Turn with me, your scriptures, to the gospel according to Mark. We are in chapter one, and we have before us this week verses four through eight. If you are able, I invite you to stand in honor of God's word, and I'll read in your hearing this portion, the opening passage of the gospel according to Mark. This is God's very word. Let us hear with reverence and heed. Mark chapter one at verse four. John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. Then all the land of Judea and those from Jerusalem went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel's hair and with a leather belt around his waist. And he ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, There comes one after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose. I indeed baptize you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit. Let's ask God's blessing on this, His Word, and the preaching of it. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, please bless to us the hearing and the preaching of the word cause us to feed upon Christ, strengthen us for his service, and may we see clearly this revelation of our Savior. We ask this in his name. Amen. Last week we considered the author of this gospel and we examined the historical evidence, delighting in what the Lord has preserved for us there, and considered as well the biblical support for that historical evidence. We took encouragement from the testimony of the Church in history as well as encouragement from the way the Lord used Mark as the one to pen this Gospel recorded in Scripture. And we mentioned along the way that Mark appears to have written this Gospel account around the middle of the 60s, maybe around 65 AD, and probably while in Rome. This would have been during the rising persecution of the Christians under the brutal reign of Nero. Nero was suspected of having started a fire in the city of Rome that brought catastrophic destruction to most of the city. And to deflect suspicion from himself, he blamed the Christians and began a campaign of horrifying persecution against them. It was under these circumstances that Mark's first audience would have received this testimony of Messiah. These Roman converts to Christianity needed the joyful tidings, the good news that would sustain them under this awful suffering. Indeed, Mark's Gospel account emphasizes the divine authority of Messiah, the Son of David, but coming not through military conquest but rather through the unexpected path of suffering. So as they followed their Savior, as they considered this revelation, they would be strengthened even in their calling to suffer. His suffering brought an eternal victory of salvation to those who believe in Him. This clear vision of the Savior would sustain His followers through their appointed suffering as they follow Him. The joyful tidings of the arrival of Messiah, the Son of God, the Son of David, not as a mere man, but as God himself, is what we saw declared in the opening portion of the Gospel of Mark. Mark packs this into those opening lines that we considered last week as He sets the context from the words of the prophets and shows the fulfillment in the coming of Messiah. And here, he introduces not only Christ, but the one who would prepare the way for Christ, John, the baptizer, John, the forerunner. The prophecy of John's ministry is given to us first. And we need to consider that briefly as we move into the portion before us this week. Mark demonstrates that there was a prophetic vision of one who would prepare the way for the Lord, and his original audience would likely be less familiar with those Old Testament prophecies, being Roman converts, Gentile converts. And indeed, Mark doesn't spend as much time on Old Testament fulfillment in the New as does one like Matthew, for example, but he certainly sets this as the foundation of his gospel record. Still, every Christian, even Gentile Roman Christians, newly converted, would need to be reminded that there were promises and prophecies being fulfilled in the arrival of Messiah. And the ministry of John demonstrates the sovereignty of God in fulfilling His promised purpose of redemption. Mark references Malachi 3 verses 1 through 3 regarding the messenger going before the Lord to prepare the way for his arrival. And what is fascinating about Mark's drawing from Malachi is that just one chapter later in that same book, the last book of the Old Testament, there in the closing verses of chapter 4, the messenger gets another mention with some significant additional information. It says there in chapter four of Malachi, verse five, behold, I will send you Elijah, the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. Mark doesn't slow down to spell out how John fulfills this prophecy. The reference to John's appearance is meant to remind us of those things that would go with such a prophet that could be described, as he is there in chapter 4 of Malachi, as Elijah. And it certainly reminded the people of that day of Elijah. He's described in ways that are mentioned as the attire of the prophets. They would wear a garment of hair. Second Kings chapter 1 verse 8 describes Elijah, and the Hebrew can be translated as a hairy man