Well, we begin our worship this evening by singing to God's praise.
We're singing in Psalm 50, the first version of the Psalm,
on page 276 of the Psalm books.
Psalm 50, the first version, verse 1 to verse 6,
we'll be reminded of how the Lord calls us to worship, how he speaks.
The mighty God, the Lord, has spoken and did call.
The earth from rising of the sun to where he hath his fall.
From out of Sion Hill we chow excellency and beauty.
The perfection is God shined gloriously.
We'll sing from verse 1 to verse 6, the tune is Dennis, and we stand to sing.
The Lord, has spoken and did call.
The earth from rising of the sun to where he hath his fall.
From out of Sion Hill, which of excellency and beauty,
the perfection is God shined gloriously.
It's theman that before the heaven was delivered to the heaven of Sion Hill,
which is the name of Sion Hill more than why I was gonna say,
His love, and way to mark this one of his fares.
The nation accounted for the broken days,
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The Lord in fire shall waste great storms, shall round the fountain be.
Unto the heavens near, he from above shall fall.
Unto the earth, like wise the deep, may judge his people all.
You can't let my sins unto the other deep.
Those art, white, sark, and white, shall be.
Are coming on with me.
And then the heavens shall its righteousness declare.
Because the Lord himself is chief, by whom men judge shall die.
We come to God in prayer. Let us pray.
Amen.
Marvel and amazed at the word of our Lord and the person who is Jesus Christ.
The word that became flesh and dwelt among us.
And so we pray for your power in all of these things.
We pray, Lord, that you will help us as we gather as your people here to have prayerful hearts.
To have hearts for your kingdom.
To have hearts, O Lord, to pray for your kingdom to come in our midst.
For how we need you, Lord, in these days.
How we long for you to come in your power.
How we long for you, Lord, to revive us as a people.
Revive us as a nation.
Revive us as a world.
When we see in our own experience, Lord, and with our own eyes.
How frail we are as a people.
How often we hear of or see others, Lord, who are suffering in different ways.
How often we maybe look at ourselves, O Lord, and see our ever-changing bodies and features.
How quickly the years go on and pass us by.
But, Lord, we pray that in the midst of all that changes around us, that we would see the one who changes not.
The one who is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
And that we would recognize, O Lord, the urgency of the gospel.
That we would recognize it for ourselves personally.
That we would recognize it for those around us, too.
That there are many who are perishing this day.
Who are lost, O Lord, and heading for a lost eternity.
And we pray, Lord, that you will burden us in prayer.
And to pray for your spirit to come in power.
To come, O Lord, and convict and convert.
To come, as we have seen in your word in many generations.
As we have seen in our own islands, in our own nation.
And so many nations of the world.
Down through every generation, Lord.
You have brought many people to feel that they are in a powerful position.
Many people and generations who feel there is no need of God.
That we can go on in our own strength.
But so often you remind us that we come to the point and recognize.
That apart from you, we can do nothing.
You bring us to see the error of our ways.
And we pray, Lord, that you will do that in our land.
And for our people far and wide.
That you will bring us to see, O Lord.
That as we cast you out.
We are casting out all that is good.
All that is right.
All that is godly.
And for our gain.
O Lord, we can do nothing without you.
So, Lord, may you come.
May you bless those in authority over us.
May you bless them, Lord, we pray.
As we have seen and continue to see the turmoil of our nation.
In political ways and in practical ways throughout our land.
O Lord, we see so much that has changed so quickly.
But we pray, Lord, that you will teach us in the midst of it all.
To look to and trust in you.
That you will help us to be courageous.
To be bold.
To be a people of strong conviction for your cause.
And to uphold it, Lord.
To speak of it.
The wonders of your grace.
The wonders of salvation.
The wonders that you can do for all of your people.
And so we ask, O Lord, that you will hear us.
As we call upon you.
Remember us too in our homes and in our families.
We thank you for this holiday time.
When we have visitors in our midst.
And when many of our own people will be traveling to and fro as well.
We thank you for friends and families being together.
And even with us here this evening.
And we pray, Lord, your blessing on us.
In all our homes.
And in all our different needs.
As we commit ourselves to you.
We thank you that you are the one who is near.
And the one who is able to help.
Whether it be in times of joy and gladness.
Or whether it be in times of sorrow and sadness.
And we do, Lord, commit to you all that goes on among our people.
