FINDING AMAZEMENT

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because He taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.”

Matthew 7:28-29

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

I’ve been sick the last two days with some early stages of pneumonia. I really don’t like being ill but sometimes the Lord is sending us a message that it’s time to be still and rest. And so I have done just that, trying to catch up on some things I haven’t had time to do.

One of those things was to watch a couple of DVDs a friend gave me. Each had a message delivered by a fantastic evangelist and preacher by the name of Louie Giglio. Maybe you’ve been blessed with the opportunity to either see him in person or watch one of his messages in DVD as well.

The two messages, “Indescribable” and “How Great Is Our God”, essentially take a look at the vast universe that God created and remind us two things.

First, the works that God has done are unable to be calculated or quantified. We have no idea yet how many galaxies exist in the universe or how many stars they contain…the very stars that God made as confirmed in the following passage:

“He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.” (Psalm 147:4-5)

In our limited wisdom and intellect, we can’t even begin to fathom how great and awesome God is…our God who is “mighty in power” and limitless in understanding. We also can’t fully grasp just how small we are in the big picture of God’s creation. Even the smallest dot we might be able to place on a piece of paper would still make us bigger than we really are. And yet we too often carry ourselves in a way that defies humility…as if we are bigger than the One who made us.

Need to always be in the right mindset and attitude toward the Lord? Then adopt these other words from the Psalmist as he writes:

“When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?” (Psalm 8:3-4)

Indeed. Why should the Lord care for such an insignificant, sinful speck in His universe like me? Why should He ever be mindful of me…of you…of us?

And yet, He loves us and sees us as fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14)…each of us...all created in His own image (Genesis 1:27).

Truly, the words of the praise song ring true:

Amazing love, how can it be?
That you my King would die for me.
Amazing love, I know it’s true
And it’s my joy to honor You
With all I do, I’ll honor You.

Friends, He and He alone is worthy of our worship and praise and humble adoration…always.

The other thing we’re reminded of as we truly examine the awesome vastness of God’s mighty works is that all of it was done through His only Son, our only Savior, Jesus. Jesus was there from the very beginning. We know this through the words that open John’s gospel:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that Life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. (John 1:1-5)

Jesus would later remind us in this same gospel that “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)

Indeed, the One who was present at the very formation of the heavens, Jesus Christ, is the only One through which we can enter them at life’s end. There is no other path…no other way…no other authority.

So as we look at the final two verses from Matthew, Chapter 7, it’s little wonder that those who listened to Jesus’ sermon reacted as they did.

For we read that “When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because He taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.” As we discussed earlier in the sermon, Jesus took what was and took it to a new level. He didn’t come to replace the Old Testament law that the Israelites were so familiar with. He came to improve and enhance it.

The people, limited in their understanding, had just experienced first had the power and authority of Christ…the One whose understanding has no limits. And so He broadened and enriched the hearts and minds of His listeners as He taught them from the mountainside…and he continues to do it to those who choose to listen to Him today.

Question: What amazes you?

Is it people who are adept at magic or illusions? Is it exceptional performances in film or music or sports? Or is it any of the world’s structures that may get dubbed as a “wonder of the world”?

Frankly, there are so many other things that are amazing but they are things we too typically take for granted.

Take nature for example. Every animal, every fish, every bird, every tree, every flower…everything in nature was created by the Lord…unique and purposeful in their own ways. Look at nature and look at the incredible craftsmanship of the Lord.

How about the birth of a baby? There are roughly 340,000 births every day in the world, each beautiful and precious additions to God’s child population…carefully and skillfully formed in the mother’s womb before emerging into the world God created. Do you ever get tired of seeing the beautiful innocence that is found in a newborn baby? I know I don’t. They are one of the Lord’s greatest miracles…one that he repeats over and over and over and over.

And again, just go out on a clear night and look up into the sky. Everything that you see…the moon…the planets…the stars…were all designed and placed there by the Lord. And there is so much there that we can’t see and will most probably never see in our lifetime. You only need to look to our universe to get a glimpse of how big the Lord is…and how very small we are.

Yes…in and all around us there are signs of the Lord’s handiwork. And as we journey together through yet another Lenten season, we head toward another incredibly amazing display of power and authority displayed by Jesus. For soon, He will be nailed to a cross for the sins of mankind, shed His blood and die, and then as He is left for dead, arise and claim victory over death and the grave…paving the way to the Father so that through Him we might follow some day.

Now that is amazing!

So again…what do you see as amazing in life?

I submit to you today that there isn’t anything more amazing than Jesus…who will always take the ordinary and make it extraordinary…now and forever more.

Choose Him and Him alone.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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