What does it mean to believe in Jesus? Mark 1:1-8 Sermon, Commentary 1 / The first step is to ack...

Mark 1:1-8 [New International Version] 1. The gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begins like this: 2. As it is written in the prophet Isaiah: "See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way." 3. As it is written: "A voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make his paths straight.'" 4. John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5. The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. 6. John wore clothing made of camel's hair, a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7. He preached: "After me comes one more powerful than I, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8. I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit." [NIV] 1. The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 2. It is written in Isaiah the prophet: "I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way." 3. "A voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'" 4. And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5. The entire Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. 6. John wore clothing made of camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7. And this was his message: "After me, one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit." Testimony of John the Baptist (Mark 1:1-8) We can examine the following facts below: I. Here, we can examine what the New Testament—the New Testament, which we must adhere to more than any human work and pursue more than anything old—means. It can be said to refer to the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God (v. 1). 1. The New Testament is the gospel. It is the word of God, faithful and true (Rev. 19:9; 21:5; 22:6). It is a good word, worthy of all acceptance. It brings us good news. 2. The New Testament is the gospel of Jesus Christ, the anointed Savior, the Messiah promised in the Bible and long-awaited. The previous Gospel, "Matthew," began with the genealogy of Jesus Christ, which can be considered a preliminary introduction to the gospel. This Gospel directly addresses Christ's gospel work. This is called the gospel of Christ, not only because Christ is the author of the gospel and from whom it came, but also because Christ is the central figure of the gospel and the gospel speaks entirely of Him. 3. Jesus is the Son of God. The gospel was established on the basis of this truth, and it was written to bear witness to Christ. If Jesus is not the Son of God, our faith is also in vain. II. Just as the New and Old Testaments are interrelated, so too are the two testaments united. The gospel of Jesus Christ began (verse 1). And we will see it being fulfilled as it was written in the prophetic writings (verse 2). Because the gospel speaks only of "what the prophets and Moses said would happen" (Acts 26:22), this was perfectly suited and effective in persuading the Jews. The Jews believed that the Old Testament prophets were sent by God, and to prove this, they had to welcome the fulfillment of their prophecies in due time. However, this is beneficial for all of us, both for establishing our faith in the Old and New Testaments, and for demonstrating that the two Testaments are truly God-given, as the seamless harmony between them demonstrates. The prophecies cited here are from two prophetic books: Isaiah, the longest of the prophetic books, and Malachi, the last book of the Old Testament (and separated by over three hundred years). Both prophecies spoke of the same purpose: John's mission, "the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ" (v. 1). 1. Malachi, which bids farewell to the Old Testament, clearly prophesied about John the Baptist, who would welcome the New Testament (Malachi 3:1). "Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way" (v. 2). Christ Himself applied these words to John the Baptist (Matthew 11:10). He was sent as God's messenger to prepare the way for Christ. 2. Isaiah, the most evangelical of all the prophets, begins the evangelical portion of his prophecy with these words, which point to the beginning of the gospel of Christ (Isaiah 11:3): "A voice of one crying in the wilderness, 'Prepare the way of the Lord!'" (v. 3). Matthew also carefully applied these words to John the Baptist (Matthew 3:3). However, in this case, the two prophecies are applied together. Let us examine them further below. (1) Christ came to us in His gospel, bringing grace, treasures, and king...