Prophecy, Baptism, and Temptation

Call to Worship: Psalm 23

Welcome to First Baptist Church of Artesia. We're going to go ahead and get started this morning. Welcome to our online platform and our sanctuary. We're so glad that you've joined us this morning, and I'm going to start with the reading of Psalm 23.

The Lord is my shepherd; I have what I need. He lets me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside quiet waters. He renews my life; he leads me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for you are with me; your rod and your staff—they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord as long as I live.

— Psalm 23:1-6 (CSB)

Thank you for joining us this morning.

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father. There is no shadow of turning with Thee. Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord God.

You give life, You are love, You bring light to the darkness. You give hope, You restore every heart that is broken. It's Your breath in our lungs, so we pour out our praise. It's Your breath in our lungs, so we pour out our praise to You. All the earth will shout Your praise, our hearts will cry, these bones will sing, "Great are You, Lord!" So we pour out our praise to You.

What can wash away our sins? What can make us whole again? Nothing but Your blood, Jesus. You made a way for us, welcoming us as the friends of God. Nothing but Your blood, Jesus. What can wash away our sins? What can make us whole again? Nothing but Your blood, Jesus. Amen. It's Jesus' blood that covers us.

Introduction to the Gospel of Mark

My name is John Lee, and I'm on staff here at First Baptist. It brings me joy to bring you God's word this morning. I don't know if you noticed, but it's a little wet this morning. I've heard news that it's going to continue to rain, possibly even bringing a tropical storm, so I've deliberately made this morning's sermon a little shorter, Lord willing, so we can get home and take care of what we need to. If you expect this to be a normal sermon length for me, do not—it won't be that long.

But if you would, grab your Bible and open it to the Book of Mark. We're going to look at the first section here, verses 1 through 13. We'll read the passage, and then we'll pray and get started. We're going to, Lord willing, go through the entire Book of Mark as I continue to preach here, but for today, we're going to start at the beginning where Mark begins his gospel.

Mark chapter 1, verses 1 through 13. If this is the first time you've used a Bible, the big numbers are the chapter numbers and the little numbers are the verse numbers. Looking at Mark chapter 1, verses 1 through 13, it says this:

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in Isaiah the prophet:See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way. A voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Prepare the way for the Lord; make his paths straight! John came baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and they were baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins. John wore a camel-hair garment with a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, “One who is more powerful than I am is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the strap of his sandals. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John. As soon as he came up out of the water, he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well-pleased.” Immediately the Spirit drove him into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and the angels were serving him.

— Mark 1:1-13 (CSB)

Let's pray. Lord, we come to you this morning knowing that if you do not help us, we have nowhere else to turn. Lord, we ask that you would help us this morning, and help us this weekend as we endure this tropical storm. Help us to be compassionate to our neighbors, to be safe, and to continue to trust in you. We ask, Lord, that as we look at this passage of the introduction of Jesus, our eyes would be opened to see your glory in your word. You can only do this by your help, so we ask that you would help us, in Jesus' name. Amen.

Beginnings matter. When a president takes office, people pay attention to the first hundred days; it is an indication of how the rest of their term will play out. When teachers start a new school year, they look particularly to that first week to set the tone of their classroom and establish what kind of students they will enjoy or endure. New Year's resolutions reinvigorate our motivations to try to start again and hit the gym, at least for maybe two weeks.

I spent some time wondering how I should start teaching here. It is a total honor and privilege to be asked to come on staff, and while I considered other texts or topical sermons that would set the tone of the ministry, what came to mind for me was 1 Corinthians 1:17. Paul says that he was sent to preach the gospel, not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross of Christ would not be emptied of its effect. If I were to preach a sermon that sounds delightful to the ears but lacks Jesus, that is a terrible way to begin.

Rather than preaching about preaching, or preaching about ministry, success, or anything else, I thought the most important thing we could do together would be to focus on Jesus. So, for the foreseeable future, I'll be preaching through this Book of Mark whenever I come up to the pulpit.

