Luke 8:22-39 - AUTHORITY: STORMS & SPIRITS

Good morning search. How are you this morning? You're that was that was lackluster. Can we try that again? Good morning church. How you doing this morning? That's better. If you have your Bibles with you, I would suggest you turn to Luke chapter 8 that's where we'll be this morning as the plates are coming by and that can you can busy yourself with that. The verses will be on the screen. If you want to look at it that way user device your Bible or it's also on the insert the back of the insert in the bulletin. Why don't I pray as the plates are finishing passing and then we can look we can set up our text for this morning.

Father God we just heard the words of Jonathan Edwards about your great condescension. There was none greater for a being of your stature the god of the universe who has made everything with his bare hands to come down in human form to be made like us in Christ Jesus so that he could live life with us to be our friend to be with us through the trials of life and to die in our place on the cross and be raised up to life so that we too can be raised up with him to your presence father as we look at your word today. Would you give us a spirit of wisdom and Revelation in the knowledge Jesus Christ have in the eyes of our heart enlightened so that we may know the hope to which you have called us the riches of your glorious inheritance for the Saints and the immeasurable greatness of your power towards us who believe according to the working of your great power in Christ when he raised him from the dead Seated him at your right hand in the Heavenly places far above all Rule and authority and power and dominion and above every name that is named not only in this age, but also the age to become a nun.

Those of you who don't know me by my name is Rob Bell. I've been a member here and one attendant and a member here for about 17 years and it feels like just yesterday there was moving down from Ottawa to do teachers College here. I Married an F for kids Christine and Mark 80 Sophie and then I'll attend the early service. So they are going and having a little lunch break. A snack on a banana before the preaching a second time to be able to serve you as an elder in the church. I have a goal for you today. And that is that I want your heart and I didn't know that you wasn't me talking about physical Hearts. So I don't want you to think that I want to Indiana Jones Temple of Doom style rip your heart out of your body. What I want is your metaphorical heart. I want you to day to Marvel at Jesus in a way that makes you want to follow him. I want your heart to be in the right place for you to do that today. So that's my goal for there's no secrets this morning, but I'm after your heart. I'm after your affections for Jesus not for me, but for glory to Christ to God the Father. Early in September to restarted the Lux series. We took summer off when we came back to it in September and one of the first term is he preached in September was on how the identity that somebody has tells us about their Authority that is if you know who a person is also know what they are in charge of and vice versa. And in the last couple weeks we've seen that played into topics one that Corey talked about two weeks ago Corey McKenna on true and false conversion. And then we also saw last week of authentic and counterfeit hearing the stories are going to look at this week are probably familiar to some of you if you have grown up in the church, you may recognize them with Jesus calming the storm and Jesus healing a man filled with evil spirits, but I want you to look at them from the lens of true and false. True or false conversion true and false hearing and all this is true and false seeing or true and false experiencing. And ask people see and experience Jesus. There are two different ways that we can go to different responses that people can have they can either see the identity and character that Jesus has and follow him or they can see the identity and character that Jesus has they can flee from him. So that's was thinking about the idea of identity this week. He was one of the key was thinking particularly of a car key. Like the one I have here. I was his car keys. I'm going to drive home in about an hour. I have another car key. Actually it's even nicer cuz I don't have to use it. I just walk up to the door and it is opens up that was kind of cool. But the key that I have gives me the authority to drive my car. And if I don't have the key I can't get in the door. I can't turn the engine on I can't drive the car. So the key give us the authority but this weekend want to go a little bit deeper and not just see the authority and identity that Jesus has we also want to look at the character. The key is under the authority of the car. It's Liam's my identity to prove that. I'm the owner of the car and taken into it, but it's my character that dictates how I drive the car. A list of the character that somebody has that shows how they're going to exercise their Authority. So we want to look at Jesus not just of what his identity is in the authority that he has but we also want to look at his character and how he uses that Authority in our lives.

