1 00:00:01,590 --> 00:00:03,910 I want to extend my welcome to what has already been offered 2 00:00:03,920 --> 00:00:06,350 this morning. My name is Justin Sytsma and I 3 00:00:06,360 --> 00:00:08,940 serve as one of the pastors here at Court Rights. 4 00:00:09,070 --> 00:00:14,100 And for those who are new or newer, we are working through 5 00:00:14,110 --> 00:00:17,180 the book of Luke a little bit by little bit. 6 00:00:17,290 --> 00:00:22,620 And it's been just really cool each week to look back and see 7 00:00:22,630 --> 00:00:26,720 where our understanding has been enlarged and grown from one 8 00:00:26,730 --> 00:00:29,720 passage to another. We see themes that Lucas drawing 9 00:00:29,730 --> 00:00:31,670 out and it's just been a lot of fun. 10 00:00:31,680 --> 00:00:34,360 And so we're only on week like 30 ish. 11 00:00:34,370 --> 00:00:36,330 So it's not too late to catch up. 12 00:00:37,070 --> 00:00:38,740 We only got like a year and a half to go. 13 00:00:38,790 --> 00:00:45,550 So also I wanted to mention I've been away in the past few weeks. 14 00:00:45,560 --> 00:00:49,210 We've had a fantastic opportunity to be on holiday, my 15 00:00:49,220 --> 00:00:54,510 family and I, and we were specifically decided on going to 16 00:00:54,520 --> 00:01:01,880 a wonderful little pilgrimage. I went to the John Knox House, 17 00:01:01,890 --> 00:01:05,060 which is like the birth place of Presbyterianism. 18 00:01:05,790 --> 00:01:10,600 I didn't go in, but we, we, we were, we were hungry and went to 19 00:01:10,610 --> 00:01:14,880 a pub down the road instead. But this is where it all began 20 00:01:14,940 --> 00:01:17,180 apparently. So I, I didn't read the history 21 00:01:17,190 --> 00:01:21,380 so I don't know. Anyway, it was a lot of fun. 22 00:01:21,390 --> 00:01:24,840 Our Clerk of session, Alex Monsour, he warned me that our 23 00:01:24,850 --> 00:01:28,400 nine year old might not be very enthused by it. 24 00:01:28,490 --> 00:01:30,700 And Lindsey, my wife, said the same. 25 00:01:30,750 --> 00:01:39,220 So anyway, so last week, last week, we saw Jesus and the 26 00:01:39,230 --> 00:01:41,250 disciples and they were in a boat. 27 00:01:41,310 --> 00:01:46,690 I don't want to go there yet. They were in a boat on the Sea 28 00:01:46,700 --> 00:01:50,790 of Galilee as a storm comes in, it rolls in and they're 29 00:01:50,800 --> 00:01:53,810 terrified and they wake Jesus, who is napping. 30 00:01:53,880 --> 00:01:57,430 And Jesus rebukes the winds and the waves. 31 00:01:57,500 --> 00:02:01,620 And we talked about this as the same sort of language that is 32 00:02:01,630 --> 00:02:05,390 used when an evil spirit, a demon, is rebuked. 33 00:02:05,440 --> 00:02:10,370 So this PC, which is often a symbol of darkness and chaos, is 34 00:02:10,380 --> 00:02:13,570 rebuked. And today we'll see a Jesus who 35 00:02:13,580 --> 00:02:18,200 is no, not only powerful to rebuke chaotic waters like last 36 00:02:18,210 --> 00:02:21,760 week, but a Jesus who is powerful enough to rebuke an 37 00:02:21,770 --> 00:02:27,760 entire army of evil spirits. This passage has the potential 38 00:02:27,770 --> 00:02:29,820 to feel kind of heavy in some ways. 39 00:02:29,950 --> 00:02:34,120 It deals with spiritual warfare in a way that many of us only 40 00:02:34,130 --> 00:02:36,680 have kind of a tangential understanding of. 41 00:02:36,730 --> 00:02:40,760 But I believe that God has something for us to hear in this 42 00:02:40,770 --> 00:02:45,120 passage this morning. So let me pray as we read and 43 00:02:45,130 --> 00:02:48,780 begin. God, would you surprise us by 44 00:02:48,790 --> 00:02:54,160 your Holy Word this morning? Would you silence our agendas? 45 00:02:54,240 --> 00:02:56,440 Would you banish our assumptions? 46 00:02:57,070 --> 00:03:00,240 Would you cast out our casual detachment? 47 00:03:01,360 --> 00:03:02,910 God? Would you confound our 48 00:03:02,920 --> 00:03:06,660 expectations when you give us ears to hear and eyes to see 49 00:03:06,670 --> 00:03:09,810 what You are saying in and through this passage? 50 00:03:10,040 --> 00:03:14,860 Would you reach the deepest recesses of our hearts this 51 00:03:14,870 --> 00:03:16,840 morning? We know that you can. 52 00:03:17,290 --> 00:03:21,800 We pray that you will, and we wait and hope with expectation 53 00:03:21,810 --> 00:03:25,040 and anticipation. Amen. 54 00:03:26,460 --> 00:03:31,570 So whether you are in on your phone with the Bible app or you 55 00:03:31,580 --> 00:03:35,570 have a physical Bible or you can follow along here as well. 56 00:03:35,640 --> 00:03:39,850 This is Luke chapter 8 starting at verse 26. 57 00:03:40,080 --> 00:03:44,170 So they sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across 58 00:03:44,180 --> 00:03:47,160 from the Lake of Galilee. When Jesus stepped ashore, he 59 00:03:47,170 --> 00:03:50,790 was met by a demon possessed man from the town. 60 00:03:50,860 --> 00:03:55,120 Nice greeting committee. For a long time this man has not 61 00:03:55,130 --> 00:03:58,900 worn clothes or lived in a house, but has but had lived in 62 00:03:58,970 --> 00:04:01,510 the tombs. But he saw Jesus. 