Let us begin our worship of God by singing together in Psalm 46 of the Scottish Psalter version.
You'll find that on page 271 of the Blue Books.
Singing to the Tune Lingam.
Psalm 46, we'll sing verses 1 down to verse mark 6.
God is our refuge and our strength, and straight at present aid.
Therefore, although the earth remove, we will not be afraid.
The hills amist, the seas be cast, the waters roaring make.
And troubled be, yea, though the hills by swelling, seas do shake.
We'll sing from the beginning of that psalm down to the end of verse mark 6.
And we'll stand to sing, if we can.
God is our refuge and our strength.
God is a refuge and our strength.
In streets of present aid.
Therefore, although the earth remove,
We will not be afraid.
Though hills amids, the seas be cast.
Though water's roaring make.
And troubled be, yea, though the hills.
Menschet, how it is.
By swelling, seas do shake.
shady
Most high hath his afford
God in the midst of heart doth dwell
Nothing shall her remove
The Lord to have and help us well
And that right there he flew
The heathen rage to much us see
The kingdoms move and where
The Lord God God direct his voice
The earth is meant for fear
We'll join together in a short word of prayer
Let us pray to God
Our Father in heaven
We ask that we would know your peace
As we come to you
That you would still our hearts
That we would be quiet
And know the quietness of your presence
So that we would hear your voice
And it would speak to us
And as we come to your word
May we know the riches of it
And we pray for the young ones that are here with us
We thank you for them
It enriches and it brings joy to their heart
To see children coming and singing praises to God
That they may learn of your ways
And learn all about Jesus Christ
Learn of the biblical stories
And the power of God
And the authority that he has over all creation
God created us
And God made us so that we may bring forth his glory
And that we may know what he has given to us
In Jesus Christ
Jesus came and died for us on the cross
And that through that
We can enter into heaven
And we can be with God
And we have the right to call God our Father
A loving Father that looks after us
A loving Father that always hears us when we cry to him
And so we have confidence when we come to you in prayer
That you will listen to us
And that you will hear our voice
So Lord we just ask
Bless us in the gathering of your people
In this time and this hour
Bless the children as they go into Sunday school
And tweenies and creche
That they may hear of the beauty of God
And the wonders of Jesus Christ
All this we ask in your name
Amen
Just a short word to the boys and girls
Before you go into Sunday school
Holiday twinies and creche
Have you ever seen them before?
Do you know what they are?
Sweeties
Do you like them?
We love sweeties
And supposing there were seven sweeties in here
Supposing I had to go out one, two, three, four, five, six, seven
And I left them all there
And I said well you can have six of them
But I want you to leave one of them
It would be very hard to leave one wouldn't it?
You'd eat this one
Yummy
You'd eat the two
Oh that was good
You'd eat the three, four, five, six
You'd eat them all
I think that was great
I love them sweeties
It tastes so good
But there'd be one left
And you'd be looking at it
You'd be thinking hmm
Will I eat that one?
I've not meant to eat that one
But what we do is
We love these sweeties
And we think well
No one will notice
I'll just slip it in my mouth
And I'll enjoy it too
Yeah, that's what we do isn't it?
