WEBVTT 00:00:00.320 --> 00:00:05.280 Well, if you are just joining us, let me catch you up on what we've been doing all year long and what we're gonna keep doing all year long. 00:00:05.440 --> 00:00:10.080 We are spending a year in a study that we've called following Jesus. 00:00:10.320 --> 00:00:11.199 It's pretty simple. 00:00:11.359 --> 00:00:14.080 We're going through the entire book of Matthew bit by bit. 00:00:14.240 --> 00:00:15.679 We started this in February. 00:00:15.759 --> 00:00:17.600 We're gonna do it all throughout the year. 00:00:17.760 --> 00:00:19.440 And we're just we're tagging along. 00:00:19.600 --> 00:00:20.559 We are following Jesus. 00:00:20.719 --> 00:00:21.679 We want to learn from Jesus. 00:00:21.760 --> 00:00:22.640 We want to know Jesus. 00:00:22.719 --> 00:00:24.399 We want to see him more clearly. 00:00:24.559 --> 00:00:26.000 We want to understand him better. 00:00:26.160 --> 00:00:30.960 Because just like we sang, he's not a historical figure who lived and died and we can learn about. 00:00:31.280 --> 00:00:32.079 He is alive. 00:00:32.240 --> 00:00:33.359 He defeated death. 00:00:33.520 --> 00:00:36.159 He is still alive, he is active, and we can know him. 00:00:36.640 --> 00:00:40.560 We can know him, but but we want to know him as intimately as possible. 00:00:40.719 --> 00:00:51.439 And so as we go through the book of Matthew, which is one of the four main books in the New Testament, that tells us the story of Jesus and it's his teachings and all the things that he did, we're trying our best to learn as much as we can. 00:00:51.600 --> 00:00:59.200 I hope this year for you, no matter if you've been following Jesus for 30 plus years or you're new to the whole Jesus thing, I hope you learn something this year. 00:00:59.359 --> 00:01:07.280 I hope every Sunday is filled with realizations or even small details that maybe you didn't know before, but it helps the story come to life in a new way. 00:01:07.439 --> 00:01:12.560 And so, in order for us to tag along, we're trying to visualize where Jesus is, who he's talking to. 00:01:12.640 --> 00:01:14.400 So we're leaning into a lot of maps. 00:01:14.560 --> 00:01:16.959 This is sort of our main map that we've been in. 00:01:17.120 --> 00:01:21.760 This is ancient Israel in terms of the different regions that made up ancient Israel. 00:01:21.920 --> 00:01:27.840 If you've read the Bible much, you may be familiar with some of these words, you know, Galilee, Judea, that sort of thing. 00:01:28.079 --> 00:01:35.680 And right now, where we're at in the story, we're very much focused on this specific area where Jesus does a lot of his early ministry. 00:01:35.760 --> 00:01:37.120 It's the Sea of Galilee. 00:01:37.280 --> 00:01:39.040 And so we'll kind of zoom in on that for you. 00:01:39.200 --> 00:01:46.079 This is sort of uh Jesus' home base at the outset of his ministry, when he's first teaching, first doing miracles. 00:01:46.319 --> 00:01:49.359 Capernaum, up there in the north, that's his home. 00:01:49.519 --> 00:01:50.319 It's not where he was from. 00:01:50.480 --> 00:01:55.200 He was from a place called Nazareth, but Capernaum is where he moved and where he lived at the outset of his ministry. 00:01:55.280 --> 00:01:59.120 That's where he was recruiting his disciples, most of whom were for fishermen. 00:01:59.280 --> 00:02:02.319 That's where he's doing all of his early ministry. 00:02:03.040 --> 00:02:06.400 And last week we we got to this really interesting moment in the story. 00:02:06.560 --> 00:02:10.479 Jesus has just gotten done teaching, this unbelievable teaching. 00:02:10.560 --> 00:02:12.879 It's often called the Sermon on the Mount. 00:02:13.039 --> 00:02:20.639 And it's kind of like the orientation class that Jesus gave to all of his early followers, where he sits them down and people came from all over the place. 00:02:20.719 --> 00:02:26.159 I mean, we don't know exactly how many, but hundreds, even thousands of people were there to listen to Jesus teach. 00:02:26.400 --> 00:02:30.800 And he tells them this is what God is really like, and this is what God really values. 00:02:30.879 --> 00:02:37.759 It was like Jesus' orientation class for what his kingdom on this earth is really about. 00:02:37.919 --> 00:02:39.520 And it blew people away. 00:02:39.759 --> 00:02:43.599 In fact, whenever it was done, this is what the response of the people was. 00:02:43.759 --> 00:02:54.240 Matthew chapter 7, verse 28 says, When Jesus had finished saying these things, when he'd finished the Sermon on the Mount, as we call it, the crowds were amazed at his teaching. 00:02:54.479 --> 00:03:00.159 For he taught with real authority, quite unlike their teachers of religious law. 00:03:00.800 --> 00:03:02.400 Real authority. 