WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.219 We're grateful for Jen and the work she does, and she's going to come and read God's word for us. Jen, over to you. 00:00:06.140 --> 00:00:13.140 Good morning. Turn to Mark chapter 1, and if you've closed your Bible, it's on page 1002. 00:00:15.700 --> 00:00:16.600 Verse 21. 00:00:17.339 --> 00:00:23.879 They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. 00:00:23.879 --> 00:00:31.679 The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. 00:00:32.899 --> 00:00:39.100 Just then, a man in the synagogue, who was possessed by an impure spirit, cried out, 00:00:39.640 --> 00:00:47.320 What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God. 00:00:47.920 --> 00:00:51.879 Be quiet, said Jesus sternly. Come out of him. 00:00:51.880 --> 00:00:57.600 The impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek. 00:00:58.600 --> 00:01:01.580 The people were so amazed that they asked each other, 00:01:01.900 --> 00:01:05.260 What is this, a new teaching, and with authority? 00:01:06.040 --> 00:01:10.280 He even gives orders to the impure spirits, and they obey him. 00:01:11.219 --> 00:01:15.099 News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee. 00:01:15.820 --> 00:01:16.079 Amen. 00:01:16.079 --> 00:01:22.659 Thank you, Jen. Let's pray as we come to God's word. Let's pray. 00:01:22.659 --> 00:01:34.979 Gracious God and loving Heavenly Father, we pray now, please, that you might just quieten our hearts and our minds. 00:01:34.980 --> 00:01:39.719 We pray that we might be good at listening to your words. 00:01:40.740 --> 00:01:47.380 We know that your Holy Spirit, who inspired these scriptures, is now at work in our hearts and lives, 00:01:47.439 --> 00:01:50.600 and we pray, therefore, that we might hear your voice, 00:01:51.439 --> 00:01:54.300 and that you might challenge us, rebuke us, correct us, 00:01:55.020 --> 00:01:57.240 equip us to live lives for your praise and glory. 00:01:57.239 --> 00:01:59.939 In Jesus' name. Amen. 00:02:02.599 --> 00:02:06.019 I don't know whether you saw in the news this week, 00:02:06.179 --> 00:02:12.900 but Alex Rudakabana was sentenced this week to 52 years in prison 00:02:12.900 --> 00:02:20.139 for the murder of three young girls and the attempted murder of 10 more in the Southport stabbings. 00:02:21.099 --> 00:02:24.039 You might remember the story from August this year. 00:02:24.039 --> 00:02:30.459 Axel burst into a summer dance club, and he was armed with a kitchen knife, 00:02:31.239 --> 00:02:34.159 and he brutally stabbed 13 people. 00:02:35.719 --> 00:02:44.459 According to the reports, one of his victims, he stabbed 122 times as he bludgeoned them to death. 00:02:45.219 --> 00:02:49.219 He pleaded guilty in court, but he showed absolutely no remorse. 00:02:49.219 --> 00:02:54.419 In fact, he was removed from the courtroom for calling out that he was glad he did it. 00:02:56.740 --> 00:02:58.379 You see, and I start there. 00:02:58.479 --> 00:03:02.719 I know it's a terrible story, but I start there because the uncomfortable truth, 00:03:03.099 --> 00:03:07.740 for anybody who wants to think seriously about life and its purpose, 00:03:08.199 --> 00:03:15.280 the uncomfortable truth is that we live in a world where there is a thread of unspeakable evil. 00:03:15.280 --> 00:03:21.939 A thread that no matter what we do, we can never quite conquer it. 00:03:22.560 --> 00:03:25.300 So whether that's the horrors of the Southport stabbings in the summer, 00:03:25.460 --> 00:03:29.340 whether it's the terrors of Boko Haram in northern Nigeria, 00:03:29.819 --> 00:03:31.979 whether it's the gang violence in our own city, 00:03:32.439 --> 00:03:36.759 goodness has an enemy, and we never defeat him. 00:03:36.759 --> 00:03:42.419 Over the last three weeks, we've been looking at the beginning of Mark's gospel, 00:03:42.500 --> 00:03:46.120 and we've found that Mark is making an outrageous claim. 00:03:47.000 --> 00:03:52.259 He claims that this man that he knew, Jesus, is the Christ, the Messiah. 00:03:53.060 --> 00:03:56.519 He is none other than the divine Son of God in human flesh, 00:03:56.659 --> 00:04:00.039 and that the arrival of this man he knew, he met, he walked with, 00:04:00.039 --> 00:04:10.899 that man, his arrival is the beginning of a new creation, a new world, a new beginning, as he puts it in verse 1. 00:04:11.239 --> 00:04:15.299 The kingdom of heaven is near, says Jesus in chapter 1, verse 15. 00:04:16.519 --> 00:04:19.659 But, and here's the thing for us this morning, this is our territory for us this morning, 00:04:19.879 --> 00:04:24.500 if that's true about Jesus, if Jesus really is the person bringing in a new creation, 00:04:24.500 --> 00:04:27.199 the person who's bringing in the kingdom of God, 00:04:27.540 --> 00:04:32.519 then the question for us this morning is, can he conquer evil? 00:04:33.680 --> 00:04:34.680 Can he conquer evil? 00:04:35.600 --> 00:04:42.100 He has to be able to do something about this thread of evil that runs through our world 00:04:42.100 --> 00:04:43.939 that no one has been able to conquer, 00:04:44.939 --> 00:04:48.579 to be the person that we are longing for and crying out for. 00:04:48.579 --> 00:04:54.759 You know, for Jesus to be good news, he has to be able to defeat the bad news. 00:04:56.519 --> 00:04:58.399 We can be more specific than that, can't we? 00:04:58.419 --> 00:05:03.759 If we are Bible readers, we know the location of this thread of evil that runs through the world. 