We're tempted by these things
And it's very like what we do with the days that we have
God has given us six days
And then one day is for God
That's one day where we come to church
But what we do
And what people do
And what we like to do
Is to do all the things that we want to do
Even on God's day
Just like the sweeties
We enjoy doing all the things we love doing
Through the week
The days were Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday
And then Sunday
We have to give that to God
But it's pleasing to God
To come and remember his day
To give God his day
That we come to church
And we learn all about God
Because it's good for us
Too many sweets aren't good for us
No
But God knows that it is good for us
To have a day set apart
Where we come and worship God
It's good for children
And it's good for grown-ups
To have a rest on Sunday
And to give our time
To thinking about all that God has done for us
The hardest thing to give is our time
Because we want to do all the things
We're so busy
But God asks us
To give us time
To share our time
With him
Because he wants to share time with us too
And that's what happens on Sunday
When we come to God
That we share our time
And that he would share time with us
So we'll say the Lord's prayer together
Before we go through
Our Father
Which art in heaven
Hallowed be thy name
Thy kingdom come
Thy will be done on earth
As it is in heaven
Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our debts
As we forgive our debtors
Lead us not into temptation
But deliver us from evil
For thine is the kingdom
The power and the glory
Forever
Thank you for listening to me
Now we'll continue by singing
In our praise to God
In Psalm 36
Of the Sing Psalms version
Psalm 36
In the Sing Psalms
You'll find that on page 44
Of the blue book
Singing from verse mark 7
Through to verse mark 12
How precious is your steadfast love
What confidence it brings
Both high and low find shelter
In the shadow of your wings
They feast within your house
And drink from streams of your delight
For with you is the source of life
In your light we see light
To those who know you as their God
Your steadfast love impart
Maintain your righteousness
To those of pure and upright heart
Let not the ruthless foot of pride
Approach and threaten me
Nor let the hand of wickedness
Force me to turn and flee
See where these evildoers lie
Who righteousness despise
Thrown down they are
And there they stay
Unable to rise
God's steadfast love to us
God's protection of his people
From the wicked
And that he will ultimately
Cast them down
That they will not rise up
So we'll stand to sing
To God's praise from verse 7
How precious is your steadfast love
To the tune Jackson
How precious is your steadfast love
What confidence it brings
What high and low find shelter in
The shadow of your wings
They feast within your house and drink
From streams of pure delight
For with you is the source of light
Find shelter in the shadow of your wings
To the tune of your wings
They feast within your house and drink
From streams of pure delight
For with you is the source of light
In your light we see light
To the tune of your wings
To those who know
To those who know you past
God, you steadfast love impart, maintain your righteousness to those of pure and upright
Let not the ruthless fruit of pride approach and threaten me
Nor let the hand of wickedness force me to turn and flee
See where these people doers lie, who righteousness despise
Roadmen are red and their lives still are able to abide
Turn now to a reading from scripture and we'll find that in the Gospel of Mark chapter 1
Gospel of Mark chapter 1 and we'll read it from verse Mark 14 through to the end of that chapter
Gospel of Mark chapter 1 reading from verse Mark 14
Let us hear God's word
Now after John was arrested, John the Baptist, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the Gospel of God and saying
The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand
Repent and believe in the Gospel
Passing alongside the sea of Galilee
He saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon
Casting a net into the sea for they were fishermen
And Jesus said to them
Follow me and I will make you become fishers of men
And immediately they left their nets and followed him
And going on a little further he saw James the son of Zebedee
And John his brother
Who were in their boat mending the nets
And immediately he called them
And they left their father Zebedee in the boat
With the hired servants and followed him
And they went into Capernaum
And immediately on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and was teaching
And they were astonished at his teaching
For he taught them as one who had authority
And not as the scribes
And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit
And he cried out
What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?
Have you come to destroy us?
I know who you are
The Holy One of God
But Jesus rebuked him saying
Be silent and come out of him
And the unclean spirit convulsing him
And crying out with a loud voice came out of him
And they were all amazed
So they questioned among themselves saying
What is this?
A new teaching with authority
He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him
And at once his fame spread everywhere throughout
And all the surrounding region of Galilee
And immediately he left the synagogue and entered into the house of Simon and Andrew
With James and John
Now Simon's mother-in-law lay ill with a fever
And immediately they told him about her
And he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up
And the fever left her
And she began to serve them
That evening at sunset
They brought to him all who were sick or oppressed by demons
And the whole city was gathered together at the door
And he healed many who were sick with various diseases
And cast out many demons
And he would not permit the demons to speak
Because they knew him
And rising very early in the morning
While it was still dark
He departed
And went out to a desolate place
And there he prayed
And Simon and those who were with him
Searched for him
And they found him and said to him
Everyone is looking for you
And he said to them
Let us go on to the next towns
That I may preach there also
For that is what I came for
And he went throughout Galilee
Preaching in their synagogues
And casting out demons
And a leper came to him
And imploding him
And kneeling said to him
If you will
You can make me clean
Moved with pity
He stretched out his hand
And touched him
And said to him
I will
Be clean
And immediately the leprosy left him
And he was made clean
And Jesus sternly charged him
And sent him away at once
And said to him
See that you say nothing to anyone
But go
Show yourself to the priest
And offer for your cleansing
What Moses commanded
For a proof to them
But he went out
And began to talk freely about it
And to spread the news
So that Jesus could no longer
Openly enter a town
But was out in desolate places
Where people were coming to him
From every quarter
Amen
May the reading of God's word
Be a blessing to those
Who hear it this day
May we join again
In prayer before God
Our Father in heaven
We give thanks that we are here
On this day
On your day
A day in where we will remember
The power of your resurrection
A day where we find out
Found out that the tomb was empty
The grave cloths had been folded
Signifying your return
And return you did
And as we read there in the passage
The people were astonished even
At your teaching
And they wondered
What is this?
