Jesus Heals a Man with a Demon – Luke 8: 26-39

All right, well, beautiful singing and happy Father's Day to the fathers here. And it's a very important job that you have. And I hope that it's something that you're really striving to do faithfully and to really serve your children well in many ways, but particularly by pointing them to the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Okay, so if you have a Bible with you, if you turn on to the Gospel of Luke, there texture studies will be Luke 8, 26, 39. If not mentioned.

My name is Aaron. I'm the preaching pastor here. And we're really glad that you're with us today. So Luke 8, verses 26 to 39. And if you don't have a Bible with you, that's on the pew Bible, it's on page 500.

There we go, page 505. And if you're visiting. So we do a style of preaching called expository preaching. So I'm going to read us the text and I'm going to pray and then we're going to walk ourselves right back through the text. So if you open your Bible, please keep your Bible open.

Okay, so Luke 8, 2639, please hear the words of our God. That's what Luke wrote. Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite of Galilee. When Jesus had stepped out on land, there met him a man from the city who had demons. For a long time he had worn no clothes and he had not lived in a house but among the tombs.

When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him and said with a loud voice, what have you to do with me, Jesus, son of the most High God, I beg you, do not torment me. For he commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For many a time 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 desert.

Jesus then asked him, what is your name? And he said, legion, for many demons have entered him. And they begged him to not command them to depart into the abyss. Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him to let them enter these. So he gave them permission.

Then the demons came out of the man and entered. The pigs and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned. When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they fled and told the city and the country. Then people went out to see what had happened. And they came to Jesus, found the man from whom the demons had Gone, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed in his right mind.

And they were afraid. And those had seen it told them how the demon possessed the man had been healed. Then all the people of the surrounding country of the garrisons asked him to depart from 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. Declare how much God has done for you. He went away proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him. Okay, so that's God's word for us this morning. Would you please pray with me?

Lord, I pray that you would bless this time. Please help me to be a good communicator of your word. Please help me to not stumble. Please keep me from error. Help me to speak truth.

Lord, please be with the congregation. Please give them ears to hear what you're saying to us through your spirit, through the power of your word. It's in Jesus name we pray. Amen. Okay, so if you've been here at Red Village for some time, you know that we're in the midst of a long sermon series to the Gospel of Luke, which is a series that we hit the brakes on a few weeks back for us to look at a portion of the life of Moses found in the book of Exodus, where we have been looking at Moses life from his birth to the start of his ministry, a ministry of leading God's people out of the bondage of slavery in Egypt to take them on a journey to the promised land.

You should remember that from birth to the start of this ministry actually covered like 80 years of Moses life. Now today as we gather together, we're actually hitting the brakes on that sermon series on Moses, mainly because Ben, who is scheduled to preach today from the end of Exodus 4, which is a kind of a wild passage, got sick at the end of the week, so unable to talk, therefore unable to preach. So we're hitting the brakes on that series of Moses to reengage in the Gospel of Luke, to go back where we left off in our study there before. Lord willing, we will once again hit the brakes on Luke next week to re engage in Exodus. We were planning to be for the next few weeks after that before, yes, we hit the brakes on Exodus, the life of Moses, to reengage the end of summer back in Luke.

That's where we're going today. So because it's been a little bit since we've been in Luke, I thought Today might be a good for us to maybe spend a little bit of time reminding us where we've been in this study, particularly maybe some of the strong information of the Gospel of Luke. So the Gospel of Luke is one of four accounts that have in Scripture of the life, death, resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. So there's Matthew, Mark and John being the other accounts. This account to be referred to as Luke is because it's written by a man named Luke, who we see in other parts of scripture was a doctor as well as a missionary and it seems likely he was a Gentile, which refers to someone who is not Jewish.

