I’ve asked Joel to be up here with me this morning to help lead us in different parts of the message. Earlier we sang together the song called “Build My Life,” and the chorus of that song can be a great statement of dedication and a meaningful prayer.

Holy there is no one like You

There is none besides You

Open up my eyes in wonder and show me who You are

And fill me with Your heart

And lead me in Your love to those around me

I will build my life upon Your love

It is a firm foundation

I will put my trust in You alone

And I will not be shaken

And as we go through this message together this morning, I want to keep coming back to that prayer, to that conviction.

Nature Abhors a Vacuum

We strive to build our lives on God’s love, to build our lives on Him alone, because that is a firm foundation. And anything else we could build our lives on - our jobs, our family, our friends, our relationships, our accomplishments, or anything else - is ultimately like building on shifting sand. If you’ve ever tried to build anything on sand, or even just dig a hole in it, it doesn’t stay where you need it. If you’ve ever tried to dig a hole on the beach, every time you pull some sand out, other sand slides back in. Or within a day the tide sweeps in and drags sand and water to fill the hole. Nature abhors a vacuum, if there is empty space - whether it is physical, like a hole in sand, or figurative, like space in your schedule, something will quickly move to fill that void.

I really experienced this in college, when I went off for my freshman year I figured that I would just find time at the end of the day, before I went to bed, for my devotions. But while I was at school, if there was time at the end of the day, if there was empty space - something filled it. Whether that was going out late with friends, cramming for an exam, finishing some homework, watching Family Guy, or playing Call of Duty - I was doing something until my head hit the pillow and my devotions fell by the wayside. In our lives, when we don’t set specific time aside to fill our lives with Christ, something else fills that space. And if we’re not careful, something else will slide in as our foundation, inviting us to ask God to force Himself into our lives and to pray

Holy there is no one like You

There is none besides You

Open up my eyes in wonder and show me who You are

And fill me with Your heart

And lead me in Your love to those around me

I will build my life upon Your love

It is a firm foundation

I will put my trust in You alone

And I will not be shaken

Return of an Unclean Spirit

But how easy it becomes for the devil and the world to shake us when our foundation is not in Jesus. In our reading He showed everyone His strength to cast out demons, rebuking people who dared to suggest that Satan, not God, was behind these miracles. But He warns that if an unclean spirit is cast out, and that space isn’t filled, the spirit will just come back with more. No matter what demon has been cast out, sin has been forgiven, habit has been broken - if that space is left empty, if Jesus doesn’t fill the space, something else (maybe something worse) will fill the void. Nature abhors a vacuum, so Jesus is approached for forgiveness and healing and salvation from the power of the devil, but that prayer needs more - we pray for Him to fill those voids, we pray

Holy there is no one like You

There is none besides You

Open up my eyes in wonder and show me who You are

And fill me with Your heart

And lead me in Your love to those around me

I will build my life upon Your love

It is a firm foundation

I will put my trust in You alone

And I will not be shaken

Strong to Overcome

And when Christ answers that prayer, He has the power to overcome the things that we cannot! He is the King who stoops down to help a poor man selling cabbages to fix his cart. He is the massive bodybuilder who gently lifts up a lost child. He is the CEO that pays tuition for a struggling janitor. Jesus’ power caused the people to marvel, Jesus’ power caused demons to flee. Sin, death, and the devil were more than any person could overcome, and Jesus stepped in with His overwhelming strength and power and glory and righteousness to overcome them.

For the people who walked beside Him, for the people who suffered around Him, for me, for you.

Holy there is no one like You

There is none besides You

Open up my eyes in wonder and show me who You are

And fill me with Your heart

And lead me in Your love to those around me

I will build my life upon Your love

It is a firm foundation

I will put my trust in You alone

And I will not be shaken

Mighty to Save

Jesus’ strength overcomes all things for you! Jesus’ love overcomes all things for you! Jesus promises overcome all things for you.

He is mighty to overcome our sins, making room for good works.

He is mighty to overcome our bad habits, making room for devotion and prayer.

He is mighty to overcome our busy schedules, making room for holy rest.

He is mighty to overcome the devil, making room for us to live at peace.

He is mighty to overcome death, making room for us in eternal paradise.

He is mighty to save

Holy there is no one like You

There is none besides You

Open up my eyes in wonder and show me who You are

And fill me with Your heart

And lead me in Your love to those around me

I will build my life upon Your love

It is a firm foundation

I will put my trust in You alone

And I will not be shaken

May our heavenly Father lead us to fill our lives with His gifts, to keep us rooted in the Gospel and walking in faith. Amen.