Discipleship Lab: Lessons from a field trip Luke 8:22-39

Transcription

1 Discipleship Lab: Lessons from a field trip Luke 8:22-39 Introduction: Training people to function independently with a high level of excellence takes much time and various teaching methods. There is a level of book learning that takes place, where theory and macro understanding take place, but there also must be a hands on section where theory is put into practice. I remember when my dad taught me to drive a manual transmission for the first time. He was going to teach in a very hands on manor, by getting me behind the wheel and going. There were a few problems with this class: 1) There was precious little instruction (I believe it was let s go ) 2) We started in the morning on our busy street headed to school (which was a minute drive through Oakland). 3) He got in with a filled to the brim cup of freshly brewed coffee. As you can imagine, this first ride was full of tension, convulsion, and spilled coffee. However, it did not take long to become proficient in the mechanics of driving stick shift, despite the auspicious start. Practically working out the knowledge that we have been given is essential to any training. This is exactly what we learn from Jesus in His training of the disciples. Jesus would sit and teach (as we saw with the sermon on the mount). He would teach as they travelled from place to place. He would teach by taking them places, experiencing different things, and interacting in different settings. The disciples were the ones who were going to carry on and implement the message when Jesus was gone, and He knew that was only a year away. Jesus also knew that the conflict they would face was only going to grow stronger, so intensive training was imperative. We will see in two distinct instances how Jesus taught the disciples ways they needed to trust Jesus, exposing their lack in this area, and strengthening their conviction. Our hope this morning is that we see the areas that we lack trust, acknowledge them, and grow in our conviction of following Him. Lessons from a boat ride Luke 8:22-25 One day he got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, "Let us go across to the other side of the lake." So they set out, 23 and as they sailed he fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger. 24 And they went and woke him, saying, "Master, Master, we are perishing!" And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm. 25 He said to them, "Where is your faith?" And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, "Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?" On the same long day that Jesus taught the crowds in parables, Jesus got in a boat with his disciples and put out into the Sea of Galilee. We know this took place at night (Mark 4:35), that Jesus was exhausted (as anyone who teaches can attest), and that all his disciples were with Him. The destination was the other side of the Lake, which meant miles across (the Sea is 13 miles wide and 7 miles long). Jesus fell asleep in the back of the boat, and as He did, a massive storm arose. Now, the Sea of Galilee is a fresh water lake, yet it can have monstrous storms. These form quickly while cooler air from higher surrounding elevations collide with warmer air on the lake surface. As air is rushed through the ravines and canyons around, it is compressed, causing the wind to pick up gale force speed. Mixed with winds from the Eastern desert down a plateau region called the Golan Heights, and one has a recipe for a deadly storm. 1 This storm was unlike any even the seasoned fisherman had seen, 1 In 1992 a storm was reported to generate waves 10 feet high that crashed into the city of Tiberias on the Western shore, creating sizable damage. 1