63 00:04:01,520 --> 00:04:05,900 He cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his 64 00:04:05,910 --> 00:04:08,110 voice. What do you want with me, Jesus, 65 00:04:08,170 --> 00:04:12,400 son of the Most High God, I beg you, don't torture me. 66 00:04:12,750 --> 00:04:16,240 For Jesus had commanded the impure spirit to come out of the 67 00:04:16,250 --> 00:04:19,200 man. Many times it had seized him, 68 00:04:19,209 --> 00:04:22,640 and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, 69 00:04:22,730 --> 00:04:27,910 he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demons into 70 00:04:27,960 --> 00:04:32,210 solitary places. Jesus asked him, What is your 71 00:04:32,220 --> 00:04:36,720 name, Legion? He replied, because many demons 72 00:04:36,730 --> 00:04:41,100 had gone into him, and they begged Jesus repeatedly not to 73 00:04:41,110 --> 00:04:46,600 order them to go into the abyss. A large herd of pigs was feeding 74 00:04:46,610 --> 00:04:50,440 on the hillside, and the demons begged Jesus to let them go into 75 00:04:50,450 --> 00:04:53,030 the pigs, and he gave them permission. 76 00:04:53,350 --> 00:04:56,400 When the demons came out of the man they went into the pigs, and 77 00:04:56,410 --> 00:05:00,880 the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was 78 00:05:00,890 --> 00:05:04,900 drowned. When those tending the pigs saw 79 00:05:04,910 --> 00:05:08,380 what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town 80 00:05:08,390 --> 00:05:11,360 and countryside, and the people went out to see what happened. 81 00:05:11,770 --> 00:05:14,060 When they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the 82 00:05:14,070 --> 00:05:19,000 demons had gone out sitting at Jesus's feet, dressed and in his 83 00:05:19,010 --> 00:05:21,100 right mind, and they were afraid. 84 00:05:22,300 --> 00:05:24,780 Those who had seen it told the people how the demon possessed 85 00:05:24,790 --> 00:05:27,650 man had been cured. Then all the people of the 86 00:05:27,660 --> 00:05:31,430 region of the garrisons asked Jesus to leave, because they 87 00:05:31,440 --> 00:05:36,230 were overcome with fear. So he got into the boats and 88 00:05:36,240 --> 00:05:39,070 left. The man from whom the demons had 89 00:05:39,080 --> 00:05:43,190 gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 90 00:05:43,240 --> 00:05:47,510 Return home and tell how much God has done for you. 91 00:05:47,860 --> 00:05:54,310 So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had 92 00:05:54,320 --> 00:05:57,470 done for him. This is the word of the Lord. 93 00:05:58,220 --> 00:06:03,820 Think speed to God. So if you're anything like me, 94 00:06:05,260 --> 00:06:09,330 sometimes passages like this can be challenging because they deal 95 00:06:09,340 --> 00:06:13,950 with the supernatural in a way that doesn't necessarily land in 96 00:06:13,960 --> 00:06:18,350 our modern Western culture. So I want to start here for a 97 00:06:18,360 --> 00:06:22,970 moment because I don't want this man's affliction to be a 98 00:06:22,980 --> 00:06:27,480 stumbling block to us getting to the heart of this passage. 99 00:06:27,960 --> 00:06:30,830 Here's the problem as I see and understand it. 100 00:06:31,140 --> 00:06:35,370 Modern Western Christians tend. I use that word carefully. 101 00:06:35,380 --> 00:06:41,190 They tend to unto struggle with concepts like demon possession. 102 00:06:42,260 --> 00:06:45,020 Not everyone you know. Our charismatic and Pentecostal 103 00:06:45,030 --> 00:06:48,450 brothers and sisters don't necessarily struggle with this 104 00:06:48,460 --> 00:06:49,740 in the same way. They seem to have a better 105 00:06:49,750 --> 00:06:52,850 handle on this. But there is a tendency within 106 00:06:52,860 --> 00:06:57,350 modern Western Christianity to simply explain away demon 107 00:06:57,360 --> 00:07:00,950 possession as a mental disorder like schizophrenia or 108 00:07:00,960 --> 00:07:02,720 dissociative personality disorder. 109 00:07:04,120 --> 00:07:06,840 There's a concept that was coined by a Christian 110 00:07:06,850 --> 00:07:09,970 anthropologist. His name was Paul Hebert, and 111 00:07:09,980 --> 00:07:13,990 it's called the excluded middle. The excluded middle. 112 00:07:14,000 --> 00:07:17,090 And here's the simplest way for us to think about it. 113 00:07:17,800 --> 00:07:22,260 In our modern Western world, we tend to think through the world 114 00:07:22,270 --> 00:07:26,050 through a empirical scientific lens. 115 00:07:26,520 --> 00:07:29,900 Whatever we can observe and empirically prove, like the 116 00:07:29,910 --> 00:07:34,030 scientific method that we will state that as truth. 117 00:07:34,220 --> 00:07:36,480 This is even true in our faith at times. 118 00:07:36,550 --> 00:07:40,720 This is why the the sphere of apologetics in the Christian 119 00:07:40,790 --> 00:07:45,220 world has ballooned over the past number of decades, because 120 00:07:45,230 --> 00:07:48,450 we want to be able to empirically prove things that 121 00:07:48,460 --> 00:07:52,660 are difficult to empirically prove, like the resurrection, 122 00:07:52,730 --> 00:07:56,640 like the the total historicity of Scripture and things like 123 00:07:56,650 --> 00:08:01,480 that are modern and scientific minds compel us to try to find 124 00:08:01,550 --> 00:08:03,940 concrete answers for things like this. 125 00:08:05,000 --> 00:08:09,790 Meanwhile, for millennia and still today across many parts of 126 00:08:09,800 --> 00:08:14,660 the world and cultures, there is an automatic assumption of a 127 00:08:14,670 --> 00:08:17,120 spiritual realm. So you see the supernatural 128 00:08:17,130 --> 00:08:20,040 realm up here and the natural realm down there. 