Look at me now!
Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 23 viewsNotes
Transcript
Then they arrived at the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee.
As he stepped out on land, a man of the city who had demons met him. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he did not live in a house but in the tombs.
When he saw Jesus, he fell down before him and shouted at the top of his voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me”—
for Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many times 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 wilds.)
Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” He said, “Legion”; for many demons had entered him.
They begged him not to order them to go back into the abyss.
Now there on the hillside a large herd of swine was feeding; and the demons begged Jesus to let them enter these. So he gave them permission.
Then the demons came out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.
When the swineherds saw what had happened, they ran off and told it in the city and in the country.
Then people came out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they 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.
Those who had seen it told them how the one who had been possessed by demons had been healed.
Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them; for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned.
The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him; but Jesus sent him away, saying,
“Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” So he went away, proclaiming throughout the city how much Jesus had done for him.
Theological point/note:
I see God as deliverer. I see God and God’s power in Jesus Christ
(pause)
Intro:
This past Tuesday we dealt with “Reversing Demonic Consequences” in Dr. Tony Evan’s book entitled U-Turns.....
Dr. Evans shares something that I agree with when it comes to realizing the strategy of the enemy.
He says....
Satan’s goal is to keep us from living out the greatest command and ultimate purpose of each of our lives:
Loving God and loving others
(pause)
And I also agree with him in the fact that while.......
........you may not be living a life as out of control as this demon possesed man was
………. there are absolutely biblical and spiritual principles that we can apply to overcome satanic influence at whatever level it is we face it.
(pause)
And so….
…..we all need a God who delivers!
Then they arrived at the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee.
As he stepped out on land, a man of the city who had demons met him. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he did not live in a house but in the tombs.
This man is clearly being identified as being defeated and abnormal…………
(pause)
He sleeps in the graveyard………
…and he walks around uncovered…….
(pause)
And his mind is not functional based on uncontrollable influences……………………
Luke’s Gospel calls this influence a demon and it is translated in the Greek to mean: Evil or Unclean Spirit
(pause)
And no matter how we look at it…………
at the end of the day……………we are able to draw the conclusion that this man in verse 27………….needs some help making a Uturn………..
(pause)
He needs to tap into some power……….
and authority that is greater than what has control over him……….
(pause)
And as I looked at verses 27 and 28…………….
I realized that there was something very important missing from the text…………..
(pause)
Because I wanted to find the initiative resting somewhere inside of this man as it relates to seeking God…………..for his transformational opportunity……….
(pause)
And I was looking for the resolve that birthed out of his drive to get to Jesus when Jesus is stepping onto land…….
(pause)
I could not find that in this text………………..
Because in this text……………..
what you will realize Freedom family…………
is that the man that is described here…………..
is only positioned for our observation……….
(pause)
He is only the example………….being discussed……….
(pause)
But the conversation…………right now…………..is not between God and this man…………
But instead........
.....we are ear hustling on what is being said between Jesus and this unclean spirit
(pause and expound)
Look at it now……….
When he saw Jesus, he fell down before him and shouted at the top of his voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me”—
So what we find is……………
the power that is controlling this man…………is now speaking to Jesus………….
(pause)
But what I need you to notice with clarity………….relates to who is standing in power………
…..and who it is that is submitting to power……….
(pause)
“And when he saw Jesus……………he cried out, and fell down before him”
Meaning………….that the spirit that was controlling………….this man………….
had to get in his place…………..and recognize order…..and ultimate power
(pause)
And I wonder if anybody in here understands……………
that whatever had the audacity to start controlling you……
………has somebody bigger to answer to?
(pause)
And if you notice in the text……….this man…………is not speaking………
…but it is the enemy that is controlling him who is speaking.….
And the enemy that is controlling him………..is now taking the action of bowing down to Jesus…………….
(pause)
And this is why we pray for God’s power to be made manifest in all areas of our lives……………
(pause)
Because……………I don’t care what
ever of evil walks into our lives and wrecks havoc……………
(pause)
Whenever…………..Jesus shows up,
........the greatest power ever has just walked into the room!
(pause)
And Freedom,
You can’t REALLY see Jesus………………and nothing happen…….
(pause)
Please understand…..……..you don’t necessarily have to convince anyone that Jesus is real………………
All you got to do is just pray that Jesus SHOWS UP…………..
(pause)
BIBLICAL BARREL:
When Thomas…………..did not believe that the disciples had been with Jesus…………..they told him what they saw…………..
But what really sealed the deal………..is when Jesus showed up!
“Look at my hands……………….Thomas”
“Look at my feet……………….Thomas”
(Pause)
And if you really want to see God’s power take hold……………
.pray that God would open up their eyes to watch a Jesus that is now present…………
(pause)
Ex: Elijah and Gehazi
(pause)
Look at it now…………
Because when God proves God’s power……………the enemy gets scared just like in this text…………..
“What have I to do with thee…..Jesus, thou Son of God most high?”
(pause)
Because even the devil…………..knows his place when it comes to Jesus….
(pause)
Look at it now………….
Luke 8.29-30 (read/summarize)
for Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many times 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 wilds.) Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” He said, “Legion”; for many demons had entered him.
So according to the text…………
Jesus asks the question…………..
