WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.700 Great to be with you tonight and to join with you in the worship of God. 00:00:03.700 --> 00:00:08.439 Let us worship God. We're going to sing those familiar words of Psalm 100. 00:00:09.080 --> 00:00:16.559 All people that on earth do dwell, the Scottish Psalter version, sing to the Lord with cheerful voice. 00:00:16.559 --> 00:00:19.980 Let's join our voices together in God's praise. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:43.439 Come on earth do dwell, sing to the Lord with cheerful voice. 00:00:43.439 --> 00:01:01.439 Him said when birth is rich for them, come we before Him and rejoice. 00:01:01.439 --> 00:01:19.439 Not that the Lord is God in peace, without courage He gave us faith. 00:01:19.439 --> 00:01:28.439 We are His walk, He doth us be. 00:01:28.439 --> 00:01:38.439 And for His sheep, He doth us be. 00:01:38.439 --> 00:01:47.439 All enter and His gates with ways. 00:01:47.439 --> 00:01:56.439 Approach with joy His course unto. 00:01:56.439 --> 00:02:05.439 Praise God and bless His name always. 00:02:05.439 --> 00:02:08.439 Praise God and bless His grace. 00:02:08.439 --> 00:02:14.439 For it is simply so to do. 00:02:14.439 --> 00:02:24.439 For by the Lord of God is good. 00:02:24.439 --> 00:02:33.439 His mercy is forever assured. 00:02:33.439 --> 00:02:34.439 His mercy is forever assured. 00:02:34.439 --> 00:02:34.439 00:02:34.439 --> 00:02:34.439 00:02:34.439 --> 00:02:35.439 His mercy is forever assured. 00:02:35.439 --> 00:02:34.439 His mercy is forever assured. 00:02:34.439 --> 00:02:35.439 His mercy is forever assured. 00:02:35.439 --> 00:02:34.439 His mercy is forever assured. 00:02:34.439 --> 00:02:35.439 His mercy is forever assured. 00:02:35.439 --> 00:02:34.439 His mercy is forever assured. 00:02:34.439 --> 00:02:35.439 His mercy is forever assured. 00:02:35.439 --> 00:02:34.439 His mercy is forever assured. 00:02:34.439 --> 00:02:35.439 His mercy is forever assured. 00:02:35.439 --> 00:02:34.439 His mercy is forever assured. 00:02:34.439 --> 00:02:34.439 00:02:34.439 --> 00:02:35.439 His mercy is forever assured. 00:02:35.439 --> 00:02:34.439 His mercy is forever assured. 00:02:34.439 --> 00:02:35.439 His mercy is forever assured. 00:02:35.439 --> 00:02:36.439 His mercy is forever assured. 00:02:36.439 --> 00:02:37.439 His mercy is forever assured. 00:02:37.439 --> 00:02:37.439 00:02:37.439 --> 00:02:42.439 His mercy is eternally assured. 00:02:42.439 --> 00:02:54.479 Let's έ 00:02:54.479 --> 00:02:54.479 00:02:54.479 --> 00:02:54.479 00:02:54.479 --> 00:02:54.479 00:02:54.479 --> 00:02:56.479 Let's pray. 00:02:56.479 --> 00:02:56.479 00:02:56.479 --> 00:02:56.479 00:02:56.479 --> 00:02:58.539 Let's pray. 00:02:58.539 --> 00:03:00.639 Let's unite our hearts in prayer. Let us pray. 00:03:01.459 --> 00:03:04.379 Our Father in heaven, we thank you for this open invitation 00:03:04.379 --> 00:03:09.859 that as those who dwell on earth, we are to come into your presence 00:03:09.859 --> 00:03:12.399 with praise and with thanksgiving. 00:03:13.139 --> 00:03:18.479 Come to the one who is altogether beautiful, magnificent, glorious. 00:03:19.199 --> 00:03:24.219 Come as those with empty hands, that we might come to the one who can fulfill 00:03:24.219 --> 00:03:28.180 and who can satisfy, who can restore, who can renew. 00:03:28.780 --> 00:03:32.139 We thank you, Lord, that you have placed a welcome mat out 00:03:32.139 --> 00:03:37.639 and that human beings, men and women, young and old, can come to you, 00:03:38.139 --> 00:03:43.139 can come for grace, for forgiveness, for joy, for peace. 00:03:43.560 --> 00:03:46.859 And Father, we pray that in our time together this evening, 00:03:47.079 --> 00:03:50.979 that the praises of our lips, that the very prayer in our heart, 00:03:50.979 --> 00:03:56.000 that the meditation of our mind would be pleasing in your sight. 00:03:56.259 --> 00:03:58.199 We thank you that we are not alone. 00:03:58.539 --> 00:04:02.560 We are promised in your word that where two or three are gathered, 00:04:03.099 --> 00:04:06.859 even there, Jesus promises to be in the midst. 00:04:07.539 --> 00:04:10.919 We thank you that when your word goes forth, it doesn't go forth alone. 00:04:11.259 --> 00:04:15.079 It goes forth with your power, that the Holy Spirit himself 00:04:15.079 --> 00:04:20.819 can take the words and apply them powerfully and transformatively 00:04:20.819 --> 00:04:24.040 in our hearts and in our lives. 00:04:24.500 --> 00:04:27.040 Father, we come to you as those who are weak, 00:04:27.040 --> 00:04:31.060 and many of us are bearing burdens that are heavy, 00:04:31.300 --> 00:04:34.379 physical, mental, emotional. 00:04:35.000 --> 00:04:38.500 Our own cares or concerns, the cares and concerns of others. 00:04:39.060 --> 00:04:41.319 We think of those words of our Lord Jesus, 00:04:41.319 --> 00:04:42.319 come to me. 00:04:42.959 --> 00:04:46.779 All who are weary and heavy laden, I will give you rest. 00:04:47.339 --> 00:04:51.000 Father, help us to bring those cares and those burdens to you, 00:04:51.420 --> 00:04:55.680 these weights that bear us down and ultimately crush us. 00:04:56.240 --> 00:04:59.600 We thank you that we have a Savior whose shoulders are broad, 00:04:59.600 --> 00:05:02.020 that he can carry what we cannot, 00:05:02.600 --> 00:05:06.100 that he can do what we are unable to do. 00:05:06.520 --> 00:05:09.420 And we ask that we would come to him for rest 00:05:09.420 --> 00:05:12.100 and for peace and for comfort. 00:05:12.700 --> 00:05:14.700 And we pray, Lord, for this town. 00:05:14.840 --> 00:05:16.080 We pray for this island. 00:05:16.580 --> 00:05:19.920 And we recognize that many, too, will be struggling, 00:05:20.580 --> 00:05:22.860 struggling with the challenges of life, 00:05:23.340 --> 00:05:25.840 with the challenges of age or infirmity. 00:05:25.839 --> 00:05:28.919 And we ask, Lord, that we might be a people 00:05:28.919 --> 00:05:33.899 whose hearts overflow with kindness, with compassion, 00:05:34.239 --> 00:05:35.939 with care, with concern, 00:05:35.939 --> 00:05:39.919 that not only would we receive compassion from you, 00:05:40.299 --> 00:05:44.019 that we would exercise care and compassion to others. 00:05:44.620 --> 00:05:46.579 Father, we pray that in this world 00:05:46.579 --> 00:05:49.179 where there seems to be much darkness, 00:05:49.759 --> 00:05:51.419 that we would be light, 00:05:51.839 --> 00:05:54.539 that we would reflect the light of the gospel, 00:05:54.540 --> 00:05:56.200 the light of our Lord Jesus, 00:05:56.660 --> 00:05:57.980 the words that we say, 00:05:58.360 --> 00:05:59.600 the lives that we live. 00:06:00.060 --> 00:06:01.580 So we pray for compassion. 00:06:01.980 --> 00:06:03.220 We pray for light. 00:06:03.620 --> 00:06:04.860 We pray for hope. 00:06:05.240 --> 00:06:08.540 Lord, we realize that we have in your word 00:06:08.540 --> 00:06:11.939 and in your gospel hope for ourselves, 00:06:12.360 --> 00:06:13.980 but not just for ourselves. 