in a time when it's sort of like this, but we're going to start with the 35th verse. Then they went out to see what was done and came to Jesus and found the man out of whom the devils were departed sitting at the feet of Jesus clothed and in his right mind and they were afraid They also which saw it told them by what means he that was possessed of the devils was healed. Then the whole multitude of the country of the Gadarene round about besought him to depart from them, for they were taken with great fear. And he went up into the ship and returned back again. Now the man out of whom the devils were departed besought him that he might be with him. But Jesus sent him away, saying, Return to thy own house and show how great things God hath done unto thee. And he went his way and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him. And it came to pass that when Jesus was returned, the people gladly received him, for they were all waiting for him. Now, here in this, you question and sort of wonder, why on earth would they be afraid of Jesus when they see what good he had done to this man, because you'll find that the man, he didn't even wear clothes. He was naked and when they chained him or whatever they done, he'd just break free because The demons had such power upon him. But then when he met Christ, the first time you hear anything mentioned about it, he's there at Christ's feet, clothed and in his right mind. Why? Because he wanted to be more with that man. That had made such a difference in his life. He was wanting to start a traveling with him. But Christ only knows you're going Tell people what God has done for you. He done exactly that to her. When it comes the next time, instead of people being afraid to cry, they've been looking forward to seeing him come again. You and I today, that's our purpose in this life, is to go and tell people what a great difference God has made in our lives. And we're not the same as we were. But we've become a new creature in Christ Jesus. And in our lives, it has a purpose still. And we have something that we could tell people that will melt to something in their life, too, if they only believe. But we're living in a day and a time when people seem to be scared of change. They're scared of what might happen, of what they might have to give up. They want to hold on to the things of this life and have God too. And it's not gonna work that way. Just like this man that didn't say one thing about how he went back his whole life, but he went telling everybody what a great thing God had done for him. And they can see the evidence. Why? Because they all knew what he had been. You and I today, and we're not ashamed to let people see who we really are. If we can show the difference that God has made in our life. And I'm afraid today, too many people, we don't want people to look at us very much. We don't want them to examine us very much, because we're not too sure if we're doing what we're supposed to be doing. Because after all, we don't spend much time reading the Bible. And like I had a woman to tell me once, she was a Catholic. And so I forgot where it got that. I got rid of it. Somebody had given me a Catholic Bible just so I could see the difference. And in their very Bible, it said to call no man father. And I would question her about things like that and other things in it. Oh, you're supposed to be a Catholic. You're not living it. She said, I said, don't you read the Bible? I don't need to read the Bible. I got the priest to tell me what's required. You and I today. We need to know what God's word is for ourselves. It isn't good enough. to hear what somebody else is gonna say about it, but we need our very self to know what God's word says. You and I today, we're at life here, it's so short. As I've said many times, I'm 80 years old now, and it don't seem like it was that long back. I was just a kid, laying in the morn, looking out underneath the bed, and what was going on in the church, and people were shouting and praising, But oh, how the years went by so quickly. But you and I, what we do for God, it's only gonna last. It's only gonna matter anything after we're dead and gone. Because what we do here, for ourselves, it's gonna matter very little. It won't be long after we're gone. Nobody will be mentioning their name. They might pass by the tombstone, see your name there carved in the stone, and say, I wonder what he was like. But all that's a New England war. And it implanted in their children and their grandchildren. It can last for all eternity and make a difference. If we're not ashamed to tell people here This man, as he spoke and told what God had done for him, it convinced people because they could see it wasn't, as the old saying goes, a flash in the pan. It was something that was lasting with him. He was telling them and living it. You know, Bible don't call him a disciple, but he was a very good one, wasn't he? You and I today, We need to not look at ourselves as being nobody, not important. We can be a witness for Christ in our life, no matter where we're at. We can speak and tell the truth to where people and live a life where people can see your life makes a difference, to where they can see that each and every one of us here We have a chance. This man was totally changed because he met Christ. Has your life been changed because of you meeting Christ? Did it really make a difference in you? It sure did in me. The things that I once loved, I hated. I didn't want no parts of them. And the things I once hated, I now loved. I wanted to be in church every time the door was open. It makes a difference. If we hunger and thirst after the things of God, you can be filled. And you know, that's the thing that's wrong today. I think people are scared of the feeling and what a difference it'll make. As I was talking to a young person that used to attend this church years ago, and the life that they lived then and the way that they dressed and the way they looked, they don't look nothing like that now. They don't dress nothing like that now. You and I, it's very evident, they've changed drastically. I don't know if they still look at themselves as being a Christian or not, but according to the word of God, they're not living to the standard of what a Christian should live. So anybody that they're trying to witness to is not seeing a Christian. You and I today, you know, our words should not be empty words. They should be words that carry something behind them. letting people see what a difference God makes in me and in you. And I'm so thankful. I look at the Bible. I've been reading it for decades. Even before that I become a Christian, I was raised and taught the Bible. They was scripture that I could quote to you and stuff. I can remember in school, this is not a Christian school. It was a public school back when I was in the fifth grade. We had memory things that the teacher wanted us to memorize, and we'd have to get up and say it in front of the class. And you know what most of it was? It was psalms. It was different scriptures in the Bible. Today, oh, you wouldn't be allowed to do that. Why? We don't want to inspire somebody to read the things in the Bible because it might make a difference in their life. We don't even want the Ten Commandments on the wall because it might make them live different. let's hope it does because you and I today they're