WEBVTT 00:00:00.650 --> 00:00:03.169 Hello, you are listening to Second City Sermons, 00:00:03.270 --> 00:00:06.209 a ministry of Second City Church in Midtown Harrisburg. 00:00:06.870 --> 00:00:08.750 It's our hope that these sermons will draw you 00:00:08.750 --> 00:00:11.169 more into the life of following God, Father, 00:00:11.310 --> 00:00:14.150 Son and Holy Spirit. Please consider coming and 00:00:14.150 --> 00:00:16.469 joining with us each Sunday morning at 10am in 00:00:16.469 --> 00:00:18.809 the heart of Midtown Harrisburg. You can find 00:00:18.809 --> 00:00:22.329 us online at SecondCityChurch .org and on Facebook, 00:00:22.629 --> 00:00:25.030 Instagram and YouTube. We hope you enjoy this 00:00:25.030 --> 00:00:36.009 sermon. God Bless. Lord, we do ask that you be 00:00:36.009 --> 00:00:40.049 our good shepherd and lead us in your ways. Would 00:00:40.049 --> 00:00:44.530 we gladly follow you with all of our being, with 00:00:44.530 --> 00:00:49.250 all of our lives. And now, would the words in 00:00:49.250 --> 00:00:51.210 my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be 00:00:51.210 --> 00:00:53.289 pleasing in your sight, the Lord, our rock and 00:00:53.289 --> 00:00:59.509 our Redeemer. Amen. All right, on... On November 00:00:59.509 --> 00:01:06.670 23rd in 2004, Rob Howes was going for a swim 00:01:06.670 --> 00:01:11.049 on the north coast of New Zealand with his daughter, 00:01:11.510 --> 00:01:14.689 I think it's Nissi, N -I -C -C -Y, and three 00:01:14.689 --> 00:01:18.250 of her friends, Nissi was 15, a few teenagers 00:01:18.250 --> 00:01:23.109 and one of their dads, and pretty quickly a bunch 00:01:23.109 --> 00:01:25.329 of dolphins were coming towards them, which I 00:01:25.329 --> 00:01:28.299 think was both very exciting and exhilarating 00:01:28.299 --> 00:01:31.959 and scary. But what quickly happened is that 00:01:31.959 --> 00:01:37.359 these dolphins encircled them. And fairly quickly 00:01:37.359 --> 00:01:45.159 afterwards, what happened is that Howes realized 00:01:45.159 --> 00:01:46.739 that it wasn't that they were actually coming 00:01:46.739 --> 00:01:51.060 after them, but they were protecting them. because 00:01:51.060 --> 00:01:54.379 what he saw, which he said when he was actually 00:01:54.379 --> 00:01:56.939 interviewed by the newspaper afterwards, that 00:01:56.939 --> 00:02:01.099 it was only about two meters away from me, the 00:02:01.099 --> 00:02:04.560 water was crystal clear and I could see it as 00:02:04.560 --> 00:02:09.000 clear as the nose on my face. What happened is 00:02:09.000 --> 00:02:13.560 that as these dolphins started to herd us up, 00:02:14.240 --> 00:02:18.259 pushed us together in a circle, a great white 00:02:18.259 --> 00:02:23.169 shark was coming after them. And according to 00:02:23.169 --> 00:02:26.490 the newspaper accounts that I read, this lasted 00:02:26.490 --> 00:02:31.009 for about 40 minutes. The shark trying to come 00:02:31.009 --> 00:02:34.110 in. And actually, the larger dolphins, supposedly 00:02:34.110 --> 00:02:35.750 what he said, the larger dolphins would kind 00:02:35.750 --> 00:02:38.229 of come out and go out and sort of deter the 00:02:38.229 --> 00:02:41.650 shark from coming after Rob, his daughter, her 00:02:41.650 --> 00:02:46.449 three friends. He said that the shark was, according 00:02:46.449 --> 00:02:50.569 to him, nearly three meters long. nine to 10 00:02:50.569 --> 00:02:54.090 feet or so, great white shark coming after you, 00:02:54.610 --> 00:02:59.229 being circled until you could be safe by dolphins. 00:03:00.250 --> 00:03:03.250 I mean, can you imagine having that experience? 00:03:06.409 --> 00:03:09.430 Initially, probably an experience that is full 00:03:09.430 --> 00:03:12.969 of fear. What are all these dolphins gonna do? 00:03:13.030 --> 00:03:17.789 Why are they all around us? The sense of the 00:03:17.789 --> 00:03:22.550 power. of other animals around you, maybe just 00:03:22.550 --> 00:03:27.830 being overwhelmed in awe of their brilliance, 00:03:28.030 --> 00:03:34.509 of their kindness, of their awareness, of their 00:03:34.509 --> 00:03:38.629 almost eagerness to put their lives on the line 00:03:38.629 --> 00:03:44.289 for these humans. Of course, the amazement at 00:03:44.289 --> 00:03:46.930 the dolphins who sensed the shark long before 00:03:46.930 --> 00:03:50.270 you would have and put their own lives on the 00:03:50.270 --> 00:03:53.810 line for you, the great amazement was that you 00:03:53.810 --> 00:03:56.849 were there thinking that I am totally helpless 00:03:56.849 --> 00:04:00.090 to save my daughter and her friends and here 00:04:00.090 --> 00:04:07.830 are these animals willing to do it for me. It's 00:04:07.830 --> 00:04:11.560 amazing and it's amazing on many levels. I'll 00:04:11.560 --> 00:04:15.180 be honest, when I first saw it, it was on an 00:04:15.180 --> 00:04:17.579 Instagram account about history. And you know, 00:04:17.600 --> 00:04:19.420 when those things come up, I'm like, I don't 00:04:19.420 --> 00:04:21.860 even know if I believe this story. And that was 00:04:21.860 --> 00:04:24.319 actually my first response. I don't really think 00:04:24.319 --> 00:04:27.360 I buy it. And so I searched, I was like, oh, 00:04:27.519 --> 00:04:30.399 actually, this is true. I don't think I believed 00:04:30.399 --> 00:04:33.959 it. Actually, I was very skeptical. Yeah, there 00:04:33.959 --> 00:04:37.740 it was. And you can look it up too. In fact, 00:04:38.180 --> 00:04:41.939 we have eyewitness accounts from the shore, people 