If you have a Luke chapter 8 with you, then let's read through it as we do. I want you to look for the different responses that people have when they see the identity and character of Jesus will be looking for those that follow him and those that flee from him Luke chapter 8 verses 22 to 39. One day he that is Jesus got into a boat with his disciples and he said to them let us go across to the other side of the lake. So they said I can honestly say I'd he fell asleep in the wind storm came down on the lake and they were filling with water and we're in danger. Are they went and woke him saying master master, we are perishing and he awoke and rebuked the wind and the Raging Waves and they ceased and there was a calm. And he said to them where is your faith? Cuz they were afraid they Marvel saying to one another who then is this that He commands even the winds and water and they obey him. Then they sell to the country of the gerasenes which is opposite Galilee when Jesus had stepped out onto land there met him a man from the city who had demons. For a long time he had worn no clothes and he had not lived in the house. But among the tombs what he saw Jesus he cried out and fell down before him and said in a loud voice. What have you to do with me Jesus Son of the most high God I beg you do not torment me for he had commanded the unclean Spirit to come out of the man for many a time and had seized them. He was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles that he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert. Jesus then ask them. What is your name? And he said Legion for many demons that entered him and I begged him not to command them to the part into the abyss. No a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside and I begged him to let them enter these so he gave them permission. Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs and I heard rushed down the Steep Bank into the lake and drowned. With a herdsman saw what had happened they fled and told it in the city and in the country, then people went up to see what had happened and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons have gone sitting at the feet of Jesus clothed and in his right mind and they were afraid. And those with seen it told him how the demon-possessed man had been healed. But all the people of the surrounding country of the gerasenes asked him to depart from them for they were seized with great fear. So we got into the boat and the man from whom the demons have gone beg that he might be with them. But Jesus sent him away saying return to your home and declare how much God has done for you and he went away for claiming throat the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.

We're going to look at these two stories. Look at these two stories is the first look at the authority that Jesus has and the identity that shows when he exercises his authority and then we're going to look at how he exercising his authority what we can draw about Jesus character from that to the first thing we can do in this first story of the storms is to see that Jesus has authority over the storm. He is God and he has the power set yourself into the place of the fisherman in this story. Imagine yourself a back there. You have been fishing your whole life. This is your home. This is your home like you're used to this place. This is where y'all your livelihood has been made. You've grown up in this region. You've been on this boat and this Lake many times before.

Do you know the geography of the area? Basically, there are there's a lake and mountains on one side of the desert on the other side of the mountains are made and just kind of a way that kind of like a wind tunnel and frequently in that part of the world winds will kind of whip right through that wind tunnel of the mountains and on to the lake and create a storm and so the disciples those who were fishermen were probably used to storms on this Lake. I would have been an everyday occurrence and they know that the storms can whip up in a heartbeat and yet we see in this story that is something different about the storms. They're terrified of the storm. This storm is beyond what they're used to seeing they're afraid and they cry out to Jesus and Jesus wakes up and calms the storm the wind and the waves stop.

I want to ask you this morning. What are some of the storms that you're going through in your life? As an elder a more than half of the time that I spend in meetings as an elder Archie spent in prayer for you.