00:05:04.759 --> 00:05:07.139 We know that it doesn't just run through the world out there, 00:05:07.180 --> 00:05:09.479 it also runs through our hearts in here, 00:05:09.839 --> 00:05:12.939 that none of us are the people that we would like to be, 00:05:13.199 --> 00:05:14.860 or could have been. 00:05:14.860 --> 00:05:19.300 The Bible says that that finds its source in a person, 00:05:20.020 --> 00:05:22.220 a spiritual being called Satan or the devil. 00:05:23.199 --> 00:05:26.160 The Bible doesn't give us much detail about the origins of the devil, 00:05:26.240 --> 00:05:29.040 he is a created being, a fallen angel, 00:05:29.460 --> 00:05:32.139 but how and when and why we can only speculate. 00:05:32.780 --> 00:05:35.960 But Satan bursts onto the scene of human history in Genesis 3 00:05:35.960 --> 00:05:37.660 as an enemy of all that is good. 00:05:38.560 --> 00:05:42.180 And in sort of act one, scene one of this creation, 00:05:42.180 --> 00:05:47.840 Satan turns up and persuades Adam and Eve that God is not good, 00:05:48.240 --> 00:05:49.620 his word is not to be trusted, 00:05:50.620 --> 00:05:52.579 and they should rebel against him. 00:05:54.340 --> 00:05:55.900 And so since that moment, 00:05:56.560 --> 00:05:59.160 Satan's hatred of God, his opposition to God's glory, 00:05:59.280 --> 00:06:00.680 his desire to ruin creation, 00:06:00.800 --> 00:06:02.980 to destroy people and remove joy from the world, 00:06:03.240 --> 00:06:05.480 has been writ large across human history. 00:06:05.480 --> 00:06:10.080 Murder, adultery, war, genocide, selfishness, 00:06:10.140 --> 00:06:14.580 all their roots come back to this point in Genesis 3. 00:06:16.439 --> 00:06:18.020 Now, all of that is really important, 00:06:19.120 --> 00:06:22.100 because what you think the problem is, right, 00:06:22.240 --> 00:06:25.040 determines the solution that you look for, doesn't it? 00:06:26.240 --> 00:06:28.140 That just works at a really simple level, doesn't it? 00:06:28.140 --> 00:06:29.480 If you think you've got a problem with your teeth, 00:06:29.540 --> 00:06:31.120 you don't go to the optician, you go to the dentist. 00:06:31.280 --> 00:06:32.980 If you've got a problem with your car, 00:06:32.980 --> 00:06:35.860 you don't drive it to the vets, you take it to a garage. 00:06:36.660 --> 00:06:39.540 So what you think the problem is in the world 00:06:39.540 --> 00:06:42.259 determines the kind of solution that you're looking for. 00:06:43.460 --> 00:06:47.100 A couple of weeks ago, I had a visit from Brent Council. 00:06:48.200 --> 00:06:50.319 The lady who came to visit me, there were a couple of them. 00:06:50.580 --> 00:06:52.800 One of them was Brent Council's 00:06:52.800 --> 00:06:55.500 Climate Action Partnership Manager, 00:06:56.040 --> 00:06:57.080 a very grand title. 00:06:58.020 --> 00:06:59.340 We were chatting, it was a nice chat. 00:06:59.400 --> 00:07:01.180 She was talking about some of the work that they were doing, 00:07:01.180 --> 00:07:04.199 and she was offering me help with my sermons 00:07:04.199 --> 00:07:05.959 and with the youth ministry in the church. 00:07:06.060 --> 00:07:06.980 I thought I was very kind of you, 00:07:07.100 --> 00:07:09.639 and I was wondering what kind of help she was offering. 00:07:09.720 --> 00:07:11.879 She goes, well, I've got some good ideas for your sermons. 00:07:12.860 --> 00:07:15.920 And as we talked, it became clear to me 00:07:15.920 --> 00:07:17.280 that she was making an assumption 00:07:17.280 --> 00:07:19.899 that we both agreed what the big problem was in the world. 00:07:21.079 --> 00:07:21.960 Climate change. 00:07:22.399 --> 00:07:24.199 That was the big problem as far as she was concerned. 00:07:24.560 --> 00:07:26.980 And my job was to teach you guys 00:07:26.980 --> 00:07:28.639 how to deal with that problem. 00:07:28.639 --> 00:07:32.199 I said, no, I actually don't think that's my job. 00:07:33.479 --> 00:07:35.919 Because actually the big problem in the world 00:07:35.919 --> 00:07:37.639 is not climate change, is it? 00:07:38.419 --> 00:07:40.060 The big problem in the world 00:07:40.060 --> 00:07:41.860 is that there is a thread of evil 00:07:41.860 --> 00:07:43.620 spinning out of the devil's lies 00:07:43.620 --> 00:07:47.979 leading to sin, death, and hell itself. 00:07:49.459 --> 00:07:50.879 Those are the enemies, aren't they? 00:07:51.599 --> 00:07:54.699 And so the solution cannot be education. 00:07:55.399 --> 00:07:56.779 It cannot be a better government. 00:07:56.779 --> 00:07:58.059 It cannot be better healthcare, 00:07:58.339 --> 00:07:59.699 even though all of those things are great. 00:07:59.959 --> 00:08:02.459 The solution can't be, you know, smarten up, 00:08:02.899 --> 00:08:03.759 pull your act together. 00:08:04.500 --> 00:08:05.879 We need someone, don't we? 00:08:05.899 --> 00:08:07.339 We need someone who has power. 00:08:07.959 --> 00:08:08.919 Power over sin. 00:08:09.539 --> 00:08:11.799 We need someone who is able to rise from the dead 00:08:11.799 --> 00:08:12.919 and conquer death itself. 00:08:13.319 --> 00:08:17.179 We need someone who has the power to crush Satan. 00:08:19.019 --> 00:08:20.959 Mark says, I've met that guy. 00:08:21.679 --> 00:08:22.479 His name is Jesus. 00:08:23.319 --> 00:08:24.479 Let me tell you his story. 00:08:24.480 --> 00:08:27.840 So come with me to the passage that we read this morning 00:08:27.840 --> 00:08:31.060 and let me try and show you these things about Jesus. 00:08:31.800 --> 00:08:34.159 Notice that Mark claims that Jesus is amazing. 00:08:34.600 --> 00:08:37.560 If you look at verse 22, everyone is amazed at him. 00:08:38.100 --> 00:08:42.000 In verse 27, the people were all so amazed. 00:08:42.120 --> 00:08:43.700 They're asking, what is this? 00:08:43.720 --> 00:08:44.580 As they listen to him. 00:08:45.300 --> 00:08:47.659 And then at the very center of the passage in verse 25, 00:08:47.899 --> 00:08:50.680 Jesus gives an instruction to an unclean demonic spirit 00:08:50.679 --> 00:08:53.179 and that spirit obeys instantly. 