But you revealed to them
Things that were kept for secret
Of the Old Testament
And you fulfilled the Old Testament
Through your life
And you showed forth
The ways of God
And the glory of God
And the power of God
And the authority of God
That you were indeed
Undoubtedly
The son of God
When we look at you
We see the characteristics of God
We learn about God
And so let us
Have our focus upon you
This morning
That we may see the riches
Of your glory
That we may understand
What is set before the people
Who have faith in you
And trust in you
That they will be in your presence
And it is a wonder
That you would have us
And that you would listen to us
When we come and pray to you
That we seem so insignificant
In our eyes
That you would be mindful
Of me
That you would be mindful
Of each one of us
That is gathered here
But so you are
We know it from your word
And we know it
That you speak to us
Each individually
In the mysterious outworkings
Of your ways
We know it to be true
And we are
With confidence
Draw near to you
This morning
To hear you speak
That we may learn of you
And know your direction
That you would show us your paths
The paths in which we are
To walk our lives
The ways in which we are
To be obedient to you
And how we are
To bring glory to you
That we may know
What are calling us
In this life
And that may it
Bring forth
The riches of your fruit
Things that are heavenly
Not of this world
Things that are pure
And undefiled
Things that are rich
And everlasting
Lord
We bring before you
The expectations
Of the week ahead
That we may draw to you
Prayerfully
Seeking your presence
With us
That we as your people
May come with joyous hearts
Remembering
All that you have done for us
In your death
And resurrection
And that it will be a source of strength
For the Christian
That is weak
A source of encouragement
For those who are downcast
That we may come
And sit at your feet
Like Mary did
That we would not be busy
With the things of the world
Like Martha
That we would choose the good part
That we would be wise
To give of our time
As we said to the young ones
That we would be willing
To be willing
And come with willingness
To sacrifice the time
And to give pleasingly
Cheerfully
Our time
And that you may bless us in it
For we know it is good
To sit at your feet
To hear your word
To know your ways
And to remember
What you have done for us
Otherwise
Without it
We would be lost
We would have no hope
Without the death of Christ
But you give us hope
And you are
An anchor in our lives
When we have no hope
To whom else can we go
That we can turn with confidence to you
You are the one
You are the one that holds us
You are the one that carries us at times
And it is in you
That we place our faith and trust
In the days ahead
And our lives
Whatever is set before us
We commit to you
Faithfully
Lord we just pray
That you would be mindful of each of us
In our circumstances
Those who have difficulties in life
Those who have difficulties of health
We pray that you would draw near to them
And be their strength and comfort
Give them assurances from your word
May your presence be ever felt in their hearts
And knowing that you are with them by their side
We pray for those who mourn
Be their comforter
May they know your loving arms
Wrapped around them
As the loving fatherly arms
Of the heavenly father
Draws near calling you to come
And be embraced by his love
We pray for those who are on mission for you
Who seek to go out into this world
And reveal to people that are hidden in the darkness
The light of the gospel
We remember Muriel in Cambodia
And the work that she does with the girls in that area
We pray that you would continue with her
Be a strength and may she see fruits for her labour
As she sows the seed
May she see it grows in the hearts of many
Remember Kenny John's work in Uganda
And across Africa
God is good
Remember the schools that have been established
They are in the clinics
That it may bring forth questions from people
And wondering why such a man would do these things
And yet it is the love of Christ within him
That drives him to give of himself
And to care for his fellow beings
And to share the gospel message
Lord we pray
That you would be with us
As we come to your word
May it be rich in our eyes
May we understand what it says to us
May your glory be revealed to us
May we come and trust in it
So be with us in our time together
Keep the evil one from us
Give our focus and attention
To the wonder of Jesus Christ
And we ask all of these things
By the name and power of your son
And our saviour
Jesus
Amen
We will continue in our praise of God
By singing in Psalm 9
Of the Sing Psalms version
From page 8
Psalm 9a
In the Sing Psalms version
Page 8
Singing from verse Mark 6
Down to verse Mark 11
The enemy have made their doom
Destroyed eternally
And you have uprooted all their towns
They are lost to memory
The Lord as ever reign on high
His throne for judgment stands
He will judge the world in righteousness
With justice rule the Lamb
The Lord as ever
The Lord is the King
And the Lord as ever
The Lord is the King
The King
Who has saved them
And destroyed eternally
The enemy's threat
They are lost to memory
So we will stand together
Singing from verse Mark 6
Down to verse Mark 11
To God's praise
The enemy have made their doom
Destroyed eternally
The enemy have met their doom
Destroyed eternally
You have uprooted all their towns
And lost to memory
The enemy have met their doom
Destroyed eternally
You have uprooted all their towns
And lost to memory
The enemy have met their doom
Destroyed eternally
You have uprooted all their towns
And lost to memory
The Lord forever reigns on high
His throne for judgment stands
He'll judge the world in righteousness
With justice through the lands
The Lord will be a hiding place
For those who are oppressed
And He will be a strong defense
For those who have oppressed
All those who know Your name, O Lord
And You their trust will play
For you do not abandon those
Who seek Your gracious face
Sing praises to the Lord who sits
Sit Zion on His throne
Among the nations of the world
Proclaim what He has done
Turn back to the passage that we read, the Gospel of Mark.