00:04:41.939 --> 00:04:43.920 that say that they looked out and they saw these 00:04:43.920 --> 00:04:46.399 dolphins encircling these folk. Amazing, it's 00:04:46.399 --> 00:04:50.879 an amazing story. And probably because I was 00:04:50.879 --> 00:04:55.420 also preparing for a sermon, the amazement of 00:04:55.420 --> 00:04:58.480 this made me think of this spot we're in in the 00:04:58.480 --> 00:05:03.240 gospel in Mark, because all these amazing things 00:05:03.240 --> 00:05:06.500 are happening, right? that Jesus is doing. We 00:05:06.500 --> 00:05:09.579 talked about some of them last week. Jesus is 00:05:09.579 --> 00:05:14.019 speaking and the wind and the waves are obeying 00:05:14.019 --> 00:05:18.720 him, listening to his voice and responding to 00:05:18.720 --> 00:05:22.779 his command. And of course, what happens is that 00:05:22.779 --> 00:05:27.319 the disciples are fearful, divine presence in 00:05:27.319 --> 00:05:31.279 their midst. They're also amazed. Who is this? 00:05:31.899 --> 00:05:34.040 Even the wind and the waves obey him, right? 00:05:34.139 --> 00:05:36.199 And then of course, Jesus healing the demon possessed 00:05:36.199 --> 00:05:39.639 man and all, you know, the people from the Decapolis, 00:05:39.699 --> 00:05:43.259 which is the 10 cities in the area, the surrounding 00:05:43.259 --> 00:05:47.259 area said they marveled. And probably there's 00:05:47.259 --> 00:05:49.399 a few different marvelings happening, marveling 00:05:49.399 --> 00:05:52.319 because this man who had cut himself up and had 00:05:52.319 --> 00:05:54.879 lived in chains among the tombs was now in his 00:05:54.879 --> 00:05:57.139 right mind walking among them, having conversations 00:05:57.139 --> 00:05:59.060 with them, telling them of this man, Jesus, who 00:05:59.060 --> 00:06:01.519 healed them. And then they were marveling also 00:06:01.519 --> 00:06:04.480 because what is this again? Divine power, God 00:06:04.480 --> 00:06:09.360 in our midst? That demons can be cast out? And 00:06:09.360 --> 00:06:12.279 then of course, last week we looked at another 00:06:12.279 --> 00:06:16.939 amazing thing. Jesus heals this woman with this 00:06:16.939 --> 00:06:20.800 12 years hemorrhage, this bleeding that we read 00:06:20.800 --> 00:06:23.480 last week. She had consulted other physicians 00:06:23.480 --> 00:06:27.319 and she spent all she had. She had done all that 00:06:27.319 --> 00:06:32.220 was humanly possible. And yet divine interaction, 00:06:32.660 --> 00:06:36.699 God in her midst, healing her and of course the 00:06:36.699 --> 00:06:41.319 12 year old little girl who had life after death. 00:06:42.439 --> 00:06:45.819 And of course that also we are told they were 00:06:45.819 --> 00:06:49.579 immediately they were overcome with amazement. 00:06:50.740 --> 00:06:53.139 Amazed at being saved, amazed at God in their 00:06:53.139 --> 00:06:58.019 midst. Interestingly though, our passage this 00:06:58.019 --> 00:07:00.839 morning has a different kind of amazement. It's 00:07:00.839 --> 00:07:02.740 a different kind of amazement. All these stories 00:07:02.740 --> 00:07:04.160 are mentioning these different ways in which 00:07:04.160 --> 00:07:07.180 people come face to face with the reality of 00:07:07.180 --> 00:07:12.100 God and they're marveling and they're declaring, 00:07:12.339 --> 00:07:15.139 oh my word, who is this? Even the wind and waves 00:07:15.139 --> 00:07:18.980 can obey him. And all these people saying, we're 00:07:18.980 --> 00:07:23.899 amazed. What is this? Jesus, God in our midst. 00:07:25.680 --> 00:07:27.459 So we have different kind of amazement in our 00:07:27.459 --> 00:07:32.160 passage this morning. Mark one tells us that 00:07:32.160 --> 00:07:34.660 Jesus went to his hometown with his disciples. 00:07:36.879 --> 00:07:40.339 And what we read is in some ways that he does 00:07:40.339 --> 00:07:44.959 what he pretty much always does. He went away 00:07:44.959 --> 00:07:47.579 from there and came to his hometown, and his 00:07:47.579 --> 00:07:49.399 disciples followed him, and then verse two, and 00:07:49.399 --> 00:07:51.660 on the Sabbath, he began to teach in the synagogue. 00:07:53.019 --> 00:07:55.519 We know that Jesus made it his habit to go to 00:07:55.519 --> 00:07:58.420 worship on the Sabbath day, and we know that 00:07:58.420 --> 00:08:00.259 he probably taught quite a few times. Most people 00:08:00.259 --> 00:08:02.220 don't think this is the exact same account as 00:08:02.220 --> 00:08:04.100 what happens in Luke chapter four, if you know 00:08:04.100 --> 00:08:06.439 that story. It may be, but there's a little bit 00:08:06.439 --> 00:08:09.600 of differences. He didn't always probably teach 00:08:09.600 --> 00:08:11.100 when he went to the synagogue, but this time 00:08:11.100 --> 00:08:17.000 he did. And we're told that many who heard him 00:08:17.000 --> 00:08:20.899 were astonished. They were astonished at it. 00:08:21.480 --> 00:08:24.100 And if you opened up your Bibles and you followed 00:08:24.100 --> 00:08:26.360 along, maybe you opened up to a version that 00:08:26.360 --> 00:08:28.360 didn't translate it astonished because that word 00:08:28.360 --> 00:08:30.319 actually astonished could also be translated 00:08:30.319 --> 00:08:34.559 amazed. It's amazed. The word could mean astonished 00:08:34.559 --> 00:08:37.350 or amazed. And yet the English standard version, 00:08:37.350 --> 00:08:40.549 the one that we use translates as astonished. 