Unveiling The Son of God

[0:00] I'd like to look with you today at the entire book of Mark and the title I've given for this message is unveiling the son of God unveiling the son of God please turn to mark chapter 1 verse 1 and as you turn there think with me about gifts the best gifts are often prepared in advance they're often wrapped up and saved for just the right moment isn't that true well despite what our secular world wants us to think and how so many of us have lived our lives as if God is far removed and distant and uncaring we see in the book of Mark that it's actually the opposite of that the unveiling of the son of God shows us who the father is and that the father is not far away in fact the son himself is the best gift that the father could give and he's been veiled or wrapped up and he's been saved for just the right moment and now comes the wonderful unveiling of our Lord Jesus let's read together this verse which is like the thesis statement for the whole book the beginning of and that phrase is really just setting up the first portion of what he will record next and then here's what I want us to focus on the gospel of Jesus Christ the son of God this is God's word so our outline and understanding this is really phrase by phrase beginning with three questions so what is the gospel the references to the gospel of Jesus Christ what is the gospel number two who is Jesus it's the gospel of Jesus Christ the son of God and number three why should you care so number one what is the gospel well the gospel it can really have three different meanings first it could mean a genre number two it could be a narrow description and thirdly a broad description so it could be a genre that could be the narrow meaning and it could be a more broad meaning so first the genre picture yourself in ancient Rome and you might have a relative of yours that serves in the Roman army well here comes an official of royal herald of the Roman Empire and they go to a public spot they call everyone's a attention and they read a declaration a proclamation of something that had happened picture you're wanting to know did did they win the battle overseas when they traveled to fight and what good news that would be to hear yes your side those in your family who fought on that war they are victorious and you may get to see them soon well that's what gospel means it's good news a proclamation it's to herald glad tidings doesn't that sound like the gospel that we know of jesus you know why are the first four books of the bible called the gospels and it's really only because of this wording in mark the beginning of the gospel of jesus christ so the author mark probably john mark here under the apostolic authority of peter most likely in rome right before peter and paul were both killed and died as martyrs this account is given and so mark or john mark here records for us the good news as a genre probably came after the gospel of matthew in terms of when it was written but that's the purpose is to declare to herald what peter the apostle found most important now as a experienced veteran probably a grandpa living

[4:05] in rome as a prisoner about to die how is he going to record this series of events so the narrow meaning besides the genre it really refers to christ's work the gospel in a narrow sense is christ's work mark mark 8 31 says the son of man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and here it is be killed and after three days rise again so it refers to the life the suffering the death and the resurrection of jesus christ the son of man that's christ's work in history that's the narrow sense but it also the gospel also has a very important broader meaning which is theological and it's how how does the triune god father son and spirit save sinners how exactly does god do that that is the gospel and that's really the reference we get at the end of the book mark 16 verses 15 and 16 jesus as he's ascending tells his disciples go into all the world and proclaim proclaim the gospel to the whole creation whoever believes in is baptized will be saved but whoever does not believe will be condemned so our lord is referring to believing in the gospel and what hinges on your belief of the gospel is salvation itself either you will be saved or you will not be saved based on whether you believe or don't believe in the gospel as it's proclaimed so much is at stake in this theological meaning our salvation hinges upon the gospel in that sense well let's look a bit deeper because there's a very important caution what does what does mark himself teach about the the type of belief that does save look turn with me to mark 6 verses 11 and 12 let's look at those together in our bibles as you're turning here's the caution okay the demons believed that jesus was the christ and that he suffered and they now even know he died and that he rose from the dead this is no secret to satan he knows better than anyone but the demons and satan those fallen angels they do not have a saving belief in the gospel and it's very important that we get this distinction accurate here the gospel for demons means that they just accept it as historical fact but that's not what the promise of christ is for salvation he's talking about an understanding of the gospel and a personal trust in the theological meaning of the gospel do you see the difference let's read together mark 6 verses 11 and 12 and he said to them to you has been given the secret of the kingdom of god but for those outside everything is parables so that they may indeed see but not perceive and may indeed hear but not understand lest they should turn and be forgiven and he said to them do you not understand this parable how then will you understand all the parables there's a lot there and we'll unpack much of that in the next sections but for now pay attention to this the gospel our first focus what is the gospel the gospel is only good news for you if you have a saving faith and a saving faith requires personal understanding and trust what do we mean by trust it's to repent of your sin and to believe in christ

