Hope everyone is doing well. Let me pray for our time and we'll dive into Luke chapter eight. Father, thank you for... the gospel of Jesus Christ, how he did for us what we can't do for ourselves. He redeemed us. He paid the penalty for our sin so that we could be forgiven. Well, Father, thank you for that gracious gift. Father, as we study your Word this morning, I pray that your Spirit would guide us, reveal to us the truth that would transform us and glorify you. In Christ's name we pray. Amen. So we're going to finish up Luke chapter 8 today. I love this story, so you're probably gonna see some of that as I go through it. One day, he 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 set out. So it's a new scene. What do we learn about it here? First of all, We don't know when it is. It's a later date. It's another time. We really don't know exactly where it is on the Sea of Galilee, although it's probably close to Capernaum. Jesus gets in a boat with his disciples to head across the lake. Has anyone here been to the Sea of Galilee? So the geography around there is pretty unusual, isn't it? So the Sea of Galilee is really low, and then there's mountains around it. So that leads to some unusual weather. In fact, a storm can come in off the mountains unexpectedly. So this was, it's kind of a, it's a little bit of a treacherous thing to try and cross the lake. And they ran into a problem, as we're gonna see. These winds off the hills can lead to these sudden storms. Before I go any further, do you think Jesus knew a storm was coming? Absolutely. Things didn't catch him by surprise. So he knew what was gonna happen. He instructed his disciples to head across the lake by boat. He put them into a precarious situation. We need to remember that when we get in difficult situations, it is not catching God by surprise. He knows. God knows about the medical things you're gonna face. He knows about the relationship issues you're gonna face, the financial problems you face, Whatever it is that you're facing, it's not, God's not, oh no, how did that happen? No, God knows about it. He knew, Jesus knew he was putting these disciples in a tough situation. So as they sailed, he fell asleep. and a windstorm came down on the lake and they were filling with water and were in danger. So during their journey, Jesus shows his humanity. He got tired and he fell asleep. In fact, Mark says he was asleep in the stern in the back of the boat on a cushion. Now in their culture, Large bodies of water were mysterious and people considered the ocean to be really kind of mysterious and dangerous and whatnot. So this storm, unexpected to the disciples, Jesus knew about it, caused the boat to take on water and it put them in danger of sinking. It says it's filling with water, it could go down. These boats are made out of wood. If you fill them with water, they're going to sink. The storm would cause the boat to lean and it'd be taken on water, especially if it's loaded with people. They're not able to bail the water out fast enough, so it's filling up. And 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? And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him? The disciples were pretty smart in how they responded, weren't they? Where do they go for help? They go to the one who can help. They go to the master, is what they call him. They panicked. They did take their problem to the master, calling master, master for urgency. Other translations say, we're going to drown instead of perishing. So they knew they were in danger. Now, gotta remember, most of the disciples were what? They were fishermen. They'd been out here before. So this is not just a little thunderstorm. This is something severe for them to fear like this. What response does Jesus give? I mean, the situation is dire. It's life-threatening. So he calms the storms just with his words. And the response of nature is instantaneous. So it really shows how this is a miraculous thing. There's no more waves rocking the boat. The wind ceases. He's got authority. He shows his authority over nature. Then he questions the faith of the disciples. He wanted them to trust him, to know that he had this extraordinary power and authority and they needed to just rely upon him and he would guide them through whatever the situation was that they faced. So what do we learn from the disciples afterwards? They're questioning themselves. What do they really believe about Jesus? Who then is this? So it's clear, they're marveled or amazed, They don't fully grasp who Jesus is yet. They've got some clues, but I think they're still struggling with his identity and certainly his deity. So Jesus is using, Jesus put them in this situation to grow their faith. That's why God allows trials in our lives. He wants us to trust him better. Now, sometimes trials can be a consequence of our own actions, but oftentimes, like this one, the disciples had done nothing to suffer a storm that we know of. wasn't a consequence of their actions, they were in this trial to grow their faith. Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. And when Jesus had stepped out on 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 a house but among the tombs. They encounter another odd situation when they get to the other side. So there's this man. He steps out of the boat and there's this man who had demons. It could be demon possessed. We don't really know how demons impact people. We know they do, but the specifics of it are never mentioned. In this case, it affected his actions. He ran around naked and lived in a cemetery. From other gospel accounts, we learn that they tried to subdue him and he would break loose, and so he couldn't be controlled. When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him and said with 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 it had seized him. He was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert. So, this man, you know, is being controlled by this demon. The demon obviously knows about Jesus, right? I mean, he calls him son of the most high God. So, you know, he submits to the authority of Jesus He proclaims Jesus as the Son of God. He couldn't be restrained, as we said. The demon's response shows that he knows who Jesus is. Jesus asked him, what is your name? And he said, Legion, for many demons have entered him. and