Matthew 8:28-34 "Know Thy Enemy"

Matt 8:28-34 "Know Thy Enemy" Marc Transparenti / General The Authority of the King / Demon; Demon Possession; Demoniacs in the Gadarenes; Demonology; Health and Healing; Testimony / Matthew 8:28-34; Matthew 8:28-9:1 Jesus' Authority is Demonstrated as He Heals a Demoniac. Good Morning Calvary Chapel Lake City! Please turn in your Bibles to Matthew 8. We are continuing in our study through the Gospel of Matthew today looking at Matt 8:28-34. Throughout Matthew's Gospel, he has been writing with purpose...to convey the message that Jesus is King. In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), Jesus proclaimed kingdom principals for His kingdom citizens, and now in chapters 8-10, Matthew shares various ways that Jesus not only preached a good message, but that He had the power, the authority, to back all that He said. In Chapter 8, we observe Jesus' authority over sickness, mankind (regarding following Him), nature (as He calmed the sea), and in verse 16 there is a very brief mentioning that he healed "...many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word..." • Here in verses 28-34, we again observe Jesus has power over demons, but these verses share one of the most descriptive encounters Jesus had with demons. • We observe several things about demons in these verses: their character, their purpose or intent, their activities, and even a dialogue between Jesus and the demons. And, as such we are going to spend time today to understand demons...not my favorite topic, but an important topic, especially since this account is recorded in all three synoptic Gospels. • It is rare to hear of demon possession in the United States, and some people wonder if demon possession is folklore, or relevant for today. • I'm not sure demon possession is allowed in our culture...a person manifesting the symptoms of demon possession will quickly find themselves in a mental institution. Where in third-world and developing countries, that do not have mental health systems, raw demon possession is more visible publically. • Also, demons are highly adaptable and intelligent...in first-world countries their purpose may be best accomplished without horrifying displays, rather through power, success, and shaping society. • Is it possible that some of the most influential people in our country are demon possessed? I believe so. Satan is not only described as "roaring lion," but also as an "angel of light." • The Anti-Christ comes initially to broker peace on earth, and is widely accepted throughout the world. 2 Thes 2:9 tells us he will deceive the nations with miraculous power, signs, and lying wonders. • It's important that we learn to recognize demons, as they are not always the snarling depiction from the movie, "The Exorcist." • One of the great things about studying the Bible chapter-by-chapter and verse-by-verse, is that you don't avoid difficult topics. Today is one of those topics... • I would rather talk about "Following Jesus," like we did last week. Jesus and His disciples in the boat together, and the storms of life...how we relate to the disciples and learn from their mistakes. Great applications! • But, a true teacher of God's word does not shy away from the tough topics. As Paul declared to the Ephesian Elders, "For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God." • So, today we are going to talk about Jesus' encounter with demons. There is a whole systematic theology on the study of demons called 'demonology.' If you want to study the topic in depth, a great and easy to read book on systematic theology is by one of Chuck Smith's former professors at L.I.F.E. Bible College. The book is entitled 'Foundations of Pentecostal Theology' by Guy Duffield. • And, listen to this quote from Guy Duffield...great perspective... • "One of the fundamental maxims of warfare has always been study the enemy. We would be very unwise if we did not do this in this most important of all areas-that of spiritual conflict." • As a saved believer, God's indwelling Holy Spirit will not share your body with a demon. You are sealed by the Holy Spirit and immune to demon possession. However, since you live in this world, you are still subject to demon oppression. So, studying the enemy is still wise. • There is another quote about knowing the enemy from the 5th century B.C. Chinese Military Strategist Sun Tzu. He said, "If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle." ― Sun Tzu, The Art of War • We spend more time as Christians learning about ourselves, and less about the enemy. And, this fine. It's actually Biblically consistent...there are 294 references to Angels in the Bible and only 82 references to Demons...Over 3.5x more focus is given to Angels than Demons, so if the Bible wants to focus more on that which is holy, we should