Sermon Tone Analysis

Bible Reading

Introduction

The hymn writer William Cowper wrote:

“Our God works in mysterious ways,

his wonders to perform,

He plans his footsteps in the sea,

and rides upon the storm.

Deep in unfathomable mines

Of never failing skill

He treasures up His bright designs

And works His sov’reign will.”

Indeed, the ways of our God are far beyond our understanding and searching out.

We as those created by God, and made in the image of God, have reasoning capabilities, far beyond any other created being.

Unlike God, however, who knows all things by His very nature, we are those who need to grow much, and so we spend time in learning, and attempting to advance our understanding in all variety of fields.

When breakthroughs occur in medical treatments, and cures are found for previously incurable diseases, we are thrilled, and we marvel at the advance of such medicine.

When we consider the arena of technology, with advances being made at lightning speed, such that we cannot even learn to properly use the latest technologies before the next, more advanced and mind-blowing technology has emerged onto the market.

Again, we marvel at the skill and the understanding of man, the knowledge of man and how far that knowledge has come.

And so it is that man delights in knowledge and wisdom - not a bad thing in fact!!!

But when we consider our God, and when we begin to consider the manner in which He works for the purposes of His glories, our minds struggle to fathom Him.

The manner in which God has been at work through history is beyond our understanding.

In fact, God Himself conveyed this, as he spoke the words through His prophet Isaiah:

The Apostle Paul, in writing to the Romans, broke out into doxology, crying out the words:

Our God is beyond searching out, and His ways are far above our ways.

The methods and the paths which He chooses in bringing His purposes to pass, are far beyond our understanding.

But they are yet revealed to us in His word; such is His grace towards us!!

As we come to our text this morning, we see in a number of ways how this truth comes to the fore, that God’s ways are not our ways, and that the manner in which He works will be contrary to the wisdom of man.

I believe that as we consider this together, we should be greatly humbled, but we should also be greatly encouraged, that we may know that our God is at work, performing his very purposes for the glory of His name, and we need to simply trust Him in child-like faith, and not lean on our understanding, but with an absolute trust in Him, live in obedience to the ways that He was set out for us.

As we come to our text then, I will briefly go through the account that is recorded for us by Mark, and then once we’ve briefly considered it, I would like us to note 3 ways from our text which demonstrate that God’s ways are indeed far beyond our understanding and searching out!

0. Explanation of the Text

Let us consider then briefly what it is that is conveyed to us through this text.

You will recall that last week we ended our study on the five conflicts that are recorded by Mark in 2:1 - 3:6.

At the climax of those five conflicts, after Christ had performed a healing of the man with the withered hand, we find that the Jewish leaders (particularly the Pharisees) were so angered and disturbed that this man Jesus would dare to break the Sabbath laws that had been established, that they went and united together with the Herodians in order to devise a plan that they might put Christ to death.

This was a strange mix indeed - Pharisees and Herodians.

Those who in any other context would have been opposed to each other!!

But for the purpose of finding a way to kill this man Jesus, they are prepared to unite themselves together in order to plot the demise of this man that they detest.

Jesus has gone directly against their religious systems and requirements.

The reason that he could do that was because these systems and requirements that they had in place were to a very large extent mere man-made regulations, and not even required by God.

But He does not shrink bank, and instead performs a healing miracle in their presence, knowing that it would invite controversy.

But as the Pharisees go out and begin to hatch plans kill Jesus, we find that he removes himself from their presence.

Jesus doesn’t remain within the circles of those religious people, but rather He withdraws himself away from that situation.

Certainly, it was not as if Christ was withdrawing from people - the crowds are those who followed Him in their numbers.

So rather, we need to understand this as Christ’s withdrawal from the religious structures, and the religious leaders who sought His life.

Christ, in this context, didn’t see if fit to continue to argue with these religious leaders, or to try and convince them that they should listen to what He has to say, or that they should follow Him.

He leaves them to their own conclusions concerning Him.

The works He was performing for them were testimony sufficient in order for them to draw the right conclusions - to conclude that He was indeed the Messiah.

But their hearts remained hardened, and they would not acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah.

And so it is that Christ withdraws, going to the sea of Galilee.

Probably this was a more remote, northern shore of the Sea of Galilee, for He had in fact been based in Capernaum, which was on the sea.

