Morning. Morning. Morning. Is
that coming through? There it is. There it is. Oh,
there it is. All right. I'm stuck a little bit there.
All right, why don't we go to the Lord in prayer. Our gracious
Lord, Father, we thank you for your mercy, your grace, and your
kindness to your people, gathering us together under your Son, Jesus
Christ. Lord, help us to hear the voice
of the Son of God, who sent of you to fulfill your will on behalf
of His people, to call out a people given to Him before the foundation
of the world, and that He did save them. He didn't fail. He's a successful Savior. Lord,
help us to see Jesus this morning. Help us to see the success of
our Savior, Jesus Christ. It's in His name we pray and
give thanks. Amen. Okay, take your Bibles and turn
to Mark, chapter 1. Mark, chapter 1. We're just going
to read that first verse there. Mark 1, verse 1. It says, the beginning of the
gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. And what you'll notice
as we look at Mark, it's like John in the sense that they drop
you right into the gospel of Jesus Christ very quickly. You
get right into the light and the ministry of our Savior, Jesus
Christ. Unlike Luke and Mark, and Matthew
that spent a little more time developing his birth. So that
we read there in Mark 1, 1-3, the beginning of the Gospel of
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as it's written in the Prophets,
Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare
thy way before thee. The voice of one crying in the
wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. So what we're going to look at
this morning is there in that first verse, Jesus Christ, the
Son of God, and we'll look at His gospel. And that's what our
title is, Jesus Christ, the Son of God. And what I want us to
first know, what I want us to know, is the one who makes this
news, this glorious good news that we preach, to be good news,
and as we call it, the gospel. We're gonna see this one who
does that. We'll have three divisions. What the Christ came to accomplish,
Then we'll look at the true Jesus Christ, because there's many
Christs out there being spoken of, even this morning. And then,
we who are his people, how does he save? How does he save his
people? So let's first see what Christ
came to accomplish. Paul declares to us in 1 Timothy
3.16, he says, without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness.
God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen
of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the
world, received up into glory." So that Paul is rejoicing, he's
glad and he's rejoicing because this is exactly what God said
in the Old Testament that he would do. That he would send
forth salvation into the ends of the earth and that the Gentiles
and those who sit in darkness in the scriptures. So we see
this here, the Apostle John, he writes, no man had seen God
at any time. The only begotten Son, which
is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared Him. So that
is the Son of God, who is very God, that reveals to us who God
is, right? And this is what the Son of God
says to us who are natural men, natural born men. All of us here,
sitting here, all those in the world, this is what he tells
us about our knowledge of the true and living God. He said
in John 4, verse 22, ye worship ye know not. That's what we are
by nature. We might be worshipers of a God,
we might be very religious, good people, so to speak, but we worship
what we know not. That's us by nature. Before he
tells us in verse 24, They that worship Him must worship
Him in spirit and in truth, so that we understand and we declare
the very truth that man is born into darkness, he's born in sin. From the oldest of us here, all
the way down to little Lincoln Ross, we're all born in darkness
and in sin, spiritually dead, in need of the salvation that
God has provided in His Son, Jesus Christ, alone. We understand
by the scriptures declaring to us that in Adam we all sin. In Adam when he disobeyed God
the fellowship that he had with God was immediately severed so
that God and man were no longer friends. There's God where God
has enmity toward us. He's our enemy and we are happy
with that by nature. We do not love God by nature.
By nature we hate God and you can see what man did to God when
we had the Lord Jesus Christ standing before him, we took
him and we crucified him. Not because we had power to do
so, but because he allowed it to be so so that we would see
that in our hearts is enmity against God. Paul says this,
for God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, that
he must shine in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge
of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. so that the
light that we have to know God and to worship Him isn't coming
from this natural heart. It comes by the revelation of
God revealing to us His Son, Jesus Christ, to make known to
us our need of Him and to be glad and thankful that Christ
Himself has provided and fulfilled all that need by the death of
Himself. So it must and it shall come
by Jesus Christ, the Son of God. So He's gonna convince us that
we're sinners, that we have a desperate need of him. You might have known
in the days of your own darkness And when you're speaking to other
people, there's people that will confess that they are sinners
to a degree. They do some bad things and that they get into
trouble, especially when we get caught for the things that we
do. We get pretty scared for a little while as we're fearful
of what the condemnation might be that's coming against us.