We'll consider the account there of the unclean spirit coming into the meeting on the Sabbath day in the synagogue.
Particularly verses there, 24, 25.
Well, the spirit cried out, what have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?
Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.
But Jesus rebuked him, saying, be silent and come out of him.
This reading sets forth the beginning of Christ's ministry.
John the Baptist has been arrested. He is in jail.
Jesus has been led out to the wilderness, already to be tempted by the devil.
And in that account, it tells us that he returns to Galilee, the region that is Galilee.
And particularly that western coast of that region on the Sea of Galilee,
where we read that he recruits his first disciples at that coast, his disciples being the fishermen.
But he comes to the words of verse 15, saying to the people,
The time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God is at hand.
Repent and believe the Gospel.
This account that we come to here in Capernaum, Capernaum,
seems that it would be after, follow after the events of Cana,
where Jesus went with his disciples to the wedding feast.
If you can imagine, just briefly, the Sea of Galilee is like an egg-shaped, upside-down egg-shaped sea,
Galilee like a lake, the River Jordan, directly north, directly south.
That River Jordan's subdivision in the land, to the west is the region of Galilee.
Capernaum sits at the kind of near the top of that egg-shaped lake.
Out directly to the west is Cana, and directly below that, you have Nazareth, where, of course, he grew up.
And we come into this passage, it seems he has gone to Cana to the wedding,
and he returns to Capernaum, or Capernaum, as people say,
where he enters into the synagogue, as he did on the Sabbath day,
and he meets with this evil spirit, this unclean spirit,
as they join together to worship in the synagogue.
The people had gathered as normal on that Sabbath day,
which would have been the Saturday.
Forgive me if Sunday slips out of my mouth when I'm referencing the Sabbath,
but it would have been the Saturday for them.
Nothing is out of the ordinary for their worship.
Apart from the visitor, Jesus has come with his disciples.
And the practice was that they would read from the Old Testament, of course,
the reading from the law, a section of the law,
they would read from a section of the prophets.
And if there were any visiting rabbis or teachers,
they would be invited to say a word about the readings,
or to take the readings.
And such, we see that Jesus Christ spoke with the people as a visiting rabbi.
And we read of the reaction that the people had to his words in verse 22.
And they were astonished at his teaching,
for he taught them as one who had authority, not as the scribes,
not like the people that they knew.
There was something remarkable about Jesus Christ and the way he taught.
The words that he spoke came with great power.
There was great authority in his words.
And even when you consider that Jesus Christ came to join with the people,
he had a desire to meet in the synagogue with others who had the intent desire to worship God.
There's a lot in that, that Jesus Christ, Jesus himself,
desired to come with the people as they met in the synagogue.
And there was an immediacy about his worship.
You can see there in verse 21,
when they came into Capernaum,
immediately on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue.
There's more, you know, it doesn't just come out of routine.
It's purposeful.
It's like the first thing on his mind to come and gather with the people.
The other gospels tell us that it was his custom
to gather in the synagogue for worship on the Sabbath.
And as it was his desire to come and join with the people,
as it should be for the Christians' desire,
Jesus had the desire to teach them,
not of the things of old,
the things that were new,
the powerful things of the gospel
and the kingdom of God
that he had insight to.
