Turn back with me to Mark chapter
3. And let's begin by reading the
text this morning again. It's verses 6 to 12. Mark 3, beginning in verse 6. And the Pharisees went forth
and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him. how they might destroy him. But Jesus withdrew himself with
his disciples to the sea. And a great multitude from Galilee
followed him, and from Judea, and from Jerusalem, and from
Idumea, and from beyond Jordan. And they about Tyre and Sidon,
a great multitude, when they had heard what great things He
did, came unto Him. And He spake to His disciples
that a small ship should wait on Him because of the multitude,
lest they should throng Him. For He had healed many insomuch
that they pressed upon Him. for to touch Him as many as had
plagues. And unclean spirits, when they
saw Him, fell down before Him, and cried, saying, Thou art the
Son of God. And He straightly charged them
that they should not make Him known." You know what the theme
The subject of that portion of scripture right there is Him. It's all about Him. Some wanted to destroy Him. Some followed Him. Some came unto Him. Some wanted to throng Him. Some pressed upon Him to touch
Him. Some, when they saw Him, fell
down before Him. But it is all about Him. Every bit of it. I very simply
titled this message, Him. Him. It's all about Him. Now
everything I just read is the response of this great multitude. They said it was a great multitude
and they told what all these different people did in this
great multitude. And it's the response of the
end of verse 8. The end of verse 8 says, when
they had heard what great things he did. A response took place when they
heard what great things he did. That is called the gospel. It's
called the gospel. The gospel is all about what
great things He has done. By God's grace, we're going to
preach the gospel now. We're going to preach the gospel. And this is what we're going
to say. To God be the glory. great things he hath done. So loved he the world that he
gave us his Son, who yielded his life and atonement for sin,
and he opened the life gate that all those in him may go in. Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
let the earth hear his voice. Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
let the people rejoice. Oh, come to God the Father, through
Jesus Christ the Son, and give him the glory, great things he
hath done. That is the gospel. Come to God,
and the only way is through Jesus Christ. And what do you want me to do
when I get there? Nothing. But praise the Lord. Give him
the glory for the great things that he has done. The gospel
is not about what Christ wants to do. That's not the gospel. If a man gets up behind a pulpit
and says he wants to save you, that's not the gospel. That's
the worst news you could possibly hear. That means there's a dot,
dot, dot after it. The gospel is not what he wants
to do. The gospel is not what he is
trying to do. The gospel is not what he wants
you to do. Or what he needs you to do. The gospel is all about the great
things that He has done. You know that? We stand up with
a declaration that requires no response. I am not up here trying
to solicit a response. If He has already chosen you
from the foundation of the world, and if Christ already had you
on His heart when He hung on that cross, you will hear the
word that His Holy Spirit has already sent. You'll respond,
I don't need you to do anything. Oh, I hope I say the right things
that'll make somebody confess. I don't need to do that. All
I need to do is stand up and just tell what great things he
has done. And all of his people, all the
people that he's done these great things for will all say, praise
the Lord. Praise the Lord. He's a great
Savior. He's a great ruler. He's a great
king. Now I just want to take a few
minutes and see some things about Him. I titled this Him. Okay? Him. What a great God. What a great ruler. I just want to see some things
about Him. Turn with me over to Colossians
chapter 1. Colossians 1, this is talking
about the Lord Jesus Christ, Him. Verse 15 says, Who is the
image of the invisible God? Think about that for just a second.
