WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.319 Amen, this is God's Word. 00:00:03.540 --> 00:00:10.740 So right at the outset, we are reminded here that the real Jesus, while on earth, confronted 00:00:10.740 --> 00:00:11.740 ! 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:37.219 And often individual lives are affected by evil and by sin. 00:00:38.179 --> 00:00:39.679 And it needs explanation. 00:00:40.799 --> 00:00:48.960 You know, when we see on our news coverage week after week of the Epstein files, Epstein 00:00:48.960 --> 00:00:57.760 Island, and the horrendous abuse and exploitation, or when we think of empires old and new, we 00:00:57.759 --> 00:01:03.439 think of the atrocities, the ugliness of modern war and conflicts. 00:01:04.239 --> 00:01:07.299 We need to reckon with evil. 00:01:07.439 --> 00:01:13.120 There was that great hope at the start of the 20th century that science and technology would 00:01:13.120 --> 00:01:16.519 lead us onwards and upwards into some kind of utopia. 00:01:16.659 --> 00:01:24.859 But what we discover is that all our technology without God is not getting rid of evil and 00:01:24.859 --> 00:01:30.859 in many ways is just creating new forms of evil that previous generations didn't grapple 00:01:30.859 --> 00:01:31.120 with. 00:01:32.379 --> 00:01:38.260 But then not only do we see externally the reality of evil in the world, the consequences 00:01:38.260 --> 00:01:42.579 of sin and the fall, we often see it in our own hearts as well. 00:01:43.819 --> 00:01:49.760 It was Solzhenitsyn in the Gulag Archipelago who caught it so well when he said the line separating 00:01:49.760 --> 00:01:56.020 good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties 00:01:56.020 --> 00:02:01.320 either, but right through every human heart and through all human hearts. 00:02:02.160 --> 00:02:09.719 He could sit there in a prison camp in Russia and acknowledge that while he was being in prison, 00:02:09.939 --> 00:02:15.680 still the problem of evil was within himself and within us all. 00:02:15.680 --> 00:02:20.420 And so the real Jesus believed in the reality of evil. 00:02:20.560 --> 00:02:25.280 He believed in the devil and demons and the forces of evil. 00:02:26.080 --> 00:02:33.040 In the first century, the worldview for Jewish people and indeed pagan people was that there 00:02:33.040 --> 00:02:37.439 were forces in the world that were beyond our ability to see that we're good. 00:02:38.080 --> 00:02:41.580 There was angels, those who were bad, evil, there were demons. 00:02:41.580 --> 00:02:48.320 Jewish understanding, it was such that they said these forces are not equal and opposite, 00:02:49.240 --> 00:02:55.439 that God is sovereign, that God is in control, but the forces of evil are real, but they are limited. 00:02:56.700 --> 00:02:58.640 And that was the worldview that Jesus inhabited. 00:02:58.880 --> 00:03:01.800 That's what Jesus believed, by conviction. 00:03:01.800 --> 00:03:07.719 It can be very tempting for us to kind of write these passages off. 00:03:08.920 --> 00:03:10.680 It was a product of its time. 00:03:10.920 --> 00:03:12.280 We have better explanations. 00:03:12.920 --> 00:03:16.800 We have better understanding of mental health or medical issues. 00:03:17.480 --> 00:03:19.240 We can minimize evil. 00:03:19.740 --> 00:03:21.640 Perhaps we're just not sure what to do with it, 00:03:21.720 --> 00:03:27.520 but Jesus believed by conviction in the reality of dark forces. 00:03:27.740 --> 00:03:29.860 He knew the devil's work. 00:03:29.860 --> 00:03:37.100 Jesus himself has already faced temptation in the wilderness and passed the test. 00:03:37.720 --> 00:03:42.760 Jesus has come into the world profoundly aware of the spreading disease of sin. 00:03:42.860 --> 00:03:45.020 Remember, he is God's agent of creation. 00:03:45.460 --> 00:03:48.880 He made it in the beginning and it was very good and free of sin. 00:03:49.500 --> 00:03:55.280 And we know from the New Testament that Jesus came on a mission to destroy the works of the evil one. 00:03:55.280 --> 00:04:02.620 And so it's important that we don't miss this because if we miss this, we miss who the real Jesus is. 00:04:02.840 --> 00:04:06.180 And we miss vital truths for our life. 00:04:07.560 --> 00:04:14.120 Because what we learn from this passage is that because the real Jesus does have power over evil 00:04:14.120 --> 00:04:21.040 and can bring the healing of evil, we can and we should run to him for mercy. 00:04:21.040 --> 00:04:24.740 So we're going to think about a couple of things together. 00:04:24.879 --> 00:04:31.300 First of all, we're going to think about the power and the horror of evil that we see in this story. 00:04:31.420 --> 00:04:33.040 So as I said, Matthew has a stripped back presentation. 00:04:33.780 --> 00:04:39.900 You can go to Mark 5 or Luke 8 and you can see more of the awful details filled in. 00:04:39.899 --> 00:04:45.819 But even here in this basic presentation, we have a portrait of a demon-possessed man 00:04:45.819 --> 00:04:50.319 as if he's being eaten alive from the inside out by evil. 00:04:52.139 --> 00:04:59.159 Matthew shows us in a few short verses that evil is destructive. 00:04:59.160 --> 00:05:08.460 The picture that we get of these men in verse 28 is that of people experiencing a living death. 00:05:09.439 --> 00:05:13.120 Two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. 00:05:13.580 --> 00:05:17.180 They were so violent that no one could pass that way. 00:05:17.660 --> 00:05:20.200 What do you want with us, son of God, they shouted. 00:05:20.340 --> 00:05:24.560 Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time? 00:05:24.840 --> 00:05:27.620 They've been robbed of their identity. 00:05:27.620 --> 00:05:32.079 The demons are shouting at Jesus, what do you want with us? 00:05:33.180 --> 00:05:36.759 They've been overwhelmed by a force greater than themselves. 00:05:37.920 --> 00:05:43.100 And again, it's important that we understand evil can't be understood merely in human terms 00:05:43.100 --> 00:05:47.360 and it can't be met with by merely human resources. 