WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:07.820 We are looking at, it's page 865 in a Pew Bible. 00:00:08.919 --> 00:00:14.780 We are looking at verses 22 to 39 this morning. 00:00:21.539 --> 00:00:26.660 Last week we saw Jesus teaching about the power of His Word, and today we'll see His 00:00:26.660 --> 00:00:31.120 Word in action doing its work, its powerful work. 00:00:32.320 --> 00:00:37.539 So let's read together Luke chapter 8, beginning at verse 22. 00:00:39.460 --> 00:00:45.519 One day He, that is Jesus, got into a boat with His disciples, and He said to them, 00:00:46.260 --> 00:00:48.600 Let us go across to the other side of the lake. 00:00:49.460 --> 00:00:53.299 So they set out, and as they sailed, He fell asleep. 00:00:53.299 --> 00:00:58.939 And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger. 00:00:59.820 --> 00:01:05.700 And they went and woke Him, saying, Master, Master, we are perishing. 00:01:06.620 --> 00:01:14.759 And He awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm. 00:01:14.760 --> 00:01:19.040 He said to them, Where is your faith? 00:01:20.700 --> 00:01:30.620 And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, Who then is this, that He commands even winds and water, and they obey Him? 00:01:32.200 --> 00:01:35.500 Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. 00:01:35.500 --> 00:01:40.700 When Jesus had stepped out on land, there met Him a man from the city who had demons. 00:01:41.859 --> 00:01:46.920 For a long time He had worn no clothes, and He had not lived in a house but among the tombs. 00:01:47.019 --> 00:01:51.599 When He saw Jesus, He cried out and fell down before Him and said with a loud voice, 00:01:52.120 --> 00:01:56.240 What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? 00:01:56.420 --> 00:01:58.640 I beg you, do not torment me. 00:01:59.240 --> 00:02:01.960 For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. 00:02:01.959 --> 00:02:05.379 For many a time it had seized Him. 00:02:06.519 --> 00:02:13.219 He was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but He would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert. 00:02:13.759 --> 00:02:16.379 Jesus then asked him, What is your name? 00:02:17.259 --> 00:02:21.000 And He said, Legion, for many demons had entered Him. 00:02:22.060 --> 00:02:25.299 And they begged Him not to command them to depart into the abyss. 00:02:26.919 --> 00:02:29.719 Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, 00:02:29.719 --> 00:02:32.740 and they begged Him to let them enter these. 00:02:33.280 --> 00:02:34.500 So He gave them permission. 00:02:35.599 --> 00:02:38.020 Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, 00:02:38.120 --> 00:02:41.400 and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned. 00:02:43.599 --> 00:02:45.439 When the herdsmen saw what had happened, 00:02:46.259 --> 00:02:49.159 they fled and told it in the city and in the country. 00:02:49.960 --> 00:02:51.860 Then people went out to see what had happened, 00:02:51.860 --> 00:02:55.640 and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone, 00:02:56.640 --> 00:02:58.000 sitting at the feet of Jesus, 00:02:59.140 --> 00:03:01.600 clothed and in His right mind. 00:03:02.640 --> 00:03:03.680 And they were afraid. 00:03:04.780 --> 00:03:08.200 And those who had seen it told them how the demon-possessed man had been healed. 00:03:08.420 --> 00:03:12.540 Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked Him to depart from them, 00:03:12.920 --> 00:03:14.520 for they were seized with great fear. 00:03:15.060 --> 00:03:16.680 So He got into the boat and returned. 00:03:16.680 --> 00:03:22.580 The man from whom the demons had gone begged that He might be with Him. 00:03:23.599 --> 00:03:24.860 But Jesus sent Him away, 00:03:26.180 --> 00:03:26.400 saying, 00:03:26.540 --> 00:03:30.280 Return to your home and declare how much God has done for you. 00:03:30.840 --> 00:03:31.719 And He went away, 00:03:32.680 --> 00:03:34.420 proclaiming throughout the whole city 00:03:34.420 --> 00:03:38.000 how much Jesus had done for Him. 00:03:38.000 --> 00:03:44.599 Well, this morning's passage is not exactly a walk in the park on a beautiful spring day. 00:03:45.780 --> 00:03:49.819 It's not pleasant advice given to well-adjusted people with lots of future potential. 00:03:50.759 --> 00:03:53.879 This morning's passage is about when life goes off the rails, 00:03:55.360 --> 00:03:56.599 hurtling out of control, 00:03:56.819 --> 00:03:58.000 heading toward destruction, 00:03:58.240 --> 00:03:58.780 overwhelming, 00:03:59.099 --> 00:03:59.800 unmanageable, 00:03:59.979 --> 00:04:00.360 chaotic. 00:04:03.180 --> 00:04:04.360 In that situation, 00:04:04.500 --> 00:04:05.900 what difference does Jesus make? 00:04:05.900 --> 00:04:09.719 Now, some of you might say, 00:04:10.400 --> 00:04:12.080 my life isn't perfect, 00:04:12.219 --> 00:04:14.800 but it's going pretty smoothly right now. 00:04:14.939 --> 00:04:21.019 I don't really need that kind of divine intervention right at this point in my life. 00:04:21.019 --> 00:04:23.720 But think about how suddenly and unexpectedly 00:04:23.720 --> 00:04:26.120 trouble can come upon us. 00:04:27.660 --> 00:04:29.399 A routine doctor's appointment 00:04:29.399 --> 00:04:32.180 results in a worrying diagnosis, 00:04:32.180 --> 00:04:35.139 which calls for tests and treatments 00:04:35.139 --> 00:04:36.699 and more tests and more treatments 00:04:36.699 --> 00:04:37.620 and missed workdays 00:04:37.620 --> 00:04:38.920 and mounting hospital bills, 00:04:39.459 --> 00:04:40.939 complex medical decisions, 00:04:41.560 --> 00:04:42.959 and a disrupted family life. 00:04:44.699 --> 00:04:46.660 Or a seemingly stable marriage 00:04:46.660 --> 00:04:49.439 flares up in angry conflict, 00:04:49.600 --> 00:04:51.120 mistrust and miscommunication 00:04:51.120 --> 00:04:53.160 and accusations and defensiveness, 00:04:53.300 --> 00:04:54.639 and now there's talk of separation 00:04:54.639 --> 00:04:56.120 or even divorce. 00:04:56.120 --> 00:04:59.500 or a pleasant drive 00:04:59.500 --> 00:05:01.280 along the shoreline, 00:05:02.459 --> 00:05:03.259 interrupted by 00:05:03.259 --> 00:05:05.060 a repeated ringtone 00:05:05.060 --> 00:05:07.360 or a stream of text message alerts 00:05:07.360 --> 00:05:09.360 announcing that a loved one 00:05:09.360 --> 00:05:10.280 has been in an accident 00:05:10.280 --> 00:05:12.040 or been arrested 00:05:12.040 --> 00:05:13.500 or worse. 00:05:15.399 --> 00:05:17.480 Our external circumstances can change 00:05:17.480 --> 00:05:18.899 with hardly a moment's notice, 00:05:19.300 --> 00:05:21.480 and suddenly we can feel like 00:05:21.480 --> 00:05:22.819 we're sinking into confusion 00:05:22.819 --> 00:05:23.879 and helplessness. 00:05:23.879 --> 00:05:25.860 We're struggling to keep our heads above water, 00:05:26.120 --> 00:05:26.920 blown and tossed 00:05:26.920 --> 00:05:28.040 from one side to another. 00:05:29.899 --> 00:05:32.259 But it's not just our external circumstances 00:05:32.259 --> 00:05:34.939 that can change suddenly 00:05:34.939 --> 00:05:35.680 and unexpectedly. 00:05:37.040 --> 00:05:38.839 It's also our internal world 00:05:38.839 --> 00:05:41.920 that over time can become unmanageable 00:05:41.920 --> 00:05:44.480 and chaotic and overwhelming. 00:05:46.219 --> 00:05:47.360 Maybe you have anger 00:05:47.360 --> 00:05:49.219 and frustration 00:05:49.219 --> 00:05:52.199 that comes from feeling powerless 00:05:52.199 --> 00:05:52.939 and voiceless, 00:05:53.159 --> 00:05:53.779 disrespected, 00:05:53.979 --> 00:05:54.479 unheard, 00:05:54.939 --> 00:05:55.519 beaten down 00:05:55.519 --> 00:05:56.639 over and over again. 00:05:58.959 --> 00:06:00.139 And every once in a while 00:06:00.139 --> 00:06:01.979 it erupts outwardly in rage. 00:06:04.319 --> 00:06:05.459 Or you contain it 00:06:05.459 --> 00:06:06.279 and suppress it 00:06:06.279 --> 00:06:07.860 in bitterness. 00:06:10.060 --> 00:06:11.219 Maybe it's anxiety 00:06:11.219 --> 00:06:13.120 or depression 00:06:13.120 --> 00:06:16.919 hangs over your life 00:06:16.919 --> 00:06:17.680 like a fog 00:06:17.680 --> 00:06:19.180 that won't lift 00:06:19.180 --> 00:06:21.060 for days 00:06:21.060 --> 00:06:21.600 or months 00:06:21.600 --> 00:06:22.459 or even years. 00:06:23.540 --> 00:06:24.400 Perhaps it mixes 00:06:24.400 --> 00:06:25.280 with self-pity 00:06:25.280 --> 00:06:27.079 or it morphs 00:06:27.079 --> 00:06:28.180 into self-sabotage 00:06:28.180 --> 00:06:29.600 or even suicidal thoughts. 00:06:32.079 --> 00:06:33.160 Maybe it's an addiction 00:06:33.160 --> 00:06:35.600 to drugs, 00:06:35.860 --> 00:06:36.379 alcohol, 00:06:37.060 --> 00:06:37.519 pornography, 00:06:38.180 --> 00:06:38.480 sex, 00:06:39.100 --> 00:06:39.840 even food. 00:06:42.100 --> 00:06:43.399 You know it's not good for you, 00:06:43.460 --> 00:06:45.120 but you still feel the cravings. 00:06:45.220 --> 00:06:46.280 And whether you indulge them 00:06:46.279 --> 00:06:46.699 or not, 00:06:47.000 --> 00:06:48.179 you never feel satisfied. 00:06:48.299 --> 00:06:49.339 You always want more. 00:06:51.099 --> 00:06:52.159 Maybe you've been in and out 00:06:52.159 --> 00:06:53.279 of rehab programs 00:06:53.279 --> 00:06:54.699 and outpatient treatment 00:06:54.699 --> 00:06:55.459 and group therapy 00:06:55.459 --> 00:06:56.539 and one-on-one counseling, 00:06:56.899 --> 00:06:58.519 but you keep feeling the pull 00:06:58.519 --> 00:07:00.159 and you keep being drawn back 00:07:00.159 --> 00:07:00.899 into your old habit. 00:07:02.919 --> 00:07:03.879 This morning we're looking 00:07:03.879 --> 00:07:04.619 at two stories. 