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Could you please turn your Bibles 
to the Book of Mark, chapter 1? The opening chapter of Mark at 
verse 1. The primary portion of scripture 
we will focus on this evening will be found in verses 1 to 
4. But I will read until verse 13, actually I'll read to 15 
to set the context. So, let us begin. The beginning 
of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written 
in Isaiah the prophet, Behold, I send my messenger before your 
face, who will prepare your way. The voice of one crying in the 
wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. John appeared, baptizing in the 
wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness 
of sins. And all the country of Judea 
and all of Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized 
by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed 
with camel's hair, and wore a leather belt around his waist, and ate 
locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, After 
me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals 
I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I have baptized you 
with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit." In 
those days, Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by 
John in the Jordan. And 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. And a voice came from 
heaven. You are my beloved son, and with 
you I am well pleased. The spirit immediately drove 
him out into the wilderness, and he was in the wilderness 
forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild 
animals, and the angels were ministering to him. Now after 
John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the 
gospel of God, and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom 
of God is at hand. repent, and believe in the gospel. Amen. Well, let us go to our 
great God in prayer. Our dear Heavenly Father, the 
maker of heaven and earth, the one who deserves glory and praise 
and honor, who set forth the Lord Jesus to save sinners from 
their sins, we want to give you praise, God. We want to glorify 
your name for this, God. We are in awe at your manifold 
wisdom and goodness to us, Lord, how you chose to reveal your 
goodness and kindness to wretched sinners like us in the Lord Jesus. 
We thank you. We have such a Savior, the Great 
High Priest, who understands exactly what we face every day, 
Lord, yet did not sin. It is blessed to know this Savior, 
Lord God, who lived the law in perfection and died as that perfect 
sacrifice in the stead of sinners. This is something we need to 
behold, Lord God, and we want to praise you and give you honor 
for this, Lord God, and we pray that this blessed truth would 
be proclaimed throughout the world that you might draw sinners 
unto yourself, Lord God. Lord God, I pray right now that 
your spirit would be in this place, Lord God, that you'd open 
up our hearts, the hearts of the hearers, that we might know 
what is right and holy and true of you, that we might know the 
truth concerning the Lord Jesus Christ and concerning the one 
who prepares his way, Lord, that we might know exactly what the 
scripture is trying to say, Lord God. I pray that you would be 
with me today, Lord, as I pray that your spirit would be upon 
me as I preach, Lord. I pray that you would be magnified 
and I would decrease, Lord, that people might see you and see 
who you are and see your word, Lord God. We pray that you would 
forgive us of all our sins, how we do transgress that law, Lord, 
We transgress it daily, Lord, but we again thank you for that 
one who died as that perfect sacrifice in our stead. We pray 
today that this would be the day of salvation for sinners, 
Lord God, and we pray that your name would be glorified this 
day. In your holy name, amen. Well, before we begin our specific 
exposition, since we haven't been going through the Book of 
Mark, I think it would be good just to provide some introductory 
comments concerning it. The Gospel of Mark is a fast-flowing 
narrative, most likely penned by a man named Mark. His primary 
audience is a Gentile audience, and his purpose for writing is 
to exhibit that this Jesus of Nazareth that we've seen in verse 
9 is Jesus Christ, the Son of God, whose authority is demonstrated 
by his marvelous, awe-inspiring works. I just want to highlight 
this idea concerning the author. Mark, the gospel of Mark, bears 
apostolic authority. I don't think it would be in 
the scriptures if it didn't. And the way we know this is through 
Mark's connection with the apostle Peter. Some have said, or I've 
heard it said that Peter, or sorry, Mark is Peter's gospel, 
whereas Luke is Paul's gospel. So certainly those men aren't 
apostles, but they bear that apostolic authority because of 
their connection with both Peter And certainly Peter mentions 
Mark at the end of his first epistle. He says, She who is 
at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings, and so does 
Mark my son. We see that intimate connection 
between the two in that passage. Certainly similar to how when 
Nesimus, the slave in Philemon, was considered as Paul's son, 
that intimate connection, that spiritual father-son relationship, 
surely we see that with Mark and Peter as well. And certainly 
Peter in his second epistle highlights that he's going to make it possible 
so that the church can recall certain things concerning the 
Lord Jesus Christ. So certainly we have Mark who 
has done that. Not only do we have a biblical 
record concerning Mark as the author of it, but we have an 
apostolic father who writes concerning this relationship. An apostolic 
father is the second generation below the apostles. We have the 
apostles, then the apostolic fathers, who are certainly disciples 
of the apostles. And there's one man named Papias, 
who is probably a disciple of the apostle John. And this is 
what Papias says concerning this relationship. Mark, having become 
the interpreter of Peter, wrote down accurately, though not indeed 
in order, whatsoever he remembered of the things said or done by 
Christ. So certainly this book bears 
apostolic authority. It is one that we should be reading. 
And as I've said before, it wouldn't be in the Bible if it didn't. The second thing I want to highlight 
is concerning its audience. We're going through the book 
of Matthew right now. Matthew is primarily written to a Jewish 
audience. Mark, on the other hand, is primarily 
written to a Gentile audience. This is very clear in the Book 
of Mark. Certainly a Gentile audience 
would necessitate an explanation of Jewish beliefs and customs. Furthermore, it would necessitate 
certain explanations or translations of certain words that the Gentiles 
wouldn't have understood. So in Mark 2, we have one example 
where it highlights a belief concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. 