00:05:47.680 --> 00:05:51.259 And again, our societies have been trying and trying really hard. 00:05:51.259 --> 00:05:59.219 But I think we can see no amount of education or moral improvement or modern medicine or chemistry 00:05:59.219 --> 00:06:02.699 can address the depths of evil. 00:06:04.159 --> 00:06:10.819 And rather, what's happening, I suppose, as the modern world, it still looks to deal with evil, 00:06:10.819 --> 00:06:15.139 but it's cut away realities of the supernatural. 00:06:16.519 --> 00:06:18.740 On the one hand, it's not given us a better world. 00:06:19.180 --> 00:06:22.319 The news is still as sad and desperate as ever. 00:06:23.399 --> 00:06:29.300 But in cutting out God from the picture, it doesn't give us the resources that we need 00:06:29.300 --> 00:06:34.960 to understand what we see and to have hope beyond what we see. 00:06:36.860 --> 00:06:45.040 Because this portrait of these men remind us that here is a real force that is above and beyond human explanation. 00:06:45.040 --> 00:06:48.200 And we should never underestimate it. 00:06:49.920 --> 00:06:55.780 And when we find ourselves crying out against evil and longing for the end of evil, 00:06:56.560 --> 00:06:59.260 and who doesn't do that and who doesn't want that, 00:06:59.580 --> 00:07:02.759 we are recognizing there is a real problem. 00:07:03.240 --> 00:07:06.000 A real problem that we haven't been able to fix. 00:07:06.300 --> 00:07:12.379 And it reminds us, as God's people, that we have and we need a real savior. 00:07:12.379 --> 00:07:17.620 That part of that, an essential part of the good news of the coming of Jesus 00:07:17.620 --> 00:07:24.439 is that he comes to confront and to defeat sin and evil in the world and in our hearts. 00:07:25.579 --> 00:07:28.079 But this story reminds us that evil is destructive. 00:07:29.240 --> 00:07:33.980 It also reminds us that evil is dehumanizing. 00:07:34.519 --> 00:07:38.339 It makes us less than we were made to be. 00:07:38.480 --> 00:07:41.300 How do we see it in this story? 00:07:42.379 --> 00:07:45.300 Well, perhaps before that, we go back to Genesis. 00:07:45.439 --> 00:07:47.459 Remember Genesis, we've been in chapter one. 00:07:48.019 --> 00:07:51.699 You and I and every person, we've been made in the image of God. 00:07:52.100 --> 00:07:58.199 We have been made to know God, to express loving obedience to God, 00:07:58.659 --> 00:08:02.540 freedom to enjoy God, to enjoy all the goodness of creation. 00:08:03.480 --> 00:08:09.560 And mankind originally was created free of sin and free of shame. 00:08:09.560 --> 00:08:15.100 And so we get this beautiful picture of humanity by God's design in Genesis 1. 00:08:15.100 --> 00:08:22.699 But once that fall into sin comes, that beautiful, perfect image is defaced. 00:08:23.980 --> 00:08:32.059 It's the masterpiece upon which graffiti has been scrawled as evil makes us less than we were made to be. 00:08:32.059 --> 00:08:35.579 Now, how do we see that in these men? 00:08:37.019 --> 00:08:40.899 Think about the impact on their lives physically. 00:08:42.000 --> 00:08:45.239 Here are two men so violent that no one could pass that way. 00:08:45.679 --> 00:08:48.299 Their lives are out of control. 00:08:48.299 --> 00:08:54.959 Spiritually, they're living in the tombs. 00:08:55.779 --> 00:08:57.939 That is an unclean place. 00:08:58.359 --> 00:09:00.659 It is the place of death. 00:09:01.919 --> 00:09:04.879 When we're told that they came out to meet Jesus, 00:09:05.079 --> 00:09:09.039 this isn't the warm welcome and kind hospitality. 00:09:09.539 --> 00:09:11.179 This is confrontation. 00:09:11.179 --> 00:09:16.719 This is lining up on the battlefield against God's king. 00:09:19.419 --> 00:09:22.199 And socially, we see the impact. 00:09:22.719 --> 00:09:24.519 No one could pass that way. 00:09:25.000 --> 00:09:26.879 No one would dare to come near. 00:09:27.000 --> 00:09:31.059 Their uncleanness, their violence, 00:09:31.919 --> 00:09:35.559 has left them isolated from the community. 00:09:35.559 --> 00:09:45.719 So in these two men, we get a devastating portrait of the horrendous power of evil and sin 00:09:45.719 --> 00:09:48.519 as it works on a person's life. 00:09:50.599 --> 00:09:55.479 And truly, the parallels can be drawn with our own experience of sin. 00:09:56.579 --> 00:10:00.839 We will likely not find ourselves as far down the road as these men, 00:10:00.840 --> 00:10:06.440 but I imagine we can recognize something of their experience in our own stories. 00:10:07.800 --> 00:10:12.100 Do we know the feeling at times of being out of control? 00:10:13.360 --> 00:10:16.180 Perhaps our anger is out of control. 00:10:16.399 --> 00:10:21.280 Perhaps we have habits and patterns that we would love to change, 00:10:21.379 --> 00:10:23.180 but they seem to master us. 00:10:25.080 --> 00:10:27.300 There is a writer called Becky Pippert 00:10:27.299 --> 00:10:30.919 who makes the point that what we love the most, 00:10:31.479 --> 00:10:33.620 we lose ourselves to. 00:10:34.799 --> 00:10:37.719 That might be work, that might be money, that might be hobbies, 00:10:37.859 --> 00:10:41.179 but all of those things, if we give ourselves to them wholeheartedly, 00:10:41.459 --> 00:10:44.439 they pull away at our freedom. 00:10:44.599 --> 00:10:47.620 We lose control to other things. 00:10:50.699 --> 00:10:54.419 Maybe we know the feeling of being unclean. 00:10:54.419 --> 00:10:59.179 Maybe we resonate with Adam and Eve in the garden 00:10:59.179 --> 00:11:01.719 as they're aware of their sin and they feel shame 00:11:01.719 --> 00:11:02.939 and they want to hide. 00:11:04.000 --> 00:11:05.579 Dark memories and actions. 00:11:06.699 --> 00:11:09.519 The shame of our sin or being sinned against. 00:11:11.339 --> 00:11:14.339 Evil in many forms that presses upon us 00:11:14.339 --> 00:11:18.519 that can leave us feeling dirty and unclean and worthless. 00:11:20.419 --> 00:11:22.919 And then there's the isolating power of evil. 00:11:22.919 --> 00:11:26.959 We recognize that sin brings with it 00:11:26.959 --> 00:11:29.240 a fracturing effect in the universe. 00:11:30.339 --> 00:11:32.059 Go back to the Garden of Eden. 00:11:32.219 --> 00:11:33.379 We'll get there in a few weeks. 