00:03:04.000 --> 00:03:05.599 Jesus taught with real authority. 00:03:05.680 --> 00:03:09.919 And that phrase, real authority, that is our theme for the next few weeks. 00:03:10.080 --> 00:03:14.400 What does it mean that Jesus has real authority? 00:03:15.439 --> 00:03:21.120 Last week we looked at how different the authority of Jesus is from the authority that we typically see in this world. 00:03:21.439 --> 00:03:29.520 Because we all have experience with authority, but sometimes we have authority, people who are in charge of us and they don't know what they're doing. 00:03:29.759 --> 00:03:33.439 Like that's a terrifying situation to be under the authority of a fool. 00:03:33.840 --> 00:03:35.599 But Jesus is not a fool. 00:03:35.840 --> 00:03:40.960 In fact, in the Sermon on the Mount, he displays a wisdom that baffles the mind. 00:03:41.120 --> 00:03:44.479 He's so wise, it's evidence that he's God. 00:03:44.560 --> 00:03:49.680 Like Jesus knows things about the human spirit that only the one who created us could know. 00:03:49.919 --> 00:03:53.360 So Jesus is not just an authority figure by definition. 00:03:53.439 --> 00:03:55.439 No, Jesus has authority and wisdom. 00:03:55.680 --> 00:03:57.199 That's pretty rare. 00:03:57.759 --> 00:03:59.199 He has authority and love. 00:03:59.360 --> 00:04:00.000 We talked about that. 00:04:00.159 --> 00:04:03.759 Jesus is so loving, he's caring, he meets people exactly where they are. 00:04:03.840 --> 00:04:04.960 He doesn't leave them where they are. 00:04:05.120 --> 00:04:11.199 He challenges us, he changes us, he grows us up, but he meets us where we are and he has compassion on us in every situation. 00:04:11.360 --> 00:04:12.639 We don't see that a lot in the world. 00:04:12.800 --> 00:04:15.120 People who have authority and love. 00:04:16.879 --> 00:04:19.680 Jesus has authority and integrity. 00:04:20.000 --> 00:04:27.680 Never once does he use his authority for his own benefit, but in the world we live in, people who have the most authority almost always use it for their own benefit. 00:04:27.759 --> 00:04:31.920 We see a lot of corrupt authority, but Jesus has no corruption in him whatsoever. 00:04:32.079 --> 00:04:36.399 He is authority with integrity, and he is also authority with power. 00:04:41.199 --> 00:04:43.920 And we saw some of that on display in what we studied last week. 00:04:44.000 --> 00:04:45.199 We're going to see more of it this week. 00:04:45.360 --> 00:04:47.600 I mean, Jesus can heal diseases. 00:04:48.480 --> 00:04:51.759 Jesus tells a storm to stop and it stops. 00:04:51.920 --> 00:04:53.360 I mean, Jesus has power. 00:04:53.600 --> 00:05:04.560 And so where we got to last week, if you weren't here, that's fine, is what do we do when we encounter someone who has authority, but authority plus wisdom and love and integrity and power? 00:05:04.720 --> 00:05:07.839 What do you do faced with that level of authority? 00:05:07.920 --> 00:05:14.079 And the only answer that makes any sense is you submit to that authority and you say, lead me. 00:05:14.480 --> 00:05:19.360 Because I can't find anyone in this world who has all of that other than Jesus. 00:05:19.439 --> 00:05:22.959 And I want to be led, I want to be led by the right person. 00:05:23.120 --> 00:05:24.639 And that person is Jesus. 00:05:24.959 --> 00:05:26.959 He has real authority. 00:05:27.360 --> 00:05:33.519 Now we're going to jump back into our story, right where we left off last week and learn another aspect of Jesus' authority today. 00:05:33.600 --> 00:05:39.519 And in order to do that, we've got to go to the Sea of Galilee, we've got to get in a boat, and we've got to start making our way across the Sea of Galilee. 00:05:39.680 --> 00:05:54.240 So Jesus leaves Capernaum and he starts sailing across the Sea of Galilee, but somewhere in the middle of that is when that whole story with the storm happens, where you know they're in the boat, Jesus is asleep, he's exhausted, there's a storm, they all freak out, they think they're gonna die. 00:05:54.319 --> 00:05:55.920 They wake Jesus up, Jesus wakes up. 00:05:56.000 --> 00:06:01.680 I like to imagine it, I don't know what his tone was, but I like to imagine it just like when my children wake me up in the middle of the night. 00:06:01.839 --> 00:06:03.360 Like it's a frustrated, like, what? 00:06:03.439 --> 00:06:03.759 What is it? 00:06:03.920 --> 00:06:04.480 What is it? 00:06:04.639 --> 00:06:05.120 What is it? 00:06:05.279 --> 00:06:09.279 A storm, storm shut up, and then the storm stops and he goes back to sleep. 00:06:09.519 --> 00:06:10.879 You know, like stop it. 00:06:11.040 --> 00:06:11.759 Everyone stop. 00:06:11.920 --> 00:06:13.600 Storm, disciples, everyone be quiet. 