00:06:14.780 --> 00:06:16.120 Hope for our families. 00:06:17.060 --> 00:06:18.280 Hope for our communities. 00:06:19.100 --> 00:06:20.259 Hope for this island. 00:06:20.520 --> 00:06:21.580 Hope for this nation. 00:06:22.200 --> 00:06:24.439 And hope for the nations of the world. 00:06:25.319 --> 00:06:26.720 We think of the apostle Peter, 00:06:26.920 --> 00:06:28.900 who gave praise to you 00:06:28.900 --> 00:06:31.600 because you gave him a new birth 00:06:31.600 --> 00:06:33.439 into a living hope 00:06:33.439 --> 00:06:36.820 through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. 00:06:37.340 --> 00:06:38.740 So we thank you this evening 00:06:38.740 --> 00:06:40.460 that Jesus' resurrection 00:06:40.460 --> 00:06:42.980 means that we have a living Savior. 00:06:43.700 --> 00:06:45.420 And his resurrection means, therefore, 00:06:45.520 --> 00:06:46.879 that we have a living hope. 00:06:47.379 --> 00:06:50.259 And we ask that you might give us words to convey 00:06:50.259 --> 00:06:54.319 and lives that testify to the living hope 00:06:54.319 --> 00:06:56.759 which we have in a living Savior. 00:06:57.319 --> 00:07:00.500 Lord, we ask that in our time together this evening, 00:07:00.719 --> 00:07:02.939 as we praise and as we pray 00:07:02.939 --> 00:07:05.980 and as we hear and as we respond, 00:07:05.980 --> 00:07:10.000 Father, be pleased to hear our prayers. 00:07:10.319 --> 00:07:12.920 Be pleased to answer our prayers. 00:07:13.240 --> 00:07:15.660 Be pleased to exceed our asking. 00:07:16.400 --> 00:07:18.860 Be pleased to exceed even our imagining. 00:07:19.439 --> 00:07:21.160 Because you are a great God 00:07:21.160 --> 00:07:23.960 who is good, kind, and compassionate. 00:07:24.480 --> 00:07:26.360 And we come to you in that personal 00:07:26.360 --> 00:07:28.460 and powerful name of Jesus, 00:07:29.120 --> 00:07:31.100 your Son, our Savior. 00:07:31.100 --> 00:07:32.140 Amen. 00:07:33.879 --> 00:07:35.680 Our next item of praise, 00:07:35.760 --> 00:07:36.980 we're going to sing from the, 00:07:37.080 --> 00:07:39.720 sing Psalms, Psalm 130. 00:07:40.439 --> 00:07:43.000 Psalm 130, Lord from the depths. 00:07:44.060 --> 00:07:46.740 We'll sing that to the tune of martyrdom. 00:07:49.520 --> 00:07:51.760 Lord from the depths I call to you. 00:07:51.939 --> 00:07:53.660 Lord, hear me from on high 00:07:53.660 --> 00:07:56.460 and give attention to my voice 00:07:56.460 --> 00:07:58.320 when I for mercy cry. 00:07:58.420 --> 00:08:00.200 Let's join our voices together. 00:08:01.100 --> 00:08:14.939 Lord from the depths I call to you. 00:08:14.939 --> 00:08:22.080 Lord, hear me from on high 00:08:22.079 --> 00:08:31.859 and give attention to my voice 00:08:31.859 --> 00:08:38.079 when I for mercy cry. 00:08:38.079 --> 00:08:40.000 Lord, hear me from on high 00:08:40.000 --> 00:08:48.919 for in your presence to come stand. 00:08:48.919 --> 00:09:09.959 if you are singing, 00:09:09.959 --> 00:09:09.959 00:09:09.959 --> 00:09:09.959 00:09:09.959 --> 00:09:09.959 00:09:09.959 --> 00:09:09.959 00:09:09.959 --> 00:09:09.959 00:09:09.959 --> 00:09:09.959 00:09:09.959 --> 00:09:09.959 00:09:09.959 --> 00:09:09.959 00:09:09.959 --> 00:09:11.959 if you are singing, 00:09:11.959 --> 00:09:11.959 00:09:11.959 --> 00:09:11.959 00:09:11.959 --> 00:09:11.959 00:09:11.959 --> 00:09:11.959 00:09:11.959 --> 00:09:11.959 00:09:11.959 --> 00:09:11.959 00:09:11.959 --> 00:09:11.959 00:09:11.959 --> 00:09:11.959 00:09:11.959 --> 00:09:11.959 00:09:11.959 --> 00:09:11.959 00:09:11.959 --> 00:09:11.959 00:09:11.959 --> 00:09:11.959 00:09:11.959 --> 00:09:11.959 00:09:11.959 --> 00:09:11.959 00:09:11.959 --> 00:09:11.959 00:09:11.959 --> 00:09:11.959 00:09:11.959 --> 00:09:11.959 00:09:11.959 --> 00:09:11.959 00:09:11.959 --> 00:09:11.959 00:09:11.959 --> 00:09:11.959 00:09:11.959 --> 00:09:11.959 00:09:11.960 --> 00:09:31.400 I bid my soul wait for the Lord, my hope is in his word. 00:09:31.399 --> 00:09:49.159 More than the watchman waits for God, my soul waits for the Lord. 00:09:49.159 --> 00:10:06.419 O Israel, good pure hope in God, our mercy is with him. 00:10:06.419 --> 00:10:22.620 And full redemption promises, his people will redeem. 00:10:30.019 --> 00:10:33.839 If you'll turn with me in the Old Testament, we're going to read from the book of Isaiah. 00:10:33.840 --> 00:10:38.340 This morning we looked at Isaiah 6, the prophet's commissioning. 00:10:38.879 --> 00:10:42.500 We're now looking at Isaiah 35, which is quite a remarkable chapter. 00:10:43.480 --> 00:10:46.379 Isaiah is a big book, it's 66 chapters long. 00:10:46.480 --> 00:10:52.519 It's the second most quoted book in the New Testament, second only to the book of Psalms. 00:10:53.180 --> 00:10:59.680 The first 35 chapters tend to be quite solemn, quite somber. 00:10:59.679 --> 00:11:09.579 And yet this section ends on a very high and a very bright note with this chapter, this song of the redeemed, 00:11:10.000 --> 00:11:16.299 and the transforming power that takes place when God intervenes. 00:11:16.899 --> 00:11:23.139 The geography and the people are transformed dramatically, miraculously. 00:11:23.139 --> 00:11:26.139 So let's read together, Isaiah 35. 00:11:26.139 --> 00:11:30.559 The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad. 00:11:31.319 --> 00:11:34.360 The desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus. 00:11:35.059 --> 00:11:40.299 It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing. 00:11:41.220 --> 00:11:47.340 The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. 00:11:48.039 --> 00:11:52.259 They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God. 00:11:52.259 --> 00:11:54.679 Strengthen the weak hands. 00:11:55.460 --> 00:11:57.559 Make firm the feeble knees. 00:11:58.399 --> 00:12:02.279 Say to those who have an anxious heart, be strong, fear not. 00:12:03.000 --> 00:12:06.899 Behold, your God will come with vengeance. 00:12:07.480 --> 00:12:10.960 With the recompense of God, he will come and save you. 00:12:11.600 --> 00:12:18.319 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, the ears of the deaf unstopped. 00:12:18.320 --> 00:12:24.080 Then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. 00:12:24.660 --> 00:12:28.820 For waters break forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. 00:12:29.580 --> 00:12:35.660 The burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water. 00:12:35.659 --> 00:12:43.679 In the haunt of jackals, where they lie down, the grass shall become reeds and rushes. 00:12:44.299 --> 00:12:49.299 And a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the way of holiness. 00:12:49.299 --> 00:12:53.399 The unclean shall not pass over it. 00:12:53.899 --> 00:12:56.979 It shall belong to those who walk on the way. 00:12:57.639 --> 00:13:00.559 Even if they are fools, they shall not go astray. 00:13:00.979 --> 00:13:06.099 No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it. 00:13:06.500 --> 00:13:08.259 They shall not be found there. 