THE WONDER OF IT ALL

A SERMON ORIGINALLY DELIVERED AT
THE FEDERATED CHURCH OF ATHENS

6 FEBRUARY 1994

by Frank L. Hoffman, Pastor

SCRIPTURAL REFERENCES:

Psalm 9:1
Isaiah 40:21-26
Mark 1:32-39
1 Corinthians 9:16-18
Hebrews 11:3
1 John 4:18

Can you imagine how the people in Bible days would react if we brought them back today, and they would see all the wonders of our technology?

It would be quite startling to them, wouldn't it?

But even in those days, they marveled at the wonder of all of God's creation, and the way He manifested Himself to His people, and His power throughout the world.

In Psalm 9:1 David said,

1. I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart;
I will tell of all Thy wonders.

As David contemplated the things of God, he was so awestruck that he burst forth at the seams in his enthusiasm to tell others.

But most of all, David was thankful for what he saw and experienced.

Now remember that today the wonder of everything that God made is still as it was then.

It hasn't been improved on by science.

It is just as it was, that is, except for the things that humans have destroyed and poluted.

All of our technology is simply our ability to learn to use the physical laws and materials that God originally made.

Listen to how Isaiah speaks of the wonders of God in 40:21-26.

21. Do you not know? Have you not heard?
Has it not been declared to you from the beginning?
Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?

22. It is He who sits above the vault of the earth,
And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers,
Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain
And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.

23. He it is who reduces rulers to nothing,
Who makes the judges of the earth meaningless.

The wonders of God's creation are above anything we can make; and compared to God and His creation, we are as nothing.

Even our most powerful governments are nothing when compared to His power.

We only think we can do anything, when, in reality, only God can.

24. Scarcely have they been planted,
Scarcely have they been sown,
Scarcely has their stock taken root in the earth,
But He merely blows on them, and they wither,
And the storm carries them away like stubble.

As the most powerful nation in the world, with all of our technology, with all of our money, we were unable to prevent the hurricane in Florida, the floods in the Mid-West, or the earthquake in California.

We also couldn't prevent the damage they caused, and yet many doubt the God that put all things in motion.

Just contemplate such power, and wonder at it all.

25. �To whom then will you liken Me
That I should be his equal?� says the Holy One.

26. Lift up your eyes on high
And see who has created these stars,
The One who leads forth their host by number,
He calls them all by name;
Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power
Not one of them is missing.

If we fail to wonder at all the marvels of this earth, then look to the sky and the size of it; and yet it is all in order.

God created the physical laws that keep it that way.

And the same wonder is connected with spiritual things, for all physical things came from spiritual things, as we are told in Hebrews 11:3.

3. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.

The wonder of it all must have motivated Paul to speak of the gospel message in the same way.

Listen to what he says in 1 Corinthians 9:16-18.

16. For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel.

The wonder of what God did through Jesus Christ, His Son, is beyond our full understanding; but I know what He did in my life, as I know some of you can relate to that change and be filled with that all-powerful wonder � not fully understanding, but believing nevertheless.

And when filled with such awe and wonder, you are compelled to tell others what has happened; for once this has happened, we are never the same again.

As Paul says,

17. For if I do this voluntarily, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have a stewardship entrusted to me.

As all of us who are born again should recognize.

18. What then is my reward? That, when I preach the gospel, I may offer the gospel without charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel.

Yet we all have the right to hear the gospel, and the right to participate in it; but we do not have the right to keep it to ourselves.

It has been freely given to everyone. Obviously Jesus didn't wonder at such things, for He is God.

Yet, He did wonder at the hardness of our hearts; that even when we come face to face with the truth, we still won't believe.

Do you ever wonder about the evilness of some people, and how they can become so powerful?

In Mark 1:32-39, we are given a hint as to part of the root cause of such hardness.

32. And when evening had come, after the sun had set, they began bringing to Him all who were ill and those who were demon-possessed.

Many people don't want to accept the fact of demonic possession or oppression.

Yet in this verse, as in many others, we are told of bringing people who are demon-possessed to Jesus for healing.

If it were not true, then why would God and the Bible tell us that this happened?

The wonder of it all is that it is true.

33. And the whole city had gathered at the door.

34. And He healed many who were ill with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He was not permitting the demons to speak, because they knew who He was.

He cast out many demons!

Now, imagine that you were a demon. You wouldn't want to be cast out of your home, would you?

So, what better way to stay there, with those who occupy other people, than to convince us that you aren't there; that there are no such things as demons, and that God doesn't have such powers today.

And we fall for the lie.

But the lie gets even worse, as we can see in the next verses.

35. And in the early morning, while it was still dark, He arose and went out and departed to a lonely place, and was praying there.

36. And Simon and his companions hunted for Him;

37. and they found Him, and said to Him, "Everyone is looking for You."

But Jesus doesn't really acknowledge their statement, but answers in a way that says that these people have already been shown the truth; now we must show others.

38. And he said to them, "Let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby, in order that I may preach there also; for that is what I came out for."

39. And He went into their synagogues throughout all Galilee, preaching and casting out the demons.

If He was in the synagogues, and was casting out demons, then we must understand that the people brought the demons into the synagogues, and it is still being done to this day in our houses of worship.

If you have ever wondered why the church is so weak, it is because of our timidity in casting out the demons that are among us.

We are to cast out the demons, not the people they possess or oppress.

Wonder about this as well.

The wonder of it all is really in the spiritual world around us.

But because we are so preoccupied with the physical world around us, we fail to see the real world from which this visible world came.

So our job as Christians is to once again take command of the physical world through the spiritual powers that God has given us.

The evil forces around us don't want us to believe this, so they make us fear so that we�ll do nothing.

But if you've looked at the church calendar for this month, we are told, "Love has no place for fear; perfect love casts out fear." (1 John 4:18)

So, fear not, and lift high the cross of Jesus, and wonder at all He has given us, as we live according to His word.

Amen.

So, fear not, and lift high the cross of Jesus, and wonder at all He has given us, as we live according to His word.

Amen.