But before long, things kind of settle down and then we go
back to our sinful ways. It's a truth that we could spend
Many days, and nights, and hell, we could suffer for our sin for
days, weeks, months, and years. And if God were to bring us back
from the dead, no sooner would our carnal foot hit the ground
that we would go right back to sinning and doing those things
that we love in the flesh. It's only by the grace of God
that we have any love for Him. Because by nature, we are enemies
of God. Romans 8, 8 declares to us that
they that are in the flesh We who are just naturally born into
this world, they that are in the flesh, cannot please God. So don't think that there's anything
that you can do to please God or to make yourself righteous
before Him. There's nothing we do by nature that can please
God. Christ's very presence in the
flesh, coming to this world, declares to us that something
is gravely wrong with us. that we are fallen, wicked creatures
who have rebelled against God. Christ isn't just a good man.
He's not just a prophet. He's not a pattern for us to
follow to make ourselves righteous. His presence here declares to
us that we cannot save ourselves. Turn over to Galatians 3. Galatians
chapter 3. Look down there in verse 21. If there had been a law given,
which could have given life verily, he says in verse 21, verily righteousness
should have been by the law. And look up there in verse 19.
Wherefore then serveth the law? Well, if we can't save ourselves
by the law, why was the law given? It was added, because of transgressions,
till the seed should come to whom the promise was made, and
it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. Now Christ
is that promised seed. He was promised to us there in
the garden. In Genesis 3.15, we see God speaking
to the serpent so that the men and the women that are standing
there might hear and know what that promise is. He says, I will
put enmity between thee and the woman and between thy seed her
seed, it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. So that Christ is that promised
seed, promised to the woman, whereby salvation come. That's speaking of the Christ
that should come into the world. Christ is the mediator now between
God and man. In Galatians 3.20 we read, now
a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one. Is the
law then against the promises of God? God forbid. For if there
had been a law given, which could have given life, verily righteousness
should have been by the law. But the scripture hath concluded
all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might
be given to them that believe. And how shall we believe? How
is it that we who are dead in trespasses and sins, believe
the word of God, and trust him, and look to him for our righteousness? that we must be born again, born
of His Spirit, giving us life from the dead, that we might
know and understand these things. As John 3.3, our Lord said to
Nicodemus, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born
again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. So by nature, and we
know this, we know this in our own heart and we know it when
we're talking to others, we can't convince another man that he's
a sinner and that he's a rebel against God in need of God's
mercy. We can't convince him that he's a sinner. He might
know some things to some degree because he's gotten in trouble
before in his life, but we can't convince him that he's a sinner
in need of the grace and mercy that only God can provide and
that is provided in his Son, Jesus Christ. And we certainly
can't convince a man that Christ is the complete salvation for
the sinner. That Christ is on all things
necessary. But the scriptures declared to
us that Jesus Christ is the author and the finisher of our faith.
So that he does all the work from beginning to end. Men are
very religious by nature. They think that there are things
that they can do. They think that they can clean up and polish
and shine. That which Christ has done in
part according to the scriptures. Christ must do all the work.
He's the author and the finisher of our faith. So what does that
mean, that Christ is the author and the finisher of our faith?
It means, it declares to us that if we are to be saved at all,
it's got to be completely and entirely by the Lord Jesus Christ
doing that work. That's why that Christ came into
this world to save his people. Here's the declaration of scripture
concerning Thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save
his people from their sins. Christ was sent of God to come
into the world to fulfill all the will of God, and he shall
accomplish that salvation. He said in John 6, 39, This is
the Father's will which hath set me, that of all which he
hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again
at the last day, so that we understand God has chosen people that he
intends to save and that he shall save. He said, all which he hath
given to Christ his Son shall be saved. And it's according
as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world.
