WEBVTT 00:01.516 --> 00:04.356 Welcome to the Valley Baptist Church sermon podcast. 00:04.836 --> 00:08.256 We're so glad you're here, and we hope this message inspires you, 00:08.456 --> 00:12.036 builds your faith, and moves you toward a deep relationship with God. 00:12.576 --> 00:15.176 Today, you'll find great insight into the Bible 00:15.176 --> 00:17.856 and learn how you can apply it straight to your life. 00:18.256 --> 00:20.396 So welcome and enjoy the message. 00:21.074 --> 00:26.394 If you have your Bible, please open it with me to the New Testament book of Mark. 00:26.534 --> 00:31.314 We're in a new series going through the gospel of Mark together, verse by verse, 00:31.414 --> 00:36.374 and I'm calling this series, Walking in the Way. 00:37.493 --> 00:40.353 Out of the four gospels in the New Testament, 00:40.353 --> 00:42.313 Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, 00:42.313 --> 00:45.413 Mark is the shortest and most scholars believe 00:45.413 --> 00:48.093 it was actually the first one that was written. 00:48.093 --> 00:50.733 It's very short and to the point. 00:50.733 --> 00:54.433 Every scene is like an eyewitness news brief. 00:54.433 --> 00:57.193 Now Mark's favorite word is immediately. 00:57.193 --> 00:59.833 You're gonna see it over and over again, that pattern. 00:59.833 --> 01:02.013 Immediately Jesus went and did this. 01:02.013 --> 01:05.513 Immediately Jesus and the disciples did that. 01:05.523 --> 01:10.163 which at times makes it almost seem like Jesus is in a hurry. 01:10.383 --> 01:12.523 But I don't think that's Mark's point. 01:12.643 --> 01:17.883 I think his point is that the life of Jesus was action-packed. 01:19.259 --> 01:26.999 Mark shows us that Jesus is the suffering servant of God that takes decisive action to rescue and save his people. 01:27.679 --> 01:33.459 Now, because Mark's purpose was not to give us this exhaustive history lesson concerning Jesus, 01:33.959 --> 01:38.819 he skipped some details that Matthew and Luke include. 01:39.059 --> 01:42.399 His version is sort of the Reader's Digest version. 01:42.539 --> 01:46.819 But really, when you think about it, all the gospel verses, 01:46.816 --> 01:51.616 our kind of Reader's Digest verses. John said in chapter 21 verse 25, he said, 01:51.856 --> 01:54.736 and there are also many other things that Jesus did, 01:54.976 --> 01:56.776 which if they were written one by one, 01:56.776 --> 02:01.116 I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be 02:01.136 --> 02:05.596 written. So the gospel writers were not trying to give some, um, 02:05.816 --> 02:09.556 you know, history lesson, although what they shared is historical. 02:09.876 --> 02:11.716 They were writing 02:11.892 --> 02:13.512 So people would believe. 02:13.632 --> 02:15.232 John 20, verse 30 says, 02:15.632 --> 02:19.312 And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, 02:19.672 --> 02:21.392 which are not written in this book. 02:21.832 --> 02:27.172 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, 02:27.432 --> 02:30.752 and that believing you may have life in his name. 02:31.349 --> 02:36.189 So the gospel writers wrote so we would believe in Jesus. 02:36.729 --> 02:39.029 And they certainly accomplished that, didn't they? 02:39.569 --> 02:42.769 In the 1940s, after Dr. 02:42.769 --> 02:47.449 E.V. Ryu translated from ancient Greek into English, 02:47.449 --> 02:49.609 some of Homer's Odyssey, 02:50.109 --> 02:52.829 Homer's Odyssey and some of his other works. 02:53.789 --> 02:56.129 After he did that, the publisher came to him and said, 02:56.129 --> 02:59.949 I'd like for you to translate now the four gospels. 02:59.952 --> 03:04.712 Ryu at the time was in his 60s. He had lived as a lifelong agnostic. 03:05.372 --> 03:11.332 And that caused his son to say it will be interesting to see what father will make of the four Gospels. 03:11.912 --> 03:15.892 It will be even more interesting to see what the four Gospels make of father. 03:16.672 --> 03:22.612 Less than a year after Ryu began his translation, a lifelong atheist, 03:22.612 --> 03:25.992 he became a committed follower of Christ. 03:27.037 --> 03:28.877 You may not know Jesus today. 03:28.877 --> 03:30.797 You may be listening and tuning in, 03:30.797 --> 03:32.537 you're coming back to church, 03:32.537 --> 03:34.977 your school started, things are getting going. 03:35.947 --> 03:38.047 But I want to encourage you to stay with us 03:38.047 --> 03:39.607 in the Gospel of Mark. 03:39.607 --> 03:41.927 Because if you stay with us week by week 03:41.927 --> 03:43.307 and you keep an open mind, 03:43.307 --> 03:48.167 I believe you also will become a committed follower of Jesus. 03:48.167 --> 03:50.827 Now every Gospel that we have, 03:50.827 --> 03:53.507 the writer sort of had a target audience in mind. 03:53.507 --> 03:56.467 Matthew wrote primarily with the Jews in mind. 03:56.467 --> 03:59.107 Luke wrote primarily with the Greeks in mind. 03:59.107 --> 04:03.327 But Mark, I think, wrote primarily in the mid- 04:03.335 --> 04:06.995 80s, 60s, primarily to Roman Christians, 04:07.575 --> 04:10.575 Roman Christians who were suffering terribly 04:10.575 --> 04:13.255 during Nero's reign and his persecution. 04:13.255 --> 04:18.175 And so no doubt many of those Christians wondered about their terrible suffering 04:18.175 --> 04:21.675 and they wondered, Is this really the way 04:22.032 --> 04:23.372 of Jesus. 04:23.372 --> 04:26.612 You see, the most dominant title for Christians 04:26.612 --> 04:28.672 in the first century was not Christian, 04:28.672 --> 04:30.372 it was people of the way. 04:30.372 --> 04:31.912 That's how they referred to themselves. 04:31.912 --> 04:34.752 We said, we're people of the way. 04:34.752 --> 04:36.472 Now, why would they call themselves that? 04:36.472 --> 04:40.712 Well, because Jesus said in John 14, verse six, 04:40.712 --> 04:43.252 I am the way, the truth and the life. 04:43.252 --> 04:46.792 No man comes to the Father except through me. 04:46.792 --> 04:50.912 Jesus very clearly said, I am the way to God. 04:50.905 --> 04:55.545 So as a Christian, that means you are a person of the way, 04:55.545 --> 04:57.905 a follower of Jesus. 04:57.905 --> 05:00.185 But I think there's dualistic meaning here 05:00.185 --> 05:02.985 because the way refers certainly the person of Jesus, 05:02.985 --> 05:06.325 but it also refers to the way Jesus lived, 05:06.325 --> 05:08.065 the way he carried himself, 05:08.065 --> 05:11.065 the way in the path in which he walked. 