There are many people I know just from our prayer list that we have as Elders that there are many people facing storms in life right now. People are dealing with uncertainty around their jobs or the finances. We've had many people who have lost loved ones in the last year. People are sick or injured how many of you have suffered emotional hurts of your suffering relationship difficulties. I know that there are many of you in this congregation that are hurting the list that we have our prayer requests as others is is 50 people long 50 families law that we know that there are many of you who haven't even told us the prayer request that you have in your life. I would encourage you if you do have things that you want prayed for contact you to contact the elders we are happy to pray for you and we would be happy if that list was a hundred names long from it. We can pray for you. I'd rather be zero. Because God has taken away your pain, but in this life, I think it's realistic to expect storms. This passage as much as it tells us about the identity of Jesus Through the fact that he can calm the storm. It also tells us a bit about his character. Just look at two pictures that this story tells us about his character that we can see about the story is that in the midst of the storm. Jesus is asleep. This is a picture of the humanity of Jesus. Is it the biggest storm probably that those experienced fisherman have dealt with it in the middle of it. Jesus is fast asleep. He's out called the back of the boat. Jesus was a human. He needed to recharge he was weak and he walked into Manatee with us. He had been through storms and trials walking with them with the disciples and he walks with you today. Jesus character is to enter storm of life with you. Dislo was also confident. I don't know how well you sleep but Jesus sleeping in the middle of a storm that the fisherman these disciples couldn't even handle. He's asleep during it. I can just imagine him with his cloak kind of pulled over himself and that the rains pouring down on the boat is filling with water and he's still asleep. And I wonder if you still asleep because he slept like a man who had hope and who had peace and with confidence in God. And so we swing from this picture of Jesus with his needing to recharge himself being asleep in the boat showing his Humanity the seconds later the disciples rousing insane master master save us and him standing and rebuking the wind and the waves and I always thought the word rebuke was an interesting choice there by Luke is think it shows that Jesus is character knows the difference between peace and Calamity and knows that there is danger and that it will ultimately be rebuked. He chooses not to rebuke the wind and the waves until after the disciples are seized with fear. I think we're in we are in the midst of the storm we too can question God's character wonder why he seems to be asleep wonder why he doesn't seem to be present and helping us but all along throat this whole story. Jesus has the power to save. So we're left with a question. Why does Jesus wait to calm the storm? And why does he sometimes leave us to go through our storms in life? I think the answer is something that we can easily Miss. But but I believe that the answer to a lot of the difficult questions in the Bible are found right in the text that you're reading. I think we'll see that twice a day and once in both stories. That's why I want you to put yourself in the disciple shoes. What do you think the disciples expected when they woke Jesus up? I don't think it was the calm the storm. I think they were afraid the storm was more than they can handle they turn to their leader. They do it lots of us do in those times. They turn to the people close to them. The people that they trust the people that leave them are they want help they want reassurance that they will be able to get through this. Maybe they thought Jesus was going to pick up a bucket start bailing the boat.

What Jesus would been asleep just seconds before showing his Humanity gets up and rebuked the wind and the waves showing his deity and the calls of the disciples faith. And I would expect if they thought that Jesus was going to do this to calm the storm, but they would be thankful. Is that what you'd expect of the disciples? Just what we need at this rate for the text doesn't say that they were thankful. It says that they were terrified the fact they're way more terrified of Jesus's than the storm of they just been dealing with a few seconds earlier. In the gospel of Mark Mark actually uses two different words for one word. He uses they were fearful the disciples during the storm and then afterward when they look at Jesus they were exceedingly fearful. They're more afraid of Jesus, but this fear led them to Marvel they were afraid but they marveled Jesus showed himself in that moment to be fully human and fully Divine and the revelation of the fact that this was a man who is not just a man but also God left the disciples in a state of fear. And I fear that made the Marvel at who Jesus was but also kept them following him.

