The Secret, The Reason, The Realisation, The Sacrifice

The Secret, The Reason, The Realisation, The Sacrifice

Get everyone to stand - Need to conduct a bit of a survey, People think better on their feet

Q1 Sit down if you’ve never had a secret before.

Q2 Sit if you don’t have some secrets in your life now that you don’t want anyone else to know about.

Q3 Sit if you have always understood why God does thing.

- That is great because those people left standing might find this mornings sermon relevant because it means you have at least one thing in common with Jesus (Secrets) and another thing in common with the disciples (not understanding why).

- Before you sit, I’d ask one more thing. If you’ve got a bible, reach down and pick it up (If you don’t, we hopefully someone near by will let you share or maybe loan you one. And look, if all else fails, you are already standing so it won’t be much energy expended moving somewhere where you can look at one.

I’ll let you all sit now - but don’t put down those bibles because I’d like you to help me out today and to do that you’ll need your bibles.

Usually, a preacher starts by reading a passage of Scripture and then pulls it apart. Well I’m going to do things a little differently and we’ll get to our key passage a bit later. First up, lets try setting the scene

Hopefully there’ll be 4 distinct sections to this morning’s sermon and the passage I really want to focus on will come in at about the revelation or sacrifice.

Before we have a look at the secret, lets just pause and pray.

The Secret

We’ve all had secrets at one time or another. Jesus was no exception, but his was a curious one. For the first 30 years of his life, Jesus Christ lived a secret. He was God in a man’s body and everyone knew that he was an extraordinary child - perhaps even it had been remarked that he was a perfect child. But the fact that he was God remained a secret.

How do I know? Turn to Mark’s Gospel Chapter 1: 21.

Lets read a bit ... Read 1:21-28

vs 21 Capernaum - about 30km from Nazareth.

vs 22 The People were amazed (vs 22) - If God lived 30 years away for 30 odd years, I think news would have spread. Jesus Christ had a secret that had been kept hidden for the last 30 years. But now that he was about to begin his ministry, he would surely want the whole world to know who he was and what better place to reveal it than in a synagogue. Let’s read on and find out what happens.

vs 23-24 - The secret wasn’t a secret to everyone. Satan and his demons weren’t caught by surprise and this demon let the cat out of the bag - here was the holy one of Israel - God’s own perfect Son. Don’t you just hate when someone steals your thunder like that! But I guess that this was okay as Jesus was about to reveal it himself anyway.

vs 25 - What does Jesus say? Well I don’t think it was in that tone of voice, because Jesus said it sternly - with authority and perhaps a hint of annoyance that his secret was being threatened here. As I read this, I wonder whether the shaking of the man as the evil spirit left was the evil spirit’s fear at encountering and being instructed to do something by God’s Son.

Now this is fairly strange - Jesus Christ was supposed to be here to seek and save everyone who needed saving (the lost people). That’s right isn’t it? I’ve got some blank looks here. Are you still awake? You haven’t put your bibles down have you? Okay. lets just make sure of this so we don’t jump to any wrong conclusions - keep your finger in Mark and turn over with me to John 3:16. You are saying I know that, I don’t have to turn to it, but do you know the 2 verses after it??? Turn with me so we can all read it together John 3:16-18 - Those who have got the NIV version, read loud. Those with other’s read even louder. Let’s go

Who ever believes will be saved. Who do we have to believe in? - Jesus as God’s Son.

Rhetorical question coming up (don’t answer me ....) How can I believe in some one who I know nothing about - who is living a secret and trying to keep that which I am to believe hidden?

Lets go back to Mark 1 and see if this was an isolated incidence... Look in Verse 32. Jesus had just healed Peter’s mother-in-law and news was spreading that there was a new healer in town that had some pretty effective remedies. All the sick and diseased were queuing up to be healed in turn and Jesus was healing all of them. Lets read from verse 32 - 34. Same thing - Jesus was trying to keep his secret.