1 00:00:00,600 --> 00:00:03,920 All right, so you can turn in your Bible to Matthew Chapter 8. 2 00:00:07,240 --> 00:00:09,520 Today we will finish Matthew Chapter 8. 3 00:00:12,960 --> 00:00:15,800 This series has been so good just because the word of God is 4 00:00:15,800 --> 00:00:19,080 so good. There's been so much light, so 5 00:00:19,080 --> 00:00:21,080 much helps. There's so much growth, so much 6 00:00:21,080 --> 00:00:24,360 maturity that comes as we look through the Gospels. 7 00:00:24,720 --> 00:00:28,320 The Gospels are so full. There's always something there. 8 00:00:28,560 --> 00:00:32,759 The Gospels were intended to be read, you know, in in in a 9 00:00:32,759 --> 00:00:34,560 sitting. That was the point, like, hey, 10 00:00:34,560 --> 00:00:36,760 beginning to end. These were letters that were 11 00:00:36,760 --> 00:00:39,880 written. So a quick reading of Matthew 12 00:00:39,880 --> 00:00:42,800 will give you a certain perspective, but a more studied 13 00:00:43,040 --> 00:00:46,000 reading gives us that and much, much more. 14 00:00:46,200 --> 00:00:49,080 So we want both, and we're going to continue to consider both. 15 00:00:49,080 --> 00:00:52,160 So what would a what would a quick reader of Matthew take 16 00:00:52,160 --> 00:00:55,160 away from this passage? And then we're going to continue 17 00:00:55,160 --> 00:00:57,720 to dive in and say, but what other gems are here? 18 00:00:58,000 --> 00:01:00,040 The word of God is living and active. 19 00:01:00,040 --> 00:01:01,840 It's not just historical narrative. 20 00:01:02,040 --> 00:01:04,040 It's not just, hey, this happened in the past. 21 00:01:04,239 --> 00:01:06,120 Now you have the facts of what took place. 22 00:01:06,320 --> 00:01:07,840 The word of God is also powerful. 23 00:01:08,360 --> 00:01:11,560 It's not just a history book, but this is the word of the 24 00:01:11,560 --> 00:01:15,240 living God for his people. So the passage that we're going 25 00:01:15,240 --> 00:01:18,280 to read today, it continues to reveal Jesus's authority. 26 00:01:19,200 --> 00:01:22,280 The Jewish readers like us up until this point would be 27 00:01:22,280 --> 00:01:25,200 stunned by all of Jesus's power on display. 28 00:01:25,600 --> 00:01:27,560 His genealogy. Remember at the beginning of 29 00:01:27,560 --> 00:01:31,160 Matthew, Matthew wrote the. He he wrote his gospel for the 30 00:01:31,160 --> 00:01:33,280 Jews. So he starts with the genealogy. 31 00:01:33,280 --> 00:01:36,440 We're just kind of going so and so had so and so so and so had 32 00:01:36,440 --> 00:01:38,960 so and so like this isn't that big of a deal to me, but we 33 00:01:38,960 --> 00:01:40,880 studied it and we said wow, this is awesome. 34 00:01:41,760 --> 00:01:44,040 This is awesome because it's prophecy fulfilled. 35 00:01:44,640 --> 00:01:46,560 This is showing who the Messiah had to come through. 36 00:01:46,560 --> 00:01:48,960 This is also awesome because we see the gospel being preached 37 00:01:49,200 --> 00:01:51,360 through all that. We see who God would use in the 38 00:01:51,360 --> 00:01:54,120 process. So we saw the genealogy of Jesus 39 00:01:54,120 --> 00:01:56,760 laid out. We see the morality of Jesus 40 00:01:56,960 --> 00:01:58,840 displayed. How do we see his morality? 41 00:01:58,840 --> 00:02:00,800 We see him resisting temptation of the Devil. 42 00:02:01,200 --> 00:02:05,160 So the Jews would be expecting their Messiah to not just be 43 00:02:05,600 --> 00:02:08,039 good, but to be perfect. And of course the Messiah is 44 00:02:08,039 --> 00:02:10,199 perfect. So Jesus is moral as he resists 45 00:02:10,199 --> 00:02:13,920 Satan's temptations. We see Jesus fulfill the 46 00:02:13,920 --> 00:02:16,480 prophets over and over. That's why Matthew keeps saying 47 00:02:16,480 --> 00:02:19,800 as it was written. And then we see His instruction, 48 00:02:19,840 --> 00:02:22,320 We see His teaching, we see His miracles. 49 00:02:22,520 --> 00:02:25,080 And in this passage that we're going to read, we continue to 50 00:02:25,080 --> 00:02:30,000 see his dominance and his power. Jesus is this wave that just 51 00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:33,600 never stops crashing. He never lands fully and then 52 00:02:33,600 --> 00:02:36,280 washes away and Withers. He is this massive wave. 53 00:02:36,280 --> 00:02:38,920 He just He comes and he keeps coming and he keeps coming and 54 00:02:38,920 --> 00:02:40,840 you're going. He just doesn't stop. 55 00:02:41,040 --> 00:02:42,520 That's right. That's what Jesus is like. 56 00:02:42,520 --> 00:02:45,160 That's what his Kingdom is like. That's what his reign is like. 57 00:02:45,160 --> 00:02:48,440 That's what his power is like. The gospels just continue to 58 00:02:48,440 --> 00:02:49,440 swell. You're going. 59 00:02:49,720 --> 00:02:52,320 What can he not do? He heals. 60 00:02:52,680 --> 00:02:55,360 That's amazing. He controls the weather. 61 00:02:55,600 --> 00:02:58,600 That's amazing. He drives out demons. 62 00:02:58,600 --> 00:03:02,400 Demons beg him for mercy. That's amazing. 63 00:03:02,920 --> 00:03:06,080 Oh, he dies. Oh, I guess that's the end of 64 00:03:06,080 --> 00:03:07,800 it. No, it's not. 65 00:03:08,120 --> 00:03:11,040 He comes back to life and he rules and reigns on the throne 66 00:03:11,040 --> 00:03:12,560 forever. That's amazing. 67 00:03:12,600 --> 00:03:15,720 Jesus is amazing. There's nobody like Jesus. 68 00:03:15,720 --> 00:03:19,640 Amen. We're in verse 28, so remember 69 00:03:19,640 --> 00:03:21,560 we just said we were going to, He said, we're getting in the 70 00:03:21,560 --> 00:03:23,000 boat, we're going to the other side. 71 00:03:23,520 --> 00:03:27,120 The storm came up. He called the storm in verse 27 72 00:03:27,120 --> 00:03:30,280 and the men marvelled, saying what sort of man is this, that 73 00:03:30,280 --> 00:03:32,800 even the wind and the sea obey him? 74 00:03:33,840 --> 00:03:36,560 Verse 28. And when he came to the other 75 00:03:36,560 --> 00:03:41,320 side, to the country of the Gadarenes, 2 demon possessed men 76 00:03:41,320 --> 00:03:46,080 met him coming out of the tombs so fierce that no one could pass 77 00:03:46,080 --> 00:03:47,680 that way. These are violent men. 78 00:03:48,040 --> 00:03:50,240 They were naked men. They would shriek. 79 00:03:50,280 --> 00:03:54,240 Other gospel accounts tell us that these guys were just lost, 80 00:03:54,920 --> 00:03:59,560 a horrifying sight, living in the tombs, shrieking, screaming, 81 00:03:59,760 --> 00:04:02,320 violent. Sometimes there were times where 82 00:04:02,320 --> 00:04:04,400 they had chained them up in hopes to contain them. 83 00:04:04,400 --> 00:04:08,160 They broke the chains. So these men are dangerous to 84 00:04:08,160 --> 00:04:10,160 most people, very scary to most people. 85 00:04:12,040 --> 00:04:15,320 Verse 29 and behold, they cried out. 86 00:04:15,920 --> 00:04:18,920 What have you to do with us, O son of God? 87 00:04:19,640 --> 00:04:21,640 Have you come here to torment us? 88 00:04:21,959 --> 00:04:25,720 Before the time now a herd of pigs was feeding at some 89 00:04:25,720 --> 00:04:29,640 distance from them, and the demons begged him, saying, if 90 00:04:29,640 --> 00:04:32,800 you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs. 91 00:04:33,320 --> 00:04:38,160 And he said to them, go, So they came out and went into the pigs. 92 00:04:38,160 --> 00:04:41,760 And behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into 93 00:04:41,760 --> 00:04:44,320 the sea and drowned in the waters. 94 00:04:44,800 --> 00:04:47,800 The herdsmen, the guys who have been hurting, the pigs, they 95 00:04:47,800 --> 00:04:50,720 fled. And going into the city they 96 00:04:50,720 --> 00:04:54,400 told everything. You just lost 2000 pigs. 97 00:04:54,760 --> 00:04:58,080 You just lost a lot of wealth, a lot of resource, a lot of money. 98 00:04:58,240 --> 00:05:01,520 You run into the city, you tell everybody everything, especially 99 00:05:01,720 --> 00:05:03,800 what had happened to the demon possessed men. 100 00:05:04,560 --> 00:05:08,040 And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus. 101 00:05:08,280 --> 00:05:13,080 And when they saw him, they begged him to leave their 102 00:05:13,160 --> 00:05:16,520 region. Heavenly Father, thank you so 103 00:05:16,520 --> 00:05:18,640 much for your perfect word. It's true. 104 00:05:18,640 --> 00:05:19,720 It's alive. It's active. 