In Mark chapter 2, which is a parallel of Mark chapter 9, which we have 
seen already, it concerns the healing of the paralytic. Certainly, 
these men have a friend who is paralyzed, they open the roof 
and they lower this man down, and Jesus marvels at their faith 
in him, and Jesus said, your son, your sins are forgiven. And certainly the Pharisees then 
proceed to question in their hearts, who does this man think 
he is? Who can forgive sins but God 
alone? Who can forgive sins but God 
alone is not in Matthew's gospel, but it is in Mark's gospel, which 
highlights that the Gentiles would need some sort of explanation 
concerning this belief. The second thing I want to highlight 
too, regarding the audience, In Mark chapter 7, at verses 
3 and 4, Mark explains a certain ritual that's part of Pharisaic 
tradition concerning the washing of hands. Certainly the Pharisees 
are questioning Jesus' disciples why they haven't been washing 
their hands, and Mark makes pains to explain this. And the last 
example concerning this Gentile audience is that Mark translates 
certain expressions from Aramaic into the Greek. One example is 
found at the healing of Jairus' daughter in Mark 5, 41. Jesus says, Talitha koumi, which 
means, little girl, arise. Mark makes pains to explain that. Why would he have to explain 
it if he was writing to someone who knew what it would have meant? 
So certainly Mark is written to a Gentile audience, and that's 
also, I think, reflected in the style that it is written. It 
is a truly amazing book in the way that it is written. It is 
written like a drama. It is fast, it is quick, it is 
concerning the Lord Jesus Christ and what He is doing. And it 
is written like a play. And certainly what better way 
to write a gospel for a Roman audience than a quick-flowing 
narrative about one who conquers sin, about a conqueror, right? So with that said, I just want 
to highlight a quote that J.C. Ryle says concerning this gospel 
compared to other gospels. He'll highlight that certainly 
it isn't full of lengthy discourse, but more of what Christ is doing. 
It is a gospel singularly full of precious facts about the Lord 
Jesus, narrated in a simple, terse, pithy, and condensed style. if it tells us few of our Lord's 
sayings, it is eminently rich in its catalogue of His doings." 
And I think the way that it is written, it is written like a 
play, I think it highlights the primary theme as well concerning 
the doings of Christ. The reason Mark is writing his 
gospel is to show that Jesus Christ, who is God, is the authoritative 
one that Mark is calling his hearers to submit to. This isn't 
some weak little Savior that we have. He's the Son of God, 
and He has power to conquer sins, power to conquer His enemies, 
and that's what Mark wants his hearers to see. Certainly, Mark 
demonstrates that Jesus has authority over spiritual oppression. He 
casts out demons pretty quickly in Mark chapter 1, over physical 
illness, as I've already mentioned, the healing of Jairus' daughter, 
over the elements when he calms the storm, and even over death 
itself. He rises from the dead. He rises 
from the dead. This is a powerful one that we 
must submit to, that we must believe on, And we have a very 
omnipotent savior that we can call upon. And so certainly, 
so those three things I just want to highlight because I think 
they aid in understanding Mark 1 verses 1 to 4. So now I want 
to look at the, excuse me, I moved it. I want to look more at the 
passage specifically. The pericope or passage of scripture 
we are focusing on, which is found in verses 1 to 4, is part 
of the introduction or the prologue, where Mark is introducing his 
primary character, his protagonist. We see that in verse 1, the beginning 
of the gospel of whom? Jesus Christ. It is about the 
Lord Jesus Christ, and we will get into that in a little bit 
more detail. And certainly at the beginning 
of the Gospel, Mark is concerned with both the identity of the 
forerunner and the identity of the Savior. So certainly Mark 
is making pains in verses 1 to 4 to introduce his characters 
and show that the gospel concerning him has its ministerial beginning 
in prophetic fulfillment in verses 2 and 3. So let us look forward 
and let us dive deeper into the passage under consideration this 
evening. And we will look at Mark verses 
1 to 4, sorry, 1 verses 1 to 4, under three points. Point 
one, the gospel defined in Mark 1 verse 1. Secondly, the beginning 
of the gospel foretold in verses 2 and 3, and the beginning of 
the gospel fulfilled in verse 4. So notice verse 1, the beginning 
of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. This first statement 
of Mark indicates what the rest of this book is going to be about. 