00:06:13.680 --> 00:06:14.800 I'm trying to sleep. 00:06:15.120 --> 00:06:17.120 And the storm stops, and the disciples are terrified. 00:06:17.199 --> 00:06:18.800 They're just like, who is this man? 00:06:19.040 --> 00:06:20.959 Even the winds and the waves obey him. 00:06:21.040 --> 00:06:22.240 Yeah, he has real authority. 00:06:22.399 --> 00:06:25.759 So that all happens in the middle of the lake, and then they continue back, right? 00:06:25.920 --> 00:06:26.720 Sea of Galilee. 00:06:26.800 --> 00:06:31.680 They continue back and they go all the way to the edge of this area known as Ghedara. 00:06:32.240 --> 00:06:35.759 We've got some hints in the Bible as far as where this is, but we don't know the exact spot. 00:06:35.839 --> 00:06:37.360 But they just make it to the shore. 00:06:37.519 --> 00:06:39.680 And right when they get to the shore, here's what you see. 00:06:39.759 --> 00:06:42.800 Uh Matthew chapter 8, verse 28. 00:06:43.040 --> 00:06:51.759 When Jesus arrived on the other side of the lake in the region of the Gadarenes, two men who were possessed by demons met him. 00:06:52.160 --> 00:06:56.560 They came out of the tombs and were so violent that no one could go through that area. 00:06:56.639 --> 00:07:00.160 So, you know, just a normal garden variety demon story. 00:07:00.319 --> 00:07:02.000 That's where we're at today. 00:07:02.319 --> 00:07:06.160 Now, look, I'm so excited to talk about this today. 00:07:06.800 --> 00:07:17.120 I'm excited about it because anytime you start talking about a story like this, where we're talking about Jesus and demons and Satan and all kinds of stuff, like it's it gets weird. 00:07:17.279 --> 00:07:18.160 Can we just own that? 00:07:18.399 --> 00:07:23.519 It gets a little weird, but it's meant to teach us something so vital and important, and I can't wait for us to explore this. 00:07:23.600 --> 00:07:28.079 We're gonna learn today that Jesus has spiritual authority. 00:07:29.040 --> 00:07:32.480 Jesus has spiritual authority. 00:07:33.040 --> 00:07:37.920 And we we all need to understand this in a very personally meaningful way. 00:07:38.160 --> 00:07:39.839 Jesus has spiritual authority. 00:07:39.920 --> 00:07:40.800 What does that mean for you? 00:07:40.879 --> 00:07:42.319 What does that mean for me? 00:07:43.680 --> 00:07:52.720 When it comes to any story in scripture that's about the devil or demons, there's part of us, maybe not all of us, some of us might be like, yeah, I'm in there, I've seen a few demons in my life. 00:07:52.800 --> 00:07:54.160 You're like, I've got experience with this. 00:07:54.240 --> 00:07:55.920 Uh some of us are like, this is the weirdest thing in the world. 00:07:56.000 --> 00:07:57.199 Why did I come to church here? 00:07:57.360 --> 00:07:59.199 I I gotta I gotta leave, right? 00:07:59.360 --> 00:08:17.199 At the very least, there's a healthy amount of skepticism that's gonna come up anytime we talk about something like this, because we actually live in a culture that is very comfortable with the idea of like evil forces or unseen, you know, spiritual, spooky stuff. 00:08:17.519 --> 00:08:20.720 It's just that it's almost always like a movie. 00:08:20.879 --> 00:08:25.199 It's it's some type of entertainment piece that's make-believe. 00:08:25.519 --> 00:08:32.399 So we're sort of conditioned to be comfortable with these ideas, but to always categorize them in the make-believe category. 00:08:33.200 --> 00:08:41.279 Or just think about in our own lives and our own experiences, how many times you've had something happen, maybe when you were younger, maybe recently, where you got kind of creeped out. 00:08:42.000 --> 00:08:47.120 You know, you got chills, and you're thinking, man, is something sinister at work around me? 00:08:47.200 --> 00:08:48.799 And it just turned out to be nothing. 00:08:49.200 --> 00:08:50.480 I'll give you a fun example. 00:08:50.639 --> 00:08:54.639 When I was in college, I interned at a church for two years and I had a blast. 00:08:54.799 --> 00:08:59.200 It was me and a bunch of other college students interning and just basically being free labor for a church for two years. 00:08:59.279 --> 00:09:00.080 It was wonderful. 00:09:00.240 --> 00:09:21.840 And uh one of the big things we did every summer was we would go out to this lake, and say lake, it was like a big pond, big enough that you can get a boat out on it, and not like an official lake, but uh, this person at our church, I think it was their property, I'm not really sure, but all the interns would go out and we'd have this big cookout and we'd spend the night in tents, and it was kind of one of our big uh kick the summer off events as a group of interns. 