And he leaves the people that were listening to him
in complete awe and astonishment.
They joined together to worship God
and he astonished them
when they grasped,
when the people grasped what Jesus was saying,
they couldn't believe it.
And we, as we gather together to worship God,
we pray
that as we likewise incline our hearts
with an intent to worship God,
that we would be astonished
by the words of Christ
and that we would be in awe
as we join together in worship,
that we would know his presence
coming to be with us,
the pleasing custom
that would be for the Spirit
to join with his people,
to reveal us things of the gospel,
things that are new to us,
and the richness of his words
would come forth to every one of us
and speak to every heart
that is gathered here
that would leave us
in astonishment and awe
of what Christ has done for us
and what God has revealed to us
through his word.
But of course,
that's not an everyday occurrence for us
that we are in awe
as we come to worship,
nor would it have been
an everyday occurrence for Jesus
to come and join with them
for Sunday worship,
for Sabbath worship.
though we wish it would be.
We wish when we come
to join together
that we would come out
astonished and amazed
about what Christ has done for us,
as the people were astonished
when Christ spoke there.
It's not always the case for us.
It wasn't always the case for them
that Christ was there to teach them.
But the Christian can certainly say,
that there have been days
when that has happened.
As you look back in your memory,
even if you sat in the seat
that you sat in,
you've listened to a different preacher come,
and there have been days
where you can say,
the Spirit was with us.
Christ was here.
And we have left in awe
of the words that were spoken to us.
This Sabbath day,
where they joined together,
it was a surprising day for them,
because there are two distinct things
that happen on that day
in that worship in the synagogue.
The first thing is,
the demon causes disruption.
The demon comes in
into the middle of that service.
But also,
we see that the Son saves.
Two points to hang our thoughts on this morning.
The demon's disruption
and the Son's salvation.
So let us first look at the disruption
that was caused in this passage.
The people are astonished by Christ.
And in then comes this man
in verse 23.
Immediately in the synagogue
was a man with an unclean spirit.
The timing of this
is just perfect,
well, typical,
in a sense.
Spiritual battle commences.
Spiritual warfare enters into the room.
As soon as people
become interested in the gospel,
as soon as people
show wonder in Christ
and question who is he,
the devil's not far away.
This man who is seemingly
controlled by the power of the Spirit,
a spirit which we read of
has been unclean,
could easily be translated,
has been evil,
from the Greek.
But if you look at Luke's
parallel account of this chapter,
it calls this an unclean demon
or possessed the man.
And we can say for sure
that it is the work of the devil
and we can identify it as such.
And though this account
may seem so foreign to us today,
it's difficult to understand
what is meant by the unclean spirit
to know exactly
what the demon possession
looked like.
It is true that it is still
a valid characteristic
of the works of the devil today
to use any means he can
to disrupt us
from the awe of Christ,
to disrupt us from that wonder.
When we show an inclination
towards Jesus,
when we show an interest
in this man,
when you find Jesus wonderful,
when you seek him out,
the devil will not be far away.
It's his characteristic
to distract us,
to disrupt us,
to interrupt us
as we join together
to worship God.
You know,
we may come this morning
with great intentions
to listen to what has been said
and we struggle
to keep our focus.
We may leave
with good intentions
to live our lives
devoted to Christ
with greater resolve
and we're so easily
distracted,
disrupted
and we turn away
from the desires
of our hearts.
There is a war
between the Christian
and the evil spirits
at our present.
the evil
in our hearts.
The closer
we draw to Christ,
you can be sure
that the more active
the work
of the devil
will be.
But in this passage here
we have
a vocal
voice
from this spirit.
Verse 24,
it says,
What have you to do
with us,
Jesus of Nazareth?
Have you come
to destroy us?
I know who you are,
the Holy One of God.
And you may look
at this
and think,
why on earth
did this spirit
come in
on the Sabbath day
into the synagogue?
And it sounds like
he's revealing
for the good
of Jesus' cause
and the good
of God,
to reveal
the goodness
of God
by revealing
who Jesus is.
He's revealing
that this is
the Messiah
set before you.
Why on earth
is an evil spirit,
unclean spirit
doing this?
I think there's
more to it
than meets the eye.
I think there's
more to it
than we can
understand.
This entering line
is,
what have you to do
with us,
Jesus of Nazareth?
It's not,
what have you to do
with me?
It's,
what have you to do
with us?
And looking at it,
there's significance
in this plurality
that is emphasized here.
