In Mark 5:1-20 we find the story of the Gerasene demoniac. Here we see three different scenes taking place, all of which are still very active today in dealing with human kind. There are Satan, Society, and The Savior. In each scene, we find a different goal in response to the needs of the demoniac.
1. Satan's Goal
The ultimate goal of Satan and the evil in this world is to bring ridicule to God's Son, Jesus Christ, and to destroy God's crown of creation: Mankind. Satan has one major aim: To steal, kill, and destroy (See John 10:10). While we're not told 'how' the demons came in we do know this: Every time we choose evil over Christ we've opened the door for Satan to wreck our lives. This can happen anywhere; from grossly immoral sinful behavior or by just being too busy (being under Satan's yoke) to give God the time of day.
2. Society's Goal
Society's goal is to take care of the troublemakers by isolating them, putting them under guard, and even binding them if necessary. Do whatever it takes to keep them from messing with our day-to-day cultural norms. The only problem was, every time they'd lock 'em up, they'd just break free to wreak more and more havoc! Society, try as it may, doesn't have the solution for the damage self-absorbed living creates.
3. The Saviors Goal
The Saviors goal? He came to them in love and even went through a storm to do it! As I studied this passage today, I read something very interesting in Warren Wiersbe's Be Series.
Some think that the storm itself may have been satanic in origin, since Jesus used the same words to calm the sea as He did to cast out demons (compare Mark 1:25 and 4:39). Perhaps Satan was trying to destroy Jesus, or at least prevent Him from coming to the men who needed Him. But nothing could stop the Lord from coming to that graveyard and bringing deliverance to those men. (The Matthew passage, 8:28, speaks of two demoniacs but obviously one was more vocal and we hear from him here.)
Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary - New Testament, Volume 1, (Colorado Springs, CO: Victor, 2001), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 125. The same is true today friends:
Nothing can stop the force of Christ! That's why we must be ready at all times to give the reason for the hope that's in us (See 1 Peter 3:15). Which scene do you find yourself in, destroyer, deceiver, or pointer? Satan seeks to destroy, society stands deceived, but we who follow Christ point others to the only truth that delivers.
There are two kingdoms and two results for those who adopt them:
But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Matthew 8:12 (KJV)
All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. John 6:37 (KJV)
Looking for Life's Healing Choices? Join us at TVCC this weekend and learn, The Housecleaning Choice. 9 or 11 at Krider Performing Arts Center on Volunteer Drive in Paris or online: www.tvcc.us/onlinesermons.htm
Friday, October 30, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
THE GATHERING
Remember tonight is The Gathering at TVCC, Mineral Wells, main auditorium. Bring your Bibles and a desire to pray. We will meet from 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. or as long as you can stay; if you can only stay for a little while, that's okay too. This is open for all of our West Tennessee praying community. We're seeking God's heart for our community and for an awakening of the realization that the only healing that is permanent will begin and end in Him. All other is temporary and less than sufficient for the day. The answer for our dilemma in our world will not come from a "red state" or a "blue state" but a "repentant state" which can only come as we seek the heart of God.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Hold On and Cultivate
Hold on and Cultivate
A testimony from our sister church in Granger, Indiana. It was such a powerful truth, I wanted to share it with those who read my blog.
I've attended church most of my life. It was at GCC (Granger Community Church) that I experienced Jesus regularly at services. Incredible! Jesus is attractive. He attracts crowds.
Outside of services, I started to be intentional to read the Bible, pray, volunteer, and I found Jesus there too. Great!
Over time, the level of emotion I felt started to fade. It got stale. Something changed. It wasn't new. What had been incredible and great became same old stuff...sad. It kind of felt like something was missing.
It wasn't Jesus. He didn't change. It wasn't the church. Although every service is different, our message never changes. As Mark Beeson has said, all we ever talk about is "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus..."It was me.
I have watched dozens -no, hundreds- go through a similar pattern. They find services incredible! They take steps that are great! And then it starts fading. They sometimes go to other churches or try other things to get the emotions that are incredible and great again. Lots of times they don't bother. If people expect GCC (or any church) to be responsible for their experience with Jesus, they will be disappointed.
Seriously, aren't we, humans, the problem? Marriage, kids, friends, job, church, Jesus -- we simply like things to be new, and the more we experience something, the more conditioned we get to the emotions that come with it. We want incredible and great! That's not a bad thing.
It's about setting our expectations to reality, and then cultivating the experiences in those relationships to keep them fresh. Relationships worth holding onto, the ones that go the distance, the ones we invest the most in, are those that transition over an extended period of time. They are incredible and great!
Let that vine cling to me for safety. let if find a good and whole life with me, let it hold on for a good and whole life. Isaiah 27:5
A testimony from our sister church in Granger, Indiana. It was such a powerful truth, I wanted to share it with those who read my blog.
I've attended church most of my life. It was at GCC (Granger Community Church) that I experienced Jesus regularly at services. Incredible! Jesus is attractive. He attracts crowds.
Outside of services, I started to be intentional to read the Bible, pray, volunteer, and I found Jesus there too. Great!
Over time, the level of emotion I felt started to fade. It got stale. Something changed. It wasn't new. What had been incredible and great became same old stuff...sad. It kind of felt like something was missing.
It wasn't Jesus. He didn't change. It wasn't the church. Although every service is different, our message never changes. As Mark Beeson has said, all we ever talk about is "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus..."It was me.
I have watched dozens -no, hundreds- go through a similar pattern. They find services incredible! They take steps that are great! And then it starts fading. They sometimes go to other churches or try other things to get the emotions that are incredible and great again. Lots of times they don't bother. If people expect GCC (or any church) to be responsible for their experience with Jesus, they will be disappointed.
