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MARK--head down, with pen in hand, and scroll
1. The
beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, (Oh, how I remember how
Peter said about Jesus “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!”)
2. Dan walks
down the middle church aisle, saying these things. It is written in Isaiah the
prophet:
"I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way"—
"a voice of one calling in the desert,
'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'
We will meet at the front of the church.
**Cletus--“Who are you?”
Dan, “I am John the Baptist.”
“And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and
preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
3. John says
REPENT when I say this.
4. “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.
5. John wore clothing made of camel's hair, with a
leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. And this was
his message: "After me will come one more powerful than I, the thongs of
whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.
6. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you
with the Holy Spirit." Dan
walks off
7. My full name is John Mark, I have been asked by your
pastor, Cletus Hull, to talk with you this morning about the Lord Jesus.
To help you understand why I wrote my story, the gospel,
the good news--I hope you will receive it this way this am. Grow in your
faith--to be encouraged, my friends
8. Pick up
tray with gospels--this was the NT that a we had--my friends, Matthew, Luke and
John wrote their version who Jesus was --Matthew--last week, OT scriptures 9.
Bibles, WOW!
10. We
apostles would preach the gospel from town to town and in the villages.
We were there for a few days, then go to the next town. We wrote these
gospels, the events of the life of Jesus
This took a great deal of effort to write this
Paper-papyrus--hand made in Egypt parchment; the skin of
goats, many goats
11. Miraculous
you have this to share--we are humbled you would take the time to read this,
inspired by the Holy Spirit. You
have the letters of my friends in one--book
12. Open to
Mark, open my gospel
13. My name
is Mark, writer of the gospel of Mark in your New Testament, I am a disciple of
Jesus, but not one of the 12 apostles, as some of you may believe.
14. I am like many of you.
I have failed in life. I ran
away not once, but twice from doing God’s will for my life.
As a young man, I lost confidence in my ability to serve God.
But as you’ve read in the Acts of the Apostles, written by my friend
and brother in the Lord, Luke, you read that my cousin Barnabas believed in me
enough to take me on as a project to help restore me to the ministry.
I let down my family and the great apostle Paul.
I dropped out of sight for years. Eventually,
I regained strength and maturity and proved myself to everyone again.
In fact, the great apostle wrote his second letter to Timothy, near the
end of his life (CRY) “Get Mark and bring him to me, for he is useful for the
ministry.” I stayed with Paul in
prison for a while helping him write letters to the churches.
15. Another
key to my restoration was the Apostle Peter.
Peter related to my failures, for he too, had publicly failed the Lord,
not once, twice, but three times. His
influence on my life was instrumental to helping me regain my confidence to do
God’s work--then, to write the gospel of Mark, which you have in your Bibles.
Peter was the source of the information guiding me in the writing of this
gospel--good news of Jesus, as
inspired by the Holy Spirit. Peter’s
strong personality and vivid language are in my gospel of Jesus.
16. Peter, I want to thank you, as I do Barnabas, you
are my father in the Lord, as is Barnabas. (HUG) Thank you.
Peter you gave me a second as the Lord did for both of us, let’s tell
everyone here this morning about how Jesus did this!
16. Go to
the table and chairs (light candle)
17. Peter, I would to interview and ask you about the
life of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God
Take pen in hand and hold up scroll (point toward
screen)
18. First, a
couple of Jesus’ miracles, He was
the wonder-worker
19. I heard
that not once, but twice that Jesus fed 5000 and then 4000 people with just a 2
fish and 5 loaves of bread. How did
he do that?
20. Then you
told me about a time you were in someone’s home with so many people outside
trying to see Jesus, so they did the most amazing thing, they made a hole in the
roof and let a sick man in and Jesus saw their faith and healed the man.
What was that like?
21. One last
miracle story for today, I’ll get some more tomorrow--a man named Legion with
many demons, 5000 of them in him, met Jesus at the Sea of Galilee.
Jesus cast them out into a herds of pigs.
What was that all about?
