It is not that I did choose thee,
Lord, for, Lord, thou couldst not be. Todd's Road Grace Church would
like to invite you to listen to a sermon by our pastor, Todd
Nyberg. We are located at 4137 Todd's
Road, two miles outside of Manowar Boulevard. Sunday services are
at 1030 a.m. and 6 p.m. Bible study is at
945 a.m. Wednesday services are at 7 p.m. Nursery is provided for all services.
For more information, visit our website at toddsroadgracechurch.com.
Now here's our pastor, Todd Neibert. I'm speaking from the fourth
chapter of the book of Mark. If you could get your Bibles
and read along, I think it would be helpful. And I want to speak
to a specific person. Someone who has a storm raging
within. That's the person that I'd like
to speak to. A person with a storm raging
within. A storm of sin raging within. There's only one person who can
speak peace to you, and it's my prayer that that is precisely
what will take place. Beginning in verse 35 of Mark
chapter 4, And the same day, when the even
was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other
side. He was speaking to his disciples,
and they were going to pass over the Sea of Galilee to the other
side, to the land of the Gadarenes. Now, the Lord had a purpose in
passing over to the other side one of his sheep. was on the other side, and he
is always going to get every one of his sheep. This is the
shepherd going after the lost sheep. Verse 36, And when they
had sent away the multitudes, they took him even as he was
in the ship, and there were also with him other little ships,
And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into
the ship, so that it was now full, and he was in the hinder
part of the ship, asleep on a pillow. Now as this raging squall comes
in, is what it's called, wind suddenly beating against the
boat, waves being brought in, the ship being filled with water,
the Lord Jesus Christ is in the hinder part of the ship asleep
on a pillow. Now, here we have the humanity
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, Jesus Christ is God, but
Jesus Christ is man. As a man, he needed sleep. He
was tired from the activities of the day. But here we have
the perfect humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ. Do you know not
a wave of worry came across his breast? He was in perfect peace. He didn't know what it was to
worry. He had perfect trust in his Father so he could sleep
through this raging storm without any kind of worry. Now, the disciples
didn't feel that way though. We read in verse 38, And they
awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that
we perish? Now, this event is given in both
Matthew, Mark and Luke, where the Lord was in this boat asleep
during the storm. And there are three different
responses in the three different gospel narratives. Somebody may
say, well, there are contradictions then. No, it's just a reminder
that we are many layered and all three of these responses
are what goes on in our mind during a storm. In Matthew's
account, the disciples said, Lord, save us. We perish. In Mark's account, as I just
read, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And then in Luke's
account, Master, we perish. Now, in one account, we have
faith and unbelief side by side. Lord, save us. There's faith. There's the plea of faith. And
here's the unbelief. We perish. In Mark's account,
the disciples express harsh views of the Lord Jesus Christ. Don't
you care that we're perishing? And in Luke's account, there
seems to be no faith at all. Simply, Master, we perish. Now, verse 39, and he arose and
rebuked the wind. and said unto the sea, Peace,
be still, literally be muzzled. And the wind ceased and there
was a great calm. Here is a man who wakes up and
controls the weather with what authority He rebuked the wind. What majesty was in His voice
when He said, Peace, be still. And there was a great calm. Instantly, there was perfect
tranquility. The water was like a glass. Now, can you imagine what it
must have been like to see that? The raging storm. waves beating
against the ship and filling it with water. And the Lord rising
up from His sleep and rebuking the wind and saying to the sea,
peace, be still. And then immediately there was
a great calm. And only He can say to the raging
going on within, peace, be still. And if He speaks, If you hear
His voice, there will be a great calm. Now, in Matthew's account,
after he had rebuked the sea, he said, Why are you so fearful,
O ye of little faith? Have I given you any reason to
doubt my power, to doubt my love, to doubt my wisdom, to doubt
my mercy? Have I given you any reason to
have such little faith? I'm in the ship. Why are you
so filled with fear? Do you have such a low opinion
of me as to think there's trouble when I'm here? Remember, billows
by will obey. He's the master of the sea. In
Mark's account, he said, how is it that you have no faith? What is the reason behind you
having no faith at this time? And in Luke's account, he says,
where is your faith? It obviously is not in operation
right now. Where? Is it your actions and
attitude are totally contrary to faith saying, don't you care
about us? Where is your faith? Now, listen
to verse 41. I love this verse. After our
Lord said this to them, it says, and they feared exceedingly. And said one to another, what
manner of man is this? that even the winds and the sea
obey Him? What manner of man is this? What sort of man is this that
He actually controls the weather, that He says to the winds, ìPeace,
be still,î and thereís a great calm? What sort of man is this? I could just as easily have entitled
this message, What Manner of Man is This? Would to God that
you and I could give some serious consideration to what manner
of man is this? Now, this is the issue. What
do you think of the Lord Jesus Christ? I don't care what you
think about anything else. What is in your mind regarding
this man, the Lord Jesus Christ? Now, listen to me real carefully.