And we know this because God has revealed it to us. And what
he did is he promised us to the Son in covenant. so that we who
are the children, the happy recipients of God's mercy and grace, we
were not put on a conditional footing. God doesn't look to
us for anything to fulfill any part of the covenant. He looks
to the Son. It was conditional upon Christ
coming, just as the Father would send Him, and Christ fulfilling
all the righteousness, all the righteous requirements of the
covenant. It was all conditional on Christ. So God the Father
doesn't look to us, the sinner, for one thing. We are just the
happy recipients of His promise, of His mercy, of His grace, all
in the Son, because the Son shall not fail. He did not fail. Thou
shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from
their sins. Isaiah 49, 8 and 9 speaks of
this covenant. Thus saith the Lord, speaking
to His Christ, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, In a
day of salvation have I held thee, and I will preserve thee
and give thee for a covenant of the people to establish the
earth and cause to inherit the desolate heritages And thou mayest
say to the prisoners, that's us who by nature are prisoners
of sin, are slaves to the sin that we lust for and that we
desire. By nature, we who are slaves
and servants of sin, he says to us, go forth and to them that
are in darkness, show yourselves. or any part of fulfilling His
covenant. He looks to the Son of Jesus
Christ alone to fulfill all the righteous demands of the covenant.
So our God brings the Son into the world, and He says this in
Hebrews 1.6, when He bringeth in the first begotten into the
world, He said, and let all the angels of God worship So that
we look to Christ, and that's why we speak of Christ. Every
time that we meet together, we speak of Christ. As he said,
if I be lifted up, he will draw all men unto me. So that I have
one purpose here, to preach the Lord Jesus Christ. If he's exalted,
as it pleases him, he'll draw out from the hearts of his people.
He'll draw their hearts to himself to see that he is the righteousness
that God has provided. That he is sufficient. He's able
to save even a wicked, rebel, sinner like me, who doesn't deserve
His grace, doesn't deserve His mercy, doesn't deserve His kindness,
because He shows us what we are by nature. He shows us that He
is the sufficient one, the one who is able to save, and that
He did accomplish all that the Father sent Him to do, so that
we are settled, rested, right there in the Lord Jesus Christ. Listen to this. became poor, that ye through
his poverty might be rich. So Christ came into the world
to die for his people, put away their sins, and make reconciliation
for the people, fulfilling all the word of God which said, I
will put enmity between thee and the woman. so that he breaks
that fellowship that we had with Satan, he breaks that fellowship
that we had with darkness, and the love that we have by nature
for this world, he breaks that fellowship and he establishes
a union and a fellowship and a peace between him and God Almighty,
between the Lord Jesus Christ, based on what Christ himself
has done as our mediator. 1 John 4, 9 and 10 says, in this
work, in what we see Christ having done, us, because that God sent his
only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him,
and hear in his love. Not that we loved God, but that
he loved us, the chosen people, by God, given to the Son, that
He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our
sins. And because Christ fulfills the
covenant, I can stand here before you and declare all the promises,
the sweet, blessed promises of God that He has provided in full,
in abundance, to His people in the Son, Jesus Christ. And He
says in Hebrews 13, Now the God of peace that brought again from
the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep,
through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect, and
every good work to do his will, working in you that which is
well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory
forever and ever. Amen. Thanks be to God for his
unspeakable gift. All right, so now let's look
at our second point here, the true Jesus, the true Jesus Christ. We worship him who is our salvation,
And the reason why we do that, and why it's important for us
to know Christ, is because we're trusting our eternal souls to
this one, Jesus Christ. And there's many Christs that
are out there being preached this very morning. We're just
a small, little gathering, a small flock, for a reason. We're here, not because of the
beauty that we see around us, not because have to be here,
because there's many options out there. There's many places
where they go and they preach a Jesus, and they preach from
this word, and they see some form of Jesus. But why are we
here? Why are we trusting this one?
Why are we looking to this Christ? Our Savior said this, if any
man shall say unto you, lo, here is Christ, or there, believe
it not, or there shall arise false Christs and false prophets,
and shall show great signs and wonders, and so much that, if
it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold,
I have told you afore. Many are preaching to Jesus that
so desperately wants you to believe on him, that he died, shed his
blood for you, and now there's something for you. You come near
to this Jesus, and he says, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, hold up, there's
something more that you have to do. I haven't done the whole
thing yet, there's still something for you to do. You have to believe
on me. You have to make me Lord of your life. That's a false
gospel. That's no gospel at all. Because
it leaves the sinner with a work to do. A work that the sinner
can't do. We know what we are by nature.