[8:08] jesus as your savior that's what a saving faith is you must personally understand the gospel and put your full trust in christ jesus of the gospel well that's number one what is the gospel number two who is jesus so our verse mark 1 1 the gospel of jesus christ the son of god who is jesus we'll break this down into three parts of jesus number one christ number two and then we'll save the son of god for our last point who is jesus so first of jesus and then of christ of jesus he is fully human and number two he is fully divine so as fully human jesus is our representative head paul calls him the second adam also the firstborn of a new creation that's who jesus is he is fully human and those living with jesus had no doubt of his humanity in mark chapter 6 verse 3 he was criticized because he showed up in his hometown and they said is not this the carpenter the son of mary and brother of james and joses and judas and simon and are not his sisters here with us and they took offense at him he was so human that they were offended that this man jesus who they knew and had seen him grow up would claim to be something beyond a mere man they knew he was fully human well b he was also fully divine that's who jesus was see jesus we're told in the bible was the heir the one who would inherit the riches of god the death of jesus as the the divine god taking on flesh is what would trigger his final will and testament mark 12 6 says he had still one other a beloved son in this parable jesus is describing the tenants who would kill off his messengers and so he finally sends his beloved son himself and he said they will respect my son verse 7 but those tenants said to one another this is the heir come let's kill him and the inheritance will be ours and they took him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard well that's a description of the death of jesus himself carried beyond the city walls to a pile of trash that would be considered unclean dead bodies in the hands of torturous romans the blood that would drain down from that hill of the skull that was the death of the son of god himself so that's who jesus is but he's also given the title christ and christ means the anointed one the anointed and promised redeemer so in his work jesus christ the work of christ we want to focus on each of these as which has been prophesied but i want to highlight how mark taps into those themes and references first as prophet and then as priest and finally as king so how is jesus the christ how is he a prophet who speaks of god in an otherworldly way with authority that no one had ever seen before mark 6 1 and 2 and that same reference in his hometown is described this way on the sabbath he jesus began to teach in the synagogue and many who heard him were astonished saying where did this man get these things what is the wisdom given to him how are such mighty works done by his hands and jesus even affirmed the shima which means hear oh israel your lord is one and you shall love the lord with

[12:11] all your heart soul mind and strength and love your neighbor as yourself but then he also expanded that statement of god's unity god's being one he expanded it to include god as father son and spirit when he gave his disciples the great commission and how they were to baptize new believers so he was the prophet revealing the true god and affirming this is this is continuous it's the same god of the old testament but he's expanding it with with otherworldly power and authority so that's how christ serves as prophet highlighted in mark b is christ as priest how did he mediate or how was he the the person who brought two sinners the grace and forgiveness of the holy god well he served in a propitiatory office christ was our propitiation um take for instance mark 14 24 jesus said when he's introducing the lord's suppers to his disciples he said this is my blood of the covenant which is poured out for many so his blood being poured out for many and that that is a reference to the role of a priest propitiation in the old testament was a sin offering so those those offering the sacrifice of sin it required blood and by which this offering would satisfy the wrath of god to appease god's wrath against sin and it was a means of forgiveness so it was a sin offering and it could also mean the covering of the ark which was then sprinkled with the atoning blood of the sacrificial lamb on the one day a year yom kippur the day of atonement to satisfy the sin and make forgiveness of god possible because the wrath of god would be poured out on the lamb and the sprinkling of the lamb's blood would cover those who otherwise would deserve that death themselves and that's the reference christ makes this is my blood of the covenant god's gracious promise to apply his forgiveness to those who are covered by that blood which is poured out listen carefully for many both matthew and mark refer to the work of christ as being the ransom the payment the exchange for many so it's an effective effectual limited and definite atonement it is for the salvation of many who he saves he saves indeed they are truly saved so christ was prophet christ was priest and christ is also king as revealed in mark who is jesus christ it's our second heading he is the king well under king i want to point out first his selective disclosure of the king secondly the strategic unveiling of god's kingdom and third the fact that this king was winning battles in war a spiritual war that's gone on since creation every single day of his life and even in his death so those would be our three sub points under the king jesus christ first is selective disclosure so yes the book of mark is the unveiling of the son of god but it's it's strategic and how it's happening um it's very selective and turn with me to mark 1 verse 34 mark 1 34 and i want you to have in mind this wonderful scene in the lord of the rings where the king is wearing this large cloak with the hood up covering his head and he's sitting in the back corner of a tavern with the shadow of