129 00:08:20,110 --> 00:08:22,740 This excluded middle is the area that says. 130 00:08:22,750 --> 00:08:26,880 Actually, we have neglected to realize that these both 131 00:08:26,890 --> 00:08:33,409 intersect with one another for a whole host of people across time 132 00:08:33,419 --> 00:08:36,669 and space and culture today. It is baked into their 133 00:08:36,679 --> 00:08:40,010 worldview. So the flaw of neglecting the 134 00:08:40,020 --> 00:08:43,049 excluded middle is that we tend to see these two realms as 135 00:08:43,059 --> 00:08:47,250 realms that do not mix, rather than seeing them as integrated 136 00:08:47,320 --> 00:08:51,900 and interconnected, That the spiritual world and the physical 137 00:08:51,910 --> 00:08:56,740 world are not disconnected, but rather intrinsically connected. 138 00:08:57,410 --> 00:08:58,860 So here's what I want us to know. 139 00:08:59,000 --> 00:09:03,140 Modern Western Christians, ones who would generally say that we 140 00:09:03,150 --> 00:09:06,840 believe in something like a literal resurrection, can tend 141 00:09:06,850 --> 00:09:10,350 to undermine the spiritual and the supernatural when it comes 142 00:09:10,360 --> 00:09:14,100 to things like this, such as evil and the demonic, as we see 143 00:09:14,110 --> 00:09:16,560 in today's passage. And I believe we do this to our 144 00:09:16,570 --> 00:09:20,210 detriment. There are cultures across our 145 00:09:20,220 --> 00:09:23,620 world today and across centuries and millennia of history who 146 00:09:23,630 --> 00:09:27,430 have a very real understanding of evil that goes beyond simply 147 00:09:27,440 --> 00:09:30,240 human evil. You go to many parts of the 148 00:09:30,250 --> 00:09:33,350 majority world outside of the West, and you'll find that they 149 00:09:33,360 --> 00:09:37,210 have a much greater understanding and experience of 150 00:09:37,220 --> 00:09:42,430 spirits and of good and evil. And so to deny and reject this 151 00:09:42,440 --> 00:09:46,670 is to deny the experience of literally billions of people, 152 00:09:46,680 --> 00:09:51,620 Christian or otherwise, across time and culture. 153 00:09:51,670 --> 00:09:56,240 It can tend toward us having a little air of intellectual 154 00:09:56,250 --> 00:10:00,430 snobbery. And I want us to go into this 155 00:10:00,440 --> 00:10:08,980 story this morning with the assumption that this man did not 156 00:10:08,990 --> 00:10:12,480 simply have a mental illness. Maybe he did as well. 157 00:10:12,650 --> 00:10:17,160 We don't know but that there is something more happening here. 158 00:10:20,110 --> 00:10:25,290 Let's not let that aspect of this story be a distraction or a 159 00:10:25,300 --> 00:10:27,300 stumbling block for us this morning. 160 00:10:27,370 --> 00:10:30,840 So let's you know, even if you're struggling with that, you 161 00:10:30,850 --> 00:10:33,460 like, I would encourage you take a take a little moment here to 162 00:10:33,470 --> 00:10:37,600 suspend disbelief. We can the safe space to do that 163 00:10:37,610 --> 00:10:40,650 where we can sort of set that aside for a moment and let's get 164 00:10:40,660 --> 00:10:43,830 to the heart of the story, wherever you land on that. 165 00:10:44,810 --> 00:10:48,930 So let's enter this man's world. So the village that Jesus and 166 00:10:48,940 --> 00:10:53,750 his disciples happened upon was a largely Gentile region, so 167 00:10:53,800 --> 00:10:56,590 mostly non Jews. That means, and this is 168 00:10:56,660 --> 00:11:00,520 interestingly Luke's only story in the whole Gospel of Luke 169 00:11:00,530 --> 00:11:04,770 where Jesus goes out of his way to visit a region like this. 170 00:11:04,840 --> 00:11:08,710 Now, little pop quiz, what is the easiest way to tell that 171 00:11:08,720 --> 00:11:12,250 this was a Gentile region? Pigs. 172 00:11:12,260 --> 00:11:16,670 Yeah, they were hurting swine, which is totally forbidden by 173 00:11:16,680 --> 00:11:18,730 Jewish law. It wasn't just the eating. 174 00:11:18,740 --> 00:11:21,820 It was, you know, the, the, the proximity to as well. 175 00:11:22,860 --> 00:11:26,170 In fact, this whole scenario just screams unclean. 176 00:11:26,460 --> 00:11:29,610 You've got the pigs, you have this possessed man, which 177 00:11:29,620 --> 00:11:32,570 literally translates to unclean spirits. 178 00:11:33,830 --> 00:11:36,600 And then you have this man living outside the village 179 00:11:36,610 --> 00:11:39,720 amongst the tombs that would have also been considered 180 00:11:39,950 --> 00:11:42,820 unclean. So this demon possessed man has 181 00:11:42,830 --> 00:11:45,320 been terrorizing the region, quite literally. 182 00:11:45,390 --> 00:11:47,280 He's running around without clothing. 183 00:11:47,390 --> 00:11:49,700 He's living in an act. He hasn't lived in an actual 184 00:11:49,710 --> 00:11:52,980 house for many years. And they're forced the villagers 185 00:11:52,990 --> 00:11:56,100 to have to like, have people, you know, guard this man and 186 00:11:56,110 --> 00:11:58,360 he's breaking the chains on his hands and feet. 187 00:11:58,450 --> 00:12:00,740 He's got like this superhuman strength. 