What have you to do
with us?
Is it the us
of the people
gathered there
in the building?
Is the devil
trying to associate
himself with
the people?
Jesus is a visitor
and he's speaking there.
Or is the us
there?
The possession
of the spirits
within him.
Cast your minds
to the passage
again,
or passage of
where Jesus meets
Legion
and he asks
him his name,
my name is Legion
for we have many,
the many possessions
of spirits
within him.
Is the us
there?
Speaking of
the spirits
within him,
this may be true.
Picture the scene
if you will though.
We're in the synagogue.
It would be a very
simple sort of
building like we
have here.
This man walks
in.
Is he trying
to include
the people
as part of the us?
Is the demon
trying to excite
with the many?
Associating himself
with the people
to turn them
against God
and say,
you have nothing
to do with us,
the visitor,
Jesus of Nazareth.
If you look
into that,
it seems that
there's nothing
too good
to come from Nazareth.
There was no
good reputation
in Nazareth
at that time.
Nathaniel questioned
the disciples.
Can anything
good come out
of Nazareth?
The devil
is saying,
what have you
to do with us,
Jesus of Nazareth?
The people
are not waiting
for someone
from Nazareth,
the people of God.
They are waiting
for someone
from Bethlehem.
In the scriptures
that was revealed.
He's instantly
trying to cause
a divide
by his words.
He's trying
to stir doubt
amongst the people.
if this is the case.
People that were
just in awe
of him prior
are now forced
to question
his identity
and question,
well,
who is this man?
This man's
from Nazareth.
The devil's,
is he instigating
that this man
is some sort
of a fraud?
Is he there
only to deceive you?
It says that
are you there
to destroy us?
And a rendering
of this word
destroy
is cause us
to lose.
Are you there
to cause us
to lose?
Now,
if the devil
was trying
to influence
the people
to turn against God,
that's an interesting
phrase
because it is
very suitable
for him to use
that if they would
listen to his words,
they would be
at a loss.
Take this phrase
in its essence.
What have you
to do with us,
Jesus of Nazareth?
You have come
to destroy us.
What it's saying
is,
Jesus,
you have nothing
to do with us.
Jesus,
you have nothing
to do with me.
You're
from somewhere
that I don't want
to know anything about.
I don't regard
anything
of your people.
You're coming here
to deceive me
with your words.
you're coming
here to deceive
others with your words.
And if people
listen to your words,
they're going
to be at a loss.
Have you heard
that before?
Something similar
like that?
Have you heard
people say
they don't want
Jesus to have
anything to do
with them?
Have you heard
people say
if you listen
to these words,
you'll be at a loss?
We don't have
to look far
to find that.
I'm not saying
that people
that have these
views are demon
possessed,
but it's the evil
inclination of our hearts.
It is the evil
that is within us.
But we do not
desire God.
We only love
because he first
loved us.
Our heart
is turned
against God.
We don't want
to have anything
to do with Jesus.
Our heart
desires.
You take
that's a possibility.
I don't know
if it's right,
but there's an element
of truth to it.
The other
case is
that if it were
the Spirit
speaking,
have you come
to destroy us?
They knew fine
that Jesus
had authority
to destroy them.
They wanted
to be left alone.
They wanted
to go about
causing
stirring contempt
against the people
of God.
They wanted
to be left
alone,
the spirits
if it was.
But why
did this
spirit enter
into
when the people
were in awe
of God
if it were not
to distract them,
to turn them
away from God?
The last
phrase here
that he speaks
is,
I know
who you are,
the Holy
One of God.
Why did he
say this?
But there's a
change in this
phrase.
It's not us
anymore,
it's not we,
it's I.
I know
who you are.
Why change
that singular
pronoun now?
Because if it
were a spiritual
sense that
they had been
speaking about,
the devils
know fine
who Jesus
was.
There are no
questioning,
why is it a
single pronoun
there?
Why?
The we
of the
spirits
evil within
him would
have all
known who
Jesus was.
The devils
know more
of God
than we
do.
R.C.
Sproul says
that the
devils would
score 100%
in their
theology exams.
They know
exactly who
Jesus is.
They know
exactly who
God is.
They know
full well,
every one of
them knows
full well,
so why has
it changed
to an
I now?
Why does
it not
say we
know who
you are,
the Holy
One of
God?
You wonder
at these
things,
but you've
seen evil
in your
life.