05:11.065 --> 05:15.025 That's why I think that Mark has two main characters 05:15.025 --> 05:16.565 in his gospel account. 05:16.565 --> 05:18.365 You've got Jesus 05:18.361 --> 05:20.661 And then you have his disciples. 05:20.661 --> 05:23.141 Mark puts a spotlight on the life of Jesus 05:23.141 --> 05:24.381 so that we would believe, 05:24.381 --> 05:27.801 but he also puts a spotlight and highlights his disciples 05:27.801 --> 05:30.041 so we would know how to follow Jesus. 05:30.041 --> 05:31.721 Even in times of failure, 05:31.721 --> 05:34.821 we would know how to get back up and follow after the Lord. 05:34.814 --> 05:36.914 Now, who is this guy Mark? 05:37.054 --> 05:41.754 Well, Mark was also known in the New Testament by the name of John Mark. 05:42.154 --> 05:45.394 John was his Jewish name and Mark was his Roman name. 05:45.394 --> 05:53.174 And so since he was writing primarily to the Romans with them in mind, the gospel took on his Roman name of Mark. 05:53.427 --> 05:56.447 Now, Mark was actually just a young boy 05:56.447 --> 05:59.427 when Jesus walked the streets of Jerusalem. 05:59.427 --> 06:03.187 Many believe that Mark was actually the boy 06:03.187 --> 06:06.727 in Mark chapter 14, who lost his clothes 06:06.727 --> 06:08.467 and ran away naked. 06:08.467 --> 06:09.947 Now, you may not know that's in the Bible 06:09.947 --> 06:13.267 because it's not in Matthew and Luke's account or John's. 06:13.267 --> 06:15.667 It's only in Mark, I think, 06:15.667 --> 06:19.067 because Mark knew it was his embarrassing story to tell 06:19.067 --> 06:20.882 and no one else's. 06:20.883 --> 06:27.923 Now, Mark was connected to a somewhat prominent family within first century Christianity. 06:28.483 --> 06:30.543 His mom's name was Mary. 06:31.063 --> 06:36.703 And Mary, in her house, the early disciples gathered in the book of Acts in order to pray. 06:37.163 --> 06:44.643 Many scholars believe her house was actually where the upper room was, where Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper. 06:44.778 --> 06:49.918 So in the book of Acts, Paul and Barnabas, that is the Apostle Paul and Barnabas, 06:50.298 --> 06:55.778 they took young Mark on a journey with him, a mission trip, the very first one. 06:56.498 --> 07:00.078 And Mark, his close family member was Barnabas. 07:00.518 --> 07:02.758 And depending on the translation, it's difficult to translate, 07:02.918 --> 07:05.858 but Barnabas was actually either an uncle or a cousin. 07:06.198 --> 07:07.938 And so they took Mark with them. 07:07.938 --> 07:12.678 But in the middle of this first mission trip, Mark gets... 07:12.773 --> 07:13.612 Homesick. 07:13.613 --> 07:15.593 We don't know if he actually got sick or homesick, 07:15.593 --> 07:17.493 but he ends up going back home. 07:17.493 --> 07:20.333 That upset the Apostle Paul a lot. 07:20.333 --> 07:23.033 So much so that years later, 07:23.033 --> 07:24.613 Barnabas wanted to take Mark 07:24.613 --> 07:26.313 on their second missionary journey 07:26.313 --> 07:28.253 and Paul was not having it. 07:28.253 --> 07:30.873 He did not want a quitter to be going with him 07:30.873 --> 07:32.053 on their mission trip. 07:32.053 --> 07:35.813 And he was so upset by it that Paul and Barnabas 07:35.813 --> 07:37.593 actually got into an argument 07:37.593 --> 07:40.353 about whether to take John Mark with him. 07:41.039 --> 07:43.079 They could not come to an agreement. 07:43.079 --> 07:44.779 So they went two separate ways 07:44.779 --> 07:46.719 on two separate mission trips. 07:46.719 --> 07:49.539 Paul took Silas with him and they went one way. 07:49.539 --> 07:53.859 Barnabas took his nephew Mark and went another way. 07:53.859 --> 07:56.279 Now, evidently years later, 07:56.279 --> 07:58.599 Mark's relationship with the apostle Paul 07:58.599 --> 08:00.639 was completely restored. 08:00.639 --> 08:03.139 And we know that because in 2 Timothy, 08:03.139 --> 08:05.179 as the apostle Paul was in prison, 08:05.179 --> 08:06.939 he was awaiting his execution. 08:06.939 --> 08:10.599 One of the last things that he said before he died 08:10.604 --> 08:14.304 To young Timothy, he said, get Mark for me. 08:14.504 --> 08:18.684 Bring him to me, for he is useful to me in ministry. 08:20.442 --> 08:24.682 While Mark certainly spent a lot of time with Paul and with Barnabas, 08:24.682 --> 08:29.502 he developed an especially close relationship with the Apostle Peter 08:29.502 --> 08:32.422 while he spent time with Peter in Rome. 08:32.982 --> 08:35.682 In fact, in 1 Peter, Peter calls Mark affectionately. 08:36.402 --> 08:37.862 He calls him, my son. 08:38.522 --> 08:42.202 And so the large majority of scholars believe that Mark's gospel 08:42.202 --> 08:44.782 that we're going to be studying the weeks and months to come 08:44.782 --> 08:48.282 is really, in a sense, Peter's gospel. 08:49.197 --> 08:55.997 That Peter, as he shared story after story in the life of Jesus, that Mark took down detailed notes, 08:56.077 --> 09:02.237 and eventually he wrote the gospel of Mark so all the world could read about the life of Christ. 09:03.077 --> 09:06.677 Now, with that background in mind, let's jump into the text. 09:07.117 --> 09:08.717 Mark chapter 1, verse number 1. 09:09.117 --> 09:11.877 Mark writes, under the inspiration of the Spirit, he says, 09:11.877 --> 09:16.957 the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 09:17.716 --> 09:25.256 Now, this word beginning, I think, is meant to remind us of Genesis chapter 1, verse number 1. 09:25.316 --> 09:27.036 The Bible begins by saying, 09:27.616 --> 09:31.036 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 09:31.176 --> 09:35.856 In a similar way, the very first words of Mark announce not the beginning of creation, 09:35.856 --> 09:36.615 but the beginning of creation. 09:36.616 --> 09:38.916 but the beginning of new creation. 09:39.416 --> 09:42.796 Mark's saying something new has begun. 09:43.336 --> 09:44.936 For centuries, the prophets declared 09:44.936 --> 09:47.136 that the Messiah was coming, that he was coming. 09:47.256 --> 09:48.636 For centuries, they were silent, 09:48.756 --> 09:51.536 but now Mark says he has arrived. 09:51.756 --> 09:55.816 A new era has begun, the era of the gospel. 09:56.236 --> 10:01.016 Now, the word gospel simply means good news. 10:01.716 --> 10:04.816 The good news is that the Son of God, 10:05.017 --> 10:10.957 God himself stepped out of glory and he became a human being like you and I. 10:11.237 --> 10:14.017 And he took on flesh, really actual flesh. 