00:08:54.419 --> 00:08:57.639 You see, in Mark 1, if you want these verses in four words, 00:08:57.979 --> 00:09:00.659 amazing Jesus defeats Satan. 00:09:00.839 --> 00:09:02.319 That's the four words of the passage. 00:09:02.519 --> 00:09:04.239 Amazing Jesus defeats Satan, 00:09:04.919 --> 00:09:07.579 which makes him just the kind of savior we need. 00:09:09.039 --> 00:09:10.659 Look at it in a bit more detail with me. 00:09:10.699 --> 00:09:11.679 If you look down at the passage, 00:09:11.859 --> 00:09:14.019 it starts, doesn't it, in verse 21, 00:09:14.019 --> 00:09:17.039 on a Saturday in a synagogue in Capernaum. 00:09:17.799 --> 00:09:20.620 Capernaum is a small city in the north of Israel. 00:09:21.120 --> 00:09:22.460 And like a lot of Jewish settlements, 00:09:22.620 --> 00:09:24.039 it contained a synagogue, 00:09:25.579 --> 00:09:27.720 literally a meeting place. 00:09:28.720 --> 00:09:32.360 They were designed as a place for the dispersed Jews 00:09:32.360 --> 00:09:35.120 to gather, to come, to listen to the Old Testament, 00:09:35.279 --> 00:09:38.220 being read, taught, to pray, set prayers, 00:09:38.279 --> 00:09:41.539 and to appeal to God for the restoration of Jerusalem. 00:09:41.539 --> 00:09:44.579 It's worth knowing, as we get into it, 00:09:44.679 --> 00:09:46.579 that synagogues are developed in the exile 00:09:46.579 --> 00:09:48.740 and then continued as the nation 00:09:48.740 --> 00:09:50.539 sort of spread around the region. 00:09:50.819 --> 00:09:52.539 And they were built wherever there were 00:09:52.539 --> 00:09:56.419 more than 10 male Jews, adult males. 00:09:57.139 --> 00:09:58.959 This particular synagogue, we're told by Luke, 00:09:59.039 --> 00:10:02.379 was paid for and built by a sympathetic Roman centurion. 00:10:03.399 --> 00:10:05.120 They didn't build them to look like the temple. 00:10:05.240 --> 00:10:07.839 They were built as sort of halls or meeting spaces. 00:10:08.599 --> 00:10:10.000 They were facing Jerusalem 00:10:10.000 --> 00:10:11.539 and they had a sort of a loft, 00:10:11.659 --> 00:10:13.080 not unlike our balcony here, 00:10:13.279 --> 00:10:15.000 where probably the women sat. 00:10:16.159 --> 00:10:18.919 What happened was there was a box or a cupboard 00:10:18.919 --> 00:10:21.440 which contained the Old Testament scrolls. 00:10:21.500 --> 00:10:22.620 And as they gathered, 00:10:22.740 --> 00:10:24.919 the synagogue ruler presiding over things 00:10:24.919 --> 00:10:27.740 would lead the synagogue in the saying of the Shema. 00:10:28.659 --> 00:10:31.279 The Lord our God, the Lord is one, they would say. 00:10:31.279 --> 00:10:35.319 And then he would hand a Old Testament scroll 00:10:35.319 --> 00:10:39.139 to someone who was qualified to read and teach that week, 00:10:39.740 --> 00:10:41.659 a teacher of the law or a scribe. 00:10:42.699 --> 00:10:44.220 It's not hard, as you imagine, is it, 00:10:44.240 --> 00:10:45.399 to see some of the similarities 00:10:45.399 --> 00:10:47.039 between how local church developed. 00:10:48.019 --> 00:10:49.679 In fact, attending synagogues 00:10:49.679 --> 00:10:51.439 and preaching the gospel from the Old Testament 00:10:51.439 --> 00:10:54.299 was Paul's pattern of church planting at first. 00:10:54.919 --> 00:10:56.319 Although often he got kicked out 00:10:56.319 --> 00:10:57.539 and had to find somewhere else to meet. 00:10:57.539 --> 00:11:02.019 Now, I don't know what it was exactly like, 00:11:02.059 --> 00:11:03.740 but I can imagine that the experience 00:11:03.740 --> 00:11:05.219 of being in the synagogue on a Saturday 00:11:05.219 --> 00:11:06.120 was mixed, right? 00:11:07.299 --> 00:11:09.759 Some weeks, the attendant handed the scroll to someone 00:11:09.759 --> 00:11:11.099 and he thought, oh my goodness, no. 00:11:11.719 --> 00:11:12.519 Please not them. 00:11:13.120 --> 00:11:14.899 We're going to be here all afternoon. 00:11:16.179 --> 00:11:17.379 You know you're in for a late dinner 00:11:17.379 --> 00:11:19.139 for the child moaning next to you. 00:11:19.899 --> 00:11:21.860 Last time he spoke, I didn't understand a word. 00:11:23.120 --> 00:11:24.599 And this week, when it happens, 00:11:24.600 --> 00:11:27.980 in Mark chapter one, verse 22, today it's different. 00:11:28.639 --> 00:11:31.279 Because today, the attendant takes the scroll 00:11:31.279 --> 00:11:33.379 out of the box and hands it to Jesus. 00:11:33.560 --> 00:11:35.240 And Jesus is the one teaching. 00:11:35.779 --> 00:11:39.500 And Jesus is amazing, amazing Jesus. 00:11:40.759 --> 00:11:43.540 The people, verse 22, were amazed at his teaching 00:11:43.540 --> 00:11:46.519 because he taught them as one who had authority, 00:11:47.080 --> 00:11:48.840 not as the teachers of the law. 00:11:49.540 --> 00:11:52.420 Verse 27, the people were so amazed at this, 00:11:52.419 --> 00:11:54.199 they were asking each other, what is this? 00:11:54.439 --> 00:11:56.159 A new teaching and with authority. 00:11:57.240 --> 00:11:58.299 It's fascinating, isn't it? 00:11:58.319 --> 00:12:00.059 Mark doesn't tell you really what Jesus said. 00:12:00.279 --> 00:12:02.360 I think his summary in verse 15 00:12:02.360 --> 00:12:05.219 is still what he is leading us to think 00:12:05.219 --> 00:12:06.539 is the message of Jesus. 00:12:07.860 --> 00:12:09.559 But Mark is not giving you any detail here. 00:12:09.620 --> 00:12:12.139 He's not telling you what scroll was handed to Jesus. 00:12:12.459 --> 00:12:14.339 He's not telling you how long he spoke for. 00:12:14.419 --> 00:12:16.980 He's not telling you whether he gave any pithy stories 00:12:16.980 --> 00:12:17.839 or illustrations. 