The One Who Was Called, The One Who Calls: Mark 1:9-20

This morning we continue this new sermon series that Pastor Josh started last week in the Gospel of Mark.

This morning we're going to look at verses 9 through 20, chapter 1.

Hear the word of God.

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.

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.

Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew, the brother of Simon, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.

And Jesus said to them, Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.

And immediately they left their nets and followed him.

And going on a little farther, he saw James, the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets.

And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.

This is the reading of God's holy, precious, infallible, inerrant word.

May the Spirit who inspired these words, illumine these words to our minds now as we pray.

Let's ask Him.

Father, we thank you that you so loved this world that you gave your one and only Son.

You sent him from heaven to earth on a mission that no one else could ever accomplish.

We thank you for all that your son did accomplish by the indwelling and filling of the Spirit.

Spirit of God, would you fill us this morning?

Fill our minds with truth, fill our hearts with your grace that we would open up, open up in new ways to you.

Every one of us, we pray in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Let me just begin by giving a little bit more context for this gospel of Mark.

Mark was the interpreter of the apostle Peter, who wrote down accurately so much of what Peter told him, all that he heard from Peter.

Mark relied on Peter's testimony of the life and the events of Jesus Christ.

He was an eyewitness.

This is written probably somewhere between 60 and 70 A.D.

Most likely he wrote it from the city of Rome.

If you know your history, you know that this was a very, very significant time in the history of the Roman Empire and the Roman world.

Jerusalem would be destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D., the temple, and many of the people.

Peter is preparing through his preaching, and John and Mark, John Mark is recording what was going to happen and how that was going to affect all around.

The audience was mostly a Roman Gentile world like most of us.

Mark records 18 miracles, only four parables.

Mark's gospel is more focused on what Jesus did than even what Jesus said.

We find Jesus' longer sermons in other gospels, Matthew and Luke and John.

The emphasis is on doing.

This little word immediately, notice how many times we've already come across this word.

This is one of Mark's favorite words.

Immediately.

In other words, onto the next scene.

It's a fast-paced novel, if you will, in that sense.

36% of the book is focused on the last week of Jesus' life, the Passion Week.

It is very action-oriented.

I have found over the years two key questions that have really helped me learn and understand the gospel of Mark.

The first question is this: who is this one who calls us?

Not just his disciples in his day and time, but today.

Who is this one who calls us?

And secondly, what does it mean to follow him?

I think if you keep those two questions in mind, it will help open up this gospel in new ways, perhaps.

Today we're going to look specifically at the baptism of Jesus, the temptation of Jesus, and the calling of Jesus.

Let's start with his baptism.

We read in verses 9 through 11.

Jesus is baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River, and it says, and when he came up out of the water immediately, what did he see?

He looks up, and the heavens are being torn open.

Think about that.

It reminds us of Isaiah's prophecy in chapter 64 of his book.

Oh the Lord God, that you would rend the heavens, that you would tear open the heavens and come down.

Here it is.

It's happening.

Why was Jesus baptized?

He comes out of the water, the Holy Spirit descends on him like a dove, and then the voice comes from heaven, not just any voice, the voice of his father, a voice that he was so familiar with for all eternity.

He knew that voice.

When somebody who loves you, I mean, you know they really love you, and they're for you, and they call you.

It's special, isn't it?

That voice.

This is what the voice from heaven said.

You are my beloved son, and with you I am well pleased.

So why was Jesus baptized?

Pastor Josh pointed out last week that John the Baptist came with a baptism of water for repentance.

John's baptism was to prepare the way for the coming of the King.

And what John was saying through that baptism is you're not ready.

We're not ready.

What stands in the way of being able to receive this king and receive the offer of forgiveness that he is going to bring is our sin.

We all have a sin problem.

The theologian G.K.

Chesterton in England, a brilliant theologian, once said famously, I find it difficult for people to challenge the doctrine of original sin.

It's the one doctrine that seems to be empirically verified.

Just take a day.

Take any day.

And that original sin that Andrew read about earlier, we're going to come back to, it's empirically verified, isn't it?

We see our sin.

We sense our sin.

If that was John's baptism with water to prepare the people to come to Jesus, first you have to deal with your sin.

Did you know that nobody gets saved by Jesus until they first get lost?

Did you know that?

You can't find Jesus until you first realize that you're spiritually lost.

And that's why he came.

But how do we reconcile if Jesus was perfect?

Why was he baptized with a water baptism for repentance?

You know the answer, don't you?

It wasn't for his sin.

He had no sin.

He was baptized by John with the baptism for repentance, not for his sake, but for our sake.

To become one of us, to identify with us.

To say, like John the Baptist said in John chapter 1, verse 29, when he saw Jesus coming to him, he said, Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, to take away our sin.

John 1:29

That's why he was baptized.

The one who would baptize his followers with the Holy Spirit, that being Jesus, first of all humbles himself to receive the baptism of repentance.

In submitting to John's baptism, Jesus is acknowledging the judgment of God upon Israel that would fall on him.

This was a very sobering experience for Jesus to be baptized by John.

He knew exactly what it meant.

When he came out of the water with the affirmation of his father, this is my beloved son with whom I am well pleased, with the affirmation of the Father, which he needed every bit of that, he knew one day this will lead me to a cross where I will be crucified for the sins of my people.

His mission will be to endure the judgment of God.

Sin for us.

So that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

That's what this baptism was about.

Jesus did not become a sinner, Jesus became the sacrifice of sin for sinners, so that we would not receive the judgment of God for our sin.

This is the gospel of Jesus Christ.

This is what Jesus' baptism was about.

Verse 10 says, And when he came up out of the water, again he saw the heavens being torn open.

As Jesus was coming up out of the water, the Holy Spirit was coming down.

In the form of a dove.

Why?

Well, we think the dove would signify peace and purity and gentleness.

Coming upon Christ, this was when Christ was filled with the Holy Spirit for his public ministry.

It was required for him to fulfill his ministry.

The Holy Spirit, the Father's voice.

You see the Trinity right here.

Jesus, the Son of God, being baptized, the Spirit falling upon him, the Father's voice coming from heaven.

Jesus the Son receives the full blessing in unqualified approval of his Father.

What better blessing could the Son have received to begin his public ministry, knowing all that he was going to face?

A very public personal affirmation.

Jesus would not lose his father's love even with his baptism.

I think this is the sense of it.

This is the voice of the Father saying, Son, there will be many times ahead when you will draw great strength by remembering this truth.

Let the certainty of my love for you strengthen you and support you in every step that you take.

He needed that.

That was not some extra thrown in.

And you know what?

You and I need to know that.

You and I need to hear that too, don't we?

To make it through life.

Are you discovering that?

Are you learning how to preach the gospel to yourself?

That's how we grow as Christians.

We hear many voices that don't come from God.

We need to hear the voice of God just like God's own son did.

You are my beloved daughter.

You ever hear that voice?

You are my beloved son.

Because of what Jesus Christ has done for you, I am well pleased with you.

How appropriate as Jesus would immediately be driven into the wilderness for 40 days being tempted by Satan.

We looked at the baptism of Jesus.

Now we're going to look at the temptation of Jesus.

40 days?

That's not the way I would have wanted to start my ministry.

40 days in the desert.

To the point of starvation.

You know, 40 days without food?

You're close to death.

I can only wonder what was the what was the conversation like in heaven between the father and the son?

Son, this is what's going to happen.

And this is where you're going to begin your ministry.

And you're not going to begin your ministry in a palace.

You're not going to begin your ministry at home with your friends.

You're going to begin your ministry in a desert.

And oh, by the way, they're going to be wild beast.

You know two-thirds of the books of the Bible talk about lions in the Old Testament?

Lions were very prevalent in Israel back then, much more so.

Some scholars believe, and I think they probably are right.

Where was Mark writing this book from?

Rome.

What was going on at Rome during this time?

The Christians were being persecuted.

Some of them were being fed to lions.

I don't think this is lost on Mark.

Jesus was right there in the midst of the wild beast in the desolate, arid desert wilderness alone.

Except he knew that his father was with him.

He knew that the Spirit indwelt him.

Like Moses spent 40 days in the desert on Mount Sinai, like Elijah the prophet spent 40 days in the wilderness on his way to Sinai.

Like Israel spent 40 years in the wilderness.

Jesus' 40 days in the wilderness sound the dominant note of his entire ministry.

Jesus' ministry, by and large, was a ministry in the desert.

I think there's lots of reasons for that.

Let me just give one very brief application right now.

He understands your deserts.

He understands your deserts much more than you realize.

And the more you understand what everything that he was tempted in, everything that he faced in the desert, he was truly alone.

You're not.

The temptation of Jesus.

Now let's go back to the passage that Andrew read earlier from Romans chapter 5.

Romans 5 · chapter mention

As Ben and I were talking in the service preparation this week, this is a dense passage.

