YOU may wish YOU had faith… you may think that your educated, scientific mind is getting in the way of faith. OR you may think that IF you had proof THEN you could believe (and have faith) … So what IS faith and how does it come about…how do we get it/grow it?

Let's see what Jesus Christ does:

1. Faith Planted
2. Faith Cultivated and
3. Faith FRUITFUL

The passage presents a side of Jesus Christ we try to ignore because it doesn't always fit our categories. And yet to face this part of the portrait is both painful and liberating.

So, let's look at

1. The PORTRAIT of Jesus
2. The METHOD of Jesus

Today, we meet a group of friends who won't take "no" for an answer. They have a need; they see Jesus Christ as the answer to their need and they must get TO Him …and WILL get to Him at any cost. And Jesus Christ not only honors their persistence (really more like desperation!) but He also uses the whole crisis moment to reveal something about Himself that leaves the whole crowd looking to God in a new way, joyful – "we have NEVER seen anything like THIS!"

Let's look at four markers of a time of revelation and growth and see if these may exist in our own present experience: This was a time of:

1. Controversy
2. Companionship
3. Commotion and
4. Captivating Conclusion.

This morning I'd like to look at this "prologue" of Mark. …from this concise introduction, FOUR FACTS or four spiritual truths that have to be known mentally AND ALSO believed, trusted, felt, experienced. And without these realities in place, the spiritual life gets sidetracked and grinds to a halt. Here they are:

1.We Are Driven Out 2. The Heavens Are Rent 3. The New Adam Is Driven Out 4. The Good News of God Has Come

I want to look at this Jehu (he gets a lot of ink…two CHs)

Jehu is a "Mashiach" i.e. anointed, a messiah-figure. So, let's look at that: 1 st - Jehu: a Different Kind of Messiah 2 nd - We Need This Kind of Messiah (sort of!) 3 rd - How the True Messiah Changes Judgment