too. But,... but there is wisdom in knowing both. So, today, we will study the enemy (and we will find some applications for ourselves as well). Today's teaching is entitled, "Know Thy Enemy." Let's Pray! Matt 8:28 "When He had come to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way." [stop there] 1. Setting: In the previous scene, Jesus was in the boat with His disciples when a great storm came and Jesus calmed the storm. Now they come to the "other side" of the Sea of Galilee "to the country of the Gergesenes..." a. It's difficult to say where this city is exactly because ancient manuscripts (i.e., the Majority Text and Alexandrian Texts) of Matthew, Mark, and Luke all have variant readings of this city: Gerasenes, Gadarenes, and Gergesenes. As such, there are numerous theories as to where the city is. From the account, we can observe the city has a graveyard and it's near a steep place by the sea. b. The map on the screen shows one possibility of where Jesus traveled. This shows the city of Gergesa (modern day Kursi), which is where Third-Century Christian Scholar, Origen, theorized this account occured...though many scholars disagree with Origen. But, there are steep cliffs in Gergesa, and there are ruins, so Gergesa is a strong possibility. c. At the very bottom of our map, you see the town of Gerasa...a possibility, but most scholars find this problematic because it is 35 miles from Galilee...likely too far for those who tended the pigs to go to the town and return with all the town people. d. However, it has been suggested that there was another town called Gerasa (just south of Gergesa), a small village that was part of the region of Gadara (The main city of Gadara is also on our map...5 miles from the Sea of Galilee). This is another strong possibility, and here's why: i. Josephus wrote that Gadara had "villages...situated on the borders of Tiberias [Sea of Galilee]..." (Life 42.9). I have a slide of a 2 C. A.D. coin from Gadara, that displays a Roman War ship, indicating Gadara likely had a port town. e. So, interesting and compelling theories. f. One last theory, not about the region, but about the history...Some Pastors theorize that this may have been the area where the Tribe of Gad settled in Num 32. I think this is a stretch since the land where they settled (Jazer and Gilead) is south of the Sea of Galilee and predominately directly east of the Jordan, though there seems to be a sliver of land alloted to the Tribe of Gad that touched the southern tip of the Sea of Galilee (thought the steep cliffs seem lacking in that area). Interesting theory though...the Tribe of Gad chose not to settle in the Promised land because the land east of the Jordan was good for cattle. If this was the same people group, how far they would have drifted...from cattle to pigs- an unclean animal. 2. Continuing on, Mark records, "when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit..." a. Talk about no rest for the weary. The disciples and Jesus were in the great storm, and now they are immediately greeted by a violent demoniac. b. Mark and Luke record one demon-possessed man, Matthew records two. Again, a lot of theories as to why there is a variance between one and two demoniacs recorded. Not the major point of this account, but I'll share this... i. Some have proposed Matthew is establishing two witnesses, but this falls short because there were other witnesses at both of these events. ii. In a Bible map, I saw listed Matthew's account in one location, and Mark and Luke's account in another location, indicating two different events. I strongly disagree with that idea since the event details and timing all line up in the synoptic Gospels. iii. Other scholars have suggested one man was in a more severe state, but I struggle with this idea because I don't understand the degree of severity. How is someone more demon possessed? Matthew will also list two blind men in Matt 20:30, where Mark and Luke only records one blind man. Is one man more blind than the other? iv. What makes sense to me is the obvious difference between Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Matthew was a first-hand eye witness and was one of the 12 Disciples, the other two (Mark and Luke) were not present, nor were they of the 12. Matthew was actually there at the event, so his account has greater weight. 1. Mark writes a second hand account (likely from Peter) and Luke writes a second hand account through various interviews. And, how often when we retell a story, do we leave out some details, like all the people present? If I had a conversation with one person, but 4 were present, but the majority of my conversation was with one key person...later, as I retell the story I may just focus on that detail...on that person. I believe that is why we see a variance in the Synoptic Gospels. 