You know
what evil
looks like.
And if
someone
stirred evil,
they may
come in
shouting.
And if
they have a
problem with
someone,
they may
come up and
speak directly
to that
person.
It is,
I know
who you
are.
I may
be wrong,
but did
the devil
spirit then
come and
directly
attend to
Jesus by
saying,
I know
who you
are.
You are
the Holy
One of
God,
and I
am against
you in
every way.
I will
do everything
in my
power to
oppose you
and frustrate
your plans.
you rejected
me in the
wilderness.
I will
do
everything
to speed
up your
demise and
turn the
people against
you.
There's a
deep-rooted
hatred in
this man.
But when
we seek,
when we as
the people
of God,
we seek to
do good,
we draw near
to God,
we pray,
we read,
there's moments
when we are in
awe of God,
as we
said,
the devil
will be
on your
heels.
If we
succeed in
something,
he won't
be far
away to
cause us
to fall,
to doubt,
cause us
to distraction.
I don't
know if
you're
considering
coming to
sit at
the Lord's
table next
week.
Maybe you
have resolved
in your
mind that
you would
come,
but the
devil's at
you saying,
no,
don't go,
you're not
good enough.
He'll be
on your
heels when
you decide
to turn
you away.
He'll do
everything he
can to
make a
doubt
salvation
in Christ.
But if we
hold on to
Christ and
hold on to
his words,
the one who
spoke,
be silent,
depart from
us,
come out
of this,
be silent,
come out
of him.
Christ has
the power
and authority
to separate
us from
that evil,
power.
That is
what he
is saying,
the son
that saves.
It is
Jesus Christ
that saves
us.
And the
doubts of
our hearts
as we
stick faithfully
to him,
and it is
our custom
to come
to him,
he has
the power
to cast
out every
evil that
grows within
our hearts
and says,
be silent,
come out
of him.
Jesus is
the son
that saves.
And we
gauge from
the reaction
that Christ
has here
in verse
25.
He rebuked
him saying,
be silent,
come out
of him.
Be silent,
it's not
your place
to reveal
who I
am,
he's saying
to the
spirit.
You're
not to
reveal who
I am,
I will
reveal who
I am,
and by
my own
means.
He reveals
in his
word and
in his
practice.
You
remember
John the
Baptist
when he
questioned,
he heard
about all
the things
Jesus had
done,
and he
was in
the prison
cell there,
and he
sent his
disciples,
go and
ask that
man if
he is the
one that
is to
come,
or should
we wait
for another?
Jesus'
response to
him was
not to
say,
I am
the Holy
One of
God,
I am
the Messiah,
I am
the one
you have
waited for.
He said
to the
disciples,
return to
John and
tell him
of all
the things
you have
seen and
heard.
That is
how Jesus
reveals
himself,
that we
see what
he has
done,
we hear
his word,
and it is
likewise in
our lives,
we see
that word
taking root
in someone's
heart,
and we
see that
power taking
hold of
their hearts
and lives,
someone that
we didn't
expect maybe
to come
to God.
And we
say,
well,
what is
this?
What power
is in
this word
that it
would turn
such a
man to
God,
that it
would turn
me to
God?
It is
by the
word and
power and
authority of
Jesus Christ.
Jesus reveals
his authority
through his
word and
through the
practice,
of his
actions.
You know,
this account,
it's strange
to us,
as we
said,
to consider
what is
evil and
what is
spiritual.
There's
things in it
we cannot
grasp,
there's
things that
we don't
have answers
for.
There's a
battle between
two great
authorities
here,
but which
one comes
out the
greater?
which one
succeeds.
When Christ
comes and
we meet
with him,
only one
can succeed
in our
heart.
It is a
great
conversion
within us
that when
Jesus draws
near to
us and
he speaks
a word
to us,
the
authority of
good
conquers,
the
authority
of evil.
It's the
same in
our
hearts.
Spiritual
warfare may
enter into
us for a
time and
we may
battle with
these things.
The spirit
did not just
come out of
the man,
it convulsed
him and
cast him to
the ground.
God and
the word
of his
power and
authority
comes to
us.
We don't
like to
separate
ourselves
from the
world.
It takes
difficulty.
It's a
war that
goes on
within us
because we
love the
things of
this world
and we
want to
hold on
to them.
But the
only one
that can
succeed
is the
power and
authority
of God.
Even what
we have in
this passage
here, the
power of
Christ and
his authority
overrules the
whole situation.