10:14.217 --> 10:15.277 And he lived among us. 10:15.297 --> 10:16.797 And we're going to read all about his life. 10:17.037 --> 10:19.837 But then he died on a cross for our sins. 10:19.837 --> 10:22.837 His name was Jesus Christ. 10:23.056 --> 10:26.876 Yeshua in Hebrew meaning Yahweh is salvation. 10:27.476 --> 10:29.216 God saves. 10:29.336 --> 10:32.176 He came to give us eternal life. 10:32.756 --> 10:35.796 Verse number two, Mark writes, he quotes, he says, 10:36.296 --> 10:38.216 as it is written in the prophets, 10:38.376 --> 10:40.896 behold, I send my messenger before your face 10:40.896 --> 10:42.896 who will prepare your way before you. 10:42.896 --> 10:45.036 The voice of one crying in the wilderness, 10:45.456 --> 10:48.856 prepare the way of the Lord, make his path straight. 10:50.191 --> 10:54.091 Mark begins his gospel, not like Matthew and Luke, 10:54.091 --> 10:57.191 not with the story of the birth of Jesus, the Messiah, 10:57.191 --> 10:59.911 but with an Old Testament prophecy 10:59.911 --> 11:03.971 concerning a coming prophet who would arrive on the scene 11:03.971 --> 11:06.031 before the Messiah would arrive. 11:06.031 --> 11:08.051 He quotes the book of Exodus and Malachi 11:08.051 --> 11:11.191 and the prophet Isaiah, where a prophecy was given 11:11.191 --> 11:13.811 that before the Messiah would come, 11:13.811 --> 11:16.891 a prophet like Elijah would arise 11:16.891 --> 11:19.611 and he would prepare the way of the Lord. 11:20.262 --> 11:24.422 Well, in verse number four, we find out who that prophet was in his name. 11:24.642 --> 11:26.562 It was John the Baptist. 11:27.102 --> 11:29.182 Verse four says, John came baptizing. 11:29.282 --> 11:32.222 Now, don't confuse that with the Apostle John. 11:32.522 --> 11:34.101 That's a different guy. 11:34.102 --> 11:35.121 This is John the Baptist. 11:35.122 --> 11:36.902 He came baptizing in the wilderness. 11:36.902 --> 11:37.659 He came baptizing in the wilderness. 11:37.660 --> 11:41.340 and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. 11:41.740 --> 11:45.600 Then all the land of Judea and those from Jerusalem went out to him 11:45.600 --> 11:51.100 and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sin. 11:52.040 --> 11:56.580 John the Baptist, he declares from the wilderness, he says, 11:56.580 --> 12:00.140 prepare the way of the Lord, make his path straight. 12:00.640 --> 12:07.060 And it's estimated that tens of thousands of people flocked from the surrounding region to hear him preach. 12:08.272 --> 12:13.672 Now, in the ancient world, anytime a king would arrive to a new region, 12:14.492 --> 12:17.672 servants would go before him and they would clear out the roads. 12:17.812 --> 12:22.032 They would sometimes widen the roads to make a clear path for the coming king. 12:22.372 --> 12:25.452 That was John's responsibility given to him by God. 12:25.992 --> 12:28.852 King Jesus was about to arrive on the scene. 12:28.852 --> 12:33.412 And John's responsibility was to clear a path for his arrival. 12:34.212 --> 12:37.532 Not a physical path, but a spiritual path. 12:38.073 --> 12:43.073 And John did that by preaching a message of repentance. 12:44.453 --> 12:48.013 Now we find out from Luke that John's ministry 12:48.013 --> 12:50.393 was incredibly effective. 12:50.393 --> 12:53.313 Look what Luke said in chapter seven, verse 29. 12:53.313 --> 12:56.373 He said, and when all the people heard him, that's Jesus, 12:56.365 --> 13:02.405 Even the tax collectors were justified, having been baptized with the baptism of John. 13:02.825 --> 13:09.685 But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the will of God for themselves, not having been baptized by John. 13:10.525 --> 13:15.065 That's an incredible insight about the effective ministry of John, but it's also incredible insight. 13:15.065 --> 13:21.485 More importantly, I think it tells us something profound about the power of repentance. 13:22.673 --> 13:30.533 The people who repented in John's day and John's message were the ones who received Christ into their life. 13:31.553 --> 13:34.353 The ones who didn't rejected Jesus, right? 13:34.673 --> 13:37.213 Now, the word repent means to turn. 13:37.313 --> 13:39.453 You're headed in one direction and you repent. 13:39.593 --> 13:41.693 You turn around and you head the other direction. 13:41.913 --> 13:45.753 It's a change of one's mind that eventually leads to a change in one's behavior. 13:45.753 --> 13:52.293 We know from Scripture that faith and repentance are... 13:52.289 --> 13:54.189 Sort of the flip side of the same coin. 13:54.309 --> 13:55.368 They go together. 13:55.369 --> 14:00.589 And yet, practically speaking, one seems to lead to the other, doesn't it? 14:00.589 --> 14:06.309 I mean, there's a sense in which faith prepares us for repentance. 14:07.029 --> 14:12.629 And there's another sense in which repentance prepares us for faith. 14:13.602 --> 14:17.702 I've known people who for a long time, many years, 14:17.702 --> 14:20.802 talked about how they wanted a closer relationship 14:20.802 --> 14:21.641 with the Lord. 14:21.642 --> 14:22.962 They wanted to go all in for Jesus. 14:22.962 --> 14:26.682 They wanted to truly and spiritually encounter him 14:26.682 --> 14:29.162 and have this devotion to him, 14:29.162 --> 14:31.542 and yet they couldn't get themselves there. 14:31.542 --> 14:33.862 Something was holding them back. 14:33.862 --> 14:36.682 They could not embrace the Lord like they wanted to, 14:36.682 --> 14:39.982 and later, sometimes many years later, eventually they did. 14:39.978 --> 14:41.698 And they catch fire for the Lord, 14:41.698 --> 14:43.278 and they start growing like crazy. 14:43.278 --> 14:44.898 And I'm like, what happened? 14:46.087 --> 14:48.327 Tell me, where was the breakthrough moment? 14:48.587 --> 14:49.907 How did this happen? 14:50.027 --> 14:57.647 And oftentimes it was that they had a particular sin in their life that was choking them out spiritually. 14:58.367 --> 15:04.067 And whenever they admitted that and they repented of it and they cleared the nastiness out of their heart, 15:04.287 --> 15:09.867 that's when it became very easy and very natural to encounter the living God through Christ. 15:09.867 --> 15:10.791 Right? 15:10.792 --> 15:17.232 John, as he preached, he cleared, he beat this path for the people to encounter the Lord. 15:18.092 --> 15:20.912 I mean, this was a special movement of God, wasn't it? 15:21.112 --> 15:26.292 Thousands of people came flocking from the countryside to hear John preach, 15:26.312 --> 15:28.232 and it says they confessed their sin. 15:28.872 --> 15:31.092 They repented, and they were baptized. 