All Things New

Welcome and Call to Worship

Church of Artesia, welcome to our sanctuary and online. We're going to go ahead and start our service this morning with a reading.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his faithful love endures forever. And say, “Save us, God of our salvation; gather us and rescue us from the nations so that we may give thanks to your holy name and rejoice in your praise. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting.”Then all the people said, “Amen” and “Praise the Lord.”

— 1 Chronicles 16:34-36 (CSB)

Now let's praise the Lord together.

(Worship Song)
"Divine arise, oh how constant, how divine, these will rise...
Oh, praising, oh praising, He is Holy, He is Holy, a joyous noise.
Always love to rescuing, oh how infinitely sweet..."

(Worship Song)
"Savior, I come, quiet my soul, remember...
Redemption is where your blood was spilled for my ransom.
Everything I once held dear, I count it all but lost.
Lead me to the cross where your love was poured out.
Bring me to my knees, Lord, I lay me down.
Rid me of myself, I belong to you.
Oh, lead me, lead me to the cross."

(Worship Song)
"Only in God is my soul at rest, from Him comes my salvation.
Only He is my rock, my strength, and my salvation, my stronghold, my Savior.
I shall not be afraid at all, my stronghold, my Savior, I shall not be moved.
Only in God is my soul at rest."

The Kingdom Arrives

Amen. You may be seated.

There are so many other things in life that we could put our trust in—our own abilities, our comforts, our careers. We know all of them are shifting sand. The only place where we find true rest is in Jesus Christ. That's why we're here this morning.

I'm John Lee, one of the pastors here, and it brings me joy to bring you God's word this morning. If you have a Bible, you can go ahead and grab it and open it to Mark chapter 1. We've been going through this book, and in the two sermons I've preached in Mark so far, we talked about how Mark establishes who Jesus is—the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies—and about his declaration that the kingdom of God has come near, calling us to repent and to believe the good news.

Now, as we look at verses 21 through 45, we see Jesus beginning to act in this Gospel, and we see what comes when Jesus arrives on the earth. I'll be reading Mark chapter 1, verses 21 through 45. If this is the first time you've used the Bible, the big numbers are the chapter numbers, and the little numbers are the verse numbers. I'll be reading from the Christian Standard Bible; it's not too different from whatever translation you have. It says this:

They went into Capernaum, and right away he entered the synagogue on the Sabbath and began to teach. They were astonished at his teaching because he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not like the scribes. Just then a man with an unclean spirit was in their synagogue. He cried out, “What do you have to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” Jesus rebuked him saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” And the unclean spirit threw him into convulsions, shouted with a loud voice, and came out of him. They were all amazed, and so they began to ask each other, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” At once the news about him spread throughout the entire vicinity of Galilee. As soon as they left the synagogue, they went into Simon and Andrew’s house with James and John. Simon’s mother-in-law was lying in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. So he went to her, took her by the hand, and raised her up. The fever left her, and she began to serve them. When evening came, after the sun had set, they brought to him all those who were sick and demon-possessed. The whole town was assembled at the door, and he healed many who were sick with various diseases and drove out many demons. And he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him. Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he got up, went out, and made his way to a deserted place; and there he was praying. Simon and his companions searched for him, and when they found him they said, “Everyone is looking for you.” And he said to them, “Let’s go on to the neighboring villages so that I may preach there too. This is why I have come.” He went into all of Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons. Then a man with leprosy came to him and, on his knees, begged him, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched him. “I am willing,” he told him. “Be made clean.” Immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. Then he sternly warned him and sent him away at once, telling him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go and show yourself to the priest, and offer what Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” Yet he went out and began to proclaim it widely and to spread the news, with the result that Jesus could no longer enter a town openly. But he was out in deserted places, and they came to him from everywhere.

— Mark 1:21-45 (CSB)

Let's pray.

Lord, we pray this morning that you would incline our ears to listen to your word, to not just hear with our ears but to see with our hearts your glory in this passage. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.

