Disciple 5: Hope Enthroned
Disciple: Hope in the Book of Mark • Sermon • Submitted
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B: Mark 4:35-5:20
N:
Opening
Opening
Good morning, and thank you for being here today for Family Worship at Eastern Hills, whether you are online or in the room. I know we already had several announcements from Joe today, but I have a couple of things I need to open with as well, so I’m going to dive right in:
This past week was our Week of Prayer for North American missions, and I was blessed by all of the parts that I was able to participate in. It was great to get to learn about and pray for our missionaries who are serving faithfully in so many ways throughout the U.S. and Canada, and we will continue to watch videos about these missionaries throughout the next several weeks. Along with that, we are taking up the annual Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American Missions right now. You might not know this, but Annie Armstrong was one of the women who help organize the WMU (Women’s Missionary Union), and served as its first executive. The WMU still works to educate and rally churches to mission service and giving today. Our women’s ministry, called WISDOM, includes our WMU ministry. Our church goal for this offering is $15,000. We will take this up throughout the months of March and April. Pray and ask the Lord how He would have you give to this offering this season.
I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Easter is upon us! So I wanted to let everyone know what is going on with our Easter week services. We will have our Good Friday service here in the sanctuary on Friday, April 2, at 12:15 pm. It will be a short 30-40 minute service so that people can get back to work. Then, on Easter Sunday, our sunrise service will be held at 7:30 am here in the courtyard. At this point, we are working on whether we will be able to stream the sunrise service. We’ll worship together and then we’ll have breakfast available afterwards. Finally, we will have our Easter morning Family Worship service at our normal time of 10:30 am here in the Sanctuary. Plan to be here either online or in person to worship the Lord together this Easter season.
Easter Sunday will be the final week in our series focusing on the Gospel of Mark and the hope that we can find there. This morning is our fifth message in this series. Our focal passage is Mark 4:35 through 5:20. Let’s stand in honor of God’s Word and read this passage together:
35 On that day, when evening had come, he told them, “Let’s cross over to the other side of the sea.” 36 So they left the crowd and took him along since he was in the boat. And other boats were with him. 37 A great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking over the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. 38 He was in the stern, sleeping on the cushion. So they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher! Don’t you care that we’re going to die?” 39 He got up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Silence! Be still!” The wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 Then he said to them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” 41 And they were terrified and asked one another, “Who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obey him!” 1 They came to the other side of the sea, to the region of the Gerasenes. 2 As soon as he got out of the boat, a man with an unclean spirit came out of the tombs and met him. 3 He lived in the tombs, and no one was able to restrain him anymore—not even with a chain—4 because he often had been bound with shackles and chains, but had torn the chains apart and smashed the shackles. No one was strong enough to subdue him. 5 Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains, he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones. 6 When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and knelt down before him. 7 And he cried out with a loud voice, “What do you have to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you before God, don’t torment me!” 8 For he had told him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” 9 “What is your name?” he asked him. “My name is Legion,” he answered him, “because we are many.” 10 And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the region. 11 A large herd of pigs was there, feeding on the hillside. 12 The demons begged him, “Send us to the pigs, so that we may enter them.” 13 So he gave them permission, and the unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs. The herd of about two thousand rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned there. 14 The men who tended them ran off and reported it in the town and the countryside, and people went to see what had happened. 15 They came to Jesus and saw the man who had been demon-possessed, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 16 Those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and told about the pigs. 17 Then they began to beg him to leave their region. 18 As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged him earnestly that he might remain with him. 19 Jesus did not let him but told him, “Go home to your own people, and report to them how much the Lord has done for you and how he has had mercy on you.” 20 So he went out and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and they were all amazed.
PRAYER
Authority. When I say the word “authority,” what kind of things come to mind? Power? Control? Permission? Each of these ways of viewing “authority” is a valid understanding of the word. Someone who has the authority in a given situation is the one with power or control. Someone who has permission to do something on behalf of another who has power is someone with authority.
This morning, I have entitled this message “Hope Enthroned,” because in our focal passage today, Jesus displays His authority: His power, His control over these two situations. Jesus is God and King, and since He is, He has all authority. He declared in Matthew 28:
18 Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.
For our focal passage this morning, however, I feel like the chapter break between 4:41 and 5:1 is unfortunate. These two stories go together, because when placed side-by-side, we see the connection between them: a connection of authority. I really have two points this morning, and one question.
1) Jesus has authority over nature.
1) Jesus has authority over nature.
The first part of our focal passage this morning follows right on the heels of what we looked at last week: Jesus teaching in parables from a boat near the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus and the disciples take their boats and start to sail for the other side.
35 On that day, when evening had come, he told them, “Let’s cross over to the other side of the sea.” 36 So they left the crowd and took him along since he was in the boat. And other boats were with him. 37 A great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking over the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped.