00:08:40.809 --> 00:08:42.909 And I think that's probably a good idea because 00:08:42.909 --> 00:08:44.690 it's actually a different word than the word 00:08:44.690 --> 00:08:47.129 that was used two verses earlier in chapter five, 00:08:47.250 --> 00:08:51.129 verse 41. But it has sort of the same, pretty 00:08:51.129 --> 00:08:53.809 much the same meaning, which is this amazement 00:08:53.809 --> 00:08:59.269 at Jesus. They hear him teach, they have him 00:08:59.269 --> 00:09:02.529 in their presence, and they're amazed, they're 00:09:02.529 --> 00:09:08.080 astonished. And what I'm suggesting to you this 00:09:08.080 --> 00:09:10.679 morning is that Mark is putting all of these 00:09:10.679 --> 00:09:12.580 stories that we've just been, you know, that 00:09:12.580 --> 00:09:13.860 we looked at last week and then we looked at 00:09:13.860 --> 00:09:16.360 last year that we picked back up on. And then 00:09:16.360 --> 00:09:18.720 he's putting this story right there at the beginning 00:09:18.720 --> 00:09:22.960 of chapter six intentionally all together. Mark 00:09:22.960 --> 00:09:25.159 putting these stories of people seeing and hearing 00:09:25.159 --> 00:09:29.600 and experiencing and knowing in a sense, Jesus 00:09:29.600 --> 00:09:33.200 in their midst and being amazed by it. Being 00:09:33.200 --> 00:09:36.059 amazed by the words and works of Jesus. And here's 00:09:36.059 --> 00:09:39.000 the thing, is that for some people that leads 00:09:39.000 --> 00:09:45.000 to deeper belief, an eagerness to follow, a desire 00:09:45.000 --> 00:09:48.039 to be taught, a desire to be changed and healed 00:09:48.039 --> 00:09:55.940 and made new. And yet for others, it's unbelief. 00:09:57.399 --> 00:10:03.250 Which is to say, you can engage with Jesus You 00:10:03.250 --> 00:10:09.129 can't even in a way know Jesus without believing 00:10:09.129 --> 00:10:15.289 in him, without a changed life. So I want you 00:10:15.289 --> 00:10:18.970 to see this morning that there's a knowing of 00:10:18.970 --> 00:10:22.590 Jesus, a knowing of Jesus that does not lead 00:10:22.590 --> 00:10:25.809 to life in Jesus. So first just knowing Jesus. 00:10:27.029 --> 00:10:29.850 Okay, look at me back at verse two. We'll read 00:10:29.850 --> 00:10:34.799 two and three. And on the Sabbath, like I said, 00:10:34.940 --> 00:10:37.279 he began to teach in the synagogue, and many 00:10:37.279 --> 00:10:41.279 who heard him were astonished, saying, where 00:10:41.279 --> 00:10:45.580 did this man get these things? What is the wisdom 00:10:45.580 --> 00:10:49.679 given to him? How are such mighty deeds done 00:10:49.679 --> 00:10:53.620 by his hands? First, all statements of astonishment, 00:10:53.820 --> 00:10:58.860 amazement. But it continues on, verse three, 00:10:59.860 --> 00:11:03.720 is not this the carpenter? the son of Mary, and 00:11:03.720 --> 00:11:07.639 brother of James, and Joses, and Judas, and Simon, 00:11:08.440 --> 00:11:13.600 and are not his sisters here with us. And they 00:11:13.600 --> 00:11:19.100 took offense at him. There were many it said 00:11:19.100 --> 00:11:25.659 that were astonished with him. There were many 00:11:25.659 --> 00:11:29.840 that were astonished with him who knew him, right? 00:11:31.189 --> 00:11:33.169 And I want to suggest to you that it was maybe 00:11:33.169 --> 00:11:36.730 because of their knowledge of him that they wonder, 00:11:36.789 --> 00:11:38.610 where's this guy getting his teaching? Where's 00:11:38.610 --> 00:11:41.509 he getting his wisdom? What's going on here? 00:11:42.409 --> 00:11:47.649 How can he do such mighty works? This was not 00:11:47.649 --> 00:11:50.250 the first time these people had engaged with 00:11:50.250 --> 00:11:54.049 Jesus, right? He was familiar to them. Oh yeah, 00:11:54.049 --> 00:11:57.250 we know what he looks like. Yeah, we can tell 00:11:57.250 --> 00:12:01.299 you a little bit about him. Oh, we know his mom. 00:12:02.399 --> 00:12:05.019 I know his brother's names. They grew up playing 00:12:05.019 --> 00:12:09.720 T -ball with me. We know this guy. I know his 00:12:09.720 --> 00:12:13.840 sisters. By the way, people think that likely 00:12:13.840 --> 00:12:15.679 because of Jesus' age, his sisters would have 00:12:15.679 --> 00:12:17.299 been married and that's maybe why they were referred 00:12:17.299 --> 00:12:20.779 to as his sisters. They were kind of in this 00:12:20.779 --> 00:12:24.259 different stage of life. They know his profession. 00:12:26.000 --> 00:12:29.480 This is the carpenter. Which, by the way, is 00:12:29.480 --> 00:12:32.480 not an offensive thing. A carpenter was actually 00:12:32.480 --> 00:12:37.179 a very good job. The word tecnon there, tecton, 00:12:37.299 --> 00:12:41.559 sorry. This is a very skilled person. A tecton 00:12:41.559 --> 00:12:43.799 would have been somebody who could use many different 00:12:43.799 --> 00:12:46.899 materials and create. great buildings. I mean, 00:12:46.899 --> 00:12:48.460 think about our own building here. We have, you 00:12:48.460 --> 00:12:50.440 know, bricks on the outside. We've got stained 00:12:50.440 --> 00:12:53.200 glass made. We've got these, you know, carvings 00:12:53.200 --> 00:12:55.100 that have been done out of wood. This is a very 00:12:55.100 --> 00:12:58.399 skilled person who has lots and lots of ability. 