In the past sermons, we saw Jesus being introduced, and he pronounces that the kingdom of God has finally come near. Now we get to see Jesus in action. What we see as Jesus acts provides four things for us to think about this morning. So the main idea for us is to believe in Jesus, who makes all things new. As Jesus comes in as this new king bringing the new creation, he brings four things: first, he brings a new authority; second, he brings a new condition; third, he brings a new priority; and fourth, he brings a new hope.

A New Authority

Let's look at point number one: a new authority.

As we read verses 21 and 22 again, we see that they went into Capernaum, and right away he entered the synagogue on the Sabbath and began to teach. The people were astonished at his teaching because he taught them as one who had authority, and not like the scribes. After Jesus calls his disciples—Simon, Andrew, James, and John—he enters into Capernaum and begins to teach in the synagogue. This happens on the Sabbath, when Hebrews wouldn't be working, and they would often go into the synagogue to hear teaching from God's word. Except this Sabbath, there's a new rabbi, and the people were astonished at his teaching.

But the reason why they're astonished isn't because of what Jesus is teaching here; Mark doesn't detail any of the words that Jesus said. Rather, it is how Jesus teaches. Jesus teaches as one who has authority, and not like the scribes. What makes Jesus stand out isn't dynamic speaking, vivid illustrations, or killer jokes, but that his words carried weight. He spoke with authority. Jesus isn't just another teacher; he's the one that the other teachers have been talking about.

See, scribes have to take time to describe what they see, to explain what people think. They're probably well-read academics with doctorate degrees who made a life of their knowledge, but at the end of the day, the things that they said were derivative. Their points came from someone else; it comes from outside of themselves. In other words, in order to prove that the scribes had something worth saying, they would cite their sources to talk about how so-and-so said this or so-and-so said that. No intellectually honest scribe could say, "You should listen to me because I said so."

But Jesus doesn't need to cite his sources; he speaks for himself. "You've heard it said this, but I say to you something different." When Jesus speaks, he's not drawing on the logic of Aristotle, on the tradition of Hillel or Shammai, or the insight of Plato. Jesus is utterly original, distinct, and singular. Mark is making clear that Jesus isn't like any other teacher that has appeared on this planet. When Jesus speaks, he carries the same authority with his words that caused light to shine from darkness.

Who do you listen to? It can feel like nowadays we're more divided than ever. Society is segmenting itself into its tribes, and every tribe has its leaders. Arguments with others can feel like you're comparing your lineup of the leaders that you think are right against the leaders that another person thinks is right. But rather than Jesus falling into line, he transcends all of those comparisons because of who he is. If Jesus is who he says he is, if he's really the Son of God, then he stands above what anyone else has to say. Whatever Jesus says is right because he's right, because he is God.

That identity gets confirmed not just in the way that Jesus talks, but in what he does. You can see that in verse 23: "Just then a man with an unclean spirit was in their synagogue. He cried out, 'What do you have to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!'"

A demon-possessed man is in the synagogue and cries out to Jesus, "What do you have to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?" In other words, this demon is asking Jesus, "Leave us alone." This unclean spirit has been around. We know that sin entered the world in the Garden of Eden, and ever since, evil spirits have been active. This is their realm, their playground. This demon has lived largely uncontested and unbothered, able to dominate this man's life without any opposition. After all, Ephesians 6:12 says that demons are identified as the rulers of darkness in this world.

But then a new king comes into town, and the demon freaks because he knows who Jesus is. See what the demon calls Jesus there? He calls him "the Holy One of God." That title, "Holy One," is used for the only one who is holy—the Holy One of God. In Isaiah, God frequently identifies himself as the Holy One of Israel, and here the demon identifies Jesus as who he truly is: God himself made flesh. The demon believes that Jesus is God, and he shudders.

Jesus' presence triggers this demon's panic, and for good reason. Look at what Jesus does in verse 25. He rebukes the demon, saying, "Be silent, and come out of him!" And the unclean spirit throws the man into convulsions, shouts with a loud voice, and comes out of him. The people are all amazed, and they begin to ask each other what this new teaching with authority is. He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.

