THE BEGINNING OF THE GREATEST STORY

Pastor Dennis Clanton

Woodland Church

Wednesday, September 14 , 2022

1. Three Beginnings.

a. Before Time

(John 1:1, ESV) “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

b. From Eternity into Time.

(Genesis 1:1, ESV) “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”

c. The Beginning of the Good News of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. (God’s Mission)

(Mark 1:1, ESV) “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”

“The bare facts, without the exhibition of their purpose and meaning, are no more a gospel than any other story of a death would be. The facts with any lower explanation of their meaning are no gospel, any more than the story of the death of Socrates or any innocent martyr would be. If you would know the good news that will lift your heavy heart from sorrow and break your chains of sin, that will put music into your life and make your days blaze into brightness … you must take the fact with its meaning, and find your gospel in the life and death of Him who is more than example and more than martyr. ‘How that Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures,’ is ‘the gospel of Christ.’” Alexander Maclaren, Expositions of Holy Scriptures.

2. God always keeps His promises.

(Mark 1:2–3, ESV) “As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, “Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way, the voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,”

a. God reveals His plan to us.

b. We prepare the way by correcting misconceptions and explaining our need for forgiveness.

3. Ask God to make us persuasive messengers of the Good News.

(Mark 1:4–5, ESV) “John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.”

a. Self-Control

b. Selfless ambition

c. Embody the message.

(Romans 2:4, ESV) “Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?”

4. Ask God to drench us with the Holy Spirit.

(Mark 1:8, ESV) “I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”