It's going to be about the Lord Jesus Christ. That's who it's 
going to be about. Now some commentators that I've 
read seem to think that verse one is only connected with the 
introduction, that is verses one to 15. Others, whom I agree 
with, think that this refers to the rest of the book as well. Certainly syntactically, based 
on the connection in verse two with as, Mark is certainly highlighting 
the beginning of the gospel, but as we will see, I think gospel 
refers more to than just the beginning of it. And other grammarians, 
too, that I've consulted seem to highlight that the construction 
for the beginning highlights nothing but a title. It's the 
title of the book. 1 verse 1 is the title. It is 
the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. So I just want to define the 
Gospel in a little bit more detail. I know we've probably heard the 
Gospel many times, but I think it is a good reminder to understand 
what it is, and how we can technically define it, and how it can be 
defined in Christianity as well. The term itself simply means 
good news, or the announcement or proclamation that brings good 
news. Certainly in this context, we 
understand the four Gospels as literary genres, but I think 
in this context it is more referring to a presentation concerning 
the Lord Jesus Christ. Why do I think that? Because 
Gospels haven't been written yet at this time, but certainly 
we can understand that The Gospels certainly are a literary genre 
that we look at now, but certainly Mark is trying to show that this 
Good News is about Jesus Christ, not necessarily trying to write 
a Gospel as we would understand it. And I want to make this point 
as well. This Gospel has been written, as I've said, in the 
form of a play. Certainly, Gospels do bear historical 
veracity, but they're not biographies. They're good news concerning 
the Lord Jesus Christ, so Mark can write it any way he jolly 
good and well wants to write it. He can write it in a beautiful 
play, and I love it. So, I think you should love it 
as much as I do. Notice, too, what the word Gospel 
presupposes. Good news. It presupposes that 
it happened. It presupposes that it occurred 
in time and space. In its secular context, or its 
secular use before it is used in the Christian context, it 
was one who, get this, brought good news to someone else. And 
that good news usually occurred in history. Like, if a war, if 
a country had conquered another nation, They would send out messengers 
to tell them that they've conquered this nation. They're bringing 
forth good news. And certainly now it has been 
employed for Christians concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. Certainly 
His life, His death, His resurrection. The Apostle Paul gives us a beautiful 
example in 1 Corinthians chapter 15. A beautiful, excuse me, definition 
of the gospel. in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and 
how it has been applied to the Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 
chapter 15 at verse 1. Now I remind you, brothers, of 
the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which 
you stand, and by which you are being saved. If you hold fast 
to the word I preached to you, unless you believed in vain, 
for I delivered to you as of first importance what I also 
received, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the 
Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third 
day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, 
then to the twelve. As I've already said, how does 
Paul define the Gospel here? He's involving the death and 
the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Certainly the Gospel 
encompasses, as it's applied to Christianity, the life, the 
death, and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, not just 
the beginning, not just the end, but the whole. And certainly, 
as I've said already, it presupposes history. It presupposes that 
it happened. It's amazing that both in the 
secular realm and the Christian realm, people question whether 
or not Jesus actually came, whether or not he actually lived, whether 
or not he actually died. And people with this questioning 
don't even go to the primary examples that we have. They go 
to the ones that stand outside of it as if they can help us 
understand who the God of the Bible is, who the Christ of the 
Bible is. That's wrong. I took a class 
called The Life and Teachings of Jesus Christ, and thinking 
I'd be learning about the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, 
but it wasn't. It was a quest to find out whether 
or not Jesus actually lived and died and rose again. could have 
saved $2,000 if we just opened a lexicon. Because the word, 
as I've said, good news, presupposes that it came, that it happened, 
that the Lord did die and rise again. If anyone questions whether 
or not the Lord Jesus did come, he did because that's what gospel 
means. That's what gospel presupposes, 
and we must understand that. So if anyone questions whether 
or not our Savior lived, our Savior died, our Savior rose 
again, just give them a lexicon and tell them what the Gospel 
actually means. Listen to this theologian, one 
Richard Baukham, concerning this idea that the Gospels are eyewitness 
testimonies. Like any other part of history, 
the Jesus who lived in first century Palestine is knowable 
only through the evidence that has survived They didn't have 
iPhones back then. They didn't have YouTube back 
then. You couldn't just whip out your phone when Jesus is 
healing Jairus' daughter and view it and then post it on YouTube 
and people can come and look at it. They didn't have it then. 
They didn't have satellites floating in space where they could take 
any picture they jolly good and well wanted to. They did it the 
means that they had, and what was that? Word of mouth. And I think we see the Lord's 
grace in that we have not just three witnesses, but four witnesses 
concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. It shows that we have thick skulls, 
and not only do we have three witnesses, but we have four concerning 
this Lord Jesus Christ. Another comment from Baukham. 
or Bacham, Gospels should be understood as eyewitness testimony, 
which enhances its historicity, thus providing an appropriate 
means of access to the historical Jesus. I don't need to read Josephus. I don't need to read Pliny, the 
so-called external sources concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. I just 
need to read the Bible. I need to read the Gospels. That's 
where I need to find out who the Lord Jesus is. And when someone 
questions whether or not Jesus lived, just point them to the 
Gospels. Point them to the record that 
we have with Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. And think about an 
everyday example. When we tell someone something 
that's happening in our life, it's probably because it did 
happen. When someone says, like pregnancy, for example, they 
announce that they're pregnant, do we ever think that they're 
speaking metaphorically? Do we ever think that they're, 
oh, that's a great metaphor for being full of life. Totally. That's exactly how we think when 
we think concerning pregnancy. No, we usually think that there's 
a bun growing in the oven, don't we? It's just common sense. And certainly we do have this 
good news. Certainly it did occur. Certainly it did happen. And 
we need to understand something by implication with this. Good 
news presupposes bad news. Good news presupposes bad news. And what's the bad news? We've 
sinned against the Lord God. We've sinned against a thrice 
holy God. We have transgressed His law 
and thus deserve punishment. And if we expect punishment from 
a finite judge, and we receive a finite punishment 
concerning that, whether it's a fine or going to prison, how 
much more for a perfect judge? How much more for a perfect holy 
God shall we receive eternal punishment? Which highlights 
what? The grace of our Lord God. It's 
not the absolute judgment concerning the Lord Jesus Christ, as if 
He sent down some minions to come and wipe out all of humanity. 
