Episodes
Sunday Jul 23, 2023
And They Asked Jesus to Leave
Sunday Jul 23, 2023
Sunday Jul 23, 2023
And They Asked Jesus to Leave
MESSAGE SUMMARY:
From the Gospel of Luke (8:26-39): And They Asked Jesus to Leave
Introduction -- Compassion Unpacked: God wants to have a heart-to-heart talk with us. Therefore, if there is anything in our lives blocking this talk with God, we must remove it – we need to open ourselves to what God will do for us if we will just let go of our life impediments. We must pray for God’s guidance that He keeps us from becoming judgmental, self-righteous, self-centered Christians like the Pharisees in Luke 7:36-50.
Today’s Message -- And They Asked Jesus to Leave: When Jesus stepped ashore after a storm-tossed sail across the Sea of Galilee, Luke 8:26-39 tells us that Jesus was met by a demon-possessed man. True Christians cannot be demon-possessed; the Holy Spirit indwells and possesses Christians. For non-believers, their spirit is void and open to passion by demons. However, Christians can be oppressed by demons.
In Luke 8:32-33, Luke tells us that the demons called Jesus by name and asked that they not be removed from the demon-posed man and be sent to the “abyss”. Therefore, Jesus removed the demons from the man and transferred the demons into a large herd of pigs: “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 entered the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.". Subsequently, the people from the town came to observe the formerly possessed man and the fate of the pig herd (Luke 8:36-39): “And those who had seen it told them how the demon-possessed man had been healed. Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked him {Jesus} 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, and declare how much God has done for you.’".
The people of the town asked Jesus, the Creator of the Universe, to leave because he had cost their economy, and they were afraid. However, “asking him {Jesus} to depart” is something we Christians do. We learn from this story of the demon-possessed man and the people of “Gerasenes” that: 1) Jesus has power over demons (demon passion and oppression are real and should not be taken lightly); 2) it is easy to talk those people that we do not know well about what Jesus has done for us, but Jesus wants us to witness to our families and friends; 3) we should be careful what we invest, especially those investments that are against God’s law; 4) we do “ask Jesus to leave” – every time we sin, every time we begin our day without Jesus, every time we walk away from His calling on our lives, every time we say “my will be done” rather than “they will be done”; 5) Jesus wants us to share what He has done for us – wherever we are and whomever we are with, especially where we live and work; and 6) this story tell us Jesus who Jesus is – the demon-possessed man tells us (Luke 8:32) who Jesus is: “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.’”.
The ultimate question that we all must all answer: “Who do we say that Jesus is?”.
TODAY’S PRAYER: Keeping the Sabbath, Lord, will require a lot of changes in the way I am living life. Teach me, Lord, how to take the next step with this in a way that fits my unique personality and situation. Help me to trust you with all that will remain unfinished and to enjoy my humble place in your very large world. In Jesus’ name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 129). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT. If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! Luke 11:13
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Ephesians 6:10; Luke 8:22-25; Luke 8:26-39; Psalms 141:1-10.
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “At Jesus’ Crucifixion and Death, the “Temple Veil” Was Torn; After Jesus Easter Resurrection, You Now Pray Directly with God”: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/
DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Sunday Jul 24, 2022
And They Asked Jesus to Leave
Sunday Jul 24, 2022
Sunday Jul 24, 2022
And They Asked Jesus to Leave
MESSAGE SUMMARY:
From the Gospel of Luke (8:26-39): And They Asked Jesus to Leave
Introduction -- Compassion Unpacked: God wants to have a heart-to-heart talk with us. Therefore, if there is anything in our lives blocking this talk with God, we must remove it – we need to open ourselves to what God will do for us if we will just let go of our life impediments. We must pray for God’s guidance that He keeps us from becoming judgmental, self-righteous, self-centered Christians like the Pharisees in Luke 7:36-50.
Today’s Message -- And They Asked Jesus to Leave: When Jesus stepped ashore after a storm-tossed sail across the Sea of Galilee, Luke 8:26-39 tells us that Jesus was met by a demon-possessed man. True Christians cannot be demon-possessed; the Holy Spirit indwells and possesses Christians. For non-believers, their spirit is void and open to passion by demons. However, Christians can be oppressed by demons.
In Luke 8:32-33, Luke tells us that the demons called Jesus by name and asked that they not be removed from the demon-posed man and be sent to the “abyss”. Therefore, Jesus removed the demons from the man and transferred the demons into a large herd of pigs: “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 entered the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.". Subsequently, the people from the town came to observe the formerly possessed man and the fate of the pig herd (Luke 8:36-39): “And those who had seen it told them how the demon-possessed man had been healed. Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked him {Jesus} 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, and declare how much God has done for you.’".
The people of the town asked Jesus, the Creator of the Universe, to leave because he had cost their economy, and they were afraid. However, “asking him {Jesus} to depart” is something we Christians do. We learn from this story of the demon-possessed man and the people of “Gerasenes” that: 1) Jesus has power over demons (demon passion and oppression are real and should not be taken lightly); 2) it is easy to talk those people that we do not know well about what Jesus has done for us, but Jesus wants us to witness to our families and friends; 3) we should be careful what we invest, especially those investments that are against God’s law; 4) we do “ask Jesus to leave” – every time we sin, every time we begin our day without Jesus, every time we walk away from His calling on our lives, every time we say “my will be done” rather than “they will be done”; 5) Jesus wants us to share what He has done for us – wherever we are and whomever we are with, especially where we live and work; and 6) this story tell us Jesus who Jesus is – the demon-possessed man tells us (Luke 8:32) who Jesus is: “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.’”.