3. Now that we have the setting and some ideas on why two versus one demoniac, there are some very interesting things to observe about the nature of these demon possessed men... a. First, the character of demons is described as violent, unclean, immodest and wicked... i. Matthew describes the demoniacs as "exceedingly fierce [extremely violent], so that no one could pass that way...", people avoided that area because of threat of violence. ii. Mark describes them as unclean...and this would have been on numerous fronts...demon possession, dwelling in the tombs (with the dead), in the land of pigs, with Gentiles... iii. Luke 8:27 "...he wore no clothes..." So, these demon possessed men lost all modesty. Paul wrote, "...women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control..." 1 Ti 2:9 and this applies to men as well in principal. Running around naked or even immodest dress, these are not likened to God and holiness. iv. Matt 12:43-45 (another insightful passage on demons)...it speaks about a demon when cast out may return with "...spirits more wicked than himself..." So, not only are demons wicked, but there seems to a degrees of wickedness. v. Demon possession is not a good...it's evil...and there are those who are demon obsessed. There are people out there who dabble in the occult and welcome evil spirits to inhabit them. They are fools thinking they will gain power, but demons are violent, unclean, and wicked. b. Second observation, demons are very strong. Stronger than mankind, but not as strong as Jesus, not as strong as God: i. Mark 5:3-5: "...no one could bind him, not even with chains. And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him." 1. The people of this area were not strong enough to imprison or subdue these demon possessed men. c. Third observation, is demons cause harm to those they inhabit: i. Mark 5:5 "...always, night and day...crying out and cutting himself with stones." Emotional torture, mental instability or insanity, and self-mutilation are symptomatic of demon possession. ii. Matt 9:32-33 records a demon possessed man was mute. Matt 12:22 "blind and mute." iii. Mark 9 a demon possessed son was convulsing and foaming at the mouth (perhaps seizures), and caused himself personal injury (throwing himself in fire and water to destroy himself)...perhaps suicidal. iv. Luke 13 Jesus loosed a woman who was bound by Satan, she had a spirit of infirmity for 18 years where she was bent over and could not raise herself up. v. And, not only do demons want to cause physical, emotional, and psychological harm, but these people were isolated from society and banned from temple worship...they were cut off from spiritual care and teachings. vi. Listen to me, Satan and demons, they are not your friend. People who are worshipping Satan, welcoming demons, practicing dark arts...they are in grave danger. The enemy wants to destroy mankind. Man was made in the image of God, and Satan and his demons want to destroy all things that represent God...marriage, sexual identity, family, worship...they are bent in twisting and mutilating the human race into a demented form of what God intended. The purpose that drives demons is to oppose God's purposes, and to elevate their leader, Satan, who desires to be like God (Isa 14). 1. But look...all of those demon possessed people (in those cross references), who had been physically harmed by demons, emotionally destroyed, ostracized, violent...all of those people were healed by Jesus. There is no demon, disease, or situation beyond Jesus' authority to heal. 2. You could walk in these doors today with a completely broken life and Jesus can, with just a word, heal whatever is binding you. 3. You just have to encounter Jesus. All of these people encountered Jesus, and He had compassion on them. He showed them mercy. There is no addiction, obsession, demon possession, sickness, broken relationship too big for Jesus...He has the authority to heal all people and every situation. We just need to encounter Him. And, that's what happens to these men at Gadara. 4. Continuing on, Mark 5:6-9 records an important detail of the encounter and dialogue Jesus has with these men. Mark 5:6-9 "When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him. 7 And he cried out with a loud voice and said, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God that You do not torment me." 8 For He said to him, "Come out of the man, unclean spirit!" 