00:09:22.080 --> 00:09:24.799 So we go out, we do it, we spend the day on the lake, we're all having a really good time. 00:09:24.879 --> 00:09:25.679 It's late at night. 00:09:25.840 --> 00:09:39.039 We make a fire on the edge of this lakeslash pond, and uh, and it's getting pretty, it's it's getting up there, it's close to midnight at this point, and I'm like, I could either go to bed or I could mess with my fellow interns. 00:09:39.679 --> 00:09:41.679 And uh I decided to go to bed. 00:09:41.759 --> 00:09:43.120 No, I'm just joking, I did not. 00:09:43.360 --> 00:09:46.320 So I told everyone, I said, hey guys, I'm I'm beat. 00:09:46.399 --> 00:09:47.679 I'm gonna go, I'm gonna go to bed. 00:09:47.759 --> 00:09:53.279 And I went back to my tent and I waited a few minutes and then I went out the back side of my tent, and it's pitch black. 00:09:53.360 --> 00:09:58.960 There's no, I mean, we're in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of Missouri, there's no street lights, I mean, it's just dark. 00:09:59.120 --> 00:10:00.799 The only light is the fire. 00:10:01.120 --> 00:10:05.919 And I I walked very stealthily around the edge of this pond. 00:10:06.159 --> 00:10:11.039 I got in the water, I very quietly make my way. 00:10:11.279 --> 00:10:14.799 And at the time I was in really good shape and I swam a lot, so I had good lung capacity. 00:10:14.879 --> 00:10:19.759 So I'm in the water, and I'm slowly but surely making my way out into like the middle of this pond. 00:10:19.840 --> 00:10:22.639 And I had the thought as I'm out there, this is the dumbest thing I've ever done. 00:10:22.879 --> 00:10:27.039 If I if I like drown, no one even knows I'm out here. 00:10:27.120 --> 00:10:28.720 Like they're just gonna wake up, where's Justin? 00:10:28.799 --> 00:10:32.960 Like, this could be the worst decision of my life, but I've I've been in that position a lot in life. 00:10:33.120 --> 00:10:36.000 So I what was I thinking? 00:10:36.159 --> 00:10:36.480 Nothing. 00:10:36.639 --> 00:10:37.600 I wasn't thinking. 00:10:37.759 --> 00:10:44.240 So I'm in the middle of this pond, and it was amazing to me because it was so dark, and I could hear almost every word that they were saying on the shore. 00:10:44.399 --> 00:10:48.720 Just the way the sound was traveling across the water, it was amazing how vivid their voices were. 00:10:48.879 --> 00:10:54.480 There was a good buddy of mine named David, um, and I could hear David so clearly, and I could see him at the fire. 00:10:54.639 --> 00:10:55.840 And so I didn't really have a plan. 00:10:55.919 --> 00:10:58.960 You know, sometimes you do something, you're like, I didn't really think this through. 00:10:59.360 --> 00:11:03.039 So I said, Oh, you know, I'll just like make a weird noise. 00:11:03.279 --> 00:11:06.480 And so I made this very high-pitched shrieking sound. 00:11:06.720 --> 00:11:11.120 And then I kind of ducked to where my nose and my eyes were above the water, but nothing else. 00:11:11.440 --> 00:11:14.159 And everyone on the shore freaks out. 00:11:14.320 --> 00:11:16.000 They're like, what was that? 00:11:16.320 --> 00:11:19.360 And the interns, by the way, were not like country people. 00:11:19.440 --> 00:11:20.960 They were not used to being out in the woods. 00:11:21.039 --> 00:11:23.200 They were they were city folk, we might say. 00:11:23.360 --> 00:11:27.200 And so, you know, they're like not in their natural environment. 00:11:27.600 --> 00:11:29.600 And so they're all free, like, what was that? 00:11:29.759 --> 00:11:34.799 You know, and they kind of like looked around, like, I think it came from over there, and then they sort of went back to their normal thing. 00:11:34.960 --> 00:11:36.320 So I did it again. 00:11:36.559 --> 00:11:39.360 I make this noise, and like David starts freaking out. 00:11:39.440 --> 00:11:40.639 He's like, what is going on? 00:11:40.720 --> 00:11:41.919 That is the weirdest sign I've ever heard. 00:11:42.000 --> 00:11:43.519 I don't like this, I don't want to be out here. 00:11:43.679 --> 00:11:44.799 And so they grab a flashlight. 00:11:44.960 --> 00:11:47.600 At this point, I'm thinking, well, okay, here it is, it's over, it's done. 00:11:47.840 --> 00:11:52.480 They start searching the flashlight across the water until they hit me. 00:11:52.559 --> 00:11:57.600 And I'm thinking, okay, now they're gonna be like, aha, Justin, okay, come up out of the water, very funny. 00:11:57.919 --> 00:12:05.519 What I don't realize is that because of the distance that I am away and the way that you know light works, they don't see my face. 00:12:06.080 --> 00:12:10.399 All they see are two glowing eyeballs in the light. 00:12:12.159 --> 00:12:14.159 And so they did the light just stops. 