15:31.872 --> 15:38.432 I can tell you, people don't normally go around confessing their sin unless there's a movement of God. 15:39.513 --> 15:44.173 And at the same time, I would say there's not normally a movement of God unless people go around confessing their sin. 15:45.373 --> 15:47.333 Verse number six, we read more about John. 15:47.333 --> 15:56.233 It says, now John was clothed with camel's hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 15:57.633 --> 16:02.293 Admittedly, John's a bit of an eccentric guy, isn't he? 16:03.205 --> 16:05.905 Now, I don't think his bizarre dress and his bizarre diet 16:05.905 --> 16:07.965 was a result of some kind of mental problem. 16:08.065 --> 16:10.565 I think it was a result of spiritual surrender in his life. 16:10.985 --> 16:14.485 You see, John's life was entirely about pointing people to Jesus. 16:15.085 --> 16:19.025 And the way he dressed and the way that he ate was actually a part of that. 16:19.385 --> 16:23.805 You see, the Pharisees and the Sadducees and other religious leaders of the day, 16:23.905 --> 16:28.105 they wore these expensive garments that were elegant and they were soft 16:28.105 --> 16:29.525 and they were sophisticated. 16:30.445 --> 16:32.229 A symbol. 16:32.230 --> 16:36.550 to them of their holiness, but John could care less about looking holy. 16:36.990 --> 16:39.510 John cared only about being holy. 16:39.710 --> 16:43.750 He didn't want to draw attention to him with his expensive, nice clothes. 16:43.750 --> 16:46.510 He wanted to point people to the Lord. 16:47.230 --> 16:50.770 Now, why the locusts though in the wild honey? 16:52.210 --> 16:53.350 Was he a health nut? 16:53.350 --> 16:56.490 I mean, that's kind of a high protein, low cholesterol diet, I guess, 16:56.490 --> 16:59.651 when you think about it. 16:59.652 --> 17:03.832 I think it was a result of his daily reliance upon the Lord. 17:03.832 --> 17:05.572 John was not a rich person. 17:05.572 --> 17:09.192 He lived in poverty, very simple means. 17:09.192 --> 17:11.352 He'd gather locusts each and every day. 17:11.352 --> 17:14.612 The honey was wild, meaning it wasn't a result of beekeeping. 17:14.612 --> 17:17.272 And so I think it was provided by God 17:17.272 --> 17:18.712 in an unconventional way. 17:18.712 --> 17:21.752 He was daily relying upon the Lord. 17:21.752 --> 17:24.172 A little side note here that you might get a kick out of. 17:24.172 --> 17:28.352 When Pastor Brian and I were in seminary in Kentucky, 17:28.745 --> 17:32.905 the little church that we were at, we led their vacation Bible school, the two of us. 17:33.005 --> 17:39.085 And so one of the days or all the days, actually, in our VBS skit, I was a character named Bubba. 17:39.945 --> 17:49.845 And one one of the days, Pastor Brian got up and he was getting the kids all pumped up about inviting all of their friends back to vacation Bible school the next day. 17:49.885 --> 17:53.285 And he said, if you come, I'll eat a cricket. 17:54.817 --> 17:57.757 Well, the next day rolls around and Pastor Brian, 17:58.557 --> 18:03.117 he had the mic in hand and he turned the whole thing around on me. 18:03.357 --> 18:05.717 I think he had schemed this whole thing up. 18:06.037 --> 18:07.137 And he asked the kids, he said, 18:07.197 --> 18:09.717 how many of you would like to see Bubba eat a cricket? 18:10.077 --> 18:10.864 Yeah. 18:10.865 --> 18:16.465 And he got them chanting, ba, ba, ba, ba, ba, ba, right? 18:16.545 --> 18:21.805 And against my better judgment, I grabbed that cricket and I ate it for the glory of God, right? 18:21.865 --> 18:24.005 And all those kids and all their enjoyment. 18:24.625 --> 18:25.825 It was a nasty thing. 18:27.385 --> 18:34.325 Now, I've never eaten a locust, but if it's anything like eating a cricket, I would not want to do it again. 18:35.525 --> 18:36.885 He did it every day. 18:38.219 --> 18:42.339 I think Mark's point, Matthew and Luke as well recorded for us, 18:42.339 --> 18:46.239 their point is this displays John's humility. 18:47.559 --> 18:49.019 John was humble in appearance. 18:50.200 --> 18:51.620 He was humble in what he ate. 18:51.720 --> 18:52.940 He was humble in where he lived. 18:52.980 --> 18:54.580 He lived out in the wilderness in the desert. 18:55.260 --> 18:59.040 And we find out from verse number seven, he was very humble in his message. 18:59.180 --> 19:00.319 Look what he says. 19:00.320 --> 19:05.040 He says, and he preached, saying, there comes one after me who is mightier than I, 19:05.740 --> 19:08.600 whose sandal strap I'm not worthy to stoop down and lose. 19:08.980 --> 19:14.040 I indeed baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit. 19:16.002 --> 19:24.842 In the first century, it was a slave's job sometimes to stoop down and loosen the sandal strap of his master. 19:24.962 --> 19:26.942 And John says, you think I'm so great. 19:27.042 --> 19:29.602 You flock to me by the thousands to hear me. 19:29.682 --> 19:37.482 But there's one coming who I'm not worthy to stoop down to his side and loosen the strap of his sandal. 19:37.482 --> 19:38.762 You see, Jesus. 19:39.695 --> 19:44.275 was coming and John's life was all about pointing people to Jesus, 19:44.275 --> 19:48.875 making much of the Lord and getting out of the way, right? 19:48.935 --> 19:50.494 That's what he was doing. 19:50.495 --> 19:55.175 That's where Phil tells about how when he was a boy growing 19:55.175 --> 19:59.415 up there in that little lake Creek Baptist church there in Oklahoma, that, 20:00.502 --> 20:08.142 The preacher sometimes would call upon his dad, or it was his dad's job to pray right before the preacher came in to preach. 20:08.762 --> 20:16.642 And Pastor Phil says, I don't know where he got it from, but every time he prayed before the preacher got up, he included this. 20:16.642 --> 20:20.682 He said, Lord, hide the preacher behind the cross. 20:22.085 --> 20:23.805 That's a good prayer for me. 20:24.245 --> 20:26.305 You want to know how to pray for me, you pray that prayer. 20:26.725 --> 20:27.845 Pray that for our pastors. 20:27.965 --> 20:29.165 It's a good prayer for all of us. 20:29.405 --> 20:32.305 Hide us, Lord, behind the cross so that when people look at our life, 20:32.305 --> 20:34.705 they actually see Jesus. 20:35.605 --> 20:37.485 John, on another occasion, said, 20:37.585 --> 20:40.605 I must decrease and he must increase. 