2 and it caused all those on board to run to Jesus and cry out to Him as they realized they were taking on water and the end could be imminent. Dealing with issues of fear & faith One gets a sense from the text that Jesus woke up calmly but abruptly, took stock in the situation, and rebuked the wind and waves. The amazing part of the miracle was not simply that it eventually stopped and settled down, but that it all immediately stopped and was completely calm. If He had stopped the wind, it would have taken at least some time for an object in motion to stop its motion. Jesus defied the Laws of nature and physics, and a scene of desperation quickly became hopefully but uncomfortably calm. Jesus response to the disciples was one of frustration. He asked them why they were acting cowardly/timidly (Mark 4:40; Matt. 8:26) and more importantly, why they lacked faith. It should not have been for lack of information since they had just witnessed Jesus healing the sick and raising the dead. The issue of fear and faith was one they were going to have to learn if they were going to be effective witnesses to be sent out by Him (as He was going to do soon in Luke 9:1-6). To be a true disciple involves risk, and where fear and timidity reside, risk is eliminated, comfort is sought, and mission dies. One of the greatest examples of living without fear is found in the life of Thomas Jackson, aka Stonewall Jackson, a general in the Confederate army during the Civil War. When asked about the great bravery and stalwart posture Jackson maintained on the battlefield as he led his men against heavy odds, Jackson replied: Captain, my religious belief teaches me to feel as safe in battle as in bed. God has fixed the time for my death. I do not concern myself about that, but to be always ready, no matter when it may overtake me. Captain, that is the way all men should live, and then all would be equally brave. Stonewall Jackson Jackson s fearlessness led him to courageous action and bravery beyond the norm. Jesus was trying to teach His disciples this same lesson, and there were obvious parts in them that were still riddled with fear, which lead to timidity. The questions we must ask ourselves: What are you afraid of? What are you unwilling to risk? What holds you back from engaging the full mission of Christ? Gripping the authority Jesus possessed The second lesson that needed to be learned, or in this case, re-learned, was the fact that Jesus had authority over nature itself. If you ve ever experienced the shear awesomeness of nature, whether its winds, rain, waves, blizzard, or another element, you are aware very quickly that we are no match for the power nature possesses. Yet Jesus took the most powerful storm and reduced it to utter calm. Winds and waves did His bidding, and even natural laws of motion were no match for the power of His rebuke. This was not the first time the disciples learned this lesson, and it wouldn t be the last. They needed a constant reminder that all authority was given to Jesus, and that He had power to rule all of nature, since it was He who created it (Col. 1:15-18). This is one of those lessons that you hear once, understand it, but don't fully comprehend it until its drilled deep into our heads. 2

3 This happens with us, doesn't it? Think about what you know to be true of Christ's authority over life, death, illness, finances, and the future. We know His promises, have often seen Him deliver on them, but still question or doubt it moving forward. How many times have we worried financially when God is in total control? How many times have we been afraid of the future when we know God already has it planned. We, like the disciples, need to hear and experience this lesson over and over until it begins to stick in our minds and hearts. Growing in personal conviction This lead to the final lesson Jesus taught on this boat ride. There were several disciples who experienced a miracle in their presence at their calling (see Luke 5:1-11), where they saw a catch of fish that almost capsized their boat. For these, they should have remembered Jesus' faithfulness and power. But for most, this was the first time they experienced Jesus' miracles in their own lives. In other words, they had seen Jesus do miracles, but it had not invaded their life. They had seen people healed, but they themselves had not been. This was the first time that a miracle was done TO them, and it happened to be a life and death scenario. This creates an interesting principle of training in discipleship. Truth is truth, whether we believe it or experience it. However, the way we truly grow in conviction is when we experience the power of God firsthand. That's what separates a disciple (a learner and follower) from someone who simply teaches about the Bible. Someone can know the claims, facts, and history of what went on, but do so as an observer rather than a participant. This is why we each have a testimony of how God brought us to a point of repentance, because only He could bring that about. This is why we glory with joy in trials and suffering, because we build up conviction that God is using all of these things for our good, His glory, to the magnification of His name. Notice God wasn't building conviction in the disciples in something easy, comfortable, and without risk. He put them in position where the ONLY CHOICE THEY HAD WAS TO TRUST HIM. After they experienced something like that, would you believe they would be more or less prone to trust Him the next time, and willing to stretch the lengths of risk and discomfort they might have done before? There is a big difference between giving token platitudes to the truth of Scripture, the power of Jesus, and our trust in Him and being absolutely convinced that we can bank our whole life on it. Being a disciple is moving from token belief (I think I believe it) to deep conviction (I'm willing to risk my life for it). What side of the boat ride are you on? Lessons from a cross-cultural trip: Luke 8:26-33 Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. 27 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. 28 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." 29 For he had 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.) 30 Jesus then asked him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Legion," for many demons had entered him. 31 And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss. 32 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. 33 Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned. 3