The Sea of Galilee is a pretty unique place. It’s the largest freshwater lake in Israel, fed and drained by the Jordan river. It sits about 700 feet below sea level, and it is surrounded by hills and even mountains. As cold air rushing down from Mt. Hermon in the north meets warm, moist air coming up from the Sea of Galilee, strong windstorms can develop very quickly. Here’s a quick video of one such storm:
Video of Sea of Galilee
I’d hate to be on a fishing boat out on that, even a fishing boat as large as the ones they were likely using. They could hold maybe 10-15 people, so they aren’t your basic rowboat.
But still, imagine it… it’s evening, so it’s getting dark, the wind is howling, and you’re out on a boat in the middle of this lake so big we call it a sea. The waves are slamming into the boat, spraying up over the edge. This had a be a really dicey situation, even though many of Jesus’ disciples were skilled fishermen. Where is Jesus? He’s taking a nap in the back of the boat that He is in:
38 He was in the stern, sleeping on the cushion. So they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher! Don’t you care that we’re going to die?”
So a storm rages around them, and the disciples are certain that they are about to die, so their approach to Jesus is less than gracious. “Don’t you care that we’re going to die?”
Of course, Jesus cares, and He steps right up and takes charge of the situation:
39 He got up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Silence! Be still!” The wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 Then he said to them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
Jesus speaks to the wind and the waves with authority, commanding them to be at peace and silent, and they immediately obey. In doing so, He does something that only God can do:
9 You rule the raging sea; when its waves surge, you still them.
Then, He turns to His disciples and rebukes their lack of faith. At this point in their time with Jesus, they’ve seen Him drive out demons, give a paralytic the ability to walk, restore a man’s shriveled hand, and heal all kinds of diseases… but they still don’t get it. They still don’t see Jesus for who He is. Notice their response to His calming of the storm:
41 And they were terrified and asked one another, “Who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obey him!”
They still don’t understand, and in many ways, they won’t until His crucifixion and resurrection.
Now, this story in Mark might be very familiar to us, and we might be thinking right now, “OK, so Jesus has authority over nature. I’m not sure what that does for me.”
The fact is that the brokeness of the world, including all of its violent storms, are the result of the Fall. Even nature is flawed because of sin, and so you might say that storms are only natural. Storms in weather are natural, sure. The disciples were in the middle of one of those, and Jesus showed His authority over it.
But the greatest “natural” storm that was going on wasn’t happening around the disciples. It was happening inside the disciples. It was a storm of fear, a storm of worry. These storms are only “natural” as well because of the brokeness of the world because of sin. Because of THAT storm, the disciples look at Jesus and ask the question, “Don’t you care?!?”
What storms are swirling around you or within you right now? Maybe there are storms at work? Or in your marriage? Or at your school? Maybe you are acutely aware of the storms happening right now in our state or our nation? Certainly COVID has been and continues to be a storm. And what about storms going on inside of you? A storm of discouragement? A storm of anger or frustration? A storm of temptation or doubt? A storm of pain because of current or past choices?
Some of our storms are places we find ourselves because of the brokeness of the world. Some might be storms that we’ve brought on ourselves because of the brokeness of our own hearts.
I don’t want to downplay the storms that you’re going through. I have no idea what they are, and I’m certainly not going to say that they aren’t serious. I don’t know. They might be brutal. They might feel impossible. I don’t know, but I know that Jesus does, so there’s hope.
But in our storms, do we approach Jesus in the same way as the disciples? Do we look at Him and say, “Don’t you care?” Yes, He cares. And He’s present with you in the midst of your storm. He wants you to bring that concern, bring that storm, and call on Him in the midst of it. I suppose that’s another way of seeing what the disciples did: at least they went to Jesus with their storm.
The beautiful thing about Jesus in this passage is that He is at perfect peace, even while the storm rages around Him. He’s giving us a living example of a mind completely dependent on the Father from Isaiah 26:3:
3 You will keep the mind that is dependent on you in perfect peace, for it is trusting in you.
Ultimately, the question is one of peace. The presence and authority of Jesus in the midst of that storm brought peace. And while Jesus may not speak the command of “Silence! Be still!” to the storms in your life, you don’t sail through those storms alone if you’re in Christ.
6 Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Trust in the Lord. Walk with Him. He can give you peace in your storms, because Jesus has authority over them. For many of the storms in our lives, they’re only natural. But what about the supernatural?
2) Jesus has authority over the supernatural.
2) Jesus has authority over the supernatural.
As I said earlier, the passage we just finished with Jesus calming the storm, showing HIs authority over nature, goes really well with the beginning of chapter 5, where Jesus shows His authority over the supernatural as well.
