Good evening.
I bring you warm greetings from your brothers and sisters in Manila and Pilgrim Community Church.
! As we come to God's Word, I'd like to turn with me again to Mark's Gospel in chapter 3.
And I'll read a passage for us. This is verses 7 to 12.
Let's hear now God's Word.
Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea, and a great crowd followed,
from Galilee and Judea and Jerusalem and Edomia,
and from beyond the Jordan and from around Tyre and Sidon.
When the great crowd heard all that he was doing, they came to him.
And he told his disciples to have a boat ready for him, because of the crowd, lest they crush him.
For he had healed so many, for he had healed many, so that all who had diseases pressed around him to touch him.
And whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out,
You are the Son of God!
And he strictly ordered them not to make him known.
Father, we give you thanks for this hour of worship.
We give you thanks that in your wisdom and in your providence,
you have given us six days to go about our vocation.
But you've set apart one day out of seven,
a day of rest and gladness,
a day to ascend Mount Zion, to worship.
This is the day that you have promised in your word.
You have said that in every place that you cause your name to be remembered,
you will come and you will meet us and you will bless us.
And so we ask now, as we come again,
to consider your word, to hear your word,
that you, by your Holy Spirit, give us ears to hear, eyes to see, and hearts to obey.
We pray these things in Jesus' name.
Amen.
Well, it's an honor to be back here in Ealing with all of you this morning.
I was last back here, I think it was 2019, and then COVID happened.
And then I was supposed to come back last year, and then my visa, I had visa problems.
So it's so good to be back here.
As was mentioned earlier, our church just celebrated our 10th anniversary.
So that was two weeks ago.
We had a simple Thanksgiving celebration.
And it's been so encouraging for myself to look back on 10 years
and to see how the Lord has held our hand and has grown the ministry.
I still recall the early days of church planting,
when we would only have a handful of people come to our gatherings.
Despite the occasional discouragement and doubt,
the Lord has faithfully sustained us
and has kept us faithful to his gospel.
Indeed, slowly but surely, the Lord added to our number
those who wanted and needed to hear the good news
that Jesus Christ is the only Savior of sinners.
But we need to understand that not everyone comes to Jesus
or indeed comes to church for the right reasons.
This is true not only in our time,
but also in Jesus' time.
Different people were drawn to him for different reasons.
In fact, not everyone in the crowds that we just read
that were following him actually believed in him.
Some came to Jesus because they saw him as a healer,
as someone who could make things better.
Others followed him because they perceived him to be a hero,
someone who could fight their battles for them.
Many today who claim to be Christians view Jesus in a similar way.
They view Jesus as a key to the victorious life
that they desire and that they were destined for.
Some people, they come to church because they think,
well, you know, it's a tit for tat.
I come to church, Jesus blessed me.
Some people, they come to church because probably they've encountered
a difficult thing in life.
And they think, I got to go to church to make it all better.
Now, many tend to think that following Jesus
means assured prosperity or assured health.
Perhaps for some of us here today,
there is still some sense of this within us as well.
So the question that I'd like for all of us to consider this evening is this.
It's a very simple question.
You know Jesus.
But what kind of a savior is Jesus for us?
This evening, as we turn our attention to our text in the Gospel of Mark,
the Word of God is teaching us
that many people want Jesus as a healer or as a hero.
But his compassion for sinners,
that's the good news that we all need.
I have three points for us to consider this evening.
Number one, a savior who can make life easier.
Number two, a savior who can vanquish our enemies.
And number three, a savior who has compassion for sinners.
Now, for the boys and girls, and I also do this at Pilgrim,
I want to give you three key words.
Okay?
So these are just three words.
They all start with the letter H.
And I want you to remember them.
And the reason why I want you to remember them
is because you might not understand everything I say this evening.
But your parents will.
So remember the three key words
so that when you go home, you ask,
Mommy,
what does healer mean?
What does hero mean?
What does heart mean?
Those are the three key words.
Healer, hero, heart.
Okay?
So let's look at the first point.
A savior who can make life easier.
Look at me in verses 7 to 8 again.
Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea,
and a great crowd followed,
from Galilee and Judea,
and Jerusalem and Edomia,
and from beyond the Jordan,
and from around Tyre and Sidon.
When the great crowd heard
all that he was doing,
they came to him.
Now Jesus was withdrawing with his disciples
to the Sea of Galilee
because the religious leaders,
and Paul read this earlier
when we read chapter 3,
the religious leaders were plotting to destroy him.