00:12:18.620 --> 00:12:20.159 Instead, what he wants you to notice 00:12:20.159 --> 00:12:22.679 is that Jesus' message came with an authority. 00:12:24.219 --> 00:12:25.819 Jesus commanded attention. 00:12:26.839 --> 00:12:29.559 You knew when Jesus spoke, you had to listen. 00:12:30.480 --> 00:12:33.019 In other words, it's not so much just what Jesus said 00:12:33.019 --> 00:12:36.399 as who it was saying it that made him stand out. 00:12:36.639 --> 00:12:37.759 That's what made it so different. 00:12:37.759 --> 00:12:42.059 I don't know whether this was the case for you, 00:12:42.159 --> 00:12:43.439 and maybe it's the case for you today 00:12:43.439 --> 00:12:44.360 if you're still in school. 00:12:44.580 --> 00:12:46.019 You have school assemblies, right? 00:12:46.919 --> 00:12:49.480 And my experience of school assemblies 00:12:49.480 --> 00:12:51.120 at secondary school was that you were gathered 00:12:51.120 --> 00:12:53.519 into this hall, you were sat on the floor, 00:12:54.039 --> 00:12:55.600 and you were made to look up to a stage 00:12:55.600 --> 00:12:56.799 which is impossibly high, 00:12:57.659 --> 00:12:59.600 and you were to listen to a senior teacher 00:12:59.600 --> 00:13:02.819 who it looked like they didn't really want to be there, 00:13:03.120 --> 00:13:04.500 talking about something that they had 00:13:04.500 --> 00:13:06.240 absolutely no idea about, 00:13:06.240 --> 00:13:07.600 and you were forced to listen, 00:13:07.899 --> 00:13:10.080 not because of anything engaging that they were saying, 00:13:10.139 --> 00:13:12.539 but because the hall was lined by other teachers 00:13:12.539 --> 00:13:14.740 who were looking not at the person on the stage, 00:13:14.799 --> 00:13:16.060 but were looking at you, 00:13:16.500 --> 00:13:17.799 and if you weren't listening, 00:13:17.960 --> 00:13:19.899 they pulled you out and you were in trouble. 00:13:20.240 --> 00:13:21.259 That was my experience. 00:13:21.700 --> 00:13:23.220 Is that still what happens today? 00:13:23.340 --> 00:13:24.220 Is that still what it's like? 00:13:24.680 --> 00:13:26.240 Maybe they let you sit on a chair nowadays 00:13:26.779 --> 00:13:27.620 because we're so modern. 00:13:28.779 --> 00:13:31.019 But one week, 00:13:31.740 --> 00:13:33.340 it was different in our school, 00:13:33.340 --> 00:13:37.259 because for this particular assembly, 00:13:37.560 --> 00:13:40.240 they asked Peter Shilton to come. 00:13:41.440 --> 00:13:42.259 Now I know 00:13:42.259 --> 00:13:44.460 that hardly any of you in this room 00:13:44.460 --> 00:13:45.879 know who Peter Shilton is. 00:13:45.940 --> 00:13:48.399 Put your hand up if you know who Peter Shilton is. 00:13:49.879 --> 00:13:51.480 Yes, about four or five of you, 00:13:51.519 --> 00:13:52.240 the rest of you. 00:13:52.980 --> 00:13:53.960 I want to suggest to you, 00:13:53.960 --> 00:13:54.580 you Google it now, 00:13:54.639 --> 00:13:55.519 but I'm not going to suggest that 00:13:55.519 --> 00:13:56.379 because you'll get on your phones. 00:13:57.680 --> 00:13:58.280 Peter Shilton, 00:13:58.279 --> 00:13:59.600 I can't believe I'm telling you this. 00:13:59.860 --> 00:14:02.139 Peter Shilton was England's goalkeeper 00:14:02.139 --> 00:14:03.500 in the 1980s. 00:14:03.799 --> 00:14:05.220 I don't know how you didn't even know that. 00:14:05.819 --> 00:14:07.459 He was the guy with the hand of God 00:14:07.459 --> 00:14:08.519 with Maradona, yeah? 00:14:08.959 --> 00:14:10.459 Maradona scored a goal with his hand, 00:14:10.579 --> 00:14:12.079 pushed it over Peter Shilton's head. 00:14:12.919 --> 00:14:15.360 And he came to our assembly. 00:14:15.919 --> 00:14:17.299 And we were in awe 00:14:17.299 --> 00:14:20.419 as he kind of took to the stage. 00:14:20.860 --> 00:14:22.740 And it was because of who he was. 00:14:22.799 --> 00:14:23.059 It was like, 00:14:23.199 --> 00:14:23.679 finally, 00:14:23.679 --> 00:14:25.319 someone is coming to speak 00:14:25.319 --> 00:14:28.500 who might actually be worth listening to. 00:14:28.839 --> 00:14:31.179 His identity backed up his message 00:14:31.179 --> 00:14:32.539 so we were going to listen. 00:14:33.819 --> 00:14:34.779 Now, in a sense, 00:14:35.319 --> 00:14:36.299 but in a more profound way, 00:14:36.339 --> 00:14:37.620 that's exactly what's going on here. 00:14:39.139 --> 00:14:40.579 Amazing Jesus is speaking 00:14:40.579 --> 00:14:42.019 and it's his identity 00:14:42.019 --> 00:14:44.759 which gives power to what he's saying. 00:14:45.399 --> 00:14:46.279 Now, you know that 00:14:46.279 --> 00:14:48.500 because the word amazing or astounding 00:14:48.500 --> 00:14:50.120 is for Mark a code word 00:14:50.120 --> 00:14:51.299 for the identity of Jesus. 00:14:52.299 --> 00:14:53.240 In Mark's book, 00:14:53.679 --> 00:14:56.879 you know when somebody has got who Jesus is 00:14:56.879 --> 00:14:59.459 because they are amazed or astounded 00:14:59.459 --> 00:15:02.179 or even sometimes fearful or terrified. 00:15:03.159 --> 00:15:04.419 They stand back in wonder. 00:15:05.099 --> 00:15:06.479 Come with me on a bit of a paper chase. 00:15:06.759 --> 00:15:07.620 It will keep you awake. 00:15:07.979 --> 00:15:09.559 Turn to chapter two, verse 12. 00:15:09.899 --> 00:15:12.659 And you notice that everyone is amazed 00:15:12.659 --> 00:15:14.299 when they see the lame man walk. 00:15:14.699 --> 00:15:16.459 This is, oh, who is this? 00:15:16.839 --> 00:15:18.639 This is someone we've never met before. 00:15:18.779 --> 00:15:20.259 This is like no one else. 00:15:20.259 --> 00:15:21.099 Who is he? 00:15:21.379 --> 00:15:22.399 We're amazed. 00:15:22.399 --> 00:15:25.500 Over the page in chapter four, verse 41, 00:15:25.959 --> 00:15:29.179 the disciples are with Jesus in the boat 00:15:29.179 --> 00:15:31.120 and he calms the storm 00:15:31.120 --> 00:15:32.659 and they are terrified. 