Hope for the Helpless

Textual Idea – Jesus demonstrated people whom everyone has given up on can be transformed by His power.

Sermon Idea – Christians need to remember Jesus can transform even the most hopeless and helpless life.

Interrogative – What lessons are there to learn about Jesus’ and His transforming power?

Transition w/ key word – Our text provides 4 lessons reminding us there is hope for the helpless.

1. Small steps of obedience are important to God – vs.1-2a

2. View hopeless people like Jesus – vs. 2b-8, 15, 19

3. People are of far greater value than possessions – vs. 9-17

4. Jesus is more interested in your future than your past – vs. 18-20

Introduction – Yesterday was the 20th anniversary of the 9-11 attacks on our country. The Sunday before that terrible Tuesday was the first Sunday for our little church plant we were starting in Littleton NH met for worship with my family and a mission team we were hosting in our home. None of us knew how our lives would change just two days later. We had just finished praying that Tuesday morning before one more day of door to door evangelism when one of the team members got a call from his son telling him we needed to turn on the TV. We watched the horror of that morning unfold there in that room of the Maple Leaf Motel.

My favorite Christian music group is Third Day. Their music inspired and encouraged me greatly when our family was planting our church in NH as we were attempting to start a church in an area that is 98% or more unchurched. That means the average person never gives going to church a thought…ever. There was great hopelessness, despair and helplessness from years of sin and evil in that area. Coupled with very long hard winters made people very calloused and hard in every way imaginable but especially to the Gospel. The Granite State w/ Granite hearts. Third Day has a song called “Cry out to Jesus” that helps me remember there really is hope for the helpless.

There is hope for the helpless

Rest for the weary

Love for the broken heart

There is grace and forgiveness

Mercy and healing

He'll meet you wherever you are

Cry out to Jesus, Cry out to Jesus

Christians need to remember Jesus can transform even the most hopeless and helpless life. There is hope for the helpless. Transition – In our study today we’ll see the Lord Jesus Christ meeting a guy where he lived a hopeless and helpless life in a graveyard. Transition w/ key word – Our text provides 4 lessons reminding us there is hope for the helpless.

1. Small steps of obedience are important to God – vs.1-2a

Explanation – Tie in 3:9 & 4:1 where Jesus asked for a small boat to be kept ready to keep him from being crushed; then He used that boat to teach from and just pushed away from the shore. In 4:35; Jesus told His disciples He wanted to cross over to the other side. Now that verse said evening had come and Jesus asked for volunteers to go on a night time sail across the lake! The “Sea of Galilee as it’s called is really a large freshwater lake. It is 12 1/2 miles long and between 4 to 7 1/2 miles across. So Jesus’ request would involve a great deal of work for the disciples who would have to row Him across. I’m sure they were all exhausted from dealing with the crowds - Jesus was so tired He took a nap in 4:38! There was no arguing w/ Jesus’ from the disciples, the area they were headed to was a mix of Jews and Gentiles and probably not the best place to live and be as we’ll see in a minute. It was not the neighborhood everyone wanted! But there wasn’t any questioning “Why do you want to go there Jesus?” We’ve never done it that way before Jesus! Why can’t we just stay here and rest tonight Jesus? I wonder what would have happened if Jesus had made His request in a modern day baptist church?

There was no arguing w/ Jesus’ from the disciples, the area they were headed to was a mix of Jews and Gentiles and probably not the best place to live and be as we’ll see in a minute. It was not the neighborhood everyone wanted! But there wasn’t any questioning “Why do you want to go there Jesus?” We’ve never done it that way before Jesus! Why can’t we just stay here and rest tonight Jesus? I wonder what would have happened if Jesus had made His request in a modern day baptist church?

There was none of that; they obeyed Jesus’ simple requests from getting a boat prepared to crossing the lake at night. They had no idea that by making that boat and themselves available to Jesus would be used greatly by the Lord. They didn’t know Jesus had a divine appointment waiting for Him across that lake with a helpless individual. Time effort and energy put into a tangible object, their boat in simple obedience to Jesus request; got Jesus in a position to reach a desperately hopeless and helpless person. They got to see God work in an incredible way to transform a hopeless person that all society had given up on.