He sent His Son. He sent the Lord Jesus Christ 
to die in our stead. He could have judged us, and 
He would have been just in doing that, but He's also just in sending 
His perfect Son, who bears the wrath of God upon Him. Praise 
the Lord God that we have one who came, who did what Adam could 
not do, when Adam transgressed the law of God, because Christ 
is certainly the archetype for Adam. He did what Adam could 
not do. Adam did not live that law in 
perfection, and here comes Christ who does. This brings me to my 
second point concerning the Gospel. Notice its object. The object 
of the Gospel is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. R.T. France highlights that this is 
certainly referring to the Lord Jesus' title, not necessarily 
his social standing. We see his social standing in 
verse 9, but Mark wants you to see something. This Jesus Christ, 
this one who is to come, comes in Jesus of Nazareth. That's 
what he wants you to see. This is what the book is about, 
and this is what the object of the gospel is. It is Jesus Christ. Christ simply means Christ, Messiah, 
Anointed One. The One who will save His people 
from their sins. It is a blessed truth to know 
that God sent this One who could save His people from our sins. 
And notice His identity. The Son of God. What's Mark claiming 
here? That Jesus is God. He is the 
deity. Matthew, as we've already seen 
in Mark 2 verse 7, who can forgive sins but God alone? What's Jesus 
convicted of when he is sent to the cross? He's convicted 
of blasphemy. In Mark 14, 62, 63, I'm just 
going to turn there. Remember it. Oops. And Jesus, he's before the council, 
before the high priest, and this is what they ask him. 14 verse 
61. But he remained silent and made 
no answer. Again, the high priest asked 
him, Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? And Jesus 
said, I am. And you will see the Son of Man 
seated at the right hand of power and coming with the clouds of 
heaven. And the high priest tore his garments and said, What further 
witness do we need? You have heard his blasphemy. 
What is your decision?" This Jesus is God. And if we weren't 
thick already, if we couldn't understand what Mark is trying 
to say, John explicitly provides the answer for us. John chapter 
5 at verse 18. This is why the Jews were seeking 
more, all the more to kill him. Because not only was he breaking 
the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own father, making 
himself what? Equal with God. He is equal with God. The Lord Jesus Christ, when we 
think of His identity, He is the God-Man. The God-Man. Not so much that His Godhood 
enhances His humanity, or that His humanity decreases His divinity. He is just simply the God-Man. And certainly, as much as that's... 
I know that's hard to wrap our heads around, But it makes perfect 
sense in light of redemptive history. Who has sinned against 
the Lord God Most High? Man has. Who, what are we supposed 
to do? Fulfill the law in perfection. 
We can't do it. It must be God that does it. 
If Jesus Christ is not God, then we have no rock to stand upon. So what if Jesus came? So what if he's just some sort 
of wise sage? We could read about other sages 
if we wanted to. But no, this Jesus Christ is 
the Son of God, and we must know that, we must understand that. And I want to make, as I've already 
said, this is the object concerning the Gospel. This highlights something 
very important about the gospel itself. I've heard it said in 
other churches that I've attended to in other places concerning 
people's definition of the gospel, and we have to have a proper 
understanding of who the object is. People define it sometimes 
in this way. They define it as if we need 
to show the gospel, as if we need to, as Saint Francis of 
Assisi said, Preach the gospel and when necessary use words? 
That's wrong. It's preach the gospel and always 
use words. In the book of Acts, do we see 
the apostles going to an orphanage? As much as that's a good thing 
and being kind to the poor, and we should do that, It's not the 
gospel. Me being kind to someone isn't 
going to save them from their sins. It's them knowing their 
sin and believing on the Lord Jesus Christ that's going to 
save them from their sins. And certainly the Apostle Paul 
said anyone who gets the gospel wrong should be anathema. Forgive 
me for saying... I'm not. I'm not. Don't forgive 
me for saying this. It's heresy. It's heresy. You know why? Because 
that makes the gospel man-centered instead of God-centered. It makes 
it about our benevolent acts of goodness than the benevolent 
acts of the Lord Jesus Christ. And certainly that is wrong, 
that is wretched, that is not the gospel. The gospel is about 
our Lord Jesus Christ. And listen to Ryle's quote concerning 
the divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ. The divinity of Christ 
is the citadel and keep of Christianity. Let believers cling to this doctrine 
with jealous watchfulness. With it, they stand upon a rock. Without it, they have nothing 
solid beneath their feet. Our hearts are weak. Our sins 
are many. We need a Redeemer who is able 
to save to the uttermost. and deliver from the wrath to 
come. We have such a Redeemer in Jesus Christ. He is the mighty 
God. What's Mark wants you to see? 