That we can't believe on him. Not in spirit, not in truth.
We don't worship him in spirit and truth. We must have the salvation
of God completely and entirely because we can't do any part
of it. So if you're hearing of Christ,
that is looking to you for any part of it, that's not the Christ
of this Bible. That's not the Lord Jesus Christ. We can't make Him Lord of our
life, because He is Lord of our life. He already is the Lord,
and there's nothing that we can do to make Him to be more so
Lord than He already is. He is the Lord, He's the Creator,
He's God Almighty, doing that which pleases Him according to
His good pleasure, according to what He wants to do. That's
why it says, Thou shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall
save His people from their sins. So He's not trying to save us.
He's not trying to save anybody who ultimately refuses Him and
perishes in hell for all eternity. Christ is a successful Savior. He's done all the work. It's
complete. Paul told Timothy, speaking of Christ, who had saved
us. He has saved His people. There's
nothing more for them to do to make it complete or effectual.
Christ hath saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according
to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which
was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. So our salvation, all the purposes
of God were established and done in Christ before the world began.
But it's now made manifest by the appearing of our Savior,
Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and has brought life and
immortality to life through the gospel. So that now we, once
we're in darkness, we understand and know that God saves according
to purpose. Everything he does is on purpose,
according to his purpose. Not according to what we want
or what we think should be done, but according to his purpose
as it pleases him to do it. It's not because we chose him,
but he chose us. Where unto Paul said, I'm appointed
a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles, so
that God is raising up his ministers, sending them forth, putting his
word in the mouths of his people, that when we speak of Christ,
we speak of him as a successful, glorious, wonderful, sufficient
savior who has saved his people, and done all the work for his
people, leaving nothing for us to do. And he even draws forth
from our hearts love to him, hope in him, faith in him. He draws all that forth from
us because he puts it there first and then draws it out of us.
He brings forth that fruit which pleases him. For the witch cause,
Paul said, I also suffer these things. Nevertheless, I'm not
ashamed, for I know whom I believe and am persuaded that he's able
to keep that which I've committed unto him against that day. That's why we're willing made
willing to meet here as a small flock even though there's so
many other options to go. That's why many of you uprooted
your families and left your families that you might come here to hear
the gospel of Jesus Christ because it's so rare in this world. It's so rare that the true Christ
is even preached. So Christ is that surety, and
He's our substitute, and He must be a perfect substitute, able
and having done all things. He's a perfect substitute and
a perfect Savior, otherwise there's something that we have to do.
And that's a scary place to be, because we know what has been
shown. There's nothing we can do. We can't do anything to save
ourselves. We can't satisfy the holy justice
of God. Even on our best day, when we've
endeavored to do something good for God, we see how quickly we
have fallen, and how far short we fall from pleasing God. So
it's His obedience that we're looking to. For as by one man's
disobedience, that's Adam, and we can identify with that because
he's shown us how disobedient we are in the heart, Many were
made sinners, so by the obedience of one, that's Christ, shall
many be made righteous. So then why was the law given?
The law was given that the offense that we are to God might abound,
might be made clear to us, might be shown to us what we are by
nature and to show us our need of the Lord Jesus Christ. So
behold his substitutionary work there on the cross in Galatians
3.13. Galatians 3.13, Christ hath redeemed us from the curse
of the law, being made a curse for us. That's the substitution.
For it is written, curse is everyone that hangeth on a tree. So that
Christ was made a curse for his people, and he has redeemed his
people and done everything that we could not do for ourselves.
Christ has made reconciliation for his people. As we read in
2 Corinthians 5.21, He hath made him to be sin for us, who knew
no sin, that we might be made a righteousness of God in Christ. So Christ is the substitute,
Christ is the Savior, Christ is the sacrifice that God receives,
because that's who God sent into the world to do all these things.
He's not put in us for any of it. And all things are of God,
who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given
to us the ministry of reconciliation. He has left nothing to chance.
