Bible Study: Mark 1 [The beginning of the Good News of Jesus]

  Mark 1: The beginning of the Good News of Jesus

THE BOOK OF MARK

We started another book in the Bible!

Matthew was an awesome read for me and I'm grateful for the fresh revelations about the person of Christ and excited that another journey has started.

In fact, I think I am very much more excited that I am starting the book of Mark on Christmas Day, that the very first thing I read about on the morning of the birth of Jesus is the story of His birth and coming. Absolutely loveeeeet 💖.

If you missed Matthew, this is another chance to know Christ as Mark saw Him.

If you've read this book before, come with an open mind to learn.

May the person of Christ be revealed to us all as we read,

May we see Jesus in the pages of this book like never before.

Amen.

This is the beginning of the wonderful news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God. It starts with Isaiah the prophet, who wrote: Listen! I am sending my messenger ahead of you and he will prepare your way! He is a thunderous voice of one who shouts in the wilderness: “Prepare your hearts for the coming of the Lord Yahweh, and clear a straight path inside your hearts for him!”

Mark 1:1-3 TPT

Just look at the beauty in this opening. 😭😭😭

It hits so different for me today. 

The beginning of the most wonderful news ever, Jesus, the one who is Messiah and also the Son of God.

But please notice something in this chapter: where this wonderful news began. 

The ERV says, "This good news begins with what the prophet Isaiah said would happen..."

The story of this wonderful news, Jesus (Note that Christ is not bringing the news; He is the news), is not starting at or with His birth. Mark dates the beginning of Christ to the Prophet Isaiah.

We see Isaiah giving a prophecy about Christ and His coming.

What is a prophecy?

A message communicated to us by God.

A prophecy is literally God's mind/will communicated to man.

The story of Jesus began with a prophecy from Isaiah.

The story of Jesus began in God's mind.

Let me take it a notch higher: The story of Jesus began with God's will.

And what is God's will? 

That all men be saved and come to the knowledge of Him!

The keyword here is man, as centred in the will of God.

So I fix this back in Mark's narrative :

The story of Jesus began with man in God's mind!

As we celebrate the birth of Jesus today, we must understand that which we are really celebrating. That if we miss the part of God’s mind being so full of man that He had to come to the world and be birth to die, then we’ve missed it. That if you look at the story of Jesus; He who was born in a manger, and you do not see a picture of yourself in it, you’ve missed it. Whatever story we will be reading in the book of Mark and other gospels,  please be reminded that it has you centred in it.

You are a huge part of the story of Jesus.

I am a huge part of the story of Jesus.

The most wonderful news that ever came to you and me began in the mind of God.

This right here was the inception.

First, His thoughts.

If such a wonder could come from God's thinking and it was indeed accomplished, then let's look at where we fit in.

For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.

Jeremiah 29:11 AMPC

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

John 3:16 NKJV

Seeeeee

For God so loved the world that He gave Jesus.

For God so loved you that He gave Jesus.

For God so loved you that Jesus had to be born. 

Man is the main character in the story of the birth of Christ. 

You are the main character in this story.

You! Yes, You!

We celebrate the birth of Jesus because there is a God who loves you. 

And even as I type, I am led to share this for anyone who has been feeling dejected and alone for a while now:

God loves you

You’ve probably heard this so much, and you are tired of it. 

But I remind you still: God loves you.

He thought of you when He sent Jesus to be birth to die, 

It was you on His mind. 

He has the details of your life sorted. 

You are on God’s mind,

You are in God’s plan,

He has not forgotten you.

Your God has not forgotten you.

In the same way the story of Christ started from the mind of God, so are you in His thoughts.

You are a part of this story, fully considered in it from inception.

 

Whatever I am, whatever I will be, I had first become inside the mind of the Almighty.

I am not becoming; I am already inside of the mind of God, which is His will.

There is a final outcome in all of these thoughts, and of course, it is beautiful. It is wonderful.

It is important that we know the mind of God. Very important, as it is what gives us hope about our end/final outcome. 

We know that it stands.

Let me break it down into 2 as it is coming to me:

1.⁠ ⁠I am inside of the mind of God. I have been in His thoughts before I existed.

Though things may not be going as I want at the moment, this phase and the way out of it have been in the thoughts of God. 

His thoughts towards me are as powerful as His words about me because it is that which He conceived in His mind that is spoken/written about me.

Before I became Olúrèmí, I first was in the mind of God!

2.⁠ ⁠The Holy Spirit broke this down to me that the thoughts of God towards me are Christ and everything He did on the cross.

When the Lord told His mind about Christ to the prophet Isaiah, I Olúrèmí, I was on His mind too.

My final outcome is based on this thought about Christ.

The wonderful news, Christ, began with God's mind poured out through the Prophet Isaiah.

My Glorious end began also in this place!

So if you are confused as to what God thinks about you, start with Christ. Go back to His birth and the love that engineered it.