00:07:06.419 --> 00:07:07.559 The first one describes 00:07:07.559 --> 00:07:08.659 an external circumstance, 00:07:08.819 --> 00:07:10.219 a raging storm on the lake 00:07:10.219 --> 00:07:12.659 that threatens to tear the boat apart 00:07:12.659 --> 00:07:13.779 and drown the disciples. 00:07:14.019 --> 00:07:15.199 It comes upon them suddenly 00:07:15.199 --> 00:07:16.319 and unexpectedly. 00:07:18.719 --> 00:07:20.060 The second story describes 00:07:20.060 --> 00:07:22.519 a raging storm inside a man, 00:07:23.579 --> 00:07:24.939 an internal chaos 00:07:24.939 --> 00:07:26.000 that threatens to tear 00:07:26.000 --> 00:07:27.399 his very humanity apart. 00:07:29.740 --> 00:07:30.800 This morning I want to look 00:07:30.800 --> 00:07:31.379 at three things. 00:07:31.439 --> 00:07:32.300 I want to look at the nature 00:07:32.300 --> 00:07:33.199 of these storms. 00:07:34.959 --> 00:07:36.360 I want to look at Jesus' authority 00:07:36.360 --> 00:07:37.259 over the storms. 00:07:37.579 --> 00:07:38.300 And third, 00:07:38.439 --> 00:07:39.539 I want to look at our response 00:07:39.539 --> 00:07:40.599 to Jesus. 00:07:40.600 --> 00:07:44.360 So first let's look at the storms 00:07:44.360 --> 00:07:44.900 in turn. 00:07:45.620 --> 00:07:46.820 Both of these stories begin, 00:07:46.960 --> 00:07:48.560 verse 22 and verse 26, 00:07:48.680 --> 00:07:49.840 with references to sailing 00:07:49.840 --> 00:07:50.740 across the lake. 00:07:51.160 --> 00:07:52.340 Verse 22, Jesus says, 00:07:52.420 --> 00:07:53.360 let's go across the lake. 00:07:53.480 --> 00:07:54.100 Verse 26, 00:07:54.180 --> 00:07:55.080 they complete their journey 00:07:55.080 --> 00:07:55.800 across the lake. 00:07:56.100 --> 00:07:56.760 Verse 37, 00:07:56.939 --> 00:07:57.620 they return. 00:07:58.340 --> 00:07:59.220 So this whole section 00:07:59.220 --> 00:07:59.800 is a unit, 00:08:00.080 --> 00:08:00.879 across the lake 00:08:00.879 --> 00:08:01.660 and back. 00:08:03.540 --> 00:08:04.320 Now the journey 00:08:04.320 --> 00:08:04.960 across the lake 00:08:04.960 --> 00:08:05.780 begins peacefully, 00:08:06.740 --> 00:08:07.400 uneventfully. 00:08:07.399 --> 00:08:09.579 Perhaps they're tired 00:08:09.579 --> 00:08:11.500 after a long day 00:08:11.500 --> 00:08:12.060 of teaching, 00:08:13.259 --> 00:08:14.439 Jesus teaching the crowds, 00:08:14.639 --> 00:08:15.699 Jesus even goes to sleep, 00:08:15.979 --> 00:08:17.419 but then a storm arises. 00:08:18.979 --> 00:08:20.239 Notice the strong language 00:08:20.239 --> 00:08:20.979 that Luke uses 00:08:20.979 --> 00:08:22.239 to describe this storm. 00:08:23.000 --> 00:08:23.839 A windstorm 00:08:23.839 --> 00:08:25.060 came down on the lake. 00:08:26.639 --> 00:08:27.419 Now that's literally 00:08:27.419 --> 00:08:28.620 a good description. 00:08:28.779 --> 00:08:29.659 The Lake of Galilee 00:08:29.659 --> 00:08:31.439 is seven miles long 00:08:31.439 --> 00:08:32.939 or seven miles wide 00:08:32.939 --> 00:08:33.919 by nine miles long. 00:08:34.039 --> 00:08:35.399 It's pretty large. 00:08:35.399 --> 00:08:37.539 And it's 700 feet 00:08:37.539 --> 00:08:38.379 below sea level. 00:08:38.539 --> 00:08:39.720 But 30 miles north, 00:08:39.799 --> 00:08:41.159 there's a 10,000 foot tall 00:08:41.159 --> 00:08:41.600 mountain, 00:08:41.779 --> 00:08:42.360 Mount Hermon. 00:08:43.600 --> 00:08:44.799 And so the air currents 00:08:44.799 --> 00:08:45.939 coming from the mountain 00:08:45.939 --> 00:08:47.120 surrounding the lake 00:08:47.120 --> 00:08:48.879 can often come down 00:08:48.879 --> 00:08:49.519 onto the lake 00:08:49.519 --> 00:08:50.500 and create storms 00:08:50.500 --> 00:08:51.620 that appear 00:08:51.620 --> 00:08:52.919 seemingly out of nowhere 00:08:52.919 --> 00:08:53.840 with little warning. 00:08:56.559 --> 00:08:57.600 The boat was filling 00:08:57.600 --> 00:08:58.120 with water. 00:08:58.220 --> 00:08:58.899 They were in danger 00:08:58.899 --> 00:08:59.399 of drowning. 00:08:59.519 --> 00:09:00.379 The waves were raging. 00:09:02.240 --> 00:09:03.120 Now remember, 00:09:03.240 --> 00:09:04.059 Jesus' disciples, 00:09:04.259 --> 00:09:04.840 several of them 00:09:04.840 --> 00:09:05.440 were fishermen. 00:09:07.139 --> 00:09:07.360 Okay? 00:09:07.420 --> 00:09:08.019 These were not 00:09:08.019 --> 00:09:09.660 inexperienced tourists 00:09:09.660 --> 00:09:11.080 prone to hysteria. 00:09:12.820 --> 00:09:13.720 They knew how to 00:09:13.720 --> 00:09:14.660 keep a boat afloat. 00:09:16.080 --> 00:09:17.180 But here they were, 00:09:17.560 --> 00:09:18.639 crying out like babies, 00:09:18.759 --> 00:09:19.600 Master, Master, 00:09:19.700 --> 00:09:20.280 we're perishing. 00:09:20.660 --> 00:09:21.519 We're going to die. 00:09:21.780 --> 00:09:22.620 It's all over. 00:09:25.940 --> 00:09:27.060 It's like Psalm 107 00:09:27.060 --> 00:09:27.680 describes it. 00:09:27.720 --> 00:09:28.660 They mounted up to heaven. 00:09:28.780 --> 00:09:29.259 They went down 00:09:29.259 --> 00:09:29.840 to the depths. 00:09:29.960 --> 00:09:30.500 Their courage 00:09:30.500 --> 00:09:31.259 melted away. 00:09:32.040 --> 00:09:32.860 They reeled 00:09:32.860 --> 00:09:33.560 and staggered 00:09:33.559 --> 00:09:34.359 like drunken men. 00:09:34.419 --> 00:09:35.579 They were at their wits' end. 00:09:36.479 --> 00:09:37.299 The storm threatened 00:09:37.299 --> 00:09:38.399 to tear apart the boat 00:09:38.399 --> 00:09:39.479 and drown them 00:09:39.479 --> 00:09:40.279 forever in the sea. 00:09:40.379 --> 00:09:41.279 They were facing 00:09:41.279 --> 00:09:42.539 an external circumstance 00:09:42.539 --> 00:09:43.539 beyond their control 00:09:43.539 --> 00:09:45.099 and they were absolutely terrified 00:09:45.099 --> 00:09:45.959 and there was nothing 00:09:45.959 --> 00:09:46.659 they could do 00:09:46.659 --> 00:09:48.979 to stop that storm. 00:09:50.739 --> 00:09:51.639 Maybe you can relate 00:09:51.639 --> 00:09:52.519 to that experience. 00:09:54.199 --> 00:09:55.159 Maybe you've been there. 00:09:56.379 --> 00:09:57.099 Maybe you feel like 00:09:57.099 --> 00:09:57.739 you are there 00:09:57.739 --> 00:09:58.799 in the middle of a storm 00:09:58.799 --> 00:10:00.559 that's not your responsibility 00:10:00.559 --> 00:10:02.379 and out of your control 00:10:02.379 --> 00:10:02.779 and there's 00:10:02.779 --> 00:10:04.479 really nothing you can do 00:10:04.479 --> 00:10:05.359 to change the weather 00:10:05.359 --> 00:10:07.779 and you feel like 00:10:07.779 --> 00:10:08.859 it's going to break you apart. 00:10:11.479 --> 00:10:12.699 But that's not the only storm 00:10:12.699 --> 00:10:13.379 in this passage. 00:10:14.699 --> 00:10:16.679 Look down at verses 27 to 33. 00:10:16.839 --> 00:10:17.299 In some ways, 00:10:17.339 --> 00:10:18.939 an even more terrifying storm. 00:10:19.539 --> 00:10:20.399 Luke introduces us 00:10:20.399 --> 00:10:21.419 to a man from the city 00:10:21.419 --> 00:10:22.199 who had demons. 00:10:24.199 --> 00:10:24.939 And you might think, 00:10:25.019 --> 00:10:25.879 well, if he's from the city, 00:10:25.979 --> 00:10:27.000 why isn't he in the city? 00:10:28.419 --> 00:10:29.259 Well, Luke tells us, 00:10:29.259 --> 00:10:30.500 the second half of verse 27, 00:10:30.580 --> 00:10:31.639 he's not living in the city 00:10:31.639 --> 00:10:33.120 because for a long time 00:10:33.120 --> 00:10:34.039 he's been running around 00:10:34.039 --> 00:10:35.360 naked and homeless 00:10:35.360 --> 00:10:36.840 and living in the graveyard. 00:10:38.439 --> 00:10:40.179 Now, the graveyard back then 00:10:40.179 --> 00:10:43.600 was not like a modern cemetery. 00:10:44.899 --> 00:10:46.480 Peaceful, dignified, 00:10:46.980 --> 00:10:48.000 freshly cut grass, 00:10:48.819 --> 00:10:49.860 nicely arranged flowers. 00:10:51.480 --> 00:10:52.740 The graveyard back then 00:10:52.740 --> 00:10:54.679 was a series of limestone caves 00:10:54.679 --> 00:10:56.480 on the hillside 00:10:56.480 --> 00:10:57.200 that were used 00:10:57.200 --> 00:10:58.400 to temporarily store 00:10:58.400 --> 00:10:59.480 dead people's bones. 00:11:00.860 --> 00:11:02.660 It was considered unclean, 00:11:03.400 --> 00:11:04.700 the kind of place 00:11:04.700 --> 00:11:06.180 you avoid as much as possible, 00:11:06.300 --> 00:11:08.180 sort of like a toxic waste site 00:11:08.180 --> 00:11:11.080 or an abandoned housing project 00:11:11.080 --> 00:11:12.780 with windows boarded up 00:11:12.780 --> 00:11:13.800 and broken glass 00:11:13.800 --> 00:11:15.879 all over the road. 00:11:16.860 --> 00:11:18.520 That's where this man was living, 00:11:18.640 --> 00:11:19.660 a place unfit 00:11:19.660 --> 00:11:20.820 for human habitation. 00:11:21.759 --> 00:11:22.500 And furthermore, 00:11:22.580 --> 00:11:24.020 this was Gentile territory. 00:11:24.019 --> 00:11:25.919 The country of the Gerasenes 00:11:25.919 --> 00:11:27.679 was where foreigners lived. 00:11:28.399 --> 00:11:29.439 It was the wrong side 00:11:29.439 --> 00:11:30.000 of the tracks, 00:11:30.100 --> 00:11:31.139 the wrong side of the lake. 00:11:32.079 --> 00:11:32.620 And that's why 00:11:32.620 --> 00:11:33.639 they were raising pigs. 00:11:34.759 --> 00:11:35.939 Pigs were unclean 00:11:35.939 --> 00:11:37.439 in the eyes of the Jews. 00:11:38.699 --> 00:11:39.519 Most likely, 00:11:39.639 --> 00:11:40.460 they were raising pigs 00:11:40.460 --> 00:11:41.120 in order to feed 00:11:41.120 --> 00:11:42.620 the Roman occupying armies 00:11:42.620 --> 00:11:44.860 who intimidated 00:11:44.860 --> 00:11:45.699 and oppressed 00:11:45.699 --> 00:11:47.439 the Jewish people. 00:11:47.440 --> 00:11:50.160 You see, 00:11:50.220 --> 00:11:50.860 this is a place 00:11:50.860 --> 00:11:52.720 where no respectable individual, 00:11:52.980 --> 00:11:54.260 let alone a religious leader, 00:11:54.320 --> 00:11:55.160 would ever choose 00:11:55.160 --> 00:11:55.960 to come and hang out. 00:11:56.660 --> 00:11:57.380 If you notice, 00:11:57.740 --> 00:11:59.280 the Pharisees have been present 00:11:59.280 --> 00:12:00.720 in almost every story 00:12:00.720 --> 00:12:01.960 that we've looked at 00:12:01.960 --> 00:12:03.020 over the last three months. 