Where it seems likely that Luke came to faith through the ministry of the Apostle Paul. Sometime around the details of Acts 16, which you may remember Acts is also written by Luke. So it says part two, Acts is part two of a two volume work. So Gospel of Luke 18. In Acts there are two books of two volumes of this basically same work which we see in beginning of Luke was written first to a man named Theophilus, who Luke addressed in chapter one as like most excellent Theophilus.

Now we don't know anything about this man, but because of his name, Theophilus was most likely a Gentile as well. And because he referred to as most excellent Theophilus seems likely he was a man of importance, of influence, maybe some type of political or military leader. And as Luke wrote to Theophilus, the contents of the book where we can seem to conclude is that Theophilus either was like strongly considering the Christian faith, strongly considering putting his trust in Jesus, or that perhaps maybe he was like brand new to the faith and now Luke is trying to like disciple him in the faith through this book. Furthermore, for the sake of review, as Luke wrote this book or this letter to Theophilus, he did so with the desire to give an orderly account of things that took place concerning the life, the ministry, the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which Luke did by interviewing eyewitnesses, those who were like physically present when the Lord Jesus walked the earth in his incarnation. It seems likely probably would interview other Gospel writers, particularly Matthew and Mark.

It seems likely that Luke also would have interviewed like disciples who were there for the public ministry of Jesus, including our text today. To me it seems likely that Luke even interviewed Jesus's mother Mary, among others, who Luke interviewed who were present during the life of Christ, maybe even the man in our text today who's on the receiving end of incredible life changing work of Jesus. Perhaps Luke like interviewed him to get this story and there's obviously a lot more I could say here, but before we dive back in, just let me remind us where we were when we stopped our study, when we hit the brakes. So if you may remember, this is several weeks back, but we were in chapter eight and we walked through a story where Jesus got into a boat with his disciples and they were set to cross the Sea of Galilee, seemingly headed to where our text tells takes place today. But as you may remember, as he started to cross the sea, a huge storm basically came out of nowhere, a storm while Jesus was actually asleep in the boat.

And at first, disciples tried to like get through the storm on their own strength, their own wisdom, their own experience, their own power. However, in time, they realized there's really nothing they could do to save themselves from the storm. They were helpless, they were hopeless. They needed Jesus to save them, which is really the truth for all of us in every situation that we're in, particularly when it comes to our own sin. We can't save ourselves.

Only Jesus can save Pastors last time the disciples finally realized, accepted their helpless, hopeless state. They turn to Jesus, they woke him up, whereas he got up, calm the storm and saved him simply by the power of His Word, which caused the disciples to marvel at Jesus, to have like great fear and awe as they began to worship him and the power that he alone holds. As mentioned today, we're going to pick up where we left off, where Jesus and disciples are still in the boat, still headed to the other side of the lake, where once again our text today we can see the power of Jesus Christ on display. Power that once again will cause others to marvel at him and worship him, which I hope is true for all of us here this morning. Okay, so if that was an intro, please look back with me at the text starting in verse 26.

And so he's going to walk right back through. So we see that after Jesus calmed the storm, so he and his disciples were still in the boat, setting sail for the country of the Gerasenes, which is the opposite side of the Sea of Galilee. As mentioned, this seemed to be like the intended destination when they got in the boat. In the previous text, our passage today, as the ship landed on the shore, we see that Jesus got up out of the boat and Luke tells us that he stepped out of the boat onto the land, which for us, at least for me, you know, Luke including this detail of Jesus, like getting out of the boat and as it hit shore, stepping on the land, to me this almost feels like, almost like an unnecessary Detail for Luke to include, of course, Jesus did that. That's what you do when the boat comes ashore.

You get up and you walk on on land. But for me, I actually think the more I thought about it, I think this is actually kind of important detail, important enough for Luke to write. Write it down here for us to read. And the reason being is this country on the other side of the leak of Lake of Galilee, the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus landed. So this was Gentile land, a place where no culturally respectable Jew would ever like intentionally go.