Jesus rebukes the demon, and the demon leaves. Now, this exorcism isn't like those exorcisms that you see in horror movies; there's no long struggle. Jesus speaks, and the demon leaves because Jesus doesn't just have the authority to instruct, he also has the authority to command. When he tells the demon to leave that man, the demon must obey. The demon who had control over this man's life had to bow his knee to the King of kings and Lord of lords.

And the people are amazed. They recognize that what Jesus is doing is different, but notice what they're primarily amazed by. What they talk about first is not Jesus' actions or that he cast out a demon; they're amazed by his teaching. What Jesus had to say, and how he validates what he teaches by what he does—the people are astonished.

What about you? Who do you listen to? When Jesus speaks, he's not just giving another perspective; he speaks with authority. He commands the attention of crowds and demons. Are you listening to Jesus this morning, or do you mirror the retort of the devil: "What do you have to do with us?"

Here you can see the responsibility of a faithful preacher of God's word. My job up here is to speak with authority, but this authority doesn't come from myself. If I ever come up on one of these Sunday mornings and I say, "You've heard it said this, but truly, truly, John Lee tells you otherwise," fire me. Fire me!

I remember fighting with my sister growing up and arguing about the most petty stuff: "Give me my toy," or "It's my turn to use the computer." As a younger sibling, my sister just kind of brushed me off; she would just ignore me. My words didn't carry much weight. But if I went to my mom, and my mom told me to tell my sister to get off the computer, oh yeah, my words carried some weight. What I said didn't necessarily change, but the source of my words did. My words came from a greater authority.

It's the same way for a preacher. Every preacher's authority must come from a greater authority. We believe that this book is God's word, and my job as a pastor isn't to bring new teaching, but clear teaching from whatever this book has to say. My authority starts and stops wherever this book does, and that's what we should seek: true, authoritative words. Not interesting words, not entertaining words, but true words.

Listen to how God speaks. Hughes Oliphant Old was a theologian and academic in the 20th century who analyzed pretty much every single significant preacher in the 20th century, and here is the way that he describes one of those teachers:

"Why do so many people listen to this man, this product of all the wrong schools? How can you pack out a church on Sunday morning in an age in which church attendance has seriously lagged? Here is a preacher who has nothing in the way of a winning personality, good looks, or charm. Here is a preacher who offers us nothing in the way of sophisticated homiletical packaging. No one would suggest that he is a master of the art of oratory. What he seems to have is a witness to true authority. He recognizes in Scripture the word of God, and when he preaches, it is Scripture that one hears. It is not that the words of this man are so interesting, as it is that the word of God is of surpassing interest. That is why one listens."

I pray all of us find Jesus of surpassing interest. Incline your ear to him, because when Jesus comes, he doesn't just bring that new authority. With that new authority comes a new condition.

A New Condition

That is point number two: a new condition. Let's look at verse 29:

"As soon as they left the synagogue, they went into Simon and Andrew’s house with James and John. Simon’s mother-in-law was lying in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. So he went to her, took her by the hand, and raised her up. The fever left her, and she began to serve them."

Jesus enters into Simon and Andrew's house, finds out that Simon's mom is sick, goes to her, takes her hand, and she is healed. Jesus goes from casting out demons to caring for a mother, and her healing was comprehensive and immediate. That's a good parallel for us in terms of what happens to us when we come to faith. It's not that we do anything to earn the approval of Jesus. Often, we're lying in bed, incapable of doing anything ourselves. We're bedridden in our sins and failures, and Jesus comes, takes us by the hand, raises us up, and we respond by serving him. He makes us new.

And notice here: the fruit of this woman being saved by Jesus is her service. The response of Simon's mother to her healing is caring for her Savior. It is the same for us as well. So many of us have shown faithfulness to the Lord. It's been an absolute joy for me to continue to get to know you—whether it's helping around in the church, caring for other church members, or seeking to minister to your co-workers, your family, and your friends. We know that service to Christ isn't just for those of us who have jobs in the ministry, but it's for everyone as a result of Christ's work in us.