00:13:08.259 --> 00:13:14.399 But the redeemed shall walk there, and the ransomed of the Lord shall return, 00:13:14.620 --> 00:13:16.759 and come to Zion with singing. 00:13:17.679 --> 00:13:20.740 Everlasting joy shall be upon their heads. 00:13:21.379 --> 00:13:28.799 They shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. 00:13:29.500 --> 00:13:30.179 Amen. 00:13:30.559 --> 00:13:35.179 And may God add his own blessing to this reading of his word. 00:13:35.179 --> 00:13:42.239 We're now going to sing a psalm which points to that kind of transformation that takes place. 00:13:42.500 --> 00:13:45.019 We're going to sing from Psalm 146. 00:13:45.239 --> 00:13:47.219 We're going to sing from verse 5. 00:13:47.399 --> 00:13:52.059 Blessed is the one who truly looks for help from Jacob's God. 00:13:52.459 --> 00:13:56.120 And you'll notice the psalm that we sing from 5 to the end, 00:13:56.679 --> 00:13:58.379 that he made the earth and heaven. 00:13:58.859 --> 00:14:01.059 Verse 7, he delivers from oppression. 00:14:01.500 --> 00:14:03.659 He relieves the hungry's plight. 00:14:03.659 --> 00:14:06.879 He releases those in prison to the blind. 00:14:07.339 --> 00:14:08.899 The Lord gives sight. 00:14:09.139 --> 00:14:11.620 We're going to sing from verse 5, the tune of Stuttgart. 00:14:11.879 --> 00:14:15.319 Let's join our voices together in God's praise. 00:14:15.320 --> 00:14:17.320 Stuttgart. 00:14:17.320 --> 00:14:29.860 Blessed is the one who fully looks for help to Jacob's God. 00:14:29.860 --> 00:14:41.860 Blessed is the one who places all his hope upon the Lord. 00:14:41.860 --> 00:14:54.139 He who makes the earth and heaven and the seas with all their storm. 00:14:54.139 --> 00:15:00.139 He who keeps his every promise. 00:15:00.139 --> 00:15:06.139 Who is faithful evermore. 00:15:06.139 --> 00:15:12.139 He kills ever strong oppression. 00:15:12.139 --> 00:15:33.179 He doesn't voy forbade. 00:15:33.179 --> 00:16:03.179 singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing singing, singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing 00:16:03.179 --> 00:16:18.559 through endless days. Praise to every generation. Praise to God, O Zion. Praise. 00:16:24.899 --> 00:16:29.059 We'll have an opportunity to refer back to that chapter in a few moments, but 00:16:29.059 --> 00:16:35.759 I'd like to read from Mark's Gospel, and as we move in our Bibles into the New Testament, 00:16:36.359 --> 00:16:41.539 we're going to read from Mark chapter 7, but before I get there, let me just remind you of the opening 00:16:41.539 --> 00:16:50.059 verses of Mark. Mark 1 verse 1, the beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, 00:16:50.519 --> 00:16:57.739 as it is written in Isaiah the prophet, behold, I send my messenger before your face, 00:16:57.740 --> 00:17:05.099 who will prepare your way, a voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord, 00:17:05.660 --> 00:17:14.220 make his path straight. Mark wants us to know about Jesus, who he is, the Son of God, and notice at the 00:17:14.220 --> 00:17:20.539 very beginning, Mark is connecting the ministry of Jesus, the ministry of John the Baptist, with the 00:17:20.539 --> 00:17:29.680 prophecy of Isaiah. And as we now turn to chapter 7 of Mark's Gospel, I want to read to us from verse 31 00:17:29.680 --> 00:17:37.680 down to 38, to the end of the 37, to the end of the chapter. Now Mark is interesting because Mark is the 00:17:37.680 --> 00:17:47.079 shortest of the Gospels, and yet Mark contains many unique scenes, many unique events, many unique 00:17:47.079 --> 00:17:54.279 characters. You would think that the shortest of the Gospels would have very little new or unique 00:17:54.279 --> 00:18:02.839 information. But this man, the deaf-mute man at the end of Mark 7 is unique to Mark's Gospel, and I think 00:18:02.839 --> 00:18:10.899 it's significant in our understanding of the person and the ministry of Jesus. So at verse 31 and 7, 00:18:10.900 --> 00:18:18.640 then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, in the region 00:18:18.640 --> 00:18:26.800 of the Decapolis. And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment. And they begged 00:18:26.800 --> 00:18:34.480 him to lay his hand on him. And taking him aside from the crowd privately, he put his fingers into his 00:18:34.480 --> 00:18:41.039 ears, after spitting, touched his tongue, and looked up to heaven. He sighed and said to him, 00:18:41.539 --> 00:18:49.360 Ephphata, that is, be opened. And his ears were opened, and his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. 00:18:50.059 --> 00:18:57.079 Jesus charged them to tell no one. But the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. 00:18:57.079 --> 00:19:06.740 And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear 00:19:06.740 --> 00:19:17.199 and the mute speak. He does all things well. In these opening chapters of Mark, Jesus is establishing 00:19:17.199 --> 00:19:25.019 his credentials, who he is, what he has come to do. I don't know if you ever had to do this. 00:19:25.019 --> 00:19:31.259 I was trying to, I eventually succeeded in renewing my American driver's license. I'm from the state 00:19:31.259 --> 00:19:39.319 of New Jersey. We don't have the DVLA. We have the DMV. Same idea. But the DMV, the Department of Motor 00:19:39.319 --> 00:19:46.519 Vehicles, wants to make sure that you are who you say you are. So actually proving who you are can be 00:19:46.519 --> 00:19:55.680 quite difficult. I went armed with my passport and my birth certificate and a bill that had my name and 00:19:55.680 --> 00:20:01.819 address on it, and I barely succeeded. But I did succeed in improving my identity and renewing my 00:20:01.819 --> 00:20:10.740 driver's license. But the opening chapters of Mark, Jesus is doing something profound. Remember, Mark tells 00:20:10.740 --> 00:20:17.359 us that this is the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. And in these chapters, we see the credentials 00:20:17.359 --> 00:20:25.799 of what you would expect from someone who is God. You see, Jesus does the things that God does. 00:20:26.279 --> 00:20:35.180 Jesus says the things that God says. Jesus establishes his identity so that when we understand who he is, 00:20:35.180 --> 00:20:42.759 we begin to understand why he has come. And you see, the whole theme of the New Testament, not just Mark's 00:20:42.759 --> 00:20:50.600 gospel. The Apostle Paul summarized it, didn't he? He said, we preach Christ crucified. Jesus Christ, 00:20:50.960 --> 00:21:01.240 Son of God, crucified for us, for sin, in order that we might come into a new and a living relationship 00:21:01.240 --> 00:21:09.220 with him. And as you survey these opening chapters are quite remarkable. We see that Jesus has authority 00:21:09.220 --> 00:21:19.200 to teach. He taught like no other teacher taught. We see that he has authority over nature. He can order 00:21:19.200 --> 00:21:29.359 the wind to stop and the waves to cease being rough. We see his miraculous powers over disease, 00:21:29.359 --> 00:21:38.979 over death, over evil. And as you read these chapters time and again, the impossible happens. 