00:13:00.879 --> 00:13:02.639 It would have not just been a sort of a woodworker, 00:13:02.779 --> 00:13:05.519 but also a mason and a plumber and probably could 00:13:05.519 --> 00:13:07.139 do a lot of things. It would have been a finished 00:13:07.139 --> 00:13:08.799 carpenter, somebody who could finish the whole 00:13:08.799 --> 00:13:12.649 work and do it well. So he probably could have 00:13:12.649 --> 00:13:15.350 also built a house and built the furniture for 00:13:15.350 --> 00:13:23.590 the house. Very skilled person. Which is to say 00:13:23.590 --> 00:13:28.450 that they may be thinking, Jesus did my dining 00:13:28.450 --> 00:13:34.210 room table. When I had that roof, you know, that 00:13:34.210 --> 00:13:36.889 those guys sort of tore apart, he's the guy I 00:13:36.889 --> 00:13:42.409 was going to call to fix it up. It's Jesus the 00:13:42.409 --> 00:13:45.350 carpenter. He put the deck off the back of my 00:13:45.350 --> 00:13:52.029 house. He was the sculptor who created that sculpture 00:13:52.029 --> 00:13:54.190 for my house. I mean, he would have been incredibly 00:13:54.190 --> 00:13:58.830 skilled and they would have known him. Again, 00:13:58.830 --> 00:14:01.070 they could have talked probably how Jesus ran 00:14:01.070 --> 00:14:04.590 around with their own kids. Oh, he was the one. 00:14:05.350 --> 00:14:07.429 He kept making goals. I don't know why he was 00:14:07.429 --> 00:14:14.820 that good at soccer. Maybe they were on that 00:14:14.820 --> 00:14:17.480 singular trip that we know Jesus made in his 00:14:17.480 --> 00:14:21.740 youth down to Jerusalem with his parents. Maybe, 00:14:21.919 --> 00:14:23.600 at the very least, Nazareth, we know is not a 00:14:23.600 --> 00:14:29.039 very big town. Four to five hundred people. I 00:14:29.039 --> 00:14:31.980 bet his, you know, not coming back with everybody 00:14:31.980 --> 00:14:34.740 and his parents going, oh my word, we left Jesus, 00:14:35.100 --> 00:14:37.500 who is the Christ, who was called Jesus because 00:14:37.500 --> 00:14:39.980 he would save people from their sins, back in 00:14:39.980 --> 00:14:42.059 Jerusalem, we better go get him. I mean, it probably 00:14:42.059 --> 00:14:45.440 would have been the talk of town, right? This 00:14:45.440 --> 00:14:48.240 youth that was left by his parents back in Jerusalem, 00:14:48.399 --> 00:14:53.659 they would have all heard the stories. Maybe 00:14:53.659 --> 00:14:56.039 if his sisters were married, these were the folk 00:14:56.039 --> 00:15:00.350 that maybe attended. their weddings. Maybe they 00:15:00.350 --> 00:15:05.750 made toasts roasting the bride and groom. Maybe 00:15:05.750 --> 00:15:07.950 Jesus was there at some of those celebrations. 00:15:08.549 --> 00:15:14.490 Which is to say they knew Jesus. Is this not 00:15:14.490 --> 00:15:17.409 the son of Mary? Aren't these his siblings? Isn't 00:15:17.409 --> 00:15:22.590 he a carpenter? In French, and I would assume 00:15:22.590 --> 00:15:24.889 many other languages, but this is the one I know 00:15:24.889 --> 00:15:28.080 best other than English. There are a couple different 00:15:28.080 --> 00:15:36.919 words that mean to know, to know something. One 00:15:36.919 --> 00:15:40.220 word is savoir, like savoir faire, like you know 00:15:40.220 --> 00:15:41.820 how to do something, you know, he has the savoir 00:15:41.820 --> 00:15:44.580 faire, which literally means to know, to do, 00:15:44.700 --> 00:15:48.559 putting them together. And that kind of knowing 00:15:48.559 --> 00:15:52.200 is like the person, well, they know facts about 00:15:52.200 --> 00:15:57.879 something, you know. Brown balding hair, brown 00:15:57.879 --> 00:16:02.340 eyes, just shy of 5 '10". You know, I know Peter, 00:16:02.419 --> 00:16:07.559 that's what he's like. This is somebody who knows 00:16:07.559 --> 00:16:11.480 information. Maybe they also know a skill. That'd 00:16:11.480 --> 00:16:14.700 be kind of a savoir. And so if you sort of knew 00:16:14.700 --> 00:16:17.740 somebody who knows savoirs, France, they're like, 00:16:17.820 --> 00:16:21.159 well, they know the capital is Paris. Maybe they 00:16:21.159 --> 00:16:24.320 know, as you all no doubt know. that one of the 00:16:24.320 --> 00:16:27.600 nicknames for France is the hexagon, because 00:16:27.600 --> 00:16:33.860 it's shaped like a hexagon. Maybe they know that 00:16:33.860 --> 00:16:36.639 France is known for its museums, like the Louvre 00:16:36.639 --> 00:16:40.480 and the Orsay, so many others. Maybe they know 00:16:40.480 --> 00:16:45.679 that it's known for its food and its wine. Savoir. 00:16:47.679 --> 00:16:49.639 That's a kind of knowing. There's another kind 00:16:49.639 --> 00:16:55.789 of knowing, which is the word connect. And let 00:16:55.789 --> 00:16:58.730 me sort of illustrate this way. If you told me, 00:16:58.870 --> 00:17:02.149 or if you asked me, Peter, do you know Melisse? 00:17:02.769 --> 00:17:09.329 I would not say, oui, je sais. I would say, oui, 00:17:09.490 --> 00:17:13.950 je connais. Because it's not a knowledge that 00:17:13.950 --> 00:17:17.670 is strictly sort of the outside. I know the facts, 00:17:18.789 --> 00:17:21.990 but I know the experience. i know the reality 00:17:21.990 --> 00:17:27.829 i know the truth a deeper truth not just knowing 00:17:27.829 --> 00:17:32.309 the facts about one's wife but knowing them or 00:17:32.309 --> 00:17:36.490 if you said uh oh uh do you do you know france 00:17:36.490 --> 00:17:41.230 you could say oui je le sais or which would just 00:17:41.230 --> 00:17:46.069 mean the stats we could say oui je connais which 00:17:46.069 --> 00:17:50.579 would mean i've walked the streets I've tasted 00:17:50.579 --> 00:17:55.799 a 60 cent baguette that would go for a fortune 00:17:55.799 --> 00:17:58.519 in the United States. It just breaks, and it's 00:17:58.519 --> 00:18:00.720 crispy on the outside, it's chewy on the inside. 