00:12:14.240 --> 00:12:15.600 They're like, what is that? 00:12:15.759 --> 00:12:16.879 What is that? 00:12:17.120 --> 00:12:20.080 And I'm like, oh my gosh, this is the greatest day of my life. 00:12:20.240 --> 00:12:21.039 It's working. 00:12:21.200 --> 00:12:22.480 And so I'm like, what do I do? 00:12:22.639 --> 00:12:25.840 Like, what do I do to milk this, to make this as good as it can be? 00:12:25.919 --> 00:12:30.799 And I just slowly go under the water with the light on me. 00:12:31.039 --> 00:12:37.759 I swim under the water, I pop up, you know, I don't know, 10 feet in another direction, and the light when I come up is just searching. 00:12:37.840 --> 00:12:42.480 I'm trying to be as quiet as possible, and it's like, we're there it is again, there it is, what do we do? 00:12:42.639 --> 00:12:51.679 And so I'm just like every once in a while going under, getting a little closer, you know, a little closer, and it's glorious. 00:12:51.840 --> 00:12:54.559 It's amazing, although I am getting tired at this point. 00:12:54.720 --> 00:12:57.840 And so eventually, this goes on for several minutes. 00:12:58.000 --> 00:13:00.480 Finally, someone I can hear them say, Hey, where's Justin? 00:13:00.720 --> 00:13:02.159 And they're like, Oh my goodness. 00:13:02.240 --> 00:13:03.440 And they go back and they check my tent. 00:13:03.519 --> 00:13:06.799 And then they're like, hey, Justin, we know it's you, but they didn't really know it was me. 00:13:06.960 --> 00:13:08.000 Uh, but they did. 00:13:08.159 --> 00:13:12.799 And so a few minutes later, I just kind of, hey guys, make my way up, and that's how the summer started. 00:13:12.879 --> 00:13:13.519 It was great. 00:13:13.679 --> 00:13:25.039 But it was amazing in that moment for me to see how look, these were really bright people, believers, right, strong faith, but easily spooked. 00:13:26.320 --> 00:13:34.720 It's not hard for us to engage in the idea that possibly there is something evil out there. 00:13:35.759 --> 00:13:37.600 We're sort of wired as humans to do this. 00:13:37.759 --> 00:13:44.000 And I would say that we're wired to do that because our intuition serves us correctly. 00:13:44.240 --> 00:13:45.919 There is something evil out there. 00:13:46.799 --> 00:13:53.200 Just because there's lots of silly, stupid movies that take advantage of that doesn't mean it's not true. 00:13:53.679 --> 00:13:58.080 So let me read something that scripture teaches us in Ephesians chapter 6, verse 12. 00:13:58.320 --> 00:14:10.799 Paul wrote, We are not fighting against flesh and blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. 00:14:10.960 --> 00:14:13.519 This is not the intro to some science fiction movie. 00:14:13.759 --> 00:14:14.879 This is scripture. 00:14:15.039 --> 00:14:18.159 That our ultimate battle is not against what we see. 00:14:18.320 --> 00:14:19.919 It's not against what we see. 00:14:20.399 --> 00:14:29.120 It's not other people in this world, it's not governments, it's not it's not the stuff that we see, it's it's something else, it's something greater. 00:14:29.200 --> 00:14:30.960 And we have to ask ourselves, is this true? 00:14:31.120 --> 00:14:31.919 Do we believe this? 00:14:32.080 --> 00:14:34.000 Is this actually true? 00:14:34.399 --> 00:14:36.639 So let's look at a couple of images. 00:14:36.799 --> 00:14:38.799 Um this might help us out. 00:14:39.039 --> 00:14:40.559 Uh this is physical, right? 00:14:40.879 --> 00:14:43.039 This circle represents the physical world. 00:14:43.200 --> 00:14:44.799 And all of us believe in the physical world. 00:14:44.879 --> 00:14:48.639 This morning I was driving my son somewhere early, and I said, Hey, we were having this conversation. 00:14:48.720 --> 00:14:49.679 Do you believe in the physical world? 00:14:49.759 --> 00:14:50.240 And he's like, Yeah. 00:14:50.320 --> 00:14:50.720 I was like, why? 00:14:50.799 --> 00:14:51.360 He's like, I don't know. 00:14:51.440 --> 00:14:52.639 So I slapped him on the leg. 00:14:52.879 --> 00:14:54.399 And uh I'm like, that's why. 00:14:54.480 --> 00:14:55.200 Because you experience it. 00:14:55.279 --> 00:14:56.080 I didn't slap him that hard. 00:14:56.159 --> 00:14:56.960 We were having fun. 00:14:57.200 --> 00:14:59.200 We all believe in the physical world, I would hope. 00:14:59.360 --> 00:14:59.759 All of us. 00:14:59.919 --> 00:15:00.559 Does anyone disagree? 00:15:00.799 --> 00:15:03.200 Does anyone want to have the argument now that there is no physical world? 00:15:03.440 --> 00:15:03.679 Great. 00:15:03.840 --> 00:15:04.320 Okay, cool. 00:15:04.399 --> 00:15:04.879 We'll move on. 00:15:05.039 --> 00:15:07.679 Then we have to ask ourselves the question, okay, is there a spiritual world? 00:15:07.840 --> 00:15:08.799 Is there another world? 