Mark 1:1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; I. THE GOSPEL HAS HAD THREE BEGINNINGS, yet each of them may be spoken of as the beginning. 1. In the Divine counsels, when it was but a thought. 2. In the incarnation, when it became a Person. 3. In believers, when it becomes a new creation. II. ONE BEGINNING OF THE GOSPEL IS ALWAYS INTRODUCTORY TO ANOTHER. 1. The thought. 2. The agent or representative. 3. The result. Divine revelation is always consistent and progressive. III. NO BEGINNING OF THE GOSPEL CAN BE TRUE AND EFFECTUAL EXCEPT AS IT LEADS TO A SPIRITUAL CONSUMMATING. The prophets pointed to John, John to Jesus, Jesus to the Holy Ghost. This shows (1) The transitoriness of all mere ceremony; (2) the uselessness of all mere knowledge;. (3) the possibility of the highest fellowship with God. IV. LESSON TO PIONEERS. A man only works well in proportion as he knows the measure of his power and the limit of his mission. When the frame maker mistakes himself for the painter, art is degraded. It does not follow that because a man knows the alphabet, he can write a book. The pioneer must never go in the king's clothes. April cannot do the work of August. (J. Parker, D. D.) Parallel Verses KJV: The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;WEB: The beginning of the Good News of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. |
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