He's either the greatest imposter to ever live, or He is who He
said He is. Now, what manner of man is this
who could say 1,200 years after the death of Abraham, He said to the Pharisees, your
father Abraham rejoiced to see my day. And he saw it. And he was glad. And they replied,
well, you're not even 50 years old. And you say Abraham saw
you? And he said before Abraham was,
I am. I am the eternal one. I am the
self-existent one. When he said I am, He's saying,
I'm God. I am that I am. The same thing
that he said to Moses when Moses saw him in the burning bush and
said, who am I going to tell him is sending me? And he said,
I am that I am, not I was, not I want to be, not I could be,
not I should be, not I will be, but I am that I am. He said to the Pharisees, if
you believe not that I am, you'll die in your sin. This is who
He is, the Great I Am. Do you remember when the soldiers
came to arrest Him? He said, Whom seek ye? And they
said, Jesus of Nazareth. And he said, I am. And remember what happened? Immediately
they went back and fell backward. He was letting them know at this
time that he's no victim here. He's in control of this situation. The only reason you're arresting
me is because I'm permitting it. I am the great I am. It was said of him, a virgin
shall be with child. Now what manner of man is this?
that's born of a virgin. And she shall bear a son, and
thou shalt call His name Jesus, Savior, for He shall save His
people from their sins. What manner of man is this? His
name is called Emmanuel, which being interpreted, God with us. At the announcement of His birth,
a chorus rang from the heavenly choir, singing, Glory to God
in the highest. And on earth, peace, goodwill
toward men. What manner of man is this? What manner of man is this? Who
when he was twelve years old? His parents thought they'd lost
him. He was in the temple talking
to the priests and the doctors of the law. And his parents finally
found him and they said, why have you done this? We've sought
you sorrowing. And he said, how is it that you
sought me? Know you not that I must be about
my Father's business? What manner of man is this who
could speak that way to his parents? What manner of man is this who,
before he entered his public ministry, was tempted with the
devil? He was tempted with the lust of the flesh, the lust of
the eyes, and the pride of life. The same temptation that our
first parents faced in the garden when the devil tempted them with
the fruit. And the Scripture says, Eve saw
it that it was pleasant to the taste, the lust of the flesh,
and pleasant to the eyes, the lust of the eyes, and desired
to me, make one wise, the pride of life. And she fell. And you
and I have fallen before temptation. We've not. resisted temptation,
but he did. When the devil tempted him, the
devil was defeated. He said, he's found nothing in
me. Satan has come and he's found nothing in me. He found nothing
He could get whole love. He's the same one who could say,
which of you can convince me of sin? What manner of man is
this who never sinned? Not in thought, not in word,
not in deed. The man who never gave in to
temptation. And he was tempted at all points,
like as we are, yet without sin. What manner of man is this? What manner of man is this who,
when he walked upon this earth, he controlled the weather. He
brought matter into existence which was not there before, demonstrating
creative power, bringing something from nothing. What manner of
man is this? He healed the sick. He gave sight
to the blind. He raised the dead. What manner
of man is this? Demons trembled in His presence,
and they couldn't make a move from one place to another without
first asking His permission. What manner of man is this whom
the demons trembled before? What manner of man is this who
could say to that one who is paralyzed, Son, be of good Be forgiven me. And when the
Pharisees heard, they said, who is this? None can forgive sins
but God only. Who is this one who thinks he
has the authority to absolve sin? What manner of man is this
who can say, thy sins be forgiven me? And if he says to you, your
sins are forgiven, you know what? They're forgiven. What manner
of man is this who could say of that poor publican in the
temple, beating on his breast, a self-condemned sinner, crying,
God be merciful to me, thee sinner. And he said, I tell unto you,
