WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.440 If you turn with me this morning to Mark's Gospel chapter 5 to these first 20 verses 00:00:05.440 --> 00:00:11.599 in our ongoing study on this amazing gospel. 00:00:11.599 --> 00:00:16.359 And if you remember, if you have been with us over the last number of weeks, we've seen 00:00:16.359 --> 00:00:23.440 that the theme of Mark is very much focused on a swift journey through the life of Christ, 00:00:23.440 --> 00:00:29.280 a kind of urgent look at His life because He's so important and wanting to make clear 00:00:29.280 --> 00:00:35.000 to His readers who Jesus is, and the other side of it is what discipleship is. 00:00:35.000 --> 00:00:40.359 So you've got these two elements that come across a great deal in the gospel of Matthew, 00:00:40.359 --> 00:00:43.600 who Jesus is, and therefore what it means to follow Him. 00:00:43.600 --> 00:00:48.439 And that's amazingly relevant and amazingly significant for us this morning. 00:00:48.439 --> 00:00:54.040 But maybe as we've looked at this passage today, you've been a little bit spooked. 00:00:54.039 --> 00:00:59.359 You may be spooked because for our kind of sophisticated modern 21st century minds, we're 00:00:59.359 --> 00:01:05.239 not terribly comfortable with the whole idea of demon possession and maybe even so the 00:01:05.239 --> 00:01:12.159 seeming destruction of animals that we have in this story of legion. 00:01:12.159 --> 00:01:15.840 And I think therefore it becomes a challenge for us. 00:01:15.840 --> 00:01:19.920 It's a challenge because so often in the lives that we are living today, they're sanitized 00:01:19.920 --> 00:01:26.280 and we do avoid contemplating evil and the reality of evil that we see around us. 00:01:26.280 --> 00:01:31.920 And sometimes dare I say it even in our own hearts, as Corrie spoke about last Sunday 00:01:31.920 --> 00:01:32.920 evening. 00:01:32.920 --> 00:01:39.240 We can fill our lives with little passions, with distractions and with micro-causes, none 00:01:39.240 --> 00:01:41.520 of which are insignificant. 00:01:41.520 --> 00:01:46.480 But often we can use them to salvage our conscience a little bit and absolve our guilt about not 00:01:46.480 --> 00:01:52.000 dealing with some of the bigger issues of life, avoiding the questions of life and death. 00:01:52.000 --> 00:01:54.000 Many people will do that. 00:01:54.000 --> 00:02:04.480 Many people will simply not consider the purposelessness of our existence if it has no ultimate meaning. 00:02:04.480 --> 00:02:09.420 So maybe for today, I don't know everybody who's in here today, probably know most people. 00:02:09.419 --> 00:02:17.599 But maybe today this will be for you the first step of breaking down some of these unwillingness 00:02:17.599 --> 00:02:24.119 to contemplate Jesus Christ and the reality, and sometimes the uncomfortable reality of 00:02:24.119 --> 00:02:26.119 who He is. 00:02:26.119 --> 00:02:31.439 Maybe, and I pray it will be the last piece in the jigsaw for some today as we look at 00:02:31.439 --> 00:02:33.239 God's Word. 00:02:33.239 --> 00:02:38.119 And if you've been a Christian and had a Christian for many years, maybe it will be, and I pray 00:02:38.120 --> 00:02:44.039 that it will be a building block for you in your life as you seek to know more about Jesus 00:02:44.039 --> 00:02:47.439 and know more about discipleship. 00:02:47.439 --> 00:02:52.039 Because in this passage, something really big and significant and important is happening. 00:02:52.039 --> 00:03:00.240 If you were here last week, Corey looked at Jesus stilling the storm, and the question 00:03:00.240 --> 00:03:03.759 at the end of that chapter, and of course there's no chapter divisions, originally, 00:03:03.759 --> 00:03:09.599 is who is this? Who is the great question? Who is this? The disciples asked. Even the 00:03:09.599 --> 00:03:12.239 winds and the waves obey Him. 00:03:12.239 --> 00:03:17.639 And it's a great question that tumbles on into the next chapter as well, as Mark explains 00:03:17.639 --> 00:03:18.639 more. 00:03:18.639 --> 00:03:26.120 It's a vital question to wrestle with because He claims accountability and significance 00:03:26.120 --> 00:03:34.000 in your life. In 2 Corinthians 5, 10, we have these words, for we must all appear before 00:03:34.000 --> 00:03:38.800 the judgment seat of Christ so that each of us may receive what is due for the things 00:03:38.800 --> 00:03:42.120 done while in the body good or bad. 00:03:42.120 --> 00:03:48.439 It's really significant that we consider who Jesus is because we will all, by the claims 00:03:48.439 --> 00:03:53.680 of God's Word, stand before Him in judgment. 