So I think Jesus like actively getting out of the boat into Gentile land. This is actually significant. This, this is a detail that Luke wants us to see. I think it's important for maybe a couple related reasons. So as mentioned at the start, so Luke was a Gentile.

Theophilus, who this book was written to, most likely was a Gentile. In our text today and really throughout the Gospel of columns, we see Jesus continuing to minister to Gentiles. Now for us, this might not seem like a big deal, but we need to remind ourselves the incredible tension behind between Jews and Gentiles in this time period. So this is significant. This is Jesus showing that he's calling Jews and Gentiles to himself.

This is part of the reason of the plan of why Christ came from heaven to save Jews and Gentiles. May remember way back in the early parts of our study of Luke Luke 2, on the first Christmas, the angels let the shepherds who were out watching their flock by night know that Christ was born. Remember how they sang the heavenly chorus like glory to God in the highest and on earth, like all people on earth, peace among whom he is well pleased. Then a few days after his birth, you may remember as Jesus presented at the temple, there was righteous Simeon met the Christ child and then he declared this. For my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.

So again, this here Jesus getting out of the boat, actively getting out of the boat in Gentile land. This is important. This is Jesus showing how he is actively fulfilling the Scriptures so that Jew Gentile, all nations of the earth would be blessed through him. So all nations would taste of his salvation, which is something promised in the Old Testament scripture. Promise that is even present during the life of Moses.

Second, Jesus doing this, getting out of the boat to fill the scripture kind of mentioned this kind of passing. But this is, this is intentional by Jesus. This is part of his plan he was intentionally seek them out. Meaning this wasn't a Gentile who just so happened to be around Jesus, who just so happen to be hearing Jesus proclaim about the kingdom of God, and so he just so happened to come by faith? No.

So again, this is Jesus intentionally with thought, with plan, going to the Gentiles to proclaim his kingdom, intentionally sailing to Gentile land, intentionally getting on a boat, intentionally walking out on the land to go and minister now for us with application. This is important for us to see Jesus do here one to remind us this is actually how it always works. Jesus is the one who actually intentionally comes to us like we do not go and seek after Him. He is the one who in his grace and his kindness seeks after us. And that was that.

If we're going to be Christ, like this is something we too must do, right? We must be intentional to make plans to intentionally go to others, to minister to others, to tell others about Jesus and His saving power, even if those others might be not respectable for us to minister to. If you're kind of wondering maybe a very practical way to apply this, it's actually kind of the hope that we have for like these summer socials that we're trying to get going here, where all of us are intentionally making plans to go to others, to bring others into our lives with hopes that we can love on others with the love of Jesus Christ. Back to the text, keep going. As Jesus gets out of the boat, we see that there is a strange, odd welcoming for him.

With odd actually being a theme that we're going to circle on the rest of the passage where we see in the text that there's a man from the city who had demons there to meet our Lord. Now we don't know how the man got the demons. So in scripture it appears that for some they're under the power of demons because like of sin, where they like open up doors for the demonic to enter in. But also maybe appears that sometimes some are under the power of demons because of like situations that they're in, perhaps because they were born in some type of occult type practices in the area. Although I will say if one is a Christian, while a demonic can have like influence over us in ways that they can deceive us, demons have like no power in terms of some type of like possession.

Like the man in the text had he was possessed by demons, says if you are a Christian, you have the spirit of Christ living inside and his power is the only power of possession over you where you are sealed to Be his. So we don't know how the man got the demons, but at the start of the story, we do know that he was not someone who is trusting in Christ. And I think from our vantage point, seem really unlikely ever to do so. This man was seemingly way too far gone to ever come to faith in Jesus Christ. Well, keep going to the text.

Because of demonic activity in this man's life, this man is clearly being tortured by. By the demons. And he was not in his right state of mind. So we read in the text that for a long time he was, like, removed from society where he, like, walked around having, like, no clothes, like, literally running around, like, naked. Where Mark's gospel tells us that this man was like, like cutting himself, crying out in constant pain.