00:11:33.479 --> 00:11:36.159 We'll see the damage done to every relationship. 00:11:36.299 --> 00:11:37.719 As soon as sin comes in, 00:11:38.679 --> 00:11:43.139 there is a breakdown in the marriage relationship 00:11:43.139 --> 00:11:44.360 between Adam and Eve. 00:11:44.620 --> 00:11:46.819 There's now the thorns and thistles and toil. 00:11:46.939 --> 00:11:49.259 The relationship with the creation is spoiled 00:11:49.259 --> 00:11:51.639 and they are hiding from their God 00:11:51.639 --> 00:11:53.299 because they have sinned against him. 00:11:55.720 --> 00:11:58.779 Do we know something of our own sin 00:11:58.779 --> 00:12:01.840 causing problems and fractures 00:12:01.840 --> 00:12:03.899 in our human relationships? 00:12:04.899 --> 00:12:06.759 Can we look back with regret 00:12:06.759 --> 00:12:09.460 at breakdowns and losses 00:12:09.460 --> 00:12:11.840 because of it? 00:12:11.840 --> 00:12:16.180 That's why we can feel far from God. 00:12:18.300 --> 00:12:22.360 And so this picture of the dehumanizing effect 00:12:22.360 --> 00:12:23.860 of sin and evil, 00:12:25.019 --> 00:12:26.420 I think when we look in the mirror 00:12:26.420 --> 00:12:30.379 we can see its effect in our own life at times too. 00:12:32.040 --> 00:12:34.240 Sin is also presented here 00:12:34.240 --> 00:12:37.060 as deceitful and deceptive. 00:12:37.059 --> 00:12:41.859 The Bible tells us the devil is the father of lies. 00:12:42.319 --> 00:12:45.339 And we see something of that lies and deception 00:12:45.339 --> 00:12:47.159 in verse 29. 00:12:47.519 --> 00:12:49.159 Listen again to the demons. 00:12:49.399 --> 00:12:51.299 What do you want with us, son of God? 00:12:51.379 --> 00:12:52.019 They shouted. 00:12:52.559 --> 00:12:54.819 Have you come here to torture us 00:12:54.819 --> 00:12:56.479 before the appointed time? 00:12:57.819 --> 00:13:00.179 What we are seeing in Matthew chapter 8, 00:13:00.219 --> 00:13:02.219 what we see in Jesus' mission 00:13:02.219 --> 00:13:04.939 is that he is God's Messiah King. 00:13:04.940 --> 00:13:08.340 He has been appointed for a work of deliverance. 00:13:09.080 --> 00:13:12.160 He comes on this mission of mercy and grace 00:13:12.160 --> 00:13:14.840 that runs wider and deeper than any sin, 00:13:15.260 --> 00:13:16.240 than any evil. 00:13:16.760 --> 00:13:18.200 But what do the demons do? 00:13:19.540 --> 00:13:21.400 The demons would have a focus 00:13:21.400 --> 00:13:24.260 for these men in their grip 00:13:24.260 --> 00:13:26.640 only on the holiness of Jesus. 00:13:27.580 --> 00:13:30.020 And so their lies and deception is 00:13:30.020 --> 00:13:31.920 don't come near to Jesus 00:13:31.920 --> 00:13:34.040 because he will condemn you. 00:13:34.039 --> 00:13:36.120 He is holy and you are not. 00:13:36.240 --> 00:13:38.439 And so you need to keep your distance. 00:13:38.620 --> 00:13:41.159 Coming near to Jesus will be destructive. 00:13:43.319 --> 00:13:46.019 The demons know the true identity of Jesus. 00:13:46.199 --> 00:13:49.360 They know that he is the son of God. 00:13:49.699 --> 00:13:52.839 They understand that he has authority over them. 00:13:53.459 --> 00:13:54.620 But they hate Jesus. 00:13:55.839 --> 00:13:57.579 And they hate the work of Jesus. 00:13:57.799 --> 00:14:00.539 And they don't want the restoring ministry of Jesus 00:14:00.539 --> 00:14:01.539 to take place. 00:14:01.539 --> 00:14:05.139 And evil lies about Jesus. 00:14:06.699 --> 00:14:10.059 People are deceived and blinded. 00:14:10.480 --> 00:14:12.759 Jesus is ultimate and true good 00:14:12.759 --> 00:14:14.459 and freedom and joy. 00:14:15.379 --> 00:14:17.500 But how many of us know people 00:14:17.500 --> 00:14:20.099 who would say that Jesus is the exact opposite? 00:14:20.100 --> 00:14:25.139 The truth we discover in the gospel is, 00:14:25.560 --> 00:14:28.519 yes, Jesus is the holy God. 00:14:28.659 --> 00:14:31.820 Yes, Jesus is our ultimate judge. 00:14:32.040 --> 00:14:34.420 But he came not to condemn the world, 00:14:34.500 --> 00:14:35.639 but to save the world. 00:14:35.759 --> 00:14:37.759 And he is full of mercy. 00:14:37.759 --> 00:14:42.220 And in running to Jesus, 00:14:43.779 --> 00:14:46.580 well, that's the way to hear the word of mercy and healing. 00:14:46.580 --> 00:14:53.780 So as Matthew records this little story, 00:14:53.879 --> 00:14:57.680 this confrontation with the forces of evil, 00:14:57.759 --> 00:15:00.560 as we look real evil in the eye, 00:15:01.920 --> 00:15:04.040 as we reckon with its power, 00:15:04.160 --> 00:15:05.300 its destructive power, 00:15:05.379 --> 00:15:08.620 it makes us actually ready to appreciate 00:15:08.620 --> 00:15:11.360 and to value more of the wonder of Jesus 00:15:11.360 --> 00:15:13.660 and his deliverance. 00:15:13.659 --> 00:15:16.120 B.B. Warfield, 00:15:16.639 --> 00:15:18.659 in, I don't know if it was an essay, 00:15:18.839 --> 00:15:19.839 called Jesus Only, 00:15:20.379 --> 00:15:23.299 it wrote that it belongs to the glory of Christ, 00:15:23.819 --> 00:15:27.799 that his salvation enters into every region 00:15:27.799 --> 00:15:29.179 of human need 00:15:29.179 --> 00:15:32.459 and proclaims in all alike 00:15:32.459 --> 00:15:35.679 complete deliverance. 00:15:37.980 --> 00:15:40.819 John chapter 3, verse 16, 00:15:40.939 --> 00:15:42.500 the most famous verse in the Bible, 00:15:42.500 --> 00:15:44.100 for God so loved the world 00:15:44.100 --> 00:15:45.779 that he gave his one and only son 00:15:45.779 --> 00:15:46.919 that whoever believes in him 00:15:46.919 --> 00:15:47.840 should not perish, 00:15:48.220 --> 00:15:50.620 but have eternal life. 00:15:51.639 --> 00:15:55.039 God loved the world. 00:15:56.039 --> 00:15:57.980 And the world there 00:15:57.980 --> 00:16:00.980 is that idea of the world system 00:16:00.980 --> 00:16:04.120 lost in sin and evil 00:16:04.120 --> 00:16:06.980 and rebellion against its creator. 00:16:07.539 --> 00:16:10.019 God loved the world. 00:16:10.019 --> 00:16:11.019 God loved the world. 00:16:11.019 --> 00:16:11.480 God loved the world. 00:16:11.480 --> 00:16:13.579 We see in that verse 00:16:13.579 --> 00:16:15.139 and we see in this story 00:16:15.139 --> 00:16:17.240 something of the staggering nature 00:16:17.240 --> 00:16:19.779 of God's love in Jesus, 00:16:19.939 --> 00:16:21.939 that the perfectly holy one 00:16:21.939 --> 00:16:24.059 loves the world. 00:16:26.240 --> 00:16:27.960 Rebellious and sin sick 00:16:27.960 --> 00:16:31.039 as it is and as we are. 00:16:32.519 --> 00:16:33.939 There's nothing in the world, 00:16:34.079 --> 00:16:35.220 nothing in these men, 00:16:35.360 --> 00:16:36.899 nothing in us to attract 00:16:36.899 --> 00:16:38.939 or to deserve God's love 00:16:38.939 --> 00:16:41.639 and yet God's love comes. 00:16:46.199 --> 00:16:47.419 And the love of God 00:16:47.419 --> 00:16:49.100 is a love so intense 00:16:49.100 --> 00:16:50.279 that no sinfulness, 00:16:50.720 --> 00:16:51.539 no evil, 00:16:51.679 --> 00:16:52.679 no brokenness 00:16:52.679 --> 00:16:54.319 can ever deter 00:16:54.319 --> 00:16:58.279 or stop God's saving plan. 00:16:58.279 --> 00:17:00.699 And so when we come 00:17:00.699 --> 00:17:01.620 to a little passage 00:17:01.620 --> 00:17:02.919 like this one in Matthew 8, 00:17:02.980 --> 00:17:05.660 we're seeing that John 3, 16, 00:17:05.839 --> 00:17:07.200 love in action 00:17:07.200 --> 00:17:09.619 as Jesus loves the unlovely, 00:17:09.839 --> 00:17:11.059 as the Son of God 00:17:11.059 --> 00:17:12.779 demonstrates the intensity 00:17:12.779 --> 00:17:14.420 of God's redeeming love, 00:17:14.660 --> 00:17:16.379 as we see the power of love 00:17:16.379 --> 00:17:18.799 to overcome sin and evil 00:17:18.799 --> 00:17:20.000 and bring renewal 00:17:20.000 --> 00:17:21.500 and restoration. 00:17:21.500 --> 00:17:21.779 restoration. 00:17:24.279 --> 00:17:26.420 So that as we find ourselves 00:17:26.420 --> 00:17:27.339 longing 00:17:27.339 --> 00:17:30.240 for an end to evil, 00:17:31.119 --> 00:17:32.559 for an end to suffering, 00:17:34.039 --> 00:17:35.000 and the lives of the people 00:17:35.000 --> 00:17:35.599 around us 00:17:35.599 --> 00:17:36.960 or in our world, 00:17:37.960 --> 00:17:39.740 the story is teaching us 00:17:39.740 --> 00:17:41.059 once again 00:17:41.059 --> 00:17:43.059 to run to Jesus. 00:17:43.059 --> 00:17:47.299 So we thought of the power 00:17:47.299 --> 00:17:48.240 and horror of evil. 00:17:48.339 --> 00:17:49.179 Now we need to think about 00:17:49.179 --> 00:17:50.639 the powerful healing of evil 00:17:50.639 --> 00:17:52.539 by Jesus. 00:17:53.299 --> 00:17:54.440 We are probably aware 00:17:54.440 --> 00:17:56.960 of some powerful freedom scenes. 00:17:57.399 --> 00:17:58.559 You've maybe seen 00:17:58.559 --> 00:18:01.659 at the end of the Second World War, 00:18:02.220 --> 00:18:04.039 maybe you've seen images 00:18:04.039 --> 00:18:05.119 of the liberation 00:18:05.119 --> 00:18:06.960 of concentration camps. 00:18:07.799 --> 00:18:09.279 Maybe you've watched on TV 00:18:09.279 --> 00:18:11.319 as hostages have been released 00:18:11.319 --> 00:18:12.319 who were in captivity 00:18:12.319 --> 00:18:14.220 for days or months or years. 00:18:15.159 --> 00:18:16.460 Perhaps we remember 00:18:16.460 --> 00:18:18.359 famous rescues, 00:18:18.460 --> 00:18:19.460 like if you remember 00:18:19.460 --> 00:18:21.259 the youth football team 00:18:21.259 --> 00:18:21.879 that was trapped 00:18:21.879 --> 00:18:23.480 in those underwater caves 00:18:23.480 --> 00:18:24.200 that were flooding 00:18:24.200 --> 00:18:26.299 and the attention of the world 00:18:26.299 --> 00:18:28.879 turned to that great 00:18:28.879 --> 00:18:30.099 liberation moment. 00:18:30.259 --> 00:18:32.519 We recognize in those images 00:18:32.519 --> 00:18:34.220 that when a rescuer comes, 00:18:34.579 --> 00:18:35.839 everything changes. 00:18:37.759 --> 00:18:38.960 What was darkness 00:18:38.960 --> 00:18:39.819 becomes light. 00:18:39.919 --> 00:18:41.460 What was a situation of death 00:18:41.460 --> 00:18:43.660 death becomes life. 00:18:44.500 --> 00:18:45.420 And Matthew 8 00:18:45.420 --> 00:18:48.600 is one of those great stories. 00:18:49.400 --> 00:18:50.779 Matthew presents Jesus 00:18:50.779 --> 00:18:54.019 as the great and ultimate liberator. 00:18:54.299 --> 00:18:55.860 It's showing us both why 00:18:55.860 --> 00:18:59.799 and how Jesus both confronts evil 00:18:59.799 --> 00:19:02.539 and brings the healing of evil 00:19:02.539 --> 00:19:04.299 for these two men 00:19:04.299 --> 00:19:05.700 and in so doing 00:19:05.700 --> 00:19:06.539 and gives us hope 00:19:06.539 --> 00:19:08.139 for our lives. 00:19:08.359 --> 00:19:09.139 Because again, 00:19:09.220 --> 00:19:10.619 what we see in Jesus 00:19:10.619 --> 00:19:11.579 in this moment 00:19:11.579 --> 00:19:12.460 is a salvation 00:19:12.460 --> 00:19:13.819 that is broad enough 00:19:13.819 --> 00:19:15.119 to cover every evil, 00:19:15.639 --> 00:19:16.519 every sin, 00:19:16.940 --> 00:19:17.919 every breakdown 00:19:17.919 --> 00:19:20.220 that ever afflicts a person. 00:19:21.019 --> 00:19:22.240 We see the love 00:19:22.240 --> 00:19:23.440 of a holy God 00:19:23.440 --> 00:19:24.519 that overcomes 00:19:24.519 --> 00:19:25.960 sin. 00:19:25.960 --> 00:19:29.740 And these men, 00:19:29.840 --> 00:19:30.620 we don't hear it 00:19:30.620 --> 00:19:32.720 in Matthew's gospel, 00:19:32.980 --> 00:19:34.000 but in Luke's gospel, 00:19:34.000 --> 00:19:35.920 they have this wonderful testimony 00:19:35.920 --> 00:19:37.579 that they are told 00:19:37.579 --> 00:19:38.539 to go and share 00:19:38.539 --> 00:19:40.440 how God has had mercy 00:19:40.440 --> 00:19:41.259 on them. 00:19:41.259 --> 00:19:46.440 And if we were to poll 00:19:46.440 --> 00:19:47.700 this room this evening, 00:19:47.859 --> 00:19:49.059 to poll any sort 00:19:49.059 --> 00:19:50.279 of Christian gathering, 00:19:50.759 --> 00:19:51.779 we would find 00:19:51.779 --> 00:19:53.579 Christian testimonies 00:19:53.579 --> 00:19:56.059 of Jesus rescuing us 00:19:56.059 --> 00:19:57.500 in different ways, 00:19:57.859 --> 00:19:59.339 from different depths 00:19:59.339 --> 00:20:00.700 and darknesses. 00:20:01.539 --> 00:20:02.440 For some, 00:20:02.500 --> 00:20:03.279 it would be physical. 00:20:03.440 --> 00:20:03.759 For some, 00:20:03.799 --> 00:20:04.660 it would be emotional. 