Once Jesus heals Simon's mom, the whole community hears, and they all come to him. Look at what happens in verse 32. When evening came, after the sun had set, they brought to him all those who were sick and demon-possessed. The whole town was assembled at the door, and he healed many who were sick with various diseases and drove out many demons.

Once the sun sets and the Sabbath ends, people are freed from their rest. They are able to actually go out and do things now, and they rush to Jesus. Simon's mom's home turns into an urgent care facility. They bring their sick and demon-possessed, and Jesus heals them.

Think about what that means. The pain and sorrow that came from the Fall, the oppression from the evil rulers of this world—Jesus comes, and he brings something new. When Jesus arrives, sickness leaves, and demons flee. Jesus is initiating here a new rule, a new creation. The kingdom of heaven is invading the earth, and for the people in this community, that announcement is good news.

A New Priority

After his long evening comes an unexpected morning. This is point number three: a new priority. Verse 35 tells us that very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he got up, went out, and made his way to a deserted place, and there he was praying.

Jesus had a long night. A lot of people came to him, and he gets up the next morning early to pray. As he begins his ministry, Jesus prioritizes prayer. Here we see the Son himself taking time to pray to his Father. He's not praying just so that he can get some spiritual juice to be able to do his work. He's not praying with the expectation that God is somehow reorienting his plans around Jesus' wants. Jesus spends time in prayer because it flows out of the fellowship that he has with his Father.

Jesus prioritizes spending time with God. There's no complacency in Jesus. Jesus isn't satisfied with a long evening of productive ministry, thinking, "I earned the right to sleep in a little bit." Instead, he sees prayer as something worth giving up his rest and his work for.

Do you pray? Do you have the same priorities that Jesus does? When we don't pray, it's a sign of our pride. Prayerlessness is a symptom of self-reliance. Charles Spurgeon says this:

"Jesus was up at the sacred work of prayer. The more work we have to do with people for God, the longer we ought to be at work with God for them. If we plead with people, we cannot hope to prevail unless we first plead with God."

If Jesus prepares for his work in prayer, so can we. Whatever your to-do list for the week looks like, I guarantee you that Jesus' list was probably more important, yet he still takes time to pray, to turn towards his Father in heaven. So let me encourage you: face God before you face your phone. Face God before you face others. Face God before you face your trials.

Let's be a church known for our prayer, where we aren't bored talking to our living God. I love that Jeanette hosts bi-monthly prayer meetings where we can spend time together and pray together. Did you know that this church had Sunday evening prayer services every single week from the moment it was planted in 1948 until 2001? I love that. I love that this church has a history of prioritizing prayer. Let's be a church that continues to do that, a church that is known for our prayer, that takes time to be with God as much as we talk about him. Prayerlessness is functional atheism, but when we pray, when we take time to be with the Lord, we prioritize the same things that Jesus prioritizes.

But the disciples don't get it. You can see that in verse 36: "Simon and his companions searched for him, and when they found him they said, 'Everyone is looking for you.' And he said to them, 'Let’s go on to the neighboring villages so that I may preach there too. This is why I have come.'"

The disciples find Jesus and tell him, "Everyone is looking for you," but Jesus doesn't go back. I'm sure that the village had more needs to inform Jesus about. I'm sure that the village was also probably eager to show their appreciation for all the work that Jesus had done. But Jesus chooses to move on.

And notice what Jesus says he needs to do in those neighboring villages. Jesus doesn't say that he needs to go and cast out more demons; he doesn't say that he needs to go there to heal more of the sick. He says that he needs to go to those neighboring villages so that he can preach there. Jesus looks beyond the immediate problems of their day.

Some of us avoid looking at our calendars because we get stressed: grocery lists, relationships that we need to clean up, chores, "honey-do" lists, responsibilities at work. Sometimes the temptation when we feel overwhelmed with all the things that we need to do is to think we need to ramp up our productivity. "I need to figure out a way to get things done, to organize all of our tasks, to be capable enough to juggle everything, to handle it ourselves, to just go and fix it." But where we would likely try to prioritize our productivity and our output, Jesus prioritizes prayer and preaching.