But Christ now moves away from this place, and goes to a place away from the religious leaders.

Notably, His disciples follow Him, as does a crowd from Galilee.

While the religious leaders have brought condemnation on Jesus because of His words and actions, the common people are drawn to Christ.

They see what He is doing, and they are eager to follow Him and see further works being performed.

But we then see further from verse 8, that it wasn’t even just those from Galilee that followed.

The word concerning this man Jesus had gone out into the surrounding places, and people had become convinced that they needed to make the journey in order to see this man Jesus.

Now “from Judea and Jerusalem” are words that we’ve heard before in Mark’s Gospel.

These are the places from where the Jews were coming to John the Baptist in order to be baptised.

According to Mark 1:5, it was the whole Judean countryside, and all those in Jerusalem that were going out to John.

But Christ’s fame is far greater, as we find those from Idumea, across the Jordan, and from around Tyre and Sidon coming to Him.

These places that are referenced portray for us a significant area, with people travelling over 100km on foot in order to reach Jesus.

People from every direction.

Very notably, some of the places that are mentioned are even predominantly Gentile areas.

All different people were coming out to Christ.

Not only had they heard about this man Jesus, but they had become convinced in their minds that He truly did have the ability to heal, and so they flocked to Him.

The crowds flocked to Him to such an extent, that we read in verse 10 that those with diseases were pushing forward to touch Him in order that they may be healed of their sickness and diseases.

Quite literally, they were pressing in to such an extent that there was a risk of crushing Christ.

This leads Christ to make a request of His disciples: that they should make a small boat available, so that Christ can get onto the boat and move a little away from the shore.

We’re not told in this text what Christ’s plan was as He climbed onto the boat, but seemingly (and in line with other accounts in Scripture) the key task would have been to preach the Gospel to the crowds.

And finally we notice from our text that as the crowds are pressing in on Christ, when there are those who are possessed by evil spirits, these evil spirits immediately recognise who this is: The Son of God.

This is significant.

This term “The Son of God” is the term that the Pharisees despised when Christ used it of Himself.

When Christ said to them that He was the Son of God, they cried out that He was blaspheming, because He was making Himself equal with God.

But the evil / unclean spirits who possessed many of those coming to Christ knew immediately that Jesus was indeed God’s Son, and as they came before Him, they threw themselves down on the ground in submission to Him!!!

Every spirit is submissive to Jesus Christ.

They know that here is the ruler of all things.

They know that they have no power, that they have no authority over Him.

They know that they cannot, they dare not challenge Christ.

Indeed, they cannot!!

For He is supreme!!

Friends, when last did you truly consider the authority of Jesus?!

This authority of Jesus is of great encouragement to us, because He that is in us is greater than he that is in the world!!

And the One who is in us as believers in Jesus Christ has the power and authority over every power in this dark world!!

We have no need for fear!

But we do have a great need for humble submission under Him.

Because it is not our own power with which we conquer evil, but by His power!

So having gone briefly through this text, and some of the key points, I’d like us to spend some time further this morning considering the way in which God’s ways are far removed from our own ways, and how we can apply that to our own lives as believers, and as a church.

1.

Through the Religious Leaders

The first way in which we find God’s ways to be far removed from man’s ways, is through the religious leaders, and God’s rejection of them.

We have considered something of the significance of this in previous weeks, but let us consider some further dimensions of this.

It is pertinent to note that at this point, when there was a seemingly significant time of confrontation, Jesus withdrew himself from the religious leaders.

He did not carry on with them in their presence, but rather withdrew.

Those with knowledge have rejected Jesus.

On the other hand, those who are simple, have crowded around Him.

One commentator writes:

It is as if the Sabbath healing by Jesus in the synagogue was being vindicated by the common people, though official Judaism repudiated it.

It is a marked biblical stress that in spiritual matters the plain judgment of the simple heart is a truer guide than the wrangling of the learned.

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So it was that when Paul wrote to the Corinthians, he reminded them with these words:

The message that Paul preached was not one with human wisdom.

The Pharisees on the other hand were those who made much ado about their wisdom, understanding and insight.

They paraded their works in front of the people with much pride, and a great view of themselves for what they had achieved!

But the message of the Gospel is one of humility and self-sacrifice.