They wanted to kill him.
Jesus withdrew then to the lakeside,
but he didn't stop what he was out to do.
He kept preaching.
He kept healing.
He kept casting out demons,
as he did.
And so as a result,
as you would expect,
as I would expect,
a great crowd
from different places in Israel.
This is representative of Palestine.
The heydays of Old Testament Israel.
People from all over were coming
to follow Jesus.
And Jesus' reputation, you see,
had spread.
And what was that reputation?
There's a miracle worker down in Galilee.
There's an exorcist down in Galilee.
And so people are coming.
But we want to ask the question,
why exactly were the people coming to him?
Was it to hear him preach the gospel?
Jesus said that was his mission,
to preach the kingdom of God.
The preaching,
sorry, the healing,
the casting out of demons,
these are signs of his authority
in the way that he preached the gospel.
So were the people coming
because of the preaching?
Were the people coming
in order to be his disciples?
Well, I want you to look in verse 8 again.
When the great crowd heard
all that he was teaching?
No.
All that he was doing,
they came to him.
The great crowd came to him
when they heard
all that he was doing.
People were coming to Jesus
because of what they have heard
that he was able to do for them.
For many in the crowd,
they were following Jesus
because he was pretty impressive.
He was a miracle worker.
He was a healer.
Verse 10 tells us
that the sick
were pressing in on him
and they were healed
by merely touching him.
The crowds were seeking Jesus
because they saw him as a savior
who was a healer,
who could make their lives easier.
Now friends,
many people today
have the same idea
about Jesus.
Many come to church
because they think
that Jesus can make their lives
better
or easier.
Many people are attracted to Jesus
for what they perceive
that they could get from him.
And make no mistake,
this also happens
in Reformed
and Presbyterian churches.
We are not immune.
There are people
who come to our churches
and I'll speak of my own church.
There are a lot of people
who come to our church
in search
of what they perceive
to be theological precision
and doctrinal depth.
They want to come
because
they can learn something.
But how many people
do we know?
How many people
do you know?
People who are
young people,
very intelligent,
very zealous,
who discover the riches
of
the Reformed faith.
They get plugged
into the various activities
of the church.
They show great promise
for a time.
But then they suddenly
disappear
from our fellowship
without notice.
And we later find out
that they had encountered
difficulties and troubles
in their lives.
And so they have since
abandoned Christianity
when it
started to hurt.
The theological discussions
may have been stimulating.
The socials were fun.
They came to know
a lot of
things about God.
but they knew God
very little.
When the pressures
of life
pressed in,
they realized
that following Jesus
was no longer
worth it.
And suddenly
they've outgrown
the theology
they once found
exciting
and attractive.
Beloved,
if we come to Jesus
for anything
other than
Jesus,
then we're really
just fetching blessings
for ourselves.
We're really
just paying
lip service
to Him.
Now,
don't get me wrong.
There's certainly
nothing wrong
with wanting
to have an easier life.
Who doesn't want
to have an easier life?
I want to have
an easier life.
There's a sense
in which
true saving faith
in Christ
should result
in some sense
in a positive change
in our present lives.
But that change
may not be
what we expect
it to be.
The change
that the gospel
brings about
is a change
in perspective.
We gain
a proper
biblical
vista
on our life,
on our suffering,
and of the
present hope
of future glory.
But if we
view Jesus
merely as
the stepping stone
to this
easier and
better life
that we desire
or that we
think that we
deserve,
then we will
end up just like
those people
in the crowd
who only saw
Jesus as a
healer,
a Savior
who could make
their lives
easier.
Which brings me
to point number
two,
a Savior
who can
vanquish
our enemies.
We'd like
that,
don't we?
Another reason
why the crowds
were pressing
in on Jesus
was because
of the promise
of deliverance
from unclean
spirits.
Look at
verses 11
and 12.
And whenever
the unclean
spirits saw
him,
they fell
down before
him and
cried out,
you are
the Son
of God.
And he
strictly
ordered them
not to
make him
known.
Again,
there's
nothing wrong
with wanting
to be
delivered
from our
hardships
and from
our
adversities.
We all
want and
need a
Savior
who can
and will
subdue
all his
and our
enemies.
But if we
are only
coming to
Jesus
because
he is
able to
grant us
temporal
relief
from our
troubles,
our
pains,
our
confusions,
our
sufferings
and our
griefs,
then we're
still largely
missing the
point of
the gospel.
