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South Bay SDA Church

Jeremy Arnall

A Glimpse of Glory

About 350 years ago, a shipload of pioneers landed on the northeast coast of America.

The first year they established a town site.

The next year they elected a town government.

The third year the town government planned to build a road 5 miles westward into the wilderness.

In the fourth year, people tried to impeach their town government because they thought it was a waste of public funds to build a road 5 miles westward into a wilderness.

Here were people who had the vision to travel thousands of miles across an ocean and overcome great hardships to get there.

But in just a few years, they were not able to see even 5 miles down the road, so to speak.

They lost their pioneering spirit, their vision.

And with A clear vision of what we can become in Christ.

Without it, we rarely move beyond our current boundaries.

I mean, come on, this church, South Bay, has had quite a journey in the last 5, 6 years.

A vision of what could be here in this little part of Chattanooga.

And it has weathered storms and noise and all that comes with worshipping in a tent at the end of what will 1 day be a parking lot.

We though face a similar risk if not careful.

Because it is possible to become so busy with projects, meetings, conferences, details that surround church and work in a facility like this, that it is possible to become blinded to the big picture God has before us.

I know I'm not alone when I say I don't like to drive at night in the rain.

I feel old when I say that, but it's just the way it is.

There have been those times while driving on winding narrow roads amidst rain and darkness that I will hug the, I will hug the shoulder as oncoming traffic comes at me.

And when that happens, the light splatters across the windshield from their headlights.

And of course the wetness of the windshield, it makes it just sort of go in every direction.

At such times when I'm hugging the shoulder to avoid collision and I'll hear those words from Tina, can you see?

This morning I want to ask you a similar question.

Title of the message this morning is, A Glimpse at Glory.

Help us to understand your will, your plan, the picture you have for us.

Remove the worries of the past week, the worries of the coming week, and help us just to simply bask in your presence and the stillness and the quietness of this place.

I'm unworthy, but I hide behind your glory, asking that you be shown today.

Newborns, they tell us, are born with rather poor eyesight.

They can't see very well, and they struggle to make out details.

In time, however, their eyes will develop, and they will begin to see more clearly than we do ourselves.

For us who are older, when our eyes begin to weaken and we need glasses to read things up close or need glasses to see things far away, we often grow frustrated at our inability to see well.

But I question how frustrating is it for the newborn, right?

I mean, in other words, if you've never seen clearly before, then what's the big deal?

And if you don't know what you've been missing, then why should you ever be frustrated in the first place?

This morning, I invite you to open your Bibles to Mark 8.

The book of Mark, first gospel to be written, Mark chapter 8.

And I want to read to you a more lengthy passage, but I want you to read carefully with me and see if you don't see why we're reading all of these perhaps at first seemingly unrelated accounts in 1 reading together.

Because I believe you will see clearly that each of these accounts relate to the same point that that is we need a more clear vision, a clear vision.

Notice I'm gonna pick up with verse 11, Mark 8, verse 11.

When the Pharisees came out and began to, I'm sorry, then the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with him, seeking from him a sign from heaven, testing him.

But he sighed deeply in his spirit and he said, why does this generation seek a sign?

Assuredly I say to you, No sign shall be given to this generation.

And he left them and getting into the boat again, departed to the other side.

Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread and they did not have more than 1 loaf with them in the boat.

And then he charged them saying, take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod and They reasoned among themselves saying It's because we have no bread But Jesus being aware of it said to them.

Why do you reason because you have no bread?

When I broke the 5 loaves for the 5, 000, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?

Also, when I broke the 7 for the 4, 000, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?

Also when I broke the 7 for the 4, 000, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?

So he said to them, how is it you do not understand?

Then he came to Bethsaida and they brought a blind man to him and begged him to touch him.

So he took the blind man by the hand and he led him out of the town.

And when he had spit on his eyes and put his hands on him, he asked him if he saw anything.

And he looked up and said, I see men like trees walking.

And he put his hands on his eyes again and made him look up and he was restored and saw everyone clearly.

Then he sent him away to his house saying, neither go into the town nor tell anyone in the town.

Now, Jesus and his disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi, and on the road he asked his disciples, saying to them, who do men say that I am?

So they answered, John the Baptist, but some say Elijah, and others, 1 of the prophets.

He said to them, but who do you say that I am?

Peter answered and said to him, you are the Christ.

Then he strictly warned them that they should tell no 1 about him.

Notice it's just like he said in verse 26.

Now verse 31, and he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after 3 days rise again.

He spoke this word openly, and then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.

But when he had turned around and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter saying, get behind me, Satan, for you're not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.

I wish to draw your attention to the story first of the blind man.

He couldn't see, nor would it appear, though it would appear, I should say, that at 1 time he could see, since he compared men around him to trees, suggesting at 1 time he had seen a tree.

But he's blind now, and so Jesus takes him out of town to heal him.

Now remember, they asked that Jesus, they pursued Jesus, it says, that he might touch him.

Well, Bethsaida was a growing fishing village and Jesus wished to take him out there where there would be less distraction and likely to prevent a crowd from forming.

After all, it says they brought a, they brought a blind man and he wanted to get away from the they, you see?

Now can you imagine being the blind man and being led by Jesus out of town?

You remember that take my hand, precious Lord?

Wouldn't you love to have him take your hand, wouldn't you?

This man got to hold hands with Jesus, or at the very least, hold on to Jesus.

And most of us have participated at some point in that little experiment where we close our eyes and let someone lead us around.

When you do this, you quickly realize how the presence of the 1 leading you becomes very intense.

Your auditory senses are awakened and become more acute.

You can hear their breathing and the sounds of their footsteps.

And so imagine this man as he holds hands with Jesus, being led by Jesus as they walk.

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A Glimpse of Glory

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