And that is
a power that
overrules your
situation today.
The whole
world is
under the
authority of
God ultimately.
But what the
devil does is
he comes in.
He knows
he's a
defeated
foe.
But he
stirs us
against God.
He stirs the
people against
God.
He does
what he
can by
his power
to distract
us from
God, to
turn us
from God.
But you
know what?
He's
defeated.
The power
of God
through Jesus
Christ
is a great
reassurance
to us.
God
will be
to
God.
When we
have our
doubts,
when we
know that
we have
failed,
ultimately,
if we
trust in
him,
trust in
his word,
trust what
he can do
for us,
that greater
power will
reveal to
us greater
things.
We will be
welcomed into
his glory.
God's
glory will
be revealed
to us.
It will be a
wonder like
no other.
We'll say,
what is
this beauty?
What are
these things
that words
cannot
express?
We come
next week
hopefully
to remember
what Christ
has done
for us.
And there
is no
greater
place
where we
can come
that we
sit at
the feet
of Jesus
so you
can expect
that there
will be no
greater
disruption
in your
lives and
distraction
from it.
But
ultimately,
Jesus
is in
control of
everything.
And you
ask him
to silence
these voices
that come
to us
and the
worrying
that happens
within our
hearts.
And we
focus our
minds and
our sight on
Jesus and
his words.
It opens
our perspective
to things
eternal
and what is
set before
us.
the people
gathered in
the passage
here.
After the
Sabbath day,
the Sabbath
ended in
the evening
and all
the people
gathered
because they
heard about
what Christ
had done.
And wouldn't
it be
wonderful
if we
saw the
people of
Stornoway
gathered
because
we saw
the wonderful
things of
Christ Jesus
in each
of us.
And they
saw his
beauty
and his
power and
his authority
revealed to
them in
the way
we conduct
ourselves,
in the way
we speak
to them.
That they
may question
in their
hearts,
what is
this in
that man,
in that
woman,
in that
boy,
in that
girl.
that they
may come
and draw
near to
Jesus and
see his
glory and
that all
would be
revealed to
him.
Praise
God
for the
Son
has come,
the Son
who loves
us.
He is the
Son that
saves us.
And he
is a
Son that
we can
rest,
assure us
in with
confidence
that he
will watch
over us,
guide us,
and keep us
in every
step of
the way
and protect
us in
life's
journey.
May these
thoughts be
blessed to
us.
We'll
conclude our
worship by
singing in
Psalm 105
of the
Scottish
Psalter on
page 347.
Psalm 105
Scottish
Psalter,
page 374.
Sorry.
374.
Singing from
the beginning
of that
psalm.
Psalm speaks
with
thankfulness
to God
for the
steadfast
love he
has that
breeds
admiration
in our
hearts.
Give
thanks to
God,
call on
his name,
to men
his deeds
make known.
sing ye
to him,
sing psalms,
proclaim this
wondrous works
each one.
We'll sing
down to the
end of
verse 5,
to God's
praise.
Give
thanks to
God,
call on
his name.
Stand to
sing.
sing psalm,
proclaim this
one of the
songs of
his name.
Give thanks to
God, call on
his name, to men
his deeds make known.
Sing ye to him, sing psalm, proclaim this one,
sing psalm, proclaim this one,
as one, as one, as each one.
See that he is his holy name, to God in you accord,
and let the heart of everyone rejoice that seeks the Lord.
The Lord Almighty and his strength will steadfast hearts in thee.
His blessed and his gracious grace,
seeking continually.
Think on the words that he hath done, which admiration free.
His wonders and the judgment saw, which draweth his mouth from the sea.
And conclude with prayer.
Our Father in heaven, as we come to you, may we have admiration bred within our hearts
for the wonders that you have done for us, and that you have saved us from evil,
and rescued us and redeemed us.
Lord, be with us, we pray, in the days ahead.
Protect us from the schemes of the evil one,
that we may know you and your beauty,
and that all these things may be revealed to us in new and amazing and astonishing ways,
that we may question in our hearts,
what is these things so wondrous and beautiful,
that we may draw near with assurance,
and not waver to or fro,
but hold fast to Christ.
Be with us as we part.
Watch over us, guide us, bless the word to us this evening,
as it is preached and read and sung.
We thank you for the singing of your praise.
Forgive us our sins, we ask in Jesus' name.
Amen.