Sermon Manuscript062506

Sermon Manuscript – 6/25/2006                         Robert Hutcherson, Jr.

Sermon: “Mighty and Matchless”

TEXT

Mark 4:35-41

I heard about a man who was near the end of his life. While lying in a hospital bed dying of cancer, he spoke with his wife of some 60 years.

Remember when we were first married, our crops failed and we lost the farm? You were with me. Later on we listened with amazement of how Pearl Harbor had been attacked? You were there by my side. I was drafted in the Army, and you joined the hospital corps.

Then when I was wounded, you were there at the hospital until I was released.

After the war I started my own business, only to see it fail miserably, but you were there.

And then it seemed that it was one failed venture after another, until we were forced to file for bankruptcy, but you were with me through it all. My two heart attacks, the stroke, and now I have cancer, and you have been there by my bedside each time.

All of this has got me to thinking; you are just bad luck!

That is how some folks feel about the Lord! They got saved, they were excited, and everyone in the church was excited for them. It seemed as though everything was perfect, heaven on earth. and then Satan comes along and attacks. All of a sudden their new life in Christ turns into a spiritual battleground and they begin to wonder. Where is God? Isn't He interested in me anymore? Has He forgotten about me? Doesn't He care what is going on in my life?

 Whether we want to admit it or not, many of us have been there, and perhaps some of us are there right now! Feeling like God isn't interested in us anymore. That is exactly where the disciples were in our text today. Now we understand what caused them to question whether the Lord was interested in them or not. It was because of the storm. They panicked and went to Jesus for help, but found Him asleep. Seemingly uninterested in what is going on. This prompts their question in verse 38.

“Master, carest thou not that we perish?"

When surveys are conducted, some of the people will say that they believe in God sometimes. By this they may mean, when they are really in a tight corner, they’ll say "Help!" This story is about the disciples, fearing for their lives - shaking Jesus awake, and saying, "Teacher, don’t you care! Please help us" and Jesus stilling the storm. They couldn’t believe in the Father God watching over them at all times.

We don’t always recognize God's answers to our prayers. He does take us through the storms of life in wonderful ways. If we will just look...we can often trace the hand of the Lord providing for us or for others. A bird builds its nest in a tree overlooking a raging waterfall. It’s quite snug and secure in the nest. It is the same with us. We might be walking on ice but we are secure in Jesus.

In the storms of life - our one security is Jesus. He stilled the storm and made peace. When we are in the Lord’s will, there is peace within, when there may be storms all around us.

It is not so much us calling upon the Lord, although we may, in what was here probably a spiritual attack upon the safety of the disciples crossing the lake, with an evil storm brewing up, but a question of resting in the Lord, with a quiet confidence in Him.

Let us pray,

Lord Jesus, we thank you for your words, "Peace, be still".

The peace of God, deep lasting peace; peace that brings inner calm; that keeps a person steady in the storm; that faces up to difficulties without fear and proclaims the good news with courage and joy. The peace that reconciles sister to brother, parent to child, rich to poor, young to old; but not a peace that is silent in the face of an unjust world.

This is the peace of God, a peace which surpasses all understanding. Keep us in your peace, Lord; keep us abiding in you.

We ask this in Your Mighty and Matchless Name,

Amen.

That’s right…He is matchless…what do I mean by that?  Let me try to explain…

In Washington, DC, in the Museum of Natural History, there is a diamond called the Hope Diamond. It is a vivid, dark-blue diamond that weighs 45.52 carats. According to geologists, it is a diamond without equal in all the world. It was found in the 1600's and weighed over 112 carats when it was dug from the earth in India. It is considered to be priceless. It is said to be a matchless diamond. However, there may be another, larger, more valuable stone lying buried in the ground. To say the Hope Diamond is matchless is to presume on the unknown.

Michael Jordan is called the greatest basketball player of all time. It is said that there will never be another as great as he is. He is declared to be matchless in his sport. However, somewhere on some playground, or in some school gymnasium there may be a youngster who will shatter all the records Jordan has ever amassed. To say that he is matchless is also a stretch of the imagination.

Albert Einstein is said to be the greatest thinker the world has ever known. He pondered concepts so deep that we could never begin to grasp. His has been called a matchless intellect. However, who is to say that somewhere in this world today there isn't a child whose mind is so sharp and whose brilliance will dwarf even that of Einstein?

The truth is, nothing in this world is matchless. Everything can be equaled or bettered by mankind. However, there is One who will never be equaled or bettered. His name is Jesus!

In this text, the disciples are crossing the Sea of Galilee when a storm arises. Jesus is asleep in the boat and the Disciples feel that they are going to die. They awake Jesus and He speaks to the storm and the waves and winds lie at His feet as if they were docile lambs. His Disciples see this great miracle and ask a question that declares His greatness. They ask, what manner of man is this?

Throughout His life, the story is the same. Everywhere Jesus went, men marveled and stood amazed at His greatness. When He was just an infant, Mary and Joseph "marveled" at what was spoken of Jesus, His enemies "marveled" at His wisdom and doctrine His Disciples "marveled" at His compassion and love for sinners,. The multitudes "marveled" at His power to heal. His enemies "marveled" at His word,. His executioner "marveled" at the greatness of Jesus Christ.