4 After this, the field trip was not over. They travelled to the "other side" of the lake into Gentile, or non- Jewish, territory where they encountered a man (Matthew records two men - Matt. 8:28 - but Mark and Luke focus on only one) who was clearly demonically possessed. This is an ultimate cross-cultural experience, putting the disciples far out of their comfort zones. These were mainly men from small towns, devout Jews, who were now placed in the presence of a crazy demon-possessed man, surrounded by pigs, in Gentile territory. Sometimes we need to be stretched outside of our normal environments to remember that there are other people, cultures, and issues that need to be reached. We so easily can think that our experiences are normative for everyone, instead of seeing the true diversity of the nations. So Jesus takes them here and teaches them lessons of what they were facing, up against, and that they were not to be afraid. Seeing the destruction of yielding to demons The demonic host is real, active, and relentless. Satan has been given an amount of delegated authority on this earth (Eph. 2:1-3), has many workers at his disposal, schemes to find ways to deceive believers (Eph. 6:11), blinds eyes (2 Cor. 4:4) and prowls around looking for people to devour (1 Pet. 5:8) by his lying nature (John 8:45). We know that believers can resist him (5:9) because we are in a position with Christ, seated at His right hand (Eph. 2:6) as Christ has put all things, even demonic host, under His feet (Eph. 1:18-21) Satan's activity is based on a lie, and he is always looking to deceive people into thinking he is more powerful than he really is (see: Adam and Eve). Though he cannot POSESSS a believer who is already indwelt by the Holy Spirit, when unbelievers give more and more influence to him (through demonic gateways like witchcraft, drugs, or even seemingly innocuous activities like role playing games), he gains more and more control over the mind of that person. He can affect believers physically, has control over parts of nature, and can lie to us that he has the ultimate say (as see in the life of Job). This man that Jesus encountered was fully given over to the control of Satan, and was completely under the influence of many (possibly thousands based on the name "Legion", which was a military term for up to 6000 soldiers). This man no longer functioned like a man under control or with all of his mental faculties. He was naked, was more comfortable living among the dead as opposed to the living, self-mutilated with stones, and even chains could not hold him. He was every horror movie rolled up into one scary dude. You could understand that people cowered at his presence and fear gripped the town he was from. The disciples saw firsthand the destructive power of the lies of Satan. Often the biggest lie we believe about him is that he doesn't exist, or that he is not active, or that he is not around us. Satan controls the flow of life in our culture, the things people watch, the way people are educated, and the is always looking for ways to discredit the truth (like having "experts" inform us what is really going on). Satan's lies grip our kids as they believe God is not real, did not create, that life is about our pleasure alone, that life does not start in the womb, that sex is for pleasure only, that I can control my own life, that drugs will make me happy, that committing to a life of pursuing wealth, power, pleasure, sex, drugs, and alcohol make us free, rather than lead us into bondage. The disciples, like us, needed to be sobered by the reality of the activity of Satan and his host of workers to know what they were up against. Gripping the power of Jesus over the demonic realm Though Satan is powerful, he is clearly no match for the authority of Jesus. When the man saw Jesus, the demons controlling him recognized Him right away, fell down at His feet, and begged Him not to 4