00:03:53.680 --> 00:03:58.280 And He's very much the center of this story. There's other characters in the story, but 00:03:58.280 --> 00:04:07.480 Jesus is very much the center of the story. And we see that in one word that's used three 00:04:07.480 --> 00:04:12.960 times in the story of different people in the story, and it's the begging that goes 00:04:12.960 --> 00:04:17.280 on, the appealing that goes on. And we see three times, different groups of different 00:04:17.279 --> 00:04:23.759 individuals appeal to Jesus or beg Him or call to Him because He's the center of the 00:04:23.759 --> 00:04:24.759 story. 00:04:24.759 --> 00:04:33.359 The demons call out to Him because they know that He is sovereign and authority to devour 00:04:33.359 --> 00:04:40.439 them and plead that He put them into the pigs. 00:04:40.439 --> 00:04:48.519 Then we see also that the people of the area, they beg Jesus to leave. They don't want 00:04:48.519 --> 00:04:53.839 anything to do with Him. They don't want Him at the center. The demons don't want Him 00:04:53.839 --> 00:05:04.040 at the center. And in Legion, who is healed, He also begs of Jesus to go with Him. And 00:05:04.040 --> 00:05:08.319 that's the only request that Jesus says no to. He says yes to the other two, but He says 00:05:08.319 --> 00:05:13.199 no to Legion. And we'll look at that a little bit more later. Each of these answers in many 00:05:13.199 --> 00:05:20.159 ways is unexpected. But Jesus is the center of the story as it's formed through these 00:05:20.159 --> 00:05:28.839 three calling out, begging, asking Jesus to act. 00:05:28.839 --> 00:05:34.439 So we see something about Jesus, and we will also see something about discipleship. We 00:05:34.439 --> 00:05:38.920 see Jesus' authority and power in this story, and that's really important. I'm just going 00:05:38.920 --> 00:05:46.759 to read some verses from Isaiah chapter 65 because we see the beginnings of an outworking 00:05:46.759 --> 00:05:51.000 of the promise of the Messiah that comes in Isaiah chapter 65. 00:05:51.000 --> 00:05:55.800 I revealed myself to those who did not ask of me. I was found by those who did not seek 00:05:55.800 --> 00:06:01.000 me. To a nation that did not call in my name, I said, here am I, here am I. All day long, 00:06:01.000 --> 00:06:06.639 I held out my hands to an obstinate people who walk in ways not good pursuing their own 00:06:06.639 --> 00:06:10.680 imagination. A people who continually provoke me to my very face, offering sacrifices and 00:06:10.680 --> 00:06:16.199 gardens and burning incense on altars of rocks. Who sit among the graves and spend their nights 00:06:16.199 --> 00:06:21.920 keeping secret vigil. Who eat the flesh of pigs and whose pots hold broth of impure meat. 00:06:21.920 --> 00:06:27.480 Who say, keep away, don't come near me. But I'm too sacred for you. 00:06:27.480 --> 00:06:34.879 So there's a big, we see even in this passage that a recognition that Jesus Christ is coming 00:06:34.879 --> 00:06:40.960 to fulfill the messianic promises of the Old Testament that are at least hinted at in that 00:06:40.960 --> 00:06:46.560 passage in Isaiah, linking it with this story that we have here. That Jesus has come not 00:06:46.560 --> 00:06:51.240 just to be Savior of the Gentiles, of the Jews, but also the Gentiles. That the Great 00:06:51.240 --> 00:06:57.160 Commission will send the gospel out into the whole world, far beyond the borders that the 00:06:57.160 --> 00:07:02.120 Jews expected. This gospel itself, Mark, was mainly written for Gentiles, for those who 00:07:02.120 --> 00:07:07.800 weren't Jews. And he's breaking down the misconception even of his disciples or of the Jews around 00:07:07.800 --> 00:07:16.640 him, that he was bringing this radically divine initiative to go beyond the borders of Jewry, 00:07:16.640 --> 00:07:23.800 toward the borders of Israel, to break over to sail into the Decapolis, which was a Gentile 00:07:23.800 --> 00:07:32.480 part of the world. And foreshadow the gospel going to the ends of the earth. Jesus is no 00:07:32.480 --> 00:07:39.319 bit player. He's the fulfillment of the redemptive historical plan of history. And you saw last 00:07:39.319 --> 00:07:46.439 week if you were here as authority over the power of creation. It's a remarkable passage. 00:07:46.439 --> 00:07:55.439 We take it for granted, but here is Jesus who just spoke. And that wow moment as God 00:07:55.439 --> 00:08:00.360 and man as the Redeemer who could sleep because he was tired, who could sleep because he was 00:08:00.360 --> 00:08:07.360 God and at peace. And when he woke, he was able to still the waves. And here, of course, 00:08:07.360 --> 00:08:14.560 that stumbles forward, or tumbles forward towards his authority, and not only over creation, 00:08:14.560 --> 00:08:20.920 but over the unseen dark spiritual world of demons and of evil through the healing of 00:08:20.920 --> 00:08:25.800 Legion. Now, it's interesting, isn't it, that we often see in the gospels that those who 00:08:25.800 --> 00:08:35.039 were demon possessed nearly always recognized who Jesus was, where the people didn't. The 00:08:35.039 --> 00:08:39.759 people were very slow to recognize who Jesus was, but often those who were demon possessed, 00:08:39.759 --> 00:08:45.840 the demons themselves, they recognized those coming from the unseen dark spiritual domain 00:08:45.840 --> 00:08:50.519 recognize who Jesus was. And we see that in this story. They said, what have you to do 00:08:50.519 --> 00:08:59.080 with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? They knew who Jesus was. And Jesus is declaring 00:08:59.080 --> 00:09:08.919 His power and authority over darkness and over evil, over sin and over death. And nobody 00:09:08.919 --> 00:09:14.319 seems to even need to explain the reality of evil and good in the Bible stories and the 00:09:14.319 --> 00:09:22.319 reality of demons and Satan and possession. And that's important for us to remember, because 00:09:22.319 --> 00:09:28.439 evil is a reality. It's a reality in our lives. It's a reality in our experience and it's 00:09:28.439 --> 00:09:35.519 a reality in the world in which we live. And the great problem, as much for the, in fact, 00:09:35.519 --> 00:09:40.559 more for the atheist than for the Christian is the origin of evil and what is evil and 00:09:40.559 --> 00:09:44.759 how can it be explained? If we are content to recognize God as the 00:09:44.759 --> 00:09:53.039 giver of good, then we have to defend the reality of evil as God explains and exposes 00:09:53.039 --> 00:10:01.360 it in His Word. And malevolent spiritual beings who rebelled against God and who brought 00:10:01.360 --> 00:10:07.879 humanity with them. So there's a bigger word here, there's a bigger message here, that 00:10:07.879 --> 00:10:15.519 God is sovereign, that God is good, and that God is powerful in Jesus Christ over the powers 00:10:15.519 --> 00:10:22.960 of darkness and possession. So much so that He simply speaks, as He did with the waves 00:10:22.960 --> 00:10:31.560 and with the sea, He simply speaks, He commands the evil spirits to come out of this poor 00:10:31.560 --> 00:10:39.560 individual. And as He sends Legion home, He says, go tell the people what the Lord has 00:10:39.560 --> 00:10:46.480 done for you. This authoritative claim of who He is and what He's done. We see that, 00:10:46.480 --> 00:10:54.920 therefore, Mark is exposing for us the authority of Jesus, but also His great love, His authority 00:10:54.920 --> 00:11:03.080 and power and His great love. He immerses Himself in this unclean environment, as it 00:11:03.080 --> 00:11:10.080 would have been known to the Jews particularly. He was going into the Gentile territory, which 00:11:10.080 --> 00:11:17.879 was the Decapolis on the other side of the Sea of Galilee, a pagan area, regarded by 00:11:17.879 --> 00:11:24.320 many as a retirement place. Decapolis is the 10 cities, a retirement place for Roman soldiers, 00:11:24.320 --> 00:11:27.840 probably wasn't that many who actually got to retirement. But it was a hard as nails 00:11:27.840 --> 00:11:36.200 kind of place. And it was, there would have been much influence of Greek and Roman culture. 