2024-06-23 Sermon Notes
💡Big Idea
Takeaways and Next Steps
📖Bible Passage
Scripture
Points
- Jesus came with power and demonstrated it with miraculous works.
- Jesus preached the Word with power.
- Here in our text:
- Jesus and His disciples had just crossed the Sea of Galilee
- There was a great and terrible storm
- Jesus rebuked the storm with His voice and the storm became still
- About the Gadarenes:
- This is Gentile non-Jewish land
- This is the first time in Jesus' ministry that He left Jewish land and entered Gentile territory.
- These were pig herders. Pig was explicitly declared to be unclean by the Levitical law.
- As soon as they land in the Gadarenes they immediately encounter a man possessed by demons:
- We learn from this, that demons are indeed real and active in their opposition to God.
- This demon possessed man would constantly cry out loudly and cut himself with stones[1]
- We should learn and understand that demons and Satan seek only to destroy and harm us. They bring nothing good to us. They desire blood, death and destruction.
- Notice that the demons had no power over Christ.
- They could not for Christ to do anything against His will.
- They were subject to Christ's power and dominion. They could not do anything against Christ's will.
- If Christ could conquer the demons in this man, surely He can do this in us and our communities.
- They had to ask Christ for permission to be sent into the pigs.
- Jesus came not only to free us but also to destroy Satan and the realm of darkness.
- Revelation 12:9
- Jesus lived to destroy the powers of darkness.
- Jesus also died to destroy the devil
- Hebrews 2:14 : Jesus also himself in the same way died, so that through death he might bring to nothing him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,
- Jesus also destroyed Satan's sway (influence):
- At this time, Satan had power over almost all the world.
- After, Christ's ministry, the Gospel spread throughout the world.
- Jesus destroyed the realm of Satan.
- 💡 Unbelief destroys souls:
- Everything influenced by demons leads to destruction.
- Even the pigs died. Not even the animals are spared from the destruction of demons.
- Yet Christ completely changed the life of the demon-possessed man.
- Now he was freed from the demons.
- He was sane, sober, calm, and loving.
- Yet seeing this man who was saved, what was the response of the people in the community?
- Did they thank Jesus for solving a problem, for saving a broken man?
- Did they ask to also be saved by Jesus, this man of great power?
- No, they asked Him to leave, because their pigs (their livelihood) had died.
- They valued their financial stability even over their own salvation and eternity.
- Do not make the same mistake as these people.
- Everything influenced by demons leads to destruction.
- Then Jesus left the Gadarenes.
- And the man begged Jesus to let him follow Jesus.
- Yet curiously, Jesus did not allow him. Instead, He commanded the man to proclaim the good news to the Gentiles in the Gadarenes.
Application
- Do not be afraid of the terrifying power of Satan and his demons.
- Hold faith to God and Christ who has overcome Satan.
- Be like the Gadarenes man:
- who begged Jesus to let Him follow
- Will you and I tell the people in our community what great things God has done for you?
- How will they hear unless the Word of God is preached to them?
Further Study
💬Discussion Questions
Footnotes
1 Kings 18:28: The prophets of Baal also would cut themselves. ↩︎
2024-06-23 Sermon Notes
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On this page
💡Big Idea
Takeaways and Next Steps
📖Bible Passage
Points
Application
Further Study
💬Discussion Questions
Footnotes