00:21:40.459 --> 00:21:49.459 The impossible healing, the impossible resurrection, the impossible calming of the storm, impossible feedings, 00:21:50.179 --> 00:21:57.539 thousands of hungry people, and meager portions of food. But Jesus wants us to know what kind of 00:21:57.539 --> 00:22:06.519 God he is, what kind of Savior he is, that he's the Savior who's come to cast out evil. He's the kind of 00:22:06.519 --> 00:22:15.779 Savior who's come to bring health and happiness and vitality and abundance. And as we come to the end of 00:22:15.779 --> 00:22:26.339 chapter 7, we encounter yet again an example of the power of Jesus, the compassion of Jesus, the care and the 00:22:26.339 --> 00:22:34.759 concern of Jesus. This man who was deaf couldn't hear. This man who was mute couldn't speak. Not able to 00:22:34.759 --> 00:22:44.500 communicate. Not able to interact. And Jesus heals him miraculously and powerfully. And as you read through 00:22:44.500 --> 00:22:53.000 these chapters, you realize what an unusual cast of characters. You see, Jesus has come to call ordinary 00:22:53.000 --> 00:23:03.700 people. Tax collectors, fishermen, those who are disabled, those who have physical problems, those who have weak faith, 00:23:04.119 --> 00:23:12.000 those who are possessed by evil, those who are outside of the normal circle. Because even here, Jesus is outside of 00:23:12.000 --> 00:23:22.720 Israel. He's in the area of the Gentiles. So very unusual men and women. People that we wouldn't think were 00:23:22.720 --> 00:23:29.799 significant or substantial. I think it was Abraham Lincoln who said, God must love the common man 00:23:29.799 --> 00:23:37.259 because he's made so many of them. And you and I are quite ordinary people. We have ordinary lives. We have 00:23:37.259 --> 00:23:43.500 ordinary hopes, ordinary fears. And the Bible says that there are not many wise and not many noble, 00:23:43.839 --> 00:23:52.140 not many substantial. You see, Jesus is extraordinary. We are quite ordinary. He can do 00:23:52.140 --> 00:23:59.400 extraordinary things. We can only do very ordinary things. So we come to the end of the chapter. We see 00:23:59.400 --> 00:24:08.560 this man who is an outsider. He's an outsider and he has obvious problems. Can't hear, can't speak. 00:24:09.240 --> 00:24:18.140 And they bring people to, and they bring him to Jesus. And Jesus takes him aside privately. 00:24:18.140 --> 00:24:26.580 And he puts his fingers into the man's ears, spit and touch the man's tongue. He looked up to heaven 00:24:26.580 --> 00:24:33.800 and he said, be opened. And the man's ears were opened. He could hear. The man's tongue was released 00:24:33.800 --> 00:24:40.759 and he could speak. And he charged them, tell no one. You see, in this early part of Jesus's ministry, 00:24:40.759 --> 00:24:49.879 he said to those who were healed often, don't tell. Don't let anyone know. You see, Jesus's popularity 00:24:49.879 --> 00:24:56.000 was swelling at this particular point. And so much so that there were times where he couldn't move 00:24:56.000 --> 00:25:02.519 about. There were times where he wasn't able to speak because the crowd was so large. In fact, if you 00:25:02.519 --> 00:25:10.740 think of it this way, Jesus's preaching and teaching ministry was three years long. The first year was a 00:25:10.740 --> 00:25:18.220 year of beginning. His first miracles, his first sermons, his first parables. The second year was a 00:25:18.220 --> 00:25:26.880 year of popularity. Everyone wanted to see him. Everyone wanted to hear him. Everyone wanted his help. 00:25:27.799 --> 00:25:35.420 And the third year was the year of opposition, where those many who had come to hear him heard him no more. 00:25:35.420 --> 00:25:43.240 Many who had come to follow him followed him no more. His sayings were difficult. His demands were high. 00:25:43.720 --> 00:25:51.740 His challenges were great. And that year of challenge then consummated with his betrayal, his arrest, 00:25:52.519 --> 00:26:01.960 his trials, and ultimately his condemnation and his crucifixion. But now it's a time of encouragement. 00:26:01.960 --> 00:26:08.940 Now it's a time of excitement. He has done all things well. And if you're a Christian here tonight, 00:26:09.019 --> 00:26:16.380 I hope that you can testify that he has done all things well. We get it wrong. He always gets it right. 00:26:16.980 --> 00:26:26.819 We have inadequacies. We have lack of understanding, lack of capacity. But if you're a Christian here 00:26:26.819 --> 00:26:33.919 tonight, you can tell other people, he does all things well. He knows. He's able. He's willing. 00:26:34.179 --> 00:26:40.439 He's powerful. He's personal. And I think there's such a value to testimony. 00:26:43.419 --> 00:26:48.779 One of the reasons why I'm preaching for Mark is that Mark is quite familiar. We're doing a course 00:26:48.779 --> 00:26:54.259 at Buccleuch, a Christianity Explored course, which takes us through Mark's gospel. So I've been reading 00:26:54.259 --> 00:27:04.980 through Mark. And what we see time and time again is ordinary people who now have an extraordinary story 00:27:04.980 --> 00:27:13.019 to tell. They've encountered Jesus and their ordinary lives are ordinary no longer. And if you've encountered 00:27:13.019 --> 00:27:21.599 Jesus, you might think you're ordinary, but you're not. You've experienced the extraordinary saving 00:27:21.599 --> 00:27:29.199 power of Jesus. And in these conversations around tables in our church at Buccleuch, we are encountering 00:27:29.199 --> 00:27:35.059 people who are looking. They're searching. One guy saw the sign out in front of the church. 00:27:35.179 --> 00:27:41.699 Christianity Explored, Monday 7 p.m. And he showed up. He said, I saw your sign. I thought I'd come. 00:27:42.219 --> 00:27:47.719 Other people have come to our church recently. And they come and they say, I've become a Christian. 00:27:47.720 --> 00:27:55.220 I'm not really sure how it's happened. But I watched this video. I was looking online. And I came to realize 00:27:55.220 --> 00:28:02.059 who Jesus is. And I've trusted in him. I wanted to find a church. So I put, find a church in Edinburgh. 00:28:02.440 --> 00:28:10.640 And Buccleuch happened to come up first on that web search. What does that say? It says that God is still at work. 00:28:10.640 --> 00:28:18.620 God still is at work doing the extraordinary in the lives of men and women. And when you encounter 00:28:18.620 --> 00:28:24.259 Jesus, you might think your life is ordinary. You might think your story is ordinary. But I tell you 00:28:24.259 --> 00:28:32.440 what, you've got a story to tell of an extraordinary Savior with extraordinary love, with extraordinary 00:28:32.440 --> 00:28:39.960 power, who has done great things in your life and has given you hope and joy and peace. 