I. Jesus' Power Over Nature and Demons
- In Matthew 8:23-34, Jesus and his disciples where at sea when a storm arose. The disciples were scared and pleaded to Jesus to save them. This showed that the disciples had little faith in Jesus and they really didn't know who He was yet. Just by a word, Jesus rebuked the storm and winds and instantly it was calm. After this, the disciples knew that Jesus was the son of God because he has control over nature. Sometimes, we face problems that we really don't have a solution for. But instead of trusting God, we tend to find our solutions ourselves. We go to God as our last resort when we know that we, as man, can not do anything else. Remember in Proverbs 3:5-6,
"5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths."
- In verses 28-34, Jesus and his disciples landed in the country of the Gergesenes, where he was met by two-demon possessed men. The demons knew who Jesus was, the son of God, so they begged Jesus to cast them out and let them go to the herd of swine (pigs). When this happened, the whole herd ran of the into the sea and died. We can see here that Jesus also had controls over. The demons already knew who he was without saying a word and what Jesus is capable of doing. When the residents saw this, they told their neighbors what happened, but instead of praising Him and glorifying Him, they surprisingly begged him to leave. The casting of demons costed the people their flock and their income. They were blinded with their livelihood that they could not see that the messiah is with them. They valued their pigs more than the lives of the two demon-possessed men. Most of the time, we cannot experience Jesus because we love money more than life. Some people are even willing to trade their lives for money. Remember that when we experience some financial hardships or any difficulties, let us keep our trust in God. By trusting in Him, God will calm the storms in our lives and cast out demons around us.
"5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths."
- In verses 28-34, Jesus and his disciples landed in the country of the Gergesenes, where he was met by two-demon possessed men. The demons knew who Jesus was, the son of God, so they begged Jesus to cast them out and let them go to the herd of swine (pigs). When this happened, the whole herd ran of the into the sea and died. We can see here that Jesus also had controls over. The demons already knew who he was without saying a word and what Jesus is capable of doing. When the residents saw this, they told their neighbors what happened, but instead of praising Him and glorifying Him, they surprisingly begged him to leave. The casting of demons costed the people their flock and their income. They were blinded with their livelihood that they could not see that the messiah is with them. They valued their pigs more than the lives of the two demon-possessed men. Most of the time, we cannot experience Jesus because we love money more than life. Some people are even willing to trade their lives for money. Remember that when we experience some financial hardships or any difficulties, let us keep our trust in God. By trusting in Him, God will calm the storms in our lives and cast out demons around us.
II. An illustration from Marriage
- In Romans 7:1-6, Paul used marriage to illustrate our relationship with the law. When we are married, we are bounded by the law to be with our spouse forever and the only time you are allowed to divorce is if a partner commits adultery. Other than that, you can only marry again when your partner dies. Just like being a Christian, we used to be bounded by the law but when Christ died for us in the cross, we also died with him. When Christ died for our sins, the law can no longer condemn us. We used to be under the power of sin and this gave us guilt, sufferings, and separation from God. With Christ's Resurrection, we are a new creation. We are born again of the spirit and the Holy Spirit is now with us to guide us and live a righteous life. We are either following Jesus or we are following sin, there is no in-between. Being a Christian does not mean that we do not commit sin but we are no longer slaves of sin. We have the power to resist the temptation with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We belong to God's family and we can show this by bearing good fruit.
27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,
When it is in the power of your hand to do so.
28 Do not say to your neighbor,
“ Go, and come back,
And tomorrow I will give it,”
When you have it with you.
29 Do not devise evil against your neighbor,
For he dwells by you for safety’s sake.
30 Do not strive with a man without cause,
If he has done you no harm.
31 Do not envy the oppressor,
And choose none of his ways;
32 For the perverse person is an abomination to the LORD,
But His secret counsel is with the upright.
IV. Old Testament Reading
Genesis 37-38 and Psalms 16:1-11