1 They came to the other side of the sea, to the region of the Gerasenes. 2 As soon as he got out of the boat, a man with an unclean spirit came out of the tombs and met him. 3 He lived in the tombs, and no one was able to restrain him anymore—not even with a chain—4 because he often had been bound with shackles and chains, but had torn the chains apart and smashed the shackles. No one was strong enough to subdue him. 5 Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains, he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones.
They finish their trip across the lake, landing in what was predominantly Gentile territory, and they are met by this man (a Gentile) who had an “unclean” or “evil” spirit. He obviously had been given capabilities beyond that of ordinary men: he could not be restrained, even by chains and shackles. He lived among the dead in the tombs, which were generally caves where they placed sarcophagi.
So Jesus had sailed across the lake to this place, where he met an unclean man (a Gentile), who lived in an unclean place (tombs… touching the dead or anything that touched the dead made one unclean in Jewish law), and who had an unclean spirit.
6 When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and knelt down before him. 7 And he cried out with a loud voice, “What do you have to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you before God, don’t torment me!”
The spirit actually brings the man and he comes and kneels before Jesus, because the spirit knows that he has no authority over Jesus, and in fact, he knows Jesus’ identity: Son of the Most High God. Just being aware of Jesus’ identity doesn’t make it so that this unclean spirit is actually worshiping Jesus, even though the man is kneeling. He is just fully aware that standing before him is the One who holds all authority, as James wrote in chapter 2 of his epistle:
19 You believe that God is one. Good! Even the demons believe—and they shudder.
And suddenly, because of Jesus’ authority, the tormentor begs that he will not be tormented. Instead, we learn that the spirit has a name: “Legion” because there are many of them working together:
8 For he had told him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” 9 “What is your name?” he asked him. “My name is Legion,” he answered him, “because we are many.” 10 And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the region. 11 A large herd of pigs was there, feeding on the hillside. 12 The demons begged him, “Send us to the pigs, so that we may enter them.” 13 So he gave them permission, and the unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs. The herd of about two thousand rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned there.
Jesus shows that He has complete authority over the supernatural as well. Even a “Legion” of demons cannot stand against His power. Now, we can’t say how many there actually were: there were 2,000 pigs (another indication of Gentile territory), and they all drowned. A legion of soldiers was 5,400 strong. So we can’t say how many, but there were a lot. And their goal was destruction. They had been destroying the man—Now they destroyed the pigs.
I can say that I don’t take spiritual warfare seriously enough. I’m reading a book right now on leadership in the church by Paul David Tripp called “Lead,” and in it, he writes this:
“Scripture handles spiritual warfare differently from the way many of us do. We often speak of it as something unusual, weird, scary, and dramatic. We think of demon-possessed bodies flailing on the floor, people frothing at the mouth—you know, the stuff movies are made of. Now, I don’t want to negate the fact that there are dramatic and physical moments of spiritual warfare, but I want to emphasize that the Bible normalizes rather than dramatizes spiritual warfare. Because we live in a fallen world, because there really is an enemy, Satan, because there is evil and temptation around us all the time, and because remaining sin still leaves us susceptible to attack, we live every day in a war zone.”
—Paul David Tripp, Lead
But, just as Jesus has authority over and is present with us in the natural storms around us and within us, He has authority over and is present with us in the battles that we face spiritually as well, so there is hope! But we must take the spiritual warfare that we find ourselves in seriously; for while natural storms might threaten to overtake us, supernatural enemies want to destroy us. But Christ is our hope in the midst of it!
8 Be sober-minded, be alert. Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. 9 Resist him, firm in the faith, knowing that the same kind of sufferings are being experienced by your fellow believers throughout the world. 10 The God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, establish, strengthen, and support you after you have suffered a little while.
This is war. And we must see it as such. Scripture instructs us to put on the full armor of God, so that we can stand against the schemes of the evil one:
10 Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by his vast strength. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens. 13 For this reason take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand. 14 Stand, therefore, with truth like a belt around your waist, righteousness like armor on your chest, 15 and your feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace. 16 In every situation take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit—which is the word of God. 18 Pray at all times in the Spirit with every prayer and request, and stay alert with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints.
We need not be afraid or intimidated. We need only submit to God and resist the foe, standing firm in our faith:
7 Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
And that: submission to God, brings us to our last point, which is really a question:
3) How will you respond to Jesus?
3) How will you respond to Jesus?
We have come full circle to where we started before my first point this morning. We’re back to Jesus being God and King. Since He is, and since He has authority over the natural and the supernatural (and thus over both the physical and spiritual realms), there is a question of how we will respond to Him.
