Day 2: God Rules
**Recommended Use**: Listen to the short sermon clip. Read through the provided passages and summaries. Think and talk through the provided questions. Ideally, do all that before, during, or after you meet up to with one or more followers of Jesus.
DISCUSS YOUR READING FROM DAY 1:
Q: What have you thought most about? What questions do you have?
READ ON YOUR OWN:
Mark 1-4
KEY VERSES TO GO THROUGH TODAY:
Mark 1:1-3, 10-11; 2:10-11;
3:14-15, 34-35; 4:39-41
BIBLE THEME TO CONSIDER:
God Rules: The one true God created us to enjoy and reflect His glory in all His creation.
Q: How would you define God's "glory"? How is it seen? How is it given? What would it mean to enjoy and reflect God's glory?
BIBLE THEME AS SEEN IN MARK WITH KEY VERSES:
Here's some quick review from last week. "God Rules" is foundational to the rest of the gospel message. It is part of the good news. The Bible begins by telling us how God created everything. Anything outside of God is God’s creation, and therefore, it is subject to God as its Ruler.
God is the good Ruler of everything. God is so good that He chose to share His glory by creating us to enjoy it. And when it comes to humans, God created us to uniquely enjoy and reflect His glory into all the world as we wisely, skillfully, creatively, and obediently give order to it and as we multiply and fill the earth.
Remember what we learned last week in the first two chapters of the Bible, Genesis 1-2? God and His design of the unfathomable and ordered creation really is amazing.
But surprisingly, the greatest display of God’s glory is not the dazzling stars or the vast universe He created. Rather, the greatest display of God’s glory for us to enjoy is God coming as promised and prophesied with many details in the person of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Truly God and truly man.
God in Christ’s personal, loving, active, sacrificial, and redeeming work in history, gives more spectacular reason for us to be in awe and live in worship of God than anything else.
The letter of Romans says that this way:
Romans 16:25–27
"Now to him that is of power… according to the commandment of the everlasting God…To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen."
And that is why Mark’s Gospel starts with…
Mark 1:1–3
"The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; As it is written… Prepare ye the way of the Lord…"
This includes quotes from the Bible in Malachi 3:1 and Isaiah 40:3. Those quotes refer to a coming prophet preparing the way for God to come. The prophet, John the Baptizer, was quoting these as he prepared the way for Jesus.
Q: Why do you think this prophet would tell people to prepare the way to receive and follow God when it was Jesus he was announcing? How would this connect to the promised "Offspring" in Genesis 3:15 we talked about last week?
The rule and glory of God is most revealed in the God-man: Jesus Christ. Following Jesus is the only way for us to enjoy and reflect God’s glory under God’s good rule. He shows us how God rules with power, love, righteousness, and grace.
Jesus is the LORD come to us, displaying the glorious heart of God. Mark’s Gospel describes the glory of God seen in Jesus and what it means to follow Him.
In Genesis, we see God directly in good fellowship with the first humans. And while that did not last long, that is still God’s plan—to fellowship in good communion with us on earth. Notice with me in Mark 1:1-3 where it says: “As it is written…”
The Bible tells us God’s good plan to rule over and with His creation. That plan centers around the person Jesus. Jesus is not only a good man with wise teachings. Jesus is God come to rule over and with His people as they enjoy and reflect His glory.
Q: How is this different than how most people you know think about Jesus? How have you thought of God and of Jesus? How does God coming to us in Jesus help us know God better?
Mark tells about Jesus’s baptism at the start of His public ministry. The Spirit of God descended upon Jesus, and the Father in heaven spoke audibly, declaring Jesus as His beloved Son.
Mark 1:10–11
"And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him: And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
Q: What does this announcement tell us about Jesus? Who is Jesus? Why is it important that He pleases His Father? How does that compare to what the first humans did in Genesis 3? To what we do?
Throughout all the Bible, God has revealed Himself as One—but in a way that is complex. There are times in the Old Testament when God talks with Himself as though it is another person. God often speaks of His “Right Arm” or “Throne” or “Angel and Messenger” or “Spirit and Breath” or “Messiah” or “Servant” or “Son of man” or “Son” or of Himself with the plural pronoun “Us” in ways and in contexts that identify them as God—Yahweh.
It is only in the promised and fulfilled coming of God in Christ when God reveals what was once a mystery—God is triune:
1.God is one in essence.
2.God is three in persons.
3.Each Person is fully God.
4. God has always been complete in Himself.
There is no analogy that makes sense of this, but it is still rational. God is one in one way and three in another. God has always existed this way without need of anyone one or anything. It is highly consistent with God being relational, eternal, self-existing, and unchanging.
Only the person and ministry of Jesus empowered by the Spirit and loved by the Father reveals the God of the Bible with such clarity.
God has always been an eternal community of love in Himself. He has needed nothing, but He has chosen to give everything. God has chosen to share Himself by creating, redeeming, and fellowshipping with humanity in creation. This is why Jesus—the God-man—is the fulfillment of God creating us to enjoy and reflect His glory in all creation.