Remember those who are unwell.
Remember those who are in hospital.
Remember those who are laid aside at this time.
Lord, that you will draw near.
That you will take anyone who is worried and anxious.
That they will be able to cast their burdens upon you.
For you are the God who cares for us.
We do pray, Lord, your blessing over us in that way.
For all who mourn and grieve at this time.
We pray comfort and blessing towards them.
That you, O Lord, as the God of all comfort.
Will come and draw near to them.
We give you thanks too, Lord.
For weddings coming up in these coming days.
We pray for Emma and Donald.
We pray for them as they come together, Lord.
That you will bless them.
That you will watch over them.
We pray for Gary and Catherine too, Lord.
That you will be with them in their upcoming wedding day as well.
We ask, O Lord, that you will surround them as couples.
As families.
That your good hand be with them.
That you will bless them not just in this coming week.
But in all the days ahead, O Lord.
That you will surround them with your love.
With your grace and with your mercy.
We ask all things now, Lord, looking to you.
That you would go before us.
Even into this week ahead, O Lord.
Look after our children and school teachers.
And all the staff during holiday times.
And as we approach Easter weekend as well.
As we think of all that has been done for us.
As we remember our Lord who came into this world.
To seek and to save sinners.
As we consider the great price that he bore for us.
As he went to the cross at Calvary.
As there he died.
The death that we deserved.
There he bore the pains and the sins of this world.
But we thank you that in it all.
In all the darkness of Good Friday.
That there is the hope of the resurrection too.
That on the third day he rose again.
And that he rose triumphantly over death and over sin.
And may we rejoice in the hope of the resurrection.
May it be blessed to people far and wide in these coming days.
To remember the Lord.
And to look to him.
So Lord, we ask we'll do that even now.
That we'll be able to fix our eyes on Jesus.
And our praise.
And our worship.
And all that we do would be to your glory.
And with the forgiveness of all our sins.
As we ask it in Jesus name.
Amen.
Let's continue to sing to God's praise.
This time we're singing in Psalm 111.
Again the Scottish Psalter version.
Psalm 111.
We'll sing from verse 1 to verse 5.
Psalm 111 at verse 1.
Praise ye the Lord with my whole heart.
I will God's praise declare.
Where the assemblies of the just and congregations are.
We'll sing from verse 1 to 5.
In the tune is Winchester.
We stand to sing.
Amen.
Praise ye the Lord with my whole heart.
I will God's praise declare.
Where the assemblies of the just and congregations are.
The home of the Lord with my whole heart.
The home of the Lord with my heart.
And great love of all measure.
So turn they are of every one.
That doth tarde about the home.
That doth very snake pleasure.
His one most honour of ours.
Most glorious and pure.
And his unchanging righteousness forever doth endure.
It works most wonderful he hath made to be thought upon.
The Lord is gracious and he is full of compassion.
He giveth me come to all those that truly do him fear.
And evermore his covenant he in his mind will bear.
We're going to turn together to reading God's word now in the Gospel of Mark.
Mark's Gospel, chapter 6.
We take up our reading from the beginning.
We just want to notice the context here as we take up our reading in chapter 6.
It's following on from Jesus performing miracles among the people there when he healed the woman who had the issue of blood for 12 years
and also raised from the dead, Jairus' daughter.
As we'll see in the Gospel of Mark, things move along at a pace.
And as we come into chapter 6, we see Jesus and his disciples with him,
moving on through villages and towns and the Gospel with them.
That's going to be our theme this evening as we think of the Gospel passing by.
So in Mark, chapter 6, from verse 1, we read down to verse 13.
He went away from there and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him.
And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue.
And many who heard him were astonished, saying,
Where did this man get these things?
What is the wisdom given to him?
How are such mighty works done by his hands?
Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joseph and Judas and Simon?
And are not his sisters here with us?
And they took offence at him.
And Jesus said to them,
A prophet is not without honour except in his hometown,
and among his relatives and his own household.
And he could do no mighty work there except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them.
And he marvelled because of their unbelief.
And he went about among the villages teaching.
And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two,
and gave them authority over the unclean spirits.
He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff,
no bread, no bag, no money in their belts,
but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics.
And he said to them,
Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you depart from there.
And if any place will not receive you,
and they will not listen to you,
when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.
So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent.
And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them.
And so on.