188 00:12:02,050 --> 00:12:06,080 They are economically invested in keeping this possessed man at 189 00:12:06,090 --> 00:12:08,440 Bay. Like they have put in resources 190 00:12:08,530 --> 00:12:12,580 to keep this guy from hurting people and then Jesus shows up 191 00:12:14,020 --> 00:12:16,190 and the demons aren't happy about it. 192 00:12:18,140 --> 00:12:23,470 So Jesus commands the demons to come out and the man's body 193 00:12:23,480 --> 00:12:27,170 collapses before Jesus and the spirits cry out to Jesus. 194 00:12:27,180 --> 00:12:29,090 They say, what do you want with me? 195 00:12:29,100 --> 00:12:34,770 Jesus, son of the most high God, I beg of you, don't torture me, 196 00:12:34,780 --> 00:12:37,770 He says. Now how can we identify the 197 00:12:37,780 --> 00:12:40,010 speaker here? This is interesting. 198 00:12:40,080 --> 00:12:44,650 How can we identify the speaker as the demons and not the man? 199 00:12:45,870 --> 00:12:47,080 You take a look. What does he say? 200 00:12:47,130 --> 00:12:49,860 He says Jesus. We don't know that Jesus has 201 00:12:49,870 --> 00:12:51,170 introduced himself. Maybe he did. 202 00:12:51,180 --> 00:12:53,400 But then is this next part That's the real giveaway. 203 00:12:53,470 --> 00:12:57,200 Son of the Most High God. How would this random dude in a 204 00:12:57,210 --> 00:13:00,680 gentile village know that this is the son of the most high God? 205 00:13:00,770 --> 00:13:04,800 They would have no way to know that this happened earlier in in 206 00:13:04,810 --> 00:13:08,220 Luke chapter 4 where you see this this other possessed man 207 00:13:08,330 --> 00:13:12,410 say to Jesus and refer to him as the Holy One of God. 208 00:13:13,290 --> 00:13:16,740 So this is not just a a man's speaking. 209 00:13:17,840 --> 00:13:22,130 These are the demons speaking. They know who Jesus is. 210 00:13:22,140 --> 00:13:26,800 I mean, Jesus generally tries to keep his identity under wraps. 211 00:13:26,810 --> 00:13:28,590 He says the time isn't right for this. 212 00:13:28,660 --> 00:13:32,110 And so you know, he often tells the demons to be quiet. 213 00:13:32,120 --> 00:13:38,160 Stop talking about my identity. He then asks for their name. 214 00:13:39,100 --> 00:13:41,310 He says what is your name, Legion? 215 00:13:41,380 --> 00:13:43,830 They reply. The implication here is that 216 00:13:43,840 --> 00:13:47,170 this is not a small amount of spirits, but hundreds or even 217 00:13:47,180 --> 00:13:50,030 thousands. A Roman legion had anywhere from 218 00:13:50,040 --> 00:13:56,560 4 to 6000 army members in it. How did this even happen to the 219 00:13:56,570 --> 00:13:58,310 man? You know, this is like a little 220 00:13:58,320 --> 00:14:01,850 question you can ask yourself during, during drinks after the 221 00:14:01,860 --> 00:14:04,080 service, but like, you know, just a little light 222 00:14:04,090 --> 00:14:05,770 conversation. You know, how did this man 223 00:14:05,780 --> 00:14:08,070 invite like thousands of demons inside him? 224 00:14:08,080 --> 00:14:11,490 I, I don't know. It's an absolutely bizarre thing 225 00:14:11,540 --> 00:14:18,610 to consider, but Legion begs Jesus to not be thrown into the 226 00:14:18,620 --> 00:14:23,370 abyss, but rather to be permitted to enter the pigs on 227 00:14:23,450 --> 00:14:27,050 the hillside. Now it's fascinating to me that 228 00:14:27,060 --> 00:14:35,110 the demons, they beg, they begged Jesus not to go into the 229 00:14:35,120 --> 00:14:44,010 abyss. The Abyss is sort of this land, 230 00:14:44,090 --> 00:14:49,000 this spiritual realm where demons and other evil spirits 231 00:14:49,010 --> 00:14:51,340 would have been banished to. That's what it was known as or 232 00:14:51,350 --> 00:14:52,710 considered. It would have been like an 233 00:14:52,720 --> 00:14:56,520 imprisonment for them. The Abyss is also understood as 234 00:14:56,530 --> 00:14:59,260 the chaotic waters. It's the same language. 235 00:14:59,310 --> 00:15:02,820 The reason ancient cultures were afraid, generally afraid of the 236 00:15:02,830 --> 00:15:05,780 sea, is that it was also known as the Abyss. 237 00:15:05,830 --> 00:15:07,860 You don't want to go there. And the demons were no 238 00:15:07,870 --> 00:15:10,140 exception. They don't want to be banished. 239 00:15:10,190 --> 00:15:15,050 And yet, in A twist of irony, by their request, that is exactly 240 00:15:15,060 --> 00:15:18,100 where they end up. They enter the herd of pigs. 241 00:15:18,110 --> 00:15:21,650 The pigs go mad down the hillside, into the water, into 242 00:15:21,660 --> 00:15:25,540 the abyss. Now, we don't know the ultimate 243 00:15:25,550 --> 00:15:29,740 fate of these demons, but we know that the man has been made 244 00:15:29,750 --> 00:15:34,290 well again. We also know that the townsfolk 245 00:15:34,340 --> 00:15:40,060 are very, very unhappy with him. This poor guy has been afflicted 246 00:15:40,130 --> 00:15:43,620 for years and they can't even like take a moment to be happy 247 00:15:43,630 --> 00:15:47,720 for the guy. Now, some scholars and writers 248 00:15:47,730 --> 00:15:50,140 actually wonder if that was a part of the ploy of Legion. 