20:42.250 --> 20:47.150 One time, John the Baptist, he was standing there with a couple of his very closest disciples, 20:47.390 --> 20:48.890 and Jesus started walking by. 20:49.290 --> 20:54.210 And John, he says, behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. 20:55.150 --> 20:58.590 In John chapter 1, we see what happened after he said that. 20:58.590 --> 21:03.610 In verse 37, it says, then his two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. 21:05.410 --> 21:09.050 Let me ask you, whenever you speak, 21:10.448 --> 21:13.228 Do people start following Jesus? 21:13.228 --> 21:14.147 Is that your message? 21:14.148 --> 21:15.528 Is that what your life is about? 21:15.528 --> 21:19.688 John pointed to Christ and those who had been so loyal to him, 21:19.688 --> 21:21.848 perhaps some of his very best friends in the world, 21:21.848 --> 21:24.628 they left John and they went to follow the Lord. 21:24.628 --> 21:26.708 Now, maybe that would have been easy for John 21:26.708 --> 21:28.208 to get all bent out of shape. 21:28.208 --> 21:30.308 I mean, he had grown so famous. 21:30.308 --> 21:32.108 He was prominent in the region. 21:32.108 --> 21:34.848 Thousands were gathering to hear him preach. 21:34.848 --> 21:38.068 And now his crowds were dwindling 21:38.068 --> 21:39.688 and Jesus's crowds were building. 21:41.853 --> 21:42.873 That was John's goal. 21:43.733 --> 21:44.832 That was his purpose. 21:44.833 --> 21:46.733 That was the reason he was born. 21:47.073 --> 21:50.933 That was his mission in life, to make much of Jesus. 21:52.413 --> 21:58.853 Now, John knew that he could also only baptize people with water. 21:59.573 --> 22:00.613 He could just get them wet. 22:01.773 --> 22:04.473 But Jesus was going to be able to baptize them with the Holy Spirit. 22:05.208 --> 22:07.868 John could immerse them in water, 22:07.868 --> 22:12.868 but Jesus can immerse you in the Holy Spirit of God, in God. 22:13.768 --> 22:15.968 It was as if John's message was, 22:15.968 --> 22:17.768 I know you're following me, 22:17.768 --> 22:22.768 but just know I'm merely reflection, Jesus is reality. 22:23.388 --> 22:25.508 As the moon reflects the sun, 22:25.508 --> 22:27.788 so John reflected the glory of Christ 22:27.788 --> 22:29.448 for all the world to see. 22:30.528 --> 22:31.828 Here's what I want to do this morning. 22:32.377 --> 22:34.597 I want to give us one point of application. 22:35.337 --> 22:38.237 This is a one-point message today, all right? 22:38.657 --> 22:40.636 Here it is. 22:40.637 --> 22:43.797 Prepare to encounter Jesus. 22:43.797 --> 22:45.897 Prepare. 22:47.007 --> 22:51.007 That was John's message, and that is my message this morning. 22:51.247 --> 22:56.667 In the coming weeks, in the coming months, I think we'll end around Easter time with the resurrection. 22:57.387 --> 23:03.607 As we journey through the gospel of Mark, you're going to be exposed to Jesus. 23:04.247 --> 23:05.907 You're going to be exposed to his teaching. 23:06.027 --> 23:08.047 He taught with great power and authority. 23:08.047 --> 23:13.007 You're going to be exposed to his miracles and his forgiveness and his love. 23:13.822 --> 23:17.062 Just know, just because you're exposed to Jesus 23:17.902 --> 23:20.702 doesn't mean you're going to encounter Jesus. 23:21.522 --> 23:25.962 You see, there are many in Christ's day, the Pharisees and Sadducees 23:25.962 --> 23:28.902 and many others who were exposed 23:29.502 --> 23:32.182 to Jesus in a way that they saw him. 23:32.182 --> 23:33.882 They even saw some miracles. 23:33.882 --> 23:38.542 Some of them, they saw and heard him teach with great power and authority. 23:38.542 --> 23:40.442 And yet they rejected him. 23:40.442 --> 23:43.342 They did not encounter Jesus for who he is. 23:43.943 --> 23:45.883 I mean, how could they miss it? 23:48.283 --> 23:51.483 Because they had not prepared their heart. 23:52.363 --> 23:54.923 Their heart was hardened by sin. 23:55.023 --> 23:56.223 For them, the religious leaders, 23:56.463 --> 23:58.583 the sin of self-righteousness, pride. 23:59.603 --> 24:02.363 They had not prepared their heart to encounter Jesus. 24:02.963 --> 24:04.082 So the question becomes, 24:04.083 --> 24:09.283 how do you prepare your heart to encounter the Lord? 24:10.303 --> 24:13.018 Here's how. 24:13.019 --> 24:14.518 You repent. 24:14.519 --> 24:15.859 That was John's message. 24:17.407 --> 24:19.807 You identify some sin. 24:19.887 --> 24:20.886 Maybe you ask the Holy Spirit, 24:20.887 --> 24:22.547 Lord, would you search out my heart? 24:22.947 --> 24:25.327 Would you see if there's any wicked way in me? 24:26.067 --> 24:27.447 Would you just examine my heart? 24:27.607 --> 24:28.026 And guess what? 24:28.027 --> 24:29.587 The Holy Spirit will answer that question. 24:30.207 --> 24:31.927 He'll start convicting you of sin. 24:32.067 --> 24:33.207 And then when you're convicted, 24:33.307 --> 24:34.787 you start naming it before the Lord. 24:34.847 --> 24:36.126 He already knows about it. 24:36.127 --> 24:37.467 Admit it, confess it. 24:37.467 --> 24:38.727 There's something freeing about it. 24:38.847 --> 24:40.967 And then turn from it and turn to Christ. 24:41.407 --> 24:44.567 You see, repentance prepares our heart to meet Jesus. 24:45.419 --> 24:49.399 So whether you're an unbeliever here today or you're a lukewarm believer, 24:49.539 --> 24:51.539 either way, you're an unbeliever seeking after God. 24:51.619 --> 24:56.199 You're a lukewarm believer seeking a spark, a new freshness in your walk with the Lord. 24:56.319 --> 24:57.539 Here's what you do either way. 24:58.059 --> 25:02.919 You identify your sin, you confess it, and you turn from it. 25:02.919 --> 25:06.359 And you prepare to encounter the living God. 25:07.759 --> 25:13.299 Now, repentance, let me be clear, repentance is not enough. 25:14.798 --> 25:16.098 We must also believe, right? 25:16.178 --> 25:17.518 It's the flip side of the same coin. 25:18.458 --> 25:22.438 You must turn from your sin and then turn to faith in God. 25:24.418 --> 25:34.358 Repentance can bring you close to God, closer to God, but it cannot bring you into God. 25:35.622 --> 25:42.482 The only way to be immersed into God, to be immersed in the spirit of God, is to trust Jesus as your Savior. 25:42.542 --> 25:43.261 That's what John said. 25:43.262 --> 25:44.241 He's going to immerse you. 25:44.242 --> 25:46.242 Jesus is the only one that can immerse you with the spirit. 