Is Jesus apathetic to the plight of these people? I don't think so. I think Jesus cares for the sick; you can see his tender touch with Simon's mother. I think he cares for the demon-possessed when he rebukes the demon. Jesus cares for the sick, the demon-possessed, and all suffering in the world. But I think that Jesus' perspective enables him to see a deeper need than the temporary earthly sufferings that we endure. Jesus cares about all suffering, especially eternal suffering, and saving other people from that requires prayer and preaching.

After all, everyone who was healed in Capernaum got sick again. Those freed from bondage to demons still sank to the grave. We need a solution that's deeper than that, something more effective, something that gives us hope beyond this life's worries and troubles. Jesus comes to fix our eternal problem, so he holds on to his priorities, and we ought to recalibrate ours.

We gather on Sundays, and when you come into this building, when we sing praises to God, when we pray to him, and when we spend time in his word, what we're doing is realigning our hearts to what God prioritizes. We're refocusing our minds, reminding ourselves of what's really true, of what's really important. We're tuning our hearts to sing his grace. We have hope to pray, we have hope to remain faithful, because we know that Jesus prioritizes our deepest need, and he proves that he will. That brings us to our last point this morning: a new hope.

A New Hope

Let's look at point number four: a new hope. Verse 39: "He went into all of Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons. Then a man with leprosy came to him and, on his knees, begged him, 'If you are willing, you can make me clean.'"

Jesus travels through Galilee teaching and driving out demons, and a man with leprosy comes to Jesus. We don't see lepers in our society today, but leprosy back then was a big deal. It was a skin disease that was contagious and incurable. Even a touch from a leper could result in you being infected. Severe leprosy would result in limbs from your own body just falling off as your body decayed. It was so serious that in Leviticus 13, Moses instructs Israel to exile any leper out of the camp, to live alone to starve and die so that they couldn't spread their disease to any other Israelite.

Leprosy was essentially a death warrant. You lived until you literally fell apart. It was so dismal that the lepers who lived outside the camp in exile were considered the living dead. No amount of manifesting positive thinking or self-help could heal this disease. If you had leprosy, you were as good as dead.

And so this leper comes to Jesus and begs him, "If you are willing, you can make me clean." I love this request because the leper trusts Jesus' ability. He goes to Jesus and he knows that Jesus can cleanse him of this disease; he is certain of that. There is not an ounce of doubt in Jesus' ability to heal him. But what this leper is unsure of is not Jesus' ability, but his goodness. Is Jesus willing to cleanse him of his disease? Would he be willing to care for this outcast in society? "If you are willing..."

See Jesus' answer in verse 41: "Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched him. 'I am willing,' he told him. 'Be made clean.' Immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean."

Jesus is moved with compassion. This idea of being moved isn't just Jesus having sympathy or pity for this leper, but being deeply affected, being moved from the gut. When Jesus sees this leper in his plight, he is motivated from the gut with love and compassion for this man. Jesus' strength and authority is only good news because it's matched by his love and compassion for this leper. He says he is willing, and he reaches out and touches him.

The only case that you see leprosy being healed in the Old Testament is in 2 Kings 5, when Naaman gets sick with leprosy and Elisha gives him instructions to go wash himself in the Jordan River. Even then, Elisha talked to Naaman, but he didn't dare touch him. But here, Jesus reaches out and touches the leper. When the leper comes into contact with the King of kings, Jesus doesn't get infected; instead, the leper gets made clean. The leper doesn't defile Jesus; rather, Jesus cleanses the leper. Jesus reverses the curse on this man.

But that's not where Jesus stops. He instructs him to do one more thing. You can see that in verse 43: "Then he sternly warned him and sent him away at once, telling him, 'See that you say nothing to anyone; but go and show yourself to the priest, and offer what Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.' Yet he went out and began to proclaim it widely and to spread the news, with the result that Jesus could no longer enter a town openly. But he was out in deserted places, and they came to him from everywhere."

