Sharon Reformed Presbyterian Church · Sermon study sheet

The Last Old Testament Prophet

Bryan Schneider · September 3, 2022

Mark 1:1-8

sharonrpc.org/sermons/the-last-old-testament-prophet

Summary

Mark announces good news after a long period of prophetic expectation: Jesus is the promised Christ and the Son of God.
Mark joins Malachi 3:1 and Isaiah 40:3 to identify John as the messenger and wilderness voice who prepares the Lord's way.
Isaiah's promised comfort, pardon, divine glory, mighty rule, and tender shepherding come into view in Jesus, so the sermon calls hearers to behold him as both King and Shepherd.
John stands at the close of the old-covenant prophetic order, dressed like Elijah and summoning God's people to confess their sins and repent.
John's ministry refuses self-exaltation: he declares himself unworthy even to loosen the sandals of the mightier One who follows him.
Water baptism marks John's preparatory ministry, but Jesus fulfills the greater promise by baptizing with the Holy Spirit and renewing stony hearts.
The opening of Mark therefore asks both who Jesus is and what it will cost—and what glory it will bring—to follow this mighty King.

Why does Mark begin his account by calling Jesus both Christ and Son of God?
How do Malachi 3 and Isaiah 40 clarify John's identity and the identity of the One whose way he prepares?
What aspects of Christ's strength and tenderness appear in Isaiah's picture of the coming Lord?
Why does the sermon describe John as the last prophet of the old-covenant order rather than Malachi?
What distinguishes repentance from regret or a merely outward religious ceremony?
How does John's humility expose the danger of making ministry or discipleship about ourselves?
What does Jesus' promise to baptize with the Holy Spirit reveal about the change sinners need?
Am I prepared to follow Jesus as the mighty King presented by Mark, even when discipleship is costly?

Gospel: The good news that Jesus the promised Christ and Son of God has come.
Christ: The Greek title corresponding to Messiah, God's anointed King and promised Redeemer.
Prophetic expectation: The Old Testament hope that the Lord would come, pardon his people, reveal his glory, and establish righteous rule.
Repentance: Grieving and hating sin, turning from it to God, and seeking to walk in his ways.
John the Baptist: The Elijah-like wilderness messenger who prepares the Lord's way and directs attention away from himself to Jesus.
Baptism with the Holy Spirit: Christ's greater work of inward renewal, giving life and a changed heart rather than merely applying water.
Son of God: Mark's declaration that Jesus is not merely another human deliverer but the divine messianic King.