00:28:40.640 --> 00:28:48.280 But as we look at this miracle, I think there's something more than just the establishing of Jesus' 00:28:48.480 --> 00:28:55.480 identity. I think there's something more than demonstrating Jesus' power as great as that is. 00:28:56.480 --> 00:29:03.600 You see, Mark often does this. Mark often creates almost like a frame where he has a miracle, 00:29:03.599 --> 00:29:13.599 miracle in this case, and another miracle. And it frames a feast or a banquet. At the end of chapter 00:29:13.599 --> 00:29:21.619 seven, we have a miracle. The deaf man, the deaf mute man hears and speaks. In verse 22 of chapter eight, 00:29:21.759 --> 00:29:29.000 we have the blind man of Bethsaida, the blind man who sees. So you have two health miracles. 00:29:29.000 --> 00:29:36.359 And then in chapter eight, the beginning of chapter eight, you have a feast, a banquet in a desolate 00:29:36.359 --> 00:29:48.900 wilderness. Mark is, I think, is drawing our attention back in order to draw our attention forward. 00:29:48.900 --> 00:29:58.780 As we read chapter seven, the healing of the mute man, we're told that this man was deaf and had a speech 00:29:58.780 --> 00:30:05.920 impediment. He probably was able to speak, but he was not able to be understood. And the word that Mark 00:30:05.920 --> 00:30:13.620 uses here is unique. It only occurs once in the New Testament. Now that happens. Mark particularly 00:30:13.619 --> 00:30:21.159 use kind of ordinary language. So sometimes he uses words that Luke and Matthew and John don't use. 00:30:21.699 --> 00:30:29.279 So having a unique word in Mark's gospel is not particularly unusual. But what is particularly 00:30:29.279 --> 00:30:39.199 unusual is this unique word that appears in verse 32 is the same unique word that appears when the 00:30:39.200 --> 00:30:50.100 translators translated Isaiah 35. And they wanted to translate the word for a speech impediment or mute 00:30:50.100 --> 00:30:58.580 to describe what the Messiah would do when his kingdom came. So I think what we have here is an echo 00:30:58.580 --> 00:31:09.100 where Mark is reminding us of an old promise to tell us even more about Jesus, more about 00:31:09.099 --> 00:31:17.019 his kingdom, more about his plans, more about his purposes. Now what does an echo sound like? Well, 00:31:17.240 --> 00:31:27.259 let me give you an example. It would be like if I were to say, I have a dream. Now there's an echo there. 00:31:27.819 --> 00:31:33.980 It's not unique material on my part. I'm reminding you of that great speech that occurred in the summer of 00:31:33.980 --> 00:31:42.240 1963 when Martin Luther King in March on Washington. He told an audience of hundreds of thousands of people, 00:31:42.400 --> 00:31:50.200 I have a dream. So it's an echo. Takes you back. And it reminds you of something that has been said a long 00:31:50.200 --> 00:31:58.920 time ago. If I were to say, we will never surrender. Again, there's an echo. 1940, House of Commons, 00:31:58.920 --> 00:32:10.320 Winston Churchill, World War II. The deaf-mute man is an echo that takes us back to Isaiah 35. And if you 00:32:10.320 --> 00:32:20.320 turn with me to that chapter, I think we can see how these two chapters are linked together. The miracle 00:32:20.320 --> 00:32:27.960 of the deaf-mute man, the miracle of the blind man of Bethsaida, and a feast, a banquet that occurs 00:32:27.960 --> 00:32:37.120 in a wilderness. If you look at Isaiah 35, it's quite a remarkable setting. And it doesn't look very 00:32:37.120 --> 00:32:47.799 promising. We're told that where this song is set, Isaiah 35 verse 1, is described as a wilderness 00:32:47.799 --> 00:33:01.019 and as a desert. The people don't particularly show much favor either. In verse 3, we're told that the 00:33:01.019 --> 00:33:08.960 people are characterized by weak hands and feeble knees. Verse 4 tells us that they are people who 00:33:08.960 --> 00:33:18.360 have an anxious heart. Verses 5 and 6, we're told that the people are blind, they can't see, they're deaf, 00:33:18.480 --> 00:33:25.840 they can't hear, they're lame, they can't walk, and they're mute, they can't speak. Not particularly 00:33:25.840 --> 00:33:32.860 favorable, does it? These are the kind of people, this is the kind of place. It doesn't seem like a 00:33:32.859 --> 00:33:41.059 favorable place or a kind of favorable group of people for something remarkable to happen. Because 00:33:41.059 --> 00:33:47.319 as a rule, if you're blind, you stay blind, you're deaf, you stay deaf, you're lame, you stay lame, you're 00:33:47.319 --> 00:33:54.000 mute, you stay mute. The wilderness is still the wilderness. The barren place is the barren place. 00:33:54.000 --> 00:34:02.079 And that's the way it always is. That's the way it always is unless something happens. Unless someone 00:34:02.079 --> 00:34:10.719 comes in to change. Because we're told that the wilderness and the dry land will now become glad. 00:34:11.280 --> 00:34:18.119 We're told that the desert will now rejoice and blossom like the crocus. And it shall blossom 00:34:18.119 --> 00:34:23.659 abundantly. There's going to be an excess of life. There's going to be an excess of flowers. 00:34:23.659 --> 00:34:30.539 There's going to be an excess of color, an excess of water. And you think, wow, how is this happening? 00:34:31.039 --> 00:34:38.379 You just said it was a parched land, a wilderness. And now it's a flourishing, like a flourishing meadow. 00:34:39.099 --> 00:34:46.119 And the people are changed. The weak hands in verse 3 are now being strengthened. The feeble knees are 00:34:46.119 --> 00:34:52.500 being made firm. The anxious heart has been strengthened because God has come. 00:34:52.500 --> 00:35:01.420 God has come. God has come. So Mark is connecting us to this great picture. To this great promise that had 00:35:01.420 --> 00:35:10.619 been written 700 or so years ago. And if you get the echo, you get not only can Jesus open or 00:35:10.619 --> 00:35:18.159 unstop the ears that are blind and open the tongue that is mute. But Jesus is ushering in a kingdom 00:35:18.159 --> 00:35:24.599 where the wilderness itself is now blossoming, where the desert is now a place of abundance. 00:35:25.399 --> 00:35:32.940 And notice in verses 5 and 6, the blind now have eyes that are opened and the deaf now have ears that 00:35:32.940 --> 00:35:40.639 are unstopped. The lame is now leaping like a deer and the tongue of the mute is now singing for joy. 00:35:40.639 --> 00:35:49.039 This is the transforming power that Messiah has come to bring. He's changing the geography. 00:35:49.440 --> 00:35:56.519 He's changing the people. He's transforming them so that they bear little resemblance to what they once were. 00:35:57.000 --> 00:36:02.599 And if we get this connection, we realize that Mark is not just telling us about a miracle, 00:36:02.599 --> 00:36:13.339 as marvelous as that is. But he's telling us that the Messiah, Jesus, is entering in a whole new world order. 