105 00:05:19,720 --> 00:05:22,520 It tells us what happened. But it also tells us something 106 00:05:22,520 --> 00:05:24,600 today about us. It tells us something today, 107 00:05:24,600 --> 00:05:26,200 today, about the moment that we live in. 108 00:05:26,520 --> 00:05:29,160 It tells us about who you are. It tells us about human nature, 109 00:05:29,840 --> 00:05:33,920 and it equips us. It encourages us, it challenges 110 00:05:33,920 --> 00:05:37,920 us, and it blesses us. Lord, help us to be like the 111 00:05:37,920 --> 00:05:42,040 King Jesus, the ultimate disciple, maker, who goes far 112 00:05:42,040 --> 00:05:45,240 and wide, who Patrick followed in his footsteps, going far and 113 00:05:45,240 --> 00:05:49,560 wide to his enemies, to those who weren't even welcoming to 114 00:05:49,560 --> 00:05:54,480 carry the goodness of your gospel as salt and light. 115 00:05:54,480 --> 00:05:58,720 That's our desire as well. Open our eyes to receive all you 116 00:05:58,720 --> 00:06:01,800 have for us right now. In Jesus name we thank you. 117 00:06:02,400 --> 00:06:07,440 Amen. So Jesus goes to the other side, 118 00:06:07,760 --> 00:06:10,320 the the lake that he crosses, the Sea of Galilee. 119 00:06:10,320 --> 00:06:13,680 It's called the Sea of Galilee, but it's a lake about 8 miles by 120 00:06:13,680 --> 00:06:16,800 11 miles. So you know it's a lake he 121 00:06:16,800 --> 00:06:19,200 crosses over. And in this other region, we're 122 00:06:19,200 --> 00:06:22,440 still in Israel here, but there's a large influence of 123 00:06:22,440 --> 00:06:26,560 Gentiles. So there's a lot of anti Jewish 124 00:06:26,560 --> 00:06:29,040 behavior taking place as evidenced by the fact that 125 00:06:29,040 --> 00:06:31,120 there's 2000 pigs being herded here. 126 00:06:31,440 --> 00:06:34,040 So pigs are unclean animals, We're not supposed to touch 127 00:06:34,040 --> 00:06:35,240 them, we're not supposed to eat them. 128 00:06:35,480 --> 00:06:38,720 Not only are we touching them and eating them, we're we've got 129 00:06:38,760 --> 00:06:42,360 a big piece of our economy is happening built off of raising 130 00:06:42,360 --> 00:06:44,760 pigs. So we don't know who's gentile 131 00:06:44,760 --> 00:06:47,000 and who's Jew necessarily over here on the other side of the 132 00:06:47,000 --> 00:06:50,560 lake, but we do know that this is a demonic place because we 133 00:06:50,560 --> 00:06:52,360 know that Satan has a lot of influence here. 134 00:06:52,760 --> 00:06:54,880 Maybe This is why some people wouldn't have followed Jesus 135 00:06:54,880 --> 00:06:56,920 over there. I followed him over here where 136 00:06:56,920 --> 00:06:58,920 it's comfortable, where it's clean, where it's good. 137 00:06:59,080 --> 00:07:00,920 But I'm not going to follow him over there if he's going over to 138 00:07:00,920 --> 00:07:04,480 the Gadarenes, like also depending on where he lands, 139 00:07:04,480 --> 00:07:06,760 like I know I've heard about a couple demon possessed guys over 140 00:07:06,760 --> 00:07:08,680 there. Like I don't want any part of 141 00:07:08,680 --> 00:07:09,920 that. I don't have anything to do with 142 00:07:09,920 --> 00:07:11,680 it. So there's a lot of wicked 143 00:07:11,680 --> 00:07:14,080 things going on. This place needs the Kingdom. 144 00:07:14,800 --> 00:07:17,760 Not only do people disobey God's commands, but you know, they're 145 00:07:17,760 --> 00:07:20,520 building big business out of it. Here we have a herd of at least 146 00:07:20,520 --> 00:07:23,440 2000 pigs. Where there's darkness, though, 147 00:07:23,800 --> 00:07:26,480 light is going to move in. So Jesus is going. 148 00:07:26,880 --> 00:07:28,440 Where is it dark? Well, that's where I'm going to 149 00:07:28,440 --> 00:07:30,240 head. That's always where I'm going to 150 00:07:30,240 --> 00:07:32,040 pursue. He didn't stay where it was 151 00:07:32,040 --> 00:07:33,480 comfortable. He didn't stay where it was 152 00:07:33,480 --> 00:07:35,520 familiar. He went where there was a need. 153 00:07:35,920 --> 00:07:39,160 In Mark, Chapter 2, Mark. Mark is actually telling us 154 00:07:39,160 --> 00:07:42,360 right in Chapter 2, verse 17, about the calling of Matthew, 155 00:07:42,360 --> 00:07:44,360 which we're going to get to in Chapter 9 of Matthew. 156 00:07:44,520 --> 00:07:46,880 Matthew hasn't even been called yet as a disciple up until this 157 00:07:46,880 --> 00:07:48,600 point. He's giving us all the accounts 158 00:07:48,600 --> 00:07:50,360 from the other disciples as they were given to him. 159 00:07:51,600 --> 00:07:54,680 But from Chapter 9 on, Matthew is going to be eyewitness to 160 00:07:54,680 --> 00:07:56,000 everything that was taking place. 161 00:07:56,520 --> 00:07:58,520 But what What did? What was happening in Mark 162 00:07:58,520 --> 00:08:02,520 chapter 2? Jesus said those who are well 163 00:08:02,800 --> 00:08:06,000 have no need for a physician, but only those who are sick. 164 00:08:06,640 --> 00:08:09,640 I came not to call the righteous, but sinners. 165 00:08:09,960 --> 00:08:12,400 So this is how our Lord sees things, and this is how we as 166 00:08:12,400 --> 00:08:14,880 well should see things. Now, I feel called to go to 167 00:08:14,880 --> 00:08:16,280 these people. I feel called to go to those 168 00:08:16,280 --> 00:08:17,640 people. Well, the whole world needs the 169 00:08:17,640 --> 00:08:20,000 gospel. And in particular, the darker it 170 00:08:20,000 --> 00:08:22,720 is, the more the church is attracted to that, the more the 171 00:08:22,720 --> 00:08:24,880 church goes, oh, oh, that's dark. 172 00:08:25,560 --> 00:08:27,160 That's got my name written all over it. 173 00:08:27,480 --> 00:08:29,880 That's, that's, that's the mission that the Lord has called 174 00:08:29,880 --> 00:08:32,039 me to. If you're grieved by something, 175 00:08:32,559 --> 00:08:34,960 if something that you see is dark, if something that you see 176 00:08:34,960 --> 00:08:37,000 moves you, there's a purpose for that. 177 00:08:37,600 --> 00:08:39,640 There's a reason that that thing's stirring inside of you. 178 00:08:39,720 --> 00:08:41,760 When you see darkness, you should ask the Lord. 179 00:08:41,760 --> 00:08:44,120 And you can do this very quickly, very, very quickly. 180 00:08:44,280 --> 00:08:46,480 When you see darkness, when you've got that grief that hits 181 00:08:46,480 --> 00:08:50,040 you, When the Holy Spirit inside of you is grieved by situation 182 00:08:50,040 --> 00:08:53,520 or scenario rather than just going, that's so sad. 183 00:08:53,520 --> 00:08:55,360 Well, it is sad, but that didn't do anything. 184 00:08:55,760 --> 00:08:58,720 Nothing just changed by you. It's good that you have the 185 00:08:58,720 --> 00:09:00,480 compassion of God in you. That's the right thing. 186 00:09:00,480 --> 00:09:02,760 But let me teach you. What is your next step to do 187 00:09:03,080 --> 00:09:05,920 when you see darkness? Ask the Lord quickly. 188 00:09:06,040 --> 00:09:09,560 What would you have me do, Lord? Maybe he'll tell you to pray 189 00:09:09,680 --> 00:09:12,720 that's action that will actually make power available, that will 190 00:09:12,720 --> 00:09:14,040 actually do and change something. 191 00:09:14,240 --> 00:09:16,000 Maybe he'll give you other instructions. 192 00:09:16,160 --> 00:09:19,240 Maybe he'll say I want you to go and minister in this way. 193 00:09:19,400 --> 00:09:20,920 But you know what he's not going to say? 194 00:09:21,080 --> 00:09:25,000 He's not going to say nothing. And of course, that's why some 195 00:09:25,000 --> 00:09:27,720 people don't pray, because they know that the Lord's going to 196 00:09:27,720 --> 00:09:28,680 answer. Lord, would you have me do in 197 00:09:28,680 --> 00:09:31,760 that situation? Well, the disciple prays that 198 00:09:31,760 --> 00:09:34,720 way. That's the what the faithful 199 00:09:34,720 --> 00:09:38,080 disciple asks and looks for. How can I be of service, Lord, 200 00:09:38,080 --> 00:09:41,480 if you're the head and I'm the body, then I want to submit to 201 00:09:41,480 --> 00:09:45,040 your will. To love God and to love neighbor 202 00:09:45,200 --> 00:09:49,240 enough to act in ways that we would not have acted before we 203 00:09:49,240 --> 00:09:51,680 came through the cross. Just like we talked about 204 00:09:51,680 --> 00:09:55,720 Patrick this morning. Slave in a land for six years. 