A Secret No Longer Sermon Ii: Jesus Makes Your Life Story Fascinating Series

JESUS MAKES YOUR LIFE STORY JUST AS FASCINATING AS . . .

LIFE Magazine came into existence because everyone has a story to tell; and some of those stories are worth sharing. Stories found in LIFE are mostly about unusual, remarkable, miraculous life experiences - which means that my story would never make it onto its pages - maybe Enquirer (just kidding) but certainly not LIFE!

“When Upon Life’s Billows” is the title I chose for the printed version of my life’s story - due to the notion, in my own mind, that life at times has been like a roller-coaster ride, with episodes reminiscent of the stormy billows calmed by Jesus on the Sea of Galilee.

Have you thought about the title you would give your life’s story? Would it be worthy of inclusion in a national periodical? Probably not. Yet, think about it. For you as a Christian, no matter how mundane the story of your everyday life, as viewed by people who do not know you personally, your life transformed by Jesus could make the difference between heaven and hell for some struggling lost soul.

Thus, even though it presents an eerie situation with which I dare say none of us is familiar, the story about Jesus’s healing of a demon-possessed man is both fascinating and applicable, at least in principle, to certain situations we may have encountered or will encounter – Mark 5:1-20 . . .

“Who then is this?” - the central question of Mark’s Gospel. He recorded a series of stories to answer that question. In our story today, Mark’s intent was to show that Jesus has authority over the worst kind of evil influence – the demonic.

Clearly, Mark’s point is: No one is beyond the reach of the saving, healing, restoring power of Jesus Christ.

We may wonder if Jesus cares about the dilemma an afflicted person is in, but here we see that a human being tortured all his life by a condition over which no one had any control has his life totally changed when Jesus comes onto the scene and is petitioned for help.

At just the right time, Jesus shows up - if we beckon Him to do so. “In due time Christ died for the ungodly.” When others thought He was too late to help in Lazarus’ time of need, Jesus came to the tomb and brought him back to life. When Jesus comes, the power of sin and death is broken!

The demoniac had lived in the tombs of darkness, devastation, desperation with seemingly no hope - until he saw “the light at the end of his tunnel” – Jesus! When the evil spirits within the man saw the Light, what did they do?

When Jesus comes - whether in word or deed, as conviction or conversion, in a testimony or revelation of truth – the enemy will flee!

Don’t you suppose the enemy trembled when they recognized Who they were up against? Would to God that evil doers the world over would regard the LORD our God with such reverence and stand in awe of their Creator!

One of these days the disregard, disrespect, disdain, delegitimization of all things divine, will meet its match, and be humbled by the presence and power of Almighty God and His legions of angels. His coming will cause legions of evil doers to bow before Him and call out for the mountains to fall on them in preference to being cast into the lake of fire that shall never be extinguished.

So, folks, get charged up by the victory over evil that will be His (illustrated by the swine stampeding over the cliff) and be changed into a new person bearing witness to what happens when Jesus comes into one’s heart (illustrated by the transformed demoniac going into the village to tell others). Now . . .

Wouldn’t you think that the healing of a poor soul – having spent most of his life suffering from the ill effects of mental illness, shunned by his family and friends, written off as hopelessly crazy – would have inspired people to celebrate the maniac’s recovery, to celebrate the messiah’s miracle of mercy!? Instead . . .

What did they do? They pled with Jesus to get out of their territory!

Who can understand the human mind!? Ungrateful people instinctively get up in arms to do battle against anyone who invades their territory, challenges evil practices and changes people for the better! “Leave us alone”, they shout, “Do not disturb us!”

“Don’t disturb our comfort.” A deliverer comes into town and shakes things up, saying, “What I can do is make things better for everybody, not just a few, but it will mean some of you will have to do with less for a little while for the sake of others.” But comes the reply, “We’d just as soon leave things the way they are.”