The Authority of Jesus s31e112 Mt8:28

What if Jesus has complete ultimate authority over the forces of evil? Don't you think it would compel you to believe? 

Not so in our story today about demons that are dispossessed from a couple of men, and into 2000 pigs.  

In witnessing this great power, after they collected their wits and other townspeople, they ask Jesus TO LEAVE. They begged him to leave.

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https://youtu.be/BGplxJoVHqU

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Morning, my brothers and sisters. Let's talk about the authority of Jesus. This is going to be from Matthew chapter 28. So we've finished a section on the life of Jesus. First of all, it was the Sermon on the Mount. So that's all kind of soft stuff, teaching, moral principles about divorce, lusts, uh oaths, what we do with our mouths, anger, the beatitudes, or beautiful living, generosity, prayer, fasting, anxiety. Then we, as soon as Matthew 7 was over, in Matthew chapter 8, we find out who Jesus is the boss over, what he is authoritative over. So far we've had over leprosy, over the healing of the centurion, his servant, who's going to be in his kingdom. Yeah, and we went to visit Peter's house and all were healed, all the sick, and then the storm and the wind were under his authority. And then yesterday we find these guys who were so fierce that no one could pass by. Well, the reason was they were demon-possessed. So they're out in the country living amongst the tombs, and yet the demons have some sort of volition. They asked Jesus to be put into the pigs, and they had curiosity, what will you do with us? Listen to the story. Again, we did this yesterday, but this is from Matthew 28. Matthew 8, 28. And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way. And behold, they cried out, What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time? Now a herd of many pigs, turns out it's about two thousand, says another gospel, was feeding at some distance from them, and the demons begged him, saying, If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs. And he said to them, This is the only word that Jesus says in this story, go. So they came out and went into the pigs, and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters. The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, especially what had happened to the demon-possessed men. And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their region. So the herdsmen flee, they're freaked out, they go into the city, and they tell everything. Especially, it says, what happened to the demon-possessed men. Now, this was an economic loss, there's no question about it. In today's dollars, maybe a million dollars goes into the sea, maybe even up to two million dollars. Jesus has authority over creation and authority over animals. It's not that he's unsympathetic to 2,000 pigs. Uh Proverbs 12, 10, we said yesterday, whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast. So certainly Jesus cared about 2,000 pigs, but he really cared about two men who were demon-possessed. So Jesus demonstrates uh what he does to the to the pigs, and of interest, we don't find out what happened to the disposition of the dispossessed of the demons. So the two guys get demon-free, but we don't find out what happens to them. The text is silent. But what is the disposition of those who watched Jesus dispossess the demons? So what happened to the demon-possessed? They became demon-dispossessed, that's all we know. But what about the herdsmen? So they're shocked probably by the million dollars. Their pigs go into the sea, and then they go, they flee, they go into the city, and probably tell them about the economic loss, but also it says they tell them everything. So about the demon getting kicked out of these people. Now, you remember the centurion, he was credited for his faith. And what is faith? Faith is trusting in the person of God before you see it, before the promises of God are seen. So let's summarize this story. These guys saw the promises of God. They saw the authority of Jesus, they saw that Jesus had power over demons, he had power over evil. A single word comes out of his mouth, go, and he does, and he and they go. So they see that Jesus has absolute authority over the forces of evil in a very practical way. And people are way more valuable than pigs, but they had an opportunity to see the rule and the power and the reign of Jesus. They didn't have to have faith in it, they saw it. And their response was to get Jesus to leave. Not to turn him into their Lord, but to get him to leave. So Jesus says you're worth more than a million dollars or two million dollars worth of pigs, but they don't see it, even though they do actually see it. So all scripture is a good example of something, even if it is being a bad example. So here they beg Jesus for what? More faith, for the nearness of the kingdom, for conviction over their sin, um anything like that? No. So what does Jesus not exert his compelling will over? We've seen him exert his his will over nature, wind and waves, demons and illness. Just in chapter 8 of Matthew. But what does he not hammer? And that is the free will of the people in the town, the herdsmen and all the city. So if you were an injured spinal cord or a stray collection of bacteria or demons possessed, or uh wind or waves that were out of bounds, Jesus exerts complete 100% control over those things. But Jesus lets us have faith or not have faith. So let's trust in the person of God before we see all his promises come true. Remember, he loves that, he admires it, he marveled at it. He said this guy was the greatest, talking about the centurion here. So the guy in our stories today, the guys in our stories today, the herdsmen, and and also the demon-possessed people, they saw the promises come true. They saw Jesus' authority over sickness, wind, waves, and now in this this one, demons. So this authority endorses what gee that Jesus is who he said he is. So, in conclusion, let's let Jesus have his way, invite him to rule and reign in that voluntary area. Where's that? In our hearts. Thanks for listening.