Illustration - Picture Jesus’ request to have a boat ready and to cross the lake in a modern baptist church. “I’ve got sign up sheet for volunteers to make their boats available tonight for an outreach opportunity on the other side of the lake. Please see my associate pastor, Peter for details.”

I think there are 5 kinds of typical responses from church members in general from my experience. I share these with you to prepare us for future outreach opportunities we’re going to have to think about beforehand.

1. The denial response - This person is in denial there is a need or they would question if the need exists. So in the case of Jesus’ request; they would deny there is an outreach need on the other side of the lake. We can have church right here on this side like we’ve always done; besides they have a church over there.

2. The entitled response - This type of response views the church as a country club and their financial offerings as membership dues to get perks and privileges. They would view this request from Jesus as an imposition on their ability to use their boat that they paid good money for to take their family out on the lake tonight; not for ministry needs. Or they’d be worried someone would sit in their favorite seat on the boat.

3. The condemning response - Those people across the lake made their own mess by choosing to live there; it’s their own fault and the choices they made are their responsibility not ours. Stinks to be them.

4. The critical response - There are people who will always criticize just because. These would be people who would criticize Jesus’ request for a boat and volunteers to man it because they don't like it for whatever reason. What they should do is would be to go to Jesus 1 on 1 privately to discuss it, but often times, they just talk about it behind the scenes to others: Can you believe Jesus has the audacity to ask to use our boats across the lake? Who does He think He is anyway? They might say “People are saying that Jesus plans to keep your boat all the time!”

5. The confused response - Wait what did he say? He wants to cancel church to go where? How’s He plan to get there? Who’s going to pay for the boat in case there’s a wreck? Does the constitution allow that? These people just hear parts of what is being said and jump to all kinds of conclusions and get everyone else around them confused by speculation. Because this ministry is something new; they spaz out.

Argumentation - See we look at stuff in Scripture and we divorce it from modern church life don’t we? It sounds silly when we take those kinds of responses and apply them to events in the Bible but that’s what the religious leaders were doing in response to Jesus’ ministry if you look back at the things they were saying in chapters 1-4. Yet these disciples took a small step of obedience that was a big deal to God because God a great work to do on the other side of that lake!

Application – We need to determine that we’ll respond like these disciples when the Lord makes a simple request through our church leadership or through His Word that we’ll obey knowing that God can use our simple obedience in a big way. We may not understand it, we may not like it, we may not believe the request is a big deal or is needed or we may blame someone else for the need but if we obey by faith we can watch God do the impossible!

2. View hopeless people like Jesus – vs. 2b-9, 15, 19

Explanation – If you were to look up hopeless & helpless in the dictionary, I bet this guy’s mugshot would be there. Look at the description of his life! He not only had an unclean spirit; according to verse 9 when Jesus asked his name the response was “Legion” for there were many demons inside this poor man. The Jews & 1st century Gentiles would have been very familiar with a Roman Legion with consisted of 6,000 foot soldiers, 120 horsemen and technical personnel. Now a word of caution for us: We need to be very careful about being overly fascinated and preoccupied and thereby somehow glorify Satan and his evil forces. Yes, Satan & his demons are real and they are not to be trifled with carelessly. According to Jer. 17:9, The reality is we’re all very capable of evil w/o being demon possessed.

I read an interesting quote from a writer in the 1800’s: “I do not know what the heart of a bad man is like, but I know what the heart of a good man is like…and it I terrible. 9-11 showed us what the hearts bad men look like!

Illustration - I heard about a little girl who got into a terrific fight with her brother. When her mother pulled her off of him she asked: “Suzy, why did you let the devil put into your heart to pull out your brother’s hair & kick him in the shins?” The little girl thought for a moment and said: “Well maybe the devil did put it in my heart to pull Billy’s hair but kicking him in the shins was completely my idea!”

In all seriousness; Satan is subject to the Lordship of Jesus Christ as we’ll see. Jesus said He is the strong man who can bind the strong man in 3:27. We also have the promise of God through the pen of the Apostle John in 1st John 4:4 “You are of God little children & have overcome them, because He who is in you is great than he who is in the world.” We also need to understand that a Christian who has the Holy Spirit of God living inside of him or her cannot be demon possessed - can be oppressed but not possessed.