205 00:09:55,720 --> 00:10:00,000 Kidnapped as a teenager. Goes home for six years or no, 206 00:10:00,000 --> 00:10:01,280 sorry. Slave for six years. 207 00:10:01,560 --> 00:10:06,280 Goes home and eventually returns with a with a love for these 208 00:10:06,280 --> 00:10:07,800 people. It's a love. 209 00:10:07,800 --> 00:10:11,360 It's not a yes Lord as your slave, I'll go in. 210 00:10:11,440 --> 00:10:13,720 In one sense, yeah, we're we're slaves to the Lord. 211 00:10:14,200 --> 00:10:16,480 But it was a love for the people that he said, I want to go see 212 00:10:16,480 --> 00:10:19,640 these people walk in freedom. They're walking in darkness. 213 00:10:19,960 --> 00:10:22,840 These people are in bondage. That's what everything is 214 00:10:22,840 --> 00:10:24,880 outside of Jesus. I've got some friends. 215 00:10:24,880 --> 00:10:27,400 They seem really happy, except that they're not outside of 216 00:10:27,400 --> 00:10:29,600 Christ. There's always bondage outside 217 00:10:29,600 --> 00:10:33,200 of Jesus because we're always slave to something or someone. 218 00:10:33,400 --> 00:10:36,680 If you're not a slave to Christ, you are a slave to your sin. 219 00:10:37,040 --> 00:10:39,080 If you're not a slave to Christ, you're a slave to your own 220 00:10:39,080 --> 00:10:41,160 flesh. If you're not a slave to Christ 221 00:10:41,520 --> 00:10:44,680 now, it might look decent on the surface, but in the end it leads 222 00:10:44,680 --> 00:10:46,280 to death. There is a way that seems right 223 00:10:46,280 --> 00:10:49,040 to a man. It seems good, and it might even 224 00:10:49,040 --> 00:10:53,040 yield decent fruit along the way as you accidentally sprinkle in 225 00:10:53,040 --> 00:10:55,560 Kingdom concepts and the Lord's principles. 226 00:10:56,160 --> 00:11:00,000 But to actually have the King himself is the only guarantee of 227 00:11:00,000 --> 00:11:03,880 blessing, of provision. So as you come, as you because 228 00:11:03,880 --> 00:11:07,120 you have come through the cross, you're now salt that's here to 229 00:11:07,120 --> 00:11:09,200 preserve the world. Because you have come through 230 00:11:09,200 --> 00:11:12,000 the cross, you're now light that's here to guide the world. 231 00:11:12,560 --> 00:11:15,320 And you should have this this idea that says I will not be 232 00:11:15,320 --> 00:11:17,320 obsolete. Like we keep saying, I won't 233 00:11:17,320 --> 00:11:19,920 just be a part of the crowd. I like the Lord. 234 00:11:20,360 --> 00:11:23,280 I like His blessings, but I don't want to be a part of his 235 00:11:23,280 --> 00:11:25,760 mission. But instead of the disciples are 236 00:11:25,760 --> 00:11:28,720 going, I mean, I wonder what they were doing as these men 237 00:11:28,720 --> 00:11:32,080 come running after him, other gospel accounts tell us more 238 00:11:32,520 --> 00:11:34,680 other gospel accounts, in case you're confused, you say, wait, 239 00:11:34,920 --> 00:11:37,000 I thought there was one man depending on which gospel you've 240 00:11:37,000 --> 00:11:39,720 read. Well, other gospel accounts say, 241 00:11:39,720 --> 00:11:42,920 you know, a man came out to meet Jesus and he had many demons 242 00:11:42,920 --> 00:11:44,720 inside of him. You go, wait a second, was it 243 00:11:44,720 --> 00:11:46,880 one guy or was it 2 guys? I thought the Bible's perfect. 244 00:11:46,880 --> 00:11:49,040 Did we just find a flaw and a contradiction? 245 00:11:49,280 --> 00:11:51,120 No. So whenever we have gospel 246 00:11:51,120 --> 00:11:53,120 accounts like that, it's a really, really simple 247 00:11:53,120 --> 00:11:55,000 explanation. There were two men. 248 00:11:55,960 --> 00:11:58,560 There were two men. One gospel writer emphasized 249 00:11:58,560 --> 00:12:01,040 someone in particular. Maybe one of them had stepped 250 00:12:01,040 --> 00:12:03,160 forward. Maybe the other was farther back 251 00:12:03,160 --> 00:12:05,120 in the distance. Maybe this guy's kind of the the 252 00:12:05,120 --> 00:12:07,040 spokesman for the two. Who knows? 253 00:12:07,200 --> 00:12:08,720 But this isn't anything to trip you up. 254 00:12:08,720 --> 00:12:11,280 This is just very simple, very simple explanations. 255 00:12:11,280 --> 00:12:12,840 Here. There were definitely two guys. 256 00:12:12,840 --> 00:12:14,360 How do you know? Because the Scripture says so. 257 00:12:14,720 --> 00:12:17,120 And the other account that talks about one, he's just emphasizing 258 00:12:17,120 --> 00:12:19,880 a particular detail, just highlighting a particular thing. 259 00:12:19,880 --> 00:12:23,600 So anytime you see slight changes in the gospel accounts, 260 00:12:23,880 --> 00:12:26,360 the stories haven't lost their truth. 261 00:12:26,640 --> 00:12:30,120 It's just that something is being emphasized for a 262 00:12:30,120 --> 00:12:34,040 particular reason. So these two men are dangerous 263 00:12:35,000 --> 00:12:37,360 because of Satan's grip on them. They're a threat to others. 264 00:12:37,360 --> 00:12:41,040 They stay in the tombs with dead bodies, which are also unclean. 265 00:12:41,320 --> 00:12:44,080 Like, this is a this is like a horror movie, right? 266 00:12:44,440 --> 00:12:46,680 Like, just this is really, really weird. 267 00:12:46,680 --> 00:12:49,920 This is really, really dark. But that's what Jesus does. 268 00:12:49,960 --> 00:12:53,200 Jesus comes to rescue dead men. Jesus comes to rescue these 269 00:12:53,200 --> 00:12:56,120 zombie like men. Jesus comes to rescue somebody 270 00:12:56,360 --> 00:12:59,520 and totally restore them. Other gospel accounts tell us 271 00:12:59,720 --> 00:13:02,920 that these men were restored, they were clothed and they were 272 00:13:02,920 --> 00:13:07,600 in their right mind. I mean, what a night and day 273 00:13:07,600 --> 00:13:08,960 turn around. What a 180. 274 00:13:09,120 --> 00:13:12,160 The Kingdom of darkness. These men were trophies of Satan 275 00:13:12,560 --> 00:13:14,560 and now they're trophies of the Lord Jesus Christ. 276 00:13:14,720 --> 00:13:17,000 He comes over here because he loves them. 277 00:13:18,040 --> 00:13:21,440 Look at verse 29 and behold they cried out. 278 00:13:21,640 --> 00:13:24,240 What have you to do with us, O son of God? 279 00:13:24,400 --> 00:13:28,240 Have you come here to torment us before the time? 280 00:13:28,240 --> 00:13:31,680 I'm going to ask you two questions. 281 00:13:31,720 --> 00:13:33,440 The answer to both of them is Jesus. 282 00:13:33,560 --> 00:13:39,280 Say with boldness. Who are demons scared of Jesus? 283 00:13:39,280 --> 00:13:40,920 Who torments demons? Jesus. 284 00:13:42,040 --> 00:13:44,000 So notice what demons do in the Bible. 285 00:13:44,000 --> 00:13:45,640 Whenever they approach Jesus, they go. 286 00:13:46,280 --> 00:13:48,920 Please don't hurt me. Please don't torture me. 287 00:13:49,080 --> 00:13:52,880 I know you're going to torture me for all eternity, but have 288 00:13:52,880 --> 00:13:54,720 you come to do it before? It's not time yet. 289 00:13:55,080 --> 00:13:57,120 I didn't think it was time yet. We know it's coming. 290 00:13:57,440 --> 00:13:59,040 The demons understand their future. 291 00:13:59,680 --> 00:14:01,680 They know what's coming. Where? 292 00:14:01,680 --> 00:14:04,600 Where is this recorded? This is in Revelation 20, verse 293 00:14:04,600 --> 00:14:07,520 10. And the devil who had deceived 294 00:14:07,520 --> 00:14:10,840 the people was thrown into the lake of fire and sulphur where 295 00:14:10,840 --> 00:14:12,920 the beast and the and the false prophet were. 296 00:14:13,160 --> 00:14:18,000 And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. 297 00:14:18,480 --> 00:14:20,840 This is Satan's finish. This is all all the fallen 298 00:14:20,840 --> 00:14:24,360 angels, all the demons. This is their finale, tormented 299 00:14:24,360 --> 00:14:28,640 day and night at the will of God forever and ever and ever. 300 00:14:29,120 --> 00:14:32,920 Hell was designed only for Satan and his demons, and now through 301 00:14:32,920 --> 00:14:37,760 the rejection of Christ, we also will join Satan as our Father, 302 00:14:37,760 --> 00:14:40,360 as our master, if we reject the Lord Jesus Christ. 