what authority is in his voice, I tell unto you, that that man
went down to his house justified, not merely forgiven, not merely
pardoned, but justified, not guilty. What kind of man has
the authority to declare a man who confessed himself to be guilty,
not guilty? What man has the power to do
this? What manner of man could say,
I am the way? Not I'll show you the way, but
I am the way. I am the truth. Not I'll teach you the truth,
but I'm it. I am the life. Not I'll give you life or I'll
teach you how to live, but I myself am the life. No man comes to
the Father but by Me. What manner of man is this? What manner of man could say,
He that has seen Me hath seen the Father? What manner of man
could say to Nathanael as he sits under the fig tree, before,
before you were under the fig tree, I saw thee when you didn't
see me. and I wasn't anywhere physically
around, still I saw you. Do you know this man I'm speaking
of right now sees you? And he sees exactly what's going
on in your hearts. What manner of man is this who
could say to the woman at the well, if you knew the gift of
God and who it was that saith unto me, give me to drink? You'd
ask him. and He given to thee living water. Whoever drinks of this water,
this physical water, will thirst again. But whosoever drinketh
of the water that I give him shall never thirst. What manner of man is this? What manner of man could pray,
Father, I will, that they whom You have given Me, be with me
where I am. What man could say to the Father,
Father, I will that you do this? You and I can't pray that way.
We can pray and say, Lord, if it be your will, let this take
place. Or if it be your will, let that take place. But he could
say to his Father, as equal to the Father, Father, I will that
you do this. What manner of man is this? What manner of man could say
to Pilate, when Pilate said, don't you know that I have power
to release you and I have power to crucify you? And he said,
thou couldst have no power at all over me, except it be given
thee from above. What manner of man can speak
that way? What manner of man could be hanging
from a cross, and that dying thief could see Him in seemingly
such a helpless condition, and see Him, couldn't even recognize
His face in pain and agony, seemingly so helpless, and say, Lord, You're
the Lord, You're the dictator. Remember me when You come in
Your kingdom. You're not going to stay dead. You're not going
to fail. You're going to be raised from
the dead. You're going to come back as a reigning king. Oh,
remember me." And he looked at that thief and said, today thou
shalt be with me in paradise. What manner of man could say
after his resurrection, all power, all power. is given to me in
heaven and in earth. What is the same one who said,
All that the Father giveth me shall come to me, and him that
cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. Now I tell you what
manner of man this is, the God-man. the Creator of the Universe,
the Eternal, Invisible, Immortable God, and the Man, Christ Jesus. Fully God, fully man. That's the manner of man this
is who can control the sea and the wind. Now, he demonstrates,
right after this, controlling a man. and doing something for
a man who had a rage going on within. Now they get to the other
side and we read in Mark chapter 5 verse 1. And they came over
unto the other side of the sea into the country of the Gadarenes. And when he was come out of the
ship Immediately there met him out of the tombs, out of the
place of death, a man with an unclean spirit, a morally perverted,
evil and wicked man, an unclean man. And listen to what it says
about this man. He had his dwelling among the
tombs, and no man could bind him, no, not with chains, because
that he'd been often bound with fetters and chains, and that's
what religion tries to do to a man, bind him up, put bonds
on him. He'd been often bound with fetters
and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him,
and the fetters broken in pieces, neither could any man tame him. Oh, he would try to get calmed
down and tamed and chained up, but as soon as his sinful nature
would call, he'd break those chains asunder. And verse 5 says,
And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the
tombs, crying and cutting himself with stones. This man had a storm
within. But, verse 6, when he saw Jesus
afar off, He ran and he worshipped Him. Now this I know. If you and I