Mark also cared about the beginning of his gospel. He wanted to set the tone, and so he takes care in this first section of his book to establish Jesus' identity. The sermon is going to be formatted around asking one question and seeing Mark's three answers. Mark's question is this: Who is Jesus? Mark provides three answers here: first, Jesus is the true baptizer; second, Jesus is the true son; and third, Jesus is the true savior.

Jesus is the True Baptizer

Who is Jesus? First, Jesus is the true baptizer. Look at verse 1: "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God." Mark was not one of the twelve apostles. I've seen video clips of people asking random Christians on the street to name the twelve apostles, and they tend to start with Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. They are only 50% right. Luke was not an apostle, and Mark was not one of the apostles either. But Mark traveled with Paul and Barnabas throughout their ministry, and he was known to be a very close disciple and friend of Peter's. He likely wrote this book under the direction of Peter's personal account. Peter would tell Mark these stories about his encounters with Jesus, and Mark was faithfully writing them down.

Mark calls this book "the gospel," or the good news of Jesus. But rather than beginning with Jesus' birth, like some of the other gospels, Mark goes further back. He begins not with Jesus' birth, but in the Old Testament. You can see that in verse 2: "As is written in Isaiah the prophet: 'See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way. A voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Prepare the way for the Lord and make his paths straight.'"

Here Mark takes time to quote Isaiah. He also adds in Malachi's prophecy about this messenger who was going to come. When you see Old Testament citations in the New Testament, you can know that these authors are taking time to pull direct quotes from centuries past—promises God made—to show that they are being fulfilled in the present.

This is a good reason why the Bible is one cohesive book for all people. There are some preachers today who encourage us to divorce the Old Testament from the New Testament. You might go through your Bible reading plan, hit Leviticus and Numbers, and wonder what in the world is going on. Well, the good news for us is that when New Testament authors like Mark pull from the Old Testament, we are seeing the mysteries that Isaiah and Malachi laid in the dirt become revealed in real time. As Alistair Begg says, we find Christ in all the scriptures: in the Old Testament He is predicted, in the gospels He is revealed, in Acts He is preached, in the Epistles He is explained, and in Revelation He is expected.

Mark takes Isaiah and Malachi and brings them to the forefront to explain that what they were talking about was a messenger who would come to point to Jesus. In both of those original Old Testament passages, God responds to the people's questions. Malachi and Isaiah are both talking to Israelites in exile who are wondering where hope is after God judged them for their disobedience. God makes clear that He will not let Israel's sin go unpunished, but His solution brings more than just judgment; Israel is also going to be saved. The sign of this salvation would be a messenger—someone who would make a way, not just for another prophet, but for God Himself to come.

That messenger is John the Baptist. You see his description in verse 4:

John came baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and they were baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins. John wore a camel-hair garment with a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey.

John the Baptist was a messenger in the wilderness giving baptisms of repentance. Israelites would go out to him, confess their sins publicly, and John would immerse them in the Jordan River. He wore camel-hair and ate locusts and honey. Now, John isn't dressing up like Fred Flintstone; that's not the idea. He is taking what was known in the Old Testament as a Nazarite vow. He made certain promises about how he would live his life—that he wouldn't live in the city, and that he would obey specific regulations.

Instead of getting caught up in the details, the main idea is that John is different; he is set apart. His life is symbolized by what he wears and how he lives. He is not like a normal person because he has taken this vow of devotion. Another way of saying he is set apart for the Lord's service is that he is a holy man. When you look at John and the way he lived, you know that his life legitimizes his message. He didn't just talk the talk; he walked the walk. He was a true follower of God.

His message was one of repentance, calling people to acknowledge their sin, turn away from it, and turn to the Lord. John isn't interested in optimizing lives or adding a sprinkle of spirituality to a common week. Rather, John is focused on calling people to reorient their entire lives, to turn their worlds upside down, to acknowledge the real sins they've committed, to take accountability for the wrong they have done, and to be baptized to publicly recognize their devotion to a holy God.