00:12:03.100 --> 00:12:03.720 The Pharisees, 00:12:03.820 --> 00:12:04.420 the scribes, 00:12:04.660 --> 00:12:05.160 the lawyers, 00:12:05.300 --> 00:12:05.760 the teachers, 00:12:06.040 --> 00:12:07.560 they've been criticizing Jesus, 00:12:07.680 --> 00:12:08.760 they've been observing Jesus, 00:12:08.860 --> 00:12:09.540 they've been sometimes 00:12:09.540 --> 00:12:10.400 talking with Jesus, 00:12:10.500 --> 00:12:10.940 and here, 00:12:11.180 --> 00:12:12.260 they're nowhere to be found 00:12:12.260 --> 00:12:13.340 because they would never dare 00:12:13.340 --> 00:12:13.860 go there. 00:12:14.860 --> 00:12:16.419 It's that kind of place. 00:12:19.700 --> 00:12:21.080 When the man saw Jesus, 00:12:21.600 --> 00:12:22.659 he cried out 00:12:22.659 --> 00:12:23.840 and fell down 00:12:23.840 --> 00:12:25.440 and started shouting at him, 00:12:25.519 --> 00:12:26.919 Why are you messing with me, Jesus? 00:12:28.460 --> 00:12:29.340 I beg you, 00:12:29.419 --> 00:12:30.320 don't torment me. 00:12:31.320 --> 00:12:33.159 He recognizes Jesus' authority, 00:12:33.300 --> 00:12:34.080 but he resists it 00:12:34.080 --> 00:12:35.120 at the same time. 00:12:36.620 --> 00:12:37.519 It's like a drug dealer 00:12:37.519 --> 00:12:38.240 doing his business 00:12:38.240 --> 00:12:38.860 on the corner 00:12:38.860 --> 00:12:40.320 who looks up 00:12:40.320 --> 00:12:41.800 and sees the narcotics squad 00:12:41.800 --> 00:12:43.279 approaching from all directions 00:12:43.279 --> 00:12:44.419 and shining their spotlights 00:12:44.419 --> 00:12:45.079 in his face. 00:12:45.459 --> 00:12:45.879 And he says, 00:12:45.959 --> 00:12:46.240 No! 00:12:46.919 --> 00:12:48.159 I know who you are. 00:12:48.439 --> 00:12:49.299 You're out to get me. 00:12:49.699 --> 00:12:50.699 I don't want to see you. 00:12:50.879 --> 00:12:51.579 You're my enemy. 00:12:54.019 --> 00:12:54.860 In verse 29, 00:12:55.000 --> 00:12:55.699 Jesus had commanded 00:12:55.699 --> 00:12:57.100 the unclean spirit to leave. 00:12:59.620 --> 00:13:00.620 And in verse 29, 00:13:00.720 --> 00:13:01.159 Luke gives us 00:13:01.159 --> 00:13:02.379 a little bit of a glimpse 00:13:02.379 --> 00:13:03.620 into this man's past, 00:13:05.000 --> 00:13:06.220 into his history. 00:13:07.120 --> 00:13:07.480 He says, 00:13:07.480 --> 00:13:08.019 Many a time, 00:13:08.120 --> 00:13:09.220 the demon had seized him, 00:13:09.919 --> 00:13:10.699 overpowered him, 00:13:10.799 --> 00:13:11.899 taken control of him. 00:13:11.899 --> 00:13:14.039 People tried to lock him up, 00:13:14.360 --> 00:13:16.259 but he could never be contained. 00:13:16.360 --> 00:13:17.319 He would break the chains 00:13:17.319 --> 00:13:18.360 and isolate himself 00:13:18.360 --> 00:13:19.539 in solitary places. 00:13:19.699 --> 00:13:20.620 Verse 30 tells us 00:13:20.620 --> 00:13:21.939 it wasn't just one demon, 00:13:22.039 --> 00:13:23.240 it was a legion of demons. 00:13:23.360 --> 00:13:25.579 A legion was a Roman military unit 00:13:25.579 --> 00:13:28.360 of 5,600 men. 00:13:29.759 --> 00:13:30.779 This man was inhabited 00:13:30.779 --> 00:13:32.259 by an army of demons. 00:13:35.259 --> 00:13:37.159 Now, some of you might be asking, 00:13:37.960 --> 00:13:39.159 Well, what exactly is all this 00:13:39.159 --> 00:13:39.719 about demons? 00:13:41.339 --> 00:13:43.419 Is that just a primitive way 00:13:43.419 --> 00:13:44.159 of speaking about 00:13:44.159 --> 00:13:45.079 what we know to be 00:13:45.079 --> 00:13:46.240 mental illnesses? 00:13:47.600 --> 00:13:48.740 The answer is no, 00:13:49.740 --> 00:13:51.079 or at least not always. 00:13:51.919 --> 00:13:52.860 The New Testament 00:13:52.860 --> 00:13:53.959 distinguishes between 00:13:53.959 --> 00:13:55.079 sicknesses, 00:13:55.519 --> 00:13:57.059 including things like epilepsy, 00:13:57.620 --> 00:13:59.659 which are not always 00:13:59.659 --> 00:14:00.699 attributed to demons. 00:14:01.500 --> 00:14:02.699 It distinguishes between 00:14:02.699 --> 00:14:04.419 sickness and demonic activity. 00:14:04.419 --> 00:14:06.799 So not all physical 00:14:06.799 --> 00:14:07.439 or mental 00:14:07.439 --> 00:14:08.899 or emotional disturbances 00:14:08.899 --> 00:14:10.240 are caused by demons, 00:14:10.559 --> 00:14:12.000 according to the Bible. 00:14:12.059 --> 00:14:12.959 But according to the Bible, 00:14:13.079 --> 00:14:14.000 demons are real. 00:14:15.399 --> 00:14:16.759 There are evil spirits, 00:14:17.279 --> 00:14:18.839 and they can and do 00:14:18.839 --> 00:14:21.259 oppress and attack people. 00:14:21.259 --> 00:14:25.059 But consider what it would 00:14:25.059 --> 00:14:25.519 have felt like 00:14:25.519 --> 00:14:26.279 to be this man, 00:14:27.279 --> 00:14:28.379 just as he's described. 00:14:30.840 --> 00:14:32.299 Once he had a family 00:14:32.299 --> 00:14:33.419 and a home. 00:14:34.819 --> 00:14:36.299 Now he is alienated 00:14:36.299 --> 00:14:37.819 and homeless, 00:14:38.319 --> 00:14:39.580 finding shelter in caves 00:14:39.580 --> 00:14:40.939 full of dead people's bones. 00:14:42.720 --> 00:14:44.080 Once he would have had friends 00:14:44.080 --> 00:14:46.159 to eat and drink with. 00:14:47.559 --> 00:14:48.740 Now he's broken off 00:14:48.740 --> 00:14:49.679 all his relationships. 00:14:49.860 --> 00:14:50.919 He's destroyed them all. 00:14:51.259 --> 00:14:52.580 No one seeks out his company. 00:14:54.600 --> 00:14:55.899 Once he interacted freely 00:14:55.899 --> 00:14:57.019 with people in society. 00:14:58.500 --> 00:14:59.340 Now they just try 00:14:59.340 --> 00:15:00.039 to lock him up. 00:15:02.259 --> 00:15:03.439 And he breaks the chains 00:15:03.439 --> 00:15:04.299 and scares them off. 00:15:06.659 --> 00:15:07.480 Once he felt like 00:15:07.480 --> 00:15:08.100 a human being. 00:15:09.279 --> 00:15:09.960 Now he lives 00:15:09.960 --> 00:15:10.759 like a wild animal. 00:15:12.240 --> 00:15:13.360 Once he wanted to live, 00:15:13.399 --> 00:15:14.659 and now he just wants to die. 00:15:15.319 --> 00:15:16.620 No one cares about him. 00:15:17.620 --> 00:15:18.759 And even if they did care, 00:15:18.840 --> 00:15:19.759 no one could help him. 00:15:21.259 --> 00:15:23.340 These are the storms 00:15:23.340 --> 00:15:24.259 that Jesus confronted. 00:15:25.759 --> 00:15:26.700 Both externally 00:15:26.700 --> 00:15:27.840 and internally. 00:15:29.100 --> 00:15:29.939 But what we see 00:15:29.939 --> 00:15:30.519 in this passage 00:15:30.519 --> 00:15:31.679 is that Jesus is Lord. 00:15:32.200 --> 00:15:33.039 He has authority 00:15:33.039 --> 00:15:34.960 over the storms. 00:15:36.120 --> 00:15:37.019 He's the master 00:15:37.019 --> 00:15:37.620 and commander 00:15:37.620 --> 00:15:38.240 of the storms, 00:15:38.360 --> 00:15:39.019 both externally 00:15:39.019 --> 00:15:39.860 and internally. 00:15:39.860 --> 00:15:43.000 And at one level 00:15:43.000 --> 00:15:44.100 this is deeply comforting. 00:15:45.940 --> 00:15:47.200 Consider Jesus' response 00:15:47.200 --> 00:15:48.220 to the storm on the lake. 00:15:50.220 --> 00:15:51.340 Unlike the disciples, 00:15:52.919 --> 00:15:54.060 Jesus wasn't confused. 00:15:55.220 --> 00:15:56.419 He wasn't fretting. 00:15:56.519 --> 00:15:57.279 He wasn't afraid. 00:15:57.399 --> 00:15:58.500 He wasn't despairing. 00:15:58.500 --> 00:16:01.080 even in the midst 00:16:01.080 --> 00:16:01.659 of the storm. 00:16:03.279 --> 00:16:04.039 And sometimes 00:16:04.039 --> 00:16:05.200 that truth in itself 00:16:05.200 --> 00:16:05.919 can be a comfort. 00:16:07.600 --> 00:16:08.419 The next time 00:16:08.419 --> 00:16:08.899 you're anxious 00:16:08.899 --> 00:16:09.700 and restless 00:16:09.700 --> 00:16:10.580 about something 00:16:10.580 --> 00:16:12.419 that you can't control 00:16:12.419 --> 00:16:13.659 and you're not 00:16:13.659 --> 00:16:14.600 responsible for, 00:16:14.740 --> 00:16:15.580 ask yourself, 00:16:16.720 --> 00:16:18.220 is my Lord 00:16:18.220 --> 00:16:18.919 and Savior 00:16:18.919 --> 00:16:20.279 Jesus Christ 00:16:20.279 --> 00:16:22.580 the ruler 00:16:22.580 --> 00:16:23.580 of all creation, 00:16:24.000 --> 00:16:25.340 the commander 00:16:25.340 --> 00:16:25.840 of the wind 00:16:25.840 --> 00:16:26.360 and waves, 00:16:26.620 --> 00:16:28.420 is he sitting up 00:16:28.420 --> 00:16:28.840 in heaven 00:16:28.840 --> 00:16:30.120 wringing his hands 00:16:30.120 --> 00:16:31.720 and biting his nails 00:16:31.720 --> 00:16:33.360 and anxiously waiting? 00:16:34.200 --> 00:16:35.200 Of course not! 00:16:39.519 --> 00:16:41.100 And so speak to yourself 00:16:41.100 --> 00:16:41.860 with that truth. 00:16:43.139 --> 00:16:44.360 I have a Savior 00:16:44.360 --> 00:16:45.200 who knows me 00:16:45.200 --> 00:16:45.960 and cares for me 00:16:45.960 --> 00:16:46.800 and even though 00:16:46.800 --> 00:16:48.060 I feel completely 00:16:48.060 --> 00:16:49.300 overwhelmed by anxiety, 00:16:49.440 --> 00:16:50.340 I can't sleep, 00:16:51.580 --> 00:16:52.900 he is watching over me. 00:16:54.300 --> 00:16:55.480 He knows the end 00:16:55.480 --> 00:16:56.100 from the beginning. 00:16:56.800 --> 00:16:57.879 He is not anxious. 00:16:58.659 --> 00:16:59.680 He is not restless. 00:17:01.720 --> 00:17:03.399 Jesus simply spoke a word 00:17:03.399 --> 00:17:05.140 to the wind 00:17:05.140 --> 00:17:06.120 and the raging waves 00:17:06.120 --> 00:17:06.759 and they ceased. 00:17:08.299 --> 00:17:09.740 They obeyed his command. 00:17:09.880 --> 00:17:11.019 They listened to his voice. 