He wants you to see that this Jesus Christ is the mighty one. He is the authoritative one, 
and He can save you from your sins. We don't have a weak God. 
We have a strong God. We have the all-powerful God 
who can do that. And by way of some concerning 
the gospel, listen to Calvin. The gospel, therefore, is a public 
exhibition of the Son of God manifested in the flesh to deliver 
a ruined world and to restore men from death to life. The gospel 
is the life, the death, the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Anything 
other than that is heresy and it's wrong. Now let us move forward 
into the Gospel, excuse me, the beginning of the Gospel foretold. And certainly this, excuse me, 
certainly going back to the idea of the Son of God, Christ claiming 
to be God, certainly that is expounded more in verses 2 and 
3. But anyway, the beginning of the Gospel foretold. Mark 
wants his hearers to see this good news concerning Jesus Christ 
begins with the fulfillment of the Old Testament in John the 
Baptizer. Look at verse 2, as it is written. I just want to make a comment 
of this word, of these three little words, as it is written. If you want a good defense against 
dispensationalism, against the idea that the Old Testament is 
no longer binding, just use these words. Certainly, I'm going to 
go into a bit of Greek here, but I think it's because the 
English doesn't bring out the force that's behind this. This tense here in the Greek, 
and it is written, is certainly a past action that's been completed, 
it's done, but it still has ongoing effects for the future. One grammarian 
highlighting this notes that it refers to the regulative and 
authoritative character of the document. There are two other 
tenses in Greek that refer to something that's completed that 
doesn't have ongoing effects. There's another tense, so there's 
another one that refers to events that started in the past that 
continue on into the future. This tense means this. It's finished. It's complete, because it has 
been written, the writing of the book is done, and now it 
applies, and now it has authoritative authority now. Certainly the 
Old Testament is authoritative, and certainly we should be reading 
it and understanding it. Because, as we'll see, it points 
to the Lord Jesus Christ. It points to Him. It points to 
the one who will crush the head of the serpent. It's a blessed 
book to read, and a blessed book to understand. Notice it is written 
in Isaiah the prophet. Now if you're paying attention, 
you'll know that verse 2 isn't from Isaiah the prophet. It's 
from Malachi chapter 3. Chapter 3 at verse 1. I would 
still render it Isaiah the prophet. Certainly other manuscripts have 
the prophets, but a lot of the commentators are okay with Isaiah 
the prophet. Most of the old ones have Isaiah 
the Prophet, and the majority of the manuscripts have Isaiah 
the Prophet. And the commentators say this concerning it, that 
he is the more prominent one. And certainly if it is written 
for a Gentile audience, What prophets do they mean if it's 
just the prophets? They don't really have a platform 
for which or through which they can search out these prophecies. So certainly I would render it 
Isaiah the prophet. And notice Malachi's messenger 
in the second part of verse two. Behold, I send my messenger before 
your face who will prepare your way. Notice who the sender is. If you want, you can turn to 
Malachi chapter 3 to see this. Notice who the sender is. Behold, pay attention, I send. Who's speaking? It's Yahweh of 
Israel. It's the Lord God. The Lord God 
is sending who? his messenger. And notice, too, 
that this I send highlights something very important. That God is the 
author of salvation. Doesn't it? He is the one who 
is sending this messenger to prepare the way of who? To prepare 
the way of me. In Mark, chapters 2, it says, 
prepare the way before your face, referring to the Lord Jesus Christ. 
But here in Malachi chapter 3, verse 1, he's referring to himself. Again, what's Mark trying to 
highlight? That this Jesus Christ is God. That this Jesus Christ 
is God, and the one who comes before him is preparing his way, 
and we must be ready to understand, or be ready to see that one. And notice, secondly, concerning 
Malachi's messenger, the messenger himself. I'm going to give it 
away. It's John. John the Baptist is 
the messenger. And notice what the messenger 
will do in Malachi chapter 3. Verse 2. Who can endure the day 
of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? 
For he is like a refiner's fire and like a fuller soap. He will 
sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and He will purify 
the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they 
will bring offerings in the righteousness to the Lord. Then the offering 
of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord, as in the 
days of old and as in former years. Then I will draw near 
to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against 
the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, 
against those who oppress the hired worker and his wages, the 
widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner. And do not fear me, says the 
Lord of hosts." What's he going to do? He's going to refine, 
he's going to purify, and judge. Listen to Gil concerning this. 