But John the Baptist knew his message wasn't complete. He wasn't just focused on the sins we need to confess; he preached about someone who was coming. As verse 7 says, he proclaimed, "One who is more powerful than I am is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the strap of his sandals. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

John serves as a great example of what we should all strive to be. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus called John the Baptist the greatest man who ever lived. One who lives a truly holy life is one who does not elevate himself, but exalts Jesus. John understands that he is not the main character of his life; he is just the opening act for the King of Kings. He exemplifies the ideal Christian and the ideal preacher by being able to say, "I must decrease, and He must increase."

What does that mean for us? It means if any of us think we are somebody special, we ought to humble ourselves. But if you are here this morning feeling discouraged, feeling like you're not good enough to serve the Lord, to preach the gospel, or to faithfully serve His people, I have good news for you: you are halfway there. The key to service is holiness, and when you humble yourself and walk away from pride, you begin to take on the character of Jesus' servants. You take on His humility.

John the Baptist called men to repentance, but he didn't just call people to a holier life; he pointed them to a holier Person—one who would baptize people not just with water, but with the Holy Spirit. That contrast can bring about a lot of questions. People ask what the baptism of the Holy Spirit really looks like. We live about 30 minutes away from where the Azusa Street Revival happened, where people taught that to be baptized with the Holy Spirit meant you must speak in tongues. I don't think that is what this passage is mainly talking about. But even if you disagree with me, that is not this passage's primary focus.

Rather than getting lost in the details of spiritual gifts, the point Mark is drawing out when John talks about Jesus baptizing with the Holy Spirit is a contrast of degree and value. If John baptizes with water, this coming Person will baptize with the very Spirit of the living God. Jesus is not just another prophet. He is not just another person coming to remind people of repentance. He is not Elijah coming back (which was actually fulfilled in John the Baptist). The idea is that Jesus would come not just to point people to God, but to arrive as the Lord Himself.

We see the difference in quality by the difference in their baptisms. In Jesus, we do not see another prophet providing another method or another call to repentance. We see a baptism that is superior to the best of the prophets.

Think about what this means. Mark doesn't start with a lowly birth; he goes further back. He draws from Malachi's prophecy centuries earlier when the Israelites asked where God's justice was. He draws from Isaiah's prophecy about hope after Israel's judgment, from God's promise to David about an eternal reign, from God's promise to Abraham that his offspring would multiply and bless all nations, and even from God's promise to Adam and Eve in the garden that He would put an end to sin and the serpent's reign. All of those prophets and prophecies are leading to this man, Jesus. He is the one who is going to put an end to everything wrong in the world. He gives true rebirth and true baptism because Jesus is the true baptizer.

Jesus is the True Son

Who is Jesus? Point number two: He is the true son.

Look at verse 9. In those days, Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John. As soon as he came up out of the water, he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well-pleased."

John the Baptist spent his entire life calling people to repentance and telling them about the one who would come and give a greater baptism. When Jesus finally shows up on the scene, He asks John to baptize Him. He goes into the water, comes out, and the Spirit descends on Him like a dove.

This imagery carries deep biblical significance. It points back to Noah on the ark. When the floodwaters receded, Noah sent out a dove, and the dove returned with an olive branch, signifying peace between God and man. It also points to the Spirit descending on Joshua, commissioning him to lead the Israelite people into the Promised Land after Moses. As Jesus comes out of the waters of baptism, He receives the Spirit, and then His Father speaks, declaring Jesus as His beloved Son in whom He is well-pleased.

When Jesus enters this gospel, Mark immediately identifies Him as the Son of God—God made man. Jesus is "two whats and one who": He is truly God and truly man, without mixture, division, or confusion. When Jesus begins His public ministry, the very first event involves God the Father identifying Him as His own kin, His beloved Son.