249 00:15:51,320 --> 00:15:54,830 That in their request to enter the pigs, they knew their fate 250 00:15:54,840 --> 00:15:58,850 was sealed regardless, right? That it would distract from the 251 00:15:58,860 --> 00:16:02,760 miracle of this man's healing? That by causing chaos alongside 252 00:16:02,770 --> 00:16:06,390 their demise, that they would gain just a small victory in 253 00:16:06,400 --> 00:16:09,930 attempting to undermine Jesus's work. 254 00:16:14,160 --> 00:16:17,440 But let's take a moment to look at the outcome for this man. 255 00:16:19,970 --> 00:16:26,330 So this man has been healed. It says that he is now in his 256 00:16:26,440 --> 00:16:33,600 right mind. He's dressed, so he went from 257 00:16:33,610 --> 00:16:36,290 being naked to being clothed. He went from being out of his 258 00:16:36,300 --> 00:16:48,240 mind to being in his right mind. And the other fascinating thing 259 00:16:49,560 --> 00:16:52,610 is that he's sitting at the feet of Jesus. 260 00:16:53,650 --> 00:16:57,840 What does that remind you of? That's the place of a disciple 261 00:16:58,170 --> 00:17:00,550 who is learning from their teacher. 262 00:17:01,620 --> 00:17:09,319 This man has been truly changed, but not only has this man been 263 00:17:09,329 --> 00:17:13,310 healed, salvation has come to this man. 264 00:17:13,680 --> 00:17:18,849 His entire life has been turned upside down. 265 00:17:19,560 --> 00:17:23,380 Jesus came to this town and he disrupted it, and this town and 266 00:17:23,390 --> 00:17:26,410 this man will never be the same. And he wants to do something 267 00:17:26,420 --> 00:17:29,810 about it. He wants to follow Jesus quite 268 00:17:29,820 --> 00:17:33,690 literally here. So you'll notice the demons, 269 00:17:33,760 --> 00:17:37,150 they begged Jesus to not go into the abyss. 270 00:17:37,280 --> 00:17:40,390 And then this man, once he is healed, what does this say? 271 00:17:40,440 --> 00:17:45,910 The man begged to go with him. Same word, same language, used 272 00:17:45,920 --> 00:17:51,000 in very different ways. So the man begs Jesus to let him 273 00:17:51,010 --> 00:17:52,350 go with him and the other disciples. 274 00:17:53,060 --> 00:17:56,430 And Jesus, you know, I think he respected the man's zeal and the 275 00:17:56,440 --> 00:17:59,840 the man's passion. But he encourages him and he 276 00:17:59,850 --> 00:18:01,950 sort of encouraged him to go in a different route, different 277 00:18:01,960 --> 00:18:05,890 path, and encourages that there's work to be done in their 278 00:18:05,900 --> 00:18:10,890 hometown. He says return home and see how 279 00:18:10,900 --> 00:18:14,870 much God, and I want to point this out, how much God has done 280 00:18:14,880 --> 00:18:17,290 for you. So the man went away and told 281 00:18:17,300 --> 00:18:23,520 over, all over town how much Jesus had done for the man. 282 00:18:24,520 --> 00:18:27,460 I think it's just important to note that you know that Jesus, 283 00:18:27,470 --> 00:18:31,040 again, he is showcasing who he is, his power. 284 00:18:31,110 --> 00:18:35,320 And this man realizes quite intuitively, this man is more 285 00:18:35,370 --> 00:18:39,040 than just a man. I'm going to tell my village who 286 00:18:39,050 --> 00:18:45,150 Jesus is. Jesus wants this man to share 287 00:18:45,160 --> 00:18:49,940 the story of his salvation, to share what God, what Jesus has 288 00:18:49,990 --> 00:18:52,700 done across this region. He wants him to share with 289 00:18:52,710 --> 00:18:56,380 anyone who will listen, anyone who would have known him as this 290 00:18:56,390 --> 00:18:59,220 possessed man. He wants him to go and share the 291 00:18:59,230 --> 00:19:02,200 story of what Jesus has done in his life. 292 00:19:05,090 --> 00:19:07,780 Now the only thing we haven't quite dealt with yet is the 293 00:19:07,790 --> 00:19:14,420 villagers, townspeople. In my mind, they present the 294 00:19:14,430 --> 00:19:17,350 most interesting twist on this narrative, even beyond the fact 295 00:19:17,360 --> 00:19:19,610 that we're dealing with a demon possessed man. 296 00:19:20,480 --> 00:19:24,150 You would think that Jesus healing this man would be a 297 00:19:24,160 --> 00:19:27,630 moment, as I said earlier, to celebrate that this man's life 298 00:19:27,680 --> 00:19:30,560 was restored. But what is their response? 299 00:19:31,830 --> 00:19:39,410 What is their response? They were afraid, Fear. 300 00:19:41,320 --> 00:19:43,780 They find the man sitting at Jesus's feet and it is written 301 00:19:43,790 --> 00:19:46,590 in his right mind and rather than marvelling, no, they were 302 00:19:46,600 --> 00:19:49,130 afraid and not in like the good kind of fear. 303 00:19:50,400 --> 00:19:52,540 And then they find out everything that went down with 304 00:19:52,550 --> 00:19:55,030 the pigs and they asked Jesus to leave. 305 00:19:55,040 --> 00:20:00,420 Why? Because they were overcome with 306 00:20:00,430 --> 00:20:03,300 fear. They were overcome with fear. 307 00:20:04,250 --> 00:20:06,180 A great talked about fear last week. 308 00:20:06,870 --> 00:20:10,880 The disciples were afraid of the storm, rightfully so, And once 309 00:20:10,890 --> 00:20:15,760 the storm was quelled, that fear shifted toward Jesus in a way of 310 00:20:15,770 --> 00:20:19,030 like man, this man has power over the winds and the waves. 