00:11:36.200 --> 00:11:43.480 And He immerses Himself by going over into that culture. And He has an appointment there 00:11:43.480 --> 00:11:52.080 with someone who's utterly devoid of love and of life, separated from humanity, from 00:11:52.080 --> 00:11:59.520 His family, from society, a raging bull, untamed and untameable, a lost cause to all 00:11:59.520 --> 00:12:05.280 around Him, hopeless, brutalized, a living dead individual. That's really what He was, 00:12:05.279 --> 00:12:11.000 living in the graves, Legion. He was a living dead individual. And Jesus goes, and Jesus 00:12:11.000 --> 00:12:17.159 goes specifically, not only to the region, but to Him. You see, it's, it's, He goes 00:12:17.159 --> 00:12:22.480 there, although it's Legion that comes, runs out, Jesus has gone doubtlessly with that 00:12:22.480 --> 00:12:28.919 purpose in mind to meet Legion, to deal with this desperate issue and to reveal who He 00:12:28.919 --> 00:12:35.799 was. He comes to this demon possessed man, His name kind of reflecting in many ways the 00:12:35.799 --> 00:12:47.399 crushing power of the Roman Empire, overwhelming, relentless, brutal Legion. And it's almost 00:12:47.399 --> 00:12:56.240 like He's a representation of darkness in many ways. You could rename Him maybe Pandemonium, 00:12:56.240 --> 00:13:01.240 which is, He represents all this evil forces coming together. You know, Pandemonium is 00:13:01.240 --> 00:13:06.799 the name of the capital city of hell in Milton's Paradise Lost, all the demons. And it's almost 00:13:06.799 --> 00:13:13.120 like there's almost a personification here. But His condition is terrible. He is possessed 00:13:13.120 --> 00:13:22.159 by many demons. And Jesus heals Him in great love and in great power. He gifted Him new 00:13:22.159 --> 00:13:25.720 life. I wonder whether He gifted Him a new name. It'd be interesting to know. I'm sure 00:13:25.720 --> 00:13:30.040 He did. Or maybe He went back to His real name because Legion was the name He was given 00:13:30.040 --> 00:13:37.960 because He was possessed by so many demons. It was an amazing divine moment. And it spoke, 00:13:37.960 --> 00:13:43.000 you know, that the Jewish people were misguided by thinking the Messiah would come and destroy 00:13:43.000 --> 00:13:49.320 the Roman Empire. He was destroying something far more than the Roman Empire. He was destroying 00:13:49.320 --> 00:13:56.440 the powers of darkness of which Legion was a representative name in many ways, although 00:13:56.440 --> 00:14:07.400 a real name. Not just of His power over societies and cultures and great world powers, but over 00:14:07.400 --> 00:14:16.560 a much greater darkness that we're all faced with, power of death and separation from God. 00:14:16.559 --> 00:14:22.079 So great love for the area, great love for the individual, but also great love, I would 00:14:22.079 --> 00:14:30.399 argue, for the confused community of the decapolis. Verses 17 to 20 of this passage tells us that, 00:14:30.399 --> 00:14:34.759 you know, when they saw what was happening, they begged Jesus to depart from their region. 