they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss. So this continuing dialogue, a legion was several thousand soldiers. It's not just a half a dozen, it's a lot. I don't know if there were that many demons, but this guy has a serious demon problem. It's not a trivial thing. There is strength in numbers, but these demons show absolute submission to Jesus Christ. There's no question that he has authority over them. Where's the abyss? We don't really know, do we? We know its purpose. In the Old Testament, it was the place of the dead. In Revelation, it refers to a place where unbelievers go awaiting judgment. When it says they begged him, The tense of that verb implies multiple requests. So they don't want to go to the abyss yet. They want something else. So now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside and they begged him not to let them enter these. excuse me, begged them to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned. Why would Jesus allow this? What had these pigs done that deserve to be killed? What's that? Well, yeah, they're unclean, yeah. Although he's later gonna reverse that. I think you're right there, okay. How many of you have ever seen somebody that you're confident was demon possessed? It's not common for anyone here. Elsewhere in the world, it's a little more common, but I think in their society, it may have been also, demon, what are you talking about? they probably would question, what's this thing with demons? You know, there's no, what's the proof of that? Okay. By using this herd of pigs, he makes it clear that there really are demons and There's a lot of them because it's a whole herd of pigs. I think Jesus used this herd of pigs to give a physical proof that yes, there are demons and I'm gonna cast them out of this man and these pigs are gonna drown because of it. I think he's showing his followers the serious nature of having demons. This scene of hundreds, if not thousands of pigs stampeding into the lake would be a very memorable thing. People are gonna remember that. I mean, now the disciples have seen a storm come, and now they're seeing these pigs. It would have been a gruesome aftermath, but it shows the impact that evil has. When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country. Then people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. And those who had seen it told them how the demon-possessed man had been healed. So these herdsmen had seen a couple of things that were extraordinary. First, they'd seen this herd of pigs stampede into the lake, but they'd also seen this man who'd been uncontrollable, and his life was changed. His life was transformed. They'd seen this healing, and then they'd seen the herd of pigs. So they told their story, it says, in the city and the country. So they're telling it wherever they have an audience, they're telling people about it. They probably didn't own the pigs, so they had to explain to the owners how they'd lost all these pigs. So that was another thing they had to worry about. So what's the impact on this man who'd been demon possessed? His life was changed. You know, He went from being uncontrollable to being seated at Jesus' feet, from naked to clothed, from crazy to in his right mind. He's now a follower of Jesus Christ. It's a very public testimony of this man as to here is what Jesus did for me. Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. These people, it's not just the herd owners, they're seized with great fear. I don't think this was really reverence for Jesus, but I think it's terror of what might happen next. It's like, look, we lost all these pigs, what's gonna happen next? And so they ask him to leave the region, which he did. I think he's giving his disciples an example of how to do ministry as well. That there are times when someone's gonna reject what you're teaching. They're just, they're not gonna have anything to do with it. And you know, you can be persistent, but. it may not be successful. And there are times when, you know, other places, he says, don't throw your pearls before the swine. He's like, there are times when, okay, I've said, I've explained the gospel, you know, they've rejected it. I need to move on to other places. And I think that's what Jesus is showing his disciples is, okay, we've given them miraculous events now, and if these people don't want to recognize my authority and power, then we're going to move on to somewhere else. And that's what he did. The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him, but Jesus sent him away saying, return to your home and declare how much God has done for you. And he went away proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him. So this man wants to follow Jesus. Unlike the people from the area, he wants to be a follower. He begs to stay with Jesus. Jesus had him return home to witness in that area. to proclaim what God had done for him, this man was likely a Gentile. We don't know for sure, but I'm expecting he was from a Gentile region. He probably was a Gentile, and I think that's the primary reason why Jesus wouldn't want him to stick around. It would have complicated his ministry if he had joined his group of followers. Also, Jesus wanted a witness in that area, and this man seems very bold in his sharing. I've thrown in this verse from 1 Peter. It says, be sober-minded, be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Can demons impact the lives of Christians? I see some heads nodding yes. Peter wrote to Christians, right? Peter is writing to the church and he's telling the church that your adversary is prowling around like a lion thinking someone to devour. So Christians can be impacted by demons. The warning is to think clearly and remain watchful, because this enemy is cunning and dangerous. He's on the loose in our world until Christ returns. So we need to be watchful for him. Now, should we be fearful? What does scripture also tell us? Greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world. So we are permanently indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Genuine believers have the Holy Spirit as a permanent fixture. He is greater than Satan, so we need not cower in fear. We're to resist him and he'll flee from us. We can do this with confidence, because we are on the winning side. We know who's the end of the story. We know that we're gonna win. Satan has been defeated. Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him for they were all waiting for him. And there came a man named Jairus who was the ruler of the synagogue. And falling at Jesus' feet, he implored him to come to his house, for he had an only daughter, about 12 years of age, and she was dying. So we get a new scene when we get back. You have a ruler of the synagogue whose daughter is dying. This is likely Capernaum, we don't know for sure. There's a crowd waiting for him and then this man falls at Jesus' feet. So show submission to him. He begs him to come to his house and heal his only daughter who's dying. It's interesting, she's 12 years old. So that's gonna be kind of a little, I don't know if it's a coincidence or if there's something noteworthy out of that. Because 12 is gonna come up in just a moment with a lady. So why are both of these 12? I don't know. As Jesus went, the crowd pressed around him and there was a woman who had a discharge of blood for 12 years, okay, so the same age as that young girl. And though she had spent all her living on physicians, she could not be healed by anyone. She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately his discharge of blood ceased. So what happens? They appear to immediately leave for J. Iris' house, despite the crowd around him. And then there's this woman in the crowd. She's got this bleeding issue for 12 years, the same age as J.R.' 's daughter. So this bleeding would have left her as an outcast. Society at that time would make her unclean and she's not even supposed to touch people. She's not supposed to have any interaction with anyone. And this had been going on for 12 years. She spent all her money seeking healing but it had all failed. So she's in desperation, reaches out and touches just the fringe of his garment and is healed. And Jesus said, who was it that touched me? When all denied it, Peter said, master, the crowds surround you and are pressing in on you. But Jesus said, someone touched me, for I perceive that power has gone out from me. So after she touches him, he wants to know who it was. He recognized that healing power had gone out from him and he wanted to know who touched him. I think he knew who touched him. But he wanted, he wanted her to admit it. He wanted to publicly recognize her faith. So he wanted her to acknowledge that she is the one that had touched him and to explain what had happened to her. He says it's not just a normal touch, but it transmitted power. When the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling and falling down before him, declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him and how she had been immediately healed. And he said to her daughter, your faith has made you well, go in peace. So this woman ultimately, she responds positively, right? She admits what had happened. She knew she couldn't be hidden. So she fell before him, so it's submission to his authority. Maybe he looked at her in just the way that made her know, okay, He knows what happened. I can't deny it. She told how she had touched him and been healed. Her touching him would have been forbidden. It would have made him unclean. So I think that's probably why she was reluctant to admit what had happened. What did she learn from Jesus' reply? She was healed physically, but she was also healed spiritually because of her faith. He says, go in peace. She now had peace with God. That comes only when you're forgiven. She had that. He greeted her with this term daughter, even though he likely was older than her. Don't know for sure, but it's a pretty common speculation that she would be older. He showed gracious compassion for her. They're calling her daughter. While he was still speaking, someone from the ruler's house came and said, your daughter is dead. Do not trouble the teacher anymore. So J. Iris' household, once the daughters died, they think the situation's become completely hopeless. At this point, don't bother to come visit. It's over. She's died. There's no more hope. It's probably a servant informs them that Jairus's daughter has died. The delay in healing this unnamed woman allowed the ruler of the synagogue, so this high profile guy, his daughter to die. The messenger certainly had lost hope. Don't trouble the teacher anymore. But Jesus on hearing this answered him, do not fear, only believe and she will be well. And when he came to the house, he allowed no one to enter with him except Peter and John and James and the father and mother of the child. So Jesus responds, to their hopelessness with, okay, it's not hopeless. Don't fear. This didn't surprise him. He wasn't alarmed. He clearly connects faith or belief with healing. It says, only believe and she will be well. This is an example of how our faith can have an impact on other people. This young girl is dead, but he's saying that if those around him will believe, she can live. So our faith can have an impact on other people. So he takes, this I think is the first time that he's chosen three of his disciples to be kind of his inter-circle, you know, the special ones, Peter, James, and John. They go with the parents into Jairus' house. It could have been difficult to take the whole group of disciples in, we don't know, but there are other times when he singles them out as well. And all were weeping and mourning for her, but he said, do not weep, For she is not dead, but sleeping. And they laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. But taking her by the hand, he called, saying, Child, arise. And her spirit returned, and she got up at once. And he directed that something should be given her to eat. And her parents were amazed. But he charged them to tell no one what had happened. How did these mourners respond? They knew what a dead person looked like. So he says she's sleeping. This is an example of how not to handle your doubts. They doubted that this girl was just sleeping But instead of seeking more information, if you remember back when John the Baptist had doubts about who Jesus was, he sought more information. They don't seek more information, they just laugh at him in unbelief. If we've got doubts, we need to pursue more information to understand what really God is trying to teach us, and not just laugh it off. No, that's unbelief if you do that. So Jesus takes her by the hand, which would make him unclean