Not only that, we see a beautiful picture of the Trinity revealed here: one God in three persons—one "what" and three "whos"—in perfect fellowship, revealed clearly for the first time in human history. Jesus doesn't only bring salvation to the world; He reveals the triune Godhead. He reveals what God is like, and God is Father, Son, and Spirit. That is good news for us. Jesus is truly God made flesh, God incarnate.

When John told everyone to prepare the way for the Lord, no one pictured that God Himself would actually come to earth, pick up the gauntlet, and do the work of redemption Himself. God comes to us not in a tabernacle, not in a temple, and not on stone tablets with a set of instructions, but in a Person. Jesus is the true Son.

Jesus is the True Savior

Point number three: Who is Jesus? Jesus is the true Savior.

Look with me at verse 12. Immediately, the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness, and He was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and the angels were serving Him.

The Spirit moves Jesus from the waters of baptism straight into the desert—from the Jordan to the wilderness where Satan tempts Him.

Temptation is a universal experience. Because of the fall, we live in a world broken by sin. Often, we get so used to this broken world and so used to sinning that we start to excuse our temptations using our environment. We claim that outside conditions weakened us in such a way that sinning was unavoidable: "I snapped at my wife because work was tiring," "I stole money because finances have been tight and I was getting desperate," or "I fell into temptation because of the people around me."

While environments certainly affect our decisions, our fundamental problem isn't where we are; it's who we are. It is not our environment, but our own hearts. Our circumstances do not excuse us for the bad things we do; rather, they expose who we really are. When we are tested by outside forces, it reveals our inward, sinful hearts.

But Jesus, placed in the worst location—the wilderness—and facing the worst company—Satan himself—comes out utterly victorious. He does what no one else can do because there is no evil in Him. Jesus resists every temptation hurled at Him by the devil. He succeeds in every single avenue where we fail.

In fact, this wilderness temptation is a perfect foreshadowing of what Jesus came to do. In the Bible, there is actually another "son" who was tempted in the wilderness: the nation of Israel. In Exodus 4:22, God says, "Israel is my firstborn son." God's love for His people is described as a father's love for his child. He brought judgment on Egypt by taking their firstborn because Pharaoh would not let His firstborn son go.

God then provided deliverance for Israel through the Exodus, splitting the Red Sea, and leading them through the water into the wilderness, where they were tested and tempted for forty years. If you have read the Book of Numbers, you know that at every single turn, Israel utterly failed. Every temptation that arose led them to whine, complain, question God's goodness, and sin. As a result, every Israelite who left Egypt, except Joshua and Caleb, died in the wilderness without setting foot in the Promised Land. In Deuteronomy, we see that only after that generation had died did God instruct the new generation to enter the land.

God's son, Israel, went through the water, entered the wilderness, failed the test, and was unable to enter the Promised Land on their own merit. But the good news for you and me is that our salvation is not dependent on our own obedience, but on a greater Son.

Instead of just sending another prophet, God came Himself. He went into the water to receive a baptism of repentance, not because He had any sin of His own, but so that He could stand in solidarity with us and save us. He went into the wilderness and was tempted for forty days in every single way by the fiercest forces of evil, and He emerged victorious. This Son has come to bring a true Exodus and lead His people into the eternal Promised Land.

This is the gospel that Christians believe: we have all failed the wilderness test, and we have all sinned. But Jesus came to bear our sins in His body on the tree. He died, bearing the penalty of sin for all who would believe in Him, and He proved His victory over sin and death by rising from the grave three days later.

Jesus offers you true security today. If you turn from your sin and trust in Him, you will find everything you need. When we trust in Jesus, we become united to Him by faith. Your weakness is covered by His strength, your temptation and sin are covered by His perfect obedience, and your death is overcome by His resurrection. If God is pleased with His beloved Son, and you are united to Jesus by faith, then you can know with absolute certainty that God is pleased with you. He loves you, not because of your own perfection or greatness, but because you are covered and wrapped in the grace and peace of Christ.