00:14:34.759 --> 00:14:38.439 He was getting into the boat. The man who'd been possessed with demons begged Him. They 00:14:38.439 --> 00:14:41.759 might be with Him. He did not permit them. They said, go home to your friends. Tell them 00:14:41.759 --> 00:14:48.159 how much the Lord has done for you, how much the Lord has admursed you. He leaves, He grants 00:14:48.159 --> 00:14:54.919 them what they want. Please, Jesus, go away. But He sends Legion back to His family who 00:14:54.919 --> 00:15:02.279 live there to be a testimony to them, to tell His personal redemptive story, to live a new 00:15:02.279 --> 00:15:07.399 and powerful and spirit-filled life among them, to bring healing to that people who 00:15:07.399 --> 00:15:13.360 said, sent Jesus away. Jesus sends Legion back. And it's interesting, isn't it? Quite often 00:15:13.360 --> 00:15:19.159 when He heals Jewish people in the Gospels, He says, don't say any more. Don't talk about 00:15:19.159 --> 00:15:27.399 me. But to Legion, He says, go and tell everyone. And why is that? Well, it may be just a difference 00:15:27.399 --> 00:15:36.360 in the context and the people that Jesus was speaking to, the Jews. It was a specific time-bound 00:15:36.360 --> 00:15:40.320 punishment on sharing the gospel because they misunderstood. They were looking for a different 00:15:40.320 --> 00:15:45.680 kind of Messiah and He didn't want that to be spread about. It wasn't the good news that 00:15:45.680 --> 00:15:51.360 they were spreading, but Legion was spreading the good news of His salvation. And it was 00:15:51.360 --> 00:15:58.120 part of a judgment also, as we know, on the repeated rejection of the Messiah by the 00:15:58.120 --> 00:16:05.200 Jewish people. But this command to Legion predicates the gospel age for us. 00:16:05.200 --> 00:16:11.280 So the whole story of His authority and power and His love point forward to the climax, 00:16:11.280 --> 00:16:15.440 don't they? Climax and the pinnacle of the work and the mission of Jesus for humanity 00:16:15.440 --> 00:16:23.400 on the cross. The crushing of and defeat of evil and death, His resurrection and His ascension. 00:16:23.400 --> 00:16:30.320 And Christ's initiative to reach out in love, personal knowledge and power to bring the gospel 00:16:30.320 --> 00:16:39.680 to us, we are Legion. We are Legion without Christ. Without Christ, all humanity is the 00:16:39.680 --> 00:16:47.720 walking dead. We just look different. But we all are by nature separated from God. And 00:16:47.720 --> 00:16:53.400 as Christians, we can say we've got a new name. And we can say we've been forgiven and 00:16:53.400 --> 00:16:58.320 healed and redeemed. We're not redeemed and possessed, I know that. But there's a recognition 00:16:58.320 --> 00:17:03.040 that we are separated from the living God without Christ. And that is the power of the 00:17:03.040 --> 00:17:11.600 gospel for us in our lives. So we see Jesus and we reveal more about Jesus in this passage. 00:17:11.600 --> 00:17:18.160 Also briefly, can we look at discipleship? Because that's the second main point that 00:17:18.160 --> 00:17:26.480 we always find Mark is getting across. Now, as we do so, can I give you a challenge when 00:17:26.480 --> 00:17:31.400 we think of these last few verses in the response of the people? Can I challenge you, if you 00:17:31.400 --> 00:17:35.480 think more about what happened to the pigs first, then I think there's an issue there 00:17:35.480 --> 00:17:41.960 of your priorities and of your need to seek a deeper understanding from what it looks 00:17:41.960 --> 00:17:49.480 like just on the surface. Because the local people had seen something absolutely incredible. 00:17:49.480 --> 00:17:54.120 Legion was well known. He was reputed. He was uncontrollable. He was hidden from sight. 00:17:54.119 --> 00:17:59.219 They probably knew his family, they knew his history. And they knew about the family's 00:17:59.219 --> 00:18:05.319 shame and fear and embarrassment by their son. And then they see in an instant that 00:18:05.319 --> 00:18:10.199 Legion is healed. He's sitting there in his right mind and he's at the feet of Jesus, 00:18:10.199 --> 00:18:21.000 whole, dressed, new to look at even in his life. He's at the feet of Jesus. But the pigs, 00:18:21.000 --> 00:18:27.799 you know, oh yeah, Legion's been healed by the pigs. You know what, by the pigs, their 00:18:27.799 --> 00:18:35.359 priorities are on the pigs and not on this remarkable new life that they see in front 00:18:35.359 --> 00:18:41.640 of them. And it was all too much. It's all too much. And there was fear in what had happened, 00:18:41.640 --> 00:18:46.880 