or a man with a hairy garment, one who is covered with hair. And so you'll see both ways of translating it. Zechariah 13, verse 4, you can look that one up and see that prophets were known to wear a hairy garment. And there, Zechariah is saying false prophets will stop imitating prophets by wearing such garments that are identified with the prophets. They'll stop their faking being prophets by wearing prophets' garments. So the people of old would recognize a prophet as one who would be attired in a certain way, a way that Elijah was known to be attired, the way that prophets were commonly understood to dress, it stood out. It would have stood out to them as well in that day. In John chapter 1, verse 21, we have an exhibit of how they recognized the unique prophetic ministry of John. Again, Mark doesn't slow down, but we can cross-reference it here and be reminded of what Mark is saying very quickly and moving on. As John was ministering, the profound nature of having a prophet was bringing a great deal of stir, and it brought out all the people. It brought out the leaders, and they come and they demand some things of John the baptizer. John, the forerunner. They ask him if he is Elijah. In John 1, verse 21. And John says, no, I'm not. Now, what's interesting is, if we'll cross-reference Matthew, chapter 17, verses 12 and 13, Christ explains, yes, he was Elijah. Well, what do we do with that? Well, it's not really hard to untie that knot. Elijah was not literally reincarnated, no such thing. And Elijah, who was taken up in a chariot, hadn't come back down and started ministering. No, this was actually John. We have a record in Luke of his unique prophetic birth. He was prophesied to his mother. And remember, he left in the womb at the presence of Christ in Mary, still being carried while she was expecting. So he was not literally Elijah. And of course, what Jesus is saying with regard to John is that he was coming in the spirit and power of Elijah, fulfilling the prophecy of Malachi. And of course, Luke gives us that express word in Luke chapter one, verse 17, that he came in the spirit and power of Elijah. And yes, the mention is made here by Mark of the food that John ate. And even that would be something indicative of his prophetic ministry. He was not in a settled condition. He was ministering in the wilderness. He didn't have a house where he was staying comfortably and receiving people to train them. He was wandering in the rough and wild conditions of the wilderness and eating What he could find there? Locusts, honey. Now, that sounds disgusting, but as a matter of fact, locusts were one of the foods that were described as clean. We wouldn't think so, but there were even instructions in the adjacent writings that got recorded later, Talmudic writings, on how to prepare these insects for eating. What would be necessary to maintain the food laws, the cleanliness laws, and still eat them? I'm still not interested in that, but his rough condition in the wilderness is highlighted as something that would be indicative of a prophet. Remarkable. And it's mentioned here. Swiftly, quickly, and moving on, Mark is pointing to the prophetic ministry of John. And so, As we see here in these opening portions, first, that prophetic ministry of John, there are a couple more things we need to notice. Also, the place of John's ministry is mentioned by Mark, and it's intended to catch our attention. Even though Mark moves quickly, we need to catch what he says here. John the Thor Runner is ministering in the wilderness, and the people go out to him in that wilderness setting. This is extremely important. Even when the Holy Spirit isn't inspiring poetry, He clearly loves to use rich symbols like you would find in poetry, and it's important that we be alert to those references that carry weight, symbols in the writing inspired by the Holy Spirit, so that we don't miss that full weight that he's communicating. The wilderness is just such a weighty symbol. In Scripture, the wilderness is a place of encounter with God, a place of pivotal change because of that encounter with God, a place of testing and transformation in an encounter with Almighty God. Think of Moses encountering God in the burning bush incident. The Scriptures expressly say that he's the backside of the desert, the wilderness area, when he goes to Mount Horeb, that's where he sees that bush burning but not consumed. And there he has the encounter with Almighty God in the wilderness. Everything changes for him. It's a pivotal encounter with God. And of course, the children of Israel are led into the wilderness out of Egypt, and there, They encounter God at Mount Sinai. Again, a pivotal transformational encounter that changes everything. And appropriately, remember Elijah. Elijah, the prophet, was sent by God into the wilderness during that time of trial When the drought was appointed, God provided for him miraculously in the wilderness. That's where Elijah was hidden, and that's where God provided for him. This place of earthly deprivation, a dry, desert, wilderness place, is the place of heavenly encounter. Over and over again, we see that in the Old Testament. Indeed, it becomes the