00:15:33.360 --> 00:15:34.679 They are in awe of this man. 00:15:34.860 --> 00:15:35.679 Who is this? 00:15:35.759 --> 00:15:37.299 Even the wind and the waves obey him. 00:15:38.559 --> 00:15:40.459 In chapter five, verse 20, 00:15:40.819 --> 00:15:42.720 Jesus restores the demon-possessed man 00:15:42.720 --> 00:15:45.419 and we are told in chapter five, verse 20, 00:15:45.559 --> 00:15:48.000 that all the people were amazed. 00:15:48.899 --> 00:15:49.799 Who is this guy? 00:15:49.799 --> 00:15:52.719 In chapter six, verse 51, 00:15:53.079 --> 00:15:55.579 the disciples are completely amazed 00:15:55.579 --> 00:15:57.759 when Jesus walks on the water towards them, 00:15:58.139 --> 00:15:59.740 climbs in the boat and calms the sea. 00:16:00.019 --> 00:16:01.159 This is astonishing. 00:16:01.979 --> 00:16:03.699 Who walks on the waves? 00:16:04.359 --> 00:16:05.219 Who calms the sea? 00:16:06.179 --> 00:16:08.579 In chapter seven, verse 37, 00:16:09.120 --> 00:16:11.719 the people, we're told in chapter seven, verse 37, 00:16:11.719 --> 00:16:14.659 are overwhelmed with amazement. 00:16:14.659 --> 00:16:17.799 He has done everything well, they said. 00:16:18.100 --> 00:16:20.919 He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak. 00:16:22.919 --> 00:16:25.139 It explains why, and maybe you've wondered this, 00:16:25.179 --> 00:16:26.379 at the end of Mark's gospel, 00:16:26.519 --> 00:16:28.379 it ends in a very strange way. 00:16:29.279 --> 00:16:32.899 Mark ends his gospel with the women running from the tomb, 00:16:33.439 --> 00:16:36.179 terrified and afraid, 00:16:36.439 --> 00:16:37.699 trembling and bewildered. 00:16:37.779 --> 00:16:39.179 Chapter 16, verse eight, 00:16:39.179 --> 00:16:40.339 trembling and bewildered, 00:16:40.419 --> 00:16:43.459 the women went out and fled from the tomb. 00:16:45.259 --> 00:16:46.779 Mark's ending is so strange 00:16:46.779 --> 00:16:48.799 that they've added another ending to it 00:16:48.799 --> 00:16:50.259 to try and make it make more sense. 00:16:51.339 --> 00:16:54.319 But actually he ends in chapter 16, verse eight, 00:16:54.359 --> 00:16:56.759 because that is his code word. 00:16:56.879 --> 00:16:57.679 They've got it. 00:16:58.199 --> 00:16:59.839 They understand who Jesus is. 00:17:00.279 --> 00:17:02.339 They understand that this is God in flesh. 00:17:03.120 --> 00:17:05.359 And back in Mark chapter one, verse 22, 00:17:05.480 --> 00:17:06.599 that's exactly what's going on 00:17:06.599 --> 00:17:07.639 as he preaches in the synagogue. 00:17:07.640 --> 00:17:09.540 The people are suddenly conscious 00:17:09.540 --> 00:17:10.759 that the person addressing them 00:17:10.759 --> 00:17:12.480 is not just another teacher. 00:17:13.300 --> 00:17:15.560 This is God in a body, 00:17:15.920 --> 00:17:18.060 his identity backing up what he's saying. 00:17:18.180 --> 00:17:19.940 And we know we have to listen. 00:17:21.220 --> 00:17:22.400 You know, they've been praying, 00:17:22.400 --> 00:17:23.080 you imagine, can't you? 00:17:23.120 --> 00:17:24.780 They've been praying these prayers 00:17:24.780 --> 00:17:26.220 for the restoration of Jerusalem, 00:17:26.420 --> 00:17:27.600 for the coming of God's kingdom. 00:17:27.860 --> 00:17:29.700 And all of a sudden Jesus is there 00:17:29.700 --> 00:17:32.020 and he's going, I am he. 00:17:32.480 --> 00:17:34.200 The kingdom of heaven is near. 00:17:34.720 --> 00:17:36.500 Repent and believe the good news. 00:17:36.500 --> 00:17:38.660 The thing that you're longing for, 00:17:38.720 --> 00:17:39.960 the thing that we've been praying for, 00:17:40.019 --> 00:17:41.539 it's me, it's me, says Jesus. 00:17:44.259 --> 00:17:46.400 We're going to see this focus on Jesus' words 00:17:46.400 --> 00:17:48.019 several times in Mark's book. 00:17:49.099 --> 00:17:51.559 But the way that these verses are arranged here 00:17:51.559 --> 00:17:55.460 are to point you to the power of Jesus' speech. 00:17:56.240 --> 00:17:57.319 I want to try and show you, 00:17:57.359 --> 00:17:58.319 and this is quite complicated, 00:17:58.460 --> 00:17:59.079 so stay with me, 00:17:59.079 --> 00:18:00.399 that the passage works, 00:18:00.720 --> 00:18:01.179 if you like, 00:18:01.199 --> 00:18:02.419 in concentric circles 00:18:02.419 --> 00:18:03.960 out from verse 25. 00:18:05.259 --> 00:18:06.740 It's a chiasm, 00:18:06.899 --> 00:18:08.159 if you want the fancy word for it, 00:18:08.220 --> 00:18:09.199 but it really means 00:18:09.199 --> 00:18:10.599 that the beginning and the end 00:18:10.599 --> 00:18:11.319 mirror one another 00:18:11.319 --> 00:18:14.139 so that verse 25 is right at the centre. 00:18:14.819 --> 00:18:15.939 So if you work your way out 00:18:15.939 --> 00:18:16.740 from verse 25, 00:18:16.919 --> 00:18:19.500 you'll notice that in verse 24 and 26, 00:18:19.599 --> 00:18:21.099 you've got the unclean spirit 00:18:21.099 --> 00:18:22.699 speaking and shrieking. 00:18:23.419 --> 00:18:25.799 Then in verse 22 and verse 27, 00:18:25.799 --> 00:18:27.500 you've got the amazement of the people. 00:18:28.019 --> 00:18:29.599 And in verse 21 and 28, 00:18:29.779 --> 00:18:31.919 you've got details about the geography. 00:18:32.460 --> 00:18:32.919 So it goes, 00:18:33.759 --> 00:18:34.200 geography, 00:18:35.259 --> 00:18:36.059 amazement, 00:18:37.019 --> 00:18:38.740 demons screeching and speaking, 00:18:39.339 --> 00:18:42.019 and Jesus' words right in the very middle, 00:18:42.559 --> 00:18:43.159 verse 25. 00:18:44.159 --> 00:18:45.539 And the point is this, 00:18:46.279 --> 00:18:48.680 Jesus speaks with the power of God, 00:18:49.159 --> 00:18:51.339 and stuff happens when he speaks. 