Daniel Lyons' Notes

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.
  • 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. 1 Kings 18:28: The prophets of Baal also would cut themselves. ↩︎

2024-06-23 Sermon Notes
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💡Big Idea
Takeaways and Next Steps
📖Bible Passage
Points
Application
Further Study
💬Discussion Questions
Footnotes