motivating incident in David's life. The deprivations of the wilderness deepen his longing for his encounter with Almighty God. Psalm 63 speaks of that, how he longs for God, how his soul is moved. to this deep longing for God, precisely because he's in a place of physical wilderness. Here, at the pivot point of all history, the message of the arrival of divine Messiah comes by the mouth of a prophet in the wilderness. And we're told with regard to this wilderness setting that the people go out to John, And here, Mark uses hyperbole, but his point is clear. When he says, then all the land of Judea and those from Jerusalem went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins. It may not have been nose for nose. That's not Mark's point. It wouldn't have necessarily been the case that on any given day, Jerusalem was empty because they were all out listening to John. But it was dramatic. It was dramatic enough that Josephus writes of John. Josephus, a somewhat Hellenized Jewish historian who doesn't care much for anyone claiming to be Messiah. spends a lot more time talking about John, mentioning John's ministry, mentioning the call for repentance. It created a big enough stir that it was pulling out the religious authorities. And why were they so moved? Because the city was emptying out. It was getting enough of a movement going that it was noticeable. The people of Judea in that era thought that the era of the prophets had ceased. It had been hundreds of years, and the canon seemed pretty well settled and closed for the Old Testament. Apparently, God was done speaking, and then, One who was unmistakably empowered as a prophet of Almighty Jehovah was found ministering powerfully in the wilderness. Well, that would create a stir. They were very interested. What's going on? We understand that dynamic. We see it happen in our day. You get some kind of new thing that was unexpected, and people start stirring, people start going, and it builds up ahead of steam and takes on a life of its own. But here, there's something more than just natural crowd dynamics. Here, there was something to it. John was obviously a powerful prophet they thought there wouldn't be anymore. And here he is, ministering with power in the wilderness. Unlike occasions where we see a stir in religious communities of our day and the evangelical arena, where massive crowds start flocking to a popular, charismatic leader, John didn't capitalize on the attention he was getting. And he was getting a lot of attention. He didn't point to himself. He did quite the opposite. And we need to look at that as the next point, considering not only the place of John's ministry, but next, the procedure of John's ministry. John's ministry was an Old Testament prophetic ministry. but it was the ministry of God for his people, as we find it, in every era. It was in the form that we would expect for an Old Testament prophet, but it had something in common with God's ministry throughout redemptive history. What John did to minister as the prophet of God was to bring the word preached and the word signified. Let's look at both of those as we see it revealed in the ministry of John. First, the word preached. Again, Mark is brief, but what is plain is that John preaches Christ. He preaches Christ's supremacy. and Christ's salvation. He preaches the proper preparation for receiving Christ. That is repentance. Everything about John's ministry oriented the people not towards him, but towards this message. The wilderness as the place of encounter, the encounter of the people of Israel at Sinai required them to go through preparation, examination. We read of that in Exodus 19 when the people are led out into the wilderness and come in the wilderness to Sinai. What's necessary before they encounter God coming in great power? Well, in Exodus 19, it's described. They are to prepare themselves. There is, in fact, as one commentator points out, a washing that they're required to go through that represents the cleansing of preparation. This prophet, John the 4th, says, prepare yourself. God is coming. Repent. Examine yourself. Mourn for sin. Turn to God. Find forgiveness. And receive the sign of that word experienced. So John is preparing the people for an encounter with God as they go out to the wilderness to hear Him. now coming to bring purification to his people, according to Malachi. And because John is the object of their interest, he does mention himself in his ministry, but only to diminish himself and to magnify Christ. This is a key element of his ministry of the word preached. He insists, I am coming with a power, but it's really nothing. Christ, who comes after me, has true power. He is mightier than I, John says. Christ, he is altogether the worthy one, John says. I have no personal worth. He puts the fine point on it in saying, If you can consider the lowliest position, the one who will take care of feet that wear sandals in this dusty, dirty land, it would be the lowliest servant's job to take off the sandals, wash the feet. He says, this one is of such worth, I can't even unlatch the sandal. He is of such might, power, supremacy, and worth. If you would compare me, I can't even do the lowliest