[16:15] the hood creating darkness to cover his face so this cloaked king gradually and selectively disclosing himself so mark 1 verse 34 and he jesus healed many who were sick with various diseases so he's showing his power as king winning those battles and he cast out many demons they were the first ones to know without a doubt who was this king but listen to this and he would not permit the demons to speak because they knew him so see how in this case he's being very selective and he's not allowing the demons to disclose who he is truly as god now turn next to a counter example i want to point out how it's selective in that case they were not allowed but look at mark chapter 5 verse 18 this is going to explain um a separate miracle where a man is demon possessed and the region is very significant because most of christ's ministry was in galilee and then he traveled into jerusalem for his final work but there's this wonderful scene where he goes across to the decapolis to the east and this is the land of the gentiles um the miracle where christ cast out the demon the legion of demons into a herd of pigs well think about it they're growing pigs far away from jerusalem many people in israel probably still had an appetite for pigs none of not everyone is interested in being kosher but there was a large um demand for pigs and they could only be grown in certain parts the decapolis was was much more greek more distant from the local israeli rule and so the decapolis was the land of the gentiles and the book of mark is written to gentiles while john mark himself and peter are in rome so they have this roman greco-roman audience in mind trying to explain it and listen to this as jesus was getting into the boat the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him he wanted to get in the boat and follow this man who saved him anywhere he would go verse 19 and he jesus did not permit him but said to him go home to your friends and listen to the contrast compared to the demons tell them how much the lord has done for you and how he had mercy on you and he went away and began to proclaim in the decapolis how much jesus had done for him and everyone marveled and so later when you're going to hear these accounts of people being in jerusalem for the passover peter stands up and preaches and three thousand are added well look at the work that christ has already done to pave the way to begin calling people and giving them a glimpse in the strategic unveiling and disclosure of who he is and he also wanted to very tactfully like a king a military general he wanted to unveil the kingdom of god look at mark 4 10 let's turn back a couple pages i'll read it when he was alone those around him with the 12 asked him about the parables what's the purpose of telling the parables you know why why don't you just tell us about the kingdom of god in a straight way why do you have to always veil it behind a story and here's jesus's answer to you has been given the secret of the kingdom of god but for those outside everything is in parables see the crucifixion was god's redemptive judgment those not redeemed must still be judged in other words christ was strategic in who and when he would reveal the kingdom of god and he did tell his disciples much more plainly when they were alone with him well finally as in his work