25:48.302 --> 25:55.702 Now, as we begin wrapping up today, Mark says that God sent John to prepare the way of the Lord. 25:55.702 --> 25:59.382 That implies that there is a way of the Lord. 26:00.952 --> 26:04.532 That Jesus has a way, and he does. 26:04.992 --> 26:08.412 That's what we're going to be studying in the coming weeks and coming months all throughout Mark. 26:08.592 --> 26:13.832 We're going to be studying the way of Jesus, walking in the way, the way of Christ. 26:14.852 --> 26:16.732 Now, Jesus is the way. 26:16.972 --> 26:18.832 Well, the way where? 26:19.972 --> 26:21.252 Hey, this is the way. 26:21.332 --> 26:22.431 Well, the way where? 26:22.432 --> 26:23.452 Well, the way to God. 26:24.847 --> 26:26.107 the way to heaven. 26:26.107 --> 26:31.107 You see, you were made for an incredibly important reason, 26:32.787 --> 26:34.547 a special reason. 26:34.547 --> 26:37.167 You were made not by accident. 26:37.167 --> 26:38.427 God was very intentional. 26:38.427 --> 26:39.907 There's a reason you exist. 26:39.907 --> 26:43.207 You were made for a relationship with him. 26:43.207 --> 26:46.367 He made you because he wants a relationship with you. 26:46.367 --> 26:48.547 That's why you exist. 26:48.547 --> 26:51.987 And the only way to have that relationship with God 26:51.987 --> 26:52.846 is through Jesus. 26:52.847 --> 26:54.087 He's the only way. 26:56.150 --> 26:58.910 Jesus is the way to life, isn't he? 26:58.910 --> 27:00.730 And he's the way to living. 27:01.850 --> 27:04.750 You wanna know how to conduct yourself in life? 27:04.750 --> 27:06.030 Look to Jesus. 27:06.030 --> 27:09.270 Colossians 2, verse number six says, 27:09.270 --> 27:12.430 "'And you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, 27:12.430 --> 27:14.510 "'so walk in him.'" 27:14.510 --> 27:16.850 Walk in the way, he says. 27:16.850 --> 27:21.130 "'Rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, 27:21.130 --> 27:24.710 "'as you've been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.'" 27:25.023 --> 27:26.923 1 John 2, verse 6 says, 27:27.203 --> 27:35.183 He who says he abides or remains in him ought himself also to walk just as he walked. 27:36.983 --> 27:43.903 One of the great metaphors for the Christian life is that God invites you and I to walk with him. 27:45.256 --> 27:54.556 I can't think of anything better in all the world to know I've got this clean relationship with the Lord because of my forgiveness and I get to walk with him. 27:54.696 --> 27:56.916 Now, here's the key to walking with God. 27:56.996 --> 27:59.556 This is the key to discipleship in your life. 27:59.616 --> 28:02.216 You want to become a disciple of the Lord? 28:02.316 --> 28:05.155 Here's what you do. 28:05.156 --> 28:07.036 You take the next step with Jesus. 28:08.376 --> 28:10.534 Just the next step. 28:10.535 --> 28:12.975 You don't, it's not like some people get overwhelmed. 28:13.055 --> 28:15.235 They think, man, I got to get, become this holy Christian. 28:15.475 --> 28:17.895 No, you just take the next step that God's calling you to. 28:18.415 --> 28:20.855 The Bible compares the Christian life to a pilgrimage. 28:21.175 --> 28:23.975 We're all on this journey with, with the Lord. 28:24.075 --> 28:25.995 Jesus said, I'll never leave you nor forsake you. 28:26.095 --> 28:27.415 We're on this journey. 28:27.895 --> 28:30.915 And every time, anytime you're on a journey, maybe you're going to hike, a long hike. 28:31.435 --> 28:34.135 Sometimes you can be tempted when it gets hard. 28:35.746 --> 28:37.946 to want to give up, right? 28:38.466 --> 28:39.726 You think, man, it's overwhelming. 28:39.906 --> 28:41.126 I can't finish that hike. 28:41.526 --> 28:43.046 Here's the key when you're in that moment. 28:43.146 --> 28:44.146 Just take the next step. 28:44.806 --> 28:45.565 One step out. 28:45.566 --> 28:46.686 You don't have to do it all at once. 28:46.826 --> 28:48.286 Just one step at a time, right? 28:48.526 --> 28:53.166 Some of us Christians, maybe they're on a road 28:53.166 --> 28:54.206 and it's a way of suffering. 28:54.326 --> 28:54.845 Guess what? 28:54.846 --> 28:56.766 Jesus, it was a way of suffering. 28:57.026 --> 28:59.486 Sometimes we're going to suffer when we follow the way. 29:00.721 --> 29:03.861 But we get on this road and what God calls us to 29:03.861 --> 29:06.061 and the pain that's involved in this broken life, 29:06.301 --> 29:10.661 and we start thinking, man, I want to give up. 29:12.581 --> 29:14.721 I want to encourage you, brothers and sisters, 29:15.601 --> 29:18.421 please do not give up. 29:19.401 --> 29:21.061 Just take the next step. 29:22.001 --> 29:26.441 If you've fallen down and you're flat on your back, 29:27.704 --> 29:30.344 You just get up and take the next step. 29:30.344 --> 29:33.384 If you're soaring with Christ and following him, 29:33.384 --> 29:34.203 what do you do? 29:34.204 --> 29:36.024 You just take the next step. 29:36.024 --> 29:38.124 You see, discipleship doesn't happen overnight. 29:38.124 --> 29:40.524 We give our life to Christ and you snap the fingers 29:40.524 --> 29:41.544 and we're just like Jesus. 29:41.544 --> 29:44.344 No, becoming Christ-like doesn't happen overnight. 29:44.344 --> 29:46.464 There's a process involved. 29:46.464 --> 29:49.824 And we're gonna see from our study in Mark 29:49.810 --> 29:55.130 that his 12 disciples, his closest disciples, blew it far more than they got it right. 29:55.670 --> 29:59.230 We're going to be able to identify with them all throughout the gospel. 30:00.150 --> 30:03.170 And every time they blew it, Jesus was patient with them. 30:04.110 --> 30:05.109 Yeah, he taught them. 30:05.110 --> 30:06.710 He corrected them. 30:06.790 --> 30:10.710 Sometimes he rebuked them, but he was always patient with them, loving them. 30:11.570 --> 30:13.010 But here's what he expected. 30:13.942 --> 30:18.482 He expected them, whether they experienced failure, success, whatever it was, 30:18.922 --> 30:20.222 he expected, follow me. 30:21.242 --> 30:23.742 Take the next step with me, whatever that is for you. 30:24.402 --> 30:25.862 He said, I'm the way. 30:26.582 --> 30:28.742 I'm going to show you the way of life. 30:28.742 --> 30:30.942 I know you're not going to be perfect. 30:31.602 --> 30:32.882 That's why I'm going to die for you. 30:33.902 --> 30:41.502 But if you love me and you trust me, then take your next step with me. 30:45.110 --> 30:46.870 I don't know what the next step is for you. 30:49.450 --> 30:50.530 God knows that. 30:51.210 --> 30:53.349 Perhaps you know that. 30:53.350 --> 30:57.910 Maybe it's forgiving someone who's wounded you deeper than you thought was possible. 