9 Then He asked him, "What is your name?" And he answered, saying, "My name is Legion; for we are many." a. Several observations we can learn about the enemy from these verses... b. First, demons are wise...they have good theology. This is not worship like we worship Jesus, but these demons prostrate themselves before Jesus paying homage to who He is- the King. Mankind is not this wise...many humans do not acknowledge or recognize Jesus as King. i. Pro 9:10 "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom..." ii. While demons are NOT faithful servants of the Lord, they know who He is. Numerous times in the NT when demons encounter Jesus they address Him by title (in Mark 5:7 "Son of the Most High God"; in Mark 1:24 "the Holy One of God"). Demons recognize Jesus' divinity and authority. James wrote, "Even the demons believe- and tremble!" c. Second, the demons recognize Jesus' authority to judge them. Mark 5:7, "I implore You by God that You do not torment me." The demons beg Jesus with an oath not to torment [def. "torture"] him...they know Jesus has this power to torment and to judge them. d. Third, Jesus exorcises the Demons through His words and authority, "Come out of the man, unclean spirit!" i. Demon exorcism is not a certain ritual, getting worked up in a frenzy, holy water and crosses...Casting out demons is not even specific to laying on hands or some magic formula of saying Jesus' name... even though scripture declares "...those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons..." Mk 16:17. We do observe both Peter and Paul casting out demons in Jesus name in the Book of Acts, but more important than saying Jesus' name is belief...faith in Jesus is the key. 1. In Acts 19 Jewish exorcist called on the name of Jesus over those who had evil spirits, and the evil spirits attacked these men...giving these men a beating until they were naked because they had no authority...because they had no true faith in Jesus, thus no relationship with Jesus. You can use Jesus' name all you want, but if you are not a believer, you have no power...no authority. ii. Listen to me... the reason the demons left was because Jesus told them to...He just spoke a word, and they listened because of His authority over them. And "...He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world." 1 Jn 4:4. (That's the Christian 4x4...if you see a demon, you just break out that 4x4 and smack him in the head with it). 1. If you have a relationship with Jesus Christ, if the Holy Spirit in-dwells you, then authority dwells within you to also cast out demons...because of your belief...not faith in your ability to heal, but faith in Jesus as savior...Jesus as healer. 1 John 5:14 declares "...if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us." e. Look at what Jesus does next, He addresses the man. "What is your name?" This is a tender moment of Jesus reaching out to the man. He wants to know the name of this man who has been separated from human love, and hurt so badly by these demons. Tenderness like when Jesus touched the leper. How loving is God? i. However, it's not the man, but the demon who responds, "My name is Legion; for we are many." 1. In Jesus' day, a standard Roman legion was 6000 fighting men, but a legion could vary from 3000 to 7000. There were 2000 pigs that these demon went into. So, when this demon says "legion," it implies a lot And, look...even one demon is too many, so whatever the number...it's not good. Matt 8:29 "And suddenly they cried out, saying, "What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?" 1. Again, we observe these demons have good theology, they recognize Jesus as the "Son of God," and as the one who would be their Judge...the one who would torment them. We also observe demons have good eschatology. They ask, "Have You come here torment us before the time?" Luke 8:31 records, "And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss." abussŏs- "bottomless pit" or the "unfathomable deep." This is a holding place of judgment reserved only for demons, not for people, and it's not their final judgment either, which is the Lake of Fire. But, these demons know of their end, and they dread it. a. I was recently at my daughter Kyla's soccer game and at the end of each half I observed the intensity of game play increase as time was running short. Satan and his demons know time is running short...as we approach these last days...expect an increased intensity of demonic game play. Don't be surprised by what we are seeing right now in the world. We look at eternity with hope. Our enemy only dreads, and is pitching a fit. It's the final minutes of the half. b. 7x in the book of Revelation we see the "bottomless pit" referenced as to where satan and his demons are bound during the millennial reign of Jesus Christ. i. Rev 20 tells us of the end coming to our enemies...Rev 20:1-3 "Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2 He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; 3 and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while." c. The bottomless pit, the abyss may be associated with "Tartarus"...which is unfortunately translated as "hell" in 2 Pet 2:4 "For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment..." i. Certain