thing for him. So great is his worth. So little is my worth in comparison. My ministry, he says, is merely preparatory. Messiah's is fullness and power. What a contrast. When you see a true minister there in the Old Covenant setting, preparing the way at this pivotal time for the coming of Messiah, we see what it looks like to minister the Word. It is full of the revelation of God. It is full of Christ. It is empty of the messenger. And the messenger would have it no other way. Second, that message, that word received as preached, is then signified. This is common in every era of redemption. The Lord brings his word. That truth must be believed, acted upon, and then he will signify that word. through ordinances pointing to that word. Here, this last prophet of the Old Covenant brings the word preached and signs of the receiving of that word. John ministered, as we read here, a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. Now, in the original language, it doesn't mean baptism that forgives. We might mistakenly think that. If you're using the New King James, you'll see a footnote there that highlights The word for for there is not saying a baptism that will forgive sins. No, no. It's saying a baptism in relation to the forgiveness of sins, corresponding to the relation of forgiveness of sins. A baptism because of the forgiveness of sins. The inward reality of repentance that brought forgiveness as faith responded to the word preached That inward reality was displayed outwardly in the ordinance the prophet brought under the authority of Jehovah, a baptism of repentance. Now, it's important to note that this was not Christian baptism. As appointed by Christ, there are significant differences that has been debated in the past. Briefly, we can note that A key difference is that Christ commands the ordinance of Christian baptism in the Great Commission, and ordinance, or sacrament, of the New Covenant, pointing to the fullness of redemption accomplished by Christ, and in the triune name. Many other weighty differences in relation to Christ's appointment, but we can reference something you can look up, Acts chapter 19, verses one through six. highlights the difference between John's baptism and Christian baptism when he runs into some disciples in Ephesus who had received John's baptism but had not received Christian baptism. And Paul highlights the unique relationship between Christ's accomplished work and how that corresponds to the ministry of the Holy Spirit and how that's represented in Christian baptism. Those things highlight Christian baptism. John's baptism. Wasn't about that. It was an Old Covenant ordinance in this case brought by the last great prophet of the Old Covenant as signifying repentance. And John even highlights that in verse eight. I indeed baptize you with water. but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit. There's a difference in what's signified. Even while there's some overlap, it is a new covenant ordinance that Christ appoints. This old covenant ordinance in this ministry of the last prophet of the old covenant signifies repentance in preparation for the coming of God as Messiah. the Son of David. The form of God's ministry in each era of redemption will correspond to that era. So the Old Covenant under the Mosaic administration will see how the Word is brought through the teaching of the Levites and how it's signified in the sacrificial system and the ordinances, elaborate ordinances. that were appointed by God in that era. But always, in every era, these are the key components. The Word is ministered, and it is signified. The Word preached, and the Word signified. So is the ministry of the last great prophet, John the Forerunner, the last prophet of the Old Covenant. Now, let's consider what we should have in our hearts and in our lives in response to these profound realities quickly given to us with regard to the ministry of John the Forerunner, as Mark records that. John's ministry was a ministry that prepared the way of the Lord through repentance. We touched on that briefly in the afternoon service last week as we describe the gospel foundation of gospel worship. There's a reason why we walk through the gospel when God calls us to worship and we invoke His name that He should work in us the thing that He calls from us to give at worship. We need gospel power to stand in the presence of Almighty God. We need the full expression of the gospel in that movement of the heart in repentance and the refreshment of forgiveness in that gospel. Living in the light of the gospel now, we recognize that isn't only a thing that we need to experience and rehearse At worship, it's a thing that in worship empowers us to carry that gospel reality into all of life. Christians are a people who live that nurtured repentance that is constantly refreshing in gospel forgiveness. This was the call of John. This is the call that we may meet with Messiah. It is the call to have souls that long for what we have in Christ, true refreshment by the gospel, true forgiveness. Do we prepare ourselves, even in keeping with what is perpetual in John's ministry of the Word? Do we examine ourselves, taking careful account