That is a weighty statement. That's a weighty statement. Who
is God and what does He look like and what does He do and
what does God say? Well, you look at Jesus Christ
and you are looking at the image of the invisible God. There He
is. Verse 15 says, The firstborn
of every creature. Revelations 3.14 says, He's the
beginning of the creation of God. He's the beginning of all
of creation. Verse 16 says, For by Him were
all things created. Who made everything? God did. Who is God? Jesus Christ. By Him were all
things created. He is the Master. He's the Master. He is the maker. He is the workman. He is the builder. He did it
with his own hands. He made Adam. Work of his hands. He is the designer. You think
about this. He's the architect. He is the mind. He is the understanding. Verse 16 says, of everything
that's in heaven. By Him were all things created
that are in heaven. Astronomy is the study of the
stars. What we are trying to understand
are the great things that He has done. That's what we're trying
to understand. We're just trying to figure out
the great things that He has done. The different levels of
gravity. Is that not amazing? The perfect
rotations. You know, if the earth was a
little bit closer to the sun, we'd burn up and a little bit
farther, we'd freeze to death. Isn't that amazing? The perfect flight paths, how
the moon affects the tide, how the seasons affect the crops.
Jesus Christ did all that. Well, it just worked out really
well. That big bang was a great bang. Jesus Christ did all that. Isn't he great? The design, everything in the
heavens, everything in heaven, every single thing that's there.
Verse 16 says, for by him were all things created that are in
heaven and that are in earth. I thought about earth for a minute.
The thing that came to my mind were animals. Animals. Not only does he understand
everything there is to know about animals. But He made them to be what they
are. He made them to be what they are. Their natural characteristics,
their anatomy, their emotions. Now He did not make them to be
biters. Sin did that. One of these days
when He removes sin, the lion is going to eat with the lamb. But every single thing, germs, We get so worried about germs.
You know who made the germs and controls the germs? Bacteria. The weather. There's a hurricane coming, you
better run for your life. If I was controlling the hurricane,
I would make it go. He controls it all. Verse 16,
for by Him were all things created that are in heaven, that are
in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions
or principalities or powers. All things were created by him
and for him, and he is before all things, and by him all things
consist. What all is included in all things? All things. We worry about, and
I do too, but we worry about evil. Bad people, bad things. I heard somebody say the other
day, if we truly believed what we say we believe, we would never
worry again. If we truly believed what we
say we believe, do we believe God is sovereign? Do we believe he controls it
all? A leaf doesn't fall from a tree,
a sparrow doesn't fall out of the sky unless he says it's okay. Go with me over to Romans chapter
8. Romans chapter 8 verse 35 says,
who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation
or distress or persecution? Is he not the one who allows
every bit of that to happen in the first place? Persecution
and Every person and everything that brings to us tribulation,
distress, and persecution, He made that person and He controls
that person. The King's heart is in His hands.
Every single person. Who shall separate us from the
love of Christ? Verse 35 says, shall famine or
nakedness or peril or sword Not as long as he controls the
sun he made and the ground that he made and the seeds that he
made, the rain that he made, his famine going to. What about
nakedness? Not as long as he controls the
cotton he made. Peril, sword, not as long as
he controls the iron he made that makes the sword. Not as
long as he controls the heart he made that swings the sword
wherever he wants to swing it. Verse 36 says we may be accounted
as sheep for the slaughter, but verse 37 says we're not. We're not. And the reason is
because Christ has conquered it all. It's all because of Him. And verse 37 says, we are more
than conquerors through Him that loved us. Through Him that loved
us. For I'm persuaded that neither
death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers,
nor things present nor things to come, nor height, nor depth,
nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the
love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord." Why is Paul
so persuaded of that? Do you believe that? Why can we be so persuaded of
that? I'll tell you why. It's because
of a great thing that he did. That's why we can be absolutely
convinced nothing's going to separate us from the love of
Christ. It's because of a great thing
that he did. Go with me to Hebrews 5. Hebrews chapter 5, look at verse
5, it says, so also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high
priest, but he that said unto him, thou art my son, today have
I begotten thee. As he saith also in another place,
thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. who
in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and
supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able
to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared, though
he were a son, yet learned he obedience by the things which
he suffered. Now he is the creator of creation. He's the creator of creation. All creation. Everything that
exists. But he willingly humbled himself
down and learned obedience by the things which he suffered. Is it not amazing that he suffered? When he controls it all, when
he made it all, everything is beneath him. This great thing
is why we cannot be separated from Christ, why we cannot be
separated from him. The mighty creator, the owner,
the controller made himself suffer. He made himself suffer. What
did he suffer? the shame. He suffered the shame,
didn't he? We just read a minute ago in
Song of Solomon where the husband told his wife, you're undefiled. Why is that? It's because he
suffered the shame. He suffered the guilt. He suffered the sin of his people. And I love so much where he himself
said, ought not Christ to have suffered these things. Those two were walking on the
road to Emmaus and he said, what's wrong with you all? They said,
haven't you heard what happened? This man, Jesus, they took him,
they hung him on a tree. We heard he is not there anymore.
