Introduction
Are you willing to go back to the beginning, back to your first love for Jesus, so that all the “layers” of life and even church itself don’t distract you from the primary thing? The central teaching I want to press into your heart is this: Mark’s Gospel calls us back to the beginning of the good news, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, so we will rediscover Him, believe His gospel as truly good news, and learn to walk in “the way of the Lord” beyond Sunday.
Mark opens with a sentence that is small but weighty: “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (Mark 1:1). That one verse sets the course for everything we’re about to study from now until Easter, a journey that, if we follow it well, will bring us all the way to the resurrection celebration at the end of Mark’s account. And I need you to see why this matters right now. There are seasons when God draws us back to “the beginning,” not because we’re starting over, but because we’ve drifted from what’s central.
Main Points
Are you willing to go back to the beginning, back to your first love for Jesus, so that all the “layers” of life and even church itself don’t distract you from the primary thing? The central teaching I want to press into your heart is this: Mark’s Gospel calls us back to the beginning of the good news, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, so we will rediscover Him, believe His gospel as truly good news, and learn to walk in “the way of the Lord” beyond Sunday.
Mark opens with a sentence that is small but weighty: “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (Mark 1:1). That one verse sets the course for everything we’re about to study from now until Easter, a journey that, if we follow it well, will bring us all the way to the resurrection celebration at the end of Mark’s account.
And I need you to see why this matters right now. There are seasons when God draws us back to “the beginning,” not because we’re starting over, but because we’ve drifted from what’s central.
Returning To The Simplicity of Beginnings
Mark starts with “the beginning,” and that word is an invitation. Even if you’ve walked with Jesus for years, there are times when life gets layered, work, commute, family pressures, politics, culture, personal disappointments, and without realizing it, the simple center can be crowded out.
I think of how anniversaries work. After many years, you can either just “get away” and try to recapture a feeling, or you can deliberately remember the vows and renew them. That’s the point: you can get so far down the road, surrounded by God’s gifts and responsibilities, that you forget where you came from.
In the same way, Christ calls His people back to the simplicity of the start: I love Him. I follow Him. He is Lord. Even baptism reflects this “beginning”, going into the water as a picture of the old life buried, and coming out as new life (Romans 6:3–4). Yet it’s amazing how quickly that clarity can wear off when Monday comes.
So I’m urging you: let this study pull you back, not to nostalgia, but to renewed devotion. Ask yourself, “Where have I let good layers become distracting layers?”
Jesus Before All The Layers
One reason we need Mark is because it strips things down. Before we had stages and songs and sermon series and ministries and outreaches, good things though they are, there was Jesus Himself: sent into the world as Savior and Lord.
Some of you need to hear this gently but clearly: the primary mission of the church is not to impress you with religious activity. It is that you would know Jesus, not merely as a historical figure or a religious concept, but as the living Christ you encounter by the Holy Spirit.
For some, this will be a discovery for the first time. For others, it will be a rediscovery, remembering when Jesus became real, personal, and authoritative in your life. As we go through Mark, I want you to rediscover:
- the worship of Christ
- the commandments of Christ
- the call to follow Christ
Not as abstract ideas, but as a lived reality.
The Gospel Is Still Good News
Mark doesn’t just say “the beginning of Jesus.” He says “the beginning of the gospel.” And we need that word again: gospel means good news.
We live in a time when the news rarely feels good. The world can feel like it’s being pulled apart at the seams. But Mark confronts us with a steady anchor: because Jesus came, there is real good news, hope, joy, purpose, satisfaction, and meaning for those who belong to Him.
This is the shift from what we just learned in Ecclesiastes. Ecclesiastes exposes how life can be vanity, “chasing the wind”, if you try to build meaning without God. Take away Jesus, no teaching, no cross, no resurrection, and you’re left with “eat and drink…for tomorrow you will die” (echoes of Ecclesiastes; see also 1 Corinthians 15:32).
But the gospel announces the opposite: life isn’t meaningless. Jesus lived, overcame sin and death, and left death in the grave. That means the storyline of your life, no matter how broken it feels, can be filtered through gospel hope.
Think about the pattern we often hear in testimonies before baptism: people come to a moment of tragedy, heartbreak, disappointment, confusion, or simply the realization that apart from God they don’t know what they’re doing with their lives. Then they bring that old aim to the “water,” and they rise to newness of life in Christ.
That’s good news. And I want you to expect that Mark will reawaken your confidence that the gospel truly is good.