Now the Second Story we see the Jesus confronts the evil spirits and just as we deal with storms as a church body. I know that many of you are also dealing with spiritual battle as well. I've had a few conversations this week so that affect with with some people and I think one occurs when I have one thing that's beautiful, but the Bible is that it gives us set of all the world use that we could hold it gives us the most comprehensive perspective on suffering and especially suffering like the man who are going to look at suffers what we would maybe now call mental health someone who is suffering from a spiritual battle. Do the Bible acknowledges the physical side of the battle that there are things that go wrong in our body that our bodies are ultimately going to break down and Decay and die. It accounts for the biochemical process is happening in our body and the physiological things that are happening in our body. It also acknowledges the reality of suffering and pain what are some views in this world that pain is an illusion will tell that to the person who suffering from cancer or who just lost a loved one. There are some places in the world where we have worldviews that don't acknowledge the emotional hurt. You go through when you're going through trials of the Bible acknowledge that acknowledges the spiritual battle that there are forces of evil that are raised against Jesus and his followers and maybe most of all the Bible acknowledges that there is a need for repentance and forgiveness. All of these things are pieces of the world you that we have of suffering that we can only see through the Bible. And we know that of all these things God is in control of all isn't control. The reality of our suffering and pain is in control of the physical world is in control of the spiritual World. He's the one that has given us the path for repentance and forgiveness to heal up and bind up our emotional wounds and relationships. So the set the stage imagine yourself back with a disciple. So you have just had Jesus wake up still the storm and you're still wondering about who this man is and was in another few minutes or hours you get to the other side of this Lake and you are greeted by a welcome party of a naked man walking out from tombs. Probably Cuts all over his body in the accountant Matthew and Mark both say that used to take sharp rocks and cut himself. He was he was involved in cell phone. So here's of your in a foreign country a man with demons walks up to you naked Cuts all over his body and starts yelling from the cemetery. Please Jesus don't send me away. And I think the weird transition between these two things is Luke asking a question in the storm story. We see the Jesus has authority over all the impersonal forces of the world heat is in charge of the wind and the wave that he can tell the winning the ways what to do cuz he made them in the first place created them course, he has authority over the wind and the wave does Jesus also have authority over the spiritual realm if the devil and his minions are arrayed against Jesus does Jesus have authority over them as well? And the answer is yes and much more to Jesus demonstrates more than just the authority over the spirit to demonstrate authority over other things as well. Jesus commands the demon to leave his authority over the spirit also has authority over his creation. We see that in the way that he commandeer is a herd of pigs for the demons to enter. Jesus has authority over the animals also Authority. Over the man himself who has the demons as he commends this man to get dressed to be in his right mind the man sits down at the feet of Jesus listens to his teaching. This is Jesus showing his identity that he has been given Authority from God the Father to prove that he truly is the Son of God and more than just the identity of Jesus. The story shows us some of juices character.

No, I think this text brings up questions about juices character. Just as I think the disciples had questions about Jesus's character during the storm of why are you asleep? I shouldn't you be bailing out the boat or be with us? And he was there just was there the whole time. I think this story does the same thing. We wonder maybe about Jesus character ever read this passage and wondered why does Jesus seem to be negotiating with demons? Are they and all they say, please don't bug us just says, okay go to the abyss and the demon say I will don't send it to send us into the pigs to Jesus. Let some go to the base is for Jesus and kind of a week. Place doesn't it like it seems like he's negotiating with the demons as if maybe when there was one that was fine. But as soon as they're Legion in his many of them, maybe it's more than just can handle know why I also would he destroy the herd of pigs? I mean that somebody's livelihood somebody on those two thousand pigs. That's all their income gone not to mention that's food for all those towns. He's just potentially starves hundreds of people by killing all their food. It is seems like Jesus might be weak or capricious that he's just doing this on a whim demons you want to go into a herd of pigs go for it. It was a trying to teach the people the region though a lesson of these were these weren't Jews. This is the other side of the lake with Gentiles and maybe juice is trying to say you shouldn't be eating pigs are unclean animal. Maybe he just isn't strong enough. Like I said, maybe just can't handle a legion of demons. What do they call these answers are our speculation? I think the real answer we can see in the text. The one thing that we need to keep her mind about Jesus and his character is that he is constantly working for our good and for the glory of God and those two things are never in opposition to each other. And so we see if we look a little closer than in the text we have Clues at the how God is working for our good and for God's glory. Let's look first at how Jesus engages the demons the first thing we see when he has a demon's is that he commands them to get go to the man. Couldn't even when the demon admits that there are many of him. They are begging Jesus not to torment them or send them into the abyss instead. They want to destroy this herd of pigs that Jesus confronts the other we can see the Jesus confronts. The enemy of our souls. He will not allow anything to prevent us from coming to him if there are spiritual forces against you right now know that Jesus is confronting them. The second we see how Jesus forfeits the pigs. I think the primary reason why Jesus for if it's the pigs has nothing to do with either the demons request or the people of the countryside trying to teach them a lesson. I think the primary reason why Jesus commands the demons into the herd of pigs is for the man. I think if you put yourself in his shoes that might help you if you are this man, you've been tormented by demons for years and so much so that you've been driven out of living in a house and in their city and in society and you now live in the desert in tombs, you go around naked you can't bear to have clothes on you you are able to fight off groups of people who chained you down and get you can get away and break the chains and flea and of the desert this man has gone through hurt physical her he cuts himself of rocks is not through pain is gone through confusion probably guilt anger at himself at others have God. Why is he going through this and any Moment of clarity? He might have I'm sure he is feeling very vulnerable and in pain but the demonstration to this man of thousands of pigs hurtling into the lake would be a sign. But he has been truly healed. Imagine you know that you've been trolled by demons, but they are confusing your mind to see visually thousands of pigs tearing down a Hillside and jumping into the water is prove to you that Jesus has really killed you. I think that's also the reason why Jesus asks the demons name and get an answer that we don't expect. I have always envisioned this as like a Steven Spielberg s kind of scene where Jesus walks up to the dean of the man of the demons and says, you know, what's your name? And he was some kind of crazy demonic voice all of those like trickery things like X-Files or stranger things really like multiply the voices on top of each other sounds super scary. I've always kind of assumed that but I think that's the wrong picture what's going on here. This is the demons the rest of the time are begging. Cheese's not to torment him. They're on their knees begging for Jesus not to hurt them and I think in this case is they don't want to admit how many of them there are. But the prince of Heaven Must Be answered to when Jesus ask them. What's your name? The demon has to admit that there are many of them but I think the Scene goes more like this. What's your name? I think they didn't want to admit to this man or the Jesus how many of them there were tormenting this guy how much it took how much effort it took the devil to try to hurt this one meme.