When we’re confronted with people everyone would dismiss as a hopeless project beyond our ability to help; we need to look at them and see them as Jesus sees them. Jesus never expected anyone to clean themselves up before He met them and transformed their lives and we should not either! Jesus doesn’t look at the reality of who they are right now ensnared in the clutches of sin. Jesus sees them for who they can be. No comment of what the disciples were thinking as they drag their little boat on shore, having come off a night of a terrible storm, they’re tired, cold and hungry, soaked from nearly drowning in the storm and then this guy comes running to meet Jesus! It’s natural for us to recoil from such people. Frankly they are scary! Their need is overwhelming and to engage these people means we’ll get our hands dirty. I admit it’s not easy and we’re tempted to head the other direction. Everyone in this guy’s life had written him off. Society tried to chain him and couldn’t. Here’s a stark raving mad, naked and bleeding lunatic falling down before Jesus. Jesus looked beyond who this guy was at that moment. Jesus may have been thinking about the truth of Ps.139:13-18 regarding this guy. Notice Jesus dealt with the root of the issue, his demon possession, he didn’t deal with the superficial issues, he was naked, he was a cutter, he obviously has deep psychological issues. Jesus confronted his demon possession head on with boldness.

Argumentation - Do we really believe the Gospel is the power of God to salvation? Do we really believe that God is still in the life transformation business? Yes! If we don’t, we might as well pack up and head home. Jesus saw this guy with a new mission and new purpose.

Application – Share the ABC’s – We keep preaching, we keep extending an invitation because the Gospel of Jesus Christ transforms lives! Teacher working with those kids, see them for who they can be in Jesus Christ. Maybe you’re teaching the next Billy Graham, Lottie Moon, DL Moody. That co-worker, fellow student you think is beyond hope? Try looking at them and see the potential Jesus sees and keep being faithful to share Jesus with them. Gal.6:9 “And let us not grow weary in doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” The lesson is simple: In dealing with what the world calls hopeless people, we must view them like Jesus and see them for who they can be by the grace of God and not what they are right now!

3. People are of far greater value than possessions – vs. 9-17

Explanation – Bottom line here is these people didn’t care about the amazing transformation that took place in this poor man’s life. They were more concerned regarding the loss of their pigs. 2000 pigs was probably were the local town’s whole stock of pigs and represented a small fortune. I asked Josh Gaines this week as I was studying how much pigs cost for the show. He told me anywhere from $500 to $2500 for a little pig. Even at the low end of $500, 2000 pigs is 1 million dollars!

Basically Jesus was bad for the local economy so they told Him He wasn’t welcome there. Here is a guy “sitting, clothed and in his right mind” according to vs.15, but their question pretty much is where are the pigs? Some people today in our society would look at this loss of pigs with contempt at why Jesus would destroy these innocent animals. In the first place, this wasn’t Jesus idea, the demons asked for permission and He granted it. Secondly, Jesus did not destroy the pigs the demons were responsible and those pigs I think had more sense than those demons gave them credit for! No doubt this horrific scene was shocking to all present, the horrible screams of these newly possessed pigs full of a legion of demons committed suicide by running over a cliff and drowning themselves in the lake was an awful thing. Down right freaky & scary. The towns people were afraid but revealed the hardness of their hearts. This community had been tormented for years by this guy - Matthew tells us in his account in Matt. 8:28 that he was exceedingly fierce so no one could pass that way. Rather than be thrilled to see this man delivered from this awful state of demon possession; they were more worried about the dollar than the deity standing before them. The choose debauchery over deliverance, callousness over compassion. So they kick Jesus out and tell Him to get lost!

Was Jesus concerned for the community and their loss? Absolutely, but He wasn’t given a chance to stay and care for them!

Lesson is don’t let your possessions take priority over the people around you. We need to not let our possessions as a church take priority over people here either. This building and property is a wonderful blessing. We need to maintain it and use and adapt as ministry needs dictate; but this church facility is a tool to be used in helping us in our God-given mission of reaching the lost & making disciples. I’m all for being a good steward of our buildings and resources, but let’s keep our priorities straight. The monies in our storehouse are to be expended in reaching people. I went shopping at Walmart this week and bought two really nice basketballs and net so our middle school class could use the basketball goal. When I got a close look at the goal, I should have bought a new goal! Why? – because people are more important than possessions. Our possessions are to be used to help us reach people. This brings to our final lesson this morning:

4. Jesus is more interested in your future than your past – vs. 18-20

Explanation – For anyone who thinks there is something in your past that Jesus can’t overcome, this text is for you. I’m pretty sure anything you’ve done in your past doesn’t compare to the demons of this guy’s past. I’ve spoken to people about repenting of their sins and trusting Jesus by faith and they’ll say something like; “Well I would but you just don’t know what I’ve done and I don’t think God could ever forgive me.” That’s this guy. But Jesus sees what He has planned for this fellow’s future and He’s not worried about the demons of his past.

