Hopeless people find help in the Lord! This fact is as much a part of the Bible as any other fact we find. God is committed to redemption and transformation. He pursues people who are bound by sin, held captive by the spiritual forces of darkness and sets them free.This morning, we will see a man who is freed from terrible spiritual bondange to a host of demons. This is in keeping with a theme we found started in the close of the fourth chapter where Jesus delivered the disciples from a storm as they helplessly fought for their lives in the middle of a storm that could have meant catastrophe had our Lord not delivered them.Now we'll meet a man who also must fight against a storm of demonic influence that had made his life a catastrophe. God in the person of Jesus Christ delivers in each case through the power of His word!!

In Mark 4:35 through the end of the 5th chapter, there is a series of stories about people in desperate situations who find hope and help in the Lord. We’ll see a story about how Jesus helps in a time of storm, in spiritual deliverance, and finally how He has power over severe sickness. But these stories are more than just stories. These were actual events where the hopeless are helped. The same Jesus is there for us to help us through the storms we face. While we may suffer for a time, ultimately there is always help and hope.

The book of Mark includes a series of parables that speak of the truth of the kingdom offered to those who gathered to hear Jesus' teaching. The purpose of the parables was to hide God's truth from those who would not believe. But in the parable of the lamp, Jesus reveals that the truth of the kingdom would not always be hidden. Truth is meant to be revelation.

When we concluded the third chapter, we found that there were many responses to Jesus' ministry. There were those who were casual followers, some committed followers, some confused by unbelief, and finally those who were calloused rejectors of His message.

Marriage, as we will see this morning, was created by God to be a blessing to people. As a relationship it can bring tremendous joy, but also terrible sorrow depending on the kind of marriage you have.This morning we want to conside what God says about marriage by looking into two books of the Bible - the book of Genesis and the book of Ephesians. We going to consider the fact that marriage is:-instituted by God,-imitates His love and faithfulness,and-illustriates the bond between Christ and His church.

In this third chapter of Mark, we see that there were contrasting views of who Jesus was and why He came, just as there are today. What we see in this passage are casual followers and committed followers; confused people, and calloused hearts. How a person views Jesus determines how they will follow.

Today we'll look at religion - putting manmade rules above people's needs versus a relationship with God. The religious zealots of Jesus' day had elevated their own rules to a level equal with God's laws. They had added standards and rules to intimidate the people and control more and more of their lives. This was NOT a relationship with God, it was religion. Let's look at this passage and see what a relationship with God IS.

Jesus' mission was to come to this world and share the truth and live it in our midst. He is the greatest revelation of truth, having expressed it perfectly through his speech and life. We are called to the same mission as we see Christ live through us and speak truth to life. During His ministry of bringing the truths of God to us there were many in the religious community who resisted His ministry. They worshipped their own standards and rejecte the truth in the person of Christ. They were legalists. Jesus shared the truth no matter what the legalists tried to do to HIm. The truth is more important that the cultural and traditional rules of men.

It continues to amaze the way the same person or message can bring about such radically different responses from people. Today there are those of us who love and adore the Lord Jesus Christ. We seek to serve Him and follow His commands. Yet that same Lord is an offense to many. They reject Him and everything He stands for. How could one person bring about such polar opposite responses? The answer is faith. Faith is choosing to bend the will and accept the truth. It is impossible to have faith apart from bending the will. If I say that I beleive something, and yet continue with my own will unaffected by what I say I believe, do I really possess faith? The scripture would indicate no. To believe means we entrust outselves to something we believe in. Today we're going to see how the will comes into faith. There are those who bend their will to do a tremendous act of fiath, and there are those who refuse to believe even when proof is given that they cannot explain.

Throughout the past, there have been many who claimed to be sent from god or even to be God himself. Others claim to speak for God. How do we know who is or isn not from God? The answer is found in God's Word.The Lord Jesus Christ presented Himself as the Son of God sent from God. He demonstrated this truth by miraculous signs and established His authority as the Messiah sent from God - indeed, God in the flesh. This is what makes Jesus different.