But I think for the man this is from Jesus, this is Jesus saying to him that this isn't the real you. I know that a lot of the things that you've done have been because of these demons. I know that even though you are a sinful man in a broken man that much of the things that you perpetrated much of the confusion in the hurt that you're feeling is as a result of these demons and I need you to know that there are many of them and I also need you to know that every single one of them has left you and is gone into those heard of tanks and other word that the demon says for how many Thousands and I think this is a picture of thousands of pigs. Mark says it's a book. Mm pigs. The pigs like Trail off into the water is a picture of thousands of demons leaving this man and Jesus setting him free. You know when the man saw that with a man saw that he was healed he changed literally Chaney got changed. He got dressed and he was in his right mind. He was able to actually see things clearly. He see Jesus correctly and it was Jesus who has save this man, but I think he also did something interesting for him in the future. This man won't be able to use demon doesn't excuse for anything. He doesn't the future anything that he did in those years. Will the demons were around him and tormenting him he can a tribute to the demons, but from now on he has no excuse just has left him knowing that all the sins that he commits going forward are his own he will need to repent of them and I think this is an example of Romans 2 tells us that it's the kindness of God leads us to repentance. I think we see a picture here of how God is being kind of this man and leading him to repentance. So what can we tell of Christ character through the healing of the man with the demons with first Jesus is in the business of restoration. If you have been damaged by the storms and the spirits of Life. Jesus is here to heal you to restore you and he moved Heaven and Earth to accomplish that when he came to Earth and died on the cross for you and rose again. We should also note here though that elsewhere Jesus mentions that we are more valuable than many sparrows. And here he demonstrates that we are also more valuable than many pigs. God loves animals so much he made them and he gave us stewardship over them when he made the when he made the world and created us, but don't make any mistake to God just one human life is more valuable than many animals. This is a trade that God would make any day one person for 2,000 pigs. I think that has little bit of a value that humans have in the eyes of God that we are made in God's image to our time and our culture when we as Christians as the church to demonstrate christ-like love to the most marginalized of humans and we show the value that all people have before gone. We care for the fatherless and the Widow would care for the hungry and the sick and the poor the homeless when care for the elderly and care for the unborn child we care for the people among us who need help. We are demonstrating like Christ the love that God has for humans. I'm third we see visible juices character the sending of a 2000 pigs wasn't just for the former demoniac but it was also for the people of that whole region of the book The demonic ceiling was public know because he been healed as such a public way. He's going to be able to reintegrate back into society and other people saw they were the herdsmen who are there and watched the Jesus said, you know, I command the demons to get out in the demons run down the hillside on the pics. This person is free and they can see that he has been Frieda visibly and those people ran and told the people in the city would have happened to the man and what use have done with the pigs and when this man now has been healed very publicly. But also for the people who arrived from the city at said everyone from the surrounding City and Country came and when they came they are terrified by Jesus there more terrified than they were the demoniac when this guy was like it must have been like a beware of man sign right like, you know that there's a cemetery that you don't walk through because there's a naked guy with cuts on them that's going to tear up the chains and do anything to you. If you walk through it like there is probably a big like take the detour sign around the around the cemetery. And here they are the people are fine with just letting that guy stay but they want Jesus to leave the Jesus heals this man he makes things right and they're still afraid that they may need Jesus to leave but they're okay with a demon-possessed man sticking around it shows again that the response to the authority and character of Jesus has fear. But unlike the disciples this fear, the fear of the people the region had doesn't make them Marvel at Jesus. It makes them beg to leave. It makes them flee from the presence of Jesus could almost say that their fear isn't enough of a fear. The disciples were actually ones that were fearing Jesus rightly because they realize the authority that Jesus had these people