Jesus tells him, "Don't tell anyone, but go to the priest and have him do what Moses commanded." There was no cure for leprosy, but if you had less severe forms of skin disease, there was a chance that you might suddenly find yourself clean. In Leviticus 14, if someone somehow became clean, they would go to a priest to declare them clean. The priest would come outside the camp to examine this person, and if they could confirm that they were clean, then the priest would provide sacrifices of multiple animals to provide atonement for this man. Another word for atoning would be to make sacrifices for the forgiveness of this man's sin.

See, for Israel, leprosy wasn't just a physical condition, an ailment that you had; it was also a spiritual condition. Someone had to be cleansed not just physically, but ceremonially before God. Leprosy was indicative of their spiritual state as well, and the person who would enact that cleansing would be the priest. The priest would make multiple sacrifices for them, including birds, lambs, and other things. It was a very elaborate process for this leper to get cleansed.

So Jesus tells this leper, "Go to the priest and get confirmation that you are clean, so you can re-enter society." And that leper doesn't listen to Jesus; he just does his own thing, right? Do I think that this leper is disobeying the Lord? Did he just take Jesus' healing, thank him, and then go on his merry way? I don't think so. I think the question as to whether or not this leper is sinning might actually miss the point. Mark doesn't include a rebuke for the leper's disobedience. It's clear that Mark doesn't seem to care very much about whether or not what this leper did was right, and I personally don't actually think that the leper was disobeying the Lord at all.

I think that he isn't disobeying Jesus because this leper had already met with a priest. See, Moses gives the law, but he can't fix the problem; he can't heal leprosy. But Jesus doesn't just give us a law; he fulfills it. Elisha gave instructions to Naaman, but he couldn't touch the leper. Jesus doesn't need to instruct; he just touches him. And the priest can recognize that cleansing has happened, but the priest can't cause it. Jesus doesn't react to God's work; he initiates it.

Jesus is the greater Moses, the greater prophet, and the greater priest. When Jesus looks at the leper and he says, "Be made clean," there is no other declaration that is necessary, because the Son of God has touched this leper. That means he is saved; the work is finished. We don't need another priest to confirm that because we have a Great High Priest, one who descended from the heavens.

The same is true for us today. You might be sitting here this morning and you feel as dirty as a leper—defiled, shameful, thinking that no one should come near or touch you. And the truth is, if you feel that way, you probably should. We all are dirty, defiled, sinful, and exiled from the camp. We are all spiritual lepers destined for eternal death and hell forever because of our sin.

But I have good news for you. Jesus is greater than your leprosy. He is powerful enough to do anything, and he loves you enough to care for you and to meet your deepest need. He is both strong and he is kind. Jesus doesn't just issue his decrees from up above; he descends to the earth and dwells with sinners. He lived the perfect life that you and I never could live, and rather than being beloved and accepted, Jesus exiles himself. He gets cast out of the camp. He hung on a cross and paid the penalty of sin that you and I deserved, in full. And three days later, he rose from the grave, putting even death itself under his authority and rule.

Because in Jesus, death gets swallowed up by life, sin is swallowed up by grace, and leprosy is obliterated by Jesus' cleansing touch. Jesus reigns over all creation. Everything will bow its knee to Christ, but rather than using his authority to crush you, he sees you this morning. When Jesus looks at you and me, he isn't overcome with condemnation, but with compassion. Turn from your sin, go to this good and gracious King, and tell him, "If you are willing, you can make me clean." Jesus will always respond, "I am willing. Be made clean."

And when Jesus touches you, you can know with absolute certainty that you are clean—not because of what you've done, but because of who Jesus is and what he's done for us. The way that we present ourselves as clean in this life isn't by running into a Jewish temple and conducting sacrifices; we present ourselves in the church. Through baptism and membership in a local church, we present ourselves as those who have been cleansed by the blood of Christ.

