Old Llantrisant Hill
- There are different approaches to reading
- Luke takes both approaches
- He starts out by straight away telling us where the story is going
- Luke 24:45-49 - Jesus is going to send the out
- Jesus is preparing the disciples for this point
- Jesus sends out the disciples in practice at the start of chapter 9 and 10
- Short term mission is very valuable
- Jesus takes the disciples aside for a day (8:22-40)
- What does Jesus teach them and what can we learn from this?
- Lesson 1: taming of nature
- Lesson 2: healing of the demon possessed man
- Lesson 3: healing of the woman
- Lesson 4: restoring a girl to life
Healing of the demon possessed man
The brokenness and damaged nature of our world
- This man's life is really falling apart
- He has no home, no clothes, no abode
- All that people can do is chain him down, they cannot love or help him
- This is an extreme example of what satan can do in the world
- The ultimate expression of his condition is that he asks Jesus to leave him alone
- He resists the only man in the world who could help him
- We know a sense of brokenness on an individual level
- War, poverty, destruction of the natural world
- Not just a physical issue but a spiritual issue too
- 41% of people in the world are not in a spiritual place of being able to hear about Jesus
The love and power of Jesus
- Jesus was willing to go through the storm to reach this man
- Jesus was not put off by this man's condition
- This man's outcome - he was sitting at Jesus' feet, dressed and in his right mind (8:35)
- Jesus wants the disciples to know that he is more powerful than the situation
- Jesus is still all powerful
- More Christians in the DRC
- About 150 million born again Christians in China
Reflections of the People
- Luke tells us twice that the people were afraid (8:35,37)
- Perhaps this highlight whether a the disciples are comfortable in proceeding?
- The people are afraid of two things:
- Change - being comfortable in the status quo
- Are we prepared to be used in the same way to be used by Jesus as He used the disciples?
- The cost - the 2000 pigs were all lost, perhaps they lost their livelihoods
- Is it really worth the cost?
- Are we prepared whatever the cost to entrust ourselves to Jesus' love and power?
- This is a big challenge
- The man stays behind as a witness for God and Jesus
- Undoubtedly God used this man to help strip away the fear of the people