303 00:14:40,880 --> 00:14:44,880 So Hell was never intended for humans, and yet anyone who 304 00:14:44,880 --> 00:14:47,880 rejects the blood of Jesus cannot be in the presence of 305 00:14:47,880 --> 00:14:49,600 God. Anyone who doesn't love and 306 00:14:49,600 --> 00:14:53,240 follow Christ cannot have the glory and grace of God that he 307 00:14:53,240 --> 00:14:57,160 has provided to them. So they know they said that this 308 00:14:57,160 --> 00:14:59,440 is coming at the appointed time, right? 309 00:14:59,960 --> 00:15:03,640 But this is very different from what media movies always 310 00:15:03,640 --> 00:15:05,960 portray. Demons is this powerful, 311 00:15:05,960 --> 00:15:08,680 powerful thing and humans are just at their mercy. 312 00:15:08,880 --> 00:15:11,080 Humans outside of Christ are at their mercy. 313 00:15:11,480 --> 00:15:14,240 This is why the ministry of exorcism in the church is so 314 00:15:14,240 --> 00:15:16,480 important. This is why every Christian 315 00:15:16,480 --> 00:15:18,760 should know that you are an exorcist. 316 00:15:19,360 --> 00:15:23,400 Jesus is an exorcist. The body of Christ should cast 317 00:15:23,400 --> 00:15:25,720 out demons. The body of Christ moves into 318 00:15:25,720 --> 00:15:29,320 dark and demonic situations and says you have no power here, you 319 00:15:29,320 --> 00:15:31,360 have no authority here. Doesn't matter if somebody's 320 00:15:31,360 --> 00:15:35,080 growling, foaming at the mouth, contorting Slytherin on the 321 00:15:35,080 --> 00:15:37,640 ground. Irrelevant, irrelevant 322 00:15:37,640 --> 00:15:40,880 theatrics. Irrelevant theatrics for the 323 00:15:40,880 --> 00:15:42,560 Saint who walks in the power of Christ. 324 00:15:42,960 --> 00:15:44,960 I can't do anything about that. No, I can't. 325 00:15:45,320 --> 00:15:47,520 I can't. I can't heal a mosquito if he 326 00:15:47,520 --> 00:15:50,000 had a headache. And I and my own power can't 327 00:15:50,280 --> 00:15:53,520 make a a spiritual, unseen thing go somewhere. 328 00:15:53,800 --> 00:15:56,680 I can't do anything but in the power of Jesus. 329 00:15:56,680 --> 00:15:59,560 In the name of Jesus, with the authority of Jesus. 330 00:15:59,760 --> 00:16:03,120 This is what Jesus he said. I send you out into the world to 331 00:16:03,120 --> 00:16:05,960 go and do the works that I've done and greater works will you 332 00:16:05,960 --> 00:16:11,640 do so. Healing, preaching, delivering 333 00:16:12,080 --> 00:16:15,080 Where is there Darkness Saints? You're well equipped. 334 00:16:15,480 --> 00:16:17,440 You're well equipped to cast out demons. 335 00:16:18,000 --> 00:16:21,320 The scriptures don't spend a lot of time giving us formulas and 336 00:16:21,320 --> 00:16:24,600 giving us instruction. Here's 7 simple steps to cast 337 00:16:24,600 --> 00:16:27,200 out any demon. We don't get that. 338 00:16:27,200 --> 00:16:29,720 We just see Jesus walking in authority. 339 00:16:29,880 --> 00:16:33,480 We see the Saints walking in authority and we see that demons 340 00:16:33,760 --> 00:16:36,560 are cast out and Christ didn't didn't see fit to get into 341 00:16:36,560 --> 00:16:38,520 detail. So I think we should be led by 342 00:16:38,520 --> 00:16:40,240 the Holy Spirit. I think we should expect his 343 00:16:40,240 --> 00:16:42,840 direction and his instruction to us in those moments. 344 00:16:42,840 --> 00:16:44,920 I think we should say God, what would you have me do? 345 00:16:44,920 --> 00:16:47,200 What would you have me say? Holy Spirit, what do you want? 346 00:16:47,360 --> 00:16:49,720 I know what the word says. Did I just is it just shut up 347 00:16:49,720 --> 00:16:51,280 and come out? I can do that, Lord. 348 00:16:51,280 --> 00:16:53,240 But what would you have me do in this moment? 349 00:16:54,000 --> 00:16:57,800 And to not be moved, to not be fazed by anything that happens 350 00:16:58,280 --> 00:17:00,760 because we're set and settled in the word of God as final. 351 00:17:01,280 --> 00:17:04,640 Jesus has all authority. Demons are scared of Jesus. 352 00:17:05,520 --> 00:17:06,880 You have nothing to be afraid of. 353 00:17:07,079 --> 00:17:10,160 Men, women, boys and girls you should not fear. 354 00:17:10,160 --> 00:17:12,480 Demons call upon the name of Jesus. 355 00:17:12,800 --> 00:17:16,480 If there's any supernatural activity in your life, if it 356 00:17:16,480 --> 00:17:19,480 does not come from heaven, it originates from hell. 357 00:17:20,480 --> 00:17:23,400 So we're not interested in anything that might be sticking 358 00:17:23,400 --> 00:17:25,079 around. There are plenty of people who 359 00:17:25,079 --> 00:17:27,119 have experienced lots of supernatural things in their 360 00:17:27,119 --> 00:17:29,840 lives, like, hey, yeah, I've I've had this experience and 361 00:17:30,080 --> 00:17:31,920 this has been going on since I was a child. 362 00:17:31,920 --> 00:17:34,360 And and I see this thing and we kind of interact with one 363 00:17:34,360 --> 00:17:36,960 another and we're kind of comfortable with one another 364 00:17:36,960 --> 00:17:38,480 there. There are many variations of 365 00:17:38,480 --> 00:17:40,480 people who are comfortable with supernatural things. 366 00:17:40,800 --> 00:17:44,400 All of that is to be rejected. All of it is to be rejected and 367 00:17:44,400 --> 00:17:45,040 pushed away. No, no. 368 00:17:45,040 --> 00:17:47,720 I've seen some things that are really beautiful and but they 369 00:17:47,720 --> 00:17:49,600 taught me about this and they taught me about that. 370 00:17:49,800 --> 00:17:53,160 All that's to be rejected. I've talked to people who are in 371 00:17:53,160 --> 00:17:56,800 in New Age World. A friend online, he reached out 372 00:17:56,800 --> 00:17:58,920 to me because he saw me talking and preaching about Jesus 373 00:17:58,920 --> 00:18:02,440 regularly and he said I want to know about Christ and I said 374 00:18:02,440 --> 00:18:03,720 let's get on a zoom call together. 375 00:18:03,720 --> 00:18:07,240 So we got on a zoom call and this guy is really into a lot of 376 00:18:07,240 --> 00:18:11,040 things and he says I've done a lot of meditations and and I and 377 00:18:11,040 --> 00:18:14,400 I interact with many different gods and and Christ has come to 378 00:18:14,400 --> 00:18:16,480 me one time in one of my meditations and it was so 379 00:18:16,480 --> 00:18:19,920 beautiful and and and Christ was just so there was just such a 380 00:18:19,920 --> 00:18:23,480 warmth and Christ was there and and Christ was just blessing me 381 00:18:23,480 --> 00:18:27,120 and and and then this other God came and was encouraging me and 382 00:18:27,120 --> 00:18:29,800 this other guy came and so he said so what's your take on on 383 00:18:29,800 --> 00:18:31,560 that? I said there's only one God. 384 00:18:32,160 --> 00:18:35,400 His name is Jesus. There is the Father, the Son, 385 00:18:35,400 --> 00:18:37,760 and the Holy Spirit. Everyone and everything else is 386 00:18:37,760 --> 00:18:40,760 to be rejected if they do not glorify the name of Jesus, no 387 00:18:40,920 --> 00:18:43,560 matter how comfortable they may seem, no matter how familiar you 388 00:18:43,560 --> 00:18:45,600 may get with them. The scriptures also call them 389 00:18:45,600 --> 00:18:48,200 familiar spirits. And we don't want to get 390 00:18:48,200 --> 00:18:51,560 familiar with familiar spirits. We don't want any opening 391 00:18:51,560 --> 00:18:53,640 because sometimes we think, well, demons are always going to 392 00:18:53,640 --> 00:18:55,080 be bad, but if it's something beautiful. 393 00:18:55,280 --> 00:18:57,640 But the scripture says that Satan can even disguise himself 394 00:18:57,640 --> 00:19:00,440 as an Angel of light. So we don't play. 395 00:19:00,440 --> 00:19:02,720 We don't toy with anything like that. 396 00:19:02,880 --> 00:19:05,280 We don't play anything, anything. 397 00:19:05,280 --> 00:19:09,920 We have an adamant anger. We have a determined 398 00:19:09,920 --> 00:19:13,360 stubbornness against darkness in all of its forms. 399 00:19:13,680 --> 00:19:17,240 Astrology. Ouija boards, this is not these 400 00:19:17,240 --> 00:19:19,600 aren't things that we approach with any kind of neutrality. 401 00:19:19,960 --> 00:19:22,480 These are things that we approach with the righteousness 402 00:19:22,480 --> 00:19:25,400 of God. And we say nothing, absolutely 403 00:19:25,400 --> 00:19:27,600 nothing can direct and instruct my life. 404 00:19:27,880 --> 00:19:32,760 Not a board, not not the, not the astrology, not anything else 405 00:19:32,920 --> 00:19:35,760 except for Jesus and His powerful Holy Spirit. 