Notice also there’s a lot of begging going on in this text.

Vs. 7 – The demons first begged Jesus not to torment them

Vs. 10 – Then the demons begged Jesus to not to send them out of the country

Vs 12 – The demons begged him to let them enter the swine

Vs. 17 –Then the townspeople begged Jesus to leave the area

Vs. 18 – The formerly demon possessed guy begged Jesus to let him go with Jesus.

Interesting Jesus granted the requests of the demons, the townspeople, but not this guy! Why? Because Jesus knew there was a greater purpose to be accomplished – “tell them what great things the Lord has done for you and how He has had compassion on you.” But Jesus, I’m done with these people, I don’t have friends here, they tried to chain me, they left me out here naked & homeless among the tombs to cut myself. It would be better for me to come with you. I have nothing here.

That’s not what he said: He left and began to proclaim all that Jesus had done for him in that region! The people might have expelled Jesus but they were not rid of the former demon possessed lunatic who had ben transformed by his encounter with Jesus!

Here’s something to consider: I wonder, how much of the begging we do of Jesus will benefit us alone and not serve God’s greater purposes? Do we need a shift in how we pray?

Vs. 20 Lesson – being obedient to what God wants us to do and fulfilling our God given purpose produces life satisfaction. The other lesson is that Jesus is far more powerful than the demons of your past!

Jer. 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for peace and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope, to bring you to an expected end.”

God Encounter - God’s power is greater than the demons of your past.

Monday Morning Challenge - By faith I will surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ & allow Him to change me & I will share with others the great things the Lord has done for me.

That’s what this guy did in vs. 6! Worship - proskuneo - He fell on his face b/f God who was his only hope. What demons are in your past you’re worried that God won’t forgive or you think He cannot set you free from? What enslaves you?

Close - In the area we served for 5 years in Northern New Hampshire, I found a terribly sad amount of dysfunction in people’s lives. Within a 100 mile radius of where our church sat, there was more abuse of children per capita at that time than anywhere else in the country. Some of the people coming to our little church had the most unbelievable kinds of family problems and issues. Drug and alcohol issues were some of the more tame problems we dealt with daily. When I would stand to preach, I saw faces of people who had abused their bodies for years with drugs, alcohol and cigarettes. It was taxing mentally and emotionally. We used to pray and ask God to send us “normal” people to help us lead the church because we needed help! We had people I know were demon possessed and you never knew when they would explode with a stream of profanities – sometimes when you were conducting worship or preaching!

One of the first guys we reached for Christ was a young man named Matt (Belmore). Matt was a crack head. When I went to Matt’s trailer door with a mission team, we shared the Gospel with Matt and he gave his heart to Christ on his front porch. When he got saved, we instantly began to disciple him and work with him to get clean and sober off those drugs. I began a ministry called “The Most Excellent Way” to help drug and alcohol abusers get clean by applying the principles from Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount.” I remember having Matt in my office for a MEW session and he began drooling uncontrollably while I was teaching. I asked what was wrong and with a trembling hand, he pointed out the window behind me and there was a drug deal going down in the parking lot behind my office! The mere sight of it caused Matt’s body to react with a powerful craving and urge to have dope. He wanted to leave and go get stoned and I blocked the door to keep him from going. He had several relapses but we kept at it. I ministered to him in jail as he served time for drug related charges. Prayed for him and kept at and I saw Matt gloriously transformed by the power of the gospel. God took that desire away from Matt and he was a trophy of God’s grace. He was by definition a hopeless case. His friends and family had given up on him but God had not.

Invitation - God wants to set people free today. Small steps of obedience are important to God - We’re doing that with new ministry “Embrace Grace”; we’ll view hopeless people like Jesus, people are of greater value than possessions, Jesus is more interested in your future than the demons of your past.