demons are presently bound in Tartarus waiting for judgment (the final judgment- the Lake of Fire). d. Jude 6 "And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day..." i. These fallen angels who abandoned their post... they forsook serving God and rebelled (possibly illustrated in Gen 6)...they are bound and awaiting trial... "the judgment of the great day." e. At the end of the Millennial reign of Jesus Christ, Rev 20:7-10 reveals Satan will be released from the bottomless pit to deceive the nations. During the Millennial Reign, Jesus sets up the perfect government (I can't wait!), but even with Jesus visible on earth, delivering perfect justice in a perfect world...people still rebel against God, which reveals the sinful depravity of man and justifies eternal punishment. i. Rev 20:7-10 "Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. 9 They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. 10 The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever." [strongest Greek emphatic phrasing for eternity; lit. "to the ages of ages."]. f. These demons, here in Matt 8, they understand eschatology. They understand what awaits them...the time draws near when they will be bound and judged and tormented. They lose in the end, and they know it. Matt 8:30-32 "Now a good way off from them there was a herd of many swine feeding. 31 So the demons begged Him, saying, "If You cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of swine." 32 And He said to them, "Go." So when they had come out, they went into the herd of swine. And suddenly the whole herd of swine ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and perished in the water." 1. So, this is the first mention of Deviled Ham in the Bible. I'm sorry, it's a bad joke...I know, but I'm required as a Pastor, to tell it. The good news is you're only going to hear it once every 3 years, so don't fret. 2. Mark 5:13 tells us there were about two thousand pigs. And, there are some who object to Jesus' cruelty on "those poor pigs." Jesus didn't kill the pigs, He permitted the demons to go into the swine. God didn't tell Satan to destroy Job's livelihood and kill his 10 children either. What's revealed here is the murderous nature of Satan and his demons. a. But, I do feel bad for the pigs...it truly was a tragedy. 2000 pigs that perished in the water. I feel very bad about this...massive waste. b. Did you know that the average pig weighs about 285 lbs.? (I researched this). And, from even a 250 lb. pig, there is 144 lbs. of retail cuts of meats. But, of that 144 lbs, 20 lbs. is "fresh side bacon." Mmmm...bacon. i. Now, for 2000 pigs x 20 lbs...that was a loss of 40,000 lbs of bacon...and that my friends was indeed a tragedy. And, for those of you trying to do the math on the total loss of meat (2000 pigs x 144 lbs = 288,000 lbs). c. Some of you may be wondering what pigs are doing in this area anyhow? Pigs are not Kosher! This is like an illegal trade...like dealing drugs. These guys are peddling bacon in Israel, and Jesus is like the DEA! i. That may be a stretch, and in reality, we cannot say for certain that the farmers who owned these pigs were even Jews. There were a lot of Gentiles in that general Decapolis region where this event took place. 3. Ok, refocusing...back to Matthew. Another interesting observation about demons...they desire bodily form. a. Demons are spirit beings who desire a body to in-dwell, an if they cannot find a person, they will take a pig. b. Matt 12:43 "When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. 44 Then he says, 'I will return to my house [referring to the man] from which I came." 4. We also observe, this herd of pigs violently ran down the steep place. The 'steep place' can be rendered "down and over" which is consistent with the geography of the region. Don't picture these pigs running off a cliff like you see in Ireland or Britain. There are steep places, but they level off prior to the shore line. a. The fact that these pigs drown themselves in the sea reveals either the animal quickly objects and chooses death, or the demons, unrestrained by the human will, slaughter these pigs as their destructive nature is fully released. Either way...it's a bad end. Matt 8:33-34 "Then those who kept them fled; and they went away into the city and told everything, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. 34 And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus. And when they saw Him, they begged Him to depart from their region." 1. This is the saddest scene of the whole account. The men who fed the pigs run to get the owners. The phrase they "...told everything, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men," seems the priority was on the pigs (to tell the owners what happened to the pigs (likely to preserve their own jobs and reputation...and to cast blame on Jesus)), and the afterthought was the healed men. 2. The owners of the pigs and the people of the town come to scope out the scene and Luke 8:35-37 records "...they went out to see what had happened, and came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. 