ever see who the Lord Jesus Christ is, even if it's a far off, what
we'll do, we'll run before Him and we'll worship Him. What is
worship? You worship Him in whom you have
no control. The one in whose hands you are. Now at this time, this fellow
didn't even suspect mercy. Look what he says. He cried with
a loud voice, verse 7, and said, What have I to do with thee,
Jesus, thou Son of the Most High God? I adjure thee by God that
thou torment me not. He didn't think Christ would
have mercy on him. He says, What connection is there
between me and you? You're light. I'm darkness. You're
holy. I'm evil. You're good. I'm bad. What connection is there
between us? What have I to do with thee? I think he was very much like
Peter was. When Peter saw who the Lord was, his response was,
Depart from me, Lord. You don't want to have anything
to do with anybody like me. I'm a sinful man. There's no
connection between us. Verse 8, For he said unto him,
Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit. And he asked him, the
Lord asked this man, what's your name? And he answered saying,
my name is Legion, for we are many. This man was possessed
with many demons, many legions of lust. He was under the control
of demons. I think it's interesting when
the Lord speaks to demon possessed people in the New Testament,
sometimes it seems like the person speaking, sometimes it seems
like it's the demon speaking. It always sounds the same, because
really there's not much difference between a man speaking, a lost
man, and a demon. Both are under the power of evil. And He besought him much that
he would not send them away out of the country. Now there was
there nigh unto the mountain a great herd of swine feeding,
and all the devils besought Him, saying, Send us into the swine,
that we may enter into them. And forthwith Jesus gave them
leave. You see, they couldn't make a
move unless the Lord allowed it. And the unclean spirits went
out and entered into the swine, and the herd ran violently down
a steep place into the sea. There were about 2,000 and were
choked in the sea." Now listen to me carefully. When the Lord
ceases the raging within, what He does is He takes what causes
the raging, sin, and He causes it to leave. This is what He
did on the cross. My sin became His. He died under
God's wrath and His righteousness becomes mine. My sin has been
separated from me. Just like the demons left the
man, my sin has left me. Now I still have my sinful flesh.
I don't understand how this is, but I am without sin. It's left
by virtue of what He has done. Verse 14, And they that fed the
swine fled and told it in the city and in the country. And
they went out to see what it was that was done. And they came
to Jesus and saw Him that was possessed with the devil and had the legion sitting and
clothed and in His right mind. The Lord did something for him.
He was now sitting, not moving around, sitting at the feet of
Christ No longer naked, but clothed. Clothed in the righteousness
and merits of Christ. And he was in his right mind.
You see, a lost man is crazy. Someone who doesn't believe grace
is crazy. But when the Lord does something for him, He gives him
a right mind. Right thoughts of God. Right
thoughts of himself. Scriptural thoughts. seeing his
need of Christ, right thoughts of salvation. And David saw it,
told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil,
and also concerning the swine. This is what the Lord did. And
they began to pray him to depart out of their coasts. And when
he was coming to the ship, he that had been possessed with
the devil prayed him that he might be with him. How did Jesus
suffer him not, but said, Go home to thy friends, and tell
them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and that
they had compassion upon thee. What manner of man is this who
can control the weather? The same one who can save a sinner,
described as in Mark chapter 5. Now we have this message on
cassette tape, DVD and CD. If you call the church or write,
we'll send you a copy. And we'd like to invite you to
service at Todd's River Grace Church today. This is Todd Kniper,
praying God will be pleased to make Himself known to you. Amen. To request a copy of the sermon
you have just heard, send your request to messages at toddsroadgracechurch.com. Or you may write or call the
church at the information provided on the screen.