406 00:19:36,600 --> 00:19:38,640 So we don't want to play with any of these things. 407 00:19:38,640 --> 00:19:41,000 We want to actually recognize that we have enemies and they 408 00:19:41,000 --> 00:19:43,000 have many inroads into people's lives. 409 00:19:43,520 --> 00:19:45,320 Man, this crystal. I like to collect these 410 00:19:45,320 --> 00:19:47,160 crystals. Why do you like to collect these 411 00:19:47,160 --> 00:19:48,560 crystals? Because I think they're 412 00:19:48,560 --> 00:19:50,320 beautiful rocks that the Lord made. 413 00:19:50,480 --> 00:19:54,040 Fine, fine. You can enjoy beauty, beautiful 414 00:19:54,040 --> 00:19:56,840 rocks that the Lord has created. I like these crystals. 415 00:19:56,840 --> 00:19:58,480 I like these stones because they provide. 416 00:19:58,800 --> 00:20:02,320 Stop, reject all of this. This is what we see throughout 417 00:20:02,320 --> 00:20:04,400 the scriptures in the New Testament, in the book of Acts. 418 00:20:04,640 --> 00:20:08,680 When people had magic arts, they had books, they had spells. 419 00:20:08,880 --> 00:20:10,200 Was that? Was there actually something to 420 00:20:10,200 --> 00:20:11,960 it? Yes, there was something to it. 421 00:20:12,240 --> 00:20:14,400 Yes, there were curses. And yes, there's all kinds of 422 00:20:14,400 --> 00:20:15,680 things that could be taking place. 423 00:20:16,080 --> 00:20:17,640 Oh, that's kind of interesting. Stop. 424 00:20:18,120 --> 00:20:21,400 Don't be interested in anything except what's pure and true and 425 00:20:21,400 --> 00:20:23,160 holy. We want no part of these things 426 00:20:23,360 --> 00:20:25,560 because the Scripture continually says these things 427 00:20:25,560 --> 00:20:28,040 lead to rebellion. These things lead to deception, 428 00:20:28,800 --> 00:20:30,960 and Satan has many inroads to deceive. 429 00:20:31,120 --> 00:20:34,000 The New Age movement is actually gaining a lot of momentum right 430 00:20:34,000 --> 00:20:37,560 now in the West. People are people are hungry, 431 00:20:37,560 --> 00:20:40,720 people are searching, people want power, so they'll go for it 432 00:20:40,720 --> 00:20:42,520 anywhere. And of course, Satan and demons 433 00:20:42,520 --> 00:20:45,000 are eager to try and deceive and convince people. 434 00:20:45,320 --> 00:20:48,080 So we don't reject these things because we are afraid of them. 435 00:20:48,240 --> 00:20:50,200 We reject these things because we hate them. 436 00:20:50,640 --> 00:20:52,880 We reject these things because we hate the devil. 437 00:20:52,880 --> 00:20:55,600 Because let me tell you something about demon demons and 438 00:20:55,600 --> 00:20:58,640 the devil. They hate you, they hate God, 439 00:20:58,760 --> 00:21:00,280 they hate Jesus, and they hate you. 440 00:21:01,080 --> 00:21:03,960 Again, nothing to be afraid of, nothing at all. 441 00:21:04,160 --> 00:21:08,080 We walk in the power of God, and we can laugh in our enemy's 442 00:21:08,080 --> 00:21:10,000 face. We walk through the valley of 443 00:21:10,000 --> 00:21:12,240 the shadow of death, and we fear no evil. 444 00:21:12,440 --> 00:21:15,760 Though we're surrounded on every side, it's irrelevant for the 445 00:21:15,760 --> 00:21:19,000 Saint who walks in the power in the presence of the Lord. 446 00:21:19,400 --> 00:21:23,080 So the more you read the Bible, you should not become more 447 00:21:23,160 --> 00:21:26,080 concerned about darkness. You should be more bold in the 448 00:21:26,080 --> 00:21:28,680 face of it. You should be more bold in every 449 00:21:28,680 --> 00:21:30,320 circumstance, in every situation. 450 00:21:30,920 --> 00:21:32,480 What was that noise? What was that? 451 00:21:32,480 --> 00:21:35,120 It was goodness and mercy following you all the days of 452 00:21:35,120 --> 00:21:36,920 your life. Those are the only things that 453 00:21:36,920 --> 00:21:40,200 have jurisdiction in our lives. But you should have a 454 00:21:40,240 --> 00:21:42,880 stubbornness. So in the Book of Acts, when 455 00:21:42,880 --> 00:21:46,000 people repented and they had all their magic arts and their books 456 00:21:46,000 --> 00:21:48,920 and all their their statues and all these things, they burned it 457 00:21:48,920 --> 00:21:50,840 all. They burned it. 458 00:21:51,040 --> 00:21:52,680 They didn't just say, well, I'm not going to mess with that 459 00:21:52,680 --> 00:21:55,280 anymore. They burned it as a ceremonial, 460 00:21:55,280 --> 00:21:58,240 as a as a as a vow, as a representation. 461 00:21:58,400 --> 00:22:00,720 I can't go back. That's something that happens 462 00:22:00,720 --> 00:22:02,520 often in Scripture. When you want to show that I'm 463 00:22:02,520 --> 00:22:04,640 not going to return to something, you burn it. 464 00:22:05,280 --> 00:22:07,520 Instead of like, well, I'm going to put it in the attic. 465 00:22:08,040 --> 00:22:11,120 Why? So you have a Plan B in case you 466 00:22:11,240 --> 00:22:13,080 in case you want to have something to come back to, 467 00:22:13,640 --> 00:22:18,280 something to lean back on, but to burn it, burn it, abolish it, 468 00:22:18,760 --> 00:22:21,800 and plead the blood of Jesus. Ask for forgiveness, for 469 00:22:21,800 --> 00:22:24,600 participation in anything like that, and you will receive 470 00:22:24,600 --> 00:22:26,800 mercy. You will receive God's grace, 471 00:22:26,960 --> 00:22:30,000 You will receive his protection. But you have to pick the light 472 00:22:30,000 --> 00:22:32,120 or the dark. Well, I kind of want both. 473 00:22:32,120 --> 00:22:33,520 Then you pick dark. That's it. 474 00:22:34,560 --> 00:22:36,240 And that's what the people did here, isn't it? 475 00:22:37,080 --> 00:22:39,560 What are they going to do? They're going to beg Jesus to 476 00:22:39,560 --> 00:22:43,720 leave, for crying out loud. You should beg him to stay. 477 00:22:44,720 --> 00:22:47,560 Beg Jesus to stay. Lord, stay with me. 478 00:22:48,200 --> 00:22:49,600 Well, I'm leaving then. I'm going with you. 479 00:22:49,600 --> 00:22:50,840 We don't have any more room on the boat. 480 00:22:50,880 --> 00:22:54,480 I'm hanging on the rudder. Jesus is not leaving me. 481 00:22:54,600 --> 00:22:58,280 I'm going where the master goes. But it said they beg him to 482 00:22:58,280 --> 00:23:02,480 leave. It's a demonic place with people 483 00:23:02,560 --> 00:23:11,400 who don't want the light. So they hate you. 484 00:23:11,480 --> 00:23:13,320 They hate God. They hate his creation. 485 00:23:14,040 --> 00:23:17,040 They work to oppress, to possess, to disrupt, to seal, to 486 00:23:17,040 --> 00:23:19,840 kill and to destroy. They have limited time and they 487 00:23:19,840 --> 00:23:23,640 have limited ability. God has all authority over them, 488 00:23:23,800 --> 00:23:30,200 and he has delegated that power to His church so that we too can 489 00:23:30,200 --> 00:23:34,200 and should now drive out demons out of love for God and love for 490 00:23:34,200 --> 00:23:36,240 neighbor. Let's keep going here. 491 00:23:36,240 --> 00:23:37,200 Verse 30. Now. 492 00:23:37,200 --> 00:23:39,880 Herd of pigs was feeding at some distance from them and the 493 00:23:39,880 --> 00:23:43,520 demons begged him. Demons beg Jesus for mercy. 494 00:23:43,760 --> 00:23:47,120 Demons beg Jesus for permission. Because Jesus is all powerful 495 00:23:47,280 --> 00:23:50,360 over demons. They can't do anything apart 496 00:23:50,360 --> 00:23:54,240 from his authority allowing it. And they said let us go into the 497 00:23:54,240 --> 00:23:56,400 herd of pigs if you cast us out, he said go. 498 00:23:56,720 --> 00:23:57,880 And they went into the herd of pigs. 499 00:23:57,880 --> 00:24:01,240 And behold, the whole herd of pigs rushed down the bank to the 500 00:24:01,240 --> 00:24:05,200 sea and drowned in the waters. These demons, they're looking 501 00:24:05,200 --> 00:24:08,800 for a vessel, a being that they can dwell in, and Jesus grants 502 00:24:08,800 --> 00:24:10,640 their request. I always thought that was weird, 503 00:24:11,960 --> 00:24:13,360 but that should be an encouragement to you. 504 00:24:13,560 --> 00:24:16,760 If Jesus will answer the prayer of demons, how much more will he 505 00:24:16,760 --> 00:24:18,440 answer your prayer? So you have little faith. 