The Gospel Project® for Adults

Leader Guide CSB, Unit 19, Session 3

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THE SAVIOR IS BAPTIZED

SESSION OUTLINE

1. The herald prepares for the Son (Mark 1:1-6).
2. The herald points to the Son (Mark 1:7-8).

3. The herald baptizes the Son (Mark 1:9-11).

Background Passage:

Mark 1

WHAT WILL MY GROUP LEARN?

John the Baptist was the herald who prepared the way for the arrival
of Jesus, the Messiah.

HOW WILL MY GROUP SEE CHRIST?

Jesus obeyed God and identified with sinners
by being baptized like sinners are baptized.
His baptism points to His death on the cross
and resurrection from the grave.
For those of us in Christ, the words spoken over Jesus
at His baptism are also true of us:
we are the Father’s beloved children with whom He is pleased.

HOW SHOULD MY GROUP RESPOND?

Because we have died with Christ
and have been raised to new life through Him,
we call on others to repent of their sin, trust in Christ,
and be baptized.

GROUP TIME

INTRODUCTION

Click on the link or scan the QR code for a reproducible handout of this session’s Scripture passages:

Setting:

In his Gospel, Mark first introduced Jesus to the world
through the eyes of John the Baptist.

The pacing of Mark’s Gospel is fast

• the shortest of all the Gospel accounts
• often used term “immediately” demonstrates
  that Mark was intent on progressing the stories quickly
• to focus attention on Jesus’s
  work on the cross.

Therefore, it is worth noting that Mark slowed down
to consider how John paved the way for Jesus—

• declaration of Jesus’s identity
• by baptizing Him in the Jordan River.

Explain:

When people write memoirs or biographies, it is impossible
to tell every story with every detail involved.
Writers need to pick and choose what is important to convey
for the focused message they want readers or listeners to hear.

Discuss:

• If someone were telling the story of your life,
  what highlights might need to be focused on?
• (birth;
• family;
• major turning points or milestones;
• something that provoked suffering and produced change;
• key decisions made that shaped your life)

Transition:

None of the Gospel writers intended to tell
everything they knew about Jesus.
Inspired by the Holy Spirit, they wanted to hit the high points
and specific points so that their readers understood who Jesus is
and what He came to do.
Therefore, we can have confidence that the stories and teaching
that are included in each Gospel are important and necessary.
The story we will consider in this session,
as told through Mark’s Gospel,
launched Jesus into His public ministry.