[20:19] as a king jesus was winning battles in war each day you could say chapters 1 through 13 okay there's 16 chapters in the book of mark chapters 1 through 13 are like the d-day this is where you know in the world war ii the the all the armies come together from all the different allied countries under one general the only time you can have a five-star general that's jesus christ coming onto the scene aligning his forces his angels his apostles and all those who would believe and then defeating satan one temptation at a time and then chapters 14 through 16 are the battle itself that's when he his work is done and he resurrects victorious so mark chapter 3 verse 27 jesus says no one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods unless he first binds the strong man then indeed he may plunder his house see how christ is invading enemy territory the world was under the dominion of satan we're told in revelation that satan was able up to this point to deceive the nations they are spiritually blind but christ came to push back the forces of darkness and satan can try to attack the walls of the castle of king jesus the church once he's established it based on his finished work and it will be to no avail christ is victorious because he has bound up satan so what does christ work as king the strategic king that's gradually and strategically disclosing his power and authority what does that mean for you for your assurance of salvation this is big isn't it am i saved can i lose my salvation well think about it has god revealed himself to you that means he selected you he chose to pull back that hood off of his cloak like the king in the shadows so you could see his face has god caused you to see his glory and to love his church do you love his church and do you see the glory of christ do you want to see more and more of it that means he has given you a peek into an invisible spiritual kingdom he has strategically chosen you to unveil his kingdom to you and are you set free are you set free from satan does he have power over you any longer because our king won battles each day of his life and his death was to ransom to buy your freedom to set sinners like you free from the dominion of satan are you set free by this wonderful king and this brings us to our last point why should you care why should you care about the gospel or whether the son of god was truly unveiled in jesus christ well if it's true that jesus is the promised messiah the anointed one the son of god himself the theological meaning of that is this there is an eternal holy and just god who must punish evil with death that includes your sin and my sin the human race needs a second atom because the curse is too strong for any man to undo don't you feel that the curse of sin is so strong we need a second atom to set everything right well in the covenant of redemption outside of time the father makes a plan with the son this is a pactum salutis an agreement to provide peace to sinners

[24:20] and it is a covenant we call it the covenant of redemption but it's a special type of covenant that could be compared to um maybe an emperor who has a few key generals and he would pull a general aside and say you general have an opportunity if you will choose to do this you can go and conquer this region win that battle and all that land will be for you and for your family and if the general accepts the offer takes it on he voluntarily and willingly will go and complete this this wonderful commission this opportunity given to him in order to secure this wonderful worthwhile reward that the emperor the king is promised so in this case the father is offering this type of a commission this type of a promised reward if the son will willingly agree to it like a general going to battle in order to secure the reward and the son willingly takes it on because god is love and god so loved the world the entire world all the nations all the sinful nations of this world that the the son of god himself would be sent on this mission by the father to save sinners like you and me so the gospel according to peter what is it well we could even turn to peter's letter his pastoral letter first peter let's go there first peter one verse one christians he says are elect according to the foreknowledge of god the father see got foreknowledge of god the father in the sanctification of the spirit who completes and perfects the finished work for obedience to christ and for sprinkling with his blood how does this happen so according to god's great mercy peter writes by grace alone in other words god has caused us it's god who causes us that's our effectual calling to be born again to in other words we're born to something and that regeneration comes first regeneration precedes whatever comes next said you're born again to a living hope because he's given you a new heart you believe and you have a living hope through the resurrection of jesus christ from the dead and it doesn't stop there you have a right to an inheritance peter writes see christ is now not the servant of the covenant of redemption that work is complete christ is now the lord of the new covenant you now in the covenant that christ earned for you you inherit all of god's riches promised in god's final will and testament upon the death of jesus so when jesus dies this will and testament goes into effect and the the riches of the inheritance are now available they are available to anyone who will believe so the father understands believes believes and trusts i'm sorry the christian understands believes and trusts in the work of the son and the spirit guarantees the reward yes that whole that father that holy just and loving father considers the the full work of the son both his life and death is active and passive obedience he could he accepts them as being uh sufficient they they fully met fully satisfied all the terms of the covenant between the father and the son witnessed and sealed by the spirit and that's proof that the father accepted that the testament now is in effect the covenant applied to those who will believe is in effect

[28:21] that's proved because jesus rose from the dead and it becomes ours when the holy spirit guarantees that reward to us see the holy spirit calls and seals into the covenant of grace every single soul which the the father promised to give to the son as his reward for accomplishing the work he was given isn't that wonderful well think about this why do you think peter was so careful to state the gospel in first peter in his letter with the emphasis on the trinity and god's foreknowledge you know outside of time father son and spirit saving sinners like you the battle cry of the reformation i love how our buddy shylin put it he said when we hear the gospel in this way the only thing to do is say soli deo gloria all glory be to god alone so what is the gospel the gospel is this god saves sinners the gospel is of your holy creator your fallenness of jesus christ and you understanding believing repenting and now living in gratitude to the work of christ so the gospel is the son of god unveiled for you