00:36:13.960 --> 00:36:22.059 Everything is changed. Everything is transformed. Even the burning sand now becomes a pool. The thirsty 00:36:22.059 --> 00:36:28.319 ground, the ground that has no water, is now becoming a spring that's bubbling up with water. 00:36:28.320 --> 00:36:36.380 And we have a picture here where there's now an absence of dangerous animals. And there's a presence 00:36:36.380 --> 00:36:44.320 of a people who are walking on a way. They're walking on a highway. It's called holiness. There's no clean, 00:36:44.640 --> 00:36:52.500 unclean people there. The fools will not go astray. There's no danger there. But there's a way that is 00:36:52.500 --> 00:37:00.800 now made in the wilderness. And on this path, on this highway, is filled with people. The lame now 00:37:00.800 --> 00:37:08.420 leaping. The mute now singing. The blind, their eyes are opened. And the deaf, their ears are unstopped. 00:37:08.420 --> 00:37:15.960 Those with feeble and weak arms and legs. Those with fearful and anxious hearts are now strengthened 00:37:15.960 --> 00:37:25.099 and transformed. And we're told that these are a ransomed people. A price has been paid. And they 00:37:25.099 --> 00:37:33.639 have been set free. Ransomed. And they're returning. And notice that they now have a song to sing. 00:37:33.740 --> 00:37:42.059 Everlasting joy shall be upon their heads. They shall obtain gladness and joy and sorrow and sighing 00:37:42.059 --> 00:37:51.019 will flee away. The Messiah has come to change everything. He's come to change this world. 00:37:51.019 --> 00:37:57.440 He's come to transform its inhabitants. He's come to take the desert and the parched places 00:37:57.440 --> 00:38:06.599 and make them places of bubbling springs and abundant wildlife. Abundant flowers. A place of beauty. 00:38:06.599 --> 00:38:16.019 A place of completeness and fullness. And Mark is telling us about this Messiah who has come. 00:38:16.460 --> 00:38:24.079 Who is the Son of God. And who has come to accomplish this great work in us. This great work for us. 00:38:24.460 --> 00:38:34.980 And to show us his glory. And to show us his majesty. To show us his power. And that we now can walk 00:38:34.980 --> 00:38:43.780 in this way. We can now travel on this path. We can now be characterized as a people who are set apart 00:38:43.780 --> 00:38:52.740 for God by God. That's what it means to be holy. You are set apart for. God wants you for his very own. 00:38:53.400 --> 00:38:59.719 He wants you to know him. He wants you to serve him. He wants you to follow him. And he has done 00:38:59.719 --> 00:39:09.039 everything that is necessary for you to be rescued. This word ransom. The word redeem. I said this morning 00:39:09.039 --> 00:39:14.759 was a payment of a price. In the ancient world there were three categories of people 00:39:14.759 --> 00:39:24.019 who needed to be ransomed. The slave. Owned by another. Required a benefactor to come 00:39:24.019 --> 00:39:32.820 with the resources to pay a price. So that the captive could be set free. The prisoner of war. Caught 00:39:32.820 --> 00:39:42.679 behind enemy lines. Under the subjugation of an enemy army. A payment price had to be made. So that 00:39:42.679 --> 00:39:49.860 that prisoner of war could be set free. The other picture is a picture of someone who was on death row. 00:39:49.860 --> 00:39:58.099 Someone like Barabbas. You see on Good Friday one of the crosses that was prepared was prepared for him. 00:39:58.740 --> 00:40:06.820 He was an insurrectionist. He was a murderer. He was a dangerous man. But what happened? A price was paid. 00:40:07.300 --> 00:40:14.079 A substitute was found. The guilty goes free. Why? Because the innocent was punished. 00:40:14.079 --> 00:40:22.739 Isn't that remarkable? Barabbas the violent man. Barabbas the guilty man who was destined for one of those 00:40:22.739 --> 00:40:30.880 three crosses leaves that day a free man. That's what happens when a price is paid. That's what happens 00:40:30.880 --> 00:40:37.519 when a debt is canceled. That's what happens when a substitute is found. So that we can be categorized 00:40:37.519 --> 00:40:45.780 not as the unholy but as the holy. Not as the captive or the slave or the prisoner but we are now set free. 00:40:46.199 --> 00:40:52.739 Set free to be the people that we are meant to be. To sing the praises of God. To leap with joy 00:40:52.739 --> 00:40:59.500 and to enjoy the created world in all of its fullness. In all of its abundance. 00:40:59.500 --> 00:41:08.679 In Mark's gospel you remember that the miracle of the deaf mute man was quickly followed by a large 00:41:08.679 --> 00:41:15.480 gathering. A large gathering of people. 4,000 in total. But they gathered in a desolate place. 00:41:15.940 --> 00:41:20.320 They gathered in a place where there were no resources. They gathered in a place where there 00:41:20.320 --> 00:41:27.039 was very little food. And what does Jesus do? He multiplies the loaves. He multiplies the fishes. 00:41:27.039 --> 00:41:36.340 So that this barren place. This wilderness area. Now becomes a banquet. Isn't that what we're 00:41:36.340 --> 00:41:45.059 reading in Isaiah 35? The barren place becomes a place of abundance. The deaf mute becomes the one 00:41:45.059 --> 00:41:52.099 who is singing for joy. And the blind man, the blind man of Bethsaida, is slowly having his eyes opened. 00:41:52.099 --> 00:41:58.460 A two-step miracle. Isn't that interesting? Where Jesus touches the man's eyes and he begins to see 00:41:58.460 --> 00:42:05.299 the outlines. Looks like trees walking. Touches the man's eyes again and he now sees clearly. 00:42:06.119 --> 00:42:12.920 So maybe this evening this isn't yet clear to you. Maybe it's becoming a little bit clearer. Maybe 00:42:12.920 --> 00:42:19.960 the outline shapes are beginning to be seen. Now you don't need to be able to see the connection 00:42:19.960 --> 00:42:26.820 between Mark 7 and Isaiah 35. If you don't see that, that's okay. But whatever one of those two 00:42:26.820 --> 00:42:32.179 passages you read, you see the same message. You see the preview and you see the fulfillment. 00:42:32.699 --> 00:42:38.420 You see the preview of coming attractions in Isaiah where the prophet says there's coming a day. 00:42:38.980 --> 00:42:44.400 And you won't believe it. You won't believe what this day looks like. You won't believe what the 00:42:44.400 --> 00:42:49.539 transformation will look like. You won't believe what the wilderness will come to look like. And you 00:42:49.539 --> 00:42:57.139 won't believe what the people come to look like. And you read Mark's gospel or Matthew's gospel or Luke's 00:42:57.139 --> 00:43:05.639 gospel or John's gospel or Paul's letters. And you see the transformation taking place. And you not only 00:43:05.639 --> 00:43:12.019 read the pages of scripture, but you hear the testimonies of God's people from that day forth 00:43:12.019 --> 00:43:20.759 until this day. I have the privilege of teaching. And I find that one of the most powerful examples, 00:43:21.460 --> 00:43:29.860 or one of the most powerful aids in teaching are giving examples. I teach the doctrine of regeneration. 