00:18:01.539 --> 00:18:08.640 It's fantastic. You know it. Which is to say, 00:18:08.799 --> 00:18:12.019 to know Jesus is not just to know, oh, he's the 00:18:12.019 --> 00:18:16.180 carpenter guy. Oh, that's his mom. I know his 00:18:16.180 --> 00:18:19.569 sibling's name. his brothers and sisters, but 00:18:19.569 --> 00:18:24.109 to experience him, his heart, his presence in 00:18:24.109 --> 00:18:28.369 the midst of the storm, his ability to speak 00:18:28.369 --> 00:18:34.170 and creation itself is listening, his knowledge 00:18:34.170 --> 00:18:37.549 that he can take the time with the woman who's 00:18:37.549 --> 00:18:39.609 reaching out to touch the hem of his garment 00:18:39.609 --> 00:18:42.650 and to heal her and to hear her story and yet 00:18:42.650 --> 00:18:44.710 at the same time know that he is going to care 00:18:44.710 --> 00:18:49.079 for the young girl. her family and her friends. 00:18:50.099 --> 00:18:53.440 Know that he has power, not just over the physical 00:18:53.440 --> 00:18:56.440 world, but the spiritual world. The man oppressed 00:18:56.440 --> 00:19:00.140 by demons living among the tombs is safe in the 00:19:00.140 --> 00:19:05.720 arms and the presence of Christ. Now here's the 00:19:05.720 --> 00:19:11.279 thing. Mark is writing this knowing that his 00:19:11.279 --> 00:19:14.099 audience, his original audience and his continued 00:19:14.099 --> 00:19:18.269 audience like ours today, is gonna fall into 00:19:18.269 --> 00:19:21.329 these categories. There's gonna be those who 00:19:21.329 --> 00:19:26.589 are amazed at Christ because they know him in 00:19:26.589 --> 00:19:29.710 the deepest sense. They know his power, his ability. 00:19:30.630 --> 00:19:33.569 He knows that he could say, stand up and be well 00:19:33.569 --> 00:19:36.289 or your sins are forgiven. He says, which one's 00:19:36.289 --> 00:19:41.670 easier? Both are in my domain. He also knows 00:19:41.670 --> 00:19:44.509 that there are going to be plenty just like it 00:19:44.509 --> 00:19:46.990 was on that day long ago in that synagogue on 00:19:46.990 --> 00:19:52.809 that Sabbath that say, yeah, I know him. I've 00:19:52.809 --> 00:19:56.609 got the stats. I've got the facts. I've heard 00:19:56.609 --> 00:20:00.490 of the miracles. I've heard his teaching. Nobody's 00:20:00.490 --> 00:20:04.869 denying that he exists. He's not who he says 00:20:04.869 --> 00:20:11.670 he is. Maybe you're here and you find Jesus wise. 00:20:14.269 --> 00:20:19.549 Maybe you want to have him teach you. But maybe 00:20:19.549 --> 00:20:21.769 it's precisely because of your knowledge of him 00:20:21.769 --> 00:20:25.670 already. You won't give yourself over to faith. 00:20:27.009 --> 00:20:33.430 Surrender to belief. Cling to him in need and 00:20:33.430 --> 00:20:37.470 find him to be sufficient. Which is to say that, 00:20:37.490 --> 00:20:39.549 again, there is an amazement, there's a knowledge 00:20:39.549 --> 00:20:44.710 about Jesus that does not lead to life. to belief. 00:20:48.309 --> 00:20:50.289 Think about this. We keep going in our passage. 00:20:50.470 --> 00:20:52.849 This is pretty interesting. I think this is really 00:20:52.849 --> 00:20:55.029 interesting. If we keep going in our passage, 00:20:55.069 --> 00:20:58.130 what we find is that it's not just that there 00:20:58.130 --> 00:21:01.349 were many there on that Sabbath long ago that 00:21:01.349 --> 00:21:03.930 heard Jesus and were astonished, or we can say 00:21:03.930 --> 00:21:06.609 it translated amazed, but there's a part of our 00:21:06.609 --> 00:21:10.990 passage where Jesus himself, well it says marveled. 00:21:12.660 --> 00:21:15.299 Let's look down at it. The first part of verse 00:21:15.299 --> 00:21:19.640 six, if you look down there. Verse six. And he, 00:21:19.740 --> 00:21:27.380 that's Jesus, marveled because of their unbelief. 00:21:28.160 --> 00:21:30.920 Marvels at their unbelief. And again, interestingly, 00:21:31.019 --> 00:21:34.059 I looked this up, marvel could also be translated 00:21:34.059 --> 00:21:40.240 amazed. He was amazed. Their unbelief. Different 00:21:40.240 --> 00:21:43.839 word, but connoting the same meaning. There's 00:21:43.839 --> 00:21:47.279 an amazement at Jesus, like in this passage, 00:21:48.059 --> 00:21:52.339 that does not lead to faith in Him. There's an 00:21:52.339 --> 00:21:55.039 engagement with Jesus. Even a way of saying, 00:21:55.140 --> 00:22:01.220 wow, what a teacher! Wow, what great acts! It 00:22:01.220 --> 00:22:04.000 doesn't lead to what God actually most desires 00:22:04.000 --> 00:22:12.200 from you, faith and life in Him. And think of 00:22:12.200 --> 00:22:17.329 this. This is done, at least in this text, in 00:22:17.329 --> 00:22:20.670 the context where people would say, I know Jesus. 00:22:22.049 --> 00:22:27.410 I know him. All kinds of people know things about 00:22:27.410 --> 00:22:32.609 Jesus. So I was reading this week in preparation 00:22:32.609 --> 00:22:37.470 for this, some writing by the famous atheist 00:22:37.470 --> 00:22:42.230 Sam Harris. Of course, you all know he doesn't 00:22:42.230 --> 00:22:46.140 believe in Jesus. But he knows a lot about Jesus. 00:22:46.180 --> 00:22:47.740 He knows an awful lot about Jesus, actually. 