00:17:12.700 --> 00:17:13.660 The result 00:17:13.660 --> 00:17:15.480 was 00:17:15.480 --> 00:17:18.839 one person's words, 00:17:18.960 --> 00:17:19.900 a mysterious, 00:17:20.900 --> 00:17:22.279 supernatural calm 00:17:22.279 --> 00:17:24.200 that testified 00:17:24.200 --> 00:17:25.980 both to the 00:17:25.980 --> 00:17:26.759 sovereign power 00:17:26.759 --> 00:17:27.440 of God 00:17:27.440 --> 00:17:29.079 and to the 00:17:29.079 --> 00:17:30.059 deep peace 00:17:30.059 --> 00:17:30.960 and security 00:17:30.960 --> 00:17:32.139 that belong 00:17:32.139 --> 00:17:32.599 to those 00:17:32.599 --> 00:17:33.639 who follow him. 00:17:35.019 --> 00:17:36.359 In Isaiah 43, 00:17:36.740 --> 00:17:38.440 God says to his people, 00:17:38.599 --> 00:17:39.359 do not fear 00:17:39.359 --> 00:17:41.700 for I have 00:17:41.700 --> 00:17:42.440 redeemed you. 00:17:42.579 --> 00:17:43.319 I have summoned 00:17:43.319 --> 00:17:44.259 you by name. 00:17:44.399 --> 00:17:45.720 You are mine. 00:17:46.599 --> 00:17:47.440 When you pass 00:17:47.440 --> 00:17:48.259 through the waters, 00:17:48.480 --> 00:17:50.019 I will be with you. 00:17:50.019 --> 00:17:51.960 And when you pass 00:17:51.960 --> 00:17:52.519 through the rivers, 00:17:52.639 --> 00:17:53.500 they will not sweep 00:17:53.500 --> 00:17:54.160 over you. 00:17:55.900 --> 00:17:56.799 And we can know 00:17:56.799 --> 00:17:57.440 that that promise 00:17:57.440 --> 00:17:57.920 is true 00:17:57.920 --> 00:18:00.759 if we've looked 00:18:00.759 --> 00:18:01.200 to Jesus 00:18:01.200 --> 00:18:01.920 in faith 00:18:01.920 --> 00:18:03.579 because he has 00:18:03.579 --> 00:18:04.259 linked his fate 00:18:04.259 --> 00:18:04.920 with ours. 00:18:05.200 --> 00:18:06.099 He's with us 00:18:06.099 --> 00:18:06.660 in the boat. 00:18:06.740 --> 00:18:07.240 He's promised, 00:18:07.400 --> 00:18:08.400 I will never leave you, 00:18:08.740 --> 00:18:09.720 never forsake you. 00:18:10.440 --> 00:18:11.500 If we perish, 00:18:11.579 --> 00:18:12.859 he perishes with us. 00:18:12.859 --> 00:18:16.019 And that's why 00:18:16.019 --> 00:18:16.839 ever since the early 00:18:16.839 --> 00:18:17.740 days of Christianity, 00:18:17.939 --> 00:18:18.439 the church 00:18:18.439 --> 00:18:19.919 has been symbolically 00:18:19.919 --> 00:18:21.139 represented as a boat 00:18:21.139 --> 00:18:23.539 like Noah's Ark 00:18:23.539 --> 00:18:24.439 in the midst 00:18:24.439 --> 00:18:24.939 of the flood. 00:18:25.779 --> 00:18:26.759 You can even see 00:18:26.759 --> 00:18:27.740 that idea reflected 00:18:27.740 --> 00:18:28.679 in traditional church 00:18:28.679 --> 00:18:29.279 architecture. 00:18:31.319 --> 00:18:32.099 If you look up 00:18:32.099 --> 00:18:32.699 at the ceiling, 00:18:33.779 --> 00:18:34.619 it's basically like 00:18:34.619 --> 00:18:35.000 we're sitting 00:18:35.000 --> 00:18:36.059 in an upside-down boat. 00:18:37.839 --> 00:18:38.559 And that's why 00:18:38.559 --> 00:18:39.419 the main part 00:18:39.419 --> 00:18:40.299 of a traditional church 00:18:40.299 --> 00:18:41.179 is called the nave, 00:18:41.180 --> 00:18:42.860 which is from a Latin word 00:18:42.860 --> 00:18:43.460 navus, 00:18:43.519 --> 00:18:44.320 which means boat. 00:18:48.440 --> 00:18:49.640 If you're with Jesus 00:18:49.640 --> 00:18:51.039 in the boat, 00:18:51.400 --> 00:18:52.259 he's with you. 00:18:53.080 --> 00:18:54.400 And he's your protector. 00:18:55.440 --> 00:18:56.960 And he's your refuge. 00:18:58.620 --> 00:18:59.759 And he'll carry us 00:18:59.759 --> 00:19:00.840 safe to the other side. 00:19:04.140 --> 00:19:05.220 And consider also 00:19:05.220 --> 00:19:05.740 the comfort 00:19:05.740 --> 00:19:07.279 of Jesus' response 00:19:07.279 --> 00:19:07.980 to the storm 00:19:07.980 --> 00:19:09.340 inside the man. 00:19:11.180 --> 00:19:13.039 Jesus confidently 00:19:13.039 --> 00:19:14.100 approached this man 00:19:14.100 --> 00:19:15.360 who everyone else 00:19:15.360 --> 00:19:16.560 was terrified of. 00:19:19.360 --> 00:19:20.360 Maybe some of you 00:19:20.360 --> 00:19:21.200 can relate to the man 00:19:21.200 --> 00:19:21.740 in the graveyard. 00:19:24.279 --> 00:19:25.299 Maybe you've burned 00:19:25.299 --> 00:19:26.279 bridges over and over. 00:19:27.920 --> 00:19:29.100 You've sabotaged 00:19:29.100 --> 00:19:30.440 countless friendships. 00:19:31.759 --> 00:19:32.980 You've alienated 00:19:32.980 --> 00:19:33.820 family members 00:19:33.820 --> 00:19:35.140 and former spouses. 00:19:35.140 --> 00:19:37.500 You've destroyed 00:19:37.500 --> 00:19:38.300 everything that once 00:19:38.300 --> 00:19:38.900 was yours. 00:19:40.400 --> 00:19:41.180 And your life 00:19:41.180 --> 00:19:42.200 feels like a hollowed, 00:19:42.259 --> 00:19:43.060 emptied-out shell. 00:19:44.880 --> 00:19:45.600 Or worse, 00:19:45.700 --> 00:19:46.480 perhaps you feel like 00:19:46.480 --> 00:19:47.080 you've been invaded 00:19:47.080 --> 00:19:48.240 by hostile forces. 00:19:49.180 --> 00:19:49.759 Maybe you've opened 00:19:49.759 --> 00:19:50.300 yourself up 00:19:50.300 --> 00:19:51.259 to evil spirits. 00:19:52.160 --> 00:19:52.860 Maybe you've felt 00:19:52.860 --> 00:19:53.960 the dark spiritual 00:19:53.960 --> 00:19:55.200 forces oppressing you. 00:19:56.660 --> 00:19:57.420 It's a miracle 00:19:57.420 --> 00:19:58.300 you're even in church 00:19:58.300 --> 00:19:58.540 today, 00:19:58.620 --> 00:19:59.080 but even though 00:19:59.080 --> 00:19:59.740 you're in the building, 00:19:59.820 --> 00:20:00.960 you feel ashamed 00:20:00.960 --> 00:20:01.580 and worthless 00:20:01.580 --> 00:20:02.740 and unredeemable. 00:20:02.740 --> 00:20:05.120 If that is you, 00:20:05.200 --> 00:20:06.980 you are not too far gone 00:20:06.980 --> 00:20:10.079 for Jesus to come near. 00:20:11.620 --> 00:20:13.920 You are not too messed up 00:20:13.920 --> 00:20:15.940 for Jesus to heal 00:20:15.940 --> 00:20:17.400 and restore. 00:20:18.420 --> 00:20:19.660 Jesus does not stand 00:20:19.660 --> 00:20:21.279 far away at a distance 00:20:21.279 --> 00:20:22.440 looking at you 00:20:22.440 --> 00:20:23.259 with disgust 00:20:23.259 --> 00:20:24.039 or disdain. 00:20:24.400 --> 00:20:25.440 Jesus does not wait 00:20:25.440 --> 00:20:26.640 for you to make yourself 00:20:26.640 --> 00:20:27.500 more presentable. 00:20:27.740 --> 00:20:28.599 He approaches you 00:20:28.599 --> 00:20:30.120 with fearless confidence 00:20:30.120 --> 00:20:32.039 and with saving grace. 00:20:32.740 --> 00:20:34.200 Verse 36, 00:20:34.279 --> 00:20:34.660 Luke says, 00:20:34.759 --> 00:20:35.980 the demon-possessed man 00:20:35.980 --> 00:20:37.120 had been healed. 00:20:38.980 --> 00:20:40.279 That same word 00:20:40.279 --> 00:20:41.059 can be translated 00:20:41.059 --> 00:20:42.120 saved 00:20:42.120 --> 00:20:44.259 or made whole. 00:20:45.099 --> 00:20:46.319 If Jesus could save 00:20:46.319 --> 00:20:46.759 and heal 00:20:46.759 --> 00:20:48.220 and restore this man, 00:20:49.359 --> 00:20:50.660 surely he can save 00:20:50.660 --> 00:20:51.160 and heal 00:20:51.160 --> 00:20:52.420 and restore you. 00:20:53.940 --> 00:20:55.420 However disturbed 00:20:55.420 --> 00:20:56.180 and afflicted 00:20:56.180 --> 00:20:56.740 and restless 00:20:56.740 --> 00:20:57.779 and alienated 00:20:57.779 --> 00:20:58.539 you may be, 00:20:58.880 --> 00:21:00.079 however full of anguish 00:21:00.079 --> 00:21:00.799 and rage 00:21:00.799 --> 00:21:01.440 and fear 00:21:01.440 --> 00:21:02.019 and hatred 00:21:02.019 --> 00:21:02.740 you may be, 00:21:03.019 --> 00:21:03.740 however deeply 00:21:03.740 --> 00:21:04.720 you have been locked 00:21:04.720 --> 00:21:06.360 into self-destructive patterns 00:21:06.360 --> 00:21:08.180 that you can't seem 00:21:08.180 --> 00:21:08.860 to stop, 00:21:09.360 --> 00:21:10.019 however much 00:21:10.019 --> 00:21:11.240 you've hurt other people 00:21:11.240 --> 00:21:12.759 and broken past relationships 00:21:12.759 --> 00:21:14.480 as this man certainly had, 00:21:16.259 --> 00:21:17.420 Jesus is stronger 00:21:17.420 --> 00:21:19.880 than all the forces 00:21:19.880 --> 00:21:20.559 of evil 00:21:20.559 --> 00:21:21.920 that afflict you, 00:21:22.980 --> 00:21:23.940 stronger than all 00:21:23.940 --> 00:21:24.539 the resistance 00:21:24.539 --> 00:21:25.740 you hold inside you 00:21:25.740 --> 00:21:26.380 and he has come 00:21:26.380 --> 00:21:27.600 to set his people free. 00:21:27.599 --> 00:21:33.099 this man is an extreme example 00:21:33.099 --> 00:21:36.179 in an extreme situation. 00:21:37.439 --> 00:21:38.719 But the whole story 00:21:38.719 --> 00:21:40.779 is simply a picture 00:21:40.779 --> 00:21:42.000 of what it means 00:21:42.000 --> 00:21:42.519 for anyone 00:21:42.519 --> 00:21:43.859 to become a Christian, 00:21:44.399 --> 00:21:46.219 to pass from death 00:21:46.219 --> 00:21:46.759 to life, 00:21:47.619 --> 00:21:49.000 from fragmentation 00:21:49.000 --> 00:21:49.980 to wholeness, 00:21:50.379 --> 00:21:51.519 from restlessness 00:21:51.519 --> 00:21:52.259 to peace, 00:21:52.679 --> 00:21:53.559 from alienation 00:21:53.559 --> 00:21:55.019 to everlasting union 00:21:55.019 --> 00:21:56.720 with Jesus Christ. 00:21:58.819 --> 00:21:59.720 Look at the extent 00:21:59.720 --> 00:22:00.480 of the change 00:22:00.480 --> 00:22:01.720 that took place 00:22:01.720 --> 00:22:02.700 inside this man. 00:22:04.200 --> 00:22:04.960 At the beginning 00:22:04.960 --> 00:22:05.519 of the story, 00:22:05.599 --> 00:22:06.559 he had many demons. 00:22:07.160 --> 00:22:08.259 At the end of the story, 00:22:08.339 --> 00:22:09.259 the demons were gone. 00:22:10.859 --> 00:22:11.579 At the beginning 00:22:11.579 --> 00:22:12.079 of the story, 00:22:12.139 --> 00:22:13.299 he wore no clothes. 