God created humanity to live in fellowship with God on earth and to reflect God’s glory in all the world. The gospel message includes the truth that God graciously purposes to be with His people and to be their good King. Mark’s Gospel reveals that God is accomplishing all this in Jesus.
Q: If the Bible is mostly about God and if Jesus is the eternal Son of God come to us, do you see why it is important to think correctly about Jesus? What do you think about the one true God coming to us in Jesus? How is this different than any religious teachings you can think of?
When you read Mark 1-4, you will find that Jesus is shown to truly be God in the flesh. Jesus teaches, heals, forgives, and commands with authority. In response, the people of Galilee are constantly amazed.
Everything Jesus does demonstrates God’s sovereign rule over every power and all creation. Jesus does what no one had ever done before—except God. The person who knows the Old Testament, or the Hebrew Bible, can see this.
Maybe you are wondering, “Then why didn’t Jesus just heal everyone and put a stop to all the evil in our world?” And, what a great question! Jesus actually told us why He was doing these miracles.
Mark 2:10–11
"But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house."
The good news is that Jesus came to do more than heal a few people. Jesus came to forgive and save many people throughout all of history from their sin and from the death and evils that result from it.
Q: Who is the only person who can forgive sins? What does this say about Jesus? Why does forgiveness matter?
The Old Testament foretells of a day when God would come to form a new people who would obey Him from the heart and live in His kingdom in all the earth. This would be a new people formed by the promised Messiah and King.
So, Mark tells us how Jesus…
Mark 3:14–15
"And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach, And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils:"
Q: How does this relate to God's original commission to the first humans in Genesis 1-2? How does God's commitment to rule over and through humanity help us understand the Bible and what we see in our world? What we should see in the church?
God came in Christ to rule all creation, but He remains committed to His original plan: to do so through His people. So, Jesus came to do what we could not do and then to enable us to do what we must do!
Later with another group of people…
Mark 3:34–35
"And he looked round about on them which sat about him, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother."
Q: What does Jesus say is true of those who follow Him? How does this also relate to what we learned in Genesis 1-3?
The people Jesus came to form are characterized as doing the will of God. They repent from sin. They believe on Christ. They follow Jesus together.
There is no one like Jesus. He is the God-man who came to create the new people of God and to bring the good rule of God on earth—as a human. In doing so, Jesus revealed the glory of God over and over again, but the people around Him did not know how to respond.
In chapter 4, Jesus told parables and taught His disciples all about the various ways people would respond to Him. His teaching shows itself to be true throughout the rest of the book. Right after teaching, His own disciples respond to Him in a strange way while on a boat. It had something to do with how Jesus gave commands to His creation…
Mark 4:39–41
"And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?"
Q: Why did they respond to Jesus this way? If Jesus is God come “as it is written,” and these disciples are Jewish men who had read or heard read what was said of Him, why do they fear Him in this way? The Bible tells us to fear God. Is that what they were doing? How do you think you would you respond to Jesus in that moment?
The disciples's fear is not a biblical fear because it is not mixed with faith and trust. That is clear when Jesus says, “How is it that you have no faith?”.
So, Jesus is obviously demonstrating God’s rule over creation, but instead of glorying in it, the disciples are afraid of Jesus. Why?
Well, though…
1) God Rules: The one true God created us to enjoy and reflect His glory in all His creation.
Also…
2) Humanity Rebels: We have rebelliously sought our own glory, earning shame and God’s just judgment for our sin.
Next week, we will talk about the greatest sin: not receiving God who came to us. To not trust and receive Jesus is to reject God.
To reject God is to do the same thing Adam and Eve did in Genesis 3: try to rule as king, deciding good and evil for yourself and seeking glory for yourself. And if you remember, that does not end well.
Q: What do you think about the one true God creating us to enjoy and reflect His glory in all His creation?
Q: What have you learned or appreciate more about Jesus? How are you responding to Jesus?
QUESTIONS TO ASK AS YOU READ MARK 1-4 BETWEEN MEETUPS:
Q: What passages in Mark 1-4 stood out to you or helped you most and why?
Q: In Mark 1:1-15, what do we learn about Jesus’s identity and message? (Tip: Malachi 3; Isaiah 40)
Q: In Mark 1:16-45, what can we learn about Jesus from just around 24 hours of ministry?
Q: In Mark 2:1-22, what shocking authority does Jesus claim to have, and how does this relate to why He said He came?
Q: In Mark 2:23-3:12, what additional authority does Jesus claim to have, and how do people respond to Him acting according to it? How might this relate to why He said He came?
Q: In Mark 3:13-35, what does Jesus appear to be forming? Why start by calling “twelve” to Himself from on a mountain? Who does Jesus say belong to the people He is forming?
Q: By who’s power do the scribes from Jerusalem accuse Jesus to do His miracles? By who’s power does Jesus clarify that He is doing miracles (hint: v29). What does Jesus say is the consequence of calling His power unholy?
Q: In Mark 4:1-34, how does Jesus say that the kingdom of God grows? How does Jesus describe those who receive it? Why was Jesus teaching in parables? (Tip: Isaiah 6:9-10)
Q: In Mark 4:35-41, what does Jesus have power over? How do the disciples respond to this? How are you responding to this testimony of eye witnesses?