If we are
coming to
church to
be rid
of our
problems,
then we
do not
understand
what kind
of a
place the
church is.
Can I
say to
you,
the church
is not
a place
where we
can be
freed
from our
problems.
It is
a place
where our
problems
become
intelligent.
understandable.
It is
a place
where as
we come
sitting under
the preached
word week
in and
week out
that we
find that
our problems
begin to
make sense.
And they
make sense
because the
Bible teaches
us that
God is in
control.
He is
sovereign.
He is at
work in
history and
he is
working all
things together
for good.
when Jesus
returns,
he will
reconcile
all things
to himself
and he
will make
all things
new.
But
if we
come to
Jesus
with our
own
schedule,
as you
would say,
our own
timeline,
and we
demand that
he deal
with finality,
with our
problems now,
then what we
really want
is not a
savior who
will save
us from
all our
sins.
What we
want is a
hero who
will act
like our
personal
bodyguard.
For many
in the
crowd,
this was
their
thinking
too.
They
wanted a
savior who
could drive
away their
enemies.
For many
of them,
as they
heard the
unclean
spirits'
true yet
malicious
words,
you are
the son
of God,
their minds
were not
led to
think of
Jesus as
the son
of God,
coming into
the world
as a
savior,
as a
redeemer
of sinners.
You see,
in those
times,
the messianic
expectations
that were
swirling
around in
their minds
was that
of a
strong
military
and
political
leader
who would
restore
the kingdom
of Israel,
who would
vanquish
the occupiers.
Many
think that
Jesus is
the champion
who,
if only
they could
just get
him to
be on
their
side,
will
ensure
that
everything
will
turn out
okay for
them.
But this
is to
miss the
heart
behind
Jesus'
earthly
mission,
which is
what the
third
point in
my
sermon
points
us to,
a savior
who has
compassion
for
sinners.
We have
seen that
there were
two wrong
reasons why
people were
crowding
around
Jesus,
some
wanted
a
healer,
some
wanted
a
hero,
but what
about
us?
What kind
of savior
is Jesus
to you,
to us?
What do we
want from
him?
Do we just
want to
use him
as an
instrument
for our
personal
fulfillment?
Do we
want him
as a
healer
to make
our lives
easier?
Do we
want him
as a
hero?
Jesus,
remove all
the obstacles,
stand in
way of
the
fulfillment
of my
hopes and
aspirations?
Well,
the middle
two verses
in our
text reveal
something to
us about
Jesus'
compassion.
I want us
to focus
on this
in this
point.
Verses
9 and
10,
10 and
he told
his
disciples
to have
a boat
ready for
him
because
of the
crowd
lest
they
crush
him.
For
he had
healed
many
so that
all who
had
diseases
pressed
around
him
to
touch
him.
The
crowds
were
following
Jesus,
they were
pressing
in on
him.
You
know,
he was
actually
at risk
of being
crushed
by the
sheer
amount
of
people.
At
any
point
in
time,
he
could
have
just
said,
Peter,
can you
tell them
it's
enough
for
today?
Can
you
can
just
send
them
home?
I'm
tired.
Let's
do it
again
tomorrow.
At
any
point,
he
could
have
done
that.
He
does
not
do
this.
He
does
not
hinder
the
crowd.
And
he
still
continues
to
heal
them.
Instead,
he
instructs
his
disciples,
have
a
boat
ready
just
in
case.
Now,
in this
instance,
he
doesn't
use
it.
Later
on,
he
does.
But
what
was
the
wisdom
behind
having
a
boat
ready?
And
why
didn't
Jesus
just
send
the
crowds
away?
Well,
it
was
so
that
he
could
keep
preaching
to
them,
isn't
it?
Earlier
in
Mark
chapter
1,
verses
38,
28 to
30,
we
read
there
that
he
said
to
his
disciples,
let
us
that
I
may
preach
there
also.
For,
because,
that is
why I
came
out.
Being in
a boat
while the
crowd
remained at
the
lake shore
would have
provided a
great
opportunity
to proclaim
the gospel
to even
more people.
He would
have had
occasion to
call more
people to
repentance,
to put
their faith
in him.
Jesus'
instruction
here to
have a
boat
ready
reveals
to us
the
kind
of
compassionate
heart
that
he
had.
And
brothers and
sisters,
this is
the kind
of
savior
that
Jesus
is.