obviously. It was challenged. My well being, there would have undoubtedly been income loss. 00:18:46.880 --> 00:18:54.040 It wasn't any pig insurance for them. It would have been huge. And it was all too much. 00:18:54.040 --> 00:19:01.520 So they just asked Jesus to leave. It's just too much. They asked Jesus to leave. Now sometimes 00:19:01.520 --> 00:19:07.400 it's possible for us to suppress the reality of evil and the reality of facing up to what 00:19:07.400 --> 00:19:12.400 Jesus says about our lives and about our need of a redeemer and about the reality of the 00:19:12.400 --> 00:19:20.400 world in which we live. And just as they couldn't face up to one who awoke their conscience, 00:19:20.400 --> 00:19:24.920 it's possible for us to be in the same way and to think the same way. The Bible and Jesus 00:19:24.920 --> 00:19:31.480 Christ makes us look at ourselves like a mirror and what exposes is ugly with a view 00:19:31.480 --> 00:19:38.440 of healing. But sometimes we'd rather not feel that and sense that. And so we just plunge 00:19:38.440 --> 00:19:44.000 ourselves into a material world, our own comforts, the avoidance of spiritual challenge. 00:19:44.000 --> 00:19:50.160 And that means more to us than facing up to Jesus and the reality of Him commanding and 00:19:50.160 --> 00:19:56.519 asking and demanding to be the center of our story. Because He's our Creator, He's our 00:19:56.519 --> 00:20:02.759 Lord, He's our Savior, He's our judge. And if we do so, we're just waking dead. That's 00:20:02.759 --> 00:20:09.799 all we are. We're waking dead, living under His grace for sure, but waking dead. And it's 00:20:09.799 --> 00:20:15.640 important for us in our ongoing lives, and it's important to challenge those who are 00:20:15.640 --> 00:20:22.160 brutally deceived by thinking this is simply a material world and this is all there is 00:20:22.160 --> 00:20:30.319 to bring them to the point of seeing who their Creator is and what life is about and to recognize 00:20:30.319 --> 00:20:36.359 that dealing with Jesus is far more important than simply ignoring Him or plunging ourselves 00:20:36.359 --> 00:20:47.919 into a life of potentially hedonism or pleasure or just materialism without Him. 00:20:47.919 --> 00:20:52.359 So there's a challenge there in the whole issue of the pick. I don't deny there's great 00:20:52.359 --> 00:21:00.399 mystery there. He's the Creator and He's the Lord. He's reminding us of the image bearing, 00:21:00.399 --> 00:21:07.879 nature of legion. He was a child of the living God. And it's about priorities and significance, 00:21:07.879 --> 00:21:14.319 at least in some way. But true discipleship then very briefly, three things very quickly. 00:21:14.319 --> 00:21:21.519 One is that true discipleship runs to Jesus. He's the center of the story. And true disciples 00:21:21.519 --> 00:21:28.720 will always run to Jesus, God the Son, the great mystery of the triune God. True discipleship 00:21:28.720 --> 00:21:34.319 will run to Him, not away from Him. The temptation is always to run, no, go away, go away. But 00:21:34.319 --> 00:21:40.119 we run to Him. Especially as Christians when things are difficult, we run to Him, recognizing 00:21:40.119 --> 00:21:46.279 who He is. And He makes the first move. If you're here today and you've not been in church 00:21:46.279 --> 00:21:50.839 before or you've not considered the gospel before, He's made the first move that by the 00:21:50.839 --> 00:21:56.639 fact that you're here, by the fact that you're under a sovereign word. And He reaches out 00:21:56.639 --> 00:22:02.559 with open arms. He makes us, we are helpless. Everyone's testimony today is that as Christians, 00:22:02.559 --> 00:22:07.519 we were helpless, we were lost, we're spiritually dead, we're deceived. And Jesus came in His 00:22:07.519 --> 00:22:16.919 great love and says, live, live and know me. And that's ongoing for us as Christians. 