00:22:13.639 --> 00:22:14.460 At the end of the story, 00:22:14.500 --> 00:22:15.480 he was clothed 00:22:15.480 --> 00:22:16.759 with dignity 00:22:16.759 --> 00:22:17.599 and honor. 00:22:18.819 --> 00:22:19.519 At the beginning 00:22:19.519 --> 00:22:19.960 of the story, 00:22:20.019 --> 00:22:20.700 he fell down 00:22:20.700 --> 00:22:21.700 and shouted at Jesus 00:22:21.700 --> 00:22:22.319 in the posture 00:22:22.319 --> 00:22:22.920 of an enemy. 00:22:23.240 --> 00:22:23.639 At the end, 00:22:23.640 --> 00:22:24.140 he's sitting 00:22:24.140 --> 00:22:25.020 at the feet of Jesus 00:22:25.020 --> 00:22:25.620 in the posture 00:22:25.620 --> 00:22:26.380 of a disciple. 00:22:28.160 --> 00:22:28.920 At the beginning, 00:22:29.000 --> 00:22:29.980 he was alienated. 00:22:30.400 --> 00:22:30.920 At the end, 00:22:30.960 --> 00:22:31.640 he was accepted. 00:22:32.460 --> 00:22:32.920 At the beginning, 00:22:33.020 --> 00:22:34.120 he was out of his mind. 00:22:35.240 --> 00:22:35.860 At the end, 00:22:35.880 --> 00:22:36.980 he was in his right mind. 00:22:39.660 --> 00:22:40.460 Is there anything 00:22:40.460 --> 00:22:41.320 Jesus can't do? 00:22:44.000 --> 00:22:44.840 Now, I know 00:22:44.840 --> 00:22:47.180 the transformation 00:22:47.180 --> 00:22:48.560 doesn't always happen 00:22:48.560 --> 00:22:49.060 immediately 00:22:49.060 --> 00:22:49.960 and completely 00:22:49.960 --> 00:22:50.700 like it seems 00:22:50.700 --> 00:22:51.520 to happen here. 00:22:51.519 --> 00:22:54.819 Even in this story, 00:22:54.900 --> 00:22:55.859 there's resistance. 00:22:57.259 --> 00:22:57.759 The demons 00:22:57.759 --> 00:22:59.079 didn't immediately leave 00:22:59.079 --> 00:22:59.839 the moment Jesus 00:22:59.839 --> 00:23:00.900 appeared on the scene. 00:23:02.859 --> 00:23:03.639 It took some 00:23:03.639 --> 00:23:04.440 back and forth. 00:23:07.619 --> 00:23:08.500 Maybe you're still 00:23:08.500 --> 00:23:09.940 resisting Jesus' 00:23:10.359 --> 00:23:10.799 authority 00:23:10.799 --> 00:23:12.379 over your life 00:23:12.379 --> 00:23:13.019 at some level. 00:23:15.160 --> 00:23:15.960 Surrender to him 00:23:15.960 --> 00:23:16.519 today. 00:23:16.519 --> 00:23:17.000 Today. 00:23:18.359 --> 00:23:19.379 He's the rightful 00:23:19.379 --> 00:23:20.639 Lord over all creation. 00:23:21.600 --> 00:23:22.860 He's come to reclaim you, 00:23:22.960 --> 00:23:24.000 to restore in you 00:23:24.000 --> 00:23:24.880 the image of God 00:23:24.880 --> 00:23:25.640 that you were created 00:23:25.640 --> 00:23:26.140 to bear. 00:23:27.440 --> 00:23:28.540 His grace is greater 00:23:28.540 --> 00:23:29.220 than your sin. 00:23:30.580 --> 00:23:31.259 His redemption 00:23:31.259 --> 00:23:32.720 and the hope 00:23:32.720 --> 00:23:33.259 that he has 00:23:33.259 --> 00:23:33.960 for your future 00:23:33.960 --> 00:23:34.700 is greater than 00:23:34.700 --> 00:23:35.259 all the mess 00:23:35.259 --> 00:23:36.160 you have in the past. 00:23:39.080 --> 00:23:39.780 Now, I know 00:23:39.780 --> 00:23:40.460 that for some of you, 00:23:40.540 --> 00:23:41.120 it's so hard 00:23:41.120 --> 00:23:42.180 to believe those truths 00:23:42.180 --> 00:23:44.400 because your sin 00:23:44.400 --> 00:23:45.000 seems greater 00:23:45.000 --> 00:23:45.880 than God's grace. 00:23:47.240 --> 00:23:48.020 Your past 00:23:48.020 --> 00:23:48.520 seems bigger 00:23:48.520 --> 00:23:49.020 than God's 00:23:49.020 --> 00:23:49.740 redeeming power. 00:23:49.740 --> 00:23:51.120 your addiction 00:23:51.120 --> 00:23:52.220 seems to define you 00:23:52.220 --> 00:23:52.740 more than your 00:23:52.740 --> 00:23:53.740 identity in Christ. 00:23:54.160 --> 00:23:54.779 Your shattered 00:23:54.779 --> 00:23:55.380 relationship 00:23:55.380 --> 00:23:56.420 seems so far 00:23:56.420 --> 00:23:57.059 from ever 00:23:57.059 --> 00:23:58.140 being rebuilt. 00:23:59.519 --> 00:24:00.400 But I pray 00:24:00.400 --> 00:24:00.980 that today 00:24:00.980 --> 00:24:02.180 that you would 00:24:02.180 --> 00:24:02.900 see Jesus, 00:24:03.599 --> 00:24:04.400 the persistent 00:24:04.400 --> 00:24:05.380 and victorious 00:24:05.380 --> 00:24:06.779 and merciful Savior, 00:24:07.779 --> 00:24:08.920 and that you would 00:24:08.920 --> 00:24:09.980 believe and trust 00:24:09.980 --> 00:24:10.480 in him 00:24:10.480 --> 00:24:12.400 with all your heart 00:24:12.400 --> 00:24:13.420 and with all 00:24:13.420 --> 00:24:13.900 your soul. 00:24:13.900 --> 00:24:16.800 Jesus' authority 00:24:16.800 --> 00:24:17.480 over the storms 00:24:17.480 --> 00:24:18.060 can be a deep 00:24:18.060 --> 00:24:18.440 comfort. 00:24:20.800 --> 00:24:21.900 But before we go on, 00:24:21.940 --> 00:24:22.740 we also have to admit 00:24:22.740 --> 00:24:23.580 that Jesus' authority 00:24:23.580 --> 00:24:24.280 over the storms 00:24:24.280 --> 00:24:25.040 can be deeply 00:24:25.040 --> 00:24:26.320 unsettling as well. 00:24:28.660 --> 00:24:30.180 Notice how both 00:24:30.180 --> 00:24:31.100 Jesus' disciples 00:24:31.100 --> 00:24:32.180 in verse 25 00:24:32.180 --> 00:24:34.519 and the people 00:24:34.519 --> 00:24:35.440 of the Gerasenes 00:24:35.440 --> 00:24:36.920 in verse 35 00:24:36.920 --> 00:24:38.080 responded to 00:24:38.080 --> 00:24:38.880 Jesus' authority. 00:24:38.880 --> 00:24:38.960 authority. 00:24:40.160 --> 00:24:40.460 They 00:24:40.460 --> 00:24:41.460 were 00:24:41.460 --> 00:24:42.580 afraid. 00:24:44.280 --> 00:24:45.240 Same words, 00:24:45.540 --> 00:24:46.120 both of them. 00:24:47.700 --> 00:24:48.460 What was so 00:24:48.460 --> 00:24:49.340 unsettling 00:24:49.340 --> 00:24:49.980 about Jesus' 00:24:50.140 --> 00:24:50.500 authority 00:24:50.500 --> 00:24:52.180 in both instances? 00:24:54.260 --> 00:24:55.200 Consider the storm 00:24:55.200 --> 00:24:55.700 on the lake. 00:24:57.020 --> 00:24:57.900 Jesus calmed the storm 00:24:57.900 --> 00:24:58.480 with a word. 00:24:59.820 --> 00:25:00.740 Surely that is comforting. 00:25:01.600 --> 00:25:02.520 But he also 00:25:02.520 --> 00:25:04.840 led his disciples 00:25:04.840 --> 00:25:05.800 into the storm 00:25:05.799 --> 00:25:07.539 in the first place. 00:25:09.000 --> 00:25:09.799 Did you notice 00:25:09.799 --> 00:25:10.519 verse 22? 00:25:11.940 --> 00:25:12.859 Jesus said to them, 00:25:13.200 --> 00:25:14.019 let us go across 00:25:14.019 --> 00:25:14.759 to the other side 00:25:14.759 --> 00:25:15.240 of the lake. 00:25:17.240 --> 00:25:18.019 Do you think 00:25:18.019 --> 00:25:19.000 he had no idea 00:25:19.000 --> 00:25:19.680 what he was getting 00:25:19.680 --> 00:25:20.619 his disciples into? 00:25:23.399 --> 00:25:24.359 And even if you 00:25:24.359 --> 00:25:24.819 would say, 00:25:25.119 --> 00:25:25.899 perhaps Jesus 00:25:25.899 --> 00:25:27.139 in his human nature 00:25:27.139 --> 00:25:30.419 did not 00:25:30.419 --> 00:25:32.200 see what was coming, 00:25:32.319 --> 00:25:32.899 he was living 00:25:32.899 --> 00:25:34.399 in absolute trust 00:25:34.399 --> 00:25:35.039 and obedience 00:25:35.039 --> 00:25:35.559 to God, 00:25:35.599 --> 00:25:37.139 his heavenly father 00:25:37.139 --> 00:25:38.019 who surely did. 00:25:39.139 --> 00:25:39.759 However you think 00:25:39.759 --> 00:25:40.279 Jesus' human 00:25:40.279 --> 00:25:40.960 and divine natures 00:25:40.960 --> 00:25:41.500 worked together 00:25:41.500 --> 00:25:42.200 in what he knew 00:25:42.200 --> 00:25:42.720 and what he was 00:25:42.720 --> 00:25:43.259 conscious of. 00:25:46.399 --> 00:25:47.539 The storms we face 00:25:47.539 --> 00:25:48.279 are not outside 00:25:48.279 --> 00:25:49.480 of our Savior's control. 00:25:51.420 --> 00:25:52.859 The trials we experience 00:25:52.859 --> 00:25:53.579 do not take 00:25:53.579 --> 00:25:54.339 our heavenly father 00:25:54.339 --> 00:25:55.119 by surprise. 00:25:56.359 --> 00:25:57.139 Sometimes he 00:25:57.139 --> 00:25:58.220 intentionally steers 00:25:58.220 --> 00:25:58.899 our ship 00:25:58.899 --> 00:26:01.079 right in the middle 00:26:01.079 --> 00:26:01.399 of them. 00:26:03.559 --> 00:26:04.240 J.C. Ryle 00:26:04.240 --> 00:26:05.359 wrote in his commentary, 00:26:05.359 --> 00:26:06.660 if we are true Christians, 00:26:06.920 --> 00:26:08.359 we must not expect 00:26:08.359 --> 00:26:09.200 everything smooth 00:26:09.200 --> 00:26:10.000 in our journey 00:26:10.000 --> 00:26:10.440 to heaven. 00:26:11.759 --> 00:26:12.980 We must count it 00:26:12.980 --> 00:26:14.099 no strange thing 00:26:14.099 --> 00:26:15.140 if we have to endure 00:26:15.140 --> 00:26:16.039 sicknesses, 00:26:16.339 --> 00:26:16.819 losses, 00:26:17.299 --> 00:26:17.880 bereavements, 00:26:18.019 --> 00:26:18.819 and disappointments 00:26:18.819 --> 00:26:19.880 just like other people. 00:26:20.819 --> 00:26:21.519 By affliction, 00:26:21.680 --> 00:26:22.440 God teaches us 00:26:22.440 --> 00:26:23.559 many precious lessons 00:26:23.559 --> 00:26:25.039 which without it 00:26:25.039 --> 00:26:25.880 we would never learn. 00:26:27.019 --> 00:26:27.740 He shows us 00:26:27.740 --> 00:26:28.220 our emptiness 00:26:28.220 --> 00:26:29.039 and weakness, 00:26:29.920 --> 00:26:30.440 draws us 00:26:30.440 --> 00:26:30.940 to the throne 00:26:30.940 --> 00:26:31.480 of grace, 00:26:32.240 --> 00:26:33.759 purifies our affections, 00:26:34.259 --> 00:26:34.860 weans us 00:26:34.860 --> 00:26:35.740 from the world, 00:26:36.320 --> 00:26:37.039 makes us long 00:26:37.039 --> 00:26:37.519 for heaven. 00:26:38.440 --> 00:26:39.240 On the resurrection 00:26:39.240 --> 00:26:39.840 morning, 00:26:40.140 --> 00:26:41.220 we will all say 00:26:41.220 --> 00:26:42.240 with the writer 00:26:42.240 --> 00:26:43.320 of Psalm 119, 00:26:43.759 --> 00:26:44.700 it is good for me 00:26:44.700 --> 00:26:46.100 that I was afflicted, 00:26:46.500 --> 00:26:47.920 that I might learn 00:26:47.920 --> 00:26:49.160 your statutes. 