One
whose
heart
is for
the
needy
sinners.
He
had
not
come
only
to
heal
their
physical
diseases,
but to
resurrect
them from
spiritual
death.
He
had
come
not
only
to
give
them
a
boost
so
that
they
could
overcome
the
obstacles
that
they
faced
in
life.
You
can
do
it.
Here's
some
grace.
He
had
come
to
overcome
their
greatest
enemies,
sin,
Satan,
and the
stronghold
of
secularism.
So as
we
close,
let's
reflect on
a few
things.
If
you're
here
and
you're
a
Christian,
I
want to
challenge
you to
have a
heart
check.
What
kind
of a
savior
is
Jesus
to
you?
Is
he
only a
healer?
Is
he
only a
hero?
Or
is
he,
as that
ancient
and beloved
hymn
reminds us,
heart of
my own
heart,
whatever
befall,
still be
my vision,
O
ruler
of
all.
Speaking
of the
savior's
heart,
what could
we learn
about his
approach to
those who
had legitimate
material needs?
There was
no dichotomy
in Jesus'
mind,
oh,
but I'm
just here
to preach
the gospel.
If you
need some
material help,
please approach
our deacons.
They are
very good
at what
they're
doing.
No.
The
ministry
of word
indeed
were in
Jesus'
imperfect
complementarity.
He's
out
for the
needy.
He
compassionately
helped
them.
And he
did it
because he
could,
not because
they deserved
it.
He showed
mercy and
grace.
And should
we not
do likewise
sacrifice,
when we
are in a
position to
help other
people.
Ask
yourself,
what are
my
requirements
for helping
people?
Because for
Jesus,
the only
requirement
was this,
they need
help,
and I'm
able.
Now,
maybe you're
here and
you're not
sure if
you're a
Christian.
maybe you're
here and
you're
exploring,
what does
it mean
to follow
Jesus?
Well,
the same
question is
being asked
of you by
the text
today.
What kind
of a
savior do
you think
Jesus is?
is he
someone who
can make
your life
easier?
Is he
someone who
can fight
off your
enemies?
Or someone
who truly
loves you?
I hope
what is
shown through
in this
text for
you is
Jesus'
compassionate
heart.
Someone who
desires to
give
himself to
you.
And I
hope that
you see
that this
is the
great need
of your
life.
The
great need
of our
lives is
to belong
to Jesus.
My
friend,
the salvation
that he
offers is
not just
for the
here and
now.
He
promises
you
everlasting
life in
himself.
And so
if you
will repent
of your
sins,
if you
will
repent
of,
if you
will
forsake
all of
your
efforts
to save
yourself,
and if
you will
believe in
him today,
if you
will see
with
open eyes
his
compassion
for you,
and if
you come
to Jesus
and you
say,
forgive
me,
my
sins,
save
me,
you know
what he
will do?
He
will save
you.
He
will forgive
you your
sins.
And you
know why
he'll do
it?
Because
only he
can.
my
dear
friend,
this is
the kind
of
savior
that
Jesus
is.
If
he is
not yet
your
savior
today,
look to
him,
turn to
him in
faith,
and he
will save
you.
Let's
pray.
Father in
heaven,
we give
you thanks
for sending
your son,
the Lord
Jesus Christ,
who has
come,
for this
purpose,
which is
to preach
the gospel.
And we
give you
thanks that
it is
very clear
in the
gospels
what kind
of a
savior he
is.
He has
come
to be
among us.
He has
come
to
champion
for us,
yes,
but he
has come
to take
us home
to you
through the
great sacrifice
of his
own death.
God
will
And tonight
I pray,
Lord,
that as we
continue to
meditate upon
these things
by your
Holy Spirit,
you will
reveal to
us those
wrong ideas
that we may
have of
Jesus.
Some of
us might
be looking
to Jesus
and wanting
Jesus as
a healer.
Oh, I hope
Jesus makes
everything right.
He will.
love of
Jesus.
Maybe some
of us,
Lord, are
here and
we're looking
for a
champion, a
hero.
We give
you thanks
that he
is our
true champion
against sin,
Satan, and
secularism.
But more than
all of that, I
pray, Lord, you
will make clear
in each one of
our hearts
the love
of Jesus
and that,
Lord, you
will enable
us to
believe in
him and
to want
Jesus for
Jesus, to
belong to
him.
Would you
do this?
We pray you
would by your
Holy Spirit.
We pray
these in
Jesus' name.