And may God bless that reading from his word.
Again, turn to sing to God's praise.
This time we're singing the Sing Psalms Version,
Psalm 43, page 54 of the psalm books.
Psalm 43 in the Sing Psalms, page 54.
We can sing the whole of this psalm together.
Come, vindicate me, O my God.
Against this nation, plead my cause.
Deliver me from wicked foes and hypocrites who break your laws.
Now verse 3, we have these words,
and we pray for that power in our land today.
O send your light forth and your truth.
Let them direct me in your grace and bring me to your holy hill,
into your sacred dwelling place.
We'll sing the whole of this psalm.
The tune is Rockingham.
And we stand to sing.
Amen.
My God, why then have you rejected me?
Why must I know about in me,
and draw in light the enemy?
O send your light for a new truth,
let them die in your name.
I'll take me to your holy hill,
and to your sacred dwelling place.
Then to God's altar I will go,
to God's my joy and my delight.
And I will praise you with the high.
O God, you are my God on high.
Why are you down, not so my soul?
Why are you so disturbed in me?
Trust, Lord, for I will praise him yet.
My Savior, now my God is me.
Amen.
I'm going to turn back together to our reading in the Gospel of Mark.
These verses that we read together in chapter six from verse one down to verse 13.
we're just taking into account all that we see in these verses of
jesus and the disciples going out with the word of god with the gospel
to many different places now as we look at this gospel we can take
verse six as we read it there just as a text he said
he marveled because of their unbelief and he went about among
the village's teaching as you go through the gospel of of mark
as you read through it you find it's very fast
paced things move on very quickly from section to section
even just considering coming into chapter six here what
what we had just before immediately before this was jesus
healing the woman who had the issue of blood and also
raising to life jesus's daughter and then you would think there may be a
pause there just so people would have a chance to
ask questions or maybe to fill in all that's happened but then you're almost
immediately moving on to the next part he went away from there it says
in verse one of chapter six he came to his own hometown and it's a theme that you
find right throughout this gospel it moves on
very quickly the word immediately appears quite often at different parts
throughout this gospel things moving on at pace things moving on
very quickly and as we come to look at this passage this evening
in a sense that's part of what we're thinking about this
this evening together is how things move along so quickly
for us we often think about the phrase where has the time gone
and we maybe say that to ourselves so often
in so many different experiences where has
the time gone and the difference it makes in our lives
maybe the older we get the more we look back
and we start to look at many different things and how they've changed
over time where has the time gone
time passing quickly is sometimes seen
in a positive way you hear the phrase too time flies
when you're having fun when things are going well when there's much to enjoy in
life you find that time can pass very quickly
i'm sure teachers and pupils people are enjoying a holiday over the next few
weeks they'll look back in a fortnight's time and think wow how quickly time went by
and yet when you're looking at it maybe when you're in school
you're thinking oh how slowly time is moving on
when you're enjoying yourself when you're having fun time seems
to go past so quickly time flies when you're having fun
we also look at our lives in other different ways
and find things that are passing us by so quickly
we think of even just looking around ourselves here this evening when we have
families gathered together people who have children you see them
growing up and how quickly the time goes past how quickly
our children grow how quickly as we said holidays can go past how quickly
the years go by we see it about so many different things
in our life and that sometimes leads us to a sense of concern
time flies when we're having fun there's a positive sense in that
but there's also a concern when we think about the time
going past so quickly especially when we think of
years going past so quickly for us it should make us ask the question well
what have i done or what am i doing with my time
what am i doing with all the time that i have
so time passes by so quickly and you think of
this gospel written 2 000 years ago it seems
such a long long long time ago and yet down from this period down through all
the generations to our own day to day everyone who
has been alive throughout that period would say the same thing time is passing by
so quickly two thousand years there's nothing in the sight of god sounds a
long time in our experience but it's nothing
in the sight of god but this passage reminds us too that just as time
is moving past so quickly there's something else
that can pass us by so quickly too and that is
the gospel the gospel is passing us by so quickly
here we are gathered again we're here in the gospel
what are we doing with it it's passing us by once again
are we allowing it to penetrate are we listening
to what it's saying or do we just keep going and we're going to have another
opportunity to hear it again and again the gospel
is passing us by and as you look at chapter 6 here
that's what we're reminded of just how quickly
the gospel is passing by jesus it says in verse 1 he went away from
the way he had been where these miracles had taken place
came to his hometown with the disciples and there it says in verse 2 on the
sabbath he began to teach