Things haven't changed! Jesus is still amazing all those who come to Him by faith. To say He is matchless is an understatement. He will never be equaled! He will never be bettered! He will always remain the matchless One.

This morning, by the help of God, I would like to take a few minutes and tell you about Our Matchless Savior!

He is Matchless In HIS PERSONALITY

He Is Matchless In His Beginnings - To say that Jesus had a beginning is an untruth. He has always existed!) Every person in this room had a time of beginning. We began at the moment of our conception. Jesus Christ, however, had no beginning. He has always existed and He always will! Jesus was there when the world was formed. He was there before there even a world to form,. In the prophecies of His birth, He is referred to as "the Everlasting Father,". In Rev. 1:11, Jesus says that He is "the Alpha and the Omega." In Rev. 1:18, He says that He is "the beginning and the end." He is matchless in that He has always been here and He always will be.

He Is Matchless In His Blessedness - Jesus is like no other in that He is the Sinless, Son of God! He was born into this world without sin, and He lived His life without sin,

A sinful man could never have paid the sin debt for the world. As sinners, every one of us was already under the wrath of God and was doomed to Hell. Jesus, however, was pure and sinless. When He gave up His life on the cross, an innocent man had suffered the agony of death. When the innocent died for the guilty, God was satisfied and He accepted the death of Jesus as the payment for sin.)

I praise the Lord that Jesus was willing to go and take my place on Calvary so that when I came to God for salvation, God was able to save me by His grace because the price had already been paid. When I called on God for salvation and for forgiveness of my debt before God, I found that my debt had already been paid and that I was saved simply by faith. Thank God, the innocent died for the guilty!)

I heard a story of a young man who had committed some crime and had been sentenced to die. The night before his execution, his father came to see him. According to the story, all the prisoners were kept locked in a large room. His father found him among the crowd and stayed with his son all night. During the night, the condemned man fell asleep, but his father stayed awake all night. In the predawn hours the guards came to take the son to the executioner, when they called out the sleeping boy's name, the father answered. He got up and went to the gallows and died in the place of his son. Later, when the king learned what had happened, he called for the young man to be brought before him and issued a full pardon, declaring that the penalty for the crime had been paid in full.)

This is what happens when an old sinner comes before the throne of grace for salvation. The King of Glory declares the sinner innocent because the price has already been paid in full! God asks nothing more of us than that we believe in His Son. When we receive Jesus into our hearts and lives, we are instantly saved and forever forgiven, Thank God, the record has been erased and forgotten! All our sins and wretchedness are gone forever

He is Matchless in His Personality,

but He is also matchless in HIS PERFORMANCE

He Is Matchless In That He Died For Sin - I have already touched on the fact that Jesus died for us and took our sins upon Himself on the cross. However, I didn't make much mention of the method of His death. When Jesus died, it wasn't some antiseptic, easy death. When He died, He died a brutal, difficult and harsh death. According to Isaiah, Jesus was brutalized in His death, The prophet also relates that it was God Himself who bruised the Lord Jesus,. Jesus did what no other person could have ever done. He went to the cross and endured all that He did so that He might save the soul of the sinner. He was beaten, spit upon, had His beard plucked from His face, whipped and finally nailed to a cruel, rugged cross. Other men could have died in that fashion, but no other man could have paid for our sins! It took the sinless Lamb of God climbing onto His cross and taking my sins and your sins upon Him so that we would be saved. His death was a matchless death!

He Is Matchless In That He Defeated Death - After Jesus was crucified, they placed His broken, battered and very dead body in a borrowed tomb. When they rolled that stone, many felt they would never again see this man. But, thank God, the Lord had other plans! 3 days after His death on the cross, Jesus conquered death, Hell and the grave when He arose from the dead, Because He got up, you and I have the living hope and promise of resurrection some day, Thank God, because He got up, we do not need to fear death. Because He lives, we too shall live forever! Because He lives, our departed loved ones, who died in Jesus, are alive and well today and we shall meet them again someday!

He Is Matchless In His Desire To Save - I'm talking about His performance. He died to pay for sin and He arose to conquer death, but thank God Jesus has a heart for sinners! He loves sinners, He died for sinners and He will save any sinner who comes to Him by faith, God reveals His heart in this matter. Many feel that they are beyond the saving grace of God. However, the grace of God is sufficient to save even the worst of sinners -

Did you ever realize that everything God has done since man sinned in the garden has been in a effort to bring man into a right relationship with Himself? The great burning passion of the heart of God is the salvation of sinners. He calls all who will to come to him and be saved.)

Jesus is matchless in His Personality and in His Performance, but also in HIS PROMISES

His Promise To Save Us - Again, whoever will can come to Jesus and be eternally saved from their sins! It does not require a lot of effort, it just requires a little faith. God's salvation carries with it an ironclad guarantee, He promises to "save to the uttermost" all those who come to Him,

His Promise To Support Us - Jesus never saved us to leave us to find our own way through the world! He has promised to guide us and to go with us all the way. The Lord has promised to guide us through all of life. He has promised to meet our needs as we travel. He has promised to give us an arm to lean on as we travel and He has promised to receive us into Heaven when we leave this world.