He didn't leave anything for us to figure out or to get right
and to finally give up, trusting ourselves. He's not leaving that
to us. He's done all the work and ensures
that we shall become to Christ. Christ is omnipotent and we shall
not fail so that He will work in our hearts and He'll bring
us to see that we desperately need Him to do for us all these
things. By Him, we are redeemed, we're
justified, we're sanctified so that even our sanctification
is accomplished by Christ. It's not by us keeping the law,
doing the law, and doing things to try and please God and make
up for our wickedness or that we might know Him more. He's
going to stir that heart up. He's going to bring us the desire. He's going to bring us to seek
Him, the desire to know Him more, and He'll fill that desire that
He's given to us. He'll work it. He'll break us
in two, if that's what it takes. And He does it, and He does all
things perfectly. Well, His flesh don't like it.
His flesh doesn't even like to think of the trials and the tribulations
that we need to go through. But He's able to do it, and He
does it perfectly, so that when all is said and done, even though
our flesh was angered, our flesh was troubled by it. In the end,
when we see the sweetness of Christ and we see how He meets
that need, we give Him all the thanks and the praise for it.
Because everything that's necessary, He'll do it for us. So Christ
is a successful Savior. He has saved His people from
their sins. All right, third, who are His people and how does
He save them? So we've seen why the Christ
came into the world. We've seen who the true Jesus
is, that he is a successful Savior. Now who are his people and what
has Christ done for them? Speaking of the Lord's people,
I read this by Pastor Fortner. He said it this way, that whoever
his people are, they were his people before he saved them,
and they were his people before he ever came into the world to
save them. All these works were done from
the foundation of the world. Psalm 110, verse 3, thy people
shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of
holiness, but the womb of the morning thou hast to do thy will. So that when the appointed time
comes, Christ will visit his people. He'll meet with them.
He'll give them life from the dead. He'll give them life. You
see this in John 10, 16. Christ said, other sheep I have
which are not of this fold, them also I must They shall hear my
voice, and there shall be one fold and one shepherd. So Christ
already knows whose people are, and he's already determined that
they should be saved. So when I'm here preaching, I
rejoice in it. It doesn't make me not want to
go out and preach. It encourages me to preach, knowing
that God has his people. I don't know who they are, but
he knows who they are. And he'll gather them under the
sound of the gospel, and he'll cause them to finally hear it
in truth. and they will hear it by faith,
by the faith which is put into their heart, enabling them to
hear it, they shall believe it, they shall come out of darkness. The scriptures declare that we
are His sheep, His chosen, His adopted children, His beloved
with the seeds of him that bind you, Lord, made of his righteousness,
whereby he clothes us and makes us precious and spotless, the
beloved of God the Father, so that we, by the power, by the
blood, by the wisdom of God, can stand before God boldness,
knowing that he has done all the work. And he's convinced
us of this in the heart, and he keeps us desiring him, feeding
upon him, needing Him always, always, Brethren, because without
Him, we are nothing and can do nothing. It's all according as
His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto
life and Godliness. Christ has accomplished these
for His people, Brethren. These are the spiritual blessings
that we are given in Christ by God the Father, who is pleased
to pour these things out upon us, that we might know Him never
depart from it. In Revelation, they sing a new
song because of what Christ has done, saying, Thou art worthy
to take the book, and to open the seals thereof. For thou wast
slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood, out of every
kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation. So that all the people
of this world were just dead sinners, not deserving of God's
mercy and grace. But along comes Christ in that
appointed time. And when He had laid down His
life and spilled His precious blood, God the Father called
them up to the throne. Christ alone was the one found
worthy to take that book in the Father's hand and open the seals
to establish God's kingdom in the hearts of His people, that
we might know Him and be settled in Him and rejoice in Him and
sing praises to Him for what He has done for His people. By His own blood, Hebrews 9.12,
He entered in once into the Holy Place, having obtained eternal
salvation for us. Christ doesn't now leave us in
darkness. It's not sufficient that we are saved by him, and
that we'll live and die in this world, never coming to a knowledge
of the truth. It pleases God the Father that
not only should Christ save us, but also bring us to a knowledge
of these things. That here, even now, we would
begin to rejoice in what Christ has accomplished for us. Verily,
verily, Christ said, I say unto you, the hour is coming, and
now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God They
that hear shall live. He's speaking about now. Not
that day when we're in the graves corrupted in our flesh, but rather
right now as we walk around on this earth that in His appointed
time we'll hear His voice and that we shall live. We'll have life in Him and know
Him and call upon His glorious name even now. Christ said, The
hour cometh and now is when the true worshippers shall worship
the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father seeketh such to
worship him." So that's, we're not waiting for that day when
we are raised from the dead to finally know him and to call
upon him. He's gonna establish the kingdom
in our hearts even now, this very day when it pleases him.