00:26:51.720 --> 00:26:52.539 That's why Jesus 00:26:52.539 --> 00:26:53.759 asked them in verse 25, 00:26:53.860 --> 00:26:54.640 where is your faith? 00:26:56.320 --> 00:26:57.180 It's not that they 00:26:57.180 --> 00:26:58.240 had no faith at all. 00:26:58.240 --> 00:27:00.539 It's that their faith 00:27:00.539 --> 00:27:01.519 wasn't yet mature. 00:27:01.680 --> 00:27:02.299 They weren't yet 00:27:02.299 --> 00:27:03.480 fully living into it. 00:27:04.319 --> 00:27:04.980 The word of God 00:27:04.980 --> 00:27:05.460 was in them 00:27:05.460 --> 00:27:06.579 but it hadn't penetrated 00:27:06.579 --> 00:27:07.900 all the way down deep. 00:27:08.400 --> 00:27:08.940 And so when they 00:27:08.940 --> 00:27:10.180 faced a time of testing, 00:27:10.620 --> 00:27:11.839 they panicked. 00:27:13.059 --> 00:27:14.000 They acted out 00:27:14.000 --> 00:27:14.740 of desperation 00:27:14.740 --> 00:27:16.180 instead of trust. 00:27:17.160 --> 00:27:18.160 They did turn to Jesus 00:27:18.160 --> 00:27:19.160 in their desperation 00:27:19.160 --> 00:27:20.120 and that's good. 00:27:22.019 --> 00:27:23.259 But Jesus is warning them, 00:27:23.339 --> 00:27:23.920 don't be like 00:27:23.920 --> 00:27:24.779 the rocky soil 00:27:24.779 --> 00:27:25.400 that we looked at 00:27:25.400 --> 00:27:26.019 last week 00:27:26.019 --> 00:27:27.120 that receives 00:27:27.120 --> 00:27:28.019 the word with joy 00:27:28.019 --> 00:27:29.779 but has no root 00:27:29.779 --> 00:27:31.660 that only believes 00:27:31.660 --> 00:27:32.480 for a little while 00:27:32.480 --> 00:27:33.940 and then when trials come 00:27:33.940 --> 00:27:35.099 falls away. 00:27:37.639 --> 00:27:38.639 Storms will come, 00:27:39.700 --> 00:27:40.299 Jesus says. 00:27:40.799 --> 00:27:41.960 They're part of the course 00:27:41.960 --> 00:27:43.359 I have laid out for you. 00:27:47.559 --> 00:27:48.119 You see, 00:27:48.160 --> 00:27:48.700 Jesus' authority 00:27:48.700 --> 00:27:49.460 was unsettling 00:27:49.460 --> 00:27:50.480 to his disciples. 00:27:50.639 --> 00:27:51.259 It was also 00:27:51.259 --> 00:27:52.740 even more unsettling 00:27:52.740 --> 00:27:53.240 to the people 00:27:53.240 --> 00:27:54.019 of the Gerasenes. 00:27:55.359 --> 00:27:56.359 Verse 37, 00:27:56.359 --> 00:27:58.059 all the people 00:27:58.059 --> 00:27:58.619 of the surrounding 00:27:58.619 --> 00:27:59.619 country of the Gerasenes 00:27:59.619 --> 00:28:00.619 asked him to depart 00:28:00.619 --> 00:28:01.119 from them 00:28:01.119 --> 00:28:02.579 for they were seized 00:28:02.579 --> 00:28:03.379 with great fear. 00:28:04.779 --> 00:28:05.500 You might say, 00:28:05.559 --> 00:28:06.419 why did they respond 00:28:06.419 --> 00:28:06.959 that way? 00:28:09.439 --> 00:28:10.519 Well, for one thing, 00:28:11.519 --> 00:28:12.240 a large herd 00:28:12.240 --> 00:28:12.759 of pigs, 00:28:13.759 --> 00:28:15.379 a significant chunk 00:28:15.379 --> 00:28:16.500 of the regional economy 00:28:16.500 --> 00:28:18.419 had just been destroyed 00:28:18.419 --> 00:28:19.740 with Jesus' permission. 00:28:19.740 --> 00:28:22.880 Why did Jesus 00:28:22.880 --> 00:28:23.660 have to destroy 00:28:23.660 --> 00:28:24.440 all the pigs 00:28:24.440 --> 00:28:26.259 in the process 00:28:26.259 --> 00:28:27.200 of healing the man? 00:28:29.480 --> 00:28:30.160 Wasn't that 00:28:30.160 --> 00:28:31.160 gratuitous violence 00:28:31.160 --> 00:28:32.539 against innocent animals? 00:28:34.140 --> 00:28:35.099 Or depriving 00:28:35.099 --> 00:28:36.200 hard-working herdsmen 00:28:36.200 --> 00:28:36.960 of their livelihood? 00:28:39.700 --> 00:28:40.380 Wouldn't pass 00:28:40.380 --> 00:28:41.000 with either party, 00:28:41.339 --> 00:28:41.620 right? 00:28:43.039 --> 00:28:43.819 What would Jesus 00:28:43.819 --> 00:28:44.380 do next? 00:28:44.380 --> 00:28:47.640 I think we can see 00:28:47.640 --> 00:28:48.500 at least two reasons 00:28:48.500 --> 00:28:49.520 why Jesus permitted 00:28:49.520 --> 00:28:49.980 the demons 00:28:49.980 --> 00:28:51.160 to destroy the pigs. 00:28:52.400 --> 00:28:53.160 Number one, 00:28:54.320 --> 00:28:55.100 to demonstrate 00:28:55.100 --> 00:28:55.760 the magnitude 00:28:55.760 --> 00:28:56.900 of the deliverance. 00:28:58.280 --> 00:28:59.460 Who would have known, 00:29:00.720 --> 00:29:01.260 would everyone 00:29:01.260 --> 00:29:02.020 have believed, 00:29:02.420 --> 00:29:03.320 that this man 00:29:03.320 --> 00:29:04.120 had been taken over 00:29:04.120 --> 00:29:05.000 by a whole army 00:29:05.000 --> 00:29:05.440 of demons 00:29:05.440 --> 00:29:06.360 if they hadn't gone 00:29:06.360 --> 00:29:06.760 and entered 00:29:06.760 --> 00:29:07.720 the large herd of pigs? 00:29:08.780 --> 00:29:10.040 If Jesus just drove 00:29:10.040 --> 00:29:10.780 out one demon, 00:29:10.920 --> 00:29:11.360 well, there were 00:29:11.360 --> 00:29:12.160 other exorcists 00:29:12.160 --> 00:29:13.280 who claimed to do that too. 00:29:13.279 --> 00:29:15.059 Or maybe the guy 00:29:15.059 --> 00:29:15.799 was just crazy 00:29:15.799 --> 00:29:16.799 and not really possessed. 00:29:16.940 --> 00:29:17.599 But when all the pigs 00:29:17.599 --> 00:29:18.379 ran off the cliff 00:29:18.379 --> 00:29:19.579 into the lake, 00:29:20.399 --> 00:29:21.460 there was no more 00:29:21.460 --> 00:29:23.099 disputing the magnitude 00:29:23.099 --> 00:29:24.279 of what Jesus had done. 00:29:26.220 --> 00:29:27.420 But the second reason, 00:29:27.920 --> 00:29:29.420 I think, 00:29:29.480 --> 00:29:30.779 is to force the townspeople 00:29:30.779 --> 00:29:32.200 to clarify their priorities. 00:29:33.379 --> 00:29:35.019 Which matters more? 00:29:35.879 --> 00:29:37.279 A large herd of pigs? 00:29:38.559 --> 00:29:39.539 A big chunk 00:29:39.539 --> 00:29:41.139 of the regional economic assets? 00:29:41.140 --> 00:29:43.320 Or one lost 00:29:43.320 --> 00:29:44.980 and tormented human soul? 00:29:47.540 --> 00:29:48.700 Who's now clothed 00:29:48.700 --> 00:29:49.220 with dignity, 00:29:49.540 --> 00:29:50.200 thinking clearly, 00:29:50.980 --> 00:29:51.940 and sitting peacefully 00:29:51.940 --> 00:29:53.240 at Jesus' feet? 00:29:54.980 --> 00:29:56.340 Jesus cares more 00:29:56.340 --> 00:29:57.200 about the restoration 00:29:57.200 --> 00:29:58.759 of one lost 00:29:58.759 --> 00:29:59.880 and tormented soul 00:29:59.880 --> 00:30:01.640 than he does 00:30:01.640 --> 00:30:04.100 about the GDP 00:30:04.100 --> 00:30:07.440 of downtown New Haven 00:30:07.440 --> 00:30:09.380 or the United States. 00:30:11.180 --> 00:30:12.080 Jesus is willing 00:30:12.080 --> 00:30:12.860 to empty out 00:30:12.860 --> 00:30:14.480 your personal savings account 00:30:14.480 --> 00:30:15.720 without asking 00:30:15.720 --> 00:30:16.440 your permission 00:30:16.440 --> 00:30:18.559 in order to carry on 00:30:18.559 --> 00:30:19.360 his work of redemption 00:30:19.360 --> 00:30:20.000 in the world. 00:30:21.059 --> 00:30:22.539 And that's unsettling. 00:30:26.900 --> 00:30:27.880 Jesus' authority 00:30:27.880 --> 00:30:29.100 knows no boundaries. 00:30:29.099 --> 00:30:33.099 It's deeply comforting, 00:30:33.279 --> 00:30:34.079 but it can also be 00:30:34.079 --> 00:30:35.039 deeply unsettling. 00:30:35.519 --> 00:30:36.319 And so that brings us 00:30:36.319 --> 00:30:37.159 to our third point. 00:30:38.119 --> 00:30:38.939 What's our response 00:30:38.939 --> 00:30:39.359 to Jesus? 00:30:39.480 --> 00:30:40.679 We've seen the nature 00:30:40.679 --> 00:30:41.259 of the storms. 00:30:41.359 --> 00:30:42.379 We've seen Jesus' authority 00:30:42.379 --> 00:30:43.299 over the storms. 00:30:44.579 --> 00:30:45.579 How do we respond 00:30:45.579 --> 00:30:46.259 to this Jesus 00:30:46.259 --> 00:30:47.480 and to his comforting 00:30:47.480 --> 00:30:48.839 and yet unsettling 00:30:48.839 --> 00:30:49.639 authority? 00:30:49.640 --> 00:30:53.060 We see three responses 00:30:53.060 --> 00:30:54.140 in the story to Jesus. 00:30:55.480 --> 00:30:56.160 First, we see 00:30:56.160 --> 00:30:57.200 the disciples' response. 00:30:57.320 --> 00:30:57.960 They were afraid 00:30:57.960 --> 00:30:58.800 and they marveled. 00:30:58.800 --> 00:30:59.380 Verse 25. 00:31:00.400 --> 00:31:01.940 This is not a bad response, 00:31:02.720 --> 00:31:03.640 but it also 00:31:03.640 --> 00:31:04.560 doesn't get them 00:31:04.560 --> 00:31:05.120 very far. 00:31:07.420 --> 00:31:08.160 Or let's say 00:31:08.160 --> 00:31:08.759 it doesn't get them 00:31:08.759 --> 00:31:09.620 all the way to the end. 00:31:10.280 --> 00:31:10.680 However, 00:31:10.900 --> 00:31:11.660 they are asking 00:31:11.660 --> 00:31:12.340 the right question 00:31:12.340 --> 00:31:13.100 in verse 25 00:31:13.100 --> 00:31:13.759 when they say, 00:31:13.840 --> 00:31:14.880 who then is this? 00:31:15.420 --> 00:31:16.100 Because Jesus 00:31:16.100 --> 00:31:17.820 has just done something 00:31:17.820 --> 00:31:19.340 that according 00:31:19.339 --> 00:31:20.220 to the Old Testament 00:31:20.220 --> 00:31:20.859 and according 00:31:20.859 --> 00:31:21.699 to common sense, 00:31:22.119 --> 00:31:23.639 only God can do. 00:31:24.399 --> 00:31:25.139 Psalm 107, 00:31:25.220 --> 00:31:25.959 which we read earlier, 00:31:26.059 --> 00:31:26.240 says, 00:31:26.379 --> 00:31:26.939 they cried out 00:31:26.939 --> 00:31:27.500 to the Lord 00:31:27.500 --> 00:31:28.119 in their trouble 00:31:28.119 --> 00:31:29.459 and he delivered them 00:31:29.459 --> 00:31:30.259 from their distress. 00:31:30.619 --> 00:31:31.939 He made the storm 00:31:31.939 --> 00:31:32.519 be still 00:31:32.519 --> 00:31:33.879 and the waves 00:31:33.879 --> 00:31:34.459 of the sea 00:31:34.459 --> 00:31:35.439 were hushed. 