This man couldn't help but go out and tell everyone what had happened to him, and that's what happens to us as well. We go out and we declare what Jesus has done for us and what he can do for others. Think about those in your life that you think are too far gone. If Jesus can cleanse a leper, he can save them. As we go and we share the gospel and people come to know him, as Jesus touches them, we get to show a picture of the new creation, the kingdom of heaven on earth.

All of us who are in Jesus are glimmers—little, tiny glimpses of what's to come ahead: a new kingdom, a new creation, where all things will be made new, where everything sad will come untrue. This leper gets healed of his leprosy, but he is infected by Christ's grace, and he can't help himself. He goes straight into the city where he was previously unable to enter, and he starts sharing the news with everyone that he can. This pronouncement of this new kingdom spreads like wildfire. Jesus is so popular that he can't even enter a town openly, but he was out in deserted places, and they came to him from everywhere. And with this new King comes true hope that he will make everything new.

Let's pray.

Lord, we thank you for the good work of Jesus. We thank you that he brings in a new kingdom that's better than what the world has to offer today. We pray, Lord, that you would help us to hope in that, to believe in that this morning. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Announcements and Benediction

I want to thank you for coming this morning. A few announcements for us.

First of all, giving: if you're interested in giving to this church, there is an offering plate in the back. We also have an online website that you can go to and give online. If you're a visitor here, don't feel an obligation to give us your money; we're glad that you're here. We ask that you listen to our message, but for those of us that are part of this church, this is something that we've committed to do. The Lord loves a cheerful giver, and we don't give primarily because we have to, but because we get to join in the Lord's work in ministering in this church and to the nations.

Let's go ahead and pray now and give thanks to the Lord for our offering.

Lord, we know that you are capable of doing all things without us, so we thank you for the privilege of allowing us to participate in your work. We ask, Lord, that you'll be able to use our offering for the advancement of your kingdom. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.

A couple more announcements for us this morning. We do have Sunday school classes. Irwin goes through the Book of John; that starts at 8:45 to 9:25 on Sundays. The next two Sundays, though, they're not going to have class. So if you try to come and join them in the library, you can sit by yourself, but no one will be there.

There will still, however, be our Church Matters class. Our Church Matters class goes over the basics of the Christian life, what it looks like to be part of a church. If you're interested in being a member of our church, you are required to go to all six of those classes. That happens at 9:00 a.m. in the Bible study room in the back. If you're new to this church, you just follow that hallway all the way around, and it's in the back there. Next week we'll be going over our church covenant. Did you know that our church has a covenant, commitments that we make to each other? So we'll be reading that together and thinking more about what it looks like to be committed to a local church, and I hope that you join us.

We also have our 75th anniversary coming up in the month of October. Our church has been around for a really long time. Another fun fact for you: did you know that this church planted in a garage? It started with ten people in a garage. It grew larger, then they met in a tent, and after that, they met in a chicken house that they converted into a sanctuary, to the point where, in the community, the church was known for being the "Chicken House Church." Look around—I see that we're still a chicken house! I'm kidding.

We are so grateful for the way that the Lord has grown us and been faithful to us. We are going to have a meeting after service next Sunday. So next Sunday, if you've committed to helping out and planning for the 75th anniversary celebration, just make a note in your calendar that next Sunday after service, we'll be meeting together to plan for our 75th anniversary.

I believe that is it. So let me go ahead and dismiss us with our benediction as the music team comes on.

And now, may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.

(Closing Hymn)
"I hear the Savior say,
'Thy strength indeed is small,
Child of weakness, watch and pray,
Find in me thine all in all.'

Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.

Lord, now indeed I find
Thy power and Thine alone,
Can change the leper's spots
And melt the heart of stone.

Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.

Before the throne I stand
In Him complete,
'Jesus died my soul to save,'
My lips shall still repeat.

Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.

Oh, praise the One who paid my debt
And raised this life up from the dead.
Oh, praise the One who paid my debt
And raised this life up from the dead.
Oh, praise the One who paid my debt
And raised this life up from the dead.

Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.
He washed it white as snow."