00:18:53.879 --> 00:18:55.119 Now, perhaps you're like me, 00:18:55.119 --> 00:18:56.559 and you hear that, 00:18:56.619 --> 00:18:57.039 and you think, 00:18:57.939 --> 00:18:59.479 that must have been incredible. 00:19:00.539 --> 00:19:03.159 I would have loved to be there. 00:19:03.799 --> 00:19:04.000 In fact, 00:19:04.739 --> 00:19:07.500 I can't imagine anything like that. 00:19:07.559 --> 00:19:08.500 I would have longed to be there. 00:19:09.659 --> 00:19:11.059 And there is a sense in that, 00:19:11.099 --> 00:19:11.319 isn't there? 00:19:11.339 --> 00:19:14.179 There is something really unique about this. 00:19:15.019 --> 00:19:16.199 God in flesh. 00:19:16.479 --> 00:19:18.919 Jesus is the unique preacher of God's words. 00:19:19.699 --> 00:19:20.759 But what's fascinating, 00:19:20.899 --> 00:19:22.599 as you read on in the New Testament, 00:19:22.599 --> 00:19:27.759 is that the disciples don't go on to sort of bemoan the absence of Jesus in the church. 00:19:28.279 --> 00:19:32.539 They don't complain that they don't get this kind of Mark 1 experience anymore. 00:19:33.059 --> 00:19:34.119 In fact, actually, 00:19:34.199 --> 00:19:36.759 they seem to suggest that our experience, 00:19:36.879 --> 00:19:38.119 even together this morning, 00:19:38.199 --> 00:19:40.779 should be like this as we open God's word. 00:19:40.779 --> 00:19:42.839 The apostle Peter, 00:19:42.960 --> 00:19:44.180 who is certainly one of those listening, 00:19:44.279 --> 00:19:45.559 he's Mark's primary witness, 00:19:45.960 --> 00:19:48.180 he says in his letter to the church, 00:19:48.259 --> 00:19:49.779 in 1 Peter 4 verse 11, 00:19:50.319 --> 00:19:50.839 he says this, 00:19:50.899 --> 00:19:52.740 if you're speaking in church, 00:19:52.799 --> 00:19:54.339 if you're preaching in church, 00:19:54.720 --> 00:19:57.980 you should speak as one who speaks the very word of God, 00:19:58.319 --> 00:20:01.319 so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. 00:20:01.319 --> 00:20:07.339 It's the same when the apostle Paul tells Timothy to preach the word in 2 Timothy 4, 00:20:07.419 --> 00:20:08.619 in season and out of season, 00:20:08.740 --> 00:20:09.679 in the power of the spirit, 00:20:09.759 --> 00:20:11.819 you're to declare the word of God. 00:20:12.359 --> 00:20:15.240 Because the word of God is breathed out by God himself, 00:20:15.579 --> 00:20:17.480 so much so that in a sense, 00:20:17.879 --> 00:20:20.419 even though this preacher is very, 00:20:20.559 --> 00:20:20.779 very, 00:20:20.939 --> 00:20:22.480 very much less than Jesus, 00:20:22.659 --> 00:20:22.819 right? 00:20:23.039 --> 00:20:23.779 You know that. 00:20:23.779 --> 00:20:25.119 I am a weak, 00:20:25.420 --> 00:20:27.720 frail man who sins. 00:20:29.059 --> 00:20:31.680 But still our experience this morning 00:20:31.680 --> 00:20:36.500 should be that we are hearing God speak to us by his spirit. 00:20:37.059 --> 00:20:38.839 And you have to listen. 00:20:39.399 --> 00:20:40.720 Not because of me. 00:20:41.660 --> 00:20:43.839 And not because of my goodness or my words, 00:20:43.940 --> 00:20:46.819 but because as you open the word of God by the spirit of God, 00:20:47.220 --> 00:20:48.839 Jesus is addressing you. 00:20:49.259 --> 00:20:51.779 And he is saying to you and me this morning, 00:20:52.119 --> 00:20:53.359 I am here. 00:20:54.339 --> 00:20:56.139 Repent and believe the good news. 00:20:56.240 --> 00:20:57.579 The kingdom of heaven is near. 00:20:57.920 --> 00:21:01.839 I am bringing the solution to sin and death and Satan. 00:21:02.299 --> 00:21:03.420 Will you trust me? 00:21:03.500 --> 00:21:04.579 Will you listen to me? 00:21:06.200 --> 00:21:06.960 It means, 00:21:07.099 --> 00:21:07.440 doesn't it, 00:21:07.440 --> 00:21:11.299 that the primary application to us this morning is, 00:21:11.680 --> 00:21:13.279 will you listen? 00:21:13.839 --> 00:21:15.279 Will you listen to Jesus? 00:21:16.740 --> 00:21:18.200 So important for us, 00:21:18.240 --> 00:21:18.500 isn't it? 00:21:18.519 --> 00:21:19.680 That the Lord Jesus Christ, 00:21:20.240 --> 00:21:23.200 he addresses the church, 00:21:23.200 --> 00:21:28.360 not so much in that like kind of fuzzy feeling that you've got in the back of your head 00:21:28.360 --> 00:21:29.440 or that little voice. 00:21:30.180 --> 00:21:33.980 The primary means of Jesus addressing his church 00:21:33.980 --> 00:21:36.880 is in the gatherings of his church under the word of God. 00:21:36.880 --> 00:21:39.700 And the application is, 00:21:40.240 --> 00:21:40.600 listen. 00:21:41.480 --> 00:21:41.620 You know, 00:21:41.620 --> 00:21:42.620 preaching is a really weird thing. 00:21:42.660 --> 00:21:44.260 I know it's weird for you to sit and listen. 00:21:44.480 --> 00:21:45.860 We don't really do it in any other context, 00:21:45.940 --> 00:21:46.140 do we? 00:21:46.360 --> 00:21:47.100 It's weird for me, 00:21:47.340 --> 00:21:47.660 preaching. 00:21:47.660 --> 00:21:51.900 But Jesus uses the preaching of his word to address us, 00:21:51.980 --> 00:21:53.200 the author of life, 00:21:53.759 --> 00:21:56.519 speaking with the voice of God's words. 00:21:58.460 --> 00:21:59.240 Amazing Jesus. 00:21:59.480 --> 00:22:00.180 Secondly then, 00:22:00.340 --> 00:22:01.400 defeats Satan. 00:22:02.180 --> 00:22:04.700 I think what happens next is probably the strangest part to our ears. 00:22:04.759 --> 00:22:05.720 Look down at verse 23. 00:22:05.820 --> 00:22:06.600 I'll read it to you again. 00:22:06.599 --> 00:22:07.740 Just then, 00:22:08.259 --> 00:22:12.279 a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out, 00:22:12.399 --> 00:22:13.319 what do you want with us, 00:22:13.399 --> 00:22:14.240 Jesus of Nazareth? 