We're seeing our text in Luke that he was homeless. He was simply living among the tombs. Not for everyone, us, not everyone we meet who's not in the right minds. Not because they're being like, tortured or possessed by a demon. But I also think we should not be, like, quick to eliminate a possibility of that which actually circle back to that at the end, verse 28, even though this man was not in his right mind, this man still had enough of his mind that when he saw Jesus step out on the land, he recognized him and he cried out to him, falling at the feet of Jesus.

Not for us already. This story is, like, a little odd to us, you know, this odd welcoming that Jesus received from this man. Well, buckle up, it's going to get more odd. Middle of the verse, we see what the man said to Jesus, which he said with a loud voice, what do you have to do with me, Jesus, son of the Most High God, I beg you, do not torment me now. Why?

This is odd, at least to me. I mean, it's not necessarily. It's odd because this man is wondering if Jesus came to torment him in ways like maybe the demons were also tormenting him. Rather, it's odd to me, it appears the reason why the man was able to recognize Jesus as the son of the Most High God was because of the demons. And while it's hard to know who is actually speaking here, there's some debate within church history.

To me, I actually think the demons are speaking through this man to Jesus. As the demons are worried Jesus came to torment them. This is pretty odd. Verse 29 we read. For he, Jesus, had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man.

For many times, the demon, or better said, demons, had seized the man. As the demons tortured and tormented this man as he ran naked, living among the tombs. The text, as this man was being possessed by the demons, like he was doing really odd things. So we see in the text that others would like capture him and they place him under guard, presuming to protect him maybe for himself, but more likely to protect him from, from others. And as they captured him, our text tells us they would like bind him with chains and shackles.

But seemingly through some type of like demonic power and strength, the man were able to like break the bonds. The text tells he would like then flee, driven by the demon into the desert, which for this man this had to be just an awful, awful life to live. There's a reason why he spent his life like crying out, in pain, in torment, awful. Let me also mention here, just, let's just consider what this man would have been like for those who are around him, who lived around him in the region. I mean, they had to be like terrified of this individual.

I mean, they would go great lengths to avoid him for many, many reasons. If no respectable Jew would talk to a Gentile, no respectable person would dare engage with this man.

Yet that is what the Lord Jesus is doing here in the text. Verse 30. After demons spoke to Jesus or the man, we see Jesus respond back by asking, demons, what's your name? Only for the demon to respond back as they said, Legion. The word legion, this is a military term of the day to describe the military unit of like 6,000 men.

For some they interpret this name Legion like Exactly to mean 6,000 demons were present tormenting this man, which is possible interpret that way. But most think this is actually a name. Maybe it's more symbolic to communicate just a vast number, a large number of demons were present and most things how the verse ends, for many demons had entered or injured him. Now for us, whether that's an exact number, it's more of symbolic number. The main point is this was an incredibly tormented man with many powerful demons who had possessed his life.

However, as powerful as the many demons were, as Legion was in the text, even they understood what they were up against when it came to Jesus Christ, the son of the Most High God. As they were confronted by the power of Jesus in the text, Legion understood they were no match. And so we see them begin to like, plead with the Lord Jesus, which even that feels a little odd to me. Demons pleading, although as we keep going, it does make sense why they would plead and beg with Jesus as they begged him to not command him to depart into the abyss, which here the abyss seems a Reference to, like, a place of death, justice and judgment that Satan and all of his demons would be forever banished to when the Lord returns to judge the living and the dead. So while it does feel odd that demons are begging Jesus, it does make sense.

Even demons have fear of the judgment of God to fall upon them. Which, by the way, on this side, if you're not a Christian, say this humbly, you should fear as well. I want to say this with my own pleading to you to turn to Jesus Christ, the one who saves us from judgment. Verse 32. As the demons pleaded with the Lord Jesus, we see that there's a large herd of pigs nearby, feeding on the hillside.