00:15:08.879 --> 00:15:09.919 That's what scripture teaches. 00:15:10.000 --> 00:15:11.600 We have physical and spiritual. 00:15:11.759 --> 00:15:17.360 And like I said, we as people, as human beings, are very easily inclined to engage in those thoughts. 00:15:17.519 --> 00:15:25.120 Our imaginations go there fast, maybe because deep down inside, we're wired by God to know that yes, there is something more than just what we see with our eyes. 00:15:25.360 --> 00:15:29.200 Now the question becomes do these worlds interact? 00:15:29.840 --> 00:15:30.879 Is there an overlap? 00:15:31.200 --> 00:15:31.440 Right? 00:15:31.600 --> 00:15:34.559 And so let's let's look at these combining together. 00:15:34.720 --> 00:15:43.120 Now, if if that's what the overlap is like, that means that occasionally there's times where the spiritual and the physical come together. 00:15:43.200 --> 00:15:45.759 And by the way, we see this in Jesus all the time. 00:15:46.080 --> 00:15:46.320 Right? 00:15:46.480 --> 00:15:48.480 Jesus actually is this, if you think about it, right? 00:15:48.639 --> 00:15:50.960 Heaven and earth at the same time. 00:15:51.200 --> 00:15:55.840 When Jesus does a miracle, when we see a miracle, whether it's Jesus or anyone else in the scripture, that's what we're seeing. 00:15:55.919 --> 00:15:58.720 We're seeing an overlap of the physical and the spiritual. 00:15:58.879 --> 00:16:01.039 And something really awesome happens. 00:16:01.759 --> 00:16:12.879 But if that's true of the awesome stuff, the stuff where God or an angel or something like that in Scripture shows up and does something cool, well then it's also true of the spiritual forces that aren't good. 00:16:13.440 --> 00:16:13.840 Right? 00:16:14.080 --> 00:16:16.960 Satan, the devil, the demonic, those types of things. 00:16:17.039 --> 00:16:19.519 If there's an overlap, then it can go both ways, is what I'm saying. 00:16:19.600 --> 00:16:21.519 And then the question becomes, well, how big is the overlap? 00:16:21.759 --> 00:16:25.039 Some people see the overlap as like complete, that it's all one thing. 00:16:25.120 --> 00:16:29.200 Uh in fact, the people in Jesus' day would have definitely been raised to believe this. 00:16:29.279 --> 00:16:48.639 Uh maybe, maybe a bit of overkill, actually, that every time you had any type of physical ailment, it was never a cold, it was always something demonic, that every, and we see this in other stories with Jesus, where if anyone was ever born with a deformity, or if they were born uh crippled, then that was because something was spiritually wrong with them. 00:16:48.960 --> 00:16:57.679 They must have been born in sin or their parents sinned so much that they were, they were punished from birth with not being able to walk. 00:16:57.759 --> 00:16:59.440 They saw a complete overlap. 00:17:00.000 --> 00:17:02.480 And and I don't know if it's complete, I don't know how it all works. 00:17:02.559 --> 00:17:08.720 There's there's no uh percentage given to us in scripture, but I do believe that it's it's perhaps not that. 00:17:08.880 --> 00:17:14.319 There are things that can happen that, yeah, that's just the world that we live in, but I do believe it's significant. 00:17:14.480 --> 00:17:19.680 You know, so this would maybe be a better representation of how scripture teaches us that there's there's a lot of interaction. 00:17:19.759 --> 00:17:23.359 I don't, again, know the exact amount, but each of us has to sort of figure that out. 00:17:23.519 --> 00:17:25.599 Do I believe that there's physical and there's spiritual? 00:17:25.759 --> 00:17:28.559 And if so, do they overlap and to what degree? 00:17:29.519 --> 00:17:33.039 And what I will say is a Jesus follower, and guys, we can bring those down now. 00:17:33.279 --> 00:17:37.279 What I can say is a Jesus follower is that, well, I follow Jesus. 00:17:37.519 --> 00:17:38.400 I believe Jesus. 00:17:38.559 --> 00:17:46.799 He is my teacher, he is my leader, and Jesus definitely believed in the spiritual, and he definitely believed that the spiritual and the physical interact. 00:17:48.400 --> 00:17:52.079 And that was true of the God stuff, but that was also true when it came to forces of evil. 00:17:52.160 --> 00:17:56.960 We know this because Jesus interacts with the devil. 00:17:57.279 --> 00:17:59.599 Matthew chapter 4, we went through that when he was tempted. 00:17:59.759 --> 00:18:10.559 We have Jesus having conversations and speaking in an affirming way to the fact that yes, what is at work here is a demonic presence, that there is an evil force that is behind what is happening in someone's life. 00:18:10.720 --> 00:18:15.200 Jesus addresses that, he speaks to it, he doesn't correct it and say that's all a bunch of silliness. 