Jesus will never fail you in the journey! He will always be there for you and be what you need Him to be when you need Him to be it, He is still the "I AM!"

His Promise To See Us Safely Home - Jesus never saved any saint that He is willing to lose along the way. His promise is that we will arrive at home with Him when the journey of life is concluded. I am saying that every saved individual is secure in Jesus. We are as sure or Heaven as if we were already there today. I may not see another birthday, I may not live to be 40, but I know I am going to Heaven. Regardless of what happens in this world, or in my own life, I am saved today and i am saved forever! If it was dependent on my goodness to get me into Heaven, then I would doubtless go to Hell. But I thank God that when I cannot hold to him, He can't let go of me!

What a Savior! You can count on God to keep His Word. If He has promised it, it will come to pass. He will see to it! Just ask Abraham - Just ask Moses. Just ask the children of Israel. Just ask Noah, or Daniel, or my favorites, the original “Too Live Crew” those three young men, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. God will do what He says He will do! He will take care of you here and now and He will deliver you safely home one day! There are not many things you can count on in this world, but you can rest assured that Jesus will do what He says He will do. Learn to rest in Him and trust Him to do as He says!

Jesus is matchless in His Personality, in his Performance, In His Promises, but also in HIS POWER

He Is Matchless In His Power Over Sin - Sin is a powerful thing. It can arrest a person's life to the degree that they are totally in its hideous power. Look at men like Samson! He was destroyed by the power of sin. The power of sin took a man like David to the depths of depravity and had him doing things David probably never thought possible. I have never met a person who can handle sin. It is more powerful than you and I will ever be. It will defeat you and it will destroy your life. It will take from you everything you hold as precious and leave you with nothing but the pieces of a shattered and broken life.

I thank God there is, as Paul Harvey used to say, “the rest…of the story”! While you and I are powerless to handle sin within ourselves, Jesus is more than ample for the task! He has the power to break the chains of sin that bind you and he can set you free so that you might serve Him Jesus has the power to liberate from sin, and to break its power in our lives. I can assure you that Jesus will give you the power to rise above the sin that has you bound today. He has that power!

Not only is there power over sins power, but there is also power in Jesus over sin's penalty., the wages of sin is death. This means that the person who dies in sin is going to pay the ultimate price of being forever separated from Almighty God. Jesus has the power to change the sinner's destiny! He can take a life headed for Hell and He can turn it around by His great grace and can take that life to Heaven. Jesus makes a difference. No one ever need to die and go to Hell. Jesus has made a way for all men to be saved. His power is what makes the difference.

No other plan formulated by any man or group can deal with the sin problem other than the Gospel of the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. God's plan is the only plan that has ever, or will ever work to save man's soul from the power, the penalty and the presence of sin! He has the power to deliver men and to change their lives forever.

He Is Matchless In His Power Over Satan.  The Devil is a powerful enemy! He is deceptive, he is elusive, he is smart, he is hateful and he is more than a match for you and me. Jesus, on the other hand, can handle Satan very well. Just after man sinned in the Garden of Eden, God promised the serpent that one day, the seed of the woman, would bruise the serpents head. This was fulfilled when Jesus died on Calvary. If you have ever stepped on a snake's head, you know that his body will thrash and writhe. Even if you crush his head, he will still try to get away. What a picture of the devil. He has his head under the heel of Christ. He still thrashes about and causes plenty of trouble for men, but he is a defeated foe this morning! We still must be careful of him, because he loves nothing more than hurting those who belong to the Lord,. However, while he is still active, he has already been defeated and we are told exactly what his fate is. Jesus has all the power necessary to defeat the devil in your life and mine! When Jesus comes on the scene, the devil must flee!

He Is Matchless In His Power Over The Situations Of Life - Regardless of what tragedies, difficulties, hardships, or trying times you may face as you go through life, you need to remember that Jesus is able to handle each and every thing you run into.

He has the power to meet your needs. He has the power to heal your body, or that of a loved one. He has the power to heal your past. He has the power to calm your storm, comfort your heart, sooth your emotions, move your mountains. What I am saying is that Jesus is able. He can be trusted to do what needs to be done in your life and mine! Nothing is too big for God! Don't be guilty of putting God in a box and saying, "He can't handle this!" He can move any mountain that you will trust Him with. He is still as the song says, “the master of ocean and earth and skies”.

There is more that could be said about our matchless, wonderful Savior. Enough has been said, however, to let you see that He incomparable! I don't know what you need today, or where you are spiritually, but I do know who you need right now no matter what it is you face in life. Whether it's your soul's salvation, or victory over some addictive sin, or a deep, dark valley, or a time of distress and worry, you can trust Jesus to meet that need. All He asks from you is that you come to Him by faith and trust Him to take care of the situation. Will you do that this morning? Will you obey the call of Christ today?