00:31:36.240 --> 00:31:37.359 Jesus just did 00:31:37.359 --> 00:31:38.279 what only God 00:31:38.279 --> 00:31:38.759 could do. 00:31:40.299 --> 00:31:41.259 And if you read 00:31:41.259 --> 00:31:42.339 the New Testament Gospels, 00:31:42.419 --> 00:31:43.399 you see this happening 00:31:43.399 --> 00:31:44.480 all the time. 00:31:44.879 --> 00:31:45.500 Jesus claims 00:31:45.500 --> 00:31:46.539 to forgive sins, 00:31:46.740 --> 00:31:47.939 but only God 00:31:47.939 --> 00:31:48.500 can do that. 00:31:49.339 --> 00:31:50.480 Jesus calls himself 00:31:50.480 --> 00:31:51.500 Lord of the Sabbath, 00:31:52.539 --> 00:31:53.559 but according 00:31:53.559 --> 00:31:54.079 to the Bible, 00:31:54.579 --> 00:31:56.539 God instituted 00:31:56.539 --> 00:31:57.000 the Sabbath. 00:31:58.799 --> 00:31:59.879 Jesus calls himself 00:31:59.879 --> 00:32:00.740 the bridegroom, 00:32:00.959 --> 00:32:01.819 but that's how God 00:32:01.819 --> 00:32:02.579 described himself 00:32:02.579 --> 00:32:03.379 in the Old Testament 00:32:03.379 --> 00:32:04.899 as the faithful husband 00:32:04.899 --> 00:32:05.759 to his bride. 00:32:07.379 --> 00:32:08.859 When Jesus says things 00:32:08.859 --> 00:32:10.059 that only God should say 00:32:10.059 --> 00:32:11.139 and when he does things 00:32:11.139 --> 00:32:11.879 that only God 00:32:11.879 --> 00:32:12.619 has the authority 00:32:12.619 --> 00:32:13.199 to do, 00:32:14.159 --> 00:32:15.099 you have to ask 00:32:15.099 --> 00:32:15.639 the question, 00:32:15.799 --> 00:32:16.779 who then 00:32:16.779 --> 00:32:18.180 is this. 00:32:20.759 --> 00:32:21.539 C.S. Lewis said, 00:32:22.099 --> 00:32:23.200 you can't just say 00:32:23.200 --> 00:32:23.920 he was a good 00:32:23.920 --> 00:32:24.700 moral teacher 00:32:24.700 --> 00:32:27.420 if he said things 00:32:27.420 --> 00:32:28.160 like that. 00:32:30.059 --> 00:32:31.240 A man who said 00:32:31.240 --> 00:32:31.940 and did things 00:32:31.940 --> 00:32:32.539 like that, 00:32:32.740 --> 00:32:33.619 you must conclude 00:32:33.619 --> 00:32:34.579 either that he was 00:32:34.579 --> 00:32:35.200 a lunatic, 00:32:35.359 --> 00:32:36.519 he was out of his mind, 00:32:36.519 --> 00:32:38.000 or that he was 00:32:38.000 --> 00:32:38.639 a liar 00:32:38.639 --> 00:32:40.599 and a deceiver, 00:32:40.799 --> 00:32:41.700 or that he was 00:32:41.700 --> 00:32:42.319 the Lord 00:32:42.319 --> 00:32:44.019 who he claimed 00:32:44.019 --> 00:32:44.519 to be, 00:32:44.859 --> 00:32:46.099 God himself. 00:32:48.019 --> 00:32:49.319 Who then is this? 00:32:50.819 --> 00:32:51.659 Have you answered 00:32:51.659 --> 00:32:52.220 that question? 00:32:53.460 --> 00:32:54.519 Ask that question 00:32:54.519 --> 00:32:55.980 until you answer it. 00:32:58.099 --> 00:32:58.619 Second, 00:32:58.720 --> 00:32:59.519 we see the garrisoned 00:32:59.519 --> 00:33:00.299 people's response. 00:33:01.579 --> 00:33:02.439 They asked him 00:33:02.439 --> 00:33:02.899 to depart. 00:33:04.099 --> 00:33:05.159 Leave us alone, 00:33:05.299 --> 00:33:05.500 Jesus. 00:33:05.659 --> 00:33:06.279 Go away. 00:33:06.539 --> 00:33:07.139 We're afraid 00:33:07.139 --> 00:33:08.059 of what you'll do next. 00:33:08.159 --> 00:33:08.819 We don't want you 00:33:08.819 --> 00:33:09.899 to disrupt our lives 00:33:09.899 --> 00:33:10.379 too much. 00:33:10.439 --> 00:33:11.240 Our lives are going 00:33:11.240 --> 00:33:12.400 pretty well right now. 00:33:12.839 --> 00:33:13.819 We don't want to lose 00:33:13.819 --> 00:33:14.660 any more pigs. 00:33:15.440 --> 00:33:16.259 Or perhaps, 00:33:16.359 --> 00:33:16.900 we don't want you 00:33:16.900 --> 00:33:17.720 to heal any more 00:33:17.720 --> 00:33:18.519 crazy people. 00:33:18.740 --> 00:33:19.359 Because then we'll 00:33:19.359 --> 00:33:19.960 actually have to 00:33:19.960 --> 00:33:20.539 treat this guy 00:33:20.539 --> 00:33:21.460 like a human being. 00:33:22.920 --> 00:33:23.759 And not just try 00:33:23.759 --> 00:33:24.359 to lock him up 00:33:24.359 --> 00:33:24.920 like an animal. 00:33:28.740 --> 00:33:29.460 They allowed 00:33:29.460 --> 00:33:30.480 what was unsettling 00:33:30.480 --> 00:33:31.720 to them about Jesus 00:33:31.720 --> 00:33:34.059 to dominate 00:33:34.059 --> 00:33:34.799 their picture. 00:33:36.220 --> 00:33:37.259 And in the process, 00:33:37.400 --> 00:33:38.140 they missed 00:33:38.140 --> 00:33:39.559 and rejected 00:33:39.559 --> 00:33:40.980 his incredible offer 00:33:40.980 --> 00:33:42.799 of saving grace. 00:33:47.420 --> 00:33:48.079 But finally, 00:33:48.180 --> 00:33:48.819 we see the man's 00:33:48.819 --> 00:33:49.299 response 00:33:49.299 --> 00:33:50.620 in verse 38 00:33:50.620 --> 00:33:51.259 and 39. 00:33:51.900 --> 00:33:52.640 And that's where 00:33:52.640 --> 00:33:53.539 Luke ends the story. 00:33:55.740 --> 00:33:56.660 And Luke wants 00:33:56.660 --> 00:33:57.299 to end there. 00:33:57.839 --> 00:33:58.539 We know that this 00:33:58.539 --> 00:33:59.059 is intentional 00:33:59.059 --> 00:33:59.900 because it's not 00:33:59.900 --> 00:34:00.960 strictly chronological. 00:34:01.099 --> 00:34:01.339 In fact, 00:34:01.400 --> 00:34:02.000 this whole story, 00:34:02.140 --> 00:34:03.099 Luke sort of goes 00:34:03.099 --> 00:34:04.099 back and forth in time. 00:34:04.200 --> 00:34:04.640 He doesn't go 00:34:04.640 --> 00:34:05.339 play by play. 00:34:06.339 --> 00:34:07.240 He emphasizes 00:34:07.240 --> 00:34:08.019 certain things 00:34:08.019 --> 00:34:08.780 by how he tells 00:34:08.780 --> 00:34:09.260 the story. 00:34:09.260 --> 00:34:10.120 And he emphasizes 00:34:10.120 --> 00:34:10.660 at the end 00:34:10.660 --> 00:34:11.100 of the story 00:34:11.100 --> 00:34:11.620 this man. 00:34:11.700 --> 00:34:13.640 Because in verse 37, 00:34:14.140 --> 00:34:14.580 it says, 00:34:14.660 --> 00:34:15.600 Jesus got into the boat 00:34:15.600 --> 00:34:16.240 and returned. 00:34:17.580 --> 00:34:18.800 But then verse 38 00:34:18.800 --> 00:34:19.380 and 39 00:34:19.380 --> 00:34:20.320 leave us with this 00:34:20.320 --> 00:34:20.700 parting, 00:34:20.980 --> 00:34:21.540 it's sort of like 00:34:21.540 --> 00:34:22.260 the parting shot, 00:34:22.340 --> 00:34:22.880 the last scene 00:34:22.880 --> 00:34:23.340 in the movie. 00:34:23.900 --> 00:34:24.880 The thing that Luke 00:34:24.880 --> 00:34:26.040 wants to stick in your mind 00:34:26.040 --> 00:34:27.000 more than anything else, 00:34:27.060 --> 00:34:27.900 this conversation 00:34:27.900 --> 00:34:29.040 between Jesus 00:34:29.040 --> 00:34:29.960 and the man 00:34:29.960 --> 00:34:30.880 from whom the demons 00:34:30.880 --> 00:34:31.360 had gone. 00:34:31.360 --> 00:34:36.680 The man begged 00:34:36.680 --> 00:34:37.579 that he might be 00:34:37.579 --> 00:34:38.059 with him. 00:34:39.820 --> 00:34:40.660 This is actually 00:34:40.660 --> 00:34:41.400 the third time 00:34:41.400 --> 00:34:42.059 in this story 00:34:42.059 --> 00:34:43.260 that someone 00:34:43.260 --> 00:34:44.480 has made a request 00:34:44.480 --> 00:34:45.260 that has begged 00:34:45.260 --> 00:34:46.480 Jesus or asked 00:34:46.480 --> 00:34:47.380 Jesus for something. 00:34:48.980 --> 00:34:49.980 In verse 31, 00:34:50.099 --> 00:34:50.980 the legion of demons 00:34:50.980 --> 00:34:52.420 begged Jesus 00:34:52.420 --> 00:34:54.360 not to command them 00:34:54.360 --> 00:34:55.380 to go into the abyss. 00:34:56.120 --> 00:34:57.420 That is the bottomless pit, 00:34:57.519 --> 00:34:58.320 the place of punishment 00:34:58.320 --> 00:34:59.180 for evil spirits. 00:34:59.179 --> 00:35:00.839 And Jesus said yes 00:35:00.839 --> 00:35:02.039 to their request. 00:35:02.819 --> 00:35:04.019 He gave them permission 00:35:04.019 --> 00:35:05.319 to go into the pigs instead. 00:35:06.799 --> 00:35:07.759 Verse 37, 00:35:07.839 --> 00:35:08.879 the people of the Gerasenes 00:35:08.879 --> 00:35:10.179 asked him to depart 00:35:10.179 --> 00:35:10.739 from them. 00:35:11.599 --> 00:35:12.819 And Jesus said yes. 00:35:13.480 --> 00:35:14.480 He got into the boat 00:35:14.480 --> 00:35:15.579 and went back 00:35:15.579 --> 00:35:16.319 across the lake. 00:35:16.539 --> 00:35:17.980 But here in verse 38, 00:35:18.739 --> 00:35:19.799 the best request 00:35:19.799 --> 00:35:20.519 of them all, 00:35:20.659 --> 00:35:20.899 Jesus, 00:35:21.039 --> 00:35:22.279 I want to be with you. 00:35:23.179 --> 00:35:24.480 And Jesus says no. 00:35:28.139 --> 00:35:29.119 Isn't that by far 00:35:29.119 --> 00:35:29.819 the best request 00:35:29.819 --> 00:35:30.339 of them all? 00:35:32.219 --> 00:35:33.119 Doesn't this man 00:35:33.119 --> 00:35:34.460 deserve to have Jesus 00:35:34.460 --> 00:35:35.319 answer his prayer 00:35:35.319 --> 00:35:36.219 more than anyone else 00:35:36.219 --> 00:35:36.779 in the story? 00:35:38.679 --> 00:35:39.659 Doesn't he understand 00:35:39.659 --> 00:35:40.259 Jesus better 00:35:40.259 --> 00:35:41.039 and love him more? 00:35:43.039 --> 00:35:44.420 And yet Jesus says no. 00:35:46.079 --> 00:35:46.839 Because he has 00:35:46.839 --> 00:35:47.940 something better in mind. 00:35:52.519 --> 00:35:53.279 Go home 00:35:53.279 --> 00:35:54.759 and tell them 00:35:54.759 --> 00:35:55.380 how much God 00:35:55.380 --> 00:35:56.119 has done for you. 00:35:56.119 --> 00:35:58.099 Well, 00:35:58.119 --> 00:35:59.099 he doesn't just go home. 00:35:59.179 --> 00:35:59.779 He proclaims it 00:35:59.779 --> 00:36:00.579 through the whole city. 00:36:01.559 --> 00:36:02.420 He becomes the first 00:36:02.420 --> 00:36:03.199 Christian missionary 00:36:03.199 --> 00:36:04.380 to the Gentiles. 