00:18:15.359 --> 00:18:16.160 It's real. 00:18:17.039 --> 00:18:18.000 It's real. 00:18:18.240 --> 00:18:19.839 And we're gonna see that in this story. 00:18:19.920 --> 00:18:21.279 I know that was a lot of setup for that. 00:18:21.359 --> 00:18:28.640 So, with all that said, with all that setup, let's jump back into our story in Matthew chapter 8, verse 29. 00:18:29.119 --> 00:18:42.559 So Jesus has just gotten off the boat on the edge of the Sea of Galilee, and immediately these two demon-possessed men show up and they begin screaming at him, Why are you interfering with us, son of God? 00:18:42.960 --> 00:18:47.039 Have you come here to torture us before God's appointed time? 00:18:47.200 --> 00:18:50.559 Now there happened to be a large herd of pigs feeding in the distance. 00:18:50.720 --> 00:18:55.839 So the demons begged, If you cast us out, send us into that herd of pigs. 00:18:56.160 --> 00:18:57.119 All right, go. 00:18:57.359 --> 00:18:58.720 Jesus commanded them. 00:18:58.960 --> 00:19:03.119 So the demons came out of the man, of the men, rather, and entered the pigs. 00:19:03.279 --> 00:19:08.400 And the whole herd plunged down the steep hillside into the lake and drowned in the water. 00:19:08.640 --> 00:19:12.559 The herdsmen fled to the nearby town, telling everyone what had happened to the demon-possessed men. 00:19:12.720 --> 00:19:17.279 Then the entire town came out to meet Jesus, but they begged him to go away and leave them alone. 00:19:18.400 --> 00:19:20.079 Now let's say this real quick. 00:19:20.160 --> 00:19:22.160 Uh, don't get the wrong takeaway from this story. 00:19:22.240 --> 00:19:23.519 Do not feel bad for the pigs. 00:19:23.680 --> 00:19:25.279 I know some of you are like the poor pigs. 00:19:25.519 --> 00:19:26.240 Anyone have that thought? 00:19:26.400 --> 00:19:27.440 Those poor pigs? 00:19:28.240 --> 00:19:31.839 Raise your hand if you've eaten bacon or sausage at least once in your life. 00:19:32.720 --> 00:19:36.240 You're not allowed to feel bad for the pigs if you've eaten a pig. 00:19:36.319 --> 00:19:37.200 It's just the way it works. 00:19:37.279 --> 00:19:38.960 Okay, so don't focus on that. 00:19:39.200 --> 00:19:45.839 Um, we could have a long conversation about a lot of the meaning there and uh even what pigs were in that culture. 00:19:46.000 --> 00:19:48.240 It'd be a whole different conversation. 00:19:48.480 --> 00:19:50.400 But that's the wrong takeaway. 00:19:50.559 --> 00:19:52.480 Something miraculous has happened. 00:19:52.720 --> 00:19:54.799 Mark's gospel actually gives us a little bit more detail. 00:19:54.960 --> 00:20:02.960 Mark, though, only focuses on one of these two men, who is more than likely the primary, uh most well-known man who is possessed in this area. 00:20:03.119 --> 00:20:05.279 And so we see Mark chapter 5. 00:20:05.519 --> 00:20:07.680 Then Jesus demanded, What is your name? 00:20:07.759 --> 00:20:13.680 And one of these two men replies, My name is Legion, because there are many of us inside this man. 00:20:14.000 --> 00:20:17.599 Then the evil spirits begged him again and again not to send them to some distant place. 00:20:17.759 --> 00:20:20.720 There happened to be a large herd of pigs feeding on the hillside nearby. 00:20:20.880 --> 00:20:21.920 Send us into those pigs. 00:20:22.000 --> 00:20:23.440 The spirit begged, let us enter them. 00:20:23.599 --> 00:20:24.799 So Jesus gave them permission. 00:20:24.960 --> 00:20:27.839 Think about that, he gave them permission, he has authority. 00:20:28.480 --> 00:20:30.319 And they don't question it. 00:20:31.519 --> 00:20:35.440 They beg, they plead, and they obey. 00:20:36.160 --> 00:20:41.279 The evil spirits came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the entire herd of about 2,000 pigs. 00:20:41.519 --> 00:20:48.000 It's a lot of bacon, plunge down the steep hillside into the lake, and drown in the water. 00:20:48.079 --> 00:20:52.960 The herdsmen fled to the nearby town and the surrounding countryside, spreading the news as they ran. 00:20:53.039 --> 00:20:55.200 People rushed out to see what had happened. 00:20:55.359 --> 00:21:00.799 A crowd soon gathered around Jesus, and they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons. 00:21:01.039 --> 00:21:05.119 He was sitting there, fully clothed and perfectly sane. 00:21:05.599 --> 00:21:07.279 And they were all afraid. 00:21:08.079 --> 00:21:15.759 Then those who had seen what had happened told the others about the demon-possessed man and the pigs, and the crowd began pleading with Jesus to go away and leave them alone. 