00:22:47.759 --> 00:22:48.819 If you read his writings, you're like, well, 00:22:48.900 --> 00:22:53.660 this guy, maybe he knows more than I do. And 00:22:53.660 --> 00:22:56.099 he says he doesn't believe in Jesus, in part, 00:22:56.640 --> 00:23:00.220 not because he hasn't read the Bible. He's read 00:23:00.220 --> 00:23:04.539 it and he finds that it's not how he thinks God 00:23:04.539 --> 00:23:08.680 should communicate. Why would God write this 00:23:08.680 --> 00:23:11.559 text like this? It's part of what he says. This 00:23:11.559 --> 00:23:14.140 is what he says. Take a moment to imagine how 00:23:14.140 --> 00:23:18.059 good a book could be if it were written by the 00:23:18.059 --> 00:23:23.940 creator of the universe. Such a book could contain 00:23:23.940 --> 00:23:27.059 a chapter on mathematics that after 2000 years 00:23:27.059 --> 00:23:29.920 of continuous use would still be the richest 00:23:29.920 --> 00:23:32.599 source of mathematical insight the earth has 00:23:32.599 --> 00:23:36.380 ever seen. I mean, maybe that's you this morning. 00:23:36.819 --> 00:23:39.420 You know, it's not that you haven't engaged with 00:23:39.420 --> 00:23:42.019 the teachings of the Bible. It's not that you 00:23:42.019 --> 00:23:45.359 haven't read the parables of Jesus. It's that 00:23:45.359 --> 00:23:47.839 you read them and you think, this isn't what 00:23:47.839 --> 00:23:51.579 it should be. This isn't how God should present 00:23:51.579 --> 00:23:57.500 himself. He's a carpenter. Come on, can't you 00:23:57.500 --> 00:24:01.660 do better? Sam Harris goes on, why doesn't the 00:24:01.660 --> 00:24:05.829 Bible say anything about electricity? about DNA, 00:24:06.950 --> 00:24:09.710 or about the actual age and size of the universe. 00:24:10.809 --> 00:24:13.890 If this is a true accounting, why isn't it what 00:24:13.890 --> 00:24:20.930 I think it should be? How about this? Maybe this 00:24:20.930 --> 00:24:24.789 resonates more with you. He goes on after saying, 00:24:25.410 --> 00:24:27.589 or about the actual age and size of the universe, 00:24:28.170 --> 00:24:33.769 what about a cure for cancer? Which in some ways 00:24:33.769 --> 00:24:36.509 is to say, what about the problem of evil and 00:24:36.509 --> 00:24:40.589 suffering? Millions of people are dying horribly 00:24:40.589 --> 00:24:42.509 from cancer at this very moment, many of them 00:24:42.509 --> 00:24:45.069 children. When we fully understand the biology 00:24:45.069 --> 00:24:47.230 of cancer, this understanding will surely be 00:24:47.230 --> 00:24:50.269 reducible to a few pages of text. Why aren't 00:24:50.269 --> 00:24:52.670 these pages, or anything remotely like them, 00:24:52.869 --> 00:24:55.029 found in the Bible? The Bible is, after all, 00:24:55.089 --> 00:25:00.049 a very big book. It's not that he doesn't know. 00:25:00.170 --> 00:25:03.779 It's not that he hasn't read. And maybe that's 00:25:03.779 --> 00:25:08.519 your experience. You think, I know this. I was 00:25:08.519 --> 00:25:14.220 raised knowing Jesus, knowing the stories of 00:25:14.220 --> 00:25:17.359 him, knowing how he went off to Jerusalem and 00:25:17.359 --> 00:25:20.599 came back and all the rest. I can tell you the 00:25:20.599 --> 00:25:26.279 facts about Jesus. And sometimes it's actually 00:25:26.279 --> 00:25:28.559 that knowing that is actually a hindrance to 00:25:28.559 --> 00:25:32.000 the deeper knowledge of faith. giving yourself 00:25:32.000 --> 00:25:36.740 over to a committed life, surrendering to the 00:25:36.740 --> 00:25:40.819 only one who can bring peace and life, protection, 00:25:41.559 --> 00:25:45.960 care. You may know an awful lot about the Bible. 00:25:47.279 --> 00:25:48.980 The truth is, at least according to this text, 00:25:49.019 --> 00:25:53.480 you may be even amazed by a lot of it. You may 00:25:53.480 --> 00:25:57.539 be amazed by it. And yet you can't come to believe 00:25:57.539 --> 00:26:00.640 to really confess. that you can only find your 00:26:00.640 --> 00:26:06.640 life in Him. You may know the doctrines of Christian 00:26:06.640 --> 00:26:13.420 religion and not actually know the God of the 00:26:13.420 --> 00:26:16.539 universe. You may find them offensive, like Sam 00:26:16.539 --> 00:26:21.079 Harris does. Think about this. Isn't this the 00:26:21.079 --> 00:26:27.400 carpenter? You mean God? You mean you guys think 00:26:27.400 --> 00:26:33.599 that God actually became a human? And that's 00:26:33.599 --> 00:26:36.420 where you find salvation. Think of Paul writing 00:26:36.420 --> 00:26:42.240 how the cross is a scandal. You think that this 00:26:42.240 --> 00:26:47.319 God man dying on a Roman cross long ago is the 00:26:47.319 --> 00:26:51.160 center of life? That that's where you find your 00:26:51.160 --> 00:26:59.160 hope? You mean your sins are actually so bad 00:26:59.160 --> 00:27:04.119 that they demand God's death? Do you know what 00:27:04.119 --> 00:27:06.640 that does psychologically to somebody to have 00:27:06.640 --> 00:27:12.240 that high a view of sin? It's not that you don't 00:27:12.240 --> 00:27:15.799 know what it says. It's not even that you don't 00:27:15.799 --> 00:27:20.220 at times find it amazing. But you just can't 00:27:20.220 --> 00:27:26.019 believe that that could possibly be true. Probably 00:27:26.019 --> 00:27:29.319 many of you have heard of the somewhat recent, 00:27:29.319 --> 00:27:33.240 though the conversation seems to be waning, but 00:27:33.240 --> 00:27:35.819 the deconstructionist movement recently in Christianity. 