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9 At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” 12 At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, 13 and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him. 14 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:9-15 NIV)
Brrrr and Happy Monday, ConCafe Family! May the warmth of the Lord's love warm your heart, dear Friend, and may you seek to warm the hearts of others still in the cold of no-love. Pray for one another; pray for yourselves.
We believe that Mark wrote the first gospel of the four. We also believe that he wrote it with an urgency for Jews to come to faith in Jesus Christ as soon as possible. His gospel does not contain all the information the other two gospels of Matthew and Luke contain, and John, as the spiritual gospel, stands alone. Mark sets out the facts as he remembers them; Jesus is baptized by John in the Jordan; when He comes up out of the water, a dove descends on Him like a dove, and a voice came from Heaven saying, "You are my Son, whom I love; with You I am well pleased." Jesus is then driven into the wilderness for forty days where He was tempted by Satan. After the forty days, angels attended Him. John the Baptist is arrested, Jesus goes to Galiee where He begins to proclaim the good news of God. The sermon? Short, sweet, to the point; and very much like John's; "The Kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!"
One of the most noted preachers in my old conference, The Rio Grande Conference, was known as the best preacher of his time. A friend of mine has several recorded sermons of this legend and he boasts that the thing that made him such a good preacher was that he never preached more than fifteen minutes. I once preached in Reynosa, Mexico, and on our drive there with our United Methodist Men, one of them leaned over to me and said, "Now you know pastor, if you don't preach for at least an hour, they will say you are not saved!" Gulp!
I suppose if we were to ask a congregaton of two hundred, their definition of a "good sermon," we might get at least 200 different answers. Some would comment on content, others on theology, and still others the length. Their responses might give away a little of themselves. Here is a sermon, preached first by John the Baptist, later by Jesus, and it has only twelve words. It starts with a declaration; (And for argument's sake we are not looking at the four words attributed to Jesus as his opening). Jesus' declaration is sound; God's Kingdom is near. This requires action on the part of those who wish to be in it, or a part of it; repentance. A turning around from and away from that which we know should not be a part of our lives. It is unspoken, but it is known, that we should repent of our sin. Sin is that which is leading us to a certain death if we do not ask for it to be removed from our lives. Sin is a spiritual cancer; if not removed, it grows and begins to affect other areas of our lives with spiritual death being the end result. For this very reason He came to the world. God sent Jesus into the world, to save the world. And that last part, is the good news the world needed, and still needs, to hear!
What else did this sermon need for it to be truly good? Would several stories add to the power and point of this message? No. The sermon, as preached, stands. And still stands. The messages of love stand the test of time, as does this one. This is a timeless message, written by God Himself, speaking to His love for all people of all time, of His desire to have a relationship with us all.
PRAYER: Loving God, thank You for Your love and for the Good News that saved us. We pray for those not yet saved, that in You they might find life, love, and all necessary to love and serve You. Call us into faithfulness and lead us into fruitfulness; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Live a life that invites people into the fullness of life!
Receive my blessings of joy and love,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