00:43:30.659 --> 00:43:37.280 That, you know, Jesus, when he says you must be born again. Now, in a sense, that's a key biblical truth. 00:43:37.280 --> 00:43:44.160 We need a completely new start, a completely new mind, a completely new life. But these truths are 00:43:44.160 --> 00:43:52.400 sometimes best seen in illustrations. So in the United States during the early 1970s, America was 00:43:52.400 --> 00:44:00.040 embroiled in a political scandal, the largest scandal we ever had. The only time a president of the United 00:44:00.040 --> 00:44:06.640 States had to resign was the Watergate scandal. And one of the architects of the Watergate scandal was a 00:44:06.639 --> 00:44:14.940 man called Charles Chuck Colson. And you see, Chuck Colson was the hatchet man. Whenever something bad had to be 00:44:14.940 --> 00:44:22.239 done, Nixon would always say, get Chuck to do it. Chuck would do the dirty work. Whatever that was needed, 00:44:22.579 --> 00:44:30.259 he would do. Why? Because he had this obsessive desire to please and to serve the president. 00:44:30.260 --> 00:44:38.620 And then the whole situation came crumbling down. The president, yes, was re-elected. But then all the 00:44:38.620 --> 00:44:46.360 major architects were indicted, were charged. And most of the Nixon White House found themselves in prison 00:44:46.360 --> 00:44:52.300 for what they had done during the scandal. But the first man to go to prison was Chuck Colson. 00:44:52.300 --> 00:45:00.340 And he didn't plead his innocence. He pled his guilt. He didn't try to explain his actions away, 00:45:00.560 --> 00:45:07.140 but he put up his hand and he said, I did what was wrong, and I deserve to be punished. What was the 00:45:07.140 --> 00:45:15.720 change? Chuck Colson famously said during the 1972 election, I would run over my own grandmother 00:45:15.719 --> 00:45:22.959 to re-elect the president. She was living at the time. That's the kind of person he was. And just a 00:45:22.959 --> 00:45:30.539 year and a half later, he stood in a court of law and pled guilty to conspiracy because he knew what 00:45:30.539 --> 00:45:38.219 he had done was wrong. What happened? He was born again. Somehow, some way, God worked in this man's life. 00:45:38.659 --> 00:45:45.659 The hatchet man. The one who orchestrated all the dirty tricks. You see, a friend of his gave him a 00:45:45.659 --> 00:45:51.539 book. He said, I think you should read this book. It was entitled Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. 00:45:52.739 --> 00:45:56.799 That was the first Christian book I was given by a friend when I wasn't a Christian. He said, Bob, 00:45:56.899 --> 00:46:04.339 I think you might like this book. Chuck Colson read the book. He became a Christian. And from that point 00:46:04.339 --> 00:46:12.239 forward, he dedicated his life to serving those who were in prison, to serving those who were without 00:46:12.239 --> 00:46:19.319 hope and without help. And he founded a charity which was called Prison Fellowship, which now exists in 00:46:19.319 --> 00:46:27.500 over 120 nations in the world. The man who was obsessed and focused on one thing, namely re-electing 00:46:27.500 --> 00:46:34.719 President Nixon, was now focused on another thing, glorifying Jesus Christ. And when he came to write 00:46:34.719 --> 00:46:41.299 his autobiography, which sold millions of copies, the best title he could give it was Born Again. 00:46:41.859 --> 00:46:48.719 Because he was born again. You see, we can't explain how it happens, but we can see it when it happens. 00:46:49.299 --> 00:46:57.339 I can't explain to you how Jesus can unstop the mute tongue, can open the deaf ears, can enable the blind 00:46:57.340 --> 00:47:04.160 to see. I can't tell you how he can forgive sins and how he can renew us and restore us, but I can tell 00:47:04.160 --> 00:47:12.760 you that he does. How can the sinless one become sin? I don't know, but he does. How can he take my sin 00:47:12.760 --> 00:47:21.480 and my guilt and my shame? He does, and he will, and he can. You see, there's hope here in the message 00:47:21.480 --> 00:47:28.539 of Jesus. There's power here, and there's transformation. And when you hear the testimony 00:47:28.539 --> 00:47:36.000 of a man or a woman who's come into a living relationship with Jesus, everything has now 00:47:36.000 --> 00:47:44.579 changed. Their heart, their mind, their life, their desires, their goals, their hopes, their joys have 00:47:44.579 --> 00:47:55.639 been transformed from the inside out. The land is now abundant. The people have been strengthened. 00:47:56.279 --> 00:48:04.019 Their knees and their hands have been firmed up. The eyes now open, the ears unstopped, the lame now 00:48:04.019 --> 00:48:11.900 leaping, and the mute now singing. This is what Jesus has come to do. This is the transformation that 00:48:11.900 --> 00:48:20.639 he can affect. And this is the kingdom that he is ushering in. And he says he wants us to be found 00:48:20.639 --> 00:48:28.900 there. He wants us to be in that number, in that great multitude who are journeying on this path. 00:48:29.579 --> 00:48:35.880 And you see, the great thing about the path that's described in Isaiah 35 is the path has a beginning. 00:48:35.880 --> 00:48:45.019 The path takes you from where you are, but the path also has a destination. The path takes you where God 00:48:45.019 --> 00:48:52.200 wants you to be. You see, in this world there is sorrow, and there is suffering, and there is hardship, 00:48:52.559 --> 00:49:02.099 and there is disability, and there is despair and hopelessness. But we're told that this highway will 00:49:02.099 --> 00:49:10.059 take us from where we are to where he wants us to be. We're told that everlasting joy will be upon their 00:49:10.059 --> 00:49:19.579 heads. They shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. In this world there is no 00:49:19.579 --> 00:49:29.000 shortage of sadness, no shortage of sighing. But when you walk in this way, when you enter into this 00:49:29.000 --> 00:49:37.400 relationship, when you come to know this king, this messiah, what you begin to see is that joy begins 00:49:37.400 --> 00:49:46.599 to overtake. Happiness and joyfulness and satisfaction begins to overtake our steps. And sorrow and sighing 00:49:46.599 --> 00:49:54.260 begins to move into the rearview mirror. You see, we have a new direction. We have a new destination. 