actually didn't fear was terrified as they were and still despite the fact they clearly rejected Jesus. Jesus isn't done with them. Although the former demoniac wants to travel with you. If you want to get in the boat and head back to the side of the lake I would too if I had been dealing with demons for years and what I'm known for is being the naked guy who runs around the tombs. I probably don't want to go back into town and try to get a job either. But yes, Jesus has that man stay on mission for him to stay in the region and a witness to all those people there that Jesus has actually just set up this man with a testimony of Salvation through him and what a testimony and irrefutable evidence of Jesus's Authority and his character and yet we know that that mission field is going to be hard going and all those people have rejected him and many of those people have begged you to leave but we see Christ work for our good and His glory that he has healed this man publicly in a spectacular fashion to rescue him from darkness and death and equip him for Ministry serving God declaring his salvation. Does an application to process of church as we think about evangelism how we share the gospel as we think about young adults? We saw the video of them going to cross-con for those of you who are young adults and went across, I have these words for you. If you've been saved by God, then as part of that he has equipped you for the good works that he's called you to. You may be asked across the sea and share the gospel or you may be asked to stay behind and share it at home. Either way God's divine power has given you everything that you need for life and for godliness. Barb was telling us about her to take Saint i o for a thousand tongues to sing in. This was totally unplanned. We had no actually talk before the service, but I actually have a third way that I view that song and what I was younger, I attended a mission conference and it talked about the fact that in the world right now. There are about six thousand human languages 6000 tons. We say write your mother tongue is your mother language and for me my picture of the song Oh for a thousand tongues to sing is not of a thousand tongues to actually my mind replace the word with 6 and think so for six thousand tongues to sing his One Day by the preaching of the word through us through people like the demoniac to repeal. We will have people from every nation and tribal language and people Worshipping God together and I think oh for 6000 languages to sing God's praise probably more than that. How many languages are extinct now? I think maybe we even missed a trick because in that song Oh for a thousand tongues to sing. The original one of my favorite verses says that Jesus breaks the power of cancel send and sets the prisoner free. His blood can make the foulest clean. His blood was shed for me. It's always see but Jesus in his power came down to us to rescue us from our sin. And if you notice there's been a serious theme kind of running through the two stories. And that is that one of the common responses to Jesus is fear. We see it in the disciples the man the demons the people they are all fear. And at some point they all beg Jesus for something. They're clearly realizing the power and difference between themselves and Jesus and we see that our two responses to seeing Jesus at work either. You can have a fear that makes you follow him or you can have a fear that makes you flee from him could be a good thing. You know, it helps us be aware of danger that's going on around us to keep us alert and they can keep us where things that are out of the ordinary when we tend to fear things that are different from what we expect the fear can also work to paralyze us. And so we sometimes have a negative view of fear, but there are reasons why fear is good in Proverbs 9, we're told that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge of holy of the Holy One is in sight to see the fear of the Lord isn't just referencing on it's a it's a real fear that includes those things but it's true fear and like the Staples in the people the city they felt real fear from Jesus. They were actually more afraid of Jesus in the circumstances that have preceded Their Fear of Jesus because he was just so different. So so other than ever since before he was so holy. And if we want to see Jesus Christ in Marvel, if we want to understand the fear of the Lord than we need to look at the Holiness of Jesus. Is he the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom because Understanding God's holiness begs the question of how we can possibly stand before a holy God. If we are honest with ourselves if we look at the sin and our life and then we see Jesus a perfect sinless man, but also God, how can we possibly stand before someone like that? The Disciples of the man who were healed could see the Jesus was much more than they could see he was God they could see he was all he had demonstrated that power. And they were terrified of who Jesus was but they understood his character.