00:22:14.519 --> 00:22:16.119 Have you come to destroy us? 00:22:16.139 --> 00:22:17.199 I know who you are, 00:22:17.779 --> 00:22:18.919 the Holy One of God. 00:22:20.379 --> 00:22:20.779 Amazingly, 00:22:20.839 --> 00:22:24.699 it's this impure spirit who seems to know exactly who Jesus is, 00:22:24.779 --> 00:22:26.299 both in his humanity, 00:22:26.539 --> 00:22:28.719 Jesus is the Jesus of Nazareth, 00:22:28.819 --> 00:22:29.819 but also in his divinity, 00:22:29.980 --> 00:22:31.199 he is the Holy One of God. 00:22:31.659 --> 00:22:33.439 And there's something sort of involuntary, 00:22:33.500 --> 00:22:33.779 isn't there, 00:22:33.799 --> 00:22:34.740 about his declaration. 00:22:34.740 --> 00:22:38.220 It's as if he just kind of cries out just then. 00:22:38.579 --> 00:22:41.539 The presence of Jesus draws out the yelling of the impure spirit. 00:22:42.500 --> 00:22:43.980 Now in the story of the Bible, 00:22:44.099 --> 00:22:48.440 there is an intensity to demonic activity around the ministry of Jesus. 00:22:49.240 --> 00:22:53.680 Demon possession is in the Gospels more than it is anywhere else in the Old or New Testament, 00:22:54.299 --> 00:22:55.839 which is exactly what you would expect, 00:22:55.920 --> 00:22:56.380 isn't it? 00:22:57.160 --> 00:23:01.740 Given that the mission of Satan in the Bible is to destroy God's world and rob him of glory, 00:23:01.740 --> 00:23:05.519 with the arrival then of the new creation in the Lord Jesus Christ, 00:23:05.660 --> 00:23:08.240 you can see this is the front line for Satan, 00:23:08.359 --> 00:23:08.640 can't you? 00:23:10.120 --> 00:23:11.480 So Satan throws his tanks, 00:23:11.599 --> 00:23:12.140 his missiles, 00:23:12.279 --> 00:23:14.039 his bravest soldiers into the fray. 00:23:14.579 --> 00:23:16.279 And over and over and over, 00:23:16.359 --> 00:23:17.339 Mark will tell you, 00:23:17.579 --> 00:23:18.599 it's to no avail. 00:23:19.220 --> 00:23:20.460 Jesus will not be defeated. 00:23:20.460 --> 00:23:22.620 Now we need to be clear, 00:23:22.700 --> 00:23:22.860 don't we, 00:23:22.880 --> 00:23:28.519 the intensity of the action of Satan in the Gospels is not meant to mean that there is no such thing as demon possession, 00:23:28.920 --> 00:23:30.799 or that Satan has given up today. 00:23:31.640 --> 00:23:32.680 But it does mean, 00:23:32.759 --> 00:23:33.039 doesn't it, 00:23:33.039 --> 00:23:36.759 that this is not mental illness that Mark is talking about. 00:23:36.960 --> 00:23:38.440 This is not a psychotic episode. 00:23:39.079 --> 00:23:43.380 This is not something that could be resolved by medication or by a good holiday. 00:23:43.380 --> 00:23:44.000 Rather, 00:23:44.000 --> 00:23:49.960 rather this is an expression of Satan's personal hostility to Jesus Christ, 00:23:50.380 --> 00:23:54.440 through the sending of a spirit into an individual to seek to undermine Jesus and his mission. 00:23:56.360 --> 00:23:57.140 So today, 00:23:57.820 --> 00:23:59.100 Satan's attack is, 00:23:59.760 --> 00:23:59.960 you know, 00:23:59.980 --> 00:24:01.920 it's not so much in cupboard doors swinging open, 00:24:02.080 --> 00:24:04.160 Satan has no truck in spooking you, 00:24:04.220 --> 00:24:04.380 right? 00:24:04.420 --> 00:24:06.880 He doesn't want to just make you jump. 00:24:07.940 --> 00:24:08.320 Instead, 00:24:08.480 --> 00:24:10.700 he wants to destroy all that is good. 00:24:10.700 --> 00:24:14.559 Satan longs to rob your confidence in Jesus. 00:24:15.299 --> 00:24:18.340 You see it behind the unspeakable events like Southport. 00:24:18.700 --> 00:24:22.480 You see it in the lies that we are drawn to believe. 00:24:24.319 --> 00:24:25.960 Lies about where joy is found. 00:24:26.840 --> 00:24:28.500 Lies about where rest will be enjoyed. 00:24:29.440 --> 00:24:30.740 Lies about God's goodness, 00:24:31.640 --> 00:24:32.440 about his glory. 00:24:33.799 --> 00:24:34.700 In Mark chapter three, 00:24:34.799 --> 00:24:36.340 which we're going to be looking at in a few weeks time, 00:24:36.480 --> 00:24:38.640 Satan is pictured as a strong man who owns a house, 00:24:38.640 --> 00:24:40.539 and he's locked everybody up in it. 00:24:41.000 --> 00:24:41.100 Right? 00:24:41.740 --> 00:24:43.059 And that's his picture of us. 00:24:43.160 --> 00:24:46.080 We are locked in to Satan's house. 00:24:46.460 --> 00:24:48.200 We're sort of willing captives though. 00:24:48.279 --> 00:24:50.640 It's not like he's holding us against our will. 00:24:50.759 --> 00:24:52.340 We sort of want to be there. 00:24:53.160 --> 00:24:55.240 And so for us to be released from the house, 00:24:55.299 --> 00:25:00.360 not only does the Lord Jesus have to effectively call us in a way that we want to come out of the house, 00:25:00.380 --> 00:25:01.440 and we were looking at that last week, 00:25:01.779 --> 00:25:06.880 but also Jesus needs to bind the strong man who owns the house so that we can come out of the house. 00:25:06.880 --> 00:25:09.260 And that's what's going on here. 00:25:09.920 --> 00:25:15.080 Jesus is the stronger man who binds Satan and robs him of people. 00:25:16.180 --> 00:25:18.220 And that's what's going on in verse 25. 00:25:18.220 --> 00:25:19.980 Be quiet, says Jesus sternly. 00:25:20.059 --> 00:25:20.759 Come out of him. 00:25:20.799 --> 00:25:25.019 And the impure spirit shakes the man violently, and he comes out with a shriek. 00:25:25.559 --> 00:25:28.339 Amazing Jesus defeats Satan. 00:25:28.339 --> 00:25:34.299 I think it's worth slowing down just to make sure that we're understanding what's going on here. 00:25:35.099 --> 00:25:40.339 Sometimes people picture this battle between good and evil, between God and Satan, 00:25:40.500 --> 00:25:44.799 as if it's some kind of, you know, great cosmic powers slugging it out, 00:25:44.859 --> 00:25:46.740 and we're never quite sure what the outcome's going to be. 00:25:46.799 --> 00:25:49.359 It's like kind of Tyson Fury versus Anthony Joshua, 00:25:49.500 --> 00:25:51.019 and you can work out which one's which if you'd like to. 00:25:51.379 --> 00:25:53.819 But, you know, that's not what's going on here, right? 