in the synagogue he began to teach in verse 6 at the end of that verse it
says he went about among the villages
teaching then in verse 7 he called the 12 and began
to send them out two by two and gave them authority
over the unclean spirits he put them away
to go and teach the gospel was passing people by
here and that's a concern and it should be a concern for ourselves
what are we doing with the gospel as we're hearing it are we just allowing it
to pass us by or are we listening to the urgency of it are we listening
to what it's saying to us and the need to recognize what the gospel is all about
what the gospel is teaching us the need of a savior and the need to
listen to the lord jesus christ and it need to realize that he is the only one
that can save us from our sins the gospel is good news
and how do we need good news today so here the gospel is being spread
throughout towns and villages passing people by
and today the gospel is passing by too passing through our nation passing through
our lands passing to all ends of the earth in so many different ways
but immediately here the context this evening it's passing
by ourselves passing through our ears passing
into our hearts but is it taking hold in that place do we listen
listen to the gospel as we hear it or do we ignore it do we just let it pass us by
and want nothing more to do it what do with it well as we see in this passage
the people who heard the gospel there was both a positive response to it
and also a negative response and that's so often the case with the gospel and even to this day that's
the way it so often lands with people today there will be those who will respond positively
those who love to hear the gospel those who long to hear more of the gospel of this good news
of the lord jesus christ how it encourages us how it builds us up how it strengthens us for our day-to-day
lives how it helps us to go into the week that lies ahead how it gives us courage and boldness
to go out into the world around us knowing that with the lord on our side we have this mighty
god the lord with us the one who has spoken the one who has called us to follow him
so there are those who respond positively but there are also those who respond in a negative sense
in a negative way those who will just let it pass by take no heed listen to nothing that it says and
just let it go maybe to come back and hear it another time god willing but for now i want nothing
more of it for the rest of the week i can manage by myself through the week that lies ahead i can
go on in my own strength it's nice maybe to hear it just now but that's all i need but we are being
reminded in god's word again and again how much we need the gospel how much we need the lord jesus
christ and we're reminded of it through his word we're reminded of it through his providence and the
world in which we live how apart from him we can do nothing we can do nothing in our own strength and so
i want us to think of the positives and the negatives here of the gospel passing by the positives and the
negatives of the gospel passing by we're going to start with the negatives of the gospel passing by
we want to end on a positive note but we will start by looking at the negatives of the gospel
passing by and there's two negatives i want us to take from this passage and you say to yourself well
how can there be anything negative about the gospel passing by you think if the gospel is going out
that's all that matters that's all that counts god can do so much as the gospel is passing by people it's
him alone who has the power to save the power to salvation so how can there be anything negative
about the gospel passing by well we see it in different ways here and especially we see it
among the people in this passage and we see it in the way that they respond and the two ways that we want
to see the negatives here is how they respond as jesus is teaching how they respond to all they're seeing
of this jesus and the first negative we see is how they respond to jesus and especially the kind of
the questions that they ask as they are hearing him teaching and how we see here the negative side of
the gospel passing by how dismissive people are we read that in verse first of all in verse 2 and verse 3
on the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue and many who heard were astonished saying
where did this man get these things what is the wisdom given to him how are such mighty words done
works done by his hand is not this the carpenter the son of mary the brother of james and joses and judas
and simon and are not his sisters here with us and they took offense to him they were astonished
by all that they heard and all that they saw and yet they took offense to him and you see the negative
here is the way they respond to jesus the way they respond to all that jesus is doing in their midst and
especially the kind of questions that they ask of him or ask of those around them he had taught them
and he had done miracles in their midst but the question isn't who is this the question is how
how can this be how can these things happen and if you just go back to chapter 4 and the end of
chapter 4 in verse 35 down to the end of that chapter there you see a very different response to
jesus in the midst of a miracle his disciples were with him in this boat as they were crossing over
the sea and a great storm arose and the disciples first response is in verse 38 do you not care that we
are perishing it's as if they think jesus has no interest in us no concern for what's happening here
and jesus he awoke and he rebuked the wind and said to the sea peace be still and the wind ceased and
there was a great calm and he said to them why are you so afraid have you still no faith
but look at the response of the disciples in verse 41 they were filled with great fear