00:20:04.879 --> 00:20:05.279 For some, 00:20:05.319 --> 00:20:06.259 it would be rescue 00:20:06.259 --> 00:20:07.379 in a relationship. 00:20:07.599 --> 00:20:07.940 It would be 00:20:07.940 --> 00:20:10.099 a spiritual restoration. 00:20:10.099 --> 00:20:11.859 And the Jesus 00:20:11.859 --> 00:20:12.539 that worked 00:20:12.539 --> 00:20:14.019 in the first century 00:20:14.019 --> 00:20:14.599 and the Jesus 00:20:14.599 --> 00:20:15.419 that has worked 00:20:15.419 --> 00:20:16.779 in our own lives 00:20:16.779 --> 00:20:17.439 is the Jesus 00:20:17.439 --> 00:20:19.119 that is still working. 00:20:20.379 --> 00:20:21.480 And so we have hope 00:20:21.480 --> 00:20:23.519 as we think about a world 00:20:23.519 --> 00:20:24.839 that desperately needs him. 00:20:27.439 --> 00:20:28.919 Let's notice together 00:20:28.919 --> 00:20:31.579 the absolute authority 00:20:31.579 --> 00:20:33.119 of Jesus. 00:20:34.439 --> 00:20:35.279 He is the one 00:20:35.279 --> 00:20:36.119 who can heal. 00:20:36.699 --> 00:20:37.219 It's interesting, 00:20:37.359 --> 00:20:37.619 isn't it? 00:20:37.619 --> 00:20:39.579 The demons know it. 00:20:40.099 --> 00:20:41.259 They know he is 00:20:41.259 --> 00:20:42.179 the son of God. 00:20:42.819 --> 00:20:44.419 They know that he is 00:20:44.419 --> 00:20:46.240 their appointed judge. 00:20:46.319 --> 00:20:47.039 Have you come here 00:20:47.039 --> 00:20:47.859 to torture us 00:20:47.859 --> 00:20:49.419 before the appointed time? 00:20:49.779 --> 00:20:50.619 They know they are 00:20:50.619 --> 00:20:51.459 in Jesus' hands. 00:20:51.579 --> 00:20:52.579 They know there is a day 00:20:52.579 --> 00:20:54.500 when they will stand 00:20:54.500 --> 00:20:55.159 before Jesus 00:20:55.159 --> 00:20:55.779 and they will be 00:20:55.779 --> 00:20:56.859 condemned forever. 00:20:58.799 --> 00:21:00.299 Jesus is God's 00:21:00.299 --> 00:21:01.259 appointed judge 00:21:01.259 --> 00:21:02.939 to utterly defeat 00:21:02.939 --> 00:21:03.959 and to destroy 00:21:03.959 --> 00:21:06.699 evil and all dark forces. 00:21:06.700 --> 00:21:09.319 And they recognize 00:21:09.319 --> 00:21:10.460 the authority of Jesus. 00:21:10.580 --> 00:21:11.259 We see it again 00:21:11.259 --> 00:21:12.660 as the demons 00:21:12.660 --> 00:21:14.100 are begging Jesus. 00:21:14.200 --> 00:21:15.259 If you drive us out, 00:21:15.400 --> 00:21:16.460 send us into the herd 00:21:16.460 --> 00:21:16.840 of pigs, 00:21:17.039 --> 00:21:18.519 what does this say to us? 00:21:19.480 --> 00:21:20.480 It says those demons 00:21:20.480 --> 00:21:22.559 understand absolutely 00:21:22.559 --> 00:21:25.039 who is in control here, 00:21:25.539 --> 00:21:27.860 whose power is ultimate. 00:21:28.600 --> 00:21:30.840 Yes, their power is real, 00:21:30.940 --> 00:21:31.920 but it is limited. 00:21:31.920 --> 00:21:34.400 Jesus is in charge. 00:21:36.019 --> 00:21:37.539 We see that profoundly 00:21:37.539 --> 00:21:38.640 in verse 32. 00:21:39.640 --> 00:21:40.700 He said to them, 00:21:40.900 --> 00:21:41.140 go, 00:21:41.960 --> 00:21:43.200 so they came out. 00:21:44.200 --> 00:21:46.000 That powerful word 00:21:46.000 --> 00:21:46.759 of Jesus, 00:21:48.759 --> 00:21:50.279 the evening before 00:21:50.279 --> 00:21:51.460 it stopped the storm 00:21:51.460 --> 00:21:54.240 and now it stops the storm 00:21:54.240 --> 00:21:55.440 in these men's hearts 00:21:55.440 --> 00:21:56.200 and lives. 00:21:56.200 --> 00:21:59.860 In verse 28, 00:21:59.940 --> 00:22:01.440 we're told where this happens. 00:22:02.340 --> 00:22:03.799 It happens in the region 00:22:03.799 --> 00:22:05.180 of the Gadarenes. 00:22:05.259 --> 00:22:05.920 That's important 00:22:05.920 --> 00:22:08.140 because it's Gentile territory. 00:22:08.279 --> 00:22:09.360 The other great clue 00:22:09.360 --> 00:22:10.080 for that, of course, 00:22:10.180 --> 00:22:12.220 is that this community 00:22:12.220 --> 00:22:13.140 is keeping pigs, 00:22:13.220 --> 00:22:14.180 which would be unclean 00:22:14.180 --> 00:22:15.460 for a Jew to do. 00:22:16.319 --> 00:22:17.019 And so again, 00:22:17.140 --> 00:22:18.559 here we are being presented 00:22:18.559 --> 00:22:20.440 with a Jesus 00:22:20.440 --> 00:22:22.480 who has an authority 00:22:22.480 --> 00:22:23.200 so great 00:22:23.200 --> 00:22:23.920 that it doesn't matter 00:22:23.920 --> 00:22:25.920 which region he moves into, 00:22:25.920 --> 00:22:26.820 doesn't matter 00:22:26.820 --> 00:22:28.880 what race he is operating in, 00:22:29.160 --> 00:22:30.340 no one and nothing 00:22:30.340 --> 00:22:32.460 can limit his saving power. 00:22:34.420 --> 00:22:35.380 And that's why 00:22:35.380 --> 00:22:37.039 we can say to anyone, 00:22:37.400 --> 00:22:38.019 anywhere, 00:22:38.820 --> 00:22:40.519 that Jesus is good news 00:22:40.519 --> 00:22:41.039 for them. 00:22:41.200 --> 00:22:42.140 Jesus is good news 00:22:42.140 --> 00:22:43.300 for each of us, 00:22:43.680 --> 00:22:44.620 whoever we are, 00:22:44.720 --> 00:22:45.900 wherever we're from. 00:22:47.880 --> 00:22:48.880 So we see 00:22:48.880 --> 00:22:49.519 and we notice 00:22:49.519 --> 00:22:50.580 the absolute authority 00:22:50.580 --> 00:22:51.080 of Jesus. 00:22:51.220 --> 00:22:52.279 It's important, too, 00:22:53.140 --> 00:22:53.840 to recognize 00:22:53.840 --> 00:22:55.660 the priority of Jesus. 00:22:55.920 --> 00:22:56.060 Jesus. 00:22:58.180 --> 00:22:58.680 Whenever 00:22:58.680 --> 00:23:01.060 we come to this story, 00:23:01.900 --> 00:23:02.680 there is always, 00:23:02.800 --> 00:23:03.200 in a sense, 00:23:03.320 --> 00:23:04.740 the elephant in the room. 00:23:05.279 --> 00:23:06.380 The elephant in the room 00:23:06.380 --> 00:23:07.460 is the pigs. 00:23:07.820 --> 00:23:08.640 It's always that thing. 00:23:08.740 --> 00:23:09.960 Where do the pigs fit? 00:23:10.019 --> 00:23:10.660 What's happening 00:23:10.660 --> 00:23:11.400 with the pigs? 00:23:11.660 --> 00:23:12.900 And I remember 00:23:12.900 --> 00:23:13.920 speaking about this 00:23:13.920 --> 00:23:14.560 at a camp 00:23:14.560 --> 00:23:15.380 and spending most 00:23:15.380 --> 00:23:16.380 of a bus journey 00:23:16.380 --> 00:23:18.060 answering questions 00:23:18.060 --> 00:23:19.120 about pigs 00:23:19.120 --> 00:23:20.380 hurtling off cliffs 00:23:20.380 --> 00:23:21.519 and it gets the mind 00:23:21.519 --> 00:23:22.400 and the imagination 00:23:22.400 --> 00:23:23.019 going. 