of our need for forgiveness? that we may know the fullness of that forgiveness in our encounter with Christ. We need fresh experiences of the fullness of the gospel in Christ. And the preparation for that is the cultivation of a repentant heart. John called the people to that in preparation for the coming of Christ. And that message doesn't get old. That message doesn't pass away. Christ has come, but we must always be preparing our hearts for fresh experiences of what Christ ministers to his people as we encounter him. And the preparation is the cultivation of repentance. The wilderness context of John's ministry teaches us to look for God where he draws us away from the world. Now, hear me correctly, this doesn't mean asceticism or the stuff of the Middle Eastern monks. It's not what we're talking about. That is a direction some went with, the idea that arises from what God teaches about a wilderness encounter. That goes off the rails. No. What is it that we need to learn from this wilderness encounter? The place. where worldly priorities are diminished in the presence of heavenly priorities, that's the place of encounter with Almighty God. That's the place of pivotal transformation. Do we have that in our day? Yes. The Sabbath day, we depart from the ways of the world, even those things that are lawful pursuits, we lay them aside. We set aside our worldly callings for heavenly callings. We are set, then, for a pivotal encounter with Almighty God on the day He's appointed. And of course, He's set a means for that in worship. The Sabbath, setting aside our worldly works and entertainments, we approach God particularly in worship, private and public, filling the day with it, submitting to God's call and looking to him to supply the power by the gospel for true worship that transforms, true worship according to the word. The wilderness encounter empowered the people for fullness of life in this world. They didn't stay in the wilderness. The wilderness encounter prepared them, transformed them to live life to the full for the glory of God. That call doesn't go away. How do we prepare for what the wilderness encounter means? We have that week by week, Sabbath by Sabbath. We depart from the places of our worldly callings. We lay them aside. We approach the presence of Almighty God, undistracted by worldly pursuits, engulfed in heavenly pursuits. To what end? That we may be transformed for God's glory when we return to our lawful callings. So is the calling of the willies. So is our calling. Do we value that and cultivate it week by week? And what ministry do we receive? Now, in the New Covenant era, we will have it in common with the ministry of John. It will be the ministry of the word preached and the word signified. And we have the richest fullness of that revelation now. The fullness of all that God has accomplished and revealed, clarified in the New Covenant, preached as a life-giving word, and then filled up in the holy ordinances, the sacraments of the new covenant, baptism, and the Lord's Supper. Here we have the greatest fullness of heaven ministered to us in the simplest way. Do we treasure, value, and pursue that? We should be as eager as the people were of old When that ministry is available, we should be clamoring to be there where that ministry is. Now, they may have had an inordinate curiosity. What's going on here? Let's go find out. But many, many heard and were transformed. We should be like that. We should be coming for the encounter with Almighty God, hearing the word, taking up the signs of that encounter. being profoundly transformed for the glory of God. Is that how we treat our encounter, Lord's Day by Lord's Day, worship service by worship service? Or are we bored, uninterested? This is a place to return us to the message that John brought. If we are not learning these things, We have room for repentance, don't we? Much for us here to transform us in our calling, being called away from the world, called to a pivotal and transformational experience of God, that we may be filled up with His Word, His ordinances, for His service to His glory. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we need this message. We need this encounter. filled up with the revelation of Jesus Christ. The one who prepared the way sets out a pattern that we may hear that will instruct us and teach us how we should consider our calling. Lord God, we tend to avoid all these riches and we are the poorer for it. Oh, Father, we pray that we should have a passion to encounter Almighty God. You have ministered yourself in fullness, in great abundance, as you call us away from the world, as you draw us near to yourself, as you give us the word preached and signified. Oh, that we may have hearts that prepare through repentance that long, like David, in the wilderness, to be refreshed in your presence. And there, here, in your presence, may we have Christ to the full. Transform us, fill us with him, and send us forth as living sacrifices. powered for your service and full of your glory. We need this message. We pray that you'd work it into our hearts, that we may delight in it as we ought. Pray these things for the glory and honor of Christ. Amen.