and that's a reverent fear a godly fear and said to one another who then is this that even the wind
and the sea obey him and you see the difference there who then is this that the wind and the waves obey
him whereas in chapter 6 here the response of the people is not who is this that he can do all of
these things but it's how where did he get his wisdom from how can these things how are such mighty
works done by his hands instead of being the right fear of god in their hearts marveling at who it is
that before is before them and asking who is this and why is he doing this instead of seeing themselves
as they should or as the disciples were reverently having this godly fear of jesus there's almost just
this nature of how can this be possible and so we so many people respond today as well instead of
seeing jesus and all that he's done saying who is this how much do we need this man jesus what can he do
for us even now they're asking how how can that be possible you don't need to believe that that's
just a load of nonsense isn't he the carpenter as it says here or the carpenter's son as it says in
other places isn't he just the son of mary isn't he only the brother of james and joses and judas and
simon isn't this just a normal man how is this possible with him instead of seeing who he is instead
of having this awe and wonder and marvel at is this this not the son of god is this not the messiah
who god has sent into our midst we see so often in the gospels especially these two kinds of responses
people who see jesus and the miracles he performs and the wonders of his teaching and are astonished
in the right sense of the word and don't just turn that against him and throw him away as it were
they took offense to him it says here so when you take offense to jesus today and just push him away
and that's the negative of the gospel passing by we we fail to realize who it is we fail to realize
what has been done for us we fail to realize the miracle of jesus in our midst that god sent his son
and that he is passing us by the one who has the words of eternal life
jesus came to seek and to save they're not asking who is this they're asking how
as the gospel passes by ourselves today what is our response are we asking how
is this possible or are we asking who who is this and how can i know him how can i know more of this
jesus and the wonders of what he has done the second negative we see here of the gospel passing by
is the hardness of their hearts we see that in verse 6 he marveled because of their
unbelief he was amazed at their lack of faith now he had seen it with the disciples
in chapter 4 he said to them do you still not have faith
but here he's marveled that even in the midst of the teaching and everything that he's doing
he's marveled because of their unbelief now what's interesting here is he's not
amazed he's not marveling at their sinfulness he's not astonished at how sinful they are
what's astonishing is their unbelief the hardness of their hearts because jesus knew coming into this
world that he was going to be despised and rejected and all of these things that there was going to be
he's coming into a sinful world among sinful people but yet he's left here marveled because of their
unbelief in the midst of all that he's doing for them and somebody once said this the greatest obstacle
to faith is not the failure of god to act he has done his part it is the unwillingness of mankind
to respond and believe god has done all for us and yet still there's unbelief still there's this hardening
of hearts and the hardening of hearts here is almost deadening the work of of god in their midst
it says in verse 5 he could do no mighty work there except that he laid his hands on a few sick people
and healed them they didn't want to know they didn't want jesus in their midst they didn't want
his miracles or his blessing in any way and so what did he do he moved on he went on as it says at the end
of verse 6 he went about among the villages teaching he carried on the gospel was passing by and in the
hardness of their heart they were missing the blessing of christ in their midst and to this day it's an
attitude that's prevalent in our society this hardening of heart this turning away from god this
offense to the gospel and to the church to the cross to everything that christ has done for us this
this hardening of heart against it and the sad thing about it just as it is in this passage
just as it is today that people do not realize who they are hardening their hearts against
that they do not realize what he has come to done to do and why they're missing out on so much
jesus is such an offense to people we're seeing it again and again in these days that anything to do
with christ anything to do with faith anything to do with christianity it's held with suspicion and
contempt at times and the cross becomes the symbol of offense without realizing the wonder of the cross
that jesus came to the cross to save us from our sins but we we push it away a few years ago it's a
number of years ago now i remember reading about someone who made a comment on the british flag
and the british flag that's made up of of three different crosses and you see the colors there in
the flag the red the white the blue and it's the red and the blue that that make up the crosses
and the person was saying the british flag will soon have to change because the crosses that make it up
have become such an offense to people they'll want it removed and what are we left with then
we're left with the white flag of surrender we're surrendering ourselves over to our sin giving up all
that is good and powerful of the cross of christ and waving the white flag of surrender through the hardness