00:23:23.019 --> 00:23:24.720 So what is the place 00:23:24.720 --> 00:23:25.539 of the pigs 00:23:25.539 --> 00:23:26.720 in this story? 00:23:26.839 --> 00:23:29.240 Well, one place 00:23:29.240 --> 00:23:30.339 that they have 00:23:30.339 --> 00:23:32.099 is to make it 00:23:32.099 --> 00:23:33.379 really clear 00:23:33.379 --> 00:23:34.980 for us to see 00:23:34.980 --> 00:23:37.279 Jesus' priority. 00:23:39.559 --> 00:23:40.660 We also see 00:23:40.660 --> 00:23:41.359 that's a priority 00:23:41.359 --> 00:23:42.299 that's not shared 00:23:42.299 --> 00:23:42.960 by the town. 00:23:43.960 --> 00:23:45.319 With the command 00:23:45.319 --> 00:23:46.160 from Jesus, 00:23:46.900 --> 00:23:47.359 go, 00:23:47.359 --> 00:23:49.519 we are seeing 00:23:49.519 --> 00:23:51.299 that Jesus exercises 00:23:51.299 --> 00:23:52.279 almighty power 00:23:52.279 --> 00:23:54.339 and we are seeing 00:23:54.339 --> 00:23:55.899 that human beings 00:23:55.899 --> 00:23:56.740 are more valuable 00:23:56.740 --> 00:23:57.419 than pigs. 00:23:58.979 --> 00:24:00.579 And we are discovering 00:24:00.579 --> 00:24:03.000 that Jesus puts 00:24:03.000 --> 00:24:04.459 spiritual need, 00:24:04.979 --> 00:24:06.019 human need, 00:24:06.279 --> 00:24:07.899 before all other 00:24:07.899 --> 00:24:08.359 considerations. 00:24:09.639 --> 00:24:10.959 What matters most 00:24:10.959 --> 00:24:11.539 to Jesus 00:24:11.539 --> 00:24:12.799 in this situation, 00:24:12.959 --> 00:24:14.500 in any situation, 00:24:14.500 --> 00:24:16.940 is spiritual 00:24:16.940 --> 00:24:17.880 deliverance. 00:24:19.099 --> 00:24:19.680 That Jesus 00:24:19.680 --> 00:24:21.440 is most concerned 00:24:21.440 --> 00:24:23.200 with restoring 00:24:23.200 --> 00:24:24.539 to health 00:24:24.539 --> 00:24:26.259 and to relationship 00:24:26.259 --> 00:24:27.000 with God 00:24:27.000 --> 00:24:28.920 image bearers. 00:24:29.519 --> 00:24:30.319 People made 00:24:30.319 --> 00:24:31.240 in God's image 00:24:31.240 --> 00:24:31.980 with dignity 00:24:31.980 --> 00:24:32.640 and worth 00:24:32.640 --> 00:24:33.500 and value. 00:24:34.259 --> 00:24:35.019 Those forces 00:24:35.019 --> 00:24:35.480 of evil 00:24:35.480 --> 00:24:35.960 were trying 00:24:35.960 --> 00:24:36.759 to strip 00:24:36.759 --> 00:24:37.460 that away 00:24:37.460 --> 00:24:38.140 and Jesus 00:24:38.140 --> 00:24:38.799 in a moment 00:24:38.799 --> 00:24:39.660 restores it. 00:24:40.779 --> 00:24:41.940 Jesus' priority 00:24:41.940 --> 00:24:43.240 is to rescue 00:24:43.240 --> 00:24:44.740 those in desperate 00:24:44.740 --> 00:24:45.380 need 00:24:45.380 --> 00:24:46.900 of his mercy 00:24:46.900 --> 00:24:48.720 and deliverance. 00:24:49.359 --> 00:24:50.480 Jesus' priority 00:24:50.480 --> 00:24:51.680 is spiritual 00:24:51.680 --> 00:24:53.539 and eternal 00:24:53.539 --> 00:24:55.259 because as evil 00:24:55.259 --> 00:24:56.279 is removed, 00:24:56.680 --> 00:24:58.120 as God's mercy 00:24:58.120 --> 00:24:59.079 floods in, 00:24:59.500 --> 00:25:01.120 salvation comes 00:25:01.120 --> 00:25:02.460 to these men 00:25:02.460 --> 00:25:03.700 and that's 00:25:03.700 --> 00:25:05.059 Jesus' priority. 00:25:08.779 --> 00:25:09.500 Sadly, 00:25:09.620 --> 00:25:09.960 as we see, 00:25:10.039 --> 00:25:11.380 it's not the priority 00:25:11.380 --> 00:25:12.640 shared 00:25:12.640 --> 00:25:14.160 by the town. 00:25:15.180 --> 00:25:15.600 Again, 00:25:15.680 --> 00:25:16.140 to think about 00:25:16.140 --> 00:25:17.240 those herd of pigs, 00:25:17.820 --> 00:25:18.800 what does it represent? 00:25:19.040 --> 00:25:20.480 It probably represents 00:25:20.480 --> 00:25:21.820 a significant amount 00:25:21.820 --> 00:25:23.100 of that community's 00:25:23.100 --> 00:25:23.760 wealth 00:25:23.760 --> 00:25:27.400 flying off a cliff. 00:25:28.980 --> 00:25:29.800 And as 00:25:29.800 --> 00:25:30.520 the people 00:25:30.520 --> 00:25:31.180 are told, 00:25:31.340 --> 00:25:32.000 verse 33, 00:25:32.160 --> 00:25:32.660 those tending 00:25:32.660 --> 00:25:33.100 the pigs 00:25:33.100 --> 00:25:33.660 ran off, 00:25:33.720 --> 00:25:34.520 went into the town 00:25:34.520 --> 00:25:35.180 and reported 00:25:35.180 --> 00:25:36.300 all this 00:25:36.300 --> 00:25:38.160 including 00:25:38.160 --> 00:25:38.840 what happened 00:25:38.840 --> 00:25:40.080 to the demon-possessed men, 00:25:40.079 --> 00:25:41.639 then the whole town 00:25:41.639 --> 00:25:41.980 went out 00:25:41.980 --> 00:25:42.679 to meet Jesus 00:25:42.679 --> 00:25:43.779 and when they saw him, 00:25:43.859 --> 00:25:44.960 they pleaded with him 00:25:44.960 --> 00:25:45.619 to leave 00:25:45.619 --> 00:25:46.879 their region. 00:25:47.799 --> 00:25:48.480 For them, 00:25:49.519 --> 00:25:50.179 they prefer 00:25:50.179 --> 00:25:50.980 those pigs 00:25:50.980 --> 00:25:52.439 to the people 00:25:52.439 --> 00:25:53.159 who were saved. 00:25:54.439 --> 00:25:55.720 Our story began 00:25:55.720 --> 00:25:56.339 with a meeting, 00:25:56.419 --> 00:25:56.960 it began 00:25:56.960 --> 00:25:57.919 with a hostile 00:25:57.919 --> 00:25:58.679 confrontation 00:25:58.679 --> 00:25:59.500 of Jesus, 00:25:59.619 --> 00:26:00.299 what do you want 00:26:00.299 --> 00:26:00.859 with us? 00:26:01.639 --> 00:26:02.639 The story concludes 00:26:02.639 --> 00:26:03.679 with another hostile 00:26:03.679 --> 00:26:04.319 confrontation, 00:26:04.639 --> 00:26:05.539 the town goes out 00:26:05.539 --> 00:26:06.639 to plead with Jesus, 00:26:06.640 --> 00:26:07.980 and we don't want 00:26:07.980 --> 00:26:08.880 you coming near. 00:26:12.040 --> 00:26:13.040 The tragedy 00:26:13.040 --> 00:26:13.759 is 00:26:13.759 --> 00:26:15.160 that they put 00:26:15.160 --> 00:26:16.300 their own 00:26:16.300 --> 00:26:17.720 financial position 00:26:17.720 --> 00:26:18.720 over 00:26:18.720 --> 00:26:20.480 the call 00:26:20.480 --> 00:26:21.520 to put their faith 00:26:21.520 --> 00:26:22.640 in the Lord Jesus. 