Jesus Power

Text: ESV Mark 1:27 And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.”

Goal: That we continue to be amazed by the power of Jesus Christ.

ESV 1 Timothy 1:2 Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

Want to hear an amazing story? This week a woman gave birth to octuplets. That’s right, eight babies, all in the same womb, all weighing between 1.8 and 3.4 pounds, all healthy. It is an amazing story. Almost too amazing to believe. No one is saying whether or not the octuplets were the result of some kind of fertility drug, or in-vitro fertilization. Chances are rather high that this set of octuplets didn’t come about naturally. One news article praised the birth of the octuplets as a “miracle,” but I think it was simply the result of human intervention. It is an amazing story, but I wouldn’t quite label it a miracle.

Want to hear another amazing story? Scientists have identified a unique catfish in a remote part of Venezuela. This catfish has the ability to climb rocks. It uses its mouth for suction and its pelvic fins as anchors. The fish lives in places where other fish would be washed away. As the need arises, this catfish can climb out of the water and inch up a rock cliff until it locates another pool of water. Pretty amazing. Scientists believe that the unique design of this fish has resulted from millions of years of evolution. To me, that’s the truly amazing part of this story. I believe that God created this fish with the ability to climb rock cliffs. It is an amazing fish, but not any more amazing than all the other creatures that God created.

Want to hear another amazing story? There was a baby born to a woman who lived in slavery. The edict for the day stated that all male babies were to be thrown into the Nile River. An amazing, yet disturbing method of population control. What’s even more amazing is that the woman obeyed the command and threw her baby into the river. The catch was that she first made a waterproof basket and placed her baby into the basket before throwing him into the river. As he floated down the river, his older sister ran along to see what would happen. What happened is truly amazing. The daughter of the man who gave the command to throw all the baby boys into the Nile River found the basket floating down the river. She opened the basket, took the baby out, and decided to keep him. When the sister saw what was happening, she boldly asked if there was need for a woman to nurse the baby. Incredibly the mother who placed her baby into the basket was chosen to care for the baby until he was old enough to live in the palace. Eventually God used this child (Moses), to lead the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt.

Want to hear another amazing story? Moses led God’s people out of slavery and he led them for forty years in the wilderness. He was an amazing prophet. He spoke God’s Word clearly. He received the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai. But in Deuteronomy 18:15 Moses spoke these words, “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers – it is to him you shall listen.” And then the people were led into the Promised Land by Joshua. They lived in the Promised Land under the leadership of the Judges. They demanded kings and lived through the time of the United Monarchy. Things fell apart and the kingdom divided and they survived poor leadership year after year. Things got worse and the Northern kingdom was captured. Things got even worse and the Southern kingdom fell. The prophets spoke and the people rebelled and through it all God continued to love them and to provide for their needs.

Want to hear another amazing story? A prophet like Moses finally came, but He wasn’t just a prophet. His story includes a virgin giving birth to a son. That beats octuplets any day! His story includes a miraculous rescue from Herod, a ruler who also issued a command for all baby boys to be killed. His story includes breaking apart two fish into enough pieces to feed over 5,000 people. That beats any other fish story ever told, including the one I shared about the rock climbing catfish of Venezuela. His story includes the rescue of the entire world from its slavery to sin, death, and the devil. But before we get that far, I want to pause for a moment to reflect on His early ministry.

Here’s what the people said about Jesus as He began His ministry (Mark 1:27): And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” People were amazed by the things that Jesus did. They were astonished at His teaching. They recognized His power and authority, but most of them never figured out who Jesus really was. They never took the time to truly listen to Jesus speak. The demons on the other hand, knew exactly who Jesus was. “Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God” (Mark 1:24b).

The demons recognized Jesus, but they had already rejected God’s love and mercy. Jesus came to defeat the demons that were infecting mankind. He came to destroy death and the devil. He came to begin restoration and regeneration. He came to bring hope and healing. Want to hear the most amazing story ever told, the most incredible event that has ever happened? It’s the same story that I share with you week after week, month after month, year after year. But it gets better every time I tell it. It gets better every time I hear it. Jesus Christ died on the cross for us. Isn’t that amazing? The man, who commanded unclean spirits and they obeyed Him, gave up His own Spirit. The man who raised people from the dead allowed His own body to die. The man who participated in the creation of the earth was placed in the ground. And He did it all so that we might have eternal life. That’s amazing. Jesus was raised from the dead, never to die again. Completely amazing! We know who Jesus is. Absolutely amazing! We have faith given to us by the Holy Spirit. Incredibly amazing! We believe in Jesus Christ for our eternal salvation. Amazing! Amazing! Amazing! Do you know why I told that amazing story again? Do you know why I preach the same sermon every Sunday? Part of it is because I’m not very creative . . . but the real reason is that I need to hear it. You need to hear it. We need to know that we are real sinners, who commit terrible sins. We need to know that we have a real Savior who actually died to take our sins away. We need to hear over and over and over again that Jesus loves us and that our sins are forgiven. Demons. They can’t touch us. The devil. He’s been defeated. Death. It’s now a gateway to eternal life. Jesus. He’s all powerful. Jesus. He has authority. Jesus. His Words heal. Jesus. He’s amazing.

ESV Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.