The ultimate question that we all must all answer: “Who do we say that Jesus is?”.
TODAY’S PRAYER: Keeping the Sabbath, Lord, will require a lot of changes in the way I am living life. Teach me, Lord, how to take the next step with this in a way that fits my unique personality and situation. Help me to trust you with all that will remain unfinished and to enjoy my humble place in your very large world. In Jesus’ name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 129). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT. If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! Luke 11:13
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Ephesians 6:10; Luke 8:22-25; Luke 8:26-39; Psalms 141:1-10.
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “Is Your Faith Yours, or Is Your Faith a Faith Derivative of the Faith of Others?”: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/
DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Saturday Mar 28, 2020
Saturday Mar 28, 2020
MESSAGE SUMMARY:
The Upper Room Part 3: The Promise of Belief (St. Thomas Anglican Church, Athens GA)
A primary component of Jesus teaching methodology was to ask questions. Most questions asked regarding Christianity are directly answerable. However, it is not “doubt” that constrains people from believing and following Jesus; but it is their “resistance to giving up their sins” that constrains their belief and acceptance.
Important questions were asked by Jesus in His several appearances after His Resurrection from His Crucifixion and death. In the first reference in John 20 to Jesus’ appearance to His Apostilles, the Apostille Thomas was not present. Therefore, when Thomas was told of Jesus’ appearance, Thomas said that he would not believe in Jesus’ Resurrection until he could see and feel Jesus’ wounds from the Crucifixion. Jesus, knowing Thomas’ disbelief without physical evidence of His Resurrection, asked Thomas to feel His wounds. Afterwards, Jesus asked Thomas the implied question regarding Thomas’ “belief”, and Thomas answered with an answer that has resonated throughout the centuries: “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:24-29): “Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord.’ But he said to them, ‘Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.’ Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.’ Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’”.
Jesus went on to affirm Thomas’ belief in the face of compelling physical evidence, but Jesus acknowledged the power of the belief and faith by those of us who follow Him without physical evidence through our faith. So, for us who do not have the physical evidence of Jesus’ death and Resurrection, Paul tells us, in Romans 10:17, that: “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”.
Do you believe?
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM A CHILD OF GOD. Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God-- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. (John 1:12f).
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): John 10:19-30; John 11:15-16; John 14:5-7; Romans 10:17.
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S SERMON VIDEO (“Jesus said to Thomas: “Blessed Are Those Who Have Not Seen and Yet Have Believed” – Do You Believe?“): www.AWFTL.org/watch,
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.
DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Sunday Jul 21, 2019
And They Asked Jesus to Leave
Sunday Jul 21, 2019
Sunday Jul 21, 2019
MESSAGE SUMMARY:
From the Gospel of Luke (8:26-39): And They Asked Jesus to Leave
Introduction -- Compassion Unpacked: God wants to have a heart-to-heart talk with us. Therefore, if there is anything in our lives blocking this talk with God, we must remove it – we need to open ourselves to what God will do for us if we will just let go of our life impediments. We must pray for God’s guidance that He keeps us from becoming judgmental, self-righteous, self-centered Christians like the Pharisees in Luke 7:36-50.
Today’s Message -- And They Asked Jesus to Leave: When Jesus stepped ashore after a storm-tossed sail across the Sea of Galilee, Luke 8:26-39 tells us that Jesus was met by a demon-possessed man. True Christians cannot be demon-possessed; the Holy Spirit indwells and possesses Christians. For non-believers, their spirit is void and open to passion by demons. However, Christians can be oppressed by demons.
In Luke 8:32-33, Luke tells us that the demons called Jesus by name and asked that they not be removed from the demon-posed man and be sent to the “abyss”. Therefore, Jesus removed the demons from the man and transferred the demons into a large herd of pigs: “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 entered the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.". Subsequently, the people from the town came to observe the formerly possessed man and the fate of the pig herd (Luke 8:36-39): “And those who had seen it told them how the demon-possessed man had been healed. Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked him {Jesus} 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, and declare how much God has done for you.’".
The people of the town asked Jesus, the Creator of the Universe, to leave because he had cost their economy, and they were afraid. However, “asking him {Jesus} to depart” is something we Christians do. We learn from this story of the demon-possessed man and the people of “Gerasenes” that: 1) Jesus has power over demons (demon passion and oppression are real and should not be taken lightly); 2) it is easy to talk those people that we do not know well about what Jesus has done for us, but Jesus wants us to witness to our families and friends; 3) we should be careful what we invest, especially those investments that are against God’s law; 4) we do “ask Jesus to leave” – every time we sin, every time we begin our day without Jesus, every time we walk away from His calling on our lives, every time we say “my will be done” rather than “they will be done”; 5) Jesus wants us to share what He has done for us – wherever we are and whomever we are with, especially where we live and work; and 6) this story tell us Jesus who Jesus is – the demon-possessed man tells us (Luke 8:32) who Jesus is: “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.’”.
The ultimate question that we all must all answer: “Who do we say that Jesus is?”.
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM A CHILD OF GOD. Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God-- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. (John 1:12f)
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Ephesians 6:10; Luke 8:22-25; Luke 8:26-39; Psalms 141:1-10.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE SEARCH: www.AWFTL.org/bible-search/
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S SERMON VIDEO – “The Promise of the Spirit”: www.AWFTL.org/watch
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.
DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB