1) JESUS CHRIST - Jesus Christ alone is the Son of God. In the Gospel of Mark Jesus demonstrates His divinity by overcoming sickness & disease, demons & even death. Although He had the power to be a king on earth, Jesus chose to obey His Father & die in our place.
When Jesus rose from the dead, He proved that He WAS God, that He could FORGIVE sin, and that He has the power to change our lives. By trusting in Him for forgiveness, we can begin a new life with Him as our Lord & Savior.
2) SERVANT - Jesus fulfilled the OT prophecies as being the coming Messiah by coming to earth. He didn’t come as a conquering king; He came as a servant. He helped people by telling them about God and healing them. Even more than that, He performed the ultimate act of service by willingly giving His own life as a sin sacrifice, thus paying the price due for our sins.
Because of Jesus’ example, we should be willing to serve God & others. Real greatness in Christ’s Kingdom is shown by service & sacrifice. Ambition or love of power or position should not be our motive; instead, we should do God’s work because we love Him.
3) MIRACLES - Mark’s Gospel records more of Jesus’ miracles than His sermons. Jesus is clearly a man of power & action, not just words. He did miracles to convince the people who he was & to confirm to the disciples His true identity ... God.
The more convinced we become that Jesus is God, the more we will see His power & His love. His mighty works show us He is able to save anyone regardless of his or her past. His miracles of forgiveness bring healing, wholeness, and changed lives to all who trust Him.
4) SPREADING THE GOSPEL - Jesus directed His public ministry to the Jews first. When the Jewish leaders opposed Him, Jesus went to the non-Jewish (Gentile) world healing & preaching. Roman soldiers, Syrians, and other Gentiles heard the Good News. Many believed and followed Him. Jesus final message to His disciples challenged them to go into all the world and preach the gospel of salvation.
Jesus crossed national, racial, cultural & economic barriers to spread His Good News. Jesus’ message of faith and forgiveness is for the whole world - not just the church, thus fulfilling the worldwide vision of Jesus Christ so that people everywhere may hear this great message and be saved from sin and death.
Up next we’ll look at KEY PLACES JESUS WENT; JESUS BEGINS HIS MINISTRY & JESUS HEALS A DEMON POSSESSED MAN. Until then, walk with the King & be a blessing.
In His name & for His glory,
Richard Keller
Bread of Life Ministries
Resource: The Life Application Study Bible.
No comments:
Post a Comment