If you are ever in doubt of God’s love, please always find your way back here.

In fact, you should talk to someone about God’s love for them. You can’t keep this to yourself. 

People cannot afford to not know that they were specifically on God’s mind when He thought of Christ coming to the earth. They shouldn’t be ignorant of such intentionality in love. We owe it to men.

Please, today, go out and talk about the love of God.

Back to Mark 1:3

Clear a straight path inside of your heart for Him.

You see, the position Christ has come to take is at the very core of us.

Inside of your heart, where life itself flows from. Your heart stops beating, and that is it.

This is where Christ came for,

Your very heart beat.

Clear a straight path for Him inside of your heart. 

Not to be contested with anything; 

Not the cares of this world,

Not money,

Not gold,

Not career,

Not ambition, 

Not even family, 

For Christ! 

And my question to us this morning is this:

What holds your affection?

What consumes your heart?

Do a heart check when you see this, and honestly write what you find down.

And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.

Mark 1:4-5 NIV

Here, we see John calling men to repentance and to be baptized, and they came in flocks.

John was asking that they do something against their belief actually.

Baptism was meant for Gentiles who wanted to accept God and become Jews.

So telling Jews to come and be baptized is telling them they are just like the Gentiles they carry shoulder for. 

It is telling men who perceive themselves as belonging to God that they do not really belong to God. Much rude if you ask me.

Telling them they are far away from God and need Him just as the Gentiles do.

This would have been so unacceptable, I believe. But then a lot of people went ahead to be baptized. They left what they knew and thought was right.

You want to know why?

John lived His life standing in the presence of God

Before He came teaching, He was in the wilderness, away from the noise of the world. Just Him and God. Not caring for how he looked or choice food to eat.

The one who has a habit of standing in the presence of God commands so much authority, people had no other choice but to listen to him. People left their experiences and what they knew because John carried the authority of God. He didn't have to force any man to accept.

He had been with God.

And I tell you this, being with God changes everything.

So many things we struggle with are sorted from the place of just being in the presence of God.

You will not have to lobby for certain things, the light from God's presence will cause men to come.

John was also prepared for a need.

There was no prophecy for 300 years before him, the people were craving to hear from God.

See, the world still craves.

Are you part of the men the Lord is sending to them? 

First, you must be intimate with Him. This should be a habit.

Intimacy with God is not a choice. I tell you, you do not get to choose. It is not either or.

For the sons of God whose manifestation the world awaits, we cannot compromise on intimacy.

In fact, especially for the season the body of Christ is entering. I sincerely can’t wait to share what the Lord has laid on my heart for 2026 with us. 

Just know this, intimacy will be the differentiator in the coming year!

Jesus, sent from God

“And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness,”

Mark 1:11-12 NIV

I neva see this kind thing before.

After endorsement, are we not supposed to be seeing this man on news channels up and down? 

From flier to flier? 

But see what happened, instead, immediately after God endorsed Christ, scripture says the Spirit immediately sent Him out to the wilderness. 

Hear me:

God hides His best men.

Ah! God cooks His best men.

He is not in a hurry to show you to the world. 

A lot of us are in a hurry. We want the limelight, but God wants us to Himself.

He remained there in the wilderness for forty days, enduring the ordeals of Satan’s tests. He encountered wild animals, but also angels who appeared and ministered to his needs.

Mark 1:13 TPT

"enduring the ordeals of satan's tests"

Kai! Kai!

There are some tests God wants you to pass in private. 

God will not leave you to public spectacle. 

Please stay and allow yourself to be cooked.

...Back to that verse 13

Nothing we are going through that Christ didn't go through o.

He endured satan’s test. 

I like the balance to this perspective also: though Jesus encountered various tests from the enemy,

He had angels who appeared and ministered to His needs in that period also.

How bad is the test?

How much is it shaking you?

Are you feeling like this is the end, or you will never get out of it?

I pray your eyes are opened to the angels surrounding you in such a time as this, to minister to your needs.

“Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.”

Mark 1:35 NKJV

Mark 1 is so packed! 

Jesus’ life was a full one.

Healing the sick, casting out demons, preaching back to back. 

But the little time he had? 

He did not miss fellowship. In fact, He departed from others to have that time. 

If there is anything you pick here today, it is to not negotiate your time alone with God. 

Honour it! Keep to it!

It didn’t matter that Jesus had been working for God all day and should be tired; He still went to be with God. 

This is your cue if you haven’t been with God alone today.

Please drop your phone and meet with Him. 

Make it a habit.

What we enter is the season of intimacy. You will do nothing outside of it in the coming year.

Please pause and go meet God. Then let this become a way of life for you.

I pray for you that even as we celebrate the birth of Jesus, we do not lose sight of why He came and the joy of fellowship with the Father. We stay in intimacy with the Lord all of the days of our lives. Amen.