The Way of the Lord, Not Information Only
Mark immediately ties the beginning of the gospel to the prophecy about preparing a road:
“Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way… ‘Prepare the way of the Lord’” (Mark 1:2–3, echoing Isaiah 40:3 and Malachi 3:1)
This is why we’re calling the journey through Mark “The Way of the Lord.” Mark is the shortest and most condensed Gospel, and it’s action-packed. You’ll notice the repeated word “immediately”, a rapid movement through moments where Jesus calls, heals, confronts, forgives, teaches, and leads.
And I want to shepherd you here: in the information age, you can “consume Jesus” as content. There are endless sermons, quotes, podcasts, and studies. But Mark presses us toward something deeper than learning: walking.
So the discipleship question becomes: Will I only study the ways of Jesus, or will I actually practice the way of Jesus? The goal isn’t that you leave with another lesson. The goal is that you leave with a pattern of life shaped by Christ.
Following Jesus Beyond the Sanctuary
I love corporate worship and Sunday gathering, but Mark is meant to “invade” beyond the sanctuary. We are not called merely to celebrate inside the church; we are sent as light into darkness (Matthew 5:14–16). Jesus makes us agents of the good news we proclaim.
So as we go through Mark, I want you to keep asking:
- How does Jesus shape how I treat my coworkers?
- How does Jesus shape my home and parenting?
- How does Jesus shape my presence in my neighborhood?
- Where is Jesus sending me to serve, love, forgive, and speak truth?
This is where “the way of the Lord” becomes tangible. We’re learning not only what Jesus said, but how Jesus moved toward people, religious people, far-off people, hurting people, confused people, bringing the kingdom of God into ordinary places.
Let The Gospels Confront Your Allegiances
As you read the Gospels honestly, Jesus will confront you, not to shame you, but to free you. The Word of God has a way of putting its finger on competing masters.
One example that stands out is Jesus’ teaching: “You cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24). Many of us have a moment where Scripture makes it plain: I must choose who I’m actually following.
Mark will bring similar confrontations. Later we’ll hear Jesus ask what it profits someone to gain the whole world and lose his soul (Mark 8:36). That question is not theoretical. It’s intensely personal, about your ambition, your security, your reputation, your comforts, your plans.
So as your discipler, I’m asking you to lean in when Mark challenges you. Don’t dodge conviction. Let it do its cleansing work. Then respond with fresh surrender, like you did at the beginning.
Conclusion
We’re starting Mark at the best possible place: “the beginning.” This series is a call to remember what matters most: Jesus Christ, the Son of God (Mark 1:1). As we journey toward Easter, I want you to discover, or rediscover, who Jesus is, to believe again that His gospel is truly good news, and to move from merely learning about Him to walking in the way of the Lord.
Let’s not settle for church layers without Christ at the center. Let’s renew our devotion. Let’s come back to our first love. And then, strengthened by the gospel, let’s go live it, immediately, faithfully, and publicly.
Father in heaven, thank You for sending Jesus Christ, Your Son, and for giving us the good news that life is not meaningless in Him. Take us back to the beginning, back to simple love, simple trust, and wholehearted surrender. Forgive us for the ways we’ve allowed the layers of life, even good things, to crowd out what matters most. By Your Holy Spirit, help us not only to study the Gospel of Mark but to walk in the way of the Lord beyond Sunday. Renew our joy, restore our purpose, and make us light in a dark world. We ask this in Jesus’ name, amen.
Conclusion
We’re starting Mark at the best possible place: “the beginning.” This series is a call to remember what matters most: Jesus Christ, the Son of God (Mark 1:1). As we journey toward Easter, I want you to discover, or rediscover, who Jesus is, to believe again that His gospel is truly good news, and to move from merely learning about Him to walking in the way of the Lord.
Let’s not settle for church layers without Christ at the center. Let’s renew our devotion. Let’s come back to our first love. And then, strengthened by the gospel, let’s go live it, immediately, faithfully, and publicly.
Closing Prayer
Father in heaven, thank You for sending Jesus Christ, Your Son, and for giving us the good news that life is not meaningless in Him. Take us back to the beginning, back to simple love, simple trust, and wholehearted surrender. Forgive us for the ways we’ve allowed the layers of life, even good things, to crowd out what matters most. By Your Holy Spirit, help us not only to study the Gospel of Mark but to walk in the way of the Lord beyond Sunday. Renew our joy, restore our purpose, and make us light in a dark world. We ask this in Jesus’ name, amen.