30:58.810 --> 31:01.470 And the hurt and the pain is there. 31:01.610 --> 31:06.470 Maybe it was a long time ago, but it's infected and it's allowed you to grow bitter. 31:07.790 --> 31:09.050 It's brought you down. 31:09.050 --> 31:10.371 It's brought you down. 31:10.372 --> 31:12.592 You haven't been able to forgive up until this point, 31:12.672 --> 31:14.652 but maybe that's the next step for you. 31:14.952 --> 31:17.392 Maybe you've wronged someone, you've hurt someone, 31:17.392 --> 31:21.792 and your next step is to own it, to admit it, to apologize. 31:23.112 --> 31:27.532 Maybe the next step for you is to move from watching on TV and online 31:27.532 --> 31:30.492 and to join us in person, to gather with the body of Christ 31:30.492 --> 31:33.412 so you can be encouraged and edified one with another 31:33.412 --> 31:35.412 as we follow Jesus together. 31:36.452 --> 31:38.392 Maybe the next step... 31:39.380 --> 31:41.640 is moving from a consumer Christian 31:41.640 --> 31:43.900 to a contributing Christian, 31:43.900 --> 31:45.560 from a consumer to a giver. 31:45.560 --> 31:47.600 Maybe it's going from being the one served 31:47.600 --> 31:50.320 to the one who also is serving. 31:50.320 --> 31:52.880 Maybe the next step involves being baptized 31:52.880 --> 31:56.060 like many were baptized today or to join our church family. 31:56.060 --> 31:59.360 Maybe it's to join and to try out a life group. 32:00.920 --> 32:01.879 I don't know what that is. 32:01.880 --> 32:04.680 I challenge you to ask the Lord, what's my next step? 32:04.680 --> 32:07.080 Every day we should be asking God, what's my next step? 32:09.535 --> 32:16.035 Now, maybe today, as you're listening and you're honest, 32:16.995 --> 32:21.235 you're realizing that you're a long ways off from God. 32:23.235 --> 32:24.815 You think, how did I get here? 32:25.995 --> 32:27.375 My life is a mess. 32:29.135 --> 32:30.575 I've hurt people around me. 32:30.635 --> 32:32.214 They've hurt me. 32:32.215 --> 32:33.675 Things seem to be falling apart. 32:33.675 --> 32:37.095 How in the world do I get back to my relationship with the Lord? 32:38.948 --> 32:42.248 I have found that as Christians, most of the time, 32:42.248 --> 32:44.948 we're gonna find the Lord exactly where we left him. 32:46.508 --> 32:50.308 Maybe the Lord convicted you about something in your life. 32:50.308 --> 32:51.928 Maybe you read something in scripture, 32:51.928 --> 32:53.508 you're like, man, I need to do that, 32:53.508 --> 32:54.968 but you chose not to do it. 32:56.128 --> 33:01.008 Typically, our relationship with God stalls out 33:01.008 --> 33:03.548 at that moment when we say no to God. 33:03.548 --> 33:05.588 That's why it's so important to just keep saying yes, 33:05.588 --> 33:07.088 I'll take the next step, Lord. 33:07.518 --> 33:09.498 And I mean, if I tell my kids, I've got four teenagers, 33:09.578 --> 33:11.318 if I tell them, hey, go clean your room, 33:11.638 --> 33:15.458 and they don't clean the room, I don't move on, right? 33:15.898 --> 33:17.758 We don't move on to the next step. 33:17.898 --> 33:20.118 We don't move on to the next, hey, let's sit down 33:20.118 --> 33:21.858 and guidance for your adulthood and life. 33:21.898 --> 33:23.258 No, go clean your room. 33:23.638 --> 33:26.998 You do that step, then let's move on with further guidance. 33:29.058 --> 33:32.878 The Christian life's a journey, a journey with Christ. 33:33.258 --> 33:34.778 And the big deal is, 33:36.796 --> 33:38.075 Let's follow him. 33:38.076 --> 33:39.715 Let's take the step. 33:39.716 --> 33:43.856 Now, the bigger question is, are you even on the road with Jesus? 33:45.016 --> 33:46.396 Are you on his path? 33:46.456 --> 33:48.596 Are you walking in the way? 33:49.452 --> 33:51.792 A few years ago, we were driving to Oklahoma 33:51.792 --> 33:53.612 with our families, we're kind of caravanning 33:53.612 --> 33:56.912 and our family left about the same time as Pastor Brian 33:56.912 --> 34:00.432 and Faith and their family, my sister Faith. 34:00.432 --> 34:03.292 And I'm cruising along, I'm making good time, 34:03.292 --> 34:06.452 I'm feeling good, you know, it's vacation time. 34:06.452 --> 34:09.312 So stress is starting to diminish a little bit. 34:09.312 --> 34:12.012 I gotten through Barstow and I get a call 34:12.012 --> 34:13.372 from my sister Faith and she says, 34:13.372 --> 34:14.992 "'You're going the wrong way. 34:15.305 --> 34:18.805 I'm like, I've driven this over 100 times. 34:18.805 --> 34:21.945 There's no way I'm going the wrong way. 34:21.945 --> 34:26.525 And yet she evidently, she had tracked me on her phone. 34:26.525 --> 34:28.425 Sure enough, I was on the wrong road. 34:30.045 --> 34:34.465 In Barstow, I continued on I-15 34:34.465 --> 34:37.025 and failed to get off onto I-40. 34:37.025 --> 34:39.365 And so I was headed north towards Las Vegas 34:39.365 --> 34:41.525 instead of east towards Oklahoma. 34:45.899 --> 34:48.599 Sometimes it's easy to get on the wrong road. 34:49.899 --> 34:53.399 Sometimes we don't even intentionally, it's not rebellion, we just accidentally, 34:53.759 --> 34:55.459 we kind of drifted away onto the wrong road. 34:55.699 --> 34:58.499 Maybe you're on the wrong road of life today. 34:59.720 --> 35:02.600 Maybe you can't even identify the exact moment 35:02.600 --> 35:05.020 that you got off the road with Jesus 35:05.020 --> 35:07.220 and you stopped walking in the way 35:07.220 --> 35:10.540 and you started walking in whatever path you were on. 35:10.540 --> 35:13.200 But right now it's become clear to you, 35:13.200 --> 35:15.580 the Holy Spirit has been opening your eyes 35:15.580 --> 35:19.400 and your heart afresh, I'm on the wrong road. 35:19.400 --> 35:22.000 I'm not walking with him. 35:23.440 --> 35:26.280 I wanna invite you today to get back on the right road 35:27.260 --> 35:31.380 The road with Jesus, because there is no greater road to walk in all the world, 35:31.720 --> 35:34.920 is to be right step in step with the Lord Jesus Christ. 35:36.060 --> 35:41.980 Dad used to say, the furthest you can ever get away from God is just one prayer. 35:44.776 --> 35:47.876 Sometimes we feel this great chasm between us and God 35:47.876 --> 35:49.736 because of the chasm of our sin, 35:49.796 --> 35:51.596 and we're separated from God, 35:51.716 --> 35:54.536 and we think, I can't possibly get to him. 35:54.556 --> 35:55.755 I can't do enough. 35:55.756 --> 35:56.816 No, you can't. 35:57.356 --> 35:58.436 Here's what you do instead. 