That is in Christ Holiness. He is so loving and willing to enter into our lives that he will do that and save us even at the cost of his own life. And then Jesus came so that he could die for us and he has he's terrifying. Yes. He is the Great and Powerful God. Yes, his condensation is condensation condescension is greater than anyone has ever done before he has made such a trip from high to low.

But he did it for you because he loves you. He loves me. The people who saw that and got it but disciples and the man who is healed they marveled and then they chose to follow Christ for the people the city. They couldn't see the saving character of Jesus. The only saw the Holiness the other nests and they fled from it, but they couldn't they didn't fear enough. They didn't see Jesus enough. You know what? I'll ask you this question. Are you often afraid? You worried about the future and even in good times. Do you worry that God is waiting to catch you or punish you or judge. You are just waiting for the other shoe to drop. So that's not God's character. Jesus Christ showed his character when he took our punishment through stuff. When we Face storms and Spirits, they are for our character in Jesus is with us that we might share more in the character of Christ will carry us through the storms and the spiritual battles of Life When We Fear we should remember that above all we should fear God because he is the greatest fear. He has the power to do with all of our other fears and went to fear other things more than God referring things in the wrong order. It's okay to be afraid of the dark or snakes are those kinds of things with those are they warned us from danger, but we should ultimately fear God because he's the one that has power over the dark as an over the snakes and he has power over us his power as the Bible says to throw us into the pit of Hell. Person for a rebellion against him. He also has the power in Christ raises to New Life to be with him to Jesus has power and authority over us and he uses it to save us and if he saved us you know, what the command in the Bible is to us to know the number one command that God speaks in the Bible more than any other words, but he says he says fear not not because God is not someone to be feared. Not not because he's not terrifying but because in Christ God has dealt with our lack of holiness. Is dealt with what causes us to fear the Great Gulf between us he's bridge that he's come to her for us died in the cross on her place and Roses rose again to life and brings us with him into his presence over this. We should Marvel and we should follow him. The clothes that I want to read 2nd Corinthians 5 just a few verses from there. I want you to just close your eyes and imagine yourself and the point of view of the demoniac has just been healed and I think of these words spoken to him and how they speak to him. But also to us as a church as I Corinthians chapter 5 reading a verse 11 and then 13 to 21 and we'll pray to close there for knowing the fear of the Lord we persuade others if we are beside ourselves it is for God if we are in our right mind it is for you for the love of Christ controls us because we have concluded this that one has died for all there for all have died and he died for all that those who might live I no longer live for themselves before him who from their sake died and was raised. From now on therefore. We regard no one according to the flesh, even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh. We will guard him thus no longer. Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away behold. The new has come all this is from God through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. That is in Christ. God was reconciling the words of world to himself not counting their trespasses against them and a trusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore we are ambassadors of Christ. God making his appeal through us. We implore you this morning employee-employer you if you do not know Jesus on behalf of Christ be reconciled to God for our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, but in him we might become the righteousness of God spray.

Our God and Father we praise you because through Jesus Christ you have rescued us from storms from Spirits Lord, you have made through the Holy Spirit our spirit to be alive in Christ. We pray that you would take these words this morning that you can plant them in her heart for us to see your character Chrissy your identity until Marvel at the great work of Jesus Christ in our lives father. Would that motivate us to share what God has when you have done in our lives when I motivate us to evangelism knowing that you have given us every equipping that we need for this church to take care of the people here and also to share the gospel in the city and around the world. We pray these things in Christ name. Amen.