22. Move to
the pulpit--What about the baptism of Jesus, when John the Baptist, who was just
here baptized you, a voice, “You are my beloved Son in whom I am well
pleased.” What was that like?
23. Then I
heard about a time when you, James and John went up on a high mountain and Jesus
was transfigured, turned bright white before you, with Moses and Elijah. WOW!
Tell me about that
Conclude, they saw, “Jesus only”
24. Finally,
I know this is hard, but you and I have a similar background, we failed the Lord
and yet he has accepted us back. You
denied the Lord Jesus 3 times publicly. What
happened? I know it wasn’t
something easy to go through.
25. Stand
down front--I’m going to ask you about several people, disciples, others, tell
me what you think about them…ok?
26. The
brothers James and John, sons of thunder who wanted to be first in the kingdom
27. Of
course, you know I’ve got to as you about, he‘s going to be here in a few
weeks--Judas
28. Pilate
(play cd from sound room--track 5, His Last Days)
29. Thank
you Peter, my father in the Lord, and in the faith--
Bob--Peter--Thank you Mark for what you are doing,
writing this gospel, my son in the Lord
30. Perhaps
you can identify with me, Mark, young man. Perhaps you've done things you're
ashamed of. In fact, you may have a dirty little secret that you keep bottled up
in your life. You don't want to think about it, and you live in fear that
someday somehow somebody will find you out. Deep down inside you are
uncomfortable and even afraid. What caused you to give up your faith was that
you think that God might not tolerate someone like you. You, too, may feel that
you are beyond hope.
If you feel that way you are not alone. That’s why
these two men, Peter and myself,
John Mark, who messed up their lives, relate to you, today
31. Between
the loyal love of Barnabas,-the development of a gentle humility in the aged
Paul.
God never gave up on me, Mark. Neither did my cousin, Barnabas. And in the end,
neither did Paul. And God doesn’t give up on you, either.
The word of God for you today. No matter who you are.
32. May God build into you the
encouragement and steadfast love of Barnabas, the boldness and single-minded
drive of Paul, and the growing usefulness of John Mark. Not to mention the
ability to just "be there" exhibited in faithful Luke. These are crown
jewels of character that I desire greatly for you, Trinity UC church.
33. And may we all learn to extend
the same grace and second, third, and four-hundredth chances to others that God
has extended to me.
34. I want
to close with an event in Jesus life and a phrase from my gospel to leave with
you.
35. Place
boat up on screen, Jesus in boat, relate story, “what manner of man was
this?”
36. In my
gospel, Jesus is 100% God and 100% Man (human)
37. Man--asleep
on boat, God--raised his hand, hushed the sea and waves, “be stilled”, go,
“be muzzled” what manner of man is this?
38. Man--wept
at grave, w/salty tears, of friend Lazarus, God-He said, “Lazarus come
forth”
39. Man-hung
on cross, said “My God”; God--“It is finished, In your hands I commit my
spirit”
40. Man-born
of Mary, in Bethlehem; God--when at 12 years of age, questions teachers in
temple
41. Man-they
took his lifeless body from cross, laid it in the tomb, buried, dead:
God--on the 3rd morning he rose from the
winding sheets, Looked over world said,
“Because I live, you shall live also” What A savior!
What manner of man is this?
42. I, John
Mark, write to you, so that you may know that Jesus Christ is the Son of the
living God. And to let you know that
through it all, I’ve learned to trust more in Jesus, I’ve learned to trust
in God. That’s the God Jesus for
me, Mark and he can be for you, too!
BENEDICTION--gospel of Mark ends
Go into all the world and preach the good news to all
creation.
16Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but
whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17And these signs will accompany
those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new
tongues;
18they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when
they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their
hands on sick people, and they will get well."
19After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken
up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God.
20Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere,
and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that
accompanied it.
Gospel of Mark started with action and closes with more
action to be done through you!
Go in the Name of Christ--do His mighty deeds. Little
Christ’s to the world. Amen and
Amen!