And this detail here of the pigs, this underscores that this was a gentile land. In the Old Testament dietary law, the Jewish people were forbidden to eat pork. So this is a very gentile setting of this text. We see the text that the demons pointed out. The large herd of pigs began to beg Jesus that rather than sending them into the abyss of judgment and justice, they begged that they could enter into the pigs instead.

To which Jesus actually gives them permission to do. Now, why did Jesus give them permission? Was this like an act of, like, grace and mercy on demons? I don't think so. I actually think this is an act of grace and mercy, not only on the man who's being tortured by the demons, but even like the Gentile herdsmen who are on the scene and others who are about to hear about this powerful work of Jesus.

Get to that more in just a bit. But back to demons. Jesus gave them permission to enter. The pigs the demons came out of. The man entered into the pigs, causing the herd to, like, rush down the steep bank into the lake where they were drowned.

Which there's some irony here if you see where the lake is basically an abyss, and scripture often waters a picture of judgment. So while perhaps the demons are spared that day from the final abyss, they still ended up in judgment. Now, that's all this was happening. If you take your eyes to verse 34, the herdsmen, they're still there, and they're watching this incredible, odd scene take place. And if this story feels odd to you and me, imagine being there, being them.

What started out just like a very normal day, minding their own business, simply watching the herd of pigs. And now all this in the passage. As the herdmen saw this odd scene play out, they did the thing that I think we all would do. They got out of Dodge as quickly as they could. They fled the scene.

I'm sure Running as fast as they could. However, they fled. The scene we see did not flee in silence. Rather they fled, doing so in ways that they're telling everyone in the city, throughout the country, of all the odd things that have just taken place. Just guessing.

For those who heard this from the herdsmen, I'm sure they felt the herdsmen had lost their minds. Clearly they were delusional. Just a little bit too much time around the hogs, too far isolated from others. However, if that was the case, there was enough that the herdsmen said that piqued the interest of the people. As they heard the report, curiosity still kind of grabbed them, maybe in ways like the old freak shows at the circus when you draw like huge crowds.

35. After hearing all these odd things, the people decide what they need to do. Let's go see what happened. So they leave and they arrive on the scene. And as they arrive, they find Jesus with the man, this man with the many demons who I'm sure they all knew was mentioned before, all would avoid at all cost.

But now they see this man with Jesus very different than they had before. Now he's sitting at the feet of Jesus, all the demons are gone, he's clothed and amazingly he's now in his right mind a complete radical life change. Which I did wonder for the people at the scene if perhaps this is like the oddest thing of all to see this one who is so far gone now there in his right mind with Jesus because of the power of Jesus. As people saw this, the text tells us they became afraid. Now for me, all the things took place.

A demon, talking demons rushing into a herd of pigs who's proceeded to rush down into the lake to drown. Like this life changing reality that Jesus gave this man, this is what grips their hearts with fear, this and their hearts were gripped with fear, I'm sure being wondering, like what happened? How did this come to be? So verse 36, they went to those who were there who saw all this take place. They asked them again, like, okay, say it again like, how did all these events take place?

Yeah, yeah, sure, we can do that. So we know every good story starts out with the word. So there we were, right? So there we're just normal day hanging out with the pigs by the cliff. They're just eating like they always do.

We're sitting there, we see the boat land ashore. We see this one get out of the boat, one named Jesus particularly, grabs our eye. And from there all this happened. And this is why you see like the dead pigs floating in the lake. And this is why the demon possessed man is now healed in his right mind.

It's all because of Jesus, this man who the demons declared to be the son of the Most High God. And as the people heard all this, they became even more afraid of Jesus and the power and the authority that he has, even over demons, the power and authority that Jesus has to change someone's life. So rather than falling down in worship of Jesus, verse 36 or 37, take your eyes there, all the people from all over the surrounding country of the garrisons came together and with one voice they asked Jesus to depart from them as they were seized by fear of him.