But Jesus wouldn't have given it to us if he didn't want us to understand it.

This passage.

And it applies to the baptism this morning.

It applies to the sermon.

This passage.

For if many died through one man's trespass, that would be Adam, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abounded for many.

And the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin, for the judgment following that one trespass brought all of us.

What did it bring all of us?

Condemnation.

But the free gift following many trespasses brought justification.

Do you see?

It's not fair.

One sin by Adam brought death and condemnation to all of us.

One act of obedience by Jesus Christ brought life and justification for all who come into Christ.

For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous.

Jesus is the second Adam.

That's what Paul is saying in Romans chapter 5.

Romans 5 · chapter mention

Jesus is the last Adam.

The first Adam failed miserably, and we all fell in him.

It's called original sin.

We have all sinned many, many times, but we all inherited Adam's original sin.

But God didn't leave us like that.

Look at the contrast between the first Adam and the second Adam, represented by Jesus' work we're reading about this morning.

Adam was our representative, Jesus, our second Adam.

Look at the difference.

The first Adam, where was he when he was tested?

In paradise.

He had everything.

He had a perfect life.

He had a perfect wife.

He had everything going for him.

And he blew it, didn't he?

He doubted God's goodness when the devil came to him and said, has not God said, surely God is denying you by telling you, forbidding you to eat of that tree.

If God was really good, he wouldn't put any restrictions or boundaries on you, would he?

Adam believed the lie of Satan, that God was not being good.

And he succumbed to that temptation and to that sin.

And he did that in perfect conditions in paradise.

How about the second Adam?

No, that was not paradise.

That was not paradise.

In the wilderness alone for 40 days, fasting with the wild animals, saying, Okay, Lord, I, Father, I accept this call.

This is a very hard call, but I accept this call because I know what it's going to lead to.

The many will be made righteous.

Romans chapter 5.

Romans 5 · chapter mention

Adam was tested in his sonship and failed.

Jesus was tested also in his sonship.

Adam failed his test, and we all failed with him.

God had put the first Adam in the garden, God had put the second Adam in the desert.

Theologian Ed Clowney puts it like this: Our temptations differ with Adam's temptation and Jesus' temptation.

Our temptations differ in some respects.

Satan, however, does not find it necessary to offer all the kingdoms of the world to the average sinner.

He can buy most of us sinners for small change.

I've been thinking about that this week.

It's true.

Luke, Matthew goes into the full testimony of the temptation.

Mark doesn't.

But you remember Satan offered him all the kingdoms of the world.

He said, fall off that temple and let the angels catch you, because isn't that what the scripture says?

Satan was tempting the second Adam, Jesus, much like he tempted the first Adam, challenging God's goodness.

What he was doing in the second temptation.

With Jesus, he was saying, okay, prove that God's good, prove that God's faithful.

Bow down to me and worship me, and I'll give you all the kingdoms, and you won't have to go to the cross.

See, that's really the catch.

Satan was saying, you won't have to go to the cross.

I'll spare you the cross, as if he could.

Adam lacked nothing.

Jesus lacked almost everything except his father's love.

If you have your father's love, if you know that you are his daughter, if you know that you are his son, you have everything you need.

This life and the next life.

Satan tempted Adam to question again God's goodness.

Satan tempted Jesus to question God's goodness.

Satan suggested that Jesus provide for himself, since it would seem that his father was not providing for him.

Hebrews chapter 2, verse 17 and 18.

Hebrews 2:17

Perhaps spend some time later in the day.

Jesus was tempted in every way just like us.

But he did not fall.

I know this is a biblical theological sermon this morning.

We're getting a little bit more into theology because of these events.

Let me tell you about the three great imputations that the Bible talks about.

We're going back to Romans chapter 5.

Romans 5 · chapter mention

We're still back in Mark chapter 1.

Mark 1 · chapter mention

Imputation is a theological word where God puts into someone's account.

Think of it, God is putting something into someone's spiritual account.

The Bible talks about three great imputations.

Adam's sin was imputed to us, all of us.

Adam's sin was charged to all of our accounts.

Our sin was imputed to Christ.

And what's the third great imputation?

The righteousness of Christ was imputed to us.

All of his righteousness was put into your spiritual account.

Grace can undo anything that sin can do.

To condemn us, it only took one sin, Adam's sin, yet grace must rectify all of our sins, all of us who are in Christ and His covenant of grace.

It's like the covenant of baptism earlier.

The question is not necessarily, are you in the covenant?