The Bible is clear that we are saved through what Jesus has done: because God loves us, Jesus took the punishment that we deserve for our sins when He died on the cross in our place, and He defeated death by rising from the grave again. If we surrender our lives to Him in faith, trusting in what He has done instead of what we can do, then we are forgiven, made right with God, and promised eternal life. We also have the blessing of receiving the Holy Spirit, God Himself, to live within us as a down payment on forever.
In these two stories from Mark’s Gospel, we see three different responses to the revelation of Jesus’ authority:
First, consider the response of the pig-herders and townspeople following the demonic possession of the pigs:
14 The men who tended them ran off and reported it in the town and the countryside, and people went to see what had happened. 15 They came to Jesus and saw the man who had been demon-possessed, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 16 Those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and told about the pigs. 17 Then they began to beg him to leave their region.
These folks are like, “Yeah, you’ve shown that you have authority, but it kind of freaks us out. It would be better if you would leave.” They want nothing to do with Him. They’re in the presence of God Himself, and they ask Him to leave. Are you like this today? Jesus sounds good and all, but surrender? That kind of freaks you out a bit. “Give up my life to Him? No, I’m fine, thank you.” But the truth is: we’re not fine apart from Jesus. We’re broken. We need Him to make us whole, because we’re all bound for destruction just like those pigs apart from the grace of God in Christ, because our sin separates us from God. We need His forgiveness, and that only comes through Jesus by faith. This morning, don’t be like the townspeople.
Next, consider the repsonse of the disciples in 4:41:
41 And they were terrified and asked one another, “Who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obey him!”
The disciples thought they knew who Jesus was, but it turned out that they really weren’t sure. You might be here this morning, and you’ve been in church for years, but you’ve never really surrendered your life to Him in faith—you’ve been a part of the group, but when the chips have really been down, you just haven’t been sure that He is who He says He is. Or maybe you’re just struggling this morning with doubt: You’re just not sure that you can trust Him with the storms in your life. So this morning, the question is yours: Who do you say that Jesus is? Is He Lord, or not? Is He trustworthy, does He have authority, or not? Understand that not to decide is to decide: there are only two options: surrender or rebellion. To choose not to surrender is to choose to rebel. There is no neutral, no middle ground.
And finally, the response of the demon-possessed man.
18 As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged him earnestly that he might remain with him. 19 Jesus did not let him but told him, “Go home to your own people, and report to them how much the Lord has done for you and how he has had mercy on you.” 20 So he went out and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and they were all amazed.
His response is the response that all followers of Jesus should give: He wants to follow Jesus wherever He goes. Jesus is about to go back onto the lake where the storms might be. He even wants to follow Jesus there. Following Jesus isn’t about preventing every storm, but being willing to follow Jesus through them in faith to the glory of God. Jesus gives us hope in the midst of the storms of life.
But in a surprising reply to his request, Jesus tells him that instead of following Jesus back across the lake, he should go home and tell his people how much the Lord has done for him. This might be his own kind of storm, given how people have seen him and treated him to this point. But he does it. He goes from maniac to missionary, by going out and proclaiming to the Decapolis (the Ten Cities) how much Jesus has done for him. Jesus is Lord. If we are His followers, then this is what we are called to as well: to go and testify to how much Jesus has done for us.
Closing
Closing
Which is your response to Jesus this morning: Is He Lord, or not?
If this morning, you have heard and understood the Gospel, and you have surrendered your life to Christ, then we want to know that so we can celebrate with you and help you as you start on this new spiritual life. When we dismiss, just stay in your seats as people leave, and we will come find you so that we can get some more information, pray with you, and set up a time to talk more about Jesus. If you’re online, send me an email to bill@ehbc.org.
If you are already a follower of Jesus, and this morning you believe that Eastern Hills is a place where you can be a part of a church family, so that you can grow in your faith and serve alongside your brothers and sisters in Christ, and you would like to join with this church in formal membership, same thing: stay in your seats. If you’re online and in the Albuquerque area, please let me know by email if this is you as well.
We are going to have a time of reflection, and during this time, you can worship God by giving online as He leads you. You’ll also be able to give in person using the plates by the doors as you leave this morning. But during our reflection time, take a moment to pray on the authority that Jesus has, the storms of your life, and the spiritual battles around you. Renew your trust in Him this morning as we reflect together.
PRAYER
Closing Remarks
Closing Remarks
Bible reading: Proverbs 3 today.
AOM tonight at 5pm in the Choir Room. Andrey Grinevich will be sharing.
Business meeting next Sunday night at 5:30 here in Sanctuary. Lots of important things to vote on: New Pastoral Ministry Group Leader, updated job descriptions for staff, contracting to start a long-range plan for our facility. Plan to be here.
Instructions
Benediction:
16 May the Lord of peace himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with all of you.