506 00:24:19,400 --> 00:24:21,080 The demons say, could we please do this? 507 00:24:21,080 --> 00:24:24,440 He says, I'll allow it now. He had motive for it. 508 00:24:24,680 --> 00:24:26,760 He had reason for it. He's like, all right, we've got 509 00:24:26,760 --> 00:24:29,240 a bunch of swine here, We've got a bunch of pigs that shouldn't 510 00:24:29,240 --> 00:24:33,480 be here, So we'll allow this. But how much more will he hear 511 00:24:33,480 --> 00:24:36,720 the prayer of his Saints, the people that he actually loves, 512 00:24:36,920 --> 00:24:38,800 as opposed to the demons who are his enemies. 513 00:24:39,880 --> 00:24:44,400 Verse 33, the herdsmen fled and going into the city they told 514 00:24:44,400 --> 00:24:47,720 everything, especially what had happened to the demon possessed 515 00:24:47,720 --> 00:24:49,720 men. And behold, all the city came 516 00:24:49,720 --> 00:24:52,720 out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they 517 00:24:52,720 --> 00:24:54,320 begged him to leave their region. 518 00:24:54,480 --> 00:24:57,360 So the whole city understands like they know what's going on 519 00:24:57,800 --> 00:25:00,440 these this is a bigger place. This isn't a tiny village. 520 00:25:00,720 --> 00:25:03,120 And yet they they would still have awareness of their own 521 00:25:03,120 --> 00:25:04,840 economy. They would have an awareness of 522 00:25:04,840 --> 00:25:06,320 them. Oh, that's where they keep pigs. 523 00:25:06,320 --> 00:25:08,000 There's like thousands of pigs out there. 524 00:25:08,560 --> 00:25:10,640 Pigs are filthy, by the way, in case you didn't know that there 525 00:25:10,640 --> 00:25:13,640 were many reasons why Jews would have been repulsed at this whole 526 00:25:13,640 --> 00:25:15,480 situation. The disciples are scandalized. 527 00:25:15,480 --> 00:25:18,800 Like, man, if our mom knew that we were out here with Jesus, 528 00:25:18,800 --> 00:25:21,320 like, I don't think she would be OK with this. 529 00:25:21,800 --> 00:25:24,760 Pigs are pigs are filthy. They're really, really gross. 530 00:25:24,800 --> 00:25:28,920 What they roll around in, what they eat, they taste delicious. 531 00:25:28,920 --> 00:25:32,040 And we thank God that now he's declared, Jesus declared all all 532 00:25:32,040 --> 00:25:36,200 foods clean. And yet, like the the disciples 533 00:25:36,200 --> 00:25:38,880 are probably scandalized in this field trip that they're on with 534 00:25:38,880 --> 00:25:42,920 the Lord with the master. But what do we see going on 535 00:25:42,920 --> 00:25:46,120 here? We see Jesus setting two men 536 00:25:46,120 --> 00:25:48,360 free. We see them going. 537 00:25:48,800 --> 00:25:51,640 We see the herd's been going to testify and say this is what 538 00:25:51,640 --> 00:25:53,960 just happened. We just lost our entire herd. 539 00:25:54,360 --> 00:25:56,720 So that's going to affect a lot of businessmen, a lot of people 540 00:25:56,720 --> 00:25:58,760 who are relying on different things, the way this would work. 541 00:26:00,080 --> 00:26:02,120 But then the whole city comes out and goes, what happened? 542 00:26:02,680 --> 00:26:04,840 What's going on? Tell us what took place. 543 00:26:05,160 --> 00:26:08,320 We got to come see these two men in their right mind, clothed, 544 00:26:08,600 --> 00:26:14,280 self controlled, restored. But then they begged Jesus to 545 00:26:14,280 --> 00:26:19,160 leave and to get out. This is something that 546 00:26:19,160 --> 00:26:24,000 continually happens and we all have faced the temptation, do I 547 00:26:24,000 --> 00:26:28,760 want the blessings of Jesus while rejecting the purity of 548 00:26:28,800 --> 00:26:32,000 Jesus. And this is what many people 549 00:26:32,040 --> 00:26:35,240 face the temptation of because they they honestly and 550 00:26:35,240 --> 00:26:38,240 rightfully recognize that if Jesus is going to be here, then 551 00:26:38,240 --> 00:26:41,720 he's going to be all in and they recognize we can't control this 552 00:26:41,720 --> 00:26:43,000 guy. I don't know what. 553 00:26:43,400 --> 00:26:45,440 I don't know who he is or where he comes from, what this 554 00:26:45,440 --> 00:26:48,480 supernatural power is about. But he is disrupting our world. 555 00:26:48,720 --> 00:26:50,560 And Jesus will disrupt your life. 556 00:26:51,240 --> 00:26:54,720 He will disrupt your life. He will disrupt your economy. 557 00:26:54,840 --> 00:26:58,240 He will disrupt your paycheck. He will disrupt everything. 558 00:26:58,240 --> 00:26:59,560 Does that mean he won't provide for me? 559 00:26:59,560 --> 00:27:01,080 Of course. That doesn't mean he won't 560 00:27:01,080 --> 00:27:03,160 provide for you. He will always provide for you. 561 00:27:03,520 --> 00:27:06,360 But he will disrupt the way you saw things happening. 562 00:27:07,120 --> 00:27:08,440 Well, I'm not really interested in that. 563 00:27:08,720 --> 00:27:13,080 I beg you to lead my life. Jesus, you can do it. 564 00:27:14,040 --> 00:27:15,240 They did. They did it before. 565 00:27:15,240 --> 00:27:18,520 They begged him. They pleaded with him to leave 566 00:27:18,520 --> 00:27:20,760 their region. We might want the blessings of 567 00:27:20,760 --> 00:27:24,080 Jesus and the power of Jesus, but do we want the purity of 568 00:27:24,160 --> 00:27:25,400 Jesus? Most people don't. 569 00:27:26,920 --> 00:27:30,120 The crowd wants the power, but they don't want the purifying. 570 00:27:30,240 --> 00:27:33,200 They don't want the process. I don't want to walk in any 571 00:27:33,200 --> 00:27:36,280 process with you. I just want to go to heaven when 572 00:27:36,280 --> 00:27:38,640 I die. That's all I'm really looking 573 00:27:38,640 --> 00:27:42,160 for from you, Lord. I wonder, could a person who has 574 00:27:42,160 --> 00:27:44,440 that perspective actually say that they love Jesus? 575 00:27:45,520 --> 00:27:47,040 Could you say that you really love him? 576 00:27:47,200 --> 00:27:50,640 If that's your perspective? Now there's degrees of maturity. 577 00:27:51,360 --> 00:27:54,280 So as we mature, as we grow, our love deepens. 578 00:27:54,680 --> 00:27:58,040 But could a person who says all I'm really looking for is an 579 00:27:58,040 --> 00:28:01,840 escape hatch to get to heaven? That person would take any route 580 00:28:01,840 --> 00:28:04,720 they could get to go anywhere. Jesus just happens to be the one 581 00:28:04,720 --> 00:28:08,440 that serves them best. But does that person love Jesus? 582 00:28:09,800 --> 00:28:12,000 Would that person be sad? Wouldn't that person also be 583 00:28:12,000 --> 00:28:14,720 satisfied if they got to heaven and there was no Jesus there? 584 00:28:16,480 --> 00:28:19,000 Whoa, I thought Jesus was like, no, no, no, no, there's no 585 00:28:19,000 --> 00:28:20,200 Jesus. But you're in heaven like 586 00:28:21,680 --> 00:28:27,000 Saints, true Saints. You can't even imagine that You 587 00:28:27,000 --> 00:28:30,840 may as well be hell. What if to to have a heaven 588 00:28:30,840 --> 00:28:32,360 without Jesus then there is no heaven. 589 00:28:32,760 --> 00:28:35,560 Like I couldn't be satisfied. Like where's the king? 590 00:28:35,880 --> 00:28:38,240 Where's the master? He's but he's the point. 591 00:28:38,400 --> 00:28:41,400 He's my purpose. But if I just wanted blessings, 592 00:28:41,400 --> 00:28:44,400 but I didn't want His Lordship. I don't want his reign. 593 00:28:44,520 --> 00:28:47,720 He reigns above it all. It's not just a song, it's 594 00:28:47,720 --> 00:28:49,400 revelation. It's the revelation that Patrick 595 00:28:49,400 --> 00:28:51,160 had. He reigns above it all. 596 00:28:51,920 --> 00:28:54,600 And these people recognize as this guy reigns and rules. 597 00:28:55,120 --> 00:28:57,520 If he stays here, who knows what he's going to do next? 598 00:28:57,520 --> 00:29:00,720 Guy's been here 30 minutes and look what he's already doing. 599 00:29:01,680 --> 00:29:05,440 Please just leave. Let us go back to doing things 600 00:29:05,440 --> 00:29:09,560 the way we used to do them. We had a system in place. 601 00:29:11,600 --> 00:29:16,800 Jesus tells us why this happens in John 3 verses 19 through 20. 602 00:29:17,320 --> 00:29:20,600 He said the light has come into the world and people loved the 603 00:29:20,600 --> 00:29:24,120 darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 604 00:29:25,200 --> 00:29:28,400 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does 605 00:29:28,400 --> 00:29:32,600 not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 606 00:29:33,800 --> 00:29:35,360 So that's why they're responding this way. 607 00:29:35,960 --> 00:29:37,960 Just take the light away. You're you're exposing 608 00:29:37,960 --> 00:29:39,240 everything. You're exposing my heart. 