00:21:16.400 --> 00:21:31.519 It's actually really sad that this crowd, this group of people, are more upset about the pigs than they are excited about this person, these two people who were oppressed, who were completely and totally captive to evil, and now they are free. 00:21:32.640 --> 00:21:34.960 They're like, please leave, please go. 00:21:36.079 --> 00:21:37.440 And Jesus obliges. 00:21:46.960 --> 00:21:50.799 Even demons do what he says. 00:21:51.279 --> 00:21:52.559 They're afraid of him. 00:21:53.599 --> 00:21:54.480 They're afraid of him. 00:21:54.720 --> 00:21:59.759 Like I had a buddy of mine call me a few years ago, and he said, Hey man, I'm just going through something really hard, and I'm worried that maybe. 00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:02.240 It's like a there's a demonic thing going on. 00:22:02.480 --> 00:22:05.039 And and I didn't know if that was the case or not. 00:22:05.119 --> 00:22:05.519 I don't know. 00:22:05.599 --> 00:22:07.200 I'm not like an expert in that at all. 00:22:07.359 --> 00:22:08.880 I mean, you know, who is? 00:22:09.039 --> 00:22:10.000 Maybe there are. 00:22:10.319 --> 00:22:13.279 But I was like, well, man, I'm not sure if that's what's going on or not. 00:22:13.440 --> 00:22:21.839 But I'll tell you this: if you're worried about a demon, just remember the story where a few thousand demons freaked out around Jesus. 00:22:22.000 --> 00:22:23.680 That's how much authority he has. 00:22:23.759 --> 00:22:29.119 And if he's your king and you're under his authority, I think that you're going to be okay. 00:22:29.359 --> 00:22:31.359 So just remember that and put your trust in that. 00:22:31.519 --> 00:22:34.480 Jesus has spiritual authority. 00:22:34.880 --> 00:22:43.519 Even the most evil, dark, twisted thing that we could imagine, Jesus has authority over that. 00:22:43.599 --> 00:22:44.480 That's powerful. 00:22:45.759 --> 00:22:51.279 But it becomes even deeper and more applicable in our lives as we keep reading the story. 00:22:51.359 --> 00:22:54.880 So it says in Matthew chapter 9, after the people ask him to leave, Jesus obliges. 00:22:55.039 --> 00:22:56.960 He's not going to force himself on anybody. 00:22:57.200 --> 00:23:01.200 In verse 1, it says, Jesus climbed into the boat and went back across the lake to his own town. 00:23:01.279 --> 00:23:02.559 So we'll pull our map back up. 00:23:02.720 --> 00:23:08.160 Jesus is going to leave the Sea of Galilee where he's at in this area of Ghedara. 00:23:08.319 --> 00:23:12.240 He's going to go back to Capernaum, where he's living at the time. 00:23:12.400 --> 00:23:15.839 What a strange trip this must have been if you're the disciples tagging along. 00:23:15.920 --> 00:23:16.160 Right? 00:23:16.319 --> 00:23:17.839 Jesus preaches this amazing sermon. 00:23:17.920 --> 00:23:20.720 Think about it, just what has happened in the last day. 00:23:20.960 --> 00:23:22.319 Jesus preaches this amazing message. 00:23:22.480 --> 00:23:23.920 Everyone's like, that's the best message I've ever heard. 00:23:24.000 --> 00:23:24.559 He has real authority. 00:23:24.640 --> 00:23:25.599 I've never heard someone talk like that. 00:23:25.680 --> 00:23:26.960 And they're like, that was awesome, Jesus. 00:23:27.039 --> 00:23:27.599 So many people came. 00:23:27.680 --> 00:23:28.799 He's like, hey, let's get in a boat. 00:23:28.960 --> 00:23:31.519 They're like, all right, they get in the boat, halfway across, there's a storm. 00:23:31.680 --> 00:23:33.440 Jesus wakes up, says, Shut up, storm. 00:23:33.599 --> 00:23:34.160 Storm stops. 00:23:34.319 --> 00:23:35.200 They're like, that was weird. 00:23:35.359 --> 00:23:36.079 They get out of the boat. 00:23:36.160 --> 00:23:38.799 Immediately, two demon-possessed people are there freaking out. 00:23:38.880 --> 00:23:40.240 Jesus is like, no, get out. 00:23:40.400 --> 00:23:42.480 Pigs fall off a cliff, drown in the lake. 00:23:42.559 --> 00:23:44.640 They get back in the boat, go right back home. 00:23:45.279 --> 00:23:46.640 Like, just imagine that's your weekend. 00:23:46.720 --> 00:23:48.000 Someone's like, hey, what'd you do this weekend? 00:23:48.240 --> 00:23:48.880 Oh, wow. 00:23:50.559 --> 00:23:53.279 Well, went on a little fishing trip, spent some time on the lake, you know. 00:23:53.440 --> 00:23:54.720 We hung out at the lake this week. 00:23:54.799 --> 00:23:55.759 It was good lake time. 00:23:55.839 --> 00:23:57.519 You know, just a lot of dead pigs and demons. 00:23:57.599 --> 00:23:58.160 It's just normal. 00:23:58.319 --> 00:23:59.759 Normal lake stuff. 00:24:00.079 --> 00:24:00.640 It's crazy. 00:24:01.039 --> 00:24:04.880 Hey, listen, never let anyone convince you that following Jesus is boring. 00:24:04.960 --> 00:24:05.200 Okay? 00:24:05.359 --> 00:24:07.279 You follow Jesus with your life, you will have adventures. 00:24:07.359 --> 00:24:07.920 I will promise you that. 00:24:08.079 --> 00:24:08.480