in quantity, duration, or extent: everything. The word good has multiple meanings: morally excellent, satisfactory in quality, quantity, or degree, honorable, sufficient and the list could go on for pages. Purpose means  the reason for which something exist or happens.

Secondly, when I begin to understand these verses in light of intended meaning things start to make sense to me. Everything that happens to me, both good or bad, easy or hard is under the watchful care of my loving Father of lights in whom there is no variation or change. God is working in all circumstances of my life by his intended purpose, for my good and ultimately for His glory.

Finally, in all things I am learning to find rest that is fueled by trust and filled with the hope that I can cast every care on Him for he cares for me. (1 Peter 5:7).

Today as I was on an early morning trike ride I was musing through these verses and connecting the dots. God has allowed suffering and hardship to come my way. I know that what he brings into my life has already been filtered through the lens of HIS mercy and love. Scripture is true because, ...The Lord God is a sun and shield: no good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly. (Psalm 84:11). So, as I am pedaling away on my recumbent trike tethered to Byron's, I can say with a big smile and heartfelt thanks to God, "Thank you Lord for taking away my ability to ride a bike and giving me the gift of a trike so that I may give you all the praise and glory you deserve."

Aaron Keyes - Psalm 62

Up From the Ashes

Some days you just have to:
preach to yourself in the mirror
trust that the promises of God are true
lean not on you own understanding
remember that your hope is in the Lord and not in man
thank God for every hard place he brings you today because he is pruning, loving, and caring for you
reflect on God's character and attributes
Find joy eternal-this is not our home
Pray!!!!!!!

Watches of The Night-Jesus Draw Me Nearer

Interesting Stuff

From time to time I will be adding things to my blog that are of interest or benefit. I would encourage you to  click on them to view. You will be blessed.

A Winding and Troubled Road

Something to cherish when we suffer

Something to cherish when we suffer

The Joy Eternal

The Joy Eternal

Nevertheless

I love when a writer uses good  transition words  in their writing. They are packed full of meaning and are there to help the reader understand the logic of how an idea is considered and pieced together in the writer's mind.  The writer may also use transition words to encourage or persuade the reader to think in a particular way.

This is exactly what the writer does in Psalm 73. He begins the psalm with the conclusion to his dilemma. By beginning the psalm with the word truly he is indicating that he is thoroughly convinced that God is good and wants you to believe that. 


Next, he begins to tell us how he becomes perplexed and confused in his thinking. We see him struggle through his dilemma that I mentioned in my last blog regarding the question why do the ungodly seem to prosper while the godly frequently suffer in verses 2-15. As I read these words it seems as if he is sinking deeper and deeper into despair. Have you ever been there?  Honestly speaking, I have. 

What is the turning point for this man? Where is the transition in his thinking? How does he arrive at his conclusion that God is good? I love his brutal honesty that flows off his pen in the remainder of the verses of the psalm. It was not until he entered into the sanctuary of God that he was able to reorient his thinking. Lloyd-Jones describes the process in his book as moving from rational thinking to spiritual thinking. It wasn't until the psalmist took his perplexing dilemma to God that he could see the destiny of the ungodly and his own self-righteousness as his real problem. He confessed before God how he was brutish and ignorant, and like beast before God. 


Several days ago I posted a song of Psalm 73 by Indelible Grace that has become a Tabbut favorite. When I first heard it I was struck by the use of the word beast as a way of describing the psalmist. Surely, I thought it was a lyrical representation of the psalmist describing himself rather than an actual description. I checked it out by looking it up in the Bible and was abhorred to discover that the psalmist, in his sinfulness, had described himself as a beast before God. Could that be me? Am I like a beast before God? In the midst of my pain and suffering do I trust that God is always good, no matter what the circumstance? Am I thinking rationally or spiritually?  


Two transition words that evoke a powerful punch in Psalm 73, are  truly and nevertheless. Truly God is good begins the psalm and nevertheless is the turning point where the psalmist realizes that God is always present and is always sustaining him by His power. The psalmist now sees things as they really are and has moved from irrational thinking to spiritual thinking.  


I have discovered as I have studied this psalm that it is an accurate description of the perplexing dilemmas I often find myself in, and like the psalmist I need to reorient my thinking toward understanding that God is not unaware of the issue at hand. Nevertheless, He is  continually with me holding my right hand. He will guide me with His counsel and afterward receive me to glory, ( vs. 23-24). Therefore, I too, can say with the psalmist, "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.,"(vs. 26).

The Story of Everything

The Story of Everything

Faith on Trial, by Martyn Lloyd-Jones

I have never really been one to set goals or resolutions at the beginning of the new year, but for the past 2 years I have begun to do so with the remainder of the year becoming the pursuit of accomplishing those goals. Have I been successful? Thus far, the answer is yes.

This year one of my goals has been to read 36 books in one year. As of August 1, I have read 26, and the plan is to surpass the 36. Setting out to read 36 books in a year is a noble goal, but if reading is done only for the sake of reading and not comprehending then my labor is in vain. Do the books I choose cause me to think? Do they cause me to grow in faith and character? Do they point me to the cross? Do they inspire me to know more of Christ and be more deeply rooted in him? Am I choosing leisure books with a high moral tone that leave me thinking about such things as virtue, noble character, and valor? I would like to share with you one book that I consider a must read, Faith on Trial, by Martyn Lloyd-Jones. It is a reprint of a series of sermons on Psalm 73 that Lloyd-Jones preached to his congregation at Westminster Chapel in 1965. The Forward was written by Kevin DeYoung and can be read in its entirety on his blog link:

thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevindeyoung/2011/07/19/faith-on-trial/

I first want to begin by saying that Psalm 73 has brought much comfort and solace to my soul for some time. I, like the author, have asked the very same questions - Why do the ungodly seem to prosper when the godly frequently suffer? I believe, if we are honest with ourselves, that it is a classic question we all ask when we run into bumps and bruises in our lives that just don't seem quite fair or to make any sense at all. Psalm 73 presents us with this very dilemma that the psalmist is facing. We will see his spiritual spiral downward and then the reorientation of his thinking leading to the upward trajectory of his trust and faith in God that culminates in verses 25-26 when he states,

"Whom have I in heaven but you?

And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.

My flesh and my heart may fail,

but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."

In Psalm 73 we are given a window into the soul of a man who has wrestled this question down and come up victoriously. The benefit we have, as the reader, is that we are able to see in verse one the author's proclamation," Truly God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart,"and then he proceeds to open his heart to show us how he came to that conclusion. What a mighty lesson we can learn.

Well, that is it for now. My next few posts I will share with you what God has taught me through this Psalm, and why I can join with the psalmist in affirmation that verses 25-26 are absolutely true.

Psalm 73 - MP Jones (Indelible Grace Music)

So here we go!!!!!!!!!

Life is a journey with many turns, twists, hills and valleys along the way. For most of us navigating through those times and seeing the reality of Christ's presence in them and through them is not always apparent at first glance. Suffering?? My calling??? Where did that come from???? Isn't the Christian life supposed to be full of joy and blessing??? Me, suffer??????? It doesn't take long, as we read through scripture, to connect the dots that within our suffering  God's sovereign and provident hand is present in the very midst of the depths of our despair. We need only to look up and see the face of Christ that is speaking into our souls the sure and true promise, "I will never leave you or forsake you." Hebrews 13:5b

So, journey with me as we discover that the trials, afflictions, pain and suffering which come to us are of no surprise to God, and that through them He is working His perfect will and good purpose in our lives, all for His glory. We will find that there is great joy in the journey.