00:27:36.519 --> 00:27:39.160 And it's largely folk that have been raised in 00:27:39.160 --> 00:27:42.039 the church. And that's the whole idea, deconstructing 00:27:42.039 --> 00:27:44.940 what you have been given. And it's significantly 00:27:44.940 --> 00:27:50.299 more common in sort of evangelical circles. Largely 00:27:50.299 --> 00:27:53.200 left the faith they were raised in. And I want 00:27:53.200 --> 00:27:54.740 to say this actually pretty clearly and I'm going 00:27:54.740 --> 00:27:56.839 to share a few quotes about this too. There's 00:27:56.839 --> 00:28:00.279 a lot of good reason for that. I mean, there 00:28:00.279 --> 00:28:05.140 is a lot of abuse in church settings. I mean, 00:28:05.140 --> 00:28:07.920 a lot of people point to sort of purity culture 00:28:07.920 --> 00:28:10.059 in this movement as a way of actually being taught 00:28:10.059 --> 00:28:12.380 that their bodies are not lovely and fearfully 00:28:12.380 --> 00:28:15.579 and wonderfully made by God, right? Okay, there's 00:28:15.579 --> 00:28:19.349 something to that. A lot of people have gone 00:28:19.349 --> 00:28:22.009 to that movement because the massive abuses of 00:28:22.009 --> 00:28:25.269 authority found in the church and pastor figures, 00:28:26.430 --> 00:28:32.430 okay. They are not unfounded reasons. In fact, 00:28:32.430 --> 00:28:34.289 I would say that there's some really good reasons. 00:28:34.609 --> 00:28:36.650 Paul Tripp, maybe some of you who listen to the 00:28:36.650 --> 00:28:39.150 podcast, The Rise and Fall of Mark Silva, Paul 00:28:39.150 --> 00:28:42.390 Tripp said this. We should all be deconstructing 00:28:42.390 --> 00:28:45.859 our faith. We better do it. Because our faith 00:28:45.859 --> 00:28:48.859 becomes a culture, a culture so webbed into the 00:28:48.859 --> 00:28:50.859 purity of truth that it's hard to separate the 00:28:50.859 --> 00:28:54.000 two. And we better do some deconstructing or 00:28:54.000 --> 00:28:55.960 we're going to find ourselves again and again 00:28:55.960 --> 00:28:57.940 in these sad places, talking about the abuse 00:28:57.940 --> 00:29:02.690 that took place in that setting. But I also want 00:29:02.690 --> 00:29:05.509 to say that these are largely folk that would 00:29:05.509 --> 00:29:08.549 say they know Jesus and yet don't continue on. 00:29:08.890 --> 00:29:11.029 Don't say I'm giving my life despite the fact 00:29:11.029 --> 00:29:13.589 I want to push away some of this stuff. I'm giving 00:29:13.589 --> 00:29:15.970 my life and committing my life to surrendering 00:29:15.970 --> 00:29:23.309 to Christ. I want to suggest to you, sort of 00:29:23.309 --> 00:29:29.650 as I begin to wrap up, that there is a key. in 00:29:29.650 --> 00:29:33.910 a way in this text for why so many might know 00:29:33.910 --> 00:29:37.650 Jesus, the facts about him, but don't want to 00:29:37.650 --> 00:29:40.910 actually give themselves over in faith and belief 00:29:40.910 --> 00:29:43.750 to following Jesus. And so Jesus can still be 00:29:43.750 --> 00:29:47.849 marveling because of their unbelief. I want to 00:29:47.849 --> 00:29:51.130 suggest to you this, many don't want to do this 00:29:51.130 --> 00:29:56.839 because he shines a light on our need. He shines 00:29:56.839 --> 00:30:00.420 a light on how big our sin is. He shines a light 00:30:00.420 --> 00:30:04.019 on our rebellion against God. And he says, you 00:30:04.019 --> 00:30:06.559 are utterly in need of that which is outside 00:30:06.559 --> 00:30:09.920 of you. Okay, so verse four, it's kind of interesting. 00:30:09.980 --> 00:30:11.579 Verse four, if you look down there, it says, 00:30:12.160 --> 00:30:15.519 and Jesus said to them, a prophet is not without 00:30:15.519 --> 00:30:19.660 honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives 00:30:19.660 --> 00:30:26.170 and in his own household. And And we think, we 00:30:26.170 --> 00:30:28.089 think that what Jesus is largely saying is sort 00:30:28.089 --> 00:30:30.990 of a maxim of his day. The prophets now without 00:30:30.990 --> 00:30:33.009 honor accepted his home, hometown, you know, 00:30:33.009 --> 00:30:34.650 all this sort of stuff. That it was a phrase 00:30:34.650 --> 00:30:37.269 that was kind of known. But we have a similar 00:30:37.269 --> 00:30:42.069 phrase today. It was familiarity breeds contempt. 00:30:43.150 --> 00:30:45.170 You can know something so much that you actually 00:30:45.170 --> 00:30:52.049 don't love it anymore. And the other thing that 00:30:52.049 --> 00:30:54.930 I think is key here though is that Jesus is indirectly 00:30:54.930 --> 00:30:57.569 calling himself a prophet. What does a prophet 00:30:57.569 --> 00:31:01.809 do? It's the role of a prophet. The main role 00:31:01.809 --> 00:31:06.490 of a prophet is to call people back to God. Say 00:31:06.490 --> 00:31:08.410 if you continue down this road, let me tell you 00:31:08.410 --> 00:31:13.690 what's gonna happen. But consider there's another 00:31:13.690 --> 00:31:18.109 way, come back to the Lord. Most often the role 00:31:18.109 --> 00:31:20.470 of a prophet was to call people back to God. 00:31:20.880 --> 00:31:24.660 To say to them you are heading down the wrong 00:31:24.660 --> 00:31:31.420 direction You're heading down the wrong way Prophet 00:31:31.420 --> 00:31:33.619 would say that they are going down the way that 00:31:33.619 --> 00:31:37.779 leads to death If they're gonna continue rejecting 00:31:37.779 --> 00:31:41.440 God's way Embracing the way of sin who will only 00:31:41.440 --> 00:31:43.480 lead to death. That was the primary role of a 00:31:43.480 --> 00:31:48.339 prophet. Don't go that way and Jesus is preaching 00:31:48.339 --> 00:31:51.259 the kingdom He's named Jesus because he will 00:31:51.259 --> 00:31:55.380 save his people from their sins. That the main 00:31:55.380 --> 00:31:57.680 thing that's