Blessed is the man, David wrote, whom thou choosest and causest
to approach unto David. that he may dwell in thy courts,
we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of
thy holy temple. And that holy temple is the Lord
Jesus Christ, by whom we worship God. And that house is the house
that he built, that he built even now before our eyes, in
gathering the church together under the house and the rule
of Christ. Not under that house and rule of Moses, who established
the law, but rather that house of Christ that he built with
his own blood. Christ, whereby we now can bring
forth fruit. He works this in us. This is
another blessing of Him. He said, I am the vine, ye are
the branches. He that abided in me and I in
him, the same bringeth forth much fruit. For without me ye
can do nothing. So that brethren, we're like
that married couple that comes together, and they're married,
and what do they do? They bear fruit, right? The bride bears the fruit, and
the husband that is implanted in her, so we bear fruit of the
Savior who called us into union with himself, and we are his
bride, and we now bear fruit unto God the Father. Romans 7.4
says, Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the
law by the body of Christ, that ye should be married to another,
even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring
forth fruit unto God. That's what Mary proposed to
him, to bring forth fruit unto God. So that even now, Christ's
Spirit dwells in us, the Spirit gives us life, the Spirit washes
us in the blood of Christ, the Spirit dwells in His people now.
Galatians 5.22, bearing that fruit, which is the fruit of
the Spirit is love, joy, peace, Long-suffering, gentleness, goodness,
faith, meekness, temperance, against such there is no wrong.
They that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections
and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the
Spirit. And God shall see to it that
we do walk in the Spirit, that we know Him and rejoice in Him.
And then, in that great final day, when our bodies are erupting
there in the grave, returning to the dust from which it was
formed, Christ says this, don't marvel at all these spiritual
gifts that we've just spoken of and looked at, that Christ
works in us. Don't marvel at this, he says, for the hour is
coming in which all that are in the grave shall hear his voice
and shall come forth, they that have done good, unto the resurrection
of life. What's that goodness that they've
done? They've been made partakers of that sweet, blessed salvation
that is by the Lord Jesus Christ. They've been made righteous by
the substitute that God provided. Then he says, and they that have
done evil, they shall be raised unto the resurrection of damnation. So that we understand and know,
brethren, that We shall be raised and delivered from the consequences
of our sin. We're delivered from the consequences
of the sin, the consequences that we deserve. But the damned,
those who hate God and never knew Him, they shall be raised
to suffer the consequences of their sin. What a glorious resurrection
it will be in that day raises us up, and fits us with that,
to see that precious righteousness of Christ in that white robe,
without spot, without blemish. Rejoice in Him and His goodness. So when we look at Mark, brethren,
and we read in the beginning, or rather the beginning of the
gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, know that what we've
heard this day is that gospel. It's what Christ Jesus has accomplished
for His people. It's why the Christ was sent
into the world, who the true Christ is, that he's a successful
Savior and has accomplished salvation and what he's done to save his
people and how he saves us even now to understand and know these
things. And that's what we'll hear as we go through Mark, you to rejoice in Christ and
exalt Him and lift Him up as He draws sinners through that
gospel that He's given to His church. Let's pray. Our gracious
Lord, Father, we thank You for Your mercy that You've provided
abundantly in Your Son, Jesus Christ. Lord, fill us with Your
Spirit, fill us with the fruits of Your Spirit. Lord, that we
indeed would be a people that rejoice in what Christ has done.
Lord, help us to see Jesus, even this morning, and to continue,
Lord, in what Christ has done, not forgetting what we've heard,
not being forgetful hearers, but Lord, that you would make
us live and walk in Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior. Amen.