311 00:20:19,040 --> 00:20:23,140 This is amazing and kind of terrifying in the best of ways. 312 00:20:23,880 --> 00:20:29,390 This fear seems different. It seems misplaced, like 313 00:20:29,440 --> 00:20:32,070 certainly they were fearful of Jesus's power, there's no 314 00:20:32,080 --> 00:20:34,830 question there. But should they not have been 315 00:20:34,840 --> 00:20:38,410 more afraid of Legion, who's now gone? 316 00:20:41,460 --> 00:20:45,870 Fred Craddock says this. He says even when it is for 317 00:20:45,880 --> 00:20:51,170 good, power that can neither be calculated nor managed is 318 00:20:51,180 --> 00:20:54,270 frightening. Makes sense. 319 00:20:54,820 --> 00:20:57,430 The devil you know, quite literally here, is better than 320 00:20:57,440 --> 00:21:01,730 the savior you don't know. There was a predictability in 321 00:21:01,810 --> 00:21:04,410 their life, and Jesus messed with that. 322 00:21:04,580 --> 00:21:08,490 The townspeople had seemingly learned to cope and coexist with 323 00:21:08,500 --> 00:21:11,910 the evil among them, the possessed man in their presence. 324 00:21:12,000 --> 00:21:14,150 They had guards keeping watch over him. 325 00:21:14,200 --> 00:21:16,250 Maybe that was a paid position, I don't know. 326 00:21:16,340 --> 00:21:19,390 He resided amongst the tombs and he was off in his little corner 327 00:21:19,400 --> 00:21:21,150 of the world, and they just let him do his thing. 328 00:21:21,850 --> 00:21:26,250 They learned to tolerate the evil in their midst, but their 329 00:21:26,260 --> 00:21:30,560 fears seem to go deeper into their insecurities and even 330 00:21:30,570 --> 00:21:32,140 their livelihoods. I mean, think about the 331 00:21:32,150 --> 00:21:35,000 livestock that they lost. We don't like to think about 332 00:21:35,010 --> 00:21:36,740 that. Like, I don't know how many pigs 333 00:21:36,750 --> 00:21:38,960 were in this herd. And all of a sudden, like, could 334 00:21:38,970 --> 00:21:40,680 you imagine? Like, OK, don't imagine. 335 00:21:40,910 --> 00:21:42,020 Never mind. Never mind. 336 00:21:42,090 --> 00:21:46,540 We won't do that. That's gross, but like the truly 337 00:21:46,550 --> 00:21:52,040 tragic loss, I get it. They are so blinded, though, by 338 00:21:52,050 --> 00:21:56,680 what they have lost that they cannot be excited for this man 339 00:21:56,690 --> 00:22:00,860 who has this new lease on life. They can't see beyond their 340 00:22:00,870 --> 00:22:06,030 current situation. The man is healed, the demons 341 00:22:06,040 --> 00:22:11,010 are gone, and the townspeople continue to be angry and afraid. 342 00:22:12,550 --> 00:22:16,820 Jesus showed up at this seemingly random Gentile village 343 00:22:17,410 --> 00:22:21,340 and had a major impact, but it is not without its controversies 344 00:22:21,410 --> 00:22:25,990 or contentions. And this is the nature of Jesus 345 00:22:26,000 --> 00:22:31,480 when he comes to town. When Jesus comes to town, people 346 00:22:31,490 --> 00:22:34,110 are healed. We've seen this time and time 347 00:22:34,120 --> 00:22:36,470 again already in Luke. Wherever he goes around, 348 00:22:36,540 --> 00:22:40,170 remarkable things happen. When he comes around, people are 349 00:22:40,180 --> 00:22:43,470 brought from brokenness into wholeness. 350 00:22:43,540 --> 00:22:48,670 People's stations are uplifted. The outcast are rejected and 351 00:22:48,680 --> 00:22:52,210 embraced and accepted. And this man is no different. 352 00:22:52,220 --> 00:22:56,230 This man personifies so much of what Jesus is healing ministry 353 00:22:56,300 --> 00:22:58,890 was about. He had been possessed for so 354 00:22:58,900 --> 00:23:00,810 long. He was living on the outskirts 355 00:23:00,820 --> 00:23:03,810 of town in these tombs, like the pariah that he was. 356 00:23:04,020 --> 00:23:08,740 He was naked and unhoused. And Jesus heals him, draws him 357 00:23:08,750 --> 00:23:13,070 back into community, back to wearing clothing again, which 358 00:23:13,080 --> 00:23:16,060 I'm sure the the mums and dads of little ones were quite 359 00:23:16,070 --> 00:23:18,980 grateful for so that they could go on their evening walk without 360 00:23:18,990 --> 00:23:20,740 having to shield their kids eyes. 361 00:23:22,000 --> 00:23:25,970 The man returns to a degree of normalcy while recognizing that 362 00:23:25,980 --> 00:23:28,560 his life will never be normal again. 363 00:23:29,610 --> 00:23:34,870 He has been forever changed. As imitators of Christ, we are 364 00:23:34,880 --> 00:23:41,600 called to do the same. It's why we pray and fast when 365 00:23:41,610 --> 00:23:45,370 there are friends among us that need healing. 366 00:23:47,160 --> 00:23:49,870 Our Calling is also that we would bring healing and 367 00:23:49,880 --> 00:23:54,730 restoration to the broken places in our church, in our city, in 368 00:23:54,740 --> 00:23:58,730 our nation and our world. That we'd uplift the station of 369 00:23:58,740 --> 00:24:04,770 those whom society has rejected. That we would restore people to 370 00:24:04,840 --> 00:24:09,110 community. That is Our Calling as well. 371 00:24:11,060 --> 00:24:13,520 When Jesus comes to town. People aren't just healed 372 00:24:13,530 --> 00:24:16,150 though. People are saved just like this 373 00:24:16,160 --> 00:24:18,470 man. In this short turn of events, 374 00:24:18,480 --> 00:24:21,850 this man goes from being a possessed man to being healed. 