again, but and told her to arise. Her spirit returned, so she really was dead, and she immediately got up. And Jesus said, get her something to eat. You know, he wants to show that she really is a living person. Why did he tell them not to, don't tell anybody. Keep it a secret. What was Jesus' ministry about? Was it to raise everybody from the dead? No. It was to transform lives spiritually, right? And he doesn't want You know, they're amazed, they're literally out of their mind is one way to translate it. He doesn't want followers that are just looking for miracles for selfish reasons. He wants to transform lives spiritually, so he used these miracles to validate who he was, the spiritual authority that he had, That's why he did miracles. He didn't come just to heal people physically. He came to change people spiritually. So what are some lessons out of this, what we've studied? So God allows trials in our life. They're to grow our faith. So when we face a difficult situation, instead of moaning and groaning about it, which I'll admit is my natural response, we need to look for what is God trying to teach me out of this? What kind of lesson does he want me to learn? Spiritual warfare is real, but Jesus has authority over the fallen world in which we live. So we need to be on the lookout for, you know, demonic oppression and don't let it affect us, but we don't have to fear it because we have, you know, through Jesus, we've got authority over it. And then we need to remember that God is sovereign over every detail of our lives, including when we see unexpected interruptions. How do you respond to an unexpected interruption? Wait a minute, I'm busy, you know. Don't bother me with that problem right now. I'll get back to you. Is that what Jesus did when this woman touched him? Oh, he immediately took the unexpected interruption and used it as an opportunity for ministry. This was kind of a convicting thing for me when I studied it, because I'd been asked to do some ministry work that I have no experience at, and I really didn't feel like I was very qualified to counsel someone. But God made it clear to me that, okay, you can do this if you'll let me use you. And so I agreed, okay, I'll do this even though I don't really feel like I'm the right person for it, but so far it's gone well. So When you get unexpected interruptions, you need to look for what does God want me to do with this? So how do we apply these things? How do you respond to trials? Do you look for the lesson or do you, like me, tend to just complain about why am I doing, why did this happen to me? No, we need to look for what is God trying to teach us? How are you preparing for spiritual warfare? We're in a spiritual battle. If you don't think so, look at the state of our country. It's just, spiritually, it's going downward. We need to be prayerfully studying the word and seeking to apply it in a way that'll change us and equip us for the battles that we're gonna face. These spiritual battles are real. And then finally, what impact do these unexpected interruptions have on your spiritual life? Do you let it derail you spiritually? Or do you look at them as, okay, this is another opportunity that God has given me. Let me see, well, how can God use me in whatever this unexpected situation is? How can God use me? for his glory and the good of the people that are involved in it. Other questions or comments? In all of the stories you laid out, one of the things that's true for each one is that by faith alone, every person was healed or saved. And it just attests to my faith alone, and Christ alone, and grace alone. Amen. And no, nothing of ourselves. Not one of those persons did something to earn it. Not one of them prayed a prayer. Not one of them. Nope. They didn't earn it. Oftentimes, they didn't even ask for it. This demon-possessed man at the garrisons He's not like coming up to Jesus asking for, you know, the demons have control of him. Jairus' daughter, by the time Jesus got there, she's dead. She's not asking for anything. The compassion of Jesus to respond to faith. you're right, you know. The miracles all reveal the response to faith. I don't know. I mean, obviously that man's life was transformed remarkably. for him to be clothed in an insane mind and seeking to follow Christ, and his life was transformed. Immediately missionary, just like the Samaritan woman, they become directly touching their lives, then they become missionaries, they're going to tell. That's what Jesus said, they're going to tell. And it's an example that we're to follow. God wants us to just tell other people what God has done for us. That's what witnessing is all about. You don't have to have a seminary degree to tell somebody what Jesus has done for you. I mean, obviously these people were not well trained. As I mentioned, this was probably a Gentile. That's right. And if we truly understand our previous state, we were in pretty bad shape. You know, we were Our destination was not good. It was eternal separation from God because of our sin. So we were in a bad place. God redeemed us from that. Another thing about the Hebrew man, that is, he hears the demons talking to Jesus. What I have to do with me? No, he knew. He was the first one to hear from his mouth that demons speak to Jesus. And it's something very, very important for us to think about it. These demons knew who he was, and they were not afraid to proclaim it. Now, they're an example of that helps us understand what faith requires. So faith requires that we understand truth. Well, the demons understood it. So genuine faith requires more than just an understanding of truth. It requires a conviction about it that I'm gonna live differently and a commitment to live differently because of what you know. So genuine faith is more than just knowledge in our head. It goes much deeper than that. Faith is a gift from God. Let me pray for her. Father, thank you for the gift of faith that through what we believe about Jesus Christ, we are redeemed. Father, thank you for that miraculous, gracious gift. And just like this young girl was given new life, you have given us spiritual life through your son. And we thank you. And help us to be like this demon-possessed man was. Help us to be... vocal about what you've done for us, how you have changed us for your glory and our good. In Christ's name we pray, amen.