This story here, this odd story, this is actually really sad here, maybe even this feels just odd. I mean, here's this group. They heard these incredible things about Jesus Christ. They just saw all that Jesus did for this man changed him. As mentioned, I think even like the drowning pigs was an act of grace for these people, as God in his power is like taking things from them in ways that should have led them to see how in Jesus they would have all that they need.

However, rather than responding by faith to Jesus, by coming to him to sit at his feet like this man was sadly, oddly, they rejected him. They pushed Jesus out of their presence, giving Jesus like even out of the surrounding country, just get away, get out of here. Which by the way, is also a warning for those who may be here, have yet to come to Christ. This is part of my plea to you. As you hear about the Lord Jesus, you hear about all the things he has done, particularly in his death and resurrection.

As you see the testimony of others who have had their lives changed by Jesus Christ. And maybe even you're wondering, like, why are all these things being taken from me? See these things as a grace in your life. Do not follow the example of the people in the text and push Jesus away. Rather follow the example of the man, the once demon possessed man, and come to Jesus, trust in Jesus, cling to Jesus, worship Jesus.

The end of verse 37, as the people rejected the Lord, we see it, in short, Jesus, like dust off his feet, gets back in the boat, sets sail across the lake to return back to where he started at the beginning of chapter 8. However, in verse 38, as the Lord is making his way off of dry land back onto the boat, we see this once demon possessed man pursue the Lord in ways. He started to beg and plead with Jesus, but this time a very different begging and pleading from what the demons had earlier in the text as they begged Jesus to allow them to flee from his presence here. This man who had his life changed, begged and pleaded that Jesus would not leave his presence, they say, begging that he get in the boat with Lord. However, in the text, even though the man begged and pleaded, prayed to Jesus that he could come with him, we see in the passage that Jesus actually had different plans for this man, plans to use him in really great sweet ways.

So Jesus, we see, sent the man away, saying to him, in verse 39 of the passage which ends our text, man, I'm telling you, return home. Yeah, that very home that you've been away from a very long time. And now I want you to return home in your right mind and declare to everyone there how much God has done for you. Tell them about me.

Tell them how I change your life.

Be my witness.

Which at the start of the story, this would have felt so odd. This naked, homeless demon possessed man who everyone was afraid of, who everyone would avoid, who was a menace to society, would be changed so much by Jesus Christ. In short order, he basically become like a missionary or an evangelist who would be used by the Lord to declare his glory to others.

Some of you may remember last spring we had a short little sermon series titled Unlikely Evangelist that we see in the Bible. This man, he certainly was that as the Lord commissioned him to be his witness. Which ends our passage with him going away, joyful obedience to the call of the Lord, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus has done for him, for us. That's where we're going to end this odd story this morning. But before we close, I just want to give us just maybe a few things just to ponder today and this week from this text.

So first, in light of this passage, friends, it actually would be odd to not recognize the reality of spiritual warfare and the demonic in this present life. Now, this does not mean that we blame everything negative that happens, like, on the demons or is like, because of the devil. We're almost like there's a demon hiding under every rock ready to attack us. But scripture is also clear that there's a spiritual war at hand. There are demons on the attack.

And the reality is that until we come to Christ, we actually are following after the prince. The power of the air, the spirit is now at work on the sons of disobedience.

So it would be odd for us to deny the reality of the spiritual warfare. So in Luke's Gospel, there are actually multiple passages, some we've already gone through on the demonic. So not just this one, multiple passages So I keep saying it's odd for us if we don't recognize spiritual warfare, spiritual warfare that is at hand. This is why the scriptures, New Testament book Ephesians tells us we're to be diligent, to put on the armor of God. That's why we're to be mindful, like sober mindful or sober minded, so we don't fall into, like, spiritual traps.

Spiritual traps often, like, divide us or to like, sinfully question and doubt God and His goodness in our life. We're to seek to build each other up in love. We're to be intentional, to hide God's Word in our hearts. This is how we fight spiritual war. By the way, the best way to do it is honestly just to be here every Sunday at church, actively engaging with God and His Word and with others in the church family.