happening in the text of scripture 00:31:57.680 --> 00:32:00.700 is not what Sam Harris wants, right? The mathematic 00:32:00.700 --> 00:32:04.779 text, the DNA, all that. But the main thing that 00:32:04.779 --> 00:32:06.900 Jesus is about and the scriptures are about is 00:32:06.900 --> 00:32:13.400 repent. Turn from your ways. Embrace the work 00:32:13.400 --> 00:32:18.910 of Christ. And just like then, And just like 00:32:18.910 --> 00:32:21.750 throughout history, that message has become so 00:32:21.750 --> 00:32:23.289 offensive that people say, I don't want to be 00:32:23.289 --> 00:32:28.569 told that. I would rather persist in my unbelief, 00:32:29.029 --> 00:32:31.230 dismiss you with what knowledge I sort of have 00:32:31.230 --> 00:32:35.069 of you, and continue on with making myself the 00:32:35.069 --> 00:32:38.869 center of my life. I'm suggesting to you that 00:32:38.869 --> 00:32:41.410 this is the reason why so many in Jesus' day 00:32:41.410 --> 00:32:45.049 and in our own day, they might know him, but 00:32:45.049 --> 00:32:47.339 they will not surrender to him. give their life 00:32:47.339 --> 00:32:51.359 over to him. So they do not want to receive him 00:32:51.359 --> 00:32:54.200 as the one that orients their life instead of 00:32:54.200 --> 00:32:57.920 themselves. It's him as the true life -giving 00:32:57.920 --> 00:33:02.720 one who saves us from our sins. And so we read, 00:33:03.160 --> 00:33:09.019 Jesus marveled because of their unbelief. Think 00:33:09.019 --> 00:33:10.839 about this with me. Let's go back to the dolphins. 00:33:13.900 --> 00:33:17.079 Were you amazed by that story? Did any of you 00:33:17.079 --> 00:33:20.200 just think like, what? Are you kidding? I mean, 00:33:21.059 --> 00:33:23.440 probably what you did, because I can do this 00:33:23.440 --> 00:33:27.000 too, is I said, I want to have that experience. 00:33:27.039 --> 00:33:31.400 How wild would that be? Have dolphins encircling 00:33:31.400 --> 00:33:34.759 you, saving you from a great white shark. How 00:33:34.759 --> 00:33:39.220 exhilarating. You're amazed at how dolphins can 00:33:39.220 --> 00:33:42.460 save a man and his daughter and her friends. 00:33:43.500 --> 00:33:46.460 Amazed. and how intelligent they are and how 00:33:46.460 --> 00:33:52.420 wondrous creation is, how they preserved life. 00:33:55.259 --> 00:33:57.420 And no doubt these people have heard the stories 00:33:57.420 --> 00:34:00.299 of what Jesus has done, right? They're marveling 00:34:00.299 --> 00:34:04.119 at his mighty works. The story we had just heard 00:34:04.119 --> 00:34:08.599 was that he saved this girl who had died and 00:34:08.599 --> 00:34:13.550 given her new life. And I think that what Mark 00:34:13.550 --> 00:34:16.349 is doing in putting these two stories together 00:34:16.349 --> 00:34:21.809 is he is saying, don't you want this? Do you 00:34:21.809 --> 00:34:24.630 want to continue just saying you know God, but 00:34:24.630 --> 00:34:27.949 having no deep abiding faith in him, experiencing 00:34:27.949 --> 00:34:33.750 him? Really experiencing the reality of God saving 00:34:33.750 --> 00:34:37.210 you when you can't do it. If it was up to you, 00:34:37.289 --> 00:34:42.889 that shark is getting you. Don't you want that 00:34:42.889 --> 00:34:47.949 kind of belief? Wouldn't you long to have Jesus 00:34:47.949 --> 00:34:51.369 who can calm the storm? Who can heal the demon 00:34:51.369 --> 00:34:55.909 -possessed man? Who can stop the bleeding? Who 00:34:55.909 --> 00:35:00.210 can heal the young girl? Or do you want to brush 00:35:00.210 --> 00:35:05.769 him off? He's the carpenter. Mary's son. Those 00:35:05.769 --> 00:35:09.730 are his siblings. I think, I think what Mark 00:35:09.730 --> 00:35:12.590 is doing by putting all these stories of amazement 00:35:12.590 --> 00:35:17.809 together as He is asking us, will you believe? 00:35:19.989 --> 00:35:23.230 Will you believe? Will you continue in a kind 00:35:23.230 --> 00:35:29.030 of belief that is just savoir, facts? Or will 00:35:29.030 --> 00:35:32.929 you give yourself over and find within your life 00:35:32.929 --> 00:35:37.510 and your light and your salvation? Let me pray 00:35:37.510 --> 00:35:40.650 for us. Lord, Thank you for the beauty of your 00:35:40.650 --> 00:35:45.650 word. God, I pray today, I pray for each one 00:35:45.650 --> 00:35:48.829 here. God, would we ask ourselves this afternoon, 00:35:48.909 --> 00:35:52.349 would we maybe do it around our dinner tables? 00:35:52.849 --> 00:35:58.130 Would we maybe call up a friend? Would we wonder 00:35:58.130 --> 00:36:02.989 aloud with one another? What is my belief like? 00:36:05.510 --> 00:36:12.880 What do I do with Jesus? And then would we, Lord, 00:36:14.340 --> 00:36:21.139 please give ourselves over to faith, to trust, 00:36:22.480 --> 00:36:28.500 to surrender to you alone who has life and life 00:36:28.500 --> 00:36:34.590 abundantly. Your prayers, Lord. Amen. Thank you 00:36:34.590 --> 00:36:36.869 for listening to Second City Sermons podcast. 00:36:37.449 --> 00:36:39.369 We hope this sermon has encouraged you to worship 00:36:39.369 --> 00:36:42.289 God and to celebrate the gospel of Jesus. Please 00:36:42.289 --> 00:36:44.670 consider subscribing to this podcast and joining 00:36:44.670 --> 00:36:47.849 us in person each Sunday at 10 a .m. You can 00:36:47.849 --> 00:36:51.170 find us online at secondcitychurch .org and on 00:36:51.170 --> 00:36:53.750 Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Thanks again 00:36:53.750 --> 00:36:54.349 for listening.