of our hearts that's the negative of the gospel passing by the hardening of hearts surrenders ourselves
to sin and surrendered ourselves to a lost eternity the gospel is passing by and it's passing by so quickly
and what are we doing with it are we listening to it are we asking the wrong questions of it the how
instead of the who are we hardening our hearts in unbelief or are we seeking to come and bow before
the lord the gospel passes by and we need to see our need of it as it does and that's what leads us to the
positives to the positives of the gospel passing by and there's two i want to take from this passage this
evening and the first and the first and the greatest positive is this the gospel is passing by that god
hasn't turned silent towards us that god hasn't turned away completely from us but that god is speaking
and that god has spoken as he has in the past as we're reminded in the book of hebrews have he spoken
in the past through the prophets in the old testament and how now he is speaking through his son christ jesus
and that's the wonder of the gospel that we see here in mark that as jesus is passing through
towns and villages as the gospel is passing by there is the positive in it they are hearing the gospel
and that's the same for ourselves today as well that god is speaking the mighty god the lord has spoken
and did call that's the psalm that we sung earlier and that that is true today as well that the mighty god
the lord is still speaking and what does that remind us of it reminds us of the love of god
to this world to this world and to his people that he has not rejected us that he has not left us
to our own desires entirely but that god is still there to be turned god is still there to be heard
and to believe that he loves us with such a great love that god his word his gospel is being
being proclaimed it's the greatest positive we can have there was a man called henry ward beecher
and he was an old preacher and he loved to to go and encourage young preachers and to help them
along the way and he'd been listening to this young preacher preach one day and he said to him after
he'd been preaching he said you love to preach don't you and the young preacher replied i surely do i do i
love to preach but then his response to this young preacher was but do you love the people to whom you're
preaching do you love the people to whom you're preaching and that was a lesson for the young preacher
it's not just about to love to preach the word of god but to love the people who you're preaching to
that's not just a lesson for the preacher it's a lesson for us all a lesson for us all when it comes
to the gospel passing by and the positives that there are in it that we are to be salt and light in this world
that we are to love the word of god with all our hearts but that we are to love our neighbor as
ourselves too that we are instruments to carry the gospel to share the gospel to show and live out the
gospel among the people around us now that is our duty that we see the great love of god towards us
that he loves us that he speaks to us that he encourages us and that we would go from here even
this evening with that sense of joy and love in the lord to love those around us god's love is unchanging
it is a steadfast love and we are reminded of it throughout the scriptures again and again so many
people will if they do have any word of god's to say well if he is real how can he allow so much evil
and sorrow and sadness in this world and they say that can't be a god of love and yet god himself
says and i say just one passage we could take i say a 45 verse 22 he says turn to me and be saved all you
ends of the earth for i am god and there is no other there is no other way to salvation there is no other way to peace and eternal life but through him
and he says to all the ends of the earth to all who will listen he speaks this mighty god the lord and he says turn
turn turn to me and be saved there is his love the love that he provided for and the sacrifice of his own son
that he would be lifted up and that people would look to him and be saved
and so we see in this passage even as jesus sends out others as he sends out the 12
he sends him out with authority to go and proclaim the gospel to all ends of the earth as you carry on
into the book of acts the aim of the church should always be to proclaim the good news of jesus christ
to all ends of the earth and we take heart in that that the gospel is still passing by
we think of texts where jesus shows his love his compassion as he sees in matthew 9 for example towards
the end of that chapter as he sees the people as sheep without a shepherd he has compassion on them
and he says this the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few ask the lord of the harvest therefore
to send out workers into his harvest field that's not just to send out preachers ministers in the gospel
that the church as a whole would be sent out into the harvest field to reap the harvest the positive
even today and here in the passages the gospel is passing by the good news is still with us
the final thing we take from this passage is the positive of the fact that the gospel can make all
the difference the gospel can make all the difference as it's as jesus says there he marveled because of their
unbelief the fact that they couldn't grasp for themselves how much they needed the gospel how much the
gospel could make such a difference in their life they failed to believe they failed to trust
in that and what difference can the gospel make to us well even if you go back into chapter 5 you think of the
woman with the issue of blood you think of jesus's daughter you think of the disciples in the storm in chapter 4
you read through the gospel of mark and you see for yourself the difference the gospel makes
