PREACHING JESUS IN THE NEW THING
FOR NEW BEGINNINGS
Mark 1c
Greg Howse, November 1, 2015
Preach Jesus:The wisdom and power of God (foolishness & weakness)
The New Thing:A mindset ….. seeing things through a new lens
New Beginnings:Leaving what has been, being healed, and entering the door
that is opening now ….. leave the past behind and start fresh
MARK 1
1The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
12Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness. 13And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him.
v.1The BEGINNING of the Gospel:
The good news of the kingdom …..
The message of an impersonal kingdom
The good news of the kingdom in a person …..
Behold the Lamb of God ….. the biography of the King
The good news of the kingdom in the life and ministry of Jesus
He is the theme, the contents, and the story of the gospel
Everything the world needs is in this story
The good news of Jesus:He walked the earth as a human being
The good news of Christ:He was the anointed One who carried the anointing
in Himself
The good news of the Son:David ….. Leadership / Royalty / Throne / Kingdom
Abraham ….. Covenant / Blessing / Faith
THE WILDERNESS
Matthew 4:1
Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
Luke 4:1
Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness.
LED by the Spirit: Continuous action
Mark 1:12,13
12 Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness. 13 And He was there in
the wilderness …..
1. The Spirit DROVE Jesus into the wilderness
The same term used for forcefully driving out demons
2. He was tested by the devil
3. He was there with the wild beasts
Exercising dominion over His creation
Confronted with the snarling, threatening, destructive actions of demons
4. The angels were present to minister to Him
Psalm 34:7
The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and
delivers them.
Psalm 91:11
He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.
Weakness and Testing
The storms of life will blow
They're sure to come and go
They meet me at a time
When I'm calm and doing fine
Major ministry requires major preparation
1. The wilderness is not a place of disapproval or punishment
2. The wilderness is not a place of abandonment where God forgets you
3. The wilderness is not a place of defeat
4. The wilderness is not a place of rejection ….. but preparation
Learning the timing of God
Learning how to be patient, and to endure tough situations
Learning to rely on the Word of God
Learning that your character must be developed
Learning that your motives are extremely important for your success
Learning how to overcome the frustration of being hindered
Learning that God’s will always overrides self-will
Learning that you must have vision in order to see the other side
DEALING WITH TEMPTATION
The thoughts of hatred, or envy, or lust, or theft, or deception may shock us
Temptation is not sin
Innocent faith may be pure (Garden of Eden), but it needs testing to become strong faith
The enemy takes advantage of weakness
The enemy wants to gain a foothold in your life ….. disgrace and impotence
Controlled by the threat of exposure
The WORD test
Testing the Word that came to Him: If you are the Son of God
Your insecurities are showing ….. prove it!
The temptation of COMMON MAN: Appetites
God’s way or our way?
The WONDER test
Testing the ability to do wonders with the wrong motive: Throw Yourself down from here
A heavenly bungee jump
The ultimate PR stunt ….. gain public recognition
The temptation of PRIESTS: Power manipulation
God’s way or our way?
The WORSHIP test
Testing the ability to get influence, power, wealth, and fame by compromise: Fall down and worship me
Matthew: All the kingdoms of the world and their glory
The pinnacle of fame and fortune and power
“Just play the game”
“You scratch my back, and I’ll scratch yours”
“Just look the other way”
Live in the present moment ….. instant gratification
Get the rewards now ….. worry about the future later
Strings attached ….. strings that become steel cables of bondage and oppression
The temptation of KINGS: Access to resources and fulfilled destiny
FALL DOWN AND WORSHIP ME:
Proskuneo used to designate the custom of prostrating oneself before a person and kissing his feet, the hem of his garment, the ground, etc.; the Persians did this in the presence of their deified king, and the Greeks before a divinity or something holy; (fall down and) worship, do obeisance to, prostrate oneself before, do reverence to, welcome respectfully.
God’s way or our way?
If we choose God’s way, things will probably take longer …..
no quick sale
no shortcuts
no easy fix
If we choose God’s way, there will be no bitter aftertaste
Jesus' Temptations (Luke 4:3-12) / John's Classification (1 John 2:15-17)KJV / NIV / J.B. Phillips[6]
The temptation of hunger / The lust of the flesh / The cravings of sinful man / Men's primitive desires
The temptation of power and wealth / The lust of the eyes / The lust of his eyes / Their greedy ambitions
The temptation of instant acclaim / The pride of life / The boasting of what he has and does / The glamour of all that they think is splendid
Jesus answered every temptation with the Word of God
Ephesians 6:17
Take the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God
While riding through the storm
Jesus holds me in His arms
I am not afraid
Of the stormy winds and the waves
Though the tides become high
He holds me while I ride
I find safety in the master’s arms
While riding through the storm
I have no fear of the raging seas
Knowing Jesus will forever be right here with me
He can speak to the wind to my enemies and to the waves
And he makes them all behave
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