The work of this messenger was no other than to declare the 
long-expected Messiah was born, that he would quickly make his 
public appearance in Israel, that the kingdom of heaven or 
the kingdom of the Messiah was at hand, and that it became the 
Jews to repent of their sins and believe. What's preparing 
the way of the Lord? He's preaching Christ. He's preaching 
repent and turn to the Lord Jesus Christ. He's refining the people. He's refining Israel to prepare 
them for the coming of the one who can save them from their 
sins. And notice, as I've said already, 
the Messiah. In Malachi 3, he says, I will 
prepare the way before me. I will prepare the way before 
me. I will prepare the way before 
Yahweh. Jesus Christ really is God. I 
know I'm redundant with that, but Mark really wants his hearers 
to see and understand that. This one who comes is preparing 
the way of the Lord. Even though that this passage, 
Mark 1 to 4, is about really the messenger, it's really about 
the Messiah as well. It's really about glorifying 
the Messiah. It's really about the one who 
will come, prepare his way, and then decrease so that people 
can see the Lord Jesus Christ. And as I've said already, I think 
this highlights that God is both the author and the executor of 
salvation. He's both the one that plans 
it, and executes it. He is the one that plans it in 
time with himself and executes it in the life, the death, and 
the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's really a beautiful 
thing to behold. Salvation truly is of the Lord. It is not by our good deeds or 
our good intentions, but right standing with the Lord is based 
on the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ. And I think one 
thing that France highlights that I didn't see the connection 
with is the connection between Malachi 3 and Exodus 23. In Exodus 23, the Lord God says, 
Behold, I will send my angel before you to prepare your way. 
It's at Mount Sinai. He's speaking to the people of 
Israel. They've come out of Egypt. And he said, I will prepare your 
way into Canaan. And notice that's physical Israel. Now what's the Lord? Now who's 
preparing? Now look what the Lord's doing. He's preparing 
the way for spiritual Israel. Who is the Lord Jesus? He is 
Israel. He is the true Israel who can 
do what Israel couldn't. He can fulfill the law in perfection 
in the way that Israel could not do. And that's truly a blessed 
thing to see, a blessed thing to understand concerning this 
messenger. Another thing to highlight concerning 
Malachi, that this was some 400 years before the coming of John 
the Baptist. We flip through our Bibles and 
all of a sudden, oh, there he is, John's here, but it's been 
400 years since the Lord has spoken. This truly is a wonderful 
time. It's a blessed time in history. 
It's certainly... The people necessarily hearing 
this would not have understood that, or within the book would 
not have understood that, but certainly Mark wants his hearers 
to see that. He wants his hearers to see that this messenger is 
in fulfillment with not one, but two prophets, which is where 
we go to next. I call him Isaiah's wilderness 
man, Mark verse 3, from Isaiah chapter 40, verse 3. Isaiah 40 verse 3, the voice 
of one crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord, 
make his paths straight. Now if you know Isaiah 39, we 
know that the Lord God promises destruction of Jerusalem through 
Babylon. What comes right after? Grace. One commentator who comments 
on Isaiah highlights that there are three voices highlighting 
the grace that the Lord is bestowing or promising for his people. 
Does God not do this throughout the scripture? Adam sinned. What's 
he promised? The coming of the seed who will 
crush the head of the serpent. What happens in between Genesis 
11 and Genesis 12? There's the people of Babylon. 
They want to be like the Lord God. God judges them. What happens 
in 12? He calls Abraham. He calls Abraham, saying, I will 
bless all the nations through you. The Lord's grace is certainly 
evident in this passage, in Isaiah chapter 40, verse 3. And look 
at the voice. I'm going to give it away again. 
The voice is John. The voice is John, and again, 
I think Mark is trying to make that clear with verse 4. It is 
John. And notice he's crying out, he's 
preaching. What have we said concerning 
the gospel? It's something that must be spoken, it must be uttered, 
we must use words. What's he doing? He's preaching 
it. He's proclaiming it. He's preaching repentance, he's 
preaching turn, and he's preaching the one who will save them from 
their sins. And note also, too, the wilderness. 
Again, France made the connection with Exodus 20, 23 with Malachi, 
highlighting the wilderness connection. It's more explicit in verse 3, 
the wilderness, which is reminiscent of what? Israel's testing time 
for 40 years in the wilderness after they've come up out of 
Egypt. France makes this comment. The 
voice in the wilderness introduces a great vision of restoration, 
which is followed by the recurrent theme of a new exodus, a new 
beginning in a wilderness transformed by the renewing power of Israel's 
God. It is a time of hope. It is a 
time of restoration. And certainly, as I've said already, 
it's pointing forward to the true Israel who can do what Israel 
could not do. And notice too, both Malachi 
and Isaiah highlight that they both prepare the way of the Lord. Again, in Malachi 3, he highlights, 
you prepare the way before me. In Isaiah 40 he says, prepare 
the way of the Lord. Certainly the commentators think 
that Lord definitely means God, but I think the Hebrew provides 
a much better rendering, or I think we see the force better when 
we read it in the Hebrew. It's the personal name for God 
in the Hebrew. It's Yahweh. It's not just some 
Lord, it is Yahweh. So again, this Jesus Christ is 
the Son of God, His messenger, His forerunner, is prophesied 
in Malachi, and prophesied in Isaiah concerning the coming 
of Yahweh, concerning the coming of the Lord God. May I say this 
by way of indirect application concerning prophecy? Does this 
not show us a template for biblical prophecy, what it looks like, 
who it concerns? Unfortunately, in modern Christendom 
today, people are more enamored with hearing from the Lord in 
an audible way, in some sort of spiritual existential adventure 
where they float on up to heaven and float back down. in a way 
that they hear from God, speak to them, and then they speak 
that to other people. They call that prophecy. And 
it's usually concerning specific people, and it's usually concerning 
something about their life, concerning whether or not they have a good, 
whether or not they can have their best life now or whatever, 
that they provide encouragement for them in some sort of way. 
