An Encounter With Jesus

Two pressing questions you must answer.

When you encounter Jesus It Raises Two Fundamental Questions.

Jesus is Lord of death.

When you encounter Jesus

Luke 8:22–25 ESV

22 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, 23 and as they sailed he fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger. 24 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. 25 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?”

22

A Walk with God: Luke Jesus Calms the Storm (Luke 8:22–25)

So Freud deduces that man, out of his fear of nature, invents a God who controls these things. You can’t talk to the tornado, but you can reason with God; you can beg him for mercy.

Picture of the sea of Galilee - it is the lowest freshwater body in the world.

They had been out on it hundreds of times, but they were also aware of the treacherous storm patterns that could occur from time to time without any warning. The Sea of Galilee is located in a basin that is surrounded by mountains. Situated as it is, the lake is subject to some unusual topographical phenomena. A violent wind can blow up suddenly, moving across the landscape and through the valleys that become wind-tunnels, compressing the air so that it comes swooshing across the lake without any warning, turning that calm and gentle body of water into a raging, tumultuous fury. Many people have lost their lives as a direct result of these storms on the Sea of Galilee.

So Freud deduces that man, out of his fear of nature, invents a God who controls these things. You can’t talk to the tornado, but you can reason with God; you can beg him for mercy.

Who is Jesus?

Psalm 107:29 ESV

29 He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed.

Psalm 107:9 ESV

9 For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things.

So Freud deduces that man, out of his fear of nature, invents a God who controls these things. You can’t talk to the tornado, but you can reason with God; you can beg him for mercy.

Jesus Is Lord!

He is the Lord of nature.

Their fear doesn’t abate it elevates!

The modern pop psychological version of jesus is that he is safe.

Luke 8:26–39 ESV

26 Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. 27 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. 28 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.” 29 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.) 30 Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” for many demons had entered him. 31 And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss. 32 Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. 33 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. 34 When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country. 35 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. 36 And those who had seen it told them how the demon-possessed man had been healed. 37 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. 38 The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 “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.

Luke

A Walk with God: Luke 40. Healing of a Demon-Possessed Man (Luke 8:26–39)

It is fascinating to note that the demons had no difficulty whatsoever in recognizing the identity of Jesus

The New Bible Commentary 8:22–56 A Group of Mighty Works

The Lake of Galilee is surrounded by steep mountains with narrow valleys in between them; these form channels down which the wind can rush in sudden, strong gusts and disturb the water.

What does he demand of me?

Have you noticed how much praying for revival has been going on of late - and how little revival has resulted? I believe the problem is that we have been trying to substitute praying for obeying, and it simply will not work.