Are you in the covenant community, which is important, but are you of the covenant?

Is the covenant of grace yours personally?

That's the point.

Paul seems to appeal to and emphasize the righteousness of Christ, to appeal, especially to non-Christians.

If to the person who may hear my voice, he says, I don't think it's fair that all of Adam's sin was charged to me, his sin was charged to my account.

I don't think that's fair.

You know I say to you, run to your second Adam, run to Christ.

Is that fair?

No, it's mercy.

You run to Christ, and you receive and you rest in his righteousness, and you have eternal life with him.

The last verses we have before us, chapters verses 16 to 20.

The call.

He goes along, Jesus does after the temptation, he sees Simon and Andrew, and he has a statement to make to them.

He says, Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.

And immediately they left their nets and followed him.

And going on a little farther, he saw James, the son of Zebedee, and John his brother.

And immediately he called them.

And they followed him.

Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.

Do you know he's still calling today?

Jesus is still calling today.

Let me just briefly give you four things that define this call.

First of all, it's an authoritative call.

As Oz Guinness says in his book, The Calling, there is no calling without a caller.

Someone who calls, Jesus Christ is still today calling men and women and boys and girls to himself with authority.

That means that people will respond.

The context of that call is repent, as we've seen in this text.

Repent and believe the gospel of God.

Examine your life.

Who's in charge of your life?

Jesus would ask you.

He would ask me, who is in charge of your life?

Who's behind the steering wheel of your life?

You see, Jesus is not Lord.

If we say, no, Jesus, I'm driving.

I'm driving.

I'm happy to have you in the passenger seat.

You're not responding to the call.

We respond to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

He doesn't come only as Savior.

He comes as Savior and Lord.

This is an authoritative call.

Repent.

Examine our lives.

Is he really first in my life?

Who's in charge of our lives?

Repent and believe the good news.

Secondly, it's a life-changing call.

They left their nets.

We are struck by the suddenness, how decisive this is.

Do people really do this?

Yeah.

People really do this, and they still do.

It doesn't necessarily that you mean leave your occupation.

It doesn't mean it doesn't mean you leave your family.

There's a lot of things that can still remain intact, but what must change is your heart.

You must receive the new birth.

You must receive the gift of Christ's righteousness, knowing that his righteousness is your righteousness.

It's a life-changing call.

It's a compelling, the compelling nature of the call.

Tim Keller put it like this one time, I heard him say, the reason why there is often little change in our lives is that we have so little contact with the real Jesus.

The real Jesus in his glory, in his greatness, in his beauty, in his mercy.

As we see the real Jesus, we will both want to follow him and we will be compelled to follow him if we see the real Jesus.

That's the question that Jesus would have for us today.

Tom, do you see the real me?

Do you?

This is a compelling call.

The cost.

Is there a cost in following Jesus?

Absolutely there is.

But the cost to you and the cost to me is a pittance compared to the cost for him.

You know, it's the old story, it's the old, it's the old joke.

I don't know if you heard it, you know, the the talking pig and the talking chicken one day talking about trying to show their gratitude to the farmer who was taking care of them.

And they say, well, let's make a meal, you know, the the pig, the chicken says, let's make a meal for Mr.

Farmer because he's been so good to us.

And and the pig stops and thinks about that.

Well, okay, this is gonna be ham and eggs.

The pig says, for you, this is a simple contribution.

For me, this is total commitment.

And yeah, that's true.

You're not a father of Christ.

If you don't make a total commitment, you're just not.

It's not a simple contribution.

But when you see the real Jesus, you will gladly make the commitment.

Let the real Jesus grab your imagination of what he is offering you, what he is promising to you.

And then leave your nets.

Fourthly, lastly, the privilege of the call.

I've been thinking about that this week.

The privilege.

If you're a follower of Jesus Christ, consider the privilege.

Let's not take it for granted.

Let's not get so used to it that it kind of loses its luster.

I've been thinking a lot about this this week.

I would suggest you do the same.

The call of Jesus is powerful.

We need the life of Jesus in us.

Let's pray.

Father, we thank you for sending your Son, who became our righteousness, who offers us real forgiveness.

Lord, you know where we struggle.

You know how we struggle.

Lord, today would we put down our nets?

Would we leave our nets behind?

May we see Jesus, the real Jesus, in his glory, in his beauty, his perfection, his mercy.

Holy Spirit, that'll be enough if we see the real Jesus.

You'll show us what to do with the details.

And so we come now.

In your grace.

Amen.