September 25th, 2011 Book of Mark-The Gospel

What is the Gospel? This week we start a new series in the book of Mark, and look at the first words of Jesus that open the book and summarize the gospel.

If you want a study tool to go along with the podcast, see Lift Notes here:

The Gospel of Mark: What is the Gospel?

September 25, 2011  by Kasey Crawford

Today’s Passage: Mark 1:1-15 

This is the Good News about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God. (v.1)

Throughout the book of Mark, “good news” and __________ are the same word.

The book of Mark is the good news about Jesus, and Jesus is the _______ _______.

Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, which means ____________ ______, and has the sense of a person on whom the ________ of God rests in order to be empowered for God’s work. We see this as he gets baptized…

As Jesus came up out of the water, he saw the heavens splitting apart and the Holy Spirit descending on him like a dove.  (v. 10)

The Holy Spirit of God rests on (anoints) him so much that his presence on earth is opening up the heavens to touch earth.

Then Jesus speaks for the first time…the gospel.

Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, ¹⁵ and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”                     Mark 1:14-15

It is no coincidence that this “gospel” proclamation is at the very beginning of book or that they are the first words of Jesus.  This is a __________ technique to say that this is a summary of what Jesus is all about, and summary of what the book of Mark is all about.

What is the gospel?

The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand (v.15)

Time– kairos– carries the nuance of a _________ point, a ______-____________ moment.

Kingdom–When Jesus teaches his disciples to pray he says (Matt 6:10)

Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

The kingdom is when __________ comes to ________;

This is what is being described within the Mark 1 passage itself…

As Jesus came up out of the water, he saw the heavens splitting apart and the Holy Spirit descending on him like a dove.  (v.10)

His life was a ________of heaven on earth.  He was humanity perfected. He showed us the possibility and potential that humanity is made for…

I (John) baptize you with water, but he (Jesus) will baptize you with the Holy Spirit!”  That same Holy Spirit power that enables a breakthrough of heaven in Jesus’ life, He will give to you so that you can experience Heaven open and breaking into your life.

When the kingdom of God comes into our life, God is made to reign as King over every aspect of who we are, resulting in the transformation of our life towards the wholeness, healing, and perfection of heaven (also called the fruit of the Holy Spirit-love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, humility, power, hope).

At hand– there is an implied ___________ to reach out and grab it.

So, the gospel in Mark 1 is: there is a life-changing opportunity to take hold of more of heaven in your life.

The gospel is not that Jesus died so you could ___ to heaven after you die; but that Jesus lived, died and rose again to _________ heaven to earth now, in part, and welling up to its fullness in eternity.

So, a framework for understanding Mark: The book of Mark puts on display how Jesus brings more of heaven to earth and invites his followers to experience the same in their life.

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