5 send them to the abyss. 2 They were in complete submission to Jesus, and demonstrated this by their words and actions. They could only bargain with Jesus to be released into the pigs, but were absolutely dependant on His answer. Jesus literally had to "give them permission" to go into the pigs for them to actually do it. We, like the disciples, have to remember the length of Satan's power. When we experience the overt lies (like most of the world that is aware of the spirit realm) or subtle lies (you will be happier if you sleep with a co-worker since your wife doesn't make you happy anymore), the truth is the ultimate antidote to his ploy. We remember who we are positionally in Christ, that we are under His authority, not Satan's. We also cut through the subtle lies by girding ourselves up in the truth, and remember that God gives us commands for our joy, not our misery (John 15:10-17). Abiding in Christ and obeying Him gives us ultimate joy, pleasure, and the happiness we are looking for. Learning the requirements of mission status Luke 8:34-39 When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country. 35 Then people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. 36 And those who had seen it told them how the demon-possessed man had been healed. 37 Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. 38 The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 "Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you." And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him. The miracle Jesus performs is tremendous. A man who was visibly and audibly overtaken with demons was immediately put into a position where he was now clothed and in his right mind. The transformation was complete, radical, and shocking. It is not clear how long this man had been like this, but you could imagine that he had been battling this life for years and was finally free from the bondage. If anyone has battled addiction you know what its like to be out of control, and hopefully what its like to gain it back. This man was give freedom for the first time in a long time, and it makes sense that he found himself at Jesus' feet, begging Jesus to go with Him (Luke 8:38). But Jesus had something greater for this man than following Him. Jesus sent this man out to be a missionary, a proclaimer, one who declared to others what had been done to him. Notice how amazing this is! He was not trained, he had JUST came to his senses (let alone finally putting some clothes on), and Jesus said he was ready to tell other people what had happened. No training, no schooling, no classes, simply giving to other people what was given to him was what qualified him. What holds us back from telling other people about what Jesus has done for us? No, think about it, what holds us back? Is it our reputation? Is it our perceived lack of knowledge? Do we not think it will work? I often hear these types of reasons given for lack of sharing the good news, and Jesus slams the door on the excuses. This man was qualified to share because he was gifted a story to be shared. What's holding you back? 2 Though aware of their final fate, which is punishment in the Lake of Fire (Matt. 25:41; Rev. 20:10), they also did not want to be punished "before their time" (Matt. 8:29). They abyss (Rev. 9:1-2) is a place that exists right now for certain demons who are imprisoned because of acts done in Gen. 6:1-4; cf. Jude 6, and while some are permanently bound (2 Pet. 2:4) others will be released for a brief time in the Tribulation (Rev. 9:1-11) 5

6 Growing in understanding the responses of people Finally, we notice the people's response to what happened. The townspeople were given the account by the herdsman, and they were filled with fear and asked Jesus to leave. The people were knew this man and knew what it would take to counteract his possession. They were told about how 2000 pigs were killed when the demons rushed out of the man into them. They were told about how the demons pleaded with Jesus not to send them to the abyss, and had to get permission from Jesus for what they did next. Instead of being filled with awe and delight, their fear ruled and they wanted Jesus to go. Instead of delighting that this man that they knew was now ok, they focused not on this great salvific moment and instead focused on themselves. If the disciples needed to see first hand what the hard soil, or the hard heart, looked like, they got a front row seat. Every time God saves, its miraculous, since moving people from a heart of stone to a heart of flesh is only something He can do. However, people are not always drawn to that kind of life change like we would hope. Sometimes people doubt if its real. Sometimes they are afraid the past will happen again in future. Sometimes they don't want to see forgiveness, mercy, and grace happen because they think a person doesn't deserve it. Whatever the fear, the disciples needed to see that peoples responses to the gospel, and even to transformed life, does not equal a positive response. Well, the story ends beautifully, with this man going back to his family, his town, and his life describing the great things God had done. In Mark's account, it ends with "and everyone marveled". The question this morning is: do you have a story to tell, and if so, are you sharing it? Are you convinced that these things are true, to the point you are willing to risk for the sake of following Jesus? Concluding thoughts and questions: What are areas in your life where you lack faith and act in fear? What kind of risks do you avoid? What areas are hard to trust God completely in? How do you view trials as training? What would be different in your perspective and attitude if you did? If God is growing conviction in you by giving you hard circumstances to trust Him, how do you then approach those circumstances? What should be our response to the knowledge of our enemy and the schemes of Satan (see Eph. 6:10-18)? What are lies we tend to believe? What keeps us from having the passion of this former demoniac to declare our story to others? What are excuses we make? What are true motivations? 6