375 00:24:21,860 --> 00:24:25,650 From being healed to sitting at the feet of Jesus in the 376 00:24:25,660 --> 00:24:31,010 position of a disciple. He was a follower of Jesus just 377 00:24:31,020 --> 00:24:34,230 like that. He didn't just thank Jesus and 378 00:24:34,240 --> 00:24:39,190 move on with his life. His life had been indelibly 379 00:24:39,250 --> 00:24:45,020 changed and he knew it. He owed his life to this man. 380 00:24:47,210 --> 00:24:51,520 This was a moment of conversion for him as the boat was leaving. 381 00:24:51,610 --> 00:24:55,380 This man begs Jesus to let him go with them because he wanted 382 00:24:55,450 --> 00:24:59,960 to dedicate his entire life to this man who saved it. 383 00:25:02,300 --> 00:25:05,940 As imitators of Christ, this is Our Calling as well. 384 00:25:07,280 --> 00:25:10,930 Now we know that it's God that does the saving, but it is for 385 00:25:10,940 --> 00:25:15,130 us to foster a church culture and environment where people can 386 00:25:15,140 --> 00:25:19,440 be transformed by Jesus and follow Jesus. 387 00:25:19,510 --> 00:25:23,820 Where we'd provoke curiosity about Jesus and have meaningful, 388 00:25:23,890 --> 00:25:27,400 transformative conversations with friends, with colleagues, 389 00:25:27,410 --> 00:25:34,250 with neighbors. However, when Jesus comes to 390 00:25:34,260 --> 00:25:40,550 town, it can be disruptive to the local economy, to the 391 00:25:40,560 --> 00:25:43,580 people's way of life. While this one man's life was 392 00:25:43,590 --> 00:25:47,360 changed, the town was obviously very divided over what had 393 00:25:47,370 --> 00:25:49,790 happened. They were fearful they had lost 394 00:25:49,860 --> 00:25:55,000 their main source of income and they ultimately asked Jesus to 395 00:25:55,010 --> 00:26:02,000 leave again. Fred Craddock, smart guy, he 396 00:26:02,010 --> 00:26:04,840 says these words. The Garrison people are not 397 00:26:04,850 --> 00:26:07,350 praising God that a man is healed. 398 00:26:08,010 --> 00:26:11,510 They are counting the cost and finding it too much. 399 00:26:13,010 --> 00:26:17,860 This is the reality of Jesus who imposes on what is comfortable 400 00:26:17,930 --> 00:26:20,160 and normal. Because the ethics of the 401 00:26:20,170 --> 00:26:24,500 Kingdom of God will naturally interfere with how we spend our 402 00:26:24,510 --> 00:26:28,580 resources and our time. It will confront and convict. 403 00:26:28,590 --> 00:26:33,150 And yes, sometimes that means it will repel, as we saw here. 404 00:26:33,750 --> 00:26:38,680 And again, as imitators of Christ, this is Our Calling as 405 00:26:38,690 --> 00:26:40,420 well. Not to repel people 406 00:26:40,430 --> 00:26:42,700 intentionally by the way, that's not what I mean. 407 00:26:43,030 --> 00:26:46,260 That's really easy to do. It's easy to be a jerk Christian 408 00:26:46,270 --> 00:26:49,580 who just puts lots of heavy burdens on Christians and non 409 00:26:49,590 --> 00:26:52,220 Christians alike. That's very easy to do. 410 00:26:52,270 --> 00:26:56,890 Now Our Calling is to live a life that is like a little bit 411 00:26:56,900 --> 00:26:59,410 weird. And I mean that like a beautiful 412 00:26:59,420 --> 00:27:00,730 way. And when people ask me to 413 00:27:00,740 --> 00:27:02,410 describe court, right, I've said this before, but I'll say it 414 00:27:02,420 --> 00:27:03,720 again. When people ask me to describe 415 00:27:03,730 --> 00:27:08,040 court, right, I say court writes a little weird, but like, in the 416 00:27:08,050 --> 00:27:11,700 most beautiful way, like in the most like charming and lovely of 417 00:27:11,710 --> 00:27:14,560 ways. Like my affection in my 6 years 418 00:27:14,570 --> 00:27:17,700 here at this church has grown just immensely. 419 00:27:17,750 --> 00:27:19,580 And, but I still describe you as a little weird. 420 00:27:19,590 --> 00:27:22,450 You're like my weird family. It's, it's, it's a lovely thing. 421 00:27:23,510 --> 00:27:25,740 We're called to be that, though. I think we're called to be 422 00:27:25,750 --> 00:27:28,220 weird. The kind of weird where we live 423 00:27:28,230 --> 00:27:30,850 an intentional community with one another, bringing each other 424 00:27:30,930 --> 00:27:33,100 into different parts of our life. 425 00:27:33,170 --> 00:27:35,680 Over dinner, over coffee, whatever. 426 00:27:37,210 --> 00:27:40,820 It's reworking our personal budgets to be increasingly 427 00:27:40,830 --> 00:27:44,070 generous, to make a difference in our community and across the 428 00:27:44,080 --> 00:27:47,060 world. It's growing a a large urban 429 00:27:47,070 --> 00:27:49,020 garden and giving away all the produce. 430 00:27:49,030 --> 00:27:53,740 Like, that stuff is weird. This is beautiful and it's 431 00:27:53,750 --> 00:27:59,140 disruptive to what we would call in Canada a normal way of life. 432 00:27:59,980 --> 00:28:01,370 That's going to draw some people in. 433 00:28:01,380 --> 00:28:05,570 They're going to be provoked to curiosity, but for others, it's 434 00:28:05,580 --> 00:28:09,110 going to force some to drop out. They're gonna say, oh, that's 435 00:28:09,120 --> 00:28:13,350 that's not for me and that's OK. This is the nature of the 436 00:28:13,360 --> 00:28:17,280 gospel, and it's the nature of life inside the Kingdom of God. 437 00:28:18,960 --> 00:28:25,000 Lastly, when Jesus comes to town, ministry and mission 438 00:28:25,070 --> 00:28:28,280 begin. There are very few moments, as I 439 00:28:28,290 --> 00:28:31,350 said earlier, where Jesus intentionally goes to these 440 00:28:31,360 --> 00:28:36,150 Gentile spaces to to do ministry. 