May 1, 2018

I AM PERSUADED THAT HE IS ABLE:

TO CHANGE A PERSON (part1)

LUKE 8:35 Then they went out to see what was done; and came to Jesus, and found the man, out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.

We affectionately call this man the “maniac of Gadara”. He was quite a character. You talk about crazy, this man was crazy. I guess we all are a little bit crazy in our own way. But this guy was “out there”. He spent his time roaming around graveyards, had no clothes on, and was demon possessed. Just your average, everyday visitor at church. This man had quite a reputation. Everyone knew of him and I can see why.

If you look at this specific passage, Jesus had just calmed a storm and rebuked the disciples by asking them, “where is your faith?”. Then we are immediately told about this crazy man. You see, we need to learn that God can control circumstances, but we also need to learn that God can change people. What better way for God to prove that, than for him to change the most challenging person. Nobody wanted to go near this man, but Jesus loved him. It reminds and encourages me that even when I act crazy, God still loves me. So, the Lord casts out the demons, but the demons asked to be put into a herd of pigs instead of Jesus casting them into the sea. So, Jesus ordered the demons into the pigs, and you guessed it, the pigs ran off a cliff right into the sea. They committed “SUEYcide”. I know, bad joke.

I also find it interesting at the end of this verse that after this man became clothed, and in his right mind, now they were afraid of him. You don’t see anything where people were afraid of him before, but after he became a believer in Christ, suddenly people are afraid. The name of Christ makes people nervous. Why is that? Because there is power in His name. So how was the change in this man made?

*Luke 8:28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high?

1.) HE SAW JESUS

You and I become so busy that many times we overlook Jesus. He can make the changes that are needed in our life, and only God can by the way. But we do not see Him. We see our critics, we see our social circle, we see the faults in others, and we certainly see our burdens. But we tend to overlook Jesus. We will continue with this tomorrow but let us look at how a Godly man named Job finally saw Jesus.

*Job 42:   1 Then Job answered the LORD, and said,  2 I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee.  3 Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not.  4 Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.  5 I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee.  6 Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.