00:26:23.860 --> 00:26:25.200 While other towns 00:26:25.200 --> 00:26:25.960 and villages 00:26:25.960 --> 00:26:26.740 around them 00:26:26.740 --> 00:26:27.600 were experiencing 00:26:27.600 --> 00:26:29.120 God's grace 00:26:29.120 --> 00:26:30.300 as people were being healed, 00:26:30.400 --> 00:26:31.259 as people were hearing 00:26:31.259 --> 00:26:32.120 good news, 00:26:32.820 --> 00:26:33.640 confronted with 00:26:33.640 --> 00:26:34.600 the real Jesus, 00:26:34.599 --> 00:26:35.819 as this town 00:26:35.819 --> 00:26:36.939 said, 00:26:37.019 --> 00:26:37.819 no, thank you, 00:26:38.559 --> 00:26:39.480 we don't want you 00:26:39.480 --> 00:26:40.179 coming near. 00:26:42.019 --> 00:26:42.879 Perhaps one way 00:26:42.879 --> 00:26:43.539 this story 00:26:43.539 --> 00:26:44.819 can help us 00:26:44.819 --> 00:26:45.459 practically 00:26:45.459 --> 00:26:46.459 is to give us 00:26:46.459 --> 00:26:47.699 a moment 00:26:47.699 --> 00:26:48.359 to reflect 00:26:48.359 --> 00:26:50.259 on our own 00:26:50.259 --> 00:26:50.959 priorities, 00:26:52.539 --> 00:26:53.179 maybe not as 00:26:53.179 --> 00:26:54.179 starkly presented 00:26:54.179 --> 00:26:55.019 as the priorities 00:26:55.019 --> 00:26:56.079 of this town, 00:26:57.980 --> 00:26:58.679 but to think about 00:26:58.679 --> 00:26:59.279 where we devote 00:26:59.279 --> 00:27:00.059 our own thoughts 00:27:00.059 --> 00:27:00.699 and energies. 00:27:01.919 --> 00:27:02.619 If we were to look 00:27:02.619 --> 00:27:03.299 at our spending, 00:27:03.459 --> 00:27:04.039 our calendar, 00:27:04.039 --> 00:27:04.899 our plans, 00:27:06.220 --> 00:27:06.799 those are good 00:27:06.799 --> 00:27:07.559 indicators of 00:27:07.559 --> 00:27:08.299 what we value. 00:27:09.200 --> 00:27:09.940 Do they reflect 00:27:09.940 --> 00:27:10.619 the priorities 00:27:10.619 --> 00:27:11.220 of Jesus? 00:27:11.420 --> 00:27:12.059 Does it reflect 00:27:12.059 --> 00:27:13.180 that most important 00:27:13.180 --> 00:27:13.859 to us 00:27:13.859 --> 00:27:15.059 is that we are 00:27:15.059 --> 00:27:15.720 known and loved 00:27:15.720 --> 00:27:16.359 and saved 00:27:16.359 --> 00:27:17.500 by our God 00:27:17.500 --> 00:27:18.220 through Jesus? 00:27:20.599 --> 00:27:21.420 And again, 00:27:21.619 --> 00:27:22.500 to recognize 00:27:22.500 --> 00:27:23.680 that right now, 00:27:24.799 --> 00:27:26.940 as God speaks 00:27:26.940 --> 00:27:27.720 through his word, 00:27:27.920 --> 00:27:29.460 God and his grace 00:27:29.460 --> 00:27:30.819 are coming near 00:27:30.819 --> 00:27:31.799 once again. 00:27:31.799 --> 00:27:34.000 and there is 00:27:34.000 --> 00:27:34.480 a warning 00:27:34.480 --> 00:27:35.119 of this town, 00:27:35.279 --> 00:27:36.359 don't be so 00:27:36.359 --> 00:27:37.379 embedded 00:27:37.379 --> 00:27:39.079 in the world 00:27:39.079 --> 00:27:41.139 that you don't 00:27:41.139 --> 00:27:42.119 let Jesus in 00:27:42.119 --> 00:27:43.779 and find mercy. 00:27:46.480 --> 00:27:47.359 We also need 00:27:47.359 --> 00:27:48.059 to notice, 00:27:48.240 --> 00:27:48.500 don't we, 00:27:48.539 --> 00:27:49.619 the deliverance 00:27:49.619 --> 00:27:50.919 of Jesus. 00:27:52.119 --> 00:27:52.899 Another point 00:27:52.899 --> 00:27:53.500 of the pigs 00:27:53.500 --> 00:27:54.000 at the end 00:27:54.000 --> 00:27:54.480 of the day 00:27:54.480 --> 00:27:55.460 actually is that 00:27:55.460 --> 00:27:56.279 they are not 00:27:56.279 --> 00:27:57.220 the point. 00:27:57.220 --> 00:27:59.400 the point 00:27:59.400 --> 00:28:00.120 is the power 00:28:00.120 --> 00:28:00.660 of Jesus. 00:28:01.900 --> 00:28:02.720 The point 00:28:02.720 --> 00:28:03.480 is the healing 00:28:03.480 --> 00:28:04.299 of the demon 00:28:04.299 --> 00:28:05.299 possessed men. 00:28:06.660 --> 00:28:07.579 The point 00:28:07.579 --> 00:28:07.920 is that 00:28:07.920 --> 00:28:08.819 with this one 00:28:08.819 --> 00:28:10.000 word of command, 00:28:10.259 --> 00:28:10.539 go, 00:28:11.019 --> 00:28:11.819 those demons 00:28:11.819 --> 00:28:12.640 hell-bent 00:28:12.640 --> 00:28:13.559 on destroying 00:28:13.559 --> 00:28:14.559 image bearers 00:28:14.559 --> 00:28:15.900 are driven out. 00:28:16.700 --> 00:28:17.759 What we see 00:28:17.759 --> 00:28:18.579 is the reality 00:28:18.579 --> 00:28:19.240 that Jesus, 00:28:19.420 --> 00:28:20.319 the light of the world, 00:28:20.440 --> 00:28:21.839 drives out darkness. 00:28:22.680 --> 00:28:24.180 We see that love 00:28:24.180 --> 00:28:25.420 conquers hate. 00:28:25.420 --> 00:28:27.340 we see a dramatic 00:28:27.340 --> 00:28:29.580 picture of the 00:28:29.580 --> 00:28:30.400 freedom that 00:28:30.400 --> 00:28:31.400 Jesus brings 00:28:31.400 --> 00:28:34.400 as he undoes 00:28:34.400 --> 00:28:35.279 the curse of 00:28:35.279 --> 00:28:36.120 evil and sin 00:28:36.120 --> 00:28:37.039 and so there is 00:28:37.039 --> 00:28:38.460 physical deliverance. 00:28:39.600 --> 00:28:40.320 Maybe we see it 00:28:40.320 --> 00:28:41.019 especially in the 00:28:41.019 --> 00:28:41.920 other writers. 00:28:42.100 --> 00:28:43.340 We will see them 00:28:43.340 --> 00:28:44.500 clothed and in 00:28:44.500 --> 00:28:45.440 their right mind. 00:28:45.960 --> 00:28:47.240 There is a social 00:28:47.240 --> 00:28:48.380 deliverance. 00:28:48.539 --> 00:28:49.120 Now that their 00:28:49.120 --> 00:28:50.300 violence is gone, 00:28:50.420 --> 00:28:50.980 now they're not 00:28:50.980 --> 00:28:51.880 out of control, 00:28:52.220 --> 00:28:52.880 they can move 00:28:52.880 --> 00:28:53.860 back into the 00:28:53.860 --> 00:28:54.320 community. 00:28:54.319 --> 00:28:55.460 community and 00:28:55.460 --> 00:28:55.960 they can move 00:28:55.960 --> 00:28:57.119 into the community 00:28:57.119 --> 00:28:58.159 with good news 00:28:58.159 --> 00:28:58.799 to share. 00:29:00.059 --> 00:29:00.859 And there is a 00:29:00.859 --> 00:29:02.819 spiritual deliverance 00:29:02.819 --> 00:29:03.899 that is so clear 00:29:03.899 --> 00:29:04.639 to see. 00:29:05.480 --> 00:29:06.359 No more are 00:29:06.359 --> 00:29:07.079 these men 00:29:07.079 --> 00:29:08.279 unclean. 00:29:08.799 --> 00:29:09.559 No more are 00:29:09.559 --> 00:29:10.419 they experiencing 00:29:10.419 --> 00:29:11.859 a living death. 