00:36:04.920 --> 00:36:05.559 And the content 00:36:05.559 --> 00:36:06.199 of his message 00:36:06.199 --> 00:36:07.119 shows that he knew 00:36:07.119 --> 00:36:07.719 the answer 00:36:07.719 --> 00:36:08.699 to the disciples' 00:36:08.920 --> 00:36:09.239 question, 00:36:09.359 --> 00:36:10.460 who is this? 00:36:10.659 --> 00:36:12.179 Because when Jesus said, 00:36:12.440 --> 00:36:13.099 go and proclaim 00:36:13.099 --> 00:36:13.819 how much God 00:36:13.819 --> 00:36:14.759 has done for you, 00:36:15.119 --> 00:36:16.119 verse 39 says, 00:36:16.179 --> 00:36:17.179 he went proclaiming 00:36:17.179 --> 00:36:18.319 how much Jesus 00:36:18.319 --> 00:36:20.219 had done for him. 00:36:20.219 --> 00:36:23.679 He recognized 00:36:23.679 --> 00:36:24.699 that Jesus has done 00:36:24.699 --> 00:36:25.579 what only God 00:36:25.579 --> 00:36:25.939 could do, 00:36:26.019 --> 00:36:26.839 that Jesus is 00:36:26.839 --> 00:36:28.079 God in the flesh. 00:36:31.939 --> 00:36:32.639 Joel Green 00:36:32.639 --> 00:36:33.319 put it this way, 00:36:33.419 --> 00:36:34.099 Jesus gave 00:36:34.099 --> 00:36:35.759 the former demoniac 00:36:35.759 --> 00:36:36.719 the very task 00:36:36.719 --> 00:36:38.000 that Luke would exercise 00:36:38.000 --> 00:36:38.819 in the writing 00:36:38.819 --> 00:36:39.679 of his gospel, 00:36:40.559 --> 00:36:40.959 namely, 00:36:41.759 --> 00:36:42.299 narrating 00:36:42.299 --> 00:36:43.539 and proclaiming 00:36:43.539 --> 00:36:45.519 God's mighty acts, 00:36:45.679 --> 00:36:46.899 a high and holy 00:36:46.899 --> 00:36:47.599 calling. 00:36:47.599 --> 00:36:49.420 to stay behind 00:36:49.420 --> 00:36:49.920 for the sake 00:36:49.920 --> 00:36:50.559 of his family 00:36:50.559 --> 00:36:51.219 and friends 00:36:51.219 --> 00:36:51.900 and his city, 00:36:52.199 --> 00:36:53.159 for all the people 00:36:53.159 --> 00:36:54.000 who he had formerly 00:36:54.000 --> 00:36:55.500 tormented and frightened, 00:36:55.940 --> 00:36:56.440 so that they, 00:36:56.639 --> 00:36:57.599 for all the people 00:36:57.599 --> 00:36:58.299 who initially 00:36:58.299 --> 00:36:59.259 rejected Jesus, 00:36:59.860 --> 00:37:00.699 so that they too 00:37:00.699 --> 00:37:01.440 might know 00:37:01.440 --> 00:37:02.579 the saving 00:37:02.579 --> 00:37:03.139 and healing 00:37:03.139 --> 00:37:03.860 and transforming 00:37:03.860 --> 00:37:05.099 power of Jesus 00:37:05.099 --> 00:37:06.099 the merciful Lord. 00:37:09.539 --> 00:37:10.480 In conclusion, 00:37:10.759 --> 00:37:11.619 I want you to consider 00:37:11.619 --> 00:37:12.759 how intentional Jesus 00:37:12.759 --> 00:37:13.519 is through this 00:37:13.519 --> 00:37:14.579 whole story. 00:37:16.579 --> 00:37:17.400 Jesus took 00:37:17.400 --> 00:37:17.920 his disciples 00:37:17.920 --> 00:37:18.579 all the way 00:37:18.579 --> 00:37:19.240 across the lake 00:37:19.240 --> 00:37:20.420 through a raging storm 00:37:20.420 --> 00:37:21.840 that almost killed them 00:37:21.840 --> 00:37:23.639 to a bad neighborhood 00:37:23.639 --> 00:37:25.440 and an unclean graveyard 00:37:25.440 --> 00:37:26.420 where no one else 00:37:26.420 --> 00:37:27.260 would dare to go 00:37:27.260 --> 00:37:28.440 in order to rescue 00:37:28.440 --> 00:37:29.039 and redeem 00:37:29.039 --> 00:37:29.900 this one 00:37:29.900 --> 00:37:31.900 demonized, 00:37:32.460 --> 00:37:33.660 tormented man. 00:37:34.700 --> 00:37:35.579 And once he healed 00:37:35.579 --> 00:37:35.980 the man, 00:37:36.160 --> 00:37:37.280 he got back in the boat 00:37:37.280 --> 00:37:38.139 and went back 00:37:38.139 --> 00:37:38.880 across the lake. 00:37:39.139 --> 00:37:39.940 Mission accomplished. 00:37:40.139 --> 00:37:41.180 It was the one thing 00:37:41.180 --> 00:37:42.000 he came to do. 00:37:43.019 --> 00:37:43.800 That's how much 00:37:43.800 --> 00:37:44.820 he valued this man. 00:37:44.820 --> 00:37:47.300 That's the length 00:37:47.300 --> 00:37:47.960 he went to 00:37:47.960 --> 00:37:49.740 to reach him. 00:37:52.039 --> 00:37:53.160 Today's Palm Sunday 00:37:53.160 --> 00:37:55.880 when we remember 00:37:55.880 --> 00:37:56.880 the intentionality 00:37:56.880 --> 00:37:57.320 of Jesus 00:37:57.320 --> 00:37:58.220 and the lengths 00:37:58.220 --> 00:37:58.940 he went to 00:37:58.940 --> 00:38:00.460 to come and reach 00:38:00.460 --> 00:38:01.440 each one of us. 00:38:02.940 --> 00:38:03.920 How he rode 00:38:03.920 --> 00:38:04.640 into Jerusalem 00:38:04.640 --> 00:38:05.559 and he was hailed 00:38:05.559 --> 00:38:06.080 as king, 00:38:06.260 --> 00:38:06.840 but knowing 00:38:06.840 --> 00:38:07.500 that the crowds 00:38:07.500 --> 00:38:08.320 who welcomed him 00:38:08.320 --> 00:38:09.840 would soon turn on him. 00:38:09.840 --> 00:38:11.280 and on Good Friday 00:38:11.280 --> 00:38:12.000 how he carried 00:38:12.000 --> 00:38:12.640 the cross 00:38:12.640 --> 00:38:14.059 up the hill 00:38:14.059 --> 00:38:15.320 and hung there 00:38:15.320 --> 00:38:16.260 for six hours 00:38:16.260 --> 00:38:17.880 enduring the storm 00:38:17.880 --> 00:38:19.840 of human rejection 00:38:19.840 --> 00:38:20.940 and mockery 00:38:20.940 --> 00:38:21.860 and brutal pain 00:38:21.860 --> 00:38:23.559 and divine judgment 00:38:23.559 --> 00:38:25.340 for our sins. 00:38:26.100 --> 00:38:27.280 That's how much 00:38:27.280 --> 00:38:28.300 he loved us. 00:38:29.240 --> 00:38:30.240 Do you see how far 00:38:30.240 --> 00:38:30.880 he came 00:38:30.880 --> 00:38:32.160 for you 00:38:32.160 --> 00:38:34.559 to rescue 00:38:34.559 --> 00:38:35.140 you 00:38:35.140 --> 00:38:36.320 and me? 00:38:36.320 --> 00:38:39.400 Brothers and sisters, 00:38:39.400 --> 00:38:40.380 if you have experienced, 00:38:40.539 --> 00:38:41.400 if you have even begun 00:38:41.400 --> 00:38:42.300 to experience 00:38:42.300 --> 00:38:43.940 Jesus' healing 00:38:43.940 --> 00:38:45.080 and transforming power, 00:38:46.160 --> 00:38:46.840 go home 00:38:46.840 --> 00:38:47.500 to your family, 00:38:47.640 --> 00:38:48.300 to your friends, 00:38:48.460 --> 00:38:49.740 to your neighborhood, 00:38:50.059 --> 00:38:51.500 to the graveyards 00:38:51.500 --> 00:38:52.900 of this city 00:38:52.900 --> 00:38:54.380 and tell the world 00:38:54.380 --> 00:38:55.039 how much Jesus 00:38:55.039 --> 00:38:56.240 has done for you. 00:38:56.960 --> 00:38:57.700 Let's pray. 00:38:57.700 --> 00:38:57.760 Amen. 00:38:57.760 --> 00:38:57.800 Amen. 00:38:57.800 --> 00:38:57.840 Amen. 00:38:57.840 --> 00:38:57.860 Amen. 00:38:57.860 --> 00:38:57.880 Amen. 00:38:57.880 --> 00:38:57.940 Amen. 00:38:57.940 --> 00:38:58.380 Amen. 00:38:58.380 --> 00:38:59.860 Amen. 00:38:59.860 --> 00:38:59.900 Amen. 00:38:59.900 --> 00:39:01.820 Amen. 00:39:01.820 --> 00:39:01.900 Amen. 00:39:01.900 --> 00:39:02.340 Amen. 00:39:02.340 --> 00:39:02.860 Amen. 00:39:02.860 --> 00:39:02.900 Amen. 00:39:02.900 --> 00:39:03.420 Amen. 00:39:03.420 --> 00:39:03.980 Amen. 00:39:03.980 --> 00:39:06.300 Amen. 00:39:06.320 --> 00:39:19.420 Jesus, 00:39:19.539 --> 00:39:20.200 we praise you. 00:39:22.940 --> 00:39:24.059 We acknowledge you 00:39:24.059 --> 00:39:24.620 as the Lord. 00:39:28.780 --> 00:39:29.760 We praise you 00:39:29.760 --> 00:39:30.340 for the comfort 00:39:30.340 --> 00:39:31.420 that that gives us 00:39:31.420 --> 00:39:35.059 when we pass 00:39:35.059 --> 00:39:35.780 through the waters 00:39:35.780 --> 00:39:37.360 you have promised. 00:39:37.580 --> 00:39:38.480 I will be with you. 00:39:41.320 --> 00:39:42.220 You can speak 00:39:42.220 --> 00:39:43.380 to the raging waves. 00:39:45.380 --> 00:39:46.200 Be still. 00:39:48.800 --> 00:39:49.840 And we thank you 00:39:49.840 --> 00:39:51.340 that you can speak 00:39:51.340 --> 00:39:52.240 to the depths 00:39:52.240 --> 00:39:53.000 of our souls, 00:39:54.000 --> 00:39:56.180 the pain 00:39:56.180 --> 00:39:56.900 and torment 00:39:56.900 --> 00:39:57.920 and shame 00:39:57.920 --> 00:39:59.180 and anger 00:39:59.180 --> 00:40:01.780 and self-destruction. 00:40:01.780 --> 00:40:05.100 you can speak 00:40:05.100 --> 00:40:05.740 to all that. 00:40:05.740 --> 00:40:06.400 You can speak 00:40:06.400 --> 00:40:06.980 peace 00:40:06.980 --> 00:40:08.880 and life 00:40:08.880 --> 00:40:10.040 and hope. 00:40:10.640 --> 00:40:11.100 We pray 00:40:11.100 --> 00:40:13.280 that we might 00:40:13.280 --> 00:40:14.320 encounter you today 00:40:14.320 --> 00:40:15.800 either for the first time 00:40:15.800 --> 00:40:17.380 or at a deeper level. 00:40:19.580 --> 00:40:20.480 We pray 00:40:20.480 --> 00:40:21.300 that you would give us 00:40:21.300 --> 00:40:21.900 the love 00:40:21.900 --> 00:40:23.000 and obedience 00:40:23.000 --> 00:40:24.280 that this man 00:40:24.280 --> 00:40:24.840 demonstrates 00:40:24.840 --> 00:40:25.900 at the end of the story. 00:40:25.900 --> 00:40:28.920 to long 00:40:28.920 --> 00:40:29.680 to be with you 00:40:29.680 --> 00:40:31.059 above all else 00:40:31.059 --> 00:40:33.940 and to obediently 00:40:33.940 --> 00:40:34.920 go and proclaim 00:40:34.920 --> 00:40:36.880 how much 00:40:36.880 --> 00:40:37.480 you have done 00:40:37.480 --> 00:40:38.039 for us 00:40:38.039 --> 00:40:40.039 and how great 00:40:40.039 --> 00:40:40.740 is your mercy. 00:40:45.860 --> 00:40:46.760 In your name 00:40:46.760 --> 00:40:47.119 we pray. 00:40:48.820 --> 00:40:49.099 Amen. 00:40:49.099 --> 00:40:49.200 Amen. 00:40:49.200 --> 00:40:49.220 Amen. 00:40:49.220 --> 00:40:49.260 Amen. 00:40:49.260 --> 00:40:49.300 Amen. 00:40:49.300 --> 00:40:49.320 Amen. 00:40:49.320 --> 00:40:49.360 Amen. 00:40:49.360 --> 00:40:49.380 Amen. 00:40:49.380 --> 00:40:49.400 Amen. 00:40:49.400 --> 00:40:49.420 Amen. 00:40:49.420 --> 00:40:49.440 Amen. 00:40:49.440 --> 00:40:49.460 Amen. 00:40:49.460 --> 00:40:50.400 Amen. 00:40:50.400 --> 00:40:51.160 Amen. 00:40:51.160 --> 00:40:51.360 Amen. 00:40:51.360 --> 00:40:51.400 Amen. 00:40:51.400 --> 00:40:51.420 Amen. 00:40:51.420 --> 00:40:51.460 Amen. 00:40:51.460 --> 00:40:52.420 Amen. 00:40:52.420 --> 00:40:52.440 Amen. 00:40:52.440 --> 00:40:53.019 Amen. 00:40:53.019 --> 00:40:53.039 Amen. 00:40:53.039 --> 00:40:53.059 Amen.