Messages
from the Bible
A Sermon by Dr. Neil Chadwick
Mark 1:2,3
Introduction:
2. Provides a balanced nourishing diet;
3. Removes selection from our personal interests and likes;
4. Avoids possibility of missing an important truth; and
5. Is accompanied by full faith in the Spirit's ability to speak to us all.
C. Remember, according to verse 1, it is the Gospel, or the "Good News" concerning Jesus the Messiah; the person, work and teaching of the Son of God come in the flesh.
D. In today's world there are so many announcements, a great many voices clamoring for our attention:
In the market ("Attention K-Mart Shoppers"), on Billboards, the Radio, Telemarketing, TV, the Internet ("You Have New Mail") - from everywhere come important messages.
B. It was part of God's plan, there's no surprise here, His people were notified.
They had no reason not to know that Messiah was coming
Notice was given by a "voice", a spoken message; "crying", which was not a sob in sorrow, but a loud call, a herald's announcement.
B. The prophets were alluding to the return of the captives through the desert, "IN THE DESERT, PREPARE!"
A way would need to be prepared for the pilgrims returning to Jerusalem.
2. The route was northwest along the Euphrates, almost to the Mediterranean. then South (and a little west) through the Rift Valley to Judah
3. The journey was a total of 1,000 miles. The most common mode was walking at 2-3 miles per hour (donkeys or ox carts would have been used for baggage), or a maximum of 20 miles per day. If there were no days for rest, it would take nearly 2 months of travel on foot; probably much longer because there were nearly 50,000 people in this troop.
B. Isaiah 40:4 - "Every Valley Raised Up, Mountain and Hill Brought Low, Rough Ground Made Level, Rugged Places a Plain.
b. The "mountains brought low" refers to the proud and self righteous who will be put down.
c. The "crooked" are the dishonest.
d. To prepare for Christ then was to preach repentance.
e. "Prepare" - it's a message of holiness and righteousness.
b. Mountains are the obstacles and problems.
c. The Rough Ground and Rugged Places are the daily struggles we all experience.
d. The Lord will lead His people through the wilderness back to Jerusalem, i.e., back to God.
But also, Jesus is still looking for "voices", people who will announce His coming.
The Announcement of Christ's Coming
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A. The Careful, Consistent, Consecutive Preaching from Mark
Notes:
1. Honors the written Word;
B. In the last message we learned about the writer, John Mark.
A. John's coming, and his announcement of the Messiah was in fulfillment of prophecy (Malachi 3:1 as well as Isaiah 40:3).
I. John's purpose was to prepare for Messiah's coming: Where?
A. In the desert (the Judean wilderness, just west of the Dead Sea, near where the Jordan river empties into it - a rough, rocky, barren "wilderness".)
II. Jesus sent His disciples to do the same, announce His coming. We are called to prepare the way for His coming, both in this life and in preparation for His Second Coming when He will lead His people back from Babylon to the New Jerusalem.
1. This return of the captives would constitute a trip similar to that made by Abraham. Although it was a major international route, it was just an unpaved dirt roadway.
A. We now live in, or travel through the desert in which preparations need to be made.
Conclusion:
1. How did this apply to people in John's day?
a. The "valleys being exalted" means that the poor and lowly would be raised up.
2. How does it apply for us today?
a. Valleys would represent sadness, depression, sorrow, the low point in a person's life.
3. There's a combination of the two - we must participate in the preparation by repentance, but then it is the Lord who lifts up valleys, removes mountains and smooths the rough ground.
The "voice" is still being heard today, are you listening?
A voice calling for repentance, and a voice of hope.
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