00:29:12.279 --> 00:29:13.399 God in Jesus 00:29:13.399 --> 00:29:14.919 has come near 00:29:14.919 --> 00:29:16.339 to show mercy. 00:29:16.339 --> 00:29:16.439 mercy. 00:29:19.240 --> 00:29:20.799 We find ourselves 00:29:20.799 --> 00:29:21.599 groaning and 00:29:21.599 --> 00:29:23.539 longing to be 00:29:23.539 --> 00:29:24.379 free and for a 00:29:24.379 --> 00:29:25.559 world free of sin 00:29:25.559 --> 00:29:26.099 and evil. 00:29:26.919 --> 00:29:27.579 And that's a good 00:29:27.579 --> 00:29:28.559 longing, isn't it? 00:29:29.519 --> 00:29:30.759 It's a good longing 00:29:30.759 --> 00:29:31.659 when it makes us 00:29:31.659 --> 00:29:32.779 run to Jesus. 00:29:33.500 --> 00:29:34.599 As we recognize 00:29:34.599 --> 00:29:36.000 he has the power 00:29:36.000 --> 00:29:37.000 to confront, 00:29:37.199 --> 00:29:37.759 to defeat, 00:29:37.879 --> 00:29:38.399 and to bring 00:29:38.399 --> 00:29:39.659 healing from evil. 00:29:39.660 --> 00:29:41.759 But the question 00:29:41.759 --> 00:29:42.540 remains, how does 00:29:42.540 --> 00:29:43.300 that deliverance 00:29:43.300 --> 00:29:44.200 come to us? 00:29:45.320 --> 00:29:46.040 And for that we 00:29:46.040 --> 00:29:46.800 need to move on 00:29:46.800 --> 00:29:47.759 in Jesus' story. 00:29:49.240 --> 00:29:51.340 It comes as 00:29:51.340 --> 00:29:52.480 Jesus confronts 00:29:52.480 --> 00:29:53.500 those dark forces 00:29:53.500 --> 00:29:55.340 of sin and evil 00:29:55.340 --> 00:29:56.100 at the cross. 00:29:57.080 --> 00:29:57.820 And there at the 00:29:57.820 --> 00:29:58.940 cross it is Jesus, 00:29:59.080 --> 00:29:59.900 the son of God, 00:29:59.980 --> 00:30:00.519 who suffers 00:30:00.519 --> 00:30:02.360 physically as his 00:30:02.360 --> 00:30:03.660 body is torn and 00:30:03.660 --> 00:30:04.320 beaten as the 00:30:04.320 --> 00:30:05.180 Lord of life 00:30:05.180 --> 00:30:05.960 dies. 00:30:05.960 --> 00:30:07.880 There at the 00:30:07.880 --> 00:30:08.640 cross Jesus 00:30:08.640 --> 00:30:09.819 suffers socially, 00:30:09.940 --> 00:30:10.900 he's been betrayed 00:30:10.900 --> 00:30:11.640 by Jesus, 00:30:11.840 --> 00:30:12.759 abandoned by the 00:30:12.759 --> 00:30:13.240 disciples, 00:30:13.720 --> 00:30:14.539 he walks the 00:30:14.539 --> 00:30:15.500 road of suffering, 00:30:15.880 --> 00:30:16.660 alone he is 00:30:16.660 --> 00:30:18.100 despised and 00:30:18.100 --> 00:30:18.779 rejected. 00:30:21.120 --> 00:30:22.180 And he suffers 00:30:22.180 --> 00:30:24.200 spiritually as he 00:30:24.200 --> 00:30:25.480 bears upon himself 00:30:25.480 --> 00:30:26.620 the full weight of 00:30:26.620 --> 00:30:27.380 the sin of the 00:30:27.380 --> 00:30:28.519 world and the 00:30:28.519 --> 00:30:29.220 wrath of God 00:30:29.220 --> 00:30:30.420 that sin deserves. 00:30:30.980 --> 00:30:32.440 As he feels in 00:30:32.440 --> 00:30:33.319 that moment that 00:30:33.319 --> 00:30:34.160 sense of being 00:30:34.160 --> 00:30:35.940 forsaken by the 00:30:35.940 --> 00:30:37.200 father, he 00:30:37.200 --> 00:30:38.440 becomes as it 00:30:38.440 --> 00:30:39.700 were an unclean 00:30:39.700 --> 00:30:41.340 thing in our 00:30:41.340 --> 00:30:43.160 place for our 00:30:43.160 --> 00:30:44.820 sin and for our 00:30:44.820 --> 00:30:45.460 salvation. 00:30:46.799 --> 00:30:47.519 But we know that 00:30:47.519 --> 00:30:48.600 three days later 00:30:48.600 --> 00:30:50.299 Jesus will leave 00:30:50.299 --> 00:30:51.140 the place of death, 00:30:51.279 --> 00:30:52.200 Jesus will leave 00:30:52.200 --> 00:30:53.480 the tomb in 00:30:53.480 --> 00:30:54.779 victory and 00:30:54.779 --> 00:30:55.940 triumph, his 00:30:55.940 --> 00:30:57.100 triumph over the 00:30:57.100 --> 00:30:58.039 spiritual forces 00:30:58.039 --> 00:30:58.660 complete. 00:30:59.340 --> 00:30:59.980 And in Jesus' 00:31:00.160 --> 00:31:00.980 powerful victory 00:31:00.980 --> 00:31:02.360 of evil over evil 00:31:02.360 --> 00:31:02.880 there is the 00:31:02.880 --> 00:31:03.960 promise of healing 00:31:03.960 --> 00:31:05.519 for each one of 00:31:05.519 --> 00:31:05.879 us. 00:31:06.879 --> 00:31:07.779 If like these 00:31:07.779 --> 00:31:09.299 men we will run 00:31:09.299 --> 00:31:11.019 to Jesus to find 00:31:11.019 --> 00:31:11.500 mercy. 00:31:15.000 --> 00:31:15.779 And we have the 00:31:15.779 --> 00:31:17.460 promise of an 00:31:17.460 --> 00:31:18.440 ultimate healing 00:31:18.440 --> 00:31:20.460 from Jesus. 00:31:21.460 --> 00:31:22.119 What will that be 00:31:22.119 --> 00:31:22.440 like? 00:31:23.759 --> 00:31:24.299 It's wonderful, 00:31:24.460 --> 00:31:24.980 isn't it, to come 00:31:24.980 --> 00:31:25.819 towards the end of 00:31:25.819 --> 00:31:26.579 the Bible, to come 00:31:26.579 --> 00:31:27.200 to the closing 00:31:27.200 --> 00:31:28.039 chapters of the 00:31:28.039 --> 00:31:28.779 book of Revelation 00:31:28.779 --> 00:31:29.480 and we see the 00:31:29.480 --> 00:31:30.359 future hope of the 00:31:30.359 --> 00:31:32.480 Christian life, of a 00:31:32.480 --> 00:31:33.440 new heavens and a 00:31:33.440 --> 00:31:35.720 new earth, of life 00:31:35.720 --> 00:31:36.740 returned to the 00:31:36.740 --> 00:31:37.579 garden, now a 00:31:37.579 --> 00:31:39.980 city, to a world 00:31:39.980 --> 00:31:41.839 free of sickness and 00:31:41.839 --> 00:31:43.440 suffering and death 00:31:43.440 --> 00:31:46.700 and sin and evil, a 00:31:46.700 --> 00:31:48.559 world forever set free 00:31:48.559 --> 00:31:50.680 from groaning to 00:31:50.680 --> 00:31:51.720 rejoice in God's 00:31:51.720 --> 00:31:52.579 goodness and love 00:31:52.579 --> 00:31:53.120 forever. 00:31:53.119 --> 00:31:53.239 forever. 00:31:55.239 --> 00:31:56.779 So when we see and 00:31:56.779 --> 00:31:58.759 sense sin and evil, 00:32:00.439 --> 00:32:01.799 when we experience the 00:32:01.799 --> 00:32:02.599 sorrow and the 00:32:02.599 --> 00:32:04.719 suffering of life in a 00:32:04.719 --> 00:32:07.199 fallen world, let it 00:32:07.199 --> 00:32:08.079 lead us to the Lord 00:32:08.079 --> 00:32:10.239 Jesus, our great 00:32:10.239 --> 00:32:12.339 Redeemer, to find hope 00:32:12.339 --> 00:32:13.159 and healing in him. 00:32:13.160 --> 00:32:14.960 Let's pray together.