00:25:53.819 --> 00:25:53.939 Right. 00:25:55.039 --> 00:26:00.759 Jesus Christ speaks, and he commands the defeat of the forces of evil. 00:26:01.500 --> 00:26:05.359 Notice that Jesus speaks to the impure spirit, 00:26:05.879 --> 00:26:11.919 and it instantly, even against its own will, has to obey Jesus. 00:26:12.579 --> 00:26:15.000 So that Jesus of Nazareth, the Holy One of God, 00:26:15.039 --> 00:26:19.419 is able to give orders to the unclean spirits, and they do exactly what he says. 00:26:20.200 --> 00:26:21.439 You know, this isn't a battle. 00:26:21.440 --> 00:26:23.660 This is completely one-sided. 00:26:24.279 --> 00:26:25.799 This is a crushing defeat. 00:26:26.500 --> 00:26:31.620 So that this Jesus, this Jesus who addresses us now through the preaching of his word, 00:26:32.220 --> 00:26:38.299 this Jesus is able to bring in a new creation kingdom, a place of peace and joy. 00:26:39.180 --> 00:26:44.039 Because not only can Jesus defeat your sin on the cross and provide for your forgiveness, 00:26:44.840 --> 00:26:47.920 not only has he risen from the dead to conquer death, 00:26:47.920 --> 00:26:55.340 but also he is victorious over Satan and his forces, saying the word and driving them out. 00:26:58.700 --> 00:27:05.019 When Peter Shilton came to our assembly at school, I was probably in year eight or nine, 00:27:05.019 --> 00:27:09.559 and there was a kind of like, I don't know what you call it, 00:27:09.579 --> 00:27:14.359 like in a hustle at school when he arrived, you know, he pulled up in like a fancy car. 00:27:15.180 --> 00:27:19.460 So we were all sort of in awe, wondering who it was, 00:27:19.539 --> 00:27:21.799 kind of pushing around to try and get a glimpse of him. 00:27:21.799 --> 00:27:28.659 And as he walked up onto the stage, I remember thinking, this guy's a giant, right? 00:27:28.740 --> 00:27:30.359 He's a huge, ginormous guy. 00:27:31.200 --> 00:27:34.200 And we're all sort of listening with bated breath. 00:27:34.220 --> 00:27:34.919 What's he going to say? 00:27:35.779 --> 00:27:38.059 And the first thing he did is he called up the football team, 00:27:38.220 --> 00:27:43.359 and we all got to shake his hand, and we got given a certificate from Peter Shilton, 00:27:43.879 --> 00:27:47.319 which means nothing to most of you, but it was important to me at the time. 00:27:47.319 --> 00:27:53.000 And then he gave a speech, and he stood there, and we were there with open mouths. 00:27:53.059 --> 00:27:53.720 What's he going to say? 00:27:54.240 --> 00:28:01.139 Is he going to tell us something about Maradona, about what happened in Mexico 1984, wasn't it? 00:28:04.119 --> 00:28:05.059 It was rubbish. 00:28:05.939 --> 00:28:07.679 The guy couldn't string a sentence together. 00:28:08.319 --> 00:28:10.359 It was terrible, and we were bored. 00:28:11.099 --> 00:28:14.619 It was like, oh my goodness, this guy might be able to play football, 00:28:14.619 --> 00:28:16.899 but he is terrible at public speaking. 00:28:17.319 --> 00:28:20.359 And we were all sort of muttering to each other, what a waste of time this is. 00:28:20.700 --> 00:28:21.559 Who is this guy? 00:28:22.439 --> 00:28:23.480 What a useless speaker. 00:28:24.039 --> 00:28:25.819 And there was a terrible sense of disappointment. 00:28:27.679 --> 00:28:31.919 You know, that's often what it's like, isn't it, if we listen to people and we're in awe of them. 00:28:32.960 --> 00:28:34.839 But let me say Jesus is never like that. 00:28:36.159 --> 00:28:40.759 You come to listen to Jesus in his authority, in his power, in his glory. 00:28:40.759 --> 00:28:45.359 And he opens his mouth, and he never disappoints you. 00:28:45.359 --> 00:28:53.279 He speaks words of grace and mercy, forgiveness, resurrection life, defeat over Satan and evil. 00:28:53.699 --> 00:29:02.119 He looks you in the eye and he says, listen, this broken world that you live in, I can fix it. 00:29:02.119 --> 00:29:04.099 Come and trust in me. 00:29:04.699 --> 00:29:06.439 Put your hope in me. 00:29:06.839 --> 00:29:08.979 I will wash you clean of your sin. 00:29:09.419 --> 00:29:10.819 I will defeat your death. 00:29:11.239 --> 00:29:12.439 I have conquered Satan. 00:29:13.159 --> 00:29:15.739 Come into my new heavenly kingdom. 00:29:16.619 --> 00:29:18.699 Love me and live for me. 00:29:19.399 --> 00:29:21.000 I don't know of any better news than that. 00:29:21.659 --> 00:29:22.559 Won't you trust in Jesus? 00:29:23.059 --> 00:29:23.779 Won't you love him? 00:29:24.759 --> 00:29:25.759 Won't you live for him? 00:29:26.759 --> 00:29:30.960 Let me pray as I close, and then we'll sing a couple of songs as we respond. 00:29:31.460 --> 00:29:31.879 Let's pray. 00:29:35.319 --> 00:29:39.799 Dear Lord Jesus, thank you that you speak to us words of grace and mercy. 00:29:41.200 --> 00:29:44.400 Thank you that you love us and gave yourself for us. 00:29:44.400 --> 00:29:51.040 And thank you even more this morning that we have seen that you are victorious over Satan. 00:29:51.700 --> 00:29:55.400 All the forces of evil are nothing compared to you. 00:29:56.200 --> 00:29:58.140 Oh, praise your name. 00:29:59.040 --> 00:29:59.420 Amen. 00:29:59.420 --> 00:29:59.600 Amen. 00:29:59.600 --> 00:29:59.620 Amen. 00:29:59.620 --> 00:29:59.620 00:29:59.620 --> 00:29:59.620 00:29:59.620 --> 00:29:59.620 00:29:59.620 --> 00:29:59.620 00:29:59.620 --> 00:29:59.620 00:29:59.620 --> 00:29:59.620