That's not the case with biblical prophecy if you look at it. I 
think before we even discuss whether or not gifts of revelation 
have ceased, I think it's important to question whether or not what 
we call prophecy, and by extension what we call tongues, is biblical 
in nature. Biblical prophecy centers on 
and around Yahweh. whether it is foretelling His 
wrath for sins, or His coming mercy upon the sinner, and by 
extension, primarily the Lord Jesus Christ. Prophecy is God-centered. It isn't some sort of way that 
we can have some sort of wonderful encouragement. I can't look at 
you and see a banner over your head and think of a word and 
call that prophecy. That's not it. Biblical prophecy 
is concerned with Yahweh of Israel. The last thing I want to highlight 
is the beginning of the Gospel fulfilled in Mark chapter 4. 
As I've said, the messenger and the voice are John. Does this 
not highlight the faithfulness of our Lord God, that he can 
do what he says he would do, and even by extension, the Lord 
could have had the plan to save his sinners all along, but he 
didn't provide little steps or signs along the way to give his 
people hope. Right after they sin, he says, 
I'm gonna send, the seed of the woman will crush the seed of 
the serpent. In Deuteronomy, he highlights 
that there's a prophet coming who will come like Moses, In 
Isaiah 53 we have the coming of the suffering servant. And 
here we see that these men, Malachi and Isaiah, are giving people 
something to hope for. They're giving them a prophecy 
or one to look forward to. And certainly this comes in the 
form of John. Verse 4, He came, John the baptizer. Now this word came, there are 
two words that can mean come in Greek. There are ones referring 
to location, as if I come to church and leave from church, 
and there are others referring to whether or not I come into 
existence. I just pop up, or whether, yeah, whether or not 
I come into existence. And I think it's better rendered 
John assumed his character. We have the character described 
in 2 and 3, and John comes and assumes his character, which 
highlights the blessedness and the beauty of the Bible. It is 
written just so mesmerizingly, isn't it? Certainly we have the 
description of the One, in two and three, and then his appearance. 
I just, I love movies, so I picture a movie, I hear this deep voice 
going, the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 
As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, Behold, I send my messenger 
before your face, who will prepare your way. The voice of one crying 
in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths 
straight. And the screen jumps on. There's 
a picture of John. He's the one who assumes the 
character. It's the same word used in verse 9 concerning the 
Lord Jesus Christ saying what? He assumes his character as the 
Messiah. He assumes his character. Certainly 
he is the Son of God prior to this, but he's assuming his role 
at this point in redemptive history. And notice too, some translations 
concerning the idea of baptizing or baptizer, render either baptizing 
or baptizer, excuse me. I would render it, John, he came, 
the baptizer, not baptizing. Certainly we have mention of 
another John in chapter 1. It's John the son of Zebedee. 
And as I've said already, it's a Gentile audience. They would 
not have known who John the Baptist is. So certainly I think it is 
John the Baptizer which highlights that it's a title concerning 
or describing John. And notice, too, the fulfillment, 
what John does. He comes in the wilderness, fulfilling 
what? Both Malachi and Isaiah. He's fulfilling both of those 
prophecies. And certainly, I think this highlights 
something as well. Mark is concerned with demonstrating 
that the gospel did not start kind of ad hoc. It didn't start 
kind of willy-nilly, but it's orchestrated in the wisdom of 
God, and it's executed by the will and power of God. It is 
a blessed thing to see, it is a blessed thing to concern, or 
to understand. John, or Mark wants us here to 
see that this John, the baptizer, is the fulfillment of both the 
messenger and the voice. And notice what he does. He cries 
out, he proclaims a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness 
of sins. He preaches, and preaches a baptism 
of repentance. Now certainly this looks like 
baptism precedes repentance. That is not the case at all. 
Repentance is describing something about the baptism. It's probably 
better rendered a baptism characterized by repentance. It's describing 
something about the baptism. One of the prerequisites, if 
you will, for baptism is repentance. Baptism is not a saving ordinance. Otherwise, that would make it 
by the work performed and not by the grace received. It would 
be legalistic in its nature, and that's not the case at all. 
It is a sign of one's repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And France has a comment concerning 
this idea, which is found in the works of first century historian 
Josephus. John presented baptism, according 
to Josephus, as meaningful not in itself, but only if preceded 
by a commitment to repentance. Baptism should not then be used 
to gain pardon for their sins, but was merely a bodily mark 
of purity. What's John doing? He's preaching, 
turn from your sins, turn away, and believe on the Lord Jesus 
Christ. And by way of application, what 
does this highlight about the ordinance of baptism, especially 
for us Baptists? Repentance precedes that. Repentance simply means a change 
of mind, change of principle. We see our sin, we realize it's 
wrong, we see the Savior, our thoughts change concerning Him, 
and we believe on Him. It's certainly a child or an 
infant can't repent It's a baptism of repentance. Repentance precedes 
the act or rite of baptism. And notice the purpose of it. For the forgiveness, so that 
people might, excuse me, repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 
Praise the Lord God, as I've said already, that He comes to 
forgive us of our sins, our sins that we have transgressed His 
law, we have sinned against Him, and certainly He forgives us 
for that. That we were called to repent, 
to see our sin, that we might believe on the Lord, and we will 
be forgiven in the Lord Jesus Christ. I just want to say a 
quote from Gundry concerning the connection between verses 
2 and 3 and the appearance of John in verse 4. John's appearance 
on the scene matches the sending of God's messenger. John's activity 
of baptizing matches the messengers preparing the way of the Lord. 