609 00:29:39,240 --> 00:29:42,320 You're exposing my life. It's how the Lord works. 610 00:29:42,480 --> 00:29:45,720 When the Lord shows up, you got to see yourself and then we go. 611 00:29:46,560 --> 00:29:48,320 I don't like this. This is why the world 612 00:29:48,320 --> 00:29:51,360 constantly, This is why the world constantly accuses you and 613 00:29:51,360 --> 00:29:54,920 I of being judgmental. Because you turn the light on, 614 00:29:54,920 --> 00:29:57,360 you come into their room, you turn the light on and you go, 615 00:29:57,360 --> 00:30:01,800 hey, this bed is unmade and they go judge not. 616 00:30:03,160 --> 00:30:05,680 And he said, hey, you know, there's like a glass of milk 617 00:30:05,680 --> 00:30:07,800 over there that's looks like it's been sitting there for four 618 00:30:07,800 --> 00:30:09,760 weeks. And they say, don't judge me. 619 00:30:10,760 --> 00:30:11,920 Well, I'm just turning on the light. 620 00:30:11,920 --> 00:30:14,080 I'm just. I'm just saying things as they 621 00:30:14,080 --> 00:30:16,280 are. The Lord can turn this whole 622 00:30:16,280 --> 00:30:18,800 room around. The Lord will build you a new 623 00:30:18,800 --> 00:30:21,280 house and a new room entirely. And they say you're so 624 00:30:21,280 --> 00:30:23,360 judgmental. Doesn't the Bible say something 625 00:30:23,360 --> 00:30:26,400 about not judging? Of course, in their ignorance 626 00:30:26,400 --> 00:30:29,520 they don't know that we are to judge with accuracy, but not to 627 00:30:29,520 --> 00:30:34,720 condemn with shame. And also remember that with the 628 00:30:35,040 --> 00:30:37,880 with the measure that we use to judge, it will be measured back 629 00:30:37,880 --> 00:30:40,720 to us. So we judge with love. 630 00:30:41,000 --> 00:30:43,520 We judge with a motive of love to restore. 631 00:30:43,520 --> 00:30:45,960 Hey, that milk is really gross and it really stinks. 632 00:30:45,960 --> 00:30:48,120 Don't judge me well. I love you. 633 00:30:48,200 --> 00:30:50,440 And let could I? Could I please help you? 634 00:30:50,840 --> 00:30:52,120 The king will come. He'll wash. 635 00:30:52,440 --> 00:30:54,480 He'll wash everything. He'll restore everything. 636 00:30:54,880 --> 00:30:57,680 He'll fold the clothes. He'll bring order to chaos. 637 00:30:58,000 --> 00:30:59,760 That's what the Kingdom of light always does. 638 00:31:00,200 --> 00:31:04,840 Jesus brings order to chaos. These men possessed by thousands 639 00:31:04,840 --> 00:31:08,760 of demons. Chaos, nakedness, insanity, all 640 00:31:08,760 --> 00:31:11,200 that comes along with that. Jesus brings order. 641 00:31:11,200 --> 00:31:13,040 They're restored. They're sitting down. 642 00:31:13,280 --> 00:31:15,000 They're peaceful, they're clothed. 643 00:31:16,200 --> 00:31:19,640 But light comes into the world, and the world love the dark 644 00:31:19,960 --> 00:31:21,280 rather than the light. Why? 645 00:31:21,280 --> 00:31:24,920 Because it exposes me. So now I feel exposed. 646 00:31:25,560 --> 00:31:28,640 Well, this is your moment. If you feel exposed, this is 647 00:31:28,640 --> 00:31:31,320 your moment. This is a gift from God. 648 00:31:31,320 --> 00:31:34,320 This isn't wrath. This is to spare you from wrath. 649 00:31:34,680 --> 00:31:36,920 This is your moment to choose repentance. 650 00:31:38,160 --> 00:31:40,000 It's going to be repentance or it's going to be pride. 651 00:31:40,760 --> 00:31:43,240 Those are the possibilities. Repentance. 652 00:31:43,240 --> 00:31:46,200 God, I humble myself before you. I belong to you. 653 00:31:46,240 --> 00:31:48,960 I need you. I reject everything. 654 00:31:50,560 --> 00:31:55,800 And I submit to you, I am yours. I am yours. 655 00:31:55,800 --> 00:31:58,360 I'm no longer mine. It's no longer I who live, but 656 00:31:58,360 --> 00:32:03,200 it's Christ in me. So as Jesus is rejected, he gets 657 00:32:03,200 --> 00:32:06,040 back into his boat and he leaves. 658 00:32:07,000 --> 00:32:09,200 That's what Chapter 9 tells us. Verse one. 659 00:32:09,200 --> 00:32:12,760 And getting back into the boat, he crossed over and came to his 660 00:32:12,760 --> 00:32:16,600 own city. So these two men lives changed, 661 00:32:16,600 --> 00:32:20,560 blessed and restored. Everybody else said no thanks, 662 00:32:20,760 --> 00:32:22,920 we don't want any of that. And Jesus said, all right, well 663 00:32:22,920 --> 00:32:26,760 it was worth it for you. 2 And then he leaves and goes back on 664 00:32:26,760 --> 00:32:30,880 to the other side. They love their filth more than 665 00:32:30,880 --> 00:32:35,400 they love Jesus. Some people clearly recognize 666 00:32:35,400 --> 00:32:39,200 the disruptive reign of Jesus, and they accurately discern that 667 00:32:39,200 --> 00:32:42,360 they don't want it. Have you ever been there? 668 00:32:43,200 --> 00:32:45,280 Do you want your pigs more than you want Jesus? 669 00:32:46,360 --> 00:32:48,560 Do you want your drugs more than you want Jesus? 670 00:32:49,120 --> 00:32:51,360 Do you want your pornography more than you want Jesus? 671 00:32:51,880 --> 00:32:54,120 Do you want the trashy novels that you read more than you want 672 00:32:54,120 --> 00:32:56,320 Jesus? Do you want your gossip more 673 00:32:56,320 --> 00:32:59,960 than you want Jesus? Do you want your uncleanness in 674 00:32:59,960 --> 00:33:02,760 any form more than you want Jesus? 675 00:33:03,200 --> 00:33:04,360 No. I want to be free of those 676 00:33:04,360 --> 00:33:06,120 things. That's a pure desire from the 677 00:33:06,120 --> 00:33:08,040 Lord. I hate these things. 678 00:33:08,280 --> 00:33:10,160 I want to walk in freedom from these things. 679 00:33:10,640 --> 00:33:13,840 Well, the Lord will grant that. But you got to pursue him, You 680 00:33:13,840 --> 00:33:18,480 got to walk with him, and you got to say, Jesus, help me as 681 00:33:18,480 --> 00:33:20,680 opposed to Jesus. This, this is one thing you're 682 00:33:20,680 --> 00:33:25,600 not allowed to have. Jesus, I love you, but there's a 683 00:33:25,600 --> 00:33:30,240 limitation here. I love you, and yet I have a 684 00:33:30,240 --> 00:33:32,240 boundary that you're not allowed to cross. 685 00:33:32,240 --> 00:33:36,560 You're Lord of everything except this also meaning he's not Lord 686 00:33:36,560 --> 00:33:41,960 of anything. Jesus will mess with your 687 00:33:41,960 --> 00:33:43,480 economy. He will mess with your money. 688 00:33:43,480 --> 00:33:45,440 He will mess with your old way of doing things. 689 00:33:46,040 --> 00:33:51,240 Ask Matthew, the disciple who had more to lose than all the 690 00:33:51,240 --> 00:33:55,320 other disciples. Extremely, extremely wealthy man 691 00:33:55,720 --> 00:33:58,320 because of the fact that he's working for the Romans. 692 00:33:58,320 --> 00:34:01,080 He's a tax collector. There's taxes for everything. 693 00:34:01,080 --> 00:34:04,480 Y'all there's taxes on your cart, depending on how many 694 00:34:04,480 --> 00:34:06,440 wheels your cart has, right? It's kind of like going over the 695 00:34:06,440 --> 00:34:07,760 bridge. How many axles do you have? 696 00:34:08,239 --> 00:34:10,480 So, so there's taxes on how many fish you catch. 697 00:34:11,120 --> 00:34:13,159 There's taxes on just for breathing Roman air. 698 00:34:13,320 --> 00:34:15,280 There's taxes for just standing on Roman dirt. 699 00:34:15,760 --> 00:34:18,159 And so Jewish tax collectors understood their people, 700 00:34:18,159 --> 00:34:20,360 understood their culture. So remember, the Romans would 701 00:34:20,360 --> 00:34:23,400 use Jews and say, hey, we'll make you super rich if you'll 702 00:34:23,400 --> 00:34:25,880 just betray your countrymen and go, I'm in. 703 00:34:26,679 --> 00:34:29,239 Sign me up for that. I'd like to be ridiculously 704 00:34:29,239 --> 00:34:30,880 wealthy. So now the Romans know they can 705 00:34:30,880 --> 00:34:35,000 trust you because you're a purchased man and also the Jews 706 00:34:35,000 --> 00:34:36,960 hate you. You're not allowed in Temple 707 00:34:36,960 --> 00:34:38,159 worship anymore. You're not allowed in the 708 00:34:38,159 --> 00:34:39,600 synagogue. You're a traitor. 