He said, ought not Christ to have suffered these things. That's the greatest thing I've
ever heard. Ought not Christ to have suffered these things.
Verse nine right here in Hebrews five says, and being made perfect. My perfect substitute, my perfect
sacrifice. He became the author of eternal
salvation unto all them that obey him. called of God and high
priest after the order of Melchizedek. What does that mean, after the
order of Melchizedek? Look at chapter 6 verse 20. Chapter 6 verse 20. Whither or
where the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made and
high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek, For this
Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met
Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him,
to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being by interpretation
King of Righteousness." Who is that? The capital K, King of
Righteousness. That's Jesus Christ. Verse 2
says, and after that also King of Salem, which is King of Peace. Who is the capital K, King of
Peace? That's Jesus Christ. Melchizedek is Jesus Christ. He is Jesus Christ. Verse 3 says,
this man Melchizedek was without father, without mother, without
descent, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but
made like unto the Son of God, abideth a priest continually.
Now consider how great this man was. The word was is in italics. It says consider how great this
man is. Just consider how great this
man is. Now think about this. Here is the mystery of godliness,
okay? This is our gospel. And it is a mystery. It is such
a mystery. The mystery of godliness. Jesus
Christ is the only begotten Son of God the Father. But He was
never begotten. He was never begotten. He himself
is without father. He said, I and my father are
one. He was in the beginning with
God because he was God. He was God. Jesus Christ was
born. He was born. But he has no beginning
of days. The day that he was born, he
was laid in a manger. That was not his first day. That
wasn't his first day. The God who made the wood that
made the manger, that was not his first day. Jesus
Christ spent nine months in a womb. He was born of a virgin. He was born of a virgin, spent
nine months in a womb, but he is without mother. He was the woman's seed. He was
a child born of a woman, but that was not his mother. That
was not his mother. Jesus Christ died on a cross. He died. He did not go into a
lulled state. He died. When it says he died,
he became as dead as death can be. The lowest parts of the grave. But he has no end of life. He has no end of life and in
him, neither do we. Neither do we. Consider how great
this man. It's all about Him and it's all
about the great things He's done. Isn't it amazing who He is and
what He's done? Go with me back over to Mark
chapter 3. This chapter begins with our Lord healing a man's
withered hand. It begins by telling us what
great things he did. That's how it starts out. What
great things he did. And the Pharisees hated him for
it. And that's always the case. If
a man will stand up and tell just what great things Christ
has done, the Pharisees will hate him for it. It's always
been that way and it always will be. Verse six says, and the Pharisees
went forth and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against
him, how they might destroy him. And that's what every enemy of
God wanted to do. When they nailed him on that
cross, they wanted to destroy him. And that's what they thought
they did was destroy him, but they were just pawns in the creator's
purpose. He made them. He made them by
allowing them to do what they did according to His purpose. Everything that they did, all
it caused was a way of redemption, a way for His children
to follow Him. Verse 6 says, The Pharisees went
forth and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against Him
how they might destroy Him. But Jesus withdrew himself with
his disciples to the sea, and a great multitude from Galilee
followed him. I'm gonna tell you what some
of these words mean, and we're gonna see our hope in this text,
and then we'll close. That word followed means united. Okay, now they wanted to destroy him.