Seriously, aren't we, humans, the problem? Marriage, kids, friends, job, church, Jesus -- we simply like things to be new, and the more we experience something, the more conditioned we get to the emotions that come with it. We want incredible and great! That's not a bad thing.
It's about setting our expectations to reality, and then cultivating the experiences in those relationships to keep them fresh. Relationships worth holding onto, the ones that go the distance, the ones we invest the most in, are those that transition over an extended period of time. They are incredible and great!
Let that vine cling to me for safety. let if find a good and whole life with me, let it hold on for a good and whole life. Isaiah 27:5
Friday, October 16, 2009
THE HOPE CHOICE
Blessed to mourn?! Honestly, we don't like to experience sorrow and we HOPE we won't. We'd wish for life to go great with nothing but sunshine. How many times have I heard people say just this week, "AARRHHGG - ALL THIS RAIN!" But the Arabs have a proverb that says, "All sunshine makes a desert." Still, we would have written this second Beatitude as "Blessed are those who have no tears at all." However, we'll never understand the paradox of the words of Christ from Matthew 5:4 until we understand what he meant when he said, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."
This second Beatitude actually grows out of the first that said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5:3) We discovered the meaning of the first Beatitude to be, I admit I need help. That I'm powerless to control my tendency to do the wrong thing, and my life is unmanageable. Since we realize we have indeed made bad choices, and our tendency is to do the wrong thing, there should be an emotional response we have every time we fail God.
That brings us to the next healthy choice we'll talk about this weekend; THE HOPE CHOICE. My hope doesn't come from being self-sufficient but in the all sufficient Christ. The mourning Jesus speaks of here which brings Christ's blessing is not about unfulfilled dreams or personal tragedies. The mourning here is about grief over sin. Haddon W. Robinson in The Christian Salt & Light Company says this: "The second Beatitude is the emotional expression of the first. The poor in spirit are those who sense their need of God and who mourn over their sins." Learn this truth:
This weekend we'll talk about that. If we mourn the wrong losses, we'll certainly turn to the wrong comfort. When I place my hope on goods rather than God, my mourning will reflect my values, rather than reveal my comfort. In other words, when we mourn over the wrong things, our comfort will be as sad as our mourning, and we'll miss the blessing we've been promised. My mourning over stuff becomes the stuff of my mourning whereas my mourning over sin becomes my pathway to comfort. THE HOPE CHOICE will teach us healthy choices, resulting in good outcomes, regardless of the situations we face.
See you at the HOPE PLACE this weekend!
Pastor Steve
This second Beatitude actually grows out of the first that said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5:3) We discovered the meaning of the first Beatitude to be, I admit I need help. That I'm powerless to control my tendency to do the wrong thing, and my life is unmanageable. Since we realize we have indeed made bad choices, and our tendency is to do the wrong thing, there should be an emotional response we have every time we fail God.
That brings us to the next healthy choice we'll talk about this weekend; THE HOPE CHOICE. My hope doesn't come from being self-sufficient but in the all sufficient Christ. The mourning Jesus speaks of here which brings Christ's blessing is not about unfulfilled dreams or personal tragedies. The mourning here is about grief over sin. Haddon W. Robinson in The Christian Salt & Light Company says this: "The second Beatitude is the emotional expression of the first. The poor in spirit are those who sense their need of God and who mourn over their sins." Learn this truth:
My mourning determines my comfort.
This weekend we'll talk about that. If we mourn the wrong losses, we'll certainly turn to the wrong comfort. When I place my hope on goods rather than God, my mourning will reflect my values, rather than reveal my comfort. In other words, when we mourn over the wrong things, our comfort will be as sad as our mourning, and we'll miss the blessing we've been promised. My mourning over stuff becomes the stuff of my mourning whereas my mourning over sin becomes my pathway to comfort. THE HOPE CHOICE will teach us healthy choices, resulting in good outcomes, regardless of the situations we face.
See you at the HOPE PLACE this weekend!
Pastor Steve
Friday, October 9, 2009
It's time for Life's Healing Choices!
Time to not only know about Life's Healing Choices, but to actually receive them. What will it take? YOU! All that's necessary is for you to realize that God has the answers to your problems and then move into them. But more than any series we've ever done at TVCC, we will not only teach you about the root cause of our problems, there will be an unmistakable, clearly defined road you will discover that leads out of them.
I can't stress enough that now is the time to engage and see all that God is wanting to share with us. Or maybe you were engaged in serving God with your life at one point but now, for whatever reason, you've pulled away from God, His church, and His passion which is when He receives glory from a life lived through Him and for Him. And know this - THERE IS NO REASON NOT TO RE-ENGAGE! It doesn't matter why you walked away from God. What matters is this: God loves you and seeks a personal, vibrant, victorious relationship with you. Don't miss this series! It is for all of us.
If you're not engage in a Life Group, we've done everything possible to make it easy for you to do so. Why is it so important to be a part of a Life Group? You'll never receive apart from others what you will receive engaged with others. We will have group sign-ups again Sunday and if we don't have a group meeting when you need it, we'll do everything in our power to make it happen.
I can't stress enough that now is the time to engage and see all that God is wanting to share with us. Or maybe you were engaged in serving God with your life at one point but now, for whatever reason, you've pulled away from God, His church, and His passion which is when He receives glory from a life lived through Him and for Him. And know this - THERE IS NO REASON NOT TO RE-ENGAGE! It doesn't matter why you walked away from God. What matters is this: God loves you and seeks a personal, vibrant, victorious relationship with you. Don't miss this series! It is for all of us.
If you're not engage in a Life Group, we've done everything possible to make it easy for you to do so. Why is it so important to be a part of a Life Group? You'll never receive apart from others what you will receive engaged with others. We will have group sign-ups again Sunday and if we don't have a group meeting when you need it, we'll do everything in our power to make it happen.
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