441 00:28:36,500 --> 00:28:40,230 This is the only one that's recorded in the Gospel of Luke. 442 00:28:40,280 --> 00:28:44,930 He was laser focused on his ministry to the people of 443 00:28:44,940 --> 00:28:49,290 Israel. But here in Luke 8, Jesus lays a 444 00:28:49,300 --> 00:28:53,570 foundation for mission. He heals this possessed man who 445 00:28:53,580 --> 00:28:57,230 has his miraculous conversion experience and he wants to 446 00:28:57,240 --> 00:28:59,940 dedicate his life, his whole life, the following Jesus. 447 00:28:59,950 --> 00:29:03,800 But Jesus tells him, no, no, stay here, return home, don't go 448 00:29:03,810 --> 00:29:08,780 anywhere because I want you to be a faithful witness, to bear 449 00:29:08,790 --> 00:29:11,000 witness to what God has done in your life here. 450 00:29:12,650 --> 00:29:14,520 These people have had a first hand experience. 451 00:29:14,530 --> 00:29:17,440 They know who this man was before and they see who this man 452 00:29:17,450 --> 00:29:19,660 is now. Eventually, once once they stop 453 00:29:19,670 --> 00:29:23,900 being so angry about the pigs, maybe they'll be curious to hear 454 00:29:23,910 --> 00:29:28,610 this man's story. He has laid down a foundation 455 00:29:28,620 --> 00:29:32,970 that is going to be amplified up to 10 in the book of Acts, and 456 00:29:32,980 --> 00:29:38,190 it continues to this day. The ministry of Jesus to the 457 00:29:38,200 --> 00:29:43,850 nations. Jesus was not permitted to do 458 00:29:43,860 --> 00:29:47,410 any more work in this region as they forced him to leave. 459 00:29:47,740 --> 00:29:51,640 But that, I want to be very clear, does not mean that the 460 00:29:51,650 --> 00:29:56,050 gospel was hindered here. You need to know that because 461 00:29:56,060 --> 00:30:01,900 there was a man who stayed, his life was changed by Jesus and he 462 00:30:01,910 --> 00:30:05,840 would surely go on to share his story with anyone who would 463 00:30:05,850 --> 00:30:11,130 listen. As imitators of Christ, this is 464 00:30:11,140 --> 00:30:16,960 also Our Calling. Most of us in this room will not 465 00:30:17,030 --> 00:30:22,480 be called to international mission work, but we are all 466 00:30:22,530 --> 00:30:29,900 called to mission like this man. Most of us are called to stay. 467 00:30:29,970 --> 00:30:34,500 We're called to share the story of God in our lives. 468 00:30:34,570 --> 00:30:38,080 We're called to share the story of the trials we have been 469 00:30:38,090 --> 00:30:41,260 through, that God in his faithfulness in the midst of 470 00:30:41,270 --> 00:30:43,940 those trials. The stories of healing where God 471 00:30:43,950 --> 00:30:47,750 has been at work in our broken situations and has brought us to 472 00:30:47,760 --> 00:30:52,510 wholeness, where God has restored us back into community 473 00:30:52,580 --> 00:30:57,850 and life. We are living testimonies of God 474 00:30:57,920 --> 00:31:06,730 at work, and our stories may be the gateway for others to 475 00:31:06,740 --> 00:31:12,200 understand the story. The story of Jesus's life, his 476 00:31:12,210 --> 00:31:17,840 death and his resurrection. And as they see Jesus mirrored 477 00:31:17,850 --> 00:31:21,720 in our lives, in my life and in your life, that they may be 478 00:31:21,730 --> 00:31:27,640 provoked into curiosity to grow in a knowledge of who Jesus is. 479 00:31:29,050 --> 00:31:41,800 Let me pray God, would you help us to be like this healed man 480 00:31:43,200 --> 00:31:49,250 who has been through an amazing conversion experience and is 481 00:31:49,260 --> 00:31:57,520 willing to share his story to to have A to have had a a true 482 00:31:57,530 --> 00:32:01,660 encounter with Jesus. God, we are just grateful for 483 00:32:01,670 --> 00:32:04,120 our stories and the things that you have brought us through, the 484 00:32:04,130 --> 00:32:07,480 trials you have brought us through, even through doubts and 485 00:32:07,490 --> 00:32:13,440 fear, through broken situations. God, you have brought us 486 00:32:13,450 --> 00:32:17,600 through. Would you allow us to enter into 487 00:32:17,930 --> 00:32:21,540 those stories in a more deep way that would allow us to Share 488 00:32:21,550 --> 00:32:26,080 your story, the story of your redemptive work in our lives? 489 00:32:29,340 --> 00:32:32,310 Just pray for all of us, no matter where we are, no matter 490 00:32:32,320 --> 00:32:35,730 what we are encountering. Maybe we're in the middle of 491 00:32:35,740 --> 00:32:37,510 that right now. Maybe we're we're in the middle 492 00:32:37,520 --> 00:32:40,150 of these challenging situations. What? 493 00:32:40,160 --> 00:32:42,890 Wherever we find ourselves this morning, God, would you meet us 494 00:32:42,900 --> 00:32:45,820 where we are? Would you bring us to the other 495 00:32:45,830 --> 00:32:51,650 side and would we use these stories for your glory and your 496 00:32:51,660 --> 00:32:55,430 honor? I pray this all in Jesus name, 497 00:32:56,670 --> 00:32:58,220 Amen. Amen.