35:58.436 --> 36:01.636 You allow God to meet you right where you are. 36:01.856 --> 36:04.536 It's one prayer, a prayer of confession, 36:05.216 --> 36:07.056 repentance, and faith. 36:07.296 --> 36:08.155 The Bible says, 36:08.156 --> 36:11.796 whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 36:11.856 --> 36:14.336 Why don't you just call upon Jesus today? 36:15.944 --> 36:21.564 and be saved. Let's bow together in an attitude of prayer both here and at Olive Drive. 36:23.304 --> 36:30.324 This is a really special moment in the life of our church. We get to respond to what God's, 36:30.444 --> 36:36.524 the special work that God's doing in our life. And we need to respond with faith, to believe, 36:36.644 --> 36:42.064 to trust, to obey. And so I want to invite you to give your life to Christ. 36:42.944 --> 36:47.064 In just a moment, there's going to be pastors and other leaders here at the front and at all of drive. 36:47.164 --> 36:50.204 And we're going to stand to our feet and we're going to sing a song. 36:50.904 --> 36:57.564 And we're going to ask you to come forward and walk down one of these stairs, walk down one of these aisles and say, 36:58.064 --> 37:00.344 I want to walk the way of Jesus. 37:01.024 --> 37:03.064 I want to become a person of the way. 37:04.384 --> 37:08.424 So that when people look at my life, they can start following Jesus too. 37:12.965 --> 37:17.825 You know, as we begin our study in the book of Mark, 37:17.825 --> 37:19.805 we're going to read all about the life of Jesus. 37:19.805 --> 37:21.725 It's going to be, I'm so excited. 37:24.345 --> 37:29.165 We're going to read about his baptism next week, his temptation. 37:29.165 --> 37:32.945 We're going to read all about his life, his love, his power, the miracles, 37:32.945 --> 37:34.205 his forgiveness, all of that. 37:34.385 --> 37:37.025 I want to invite you right now to prepare your heart for that. 37:38.581 --> 37:40.721 Because if you prepare your heart, 37:40.821 --> 37:43.881 you clean out some of the nastiness that's in there of sin, 37:43.961 --> 37:46.320 whatever that is, 37:46.321 --> 37:47.961 and you confess and you get clean, 37:49.401 --> 37:52.601 I believe you're going to meet Jesus 37:52.601 --> 37:54.461 and he's going to change your life. 37:55.881 --> 37:57.401 Now, I do want to say this. 37:58.441 --> 38:01.441 You don't have to wait for the coming weeks and coming months 38:01.441 --> 38:02.841 to meet Jesus and encounter him. 38:02.921 --> 38:04.001 You can do that right now. 38:06.053 --> 38:07.472 You can meet him today. 38:07.473 --> 38:11.533 You can be baptized, immersed with his spirit in a moment, 38:11.633 --> 38:12.953 the moment of faith and surrender. 38:12.953 --> 38:18.193 So I want to invite you to be immersed in God today, 38:18.373 --> 38:23.473 to be known fully by God and yet be forgiven and clean and loved. 38:24.073 --> 38:25.593 There's nothing like it in all the world. 38:27.013 --> 38:29.813 If you will just step out and come in just a moment. 38:31.012 --> 38:32.592 Take one of these leaders by the hand. 38:32.712 --> 38:34.872 There'll be men and women here, both at the front, 38:34.932 --> 38:38.852 and just say, I want to take the next step with Jesus. 38:40.092 --> 38:41.332 They'll know exactly how to help you. 38:41.512 --> 38:45.172 That's why we're here, is just to help you take the next step. 38:45.472 --> 38:47.432 Maybe the next step is the first step, 38:49.552 --> 38:51.852 to trust Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior. 38:51.852 --> 38:55.672 Maybe the next step for you is baptism. 38:58.467 --> 39:01.067 Maybe the next step is, you know, whatever it is. 39:02.227 --> 39:04.587 My challenge is let's all do that. 39:04.827 --> 39:07.427 If we all do that, God's going to do a mighty work, all right? 39:07.547 --> 39:08.046 Let's pray. 39:08.047 --> 39:10.247 Father, we thank you so much, Lord. 39:11.714 --> 39:13.333 For the book of Mark. 39:13.334 --> 39:22.154 I thank you for John Mark, Lord, and that he took down some notes apparently when Peter was sharing all of his story and good notes. 39:23.494 --> 39:27.054 And then your spirit, Lord, just gave him the right words. 39:27.114 --> 39:32.394 You just guided him perfectly as you wrote this gospel account of the life of your son. 39:33.294 --> 39:39.694 Thank you, Lord, that as we read it, your word comes to life in us. 39:41.245 --> 39:50.045 I pray, Lord, that many would rise up from Valley Baptist Church and be like John the Baptist. 39:50.405 --> 39:52.285 We thank you for his life and his example. 39:52.965 --> 39:58.645 Lord, I don't anticipate many of us are going to want to eat locusts and wild honey and wear camel's hair. 39:58.645 --> 40:01.885 But, Lord, we just want to be all about you. 40:03.785 --> 40:07.685 We want to get out of the way so that people see you. 40:09.258 --> 40:11.378 Lord, would you hide us behind the cross? 40:13.858 --> 40:17.558 And Lord, I pray for those that are out of step with you, 40:18.598 --> 40:21.998 that right now your spirit would do a work 40:21.998 --> 40:23.158 that only you can do. 40:23.278 --> 40:26.638 Lord, I cannot baptize them into the spirit, but you can. 40:27.778 --> 40:31.238 I pray, Lord, that you would do a work 40:31.238 --> 40:35.298 and they would respond, they would say yes to you today. 40:35.438 --> 40:37.118 We pray in Jesus' mighty name. 40:39.008 --> 40:40.448 Thanks for listening today. 40:40.448 --> 40:42.108 We hope you enjoyed this message, 40:42.108 --> 40:44.188 and if you did, we would be so grateful 40:44.188 --> 40:45.888 if you left us a review. 40:45.888 --> 40:48.328 Also, go ahead and subscribe to the podcast 40:48.328 --> 40:49.628 if you would like to be notified 40:49.628 --> 40:51.508 when a new sermon is released. 40:51.508 --> 40:53.168 If you feel the Lord calling you 40:53.168 --> 40:54.788 to take the next step in faith 40:54.788 --> 40:59.108 through salvation, service, or giving, don't wait. 40:59.107 --> 41:02.207 reach out to us by texting podcast to 88988. 41:02.547 --> 41:04.827 That's podcast to 88988 41:04.827 --> 41:07.767 or connect with us on one of our social media platforms. 41:08.447 --> 41:11.507 You can also visit our website, valleybaptist.org 41:11.507 --> 41:13.527 to find even more great resources. 41:14.227 --> 41:15.887 No matter where you are in your journey, 41:16.447 --> 41:17.686 know that we love you. 41:17.687 --> 41:18.847 We're praying for you 41:18.847 --> 41:21.867 and we can't wait to see what God will do in your life.