709 00:34:40,239 --> 00:34:42,920 Jesus talks about it. He says, hey, if someone does 710 00:34:42,920 --> 00:34:45,480 wrong, if someone does like this or does like that, then treat 711 00:34:45,480 --> 00:34:49,560 them as a tax collector, he says so I know how you already treat 712 00:34:49,560 --> 00:34:51,320 tax collectors. There is a certain time and 713 00:34:51,320 --> 00:34:54,480 place to treat people as a tax collector shunned from civil 714 00:34:54,520 --> 00:34:57,400 civilization. We're going to see even more of 715 00:34:57,400 --> 00:34:59,760 that as we look at the calling of Matthew in the next few weeks 716 00:35:00,080 --> 00:35:02,040 and how scandalized the disciples would have been. 717 00:35:02,040 --> 00:35:04,800 They're walking past the tax. Hey Jesus, tax collector. 718 00:35:04,800 --> 00:35:12,480 And Jesus goes Levi, Matthew, come follow me. 719 00:35:13,400 --> 00:35:15,800 And they're like, gross. I can't believe the master would 720 00:35:15,800 --> 00:35:17,560 call him. He's definitely not going to 721 00:35:17,560 --> 00:35:19,240 follow. And then Matthew leaves it all, 722 00:35:19,480 --> 00:35:21,680 which, by the way, meant he could never return to it. 723 00:35:22,120 --> 00:35:25,040 If you leave the Roman post, you can't return to the Roman post, 724 00:35:25,360 --> 00:35:28,560 so you're done forever. And Matthew walked away from all 725 00:35:28,560 --> 00:35:31,760 of it. Is he worth it? 726 00:35:32,160 --> 00:35:33,760 Is he worth it? He knows he is. 727 00:35:33,840 --> 00:35:36,760 Do you know that he is? I've got something I'm really 728 00:35:36,760 --> 00:35:39,960 holding on to. Patrick decided that the 729 00:35:39,960 --> 00:35:44,440 comfort, the safety, the love of his family, his home in Britain 730 00:35:44,440 --> 00:35:47,400 was not worth it compared to following the mission of Christ 731 00:35:47,400 --> 00:35:50,880 for his life. Matthew decided the same thing. 732 00:35:51,920 --> 00:35:54,200 I'm going to follow the teacher. I'm going to follow the master. 733 00:35:54,480 --> 00:35:58,480 I'm going to follow my Lord. He's worth it. 734 00:35:58,480 --> 00:36:01,720 To be with Jesus is worth it. But is there anything that the 735 00:36:01,720 --> 00:36:04,160 Lord wants to deliver you from that you don't want to be 736 00:36:04,160 --> 00:36:07,720 delivered from? Is there anything? 737 00:36:10,440 --> 00:36:13,080 Maybe the answer is no, but it's often yes. 738 00:36:13,080 --> 00:36:15,200 There's this thing, there's something here I really don't 739 00:36:15,200 --> 00:36:17,520 want to be delivered from that holding on to that. 740 00:36:17,520 --> 00:36:21,160 It's kind of a keepsake. Might not be monumental, might 741 00:36:21,160 --> 00:36:23,040 not be as large. There's a spectrum to sin, 742 00:36:23,040 --> 00:36:24,800 people. There's a spectrum. 743 00:36:25,480 --> 00:36:27,840 And the more you mature, the more you're grieved. 744 00:36:28,360 --> 00:36:30,200 And the more the Holy Spirit is grieved, even by the subtle 745 00:36:30,200 --> 00:36:32,040 things. And he's going, Can I have that? 746 00:36:32,040 --> 00:36:35,320 And you go, oh Lord, I didn't even know that was a problem. 747 00:36:35,320 --> 00:36:38,040 Is that really a problem? He goes, can I have it? 748 00:36:39,040 --> 00:36:41,600 Well, let's just negotiate a little bit here, Lord, He goes, 749 00:36:41,800 --> 00:36:44,400 Can I have it? Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, listen, 750 00:36:44,400 --> 00:36:46,000 listen, listen, listen. Slow down, Slow down. 751 00:36:46,000 --> 00:36:47,960 Lord. May I have it? 752 00:36:48,720 --> 00:36:51,120 May I have it? Do you love me, Lord? 753 00:36:51,120 --> 00:36:53,160 You know I love you. So may I have that? 754 00:36:53,320 --> 00:36:55,640 The Lord wants to deliver you from things. 755 00:36:55,840 --> 00:36:57,440 And he wants to deliver you to what? 756 00:36:57,440 --> 00:37:00,000 To himself? To more of Jesus. 757 00:37:01,200 --> 00:37:03,800 There's two Mad Men. There's two lost men. 758 00:37:04,880 --> 00:37:07,000 What a day. What a story, what a testimony. 759 00:37:07,920 --> 00:37:11,560 But again, we get to choose the crowd or the disciples, The city 760 00:37:11,560 --> 00:37:13,920 who comes out and begs. Lord, just leave me alone. 761 00:37:14,320 --> 00:37:15,840 Leave me alone. Leave that thing alone. 762 00:37:15,840 --> 00:37:18,800 Lord, I've given you. Haven't I given you enough? 763 00:37:18,800 --> 00:37:20,920 And he says, well, have you given me everything then? 764 00:37:20,920 --> 00:37:24,920 No, Everything is enough. That's what Jesus requires of 765 00:37:24,920 --> 00:37:27,360 his disciples. Everything. 766 00:37:27,480 --> 00:37:30,520 That's the cross. There was no bait and switch. 767 00:37:30,800 --> 00:37:33,640 He didn't trick you into this. It's the cross. 768 00:37:33,640 --> 00:37:35,280 Take up your cross and follow me. 769 00:37:36,320 --> 00:37:39,880 Because I'm worthy. He's loving. 770 00:37:40,280 --> 00:37:42,960 He's good. You've only heard good news 771 00:37:42,960 --> 00:37:45,400 today. By the way, Saints, you've only 772 00:37:45,400 --> 00:37:47,920 heard good news. There's nothing, there's nothing 773 00:37:47,920 --> 00:37:53,400 that's been dark or overwhelming to to to the humble heart, to 774 00:37:53,400 --> 00:37:55,760 the flesh. Now the flesh is being crucified 775 00:37:55,760 --> 00:37:57,720 today. Praise God for it. 776 00:37:58,120 --> 00:38:01,440 That's what we signed up for. God, less of me, more of you. 777 00:38:01,880 --> 00:38:06,560 Lord, that's our prayer. Would you strengthen us in our 778 00:38:06,560 --> 00:38:09,480 spirit and help us to crucify the flesh? 779 00:38:09,480 --> 00:38:14,280 More and more we have been washed by the blood of Jesus. 780 00:38:14,280 --> 00:38:16,560 We've been made new. We have been given the Holy 781 00:38:16,560 --> 00:38:18,920 Spirit and His power inside of us. 782 00:38:21,520 --> 00:38:24,240 And yet we can still have this temptation to put on the wrong 783 00:38:24,240 --> 00:38:26,920 set of clothes. We get out of that that shower 784 00:38:26,920 --> 00:38:30,160 where we've been cleansed from our filth, and we have this 785 00:38:30,160 --> 00:38:33,440 option still now to put on the old man or to put on the new 786 00:38:33,440 --> 00:38:37,280 man. But you command us, you tell us, 787 00:38:37,280 --> 00:38:39,840 and you equip us to put on the new man. 788 00:38:42,040 --> 00:38:44,680 God, as your Saints today have put on the new man again, we've 789 00:38:44,680 --> 00:38:47,720 been reminded of what these beautiful clothes, these high 790 00:38:47,720 --> 00:38:51,840 quality clothes look like. These clean clothes, these fresh 791 00:38:51,840 --> 00:38:57,960 clothes, these robes that Jesus purchased for us with his own 792 00:38:57,960 --> 00:39:01,480 life. We're encouraged, Lord. 793 00:39:04,600 --> 00:39:06,120 We're helped. We're restored. 794 00:39:06,400 --> 00:39:10,520 We're walking out the calling that you actually called us to 795 00:39:10,520 --> 00:39:14,760 live in. Lord, anytime we start to 796 00:39:14,760 --> 00:39:19,680 approach the old man. Help us like Matthew, to walk 797 00:39:19,680 --> 00:39:23,760 away from all of it. Help us like Patrick, to walk 798 00:39:23,760 --> 00:39:26,720 into your perfect will and your perfect calling for our lives. 799 00:39:27,160 --> 00:39:31,120 Help us like those in the book of Acts who turn from demonic 800 00:39:31,120 --> 00:39:35,600 lifestyles to burn everything that doesn't please you. 801 00:39:38,880 --> 00:39:45,240 To be jealous for your glory, to be eager for your praise so that 802 00:39:45,240 --> 00:39:49,360 your name alone will be lifted up in our lives, not our will, 803 00:39:49,800 --> 00:39:54,240 but yours be done. We thank you for your strength 804 00:39:54,240 --> 00:40:01,240 and for your help, for changing our desires and empowering us to 805 00:40:01,240 --> 00:40:04,080 follow. You will in Jesus name. 806 00:40:04,120 --> 00:40:07,680 We thank you. Now the Lord bless you and keep 807 00:40:07,680 --> 00:40:10,400 you. The Lord make his face shine 808 00:40:10,400 --> 00:40:12,800 down upon you and be gracious to you. 809 00:40:13,600 --> 00:40:16,920 The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you great 810 00:40:16,920 --> 00:40:19,360 peace. In Jesus name. 811 00:40:19,920 --> 00:40:20,440 Amen.