00:49:54.260 --> 00:50:03.400 We have a new hope that is rooted in the coming Jesus, the Son of God. And that's why Mark says, 00:50:03.500 --> 00:50:09.160 I've got good news for you. I've got good news to tell you. I've got good news to tell you about who 00:50:09.160 --> 00:50:15.140 Jesus is. I've got good news to tell you about what Jesus has come to do. And I want you to know tonight, 00:50:15.320 --> 00:50:21.720 people, that this message is a message that is good, not bad. This is a message that is filled with hope 00:50:21.719 --> 00:50:30.019 and not despair. This is a message that is intended for your benefit and blessing. So wherever you are 00:50:30.019 --> 00:50:37.379 tonight, spiritually, whatever you know or don't know, whatever you've done or haven't done, there's an 00:50:37.379 --> 00:50:46.019 open invitation that's given to us. That there is a free invitation given. That the weak can become 00:50:46.019 --> 00:50:54.360 strong. The blind can see. The deaf can hear. The mute can speak. The lame can walk. And the ransomed and 00:50:54.360 --> 00:51:01.900 the redeemed will walk on this highway. And they will one day be with God in glory, not because of what 00:51:01.900 --> 00:51:08.780 they have done, but because of what he has done. Not because of who we are, but because of who he is. 00:51:08.780 --> 00:51:16.360 And I think Mark wants us to know that this is the kind of savior. That this is the kind of God who has 00:51:16.360 --> 00:51:23.960 come down to our level in order that we might be brought up to his level. Not because of what we have 00:51:23.960 --> 00:51:32.740 done, but because of what he can do and is doing. So there is joy for the redeemed of God. The ransomed will 00:51:32.739 --> 00:51:42.039 sing with joy. Sorrow and sighing will flee away. And we will have a new and an everlasting life. A new and 00:51:42.039 --> 00:51:51.879 everlasting joy. And there will be a comfort that is ours forever and ever. The mute man now could speak. 00:51:52.359 --> 00:52:00.879 The deaf man now could hear. The blind man now could see. And the lame man now could walk. God delights in 00:52:00.880 --> 00:52:08.280 doing the impossible. He delights in doing extraordinary things in the lives of ordinary people like us. 00:52:09.119 --> 00:52:17.320 You don't need to believe me. Don't take my word for it. See for yourself. Taste and see that God is good. 00:52:17.680 --> 00:52:25.260 See for yourself what Jesus can do. Because Jesus delights in showing mercy. And his power remains 00:52:25.260 --> 00:52:33.880 undiminished. His grace and his mercy are new every day. May God bless his word and may he accompany his 00:52:33.880 --> 00:52:43.360 word with his power to transform your heart, your mind through what Jesus has done for us and what the 00:52:43.360 --> 00:52:51.740 spirit can do in us. Let's pray. Father in heaven, I thank you for your word. I thank you for its truth. 00:52:51.739 --> 00:52:59.259 And I thank you for its power. Lord, we are weak people. We are fragile in body and mind. We are 00:52:59.259 --> 00:53:05.639 inconsistent people. Sometimes hot. Sometimes cold. Sometimes interested. Sometimes disinterested. 00:53:06.199 --> 00:53:13.659 But we have a consistent and a persistent savior. We thank you that Jesus not only has come to save, 00:53:14.039 --> 00:53:21.000 but we're told that he's come to seek and to save the lost. Father, I pray that he might be seeking 00:53:21.000 --> 00:53:30.380 people even now. Seeking people even here. Because he seems to have a 100% success rate. And I pray that 00:53:30.380 --> 00:53:40.119 we might see yet again his power, his grace, his faithfulness in our day, in our age, in our lives, 00:53:40.119 --> 00:53:49.960 in this church, in this town, on this island, and in this land. For your glory and for our good. Amen. 00:53:51.000 --> 00:53:58.800 We're now going to sing that great psalm of transformation. Psalm 126, the Scottish Psalter, 00:53:58.880 --> 00:54:06.400 right near the end of our psalm books. Psalm 126, when Zion's bondage, God's turned back as men 00:54:06.400 --> 00:54:12.559 that dreamed were we. We'll sing to the tune of Lingam, and we'll stand to sing to God's praise. 00:54:12.559 --> 00:54:32.440 When Zion's bondage, God's turn back as men that dreamed were we. When Zion's bondage, God's turn back as men that dreamed were we. 00:54:32.440 --> 00:54:54.179 and filled with clouds and water was our love. Our song with melody, our song with melody, our song with melody. 00:54:54.179 --> 00:55:24.179 singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing singing, singing, singing, singing singing, singing, singing singing, singing singing, singing singing, singing singing, singing singing, singing singing singing, singing singing singing, singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing singing 00:55:24.179 --> 00:55:34.980 Joy to us is broad, joy to us is broad, joy to us is broad. 00:55:34.980 --> 00:55:50.980 And things of water in the south, our bondage short recall, our bondage short recall. 00:55:50.980 --> 00:56:13.780 Who so indeed shall reap in time, of joy and joy they shall. 00:56:13.780 --> 00:56:29.780 At man grave there shall see, in growing forth the morn, in growing forth the morn. 00:56:29.780 --> 00:56:39.780 In darkness bringing my christie's, rejoice in shall return. 00:56:40.780 --> 00:56:43.780 Rejoice in shall return. 00:56:43.780 --> 00:56:50.780 Rejoice in shall return. 00:56:54.780 --> 00:56:56.920 The Lord bless you and keep you. 00:56:57.360 --> 00:57:00.960 The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. 00:57:00.960 --> 00:57:05.380 The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. 00:57:05.980 --> 00:57:06.380 Amen. 00:57:13.780 --> 00:57:14.780 Amen. 00:57:14.780 --> 00:57:14.780 00:57:14.780 --> 00:57:15.780 Amen. 00:57:15.780 --> 00:57:16.780 Amen. 00:57:16.780 --> 00:57:17.780 Amen. 00:57:17.780 --> 00:57:17.780 00:57:17.780 --> 00:57:18.780 Amen. 00:57:18.780 --> 00:57:18.780 00:57:18.780 --> 00:57:19.780 Amen. 00:57:19.780 --> 00:57:22.780 Amen. 00:57:22.780 --> 00:57:22.780 00:57:22.780 --> 00:57:22.780 00:57:22.780 --> 00:57:24.780 Amen. 00:57:24.780 --> 00:57:24.780 00:57:24.780 --> 00:57:25.780 Amen. 00:57:25.780 --> 00:57:26.780 Amen. 00:57:26.780 --> 00:57:27.780 Amen. 00:57:27.780 --> 00:57:27.780 00:57:27.780 --> 00:57:28.780 Amen. 00:57:28.780 --> 00:57:29.780 Amen. 00:57:29.780 --> 00:57:30.780 Amen. 00:57:30.780 --> 00:57:30.780 00:57:30.780 --> 00:57:30.780 00:57:30.780 --> 00:57:34.820 Amen. 00:57:34.820 --> 00:57:34.820 00:57:34.820 --> 00:57:34.820 00:57:34.820 --> 00:57:34.820 00:57:34.820 --> 00:57:34.820 00:57:34.820 --> 00:57:34.820 00:57:34.820 --> 00:57:34.820 00:57:34.820 --> 00:57:34.820 00:57:34.820 --> 00:57:34.820 00:57:34.820 --> 00:57:34.820 00:57:34.820 --> 00:57:34.820 00:57:34.820 --> 00:57:34.820 00:57:34.820 --> 00:57:34.820 00:57:34.820 --> 00:57:34.820 00:57:34.820 --> 00:57:34.820 00:57:34.820 --> 00:57:34.820 00:57:34.820 --> 00:57:34.820 00:57:34.820 --> 00:57:34.820 00:57:34.820 --> 00:57:34.820 00:57:34.820 --> 00:57:34.820 00:57:34.820 --> 00:57:34.820 00:57:34.820 --> 00:57:34.820 00:57:34.820 --> 00:57:34.820 00:57:34.820 --> 00:57:34.820 00:57:34.820 --> 00:57:34.820 00:57:34.820 --> 00:57:34.820 00:57:34.820 --> 00:57:34.820 00:57:34.820 --> 00:57:34.820 00:57:34.820 --> 00:57:34.820 00:57:34.820 --> 00:57:34.820 00:57:34.820 --> 00:57:34.820 00:57:34.820 --> 00:57:34.820 00:57:34.820 --> 00:57:34.820