00:22:16.920 --> 00:22:21.320 We keep needing to be people who run to Jesus seven days of prayer. It's just a reminder 00:22:21.320 --> 00:22:28.320 for us. We keep needing to run to Jesus. We keep needing to go back every day and every 00:22:28.320 --> 00:22:35.960 way and every moment to Jesus, not from Him because He's Lord. That's who He is. So true 00:22:35.960 --> 00:22:41.320 discipleship runs to Jesus. It also enjoys a new life. I mean, Legion's a great paradigm 00:22:41.319 --> 00:22:47.679 of new life that we get in Jesus Christ. Christ is the source and the giver and the companion 00:22:47.679 --> 00:22:55.399 who enables us to walk into a living, miraculous relationship of a relationship with Him. That's 00:22:55.399 --> 00:23:01.200 I think what it means to pray without ceasing. It just means that we recognize who He is. 00:23:01.200 --> 00:23:05.480 He's in our company. We're indwelt by His Spirit and we can speak to Him at any time 00:23:05.480 --> 00:23:09.720 of our lives. What a great picture Legion is sitting, clothing in His right mind at the 00:23:09.720 --> 00:23:14.799 feet of Jesus. Oh, undoubtedly there would have been tough days ahead for Him. No doubt 00:23:14.799 --> 00:23:21.079 about that. And He was going to face death again. But death was defeated for Him. And 00:23:21.079 --> 00:23:27.160 death was a falling asleep for Him. And Jesus is for every Christian. I doubtlessly would 00:23:27.160 --> 00:23:30.559 have been tough days ahead for Legion. It wasn't that He became a Christian and then 00:23:30.559 --> 00:23:35.920 just floated on a bed of feathers. His life would have been challenging and difficult 00:23:35.920 --> 00:23:43.320 but a new life and then a new commission from God. So, we enjoyed new life and that's what 00:23:43.320 --> 00:23:48.279 we need to remind ourselves. Maybe even Christian for a long, long time. And it's all a bit 00:23:48.279 --> 00:23:55.400 weary. You're tired when you'd reminded that we enjoy new life in Jesus each day. 00:23:55.400 --> 00:24:00.680 And lastly, true disciples, as Mark I think is teaching us here, not just the runs to 00:24:00.680 --> 00:24:07.920 Jesus and joys new life, but accepts His no and His go. Because that's what we have from 00:24:07.920 --> 00:24:13.680 Legion here. He's the only one that Jesus said no to. Isn't that strange? He says yes 00:24:13.680 --> 00:24:20.600 to those who don't submit to His Lordship and authority in love and grace and in salvation. 00:24:20.600 --> 00:24:27.880 He says yes to them in His mercy. But He says no to Legion and go to Legion. And that's 00:24:27.880 --> 00:24:38.640 very often the paradigm of discipleship. It's no and go. There'll be unexpected turns. 00:24:38.640 --> 00:24:45.040 He may be our friend, but He's not in our pocket. He's not our genie. He's not the one we come 00:24:45.040 --> 00:24:52.080 to fulfill our dreams. He is the living God. And the great prayer that we'll wrestle with 00:24:52.079 --> 00:24:58.720 all our lives as Christians is not my will but yours be done. That's the hardest prayer 00:24:58.720 --> 00:25:05.799 that God gives us in the Lord's Prayer. It's the biggest, hardest, most long running prayer 00:25:05.799 --> 00:25:10.559 that we'll ever meet, not my will but yours be done. So that there's times when He says 00:25:10.559 --> 00:25:20.039 no. And He said to Legion, no, don't come with me just now. I'll still be with you, 00:25:20.039 --> 00:25:26.079 but don't come with me. I know I understand why you want to come, but no, go. Go and tell. 00:25:26.079 --> 00:25:33.960 Go and live your life. And that's such a challenge for us in our own lives, a lifelong challenge. 00:25:33.960 --> 00:25:39.319 I think primarily it is selfishness ultimately, although I'm not blaming Legion here for being 00:25:39.319 --> 00:25:47.440 selfish, but it's that He always knows better, always knows better. He always has a better 00:25:47.440 --> 00:25:52.039 plan for us, always. There's never a time when He doesn't. So there will be times He 00:25:52.039 --> 00:25:57.200 says you think absolutely and entirely this is the way that He should take me. This is 00:25:57.200 --> 00:26:01.840 the way I should go. And He says no. It seems a good way, it seems a godly way, it seems 00:26:01.840 --> 00:26:07.160 a right way. And He says no. And He says no, because I've got a better plan. You may need 00:26:07.160 --> 00:26:12.480 to wait on that. You need to be patient. You may need to be revealed, but I know better. 