The King Has Come - Mark 1

Pastor Dan Walker, PhD, MDiv

Introduction: What If It’s True That the King Has Come?

This morning we start a new series from the book of Mark entitled “What If Its True? What if the Bible is not just a collection of ancient myths that have no meaning today? What if the Bible was really inspired by the Holy Spirit and every word is true. What if Jesus was truly the Son of God in human form?

What if believing in Him could change your life and eternal destiny? What if the power of the Holy spirit was not just for 2000 years ago. What if that power was available to everyone who has faith today? What if Jesus’ promise that His followers would do the same things He was doing is still available today?

If God’s Word is true, it changes everything. I believe God’s word is true from Genesis to Revelation. This morning’s message is “The King Has Come.

For centuries the Old Testament prophets pointed forward to a coming King. Isaiah spoke of a child who would be called, Mighty God and Prince of Peace. This coming King would be human but God at the same time.

Isaiah 40:3 (ESV) A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.”
This prophecy speaks of a forerunner to the coming Messiah who would go before Him.

Daniel 7:14 (ESV) And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away
Daniel spoke of the coming of the Messiah to bring in a Kingdom that would last forever.

Malachi 3:1 (ESV) “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple.”
The last prophet of the Old Testament also spoke of a messenger coming before the Messiah who would come to the temple. Hundreds of years passed in silence between the prophesies of Malachi and the gospel of Matthew. No more prophets, no new word.

Rome ruled the land. Many wondered if the promises had failed. Then Mark writes his opening sentence. No genealogy, no birth story, just an announcement, the King is here.

When the true king arrives, we must recognize Him, submit to Him and respond to Him.

Recognize the Promised King

Mark 1:1–2 (ESV) The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, “Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way,”
Mark begins with a declaration that this book is a gospel, good news of Jesus. Jesus is Christ, the anointed one, the Messiah. And Jesus is the Son of God.

Mark directly tells us that human history has turned because God’s promised King has arrived. Then Marks quotes from Isaih, that God would send a special messenger before the coming of the Jesus Christ to prepare for Him.

Mark 1:3–4 (ESV) “the voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,’” John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
Mark makes it clear that this forerunner of Jesus was prophesied by Isaiah. And this forerunner was John the Baptist. John came in the wilderness just as had been prophesied.

John’s teaching was that to prepare for Jesus, people must repent and be baptized to have their sins forgiven. People who had repented and been baptized were prepared to believe in Jesus when He appeared. Repentance is the way crooked hearts become straight paths ready for Jesus.

Mark 1:5–6 (ESV) 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. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey.
The crowds reveal a deep spiritual hunger. Confession of sin was public and serious. John was the last of the Old Testament prophets.

His ministry speaks of the first step in starting a relationship with God is repentance and public baptism.

Cultivating Daily Repentance and Spiritual Hunger

Repentance is not a one-time action. Repentance should be a daily practice in our lives. Repentance encompasses a confession of sin and a change of heart away from that sin and toward God.

Sometimes repentance should be directly to the person we have sinned against, confessing how we have wronged them. At other times, our repentance should be between us and God. Not just asking God to forgive us but confessing our sins to him.

And pledging to turn away from them, replacing them with godly behavior. We cultivate spiritual hunger in our families through prayer and Scripture. Take time to read God’s Word and pray together.

Reading the Bible consistently forms conviction and plants the seeds of God’s truth in our hearts. Prayer both alone and together keeps our hearts sensitive to the King. God calls us to remove obstacles that keep our hearts from being ready for Christ’s rule.

Often times this obstacles are simply distractions and time wasters. Yet they rob us of time with God in our families and our church family. As we allow God to cleanse our hearts, we welcome the King’s reign in our lives and families.

Submit to the Affirmed King

Mark 1:7–8 (ESV) And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.” “I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
John, even though crowds were following him humbled himself by exalting Jesus. He contrasted his baptism of repentance with Jesus baptizing his followers with the Holy Spirit. This was a prophecy by John of what happened on the day of Pentecost.

On that day, the resurrected Jesus in heaven poured out the baptism of the Spirit on all those who were praying and seeking for more of God. Jesus is still baptizing people with the Holy Spirit today across the world. Repentance and forgiveness clean a person inside.

Spirit baptism fills the inner person with the power of the Spirit. John and Jesus teach that both are essential for followers of Jesus. The kingdom that Jesus brings is internal and powerful for each believer.

Mark 1:9–10 (ESV) In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.
Jesus is our ultimate example of how a follower of His should act. Although Jesus had no sin to confess, He humbled Himself to allow John to baptize him in water. The Greek word for baptism refers to baptism by immersion.

Jesus has set an example for believers to follow and be water baptized. Then something amazing happens. Mark says the heavens were torn open and the Holy Spirit baptized Jesus.

Again Jesus sets the example for His followers. Go’s plan for each believer is to be water baptized and Spirit baptized. Jesus says later that He was anointed by the Spirit with power for His ministry.

In the Gospel of Luke another important detail is added about Jesus’ baptism. It says that after Jesus was water baptized by John, He was praying and then the heavens were opened and He was Spirit baptized. Another example by Jesus and taught by Jesus is that Spirit baptism is not automatic.