it is a power of god to salvation it is a way to eternal life but the question is do we believe it
do we believe with all our heart that the gospel can make all the difference in our lives do we believe in
all our heart that it can make the difference in the lives of those around us if i were to ask you this
evening to put up your hand if you believe in god i'm sure the majority of hands i hope would go up
if i was to ask you to put up your hand if you believe in the lord jesus christ
i hope and i'm assured that most of the hands here would go up but there's a difference between
believing these things and having faith in these things i want to share with you a story about
a man who was a tightrope walker his name was charles blondin and he was a famous tightrope walker in
the 1800s mid-1800s and especially famous for walking across a tightrope across niagara falls
and he would do it in many different ways he would walk across it he would dance across it
he would go across it blindfolded and large crowds would gather and watch him going back and forth on
this tightrope with the niagara falls below him and they were awestruck by the way it looked so simple
to him there was this one day it was in august 1859 and he was going across the tightrope with a wheelbarrow
and he went back and forth with a wheelbarrow no problem he put a load of bricks into the wheelbarrow
again back and forth no problem then he turned to the large crowd that had gathered he says who here
believes that i could take a man across in the wheelbarrow across on the tightrope everyone cheered
and put up their hands they all believed that he could do it so then he turned to the crowd and asked
who will volunteer to go in the wheelbarrow and all the hands immediately went down no one was willing
to volunteer to go into the wheelbarrow to go across on one hand they believed that he could do it
but on the other hand there was no faith to trust that they could do it for him
and when we think of the gospel passing us by this evening when we think of all that goes on
in our lives we may be saying our hearts yes i believe in god yes i believe in the lord jesus christ
but the question is do you have faith in him are you putting yourself over to him with that sense of
entrusting everything to him that he holds you in his hands that he has your soul secure for all
eternity do you believe but do you have faith the gospel is passing by it's passing by so quickly
and the years go past so quickly and the gospel we hear again and again maybe we believe it
the question is how much do we believe it with all our heart and do we have faith in the lord jesus
that he is able to carry us from time to eternity secure with him
the gospel is passing by we see negatives where people ask the wrong questions
the how instead of the who and the why he's done it we see people who respond with unbelief
and hard hearts but we rejoice that the gospel is still passing by that we still have the opportunity
that we still hear it but we ask the question are we of unbelief
or do we believe that he is god and that jesus christ has come into this world but more than that do we have
faith do we have faith in him that he will hold us secure for all eternity that is the gospel
jesus will keep us secure and we need faith in the gospel to hear it as it's passing by and to believe
with all our heart and that is why we look to god the mighty god the lord has spoken and did call the gospel
is passing us by again don't let it pass by in unbelief but believe let us pray
our father in heaven we rejoice that you speak and help us to have ears to hear what you say to us
we thank you that the gospel is good news for us that the gospel is what can make all the difference
in our hearts and in our lives and we pray lord for your spirit to apply it to our hearts and to give
us not just belief in our hearts but through faith and repentance and turning to you so lord we ask you
continue with us to guide us bless us and watch over us in jesus name amen
we're going to conclude by singing to god's praise in psalm 147 the sing psalms version page 193
psalm 147 page 193 we sing from verse 15 to verse 18 this is a psalm that reminds us of
the power of god's word and how sometimes it seems to go out on hard ground but how it has the power
to melt the hardened hearts to all the corners of the earth the lord's commands proceed for when he
speaks his word goes forth through all the world with speed he spreads the snow as wool the frost like
ashes on the land he hurls forth icy hail like stones who can such cold withstand but when he sends his
mighty word and makes the warm winds blow the frozen waters start to melt and once again to flow we'll
sing these three stanzas to god's praise the tune is arlington and we stand to sing
to all the corners of the earth the lord's commands proceed for when he speak his word was soared for when he
speaks haha
my name is my name is our pray his ways to request a symbol to register for when he speaks his word goes soared for when he speaks his word goes soared for quand he speaks his word goes soared for when he speaks his word goes soared for when it speaks the ground goes soared to 다음에 he speaks that debtor will grow
The world will speak.
He spreads as slow as wool across.
Like ashes on the land.
He hurls for my sea hell like stones.
Who can such wool withstand?
But when he sends his mighty word.
And makes the warm winds blow.
The frozen waters start to melt.
And once again to flow.
After the benediction I'll go to the door to my left.
We'll close with the benediction.
Now may grace, mercy and peace from God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit rest upon and abide with you all now and forevermore.
Amen.