not getting anything out in the world to give them a standard to live by but you and I we could go to the word of God and we could find out oh what it teaches a person how to live a good moral life You know, you don't even have to be a Christian, but to live according to the Bible, a good, decent, moral life. It can bring peace and happiness in your life, even though you might not know Christ as your Savior. But I often pray if you begin to read the Word of God, It reaches out and deals with your heart. Or you see all you need, even. Just like this man here, he fell down. You know, when Christ first come, he was thinking he didn't want anything to do with Christ. When Christ asked him what his name was, he said, Legion. Because he was building devils inside of him. And when Christ cast him out, that was what he wanted to be. Oh, he liked the change and he take the blame. You and I today, if we live a Christian life, we should like the change that take place and we should praise God for that change and thank him each and every day and prove that we love God by the life that we live, you know? Granted, this day and time, you go witnessing the people, you're going to make some people mad. You're going to make some people, I guess, for lack of a better way of saying it, an enemy out of some people, because they just think that's ridiculous. And you've lost your mind, because nobody can live like that. You and I today, you know, within ourself, it would be hard to live to the standard of the Bible, even as a Christian, some things are hard. But if we devote ourselves to God, surrender all unto him, the impossible becomes possible. You know, That was one thing I never was bad at, even when I was lost, because I'd been raised and taught different than that. And I knew if I started cussing and I went home and let something slip, boy, it would have been a rough way to go. I don't care. I know when I just said a shady word or something that I'd heard at school when I was young, ivory soap washed my mouth out. And I tell you that if you've never had that happen, it's not a good way to go. But, you know, you'll find people that has a bad habit of cursing. And when they really get right with God, it's amazing how, in just a matter of a few moments there, it cleans the mouth up. They become a changed person. Why? Because God changes us from the inside out. You know, each and every one of us, our life here is so short. None of us knows how long a time we've got to live. This little graveyard here beside the church, there's from a baby there that died the day it was born to old people. So you and I, we never know when it's coming our time. Bible says it's appointed of the man once to die and after death the judgment. I can guarantee you, you're going to die unless the Lord comes back. But each and every one of us, how we face death or the coming of Christ makes all the difference. And whether we're happy to see him come or we're happy to meet the death angel. You know, there have been a few times in my life I thought that was going to be my last day. And there wasn't a one of them that I was scared and didn't want to die. To be quite frank, I was concerned about family I was leaving behind, who was going to keep trying to drill into them the word of God, the truth. But when I thought it might be my town, I just figured God was seeing somebody. You and I today, If we don't live a life to reach them, maybe, you know, at our death, if we can greet death rejoicing, knowing what's waiting on the other side, maybe that will be what it takes to reach them. You and I today, you know, our life, we don't know how long it's gonna be, but we can, you know, live each day for the Lord. You know, I'm afraid that's one of the things People worry about what's going to happen to me in five years, 10 years, 20 years, whatever. What am I going to accomplish? And all we really need to be concerned about, am I living this day pleasing unto God? Because this might be your last one. You have no promise of tomorrow. Live each and every day as if it's your last one, where you'll be pleasing to God, and then if you do, When the death angel calls, you won't be scared. You won't be afraid. Here, these people, you know, I've read this no telling how many hundreds times in my life. This man, where they seen what was done to him, they come out, and they was afraid. Here it said, for they were taken with great fear. I don't understand why they should have been afraid. They were scared they couldn't handle that guy. That was something to be afraid of. You see him there in his right mind and everything? If it was me, I wouldn't be afraid. I'd be wanting to find out what he got and how'd I get it. You and I today, it's something that each and every one of us, we need to take time out to search the scripture and find out what God wants from me. and what he wants for you. Are we being the witness? You know, I was reading this morning another place where Christ give an example of one that had been forgiven of a lot and one had been forgiven of a little. And one had been forgiven of a lot. I tried to figure it up, and it comes around $100. Well, back then, that was over a year's work, salary. And the other one being forgiven of something like $7. That would have been a couple of weeks or more work. Well, it would have been more than that, because their average pay at that time equaled out to like $0.20 of our money a day. You and I, we look at that, and the man answered. I suppose one had been forgiven the most. Maybe we need to stop and think of how much God's had to forgive us of. A lot of times we don't think of ourself as being that bad. Measure yourself up to a righteous God, one that is perfect, and then see how much you've been forgiven of. You know, I'm still trying to figure out in my mind what God ever saw in me to be willing Pay such a price for me. Wasn't something I deserved. I'll have to say my whole life, if I lived a perfect life for God, I still can't say I deserved what Christ paid for me. I've got a debt I'll never get paid. And yet he's promised me, if I live for him here in this life, for all of eternity, I could be in a perfect place where he is. You and I today, we get some song to sing. I beg you, please, concentrate on what you do for God. Make sure that your life makes a difference with those that you come in contact with. They've been a lot of people left this church over the years because they didn't want to live to the standard that we preach. But I've challenged every one of them. If you can take the Bible and prove me wrong, I'll thank God for you and hug you now. You know, I've given that challenge out over radio, over the internet, over All kinds of places that I've had yet for anybody to come and say, well, you don't have to live like that because it's okay to have sin in your life. You can have sin in your life, a lot of people does, but you're not gonna go to heaven with sin in your life. So while we stand and sing, I beg you. Are you being a light and a witness for God? Is it something that people that comes in contact with you can see and know that you're different from those of the world? Does your life really stand out? Do you have a testimony that when a question arises, anything about God, that you have a testimony that you can tell them what a difference God has made in your life? Anyone got a word, anything?