“What is your name?”
(pause)
And the response…………..was Legion…………….
(pause)
And now the significance in this is that the term Legion is a Latin term that totals 6,000 Roman soldiers………..
So the quantity of what was controlling this man…………based on their own testimony…………….equaled 6,000…………of an army…..
(pause)
And the reason…………you keep getting knocked down in certain areas of your life …
……....is because the devil is throwing everything he got at you…………
(pause)
And Some of us…………if not all of us…………
….at some point or another have gone up against an enemy that has gotten the best of us…………
(pause)
And the only reason that we have been defeated………….is not just because we have been outnumbered………….
(pause)
But because we don’t clearly know who we are…………nor who God is!
(pause)
Because my bible teaches me…………that one plus God……
……puts me into the majority…………
(pause)
Now all I got to do……..is just figure out how to get to Jesus………..
(pause)
And that’s why we ought to be sharing Christ…………
because every now and then…………..when somebody needs help…………
.Jesus ought to cross somebody’s path…………..based on our life introduction of the Gospel…
(pause)
They might not be able to get to church……………….
but if you can get to them………….
Jesus can step into their lives!
(pause)
And that’s when…………
we can start making some demons tremble………
(pause)
And I don’t know about you…………but when Jesus starts standing up for my life………….
.my enemies……….have to start begging for his mercy…………
(pause)
Look at it now………
Luke 8.31-32 (read)
They begged him not to order them to go back into the abyss.
Now there on the hillside a large herd of swine was feeding; and the demons begged Jesus to let them enter these. So he gave them permission.
I don’t think you understand………………..because the bible says…….that
All…………6,000 of them……………………..
(pause)
Had to bow down…………………..to our Jesus…………………..
(pause)
And I know you thought you was outnumbered…………
(pause)
But what is it that made you think………….you couldn’t be released?
(pause)
Now the question that we got to ask is………………
What was it…………..that released…………..this man?
(pause)
What was it…………that when he was outnumbered………6,000 to 1………………..stepped in…………..and declared…………
“Take your hands……………off of his mind……………”
(pause)
And I wish I had somebody in the house that could tell your story………….
(pause)
Because just like this man in the text………….if somebody saw you in verse 27…………..they wouldn’t know who you was in verse 35…………
(Pause)
if the truth be told……
……….these evil spirits who were strategic in taking away….
……have now caused Jesus to give this man MORE POWER!
And now……….
……………he’s ready to tell the whole city,
”Look at me now!”
In verse 27………….you looked a mess…………..
But after Jesus……………..
In verse 35………………Look at me now! (Read v. 35 and Close it down)
Then people came out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they 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.
The Bible says…….
They went out to see what was done!
And when they did they found him he looked BETTER!
(pause)
He was sitting
He was clothed
He was in his right mind
(pause)
Jesus has done in a moment……..
……….what nobody had seen in a lifetime!
(pause)
and after all that this man has gone through……….
- lack of nutrition
- malfunction in several areas of his life physically and mentally.……
……….you would think it would take God time to restore him.
But the text says…
……when they found him God had completed him “Already!”
(Pause and expound on “ALREADY!”)
Those who had seen it told them how the one who had been possessed by demons had been healed.
In other words.....
They not only saw that the man was healed
......they also witnessed who was responsible!
Jesus was RESPONSIBLE for this UTURN!
(pause)
And when I read this verse I was reminded of when Jesus taught the disciples how to pray......
.......in what we know to be the Lord’s Prayer!
And.....
......right around verse 13 of Matthew chapter 6
Jesus says something like.....
“For thine is the Kingdom.......
.......the Power
.......and the Glory
.......forever and ever
AMEN!”
(pause)
The part for me is.......
“For thine is the Kingdom!”
(pause)
Because......
In my spiritual imagination........
When Jesus’s feet hit ground
.....and he begin walking into this man’s direction
......and Jesus realizes that these unclean spirits are trying to take over this territory.
(slight pause)
I see Jesus saying......
“This aint yours!”
.........you trying to take something that aint yours to take!
(slight pause)
“This is my FATHER’S Kingdom!”
It is God who created the heavens and the earth!
(pause)
Now watch what Jesus says and does in verse 39!
“Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” So he went away, proclaiming throughout the city how much Jesus had done for him.
Did yall see that? (Emphasize)
Jesus says.........
“Return to your home”
(pause)
In my spiritual imagination Jesus is saying.......
“I’m giving you back your TERRITORY!”
And when you get back Jesus says........
“Declare how much God has done for you!”
(pause)
Because we want everybody to see what it looks like when God uses Gods power to HIT our LIVES and declare........
#UTURN
#LOOKATMENOW
(pause)
And according to the text......
This man went through the ENTIRE CITY
.........taking over more TERRITORY for the sake of the GOSPEL!
(pause)
Freedom..........
This UTURN is one that TAKES BACK TERRITORY!
(pause)
Because.........
.......NOT only do you get back what you lost
.......but because of the POWER of RELEASE
God claims more AREA of the CITY!!!!!!
(pause)
And all God needs us to do is go through the CITY declaring..........
“LOOK AT ME NOW!”
.........................CLOSE/COMPLETION............................