So all they wanted was to destroy him. That caused our Lord to take
his disciples and they followed him. They were united to him.
He said, follow me, be united with me. And that's what happened. We
died in him. And now we live in him. We follow
him. Verse seven says, Jesus withdrew
himself with his disciples to the sea and a great multitude
from Galilee followed him and from Judea, and from Jerusalem,
and from Idumea, and from beyond Jordan, and they about Tyre and
Sidon, a great multitude, when they had heard what great things
He did, came unto Him." They came unto Him. And that's what
every sinner will do. I said that I'm not up here trying
to solicit a response. I don't need to. I don't need
to. We declare Jesus Christ and Him
crucified. And every sinner that God gives
an ear to hear, every sinner that he calls out, every one
of his own, they will come to him. They will, won't they? They will come straight to him.
Great things he has done. Verse nine says, and he spake
to his disciples that a small ship should wait on him. That word wait means to persevere
and not faint. Every sinner that comes to him
is going to persevere, not faint. Everyone. And if we do, it's
only going to be on him. It's only going to be on him.
Verse nine, he spake to his disciples that a small ship should wait
on him because of the multitude, lest they should throng him. The word throng means to press
as grapes. to press hard upon. That's my
only hope. That's my only hope. We're going
to leave this world. We're going to leave this world,
and here's my only hope. It's not in anything I've done.
That's not the gospel. It's all about the great things
that He has done, and here is my only hope. It's that my sin
was thronged upon Him. It's that my sin was pressed
hard on him. It's that my sin endured that
wine press in him. That's my only hope. That's the
only thing I'm holding to. Verse 10, for he had healed many
in so much that they pressed upon him. That word pressed means
to fall on, to lie upon. To fall into one's embrace, to
fall back upon. You know what that sounds like?
Rest. Rest. If the Lord has brought me into
union with him, and if I have come directly to him, if my sins
were pressed into him, rest. Rest, our Lord said, whoever
this stone falls on, it will grind him to powder. But whoever
falls on this stone, whoever falls on this stone for mercy. Verse 10 says, for he had healed
many in so much that they pressed upon him for to touch him. The word touch means cling to. They fell on him to cling to
him. That's what happens when a sinner
finally sees what great things he's done. He clings to Christ. Verse 11 says, and unclean spirits,
when they saw him, that word saw means behold. And I'm going
to tell you this, outside of Christ, every spirit is an unclean
spirit. Outside of Christ we are born
into this world unclean spirits. But every unclean spirit that
beholds, if the high and holy God ever says, behold me, isn't
that what he said in Isaiah 65? I'm found of them that sought
me not. How? I said, behold me. And if the high and holy God
ever says, behold me, verse 11 says, unclean spirits, when they
saw him, fell down before him. That means prostrate at one's
feet. They fell down at his feet, lying
stretched out with their face in the ground. That's what the
word prostrate means. They lied flat on the ground
with their face in the ground. We sing, at the name of the Lord
Jesus, bowing, falling, prostrated his feet. King of kings in heaven,
we'll crown him when our journey is complete. Precious name, oh
how sweet. Hope of earth, joy of heaven. That's him. Verse 11, unclean
spirits, when they saw him fell down before him and cried saying,
thou art the son of God. And he straightly charged them
that they should not make him known. What great things our
savior has done. Great, great things. And not
one of those things did he ever do to be seen of men. You know
that? Not one of those things. He made
himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant,
and was made in the likeness of men. And being found in fashion
as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death,
even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly
exalted him, and given him a name which is above every That at
the name of Jesus, every knee should bow of things in heaven,
things in earth, things under the earth. Everything He created
is going to bow down to Him. And that every tongue should
confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the
Father. It is all about Him. All of heaven,
all of earth, all of creation, all being, all life. is all about
him and the great things that he's done. All right, let's all
stand together.