It must be sought and prayed for in order to be Spirit baptized. After this empowerment by the Spirit, Jesus’ ministry of power began.

Mark 1:11 (ESV) And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
So, we have Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit and now the third person of the Trinity speaks. The Father identifies Jesus as the beloved Son of God. And He says that He is well pleased with Him.

The King is beloved, approved and anointed for ministry. This is a clear revelation of Father, Son and Spirit. Heaven affirms who Jesus is and we must do likewise.

Following the King in Baptism and Dependence on the Spirit

If Jesus asked to be water baptized by immersion, prayed for the empowerment of the Spirit and received it, we need to follow His example. To be a follower of Jesus, we must follow in His footsteps. Jesus exercises His authority in His teaching and His example.

From Mark 1, have you repented and chosen to follow Jesus as your Lord and King. If not, we will have a time of prayer at the close of the service for you to make a commitment to follow Jesus. Have you been water baptized since becoming a believer.

If not, I encourage you to sign up for our next baptism. Next have you been baptized in the Holy Spirit to receive God’s power? The way that you know you’ve been Spirit baptized is that God will give you a prayer language to pray powerful prayers.

If you desire God’s power we can pray for you. And we have a free book for you the explains Spirit baptism more fully called Gateway to a Supernatural Life – The Incredible Power of Holy Spirit Baptism. It’s available at the Welcome Center.

Like Jesus, God calls us to depend on the Holy Spirit to guide us, to teach us and to empower us. Like Jesus was the beloved son of the Father, so we are the loved children of our heavenly Father. As we walk in God’s ways, following the Spirit’s guidance, He is pleased with us as well.

God calls on all of us to submit to following Jesus, our King.

Respond to the Victorious King

Mark 1:12–13 (ESV) The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him.
The same Spirit that just anointed Jesus with power now leads Him into testing. The wilderness echoes Irael’s forty years in the wilderness, yet Jesus remains faithful where Israel failed. In the wilderness Jesus was tempted by Satan and in danger from wild animals.

But He was protected and sustained by angels. Jesus confronts and defeats Satan’s attack before ministry. He was victorious over everything that Satan attacked Him with.

Mark 1:14 (ESV) Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God,
John was arrested and eventually martyred, but his important ministry had been completed. Jesus’ ministry began as God removed John from the public and brought him home to heaven. How did Mark summarize Jesus teaching?

Jesus proclaimed the gospel, the good news of God. Here’s the gospel summarized in a verse.

Mark 1:15 (ESV) and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
Jesus began by saying the time is fulfilled. The waiting for the Messiah, the King was over, He was now here. Where the King is, the kingdom of God is near.

The Kingdom of God is powerful and destroys the works of Satan. Whenever Jesus worked a miracle, He spoke of the nearness of the Kingdom. What did He tell people to do?

Repent and believe the Gospel. We’ve already talked about the importance of repentance to become a follower of Jesus and continual repentance to continue following Him. The Gospel at this point was to believe that Jesus was the Messiah, the King and He was bringing God’s kingdom to this earth.

Today, we know a fuller understanding of the Gospel after Jesus’ death on the cross for our sins and resurrection from the dead. These two commands, repent and believe, are not optional. They are commands to every person on earth to bring blessing and eternal life to those who obey.

We must respond to the victorious King.

Remaining Faithful Through Wilderness Seasons

As believers, whether new or older, we also will face wilderness experiences. Times of difficulty, attacks of temptation from Satan and danger. But God will see us through and send His angels to protect us.

But as we are empowered by the Spirit and have victory over the enemy, God desires to use us. To follow Jesus’ example, we must call on people to repent and believe in the gospel. Oftentimes, we balk at calling on people to repent of their sins.

And many want a ticket to heaven without repentance, but it doesn’t work that way. Repentance must come before belief in the gospel. Without repentance there is no salvation.

We may go through wilderness experiences more than once. Jesus was attacked by Satan multiple times in His ministry. We must remain faithful during wilderness seasons.

Stay consistent in prayer and worship, even when it is difficult. Wilderness seasons are not signs that God has abandoned us. They are places of formation, of relying on God that strengthen us.

Let me just add the repentance is not a one-time experience. Repentance and confessing our sins to God and others is part of life for a follower of Jesus. We must embrace continual, daily repentance.

Delayed repentance hardens our sensitivity to the Holy Spirit. Quick obedience to the Spirit keeps our hearts soft. The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin, so that we can deal with it through repentance.

A responsive heart stays close to the King.

The Silence Is Over Because the King Is Here

In Mark’s day it had been 400 years since the prophets had spoken. But Mark declares that the silence was over. The King, Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God was now here.

Whatever you’re going through in life, perhaps God seems distant, recognize that the King is here. He calls on us to submit to and follow His example. He calls on us to respond to Him as our King even in the wilderness.

The King Has Come.

📘 Continue the Journey

Reflect deeper and apply this week’s message with the Message Study Guide — perfect for personal devotions, family discussion, or your Life Group.

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