I actually think a lot of spiritual warfare that's there is trying to keep us, or at least keep us away or at least unengaged, like on Sunday mornings. Let me also mention before I move on on this note of spiritual warfare and the reality of demons. So if you're looking for a good book to read this summer, I just recommend to you the screwtape letters by C.S. Lewis. So it's a fictional book, but I think it's actually really helpful just to consider the spiritual war at hand.

That's the first thing. Second, the work of Jesus in His text should feel odd. Not odd in terms of like, almost like grotesque in how the Lord is at work, but odd at just how different Jesus is from us. We're in the text, we see how different, odd he, his power is than ours. It's so far greater than we could ever imagine that here a legion of demons is terrified before the Lord Jesus Christ, his power, his authority over them.

This is an odd power. This is not a power like we have. So much different. Likewise, it's not just his power that's odd, different from us, but so is his compassion and his mercy and his love, which are also hard for us to comprehend. So far different, odd from us.

By the way, for me, this actually sticks out the most to me from this passage. Just the compassion, the mercy, the love that Jesus had toward this man, this man that everyone else wanted to avoid, this menace to society who seemed too far gone. Yet Jesus got in a boat, traveled across the shore to come to him with his overwhelming compassion, mercy, love. According to his intentional plan, Jesus came to save him, friends, in the most glorious ways. His compassion, the mercy, the love of Jesus.

It's Just odd to us. Odd that Jesus would do this for a sinner. Which, by the way, was even more gloriously odd concerning Jesus Christ and the depths by which he would go to save sinners. It's not simply that he's like, willing to cross the lake, but in time, Jesus was actually nailed to a cross. We're in his great compassion and love and mercy, where he would take on the punishment of our sin, the judgment of God in our place.

We're in his incredible love. He died for us, to call us to Himself, who were at enmity with him only for his great power to bring him back from the dead on the third day. So, yes, keep saying it. Odd story, no doubt. Odd on so many fronts, but that's kind of the point.

The oddness reminds us that Jesus is so gloriously different from us, which is why we have to be like the man in the text and worship him and long to be in the presence of Jesus Christ, which actually I invite you and plead with you to do again, even right now, to pour out your life in the worship of him, to make Jesus the greatest desire, the greatest treasure of your life, where you long to be in his presence. Which, by the way, when we're truly in our right mind, this is always where our desire will be. Last thing third. So if you're here and you have faith in Jesus, it would be odd to keep silent about him and the work that he has done in your life. And yes, as we tell others about Jesus, some will think we're odd for doing so, for believing in Him.

Like Eden, like Jesus in the text, they could reject us, push us away because of our witness. But church, Red Village for the sake of Jesus, for the good of others, let's be odd. Let's be like this man, and let us tell others what Jesus has done for us, how in his grace and in his power, he came to save us.

So by intentionally going to them, we go with the hope that they will have their life changed by the Lord Jesus as well, saved by Him. So for us, yesterday we hit the brakes in Exodus to get back to Luke. But if we once again hit the brakes on Luke, Lord willing next week to get back to Exodus. But church, may we never hit hit the brakes when it comes to the worship of Jesus Christ. May we never hit the brakes in our longing to be with him in his presence.

And may we never hit the brakes when it comes to our witness about him and what he has done in our life. Rather, may we always be intentional with these things. All of our days. Let's pray.

Lord, thank you that you are so far different than us.

And Lord, by the power of your spirit, I do pray that you would capture our hearts afresh this morning in the worship of you.

Lord, please stoke our affections for you.

Help us to long to be with you in your presence found in your word.

And Lord, please help us to be faithful, to testify to all those around of the work that you have done for us, not only on the cross and in the resurrection, but also the work that you've done in our own lives.

Or may we be faithful witnesses and may you use our witness to change the lives of many.

Pray so. In Jesus name, amen.