00:26:12.480 --> 00:26:16.720 And that's such a challenge for us because we're all little gods. We all want to be in 00:26:16.720 --> 00:26:21.640 the throne. We all want to make the decisions. We all want to say yes, yes, yes. But He says 00:26:21.640 --> 00:26:28.600 sometimes no, because He's learned this. It's a huge challenge for us. But He says no, but 00:26:28.600 --> 00:26:34.519 go. I'm appointing you. I'm giving you a calling. I'm asking you to go and do something really 00:26:34.519 --> 00:26:43.319 important. Be my ambassador. Reconcile with your family. Bring them joy. Tell them that 00:26:43.319 --> 00:26:48.279 your life has been transformed by the Lord, the great things He's done for you that you've 00:26:48.279 --> 00:26:56.759 received, mercy, so that we go in our lives and we're not kind of... we're not testimony 00:26:56.759 --> 00:27:02.599 machines. We're not going out there to give people a tick box list of what it means to 00:27:02.599 --> 00:27:11.960 become a Christian and kind of cold gospel truth. We're going with a story of what God 00:27:11.960 --> 00:27:18.799 has done in my life, in my heart, and how much the Lord has done for me. It's not a 00:27:18.799 --> 00:27:24.700 cold diagnosis. It's your personal redemption. You can go out today or tomorrow as Christians 00:27:24.700 --> 00:27:30.480 and say, the first thing you can say is, I owe my life to Jesus. You know when the opportunity 00:27:30.480 --> 00:27:34.759 comes up? That might be the first thing you can say, I owe my life to Jesus. Your physical 00:27:34.759 --> 00:27:39.640 life is your Creator, your spiritual life because you're lost. I owe my life to Jesus. 00:27:39.640 --> 00:27:45.480 That's the point of His Lordship. That's the point of His authority, isn't it? I owe my 00:27:45.480 --> 00:27:51.320 life to Jesus. Legion said, I owe my life to Jesus. And so we can do the same as we go. 00:27:51.320 --> 00:27:55.880 We don't need any great techniques. We don't need any great courage and wisdom in our self. 00:27:55.880 --> 00:28:02.960 We simply need to go at recognizing what He's done. We have great hope to share as Legion 00:28:02.960 --> 00:28:08.880 did. And so we're reminded in this passage, and I hope you're reminded and challenged 00:28:08.880 --> 00:28:15.240 in this passage, I certainly am. How well we know Jesus and what it means to follow 00:28:15.240 --> 00:28:20.680 Him and be His disciple. Let's pray. Father God, help us to know and understand 00:28:20.680 --> 00:28:27.880 you better. Help us to find fresh things each time we come to Your Word. Remind us that 00:28:27.880 --> 00:28:32.760 Your Word is a living Word and that you want to reveal yourself to us. You want to reveal 00:28:32.759 --> 00:28:40.200 that great secret of the gospel to us as we open our hearts and ask to receive Your diagnosis 00:28:40.200 --> 00:28:47.279 and also receive Your salvation. Help us in our walk as Christians in our discipleship. 00:28:47.279 --> 00:28:53.759 Help us to follow You and learn from You and grow and knowledge of You. And as we come 00:28:53.759 --> 00:28:59.680 to seven days of prayer, Lord, we cry out for the people that we prayed for for a long 00:28:59.680 --> 00:29:05.080 time. Maybe since the very beginning of seven days of prayer, we think, what's the point? 00:29:05.080 --> 00:29:09.560 Maybe a challenge for us today, Lord, as you're saying, well, you're the point. I'm sending 00:29:09.560 --> 00:29:20.799 you, go and help us to just feel the privilege and the strength and the support of His command 00:29:20.799 --> 00:29:26.640 and His empowerment and His resources to do that today and in the days ahead. Help us 00:29:26.640 --> 00:29:31.440 to come together, to pray for our friends, to pray and ask that you would work in their 00:29:31.440 --> 00:29:35.920 hearts and you would use us or other people to bring them to faith if they don't know 00:29:35.920 --> 00:29:56.960 you. Ask in Jesus' name. Amen.