The location in the wilderness matches the location of one crying 
in the wilderness. John's preaching matches the 
crying out of the voice. The baptism of repentance, which 
starts with confession of sins and ends in their forgiveness, 
matches the making ready of the Lord's way and the making straight 
of his paths. The detailedness of these match-ups 
adds great weight to Mark's emphasis on God's working out His plan. Praise the Lord that God can 
execute His plan in history. Praise the Lord that He had a 
plan to save people from their sins, and He deserves glory and 
praise and honour for those things. And I just want to close by way 
of application. The first thing is this. The 
Gospel is something we must know and we must preach. We must have 
an accurate, precise definition of what it is so that we can 
accurately proclaim it. That's for all of us believers. If we do claim to believers, 
we must for sure know it. The second point I want to highlight 
is for believers. Certainly we are saved by grace 
alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, But we must certainly 
live in a manner worthy of the gospel. We must walk in a manner 
consistent with it. Paul highlights this in Philippians 
chapter 1. In Jude chapter 4, Jude highlights 
what a characteristic of a false prophet is. It's one who perverts 
the grace of God into licentiousness. who perverts the grace of God 
into anything goes. What does Paul say in Romans 
chapter 6? What shall we say then? Shall we keep on saying 
that grace may abound? By no means. And certainly with this walking 
in the manor, how do we do that? It's the normative use of the 
moral law, the normative use of those Ten Commandments. It's 
a pattern of living, or excuse me, it's a normative use, it's 
a pattern provides a pattern of sanctification, a pattern 
through which we can follow. So certainly when we do seek 
to live out the law, because we have been saved, not to save 
ourselves, we must think of those ten things for sure. Do we love 
the Lord God with all our hearts? Do we have false idols? Do we 
take His name in vain? Do we remember the Sabbath? Do 
we honor our fathers and mothers? Do we murder? Do we commit adultery? Do we steal? Do we lie? Do we 
covet? Certainly we must think of those 
things. And certainly we should praise 
the Lord God that we have one to call upon who lived out the 
struggles we face without sin. The Lord Jesus Christ is described 
in Hebrews 12 as the author and the perfecter of our faith. Certainly we can look to one 
who did live the law in perfection, who did what we could not and 
died as that perfect sacrifice for our sins. And my last way 
of application is for unbelievers. You need to believe on this. 
You must believe on this. Your soul depends on it. There are some of you out there 
who, despite the definition of the gospel, that it does presuppose 
that it occurred in history, still do not believe. And this 
is because of our sin-stained hearts. It's because of the thick, 
dark blood that courses through your veins. Certainly, as believers, 
we've understood this. We've been washed by the blood 
of the Lamb. But if you are not a believer today, you are sin-stained. Your blood is dark and you must 
turn from it and believe on this one. I'm going to tell you this 
right off the bat. There's going to be punishment 
on the Day of Judgment, and the Lord is going to be just in one 
of two ways. He's either going to punish the 
sinner for eternity, or He is going to punish the Savior. Praise the Lord that He has punished 
the Savior already, and those who have believed have believed 
on Him. And those who do not, I would 
exhort you now to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be 
saved. I just want to close with this 
comment that Ryle had concerning the Lord Jesus Christ, and this 
comment has more to do with the entire introduction, but it is 
a blessed thing to think about. Let us ask ourselves as we leave 
the passage how much we know by practical experience of the 
truths which John preached. What do we think of Christ? Have 
we felt our need of him and fled to him for peace? Is he king 
over our hearts and all the things to our souls? What do we think 
of the Holy Spirit? Has he wrought a saving work 
in our hearts? Has he renewed and changed them? 
Has he made us partakers of the divine nature? Life or death 
depend on our answer to these questions. And if anyone does 
not have the spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ 
and you shall be saved. I'll close with prayer. Dear 
Heavenly Father, we thank you for this day, Lord God. We thank 
you for the gospel, that it did happen in time and space, Lord 
God, and it did concern the Lord Jesus Christ, that he did live 
the law in perfection, something we could not do. And we praise 
you, Lord God, that we can call upon him, that we can look to 
the one who did live the law justly and righteously, Lord 
God. And Lord God, we just thank you so much that you are faithful 
to execute what you will do in time and space, Lord God, how 
you provided Israel with prophecies concerning the coming one, that 
you would give them hope, Lord God, and certainly we do have 
hope that the Lord Jesus Christ is coming again, because you 
are faithful, Lord God. And Lord God, we just pray that 
you would go with us this day, Lord God, that we might think 
the things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ, that we might know 
Him accurately, Lord God, that we might be able to accurately 
proclaim what is right and true concerning Him, Lord God. Forgive 
us when we do not. Forgive us when we sin against 
You, Lord God. We pray that Your name would 
be glorified this day, and that You would be lifted high. Amen.