We do not know what tomorrow will bring, or even what will happen later today. In the Bible, storms and water are vivid images representing chaos and death. That is why the flood imagery refers to a kind of "de-creation," and why in Genesis 1 we see the Spirit hovering over the deep waters before God creates life. But let me reassure you: we have Someone who has entered the depths of death and emerged victorious over the grave. Let Jesus dictate your trust. You can rely on Him. Let Jesus set the tone of this church, of our ministries, and of our lives, because Jesus is the true baptizer, the true Son, and the true Savior. His light shines in the darkness, and the darkness will never overcome it.

Let's pray. Father, we thank you for your word. We pray, God, that you would help us over the course of this weekend and this coming week, not just to know this truth, but to believe it deeply. Give us the strength to hold fast to the truth we have believed for years. We can only do this by your help, so we ask that you would help us, in Jesus' name. Amen.

Church Announcements and Benediction

Pastor: Praise the Lord! The true baptizer, the true Son, the true Savior. See, I was taking notes! Praise God, praise God. Actually, I am looking forward to the rest of this study in Mark. I was thinking, "Let's keep going, I want some more!" Praise God. I'm sure we're going to get a lot more of that.

I have a couple of announcements for you. One is that we've been waiting for the solar panels to go up on the roof of the educational building, which has taken a while. Then we found out the roof of the educational building was damaged, and it looked like we were going to have to replace the whole roof, which costs a lot of money. Well, praise God, the insurance company picked up the cost for the roof! Yes, praise God, we don't have to pay for that.

At the same time, one of our air conditioners went out over there. The money we don't have to spend on the roof can now be put toward taking care of the air conditioning. God is working everything out. Pretty soon, they're going to be taking the roof off over there, putting those solar panels up, and we'll end up saving quite a bit of money every month because of those solar panels.

Having said that, there is a natural connection to tithes and offerings. God loves a cheerful giver. We give because we understand that God gave first. As we give to God, our job here is to be good stewards of what He provides. Over the years, we've been able to pay this building off, renovate it, and do a lot of good things because of good stewardship. We have an offering basket in the back, or you can give online, drop it off, or mail it in. One thing we are certain to do is be good stewards over everything given to us. Let's pray.

Lord God, we thank you for our tithes and offerings. We thank you for all that you supply for us. Lord, we thank you for the solar panels that will sit on the roof, and the roof over our heads. We thank you for all the things you have worked out for us over the course of these years to provide this sanctuary for us. Lord, I thank you for those who are giving, and for those who might be in a place where they currently can't give, that one day they will. We thank you that we give not only of monetary currency, but of our time and our talents. We thank you for those who give in that way as well, Lord. We give you all praise, honor, and glory. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.

Just an update: we were going to hold our prayer ministry this week, but we're going to put that off until next week because of the storm. We didn't know how many people would be able to make it today, so next week we will gather for prayer after the service.

Also, there will be no Wednesday Bible study until after Labor Day. I think the second Wednesday of September is when we will start Bible study back up. However, the men's ministry will still be meeting. On Thursday the 31st, we will have the men's Bible study in the Bible study rooms. That is Thursday the 31st; we hope you can make it.

Next week, right as we close the service, we will have a brief meeting like we did last week for a few housekeeping items. In our bylaws, when you bring someone on staff, the pastor has to announce it to the congregation. Last week we made that announcement. Additionally, our bylaws state that if we are giving someone the title of Pastor, Assistant Pastor, or Lead Pastor, the congregation must vote on it. Next week we will do that. It will be a quick meeting right here after the service where we will present John with that title, and it will be your opportunity to vote. This is not changing who your pastor is; that is way down the line. This is simply a title issue, but we must do things according to our bylaws. If you need any clarification on that, you can see me afterward.

Receive the benediction: May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace. May the Lord bless you, keep you, watch over you, and protect you. Be safe this week with all this rain.

Your grace washes over me. I rise to believe again. You are my refuge, You are my strength. As I pour out my heart, these things I remember: You are a faithful God, forever. Amen. Have a blessed week!