36 They also who had seen it told them by what means he who had been demon-possessed was healed. 37 Then the whole multitude of the surrounding region of the Gadarenes asked Him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. And He got into the boat and returned." a. Interesting, demons are often described as seizing their victims. These people were seized with fear upon hearing the account of the pigs, of the demons expelled from their region, of the healed men, and of the source- Jesus. 3. And, they reveal their hearts- sadly, they ask Jesus to leave...to depart from them and their region. a. Last week we saw examples of men who counted the cost to follow Jesus, and some determined the price was too high. These people of Gadara could not focus on the miracle that occured; they did not joy in the lives that were restored; they did not ask Jesus to heal others in their city, nor did they praise God that salvation had come to their city. i. They only calculated the cost of their loss...like the pigs, their hearts sank into the sea, and they asked...no they begged and pleaded Jesus "...to depart from their region." ii. D.A. Carson stated, "They preferred pigs to persons, swine to the Savior." iii. John 1:10-11, state, "He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him." 4. So, the people ask Jesus to depart, and He departs...Jesus will not force Himself on anyone. There are many people today who are not interested in Jesus. They have chosen career and life's ambitions over Jesus. a. You may have been just like these demon-possessed men, and Jesus healed you. You were a wretch, out of your mind, harmful to others, your family avoided you...I was...and when Jesus healed you, you became a testimony to them. b. My friends in college ostracized me after I became a Christian. I lost interest in drinking and clubbing, and with those interests gone, the shaky foundation of our friendship failed. I became a light shining in the darkness, and my friends asked me to depart from their region. There is no fellowship between light and darkness. 5. After Jesus departs from this region, there is no record that He returns to Gadara specifically...Scripture declares, "Today is the day of salvation." Don't let it slip by because your pigs are more important to you than Jesus. a. But, this account concludes with I believe a great testimony of God's grace. Mark 5:18-20 "And when He got into the boat, he who had been demon-possessed begged Him that he might be with Him. 19 However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, "Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion [by def. "mercy"] on you." 20 And he departed and began to proclaim [to "herald"] in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled." b. The people of the region may have rejected Jesus, but the demon possessed men express sincere desire to follow Jesus. However, Jesus sent them away...they had a different mission...a different calling. Jesus would depart from this region, but not before establishing a Kingdom Ambassador. These demon possessed men and their testimony of how Jesus restored them and how He had compassion on them would have a ripple effect throughout the whole region of the Decapolis, and these men must have been effective for when Jesus returns to the middle of the Decapolis region in Mark 7, people receive Him and bring their sick. i. Jesus came "to proclaim liberty to the captives..." and these men continued this mission as they proclaimed the good news of Jesus Christ to the Decapolis...these 10 pagan cities beyond the Jordan. It is recorded all marveled. Worship Team Come. Just like these demoniacs, you have a testimony people need to hear. There are people out there that have demons in their lives...if not possessed by them, certainly oppressed by them. There are people bound by sins that Satan and his demons flaunt. They call good evil and evil good. They lie promoting the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life as the source of contentment in life. Rev 12:11 explicitly tells us how Satan is defeated, "And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death." People marveled hearing the testimony of the men delivered in this account today. And, there are people out who will marvel at your testimony of all Jesus did for you and how He had compassion on you. The enemy has nothing on us... "He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world." 1 Jn 4:4 Use your 4x4 this week! Amen? Let's pray! Page . Exported from Logos Bible Software, 7:54 PM June 7, 2021.