Intro:
Liberator - a person who liberates a person or place from imprisonment or oppression.
Ex. Gen. Douglas McArthur the liberator of the Filipinos and other ASEAN countries in WW2.
Jesus is our ultimate liberator when He said in Luke 4:18
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free”
And since He said that it is only through the Spirit of God that it is on Him that He is able to set the captives free, it is the same Spirit that He mentioned in John 14:26-27 when He assured His disciples about the coming of the same Spirit to them allowing them to experience the liberating power of God through the word “peace”.
Jesus has the power to liberate us through His peace!
26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
So how God showed His liberating power through peace? In Luke 8 beginning verse 22 up to 55 we can see different instances where our Lord Jesus showed His liberating power. In these many situations we can see that through His liberating peace power His disciples and many involved people were all astonished about this kind of power our world needs.
The Liberating Peace of God is available for His people because:
1. He Demanded it – v24b “He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm.”
Read: Luke 8:22-25
While the disciples were afraid of drowning even if most of them are fishermen yet they were being overtaken with fear v.24 “..Master, Master were going to drown!” The first enemy of peace is worry, just like on this scenario where we found the disciples were all afraid of drowning. The disciples can say master the boat may sink and we can die through drowning. But the disciples jumped into conclusion that the situation they had may lead to death by all of them.
Most of the time we worry too much to the point that we use our practical reasoning to justify our situation why we opted to use our own strength instead of using God’s strength. Remember what Zechariah says in 4:6 “not by might nor by power but by His Spirit says the Lord” the word Spirit signifies Peace of God that will liberate us from all kinds of worries.
Jesus got up and rebuked the source of waves which is the wind. He demanded to have peace at that very moment. They need peace to overcome all their fears yet what God needs from them is not fear but faith! In v.25 Jesus asked them “where is your faith?” In order to activate His liberating peace we need our faith to God.
Do we demand/need peace today? Ask God to activate our faith in Him. It is only the power that can make Jesus got up from His rest as we bless Him by our faith on His liberating peace His liberating power!
The Liberating Peace of God brings calmness to our hearts
Are we in the middle of a storms of life? Then we surely need Jesus and demand His peace towards us.
2. He Delivered it – v29a “For Jesus had commanded the impure spirit to come out of the man.”
Read: Luke 8:26-35
Again after the storm experience, Jesus and His disciples had another liberating power experience through a Gadarene man possessed with evil spirit. And according to verses 27 he has not worn clothes for a long time and has been living in the tomb. And in verse 29 we see that even though he was chained because of the evil spirit in him he was able to escape and went to solitary places and in some other versions of the Gospel in Mark and Matthew he was able to hurt himself. Such a pitiful person is this man and we see a lot of manifestation of a person who needs to be delivered and to have a peaceful life.
Manifestations of a disturbed person:
a. He has not worn clothes – we are naked in truth if we are not peaceful
b. He lives in a tomb – we are a living dead in our faith to God
c. He is chained yet he escapes in solitary places – we are chained to sin and can temporarily escape its sufferings through our physical and material things of this world yet we don’t have permanent peace
d. He hurt himself – we are too callous to our pains in life that we tend to hurt ourselves aside from the people around us
Do we have these kinds of symptoms? We don’t need to be demon possessed to have these characters but the Bible is clear in saying to us that Jesus is our ultimate liberator. He has the Spirit of the Lord to proclaim liberty and to deliver the peace we wanted.
In verse 29-33 we saw how Jesus used His liberating power to this man by allowing the evil spirit to come out from this man and to enter the pigs so they can be drowned. Maybe because the spirit that will go back to where they belong in hell wanted to have a refreshing experience first before they will again be tortured in hell that is why they requested to be drowned instead.
Yet the man being delivered from the unclean spirit experienced God’s awesome liberating power through God’s peace. In verse 35b “ when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons have gone out sitting at Jesus feet, dressed and in his right mind, they were afraid”
Now the manifestations of having experience freedom through His peace are also: v.35
a. Sitting at Jesus feet – completely relying and enjoying on the words of Jesus just like Mary
b. Dressed – completely a changed man and has known the truth about His power, and his true identity in the eyes of God
c. In his right mind – when we have His peace, we are not only clean outside but also clean inside and has a clear plan and purpose why God allowed us to be delivered from our wickedness and sin
Do we need to be delivered from all of this world’s sin that chained us all throughout our lives? Then we need His liberating power!
The Liberating Peace of God brings us clarity to our mind.
3. He Directed it – v 48” Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”
Read: Luke 8:43-48
After the opposition of storms and the demons, Jesus and the disciples were able to experience another action-packed situations through an encounter with a bleeding woman for 12 years in verse 43-48. Here we saw Jesus being crushed by the crowds as most of them wanted to see and have a personal encounter with Jesus when the bleeding woman came from His behind and decided to touch the end of His cloak and immediately her bleeding stopped in v.44. In verse 45-46 knowing that power came out from Jesus He asked everyone who touched Him? And knowing that the woman will not be unnoticed she decided to submit herself at the feet of Jesus trembling in fear while she told the reason why she did that due to her unwavering faith in Him that she could be healed.
After Jesus heard the reason of this woman and upon knowing that her faith has healed her, Jesus directed this woman to go in peace in v48. My point is that all the while Jesus knew what was going to happen on this day, from the storm, to the Gadarene demoniac and to this bleeding woman. Everything is according to God’s plan and direction. Jeremiah 29:11 “for I know the plans I have for your says the Lord, plan to prosper you and not to harm you..” All is well according to His plan and He directed it. Just like on the life of this woman upon getting her healing instantly she is not only healed physically but also emotionally (not worrying anymore on her condition) and relationally (for the unclean people are out casted from their family and society).
We need His liberating peace if we feel that we are alone and out casted, worrying of what can happen to us in the future. We need His direction because in His direction not only we got His assurance that He will be with us but we will have His peace to us. His peace that can liberate us from all sorts of worry, loneliness, and physical healings we need.
The Liberating Peace of God brings us cure!
4. He Defied the odds with it –
53 They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead.
54 But he took her by the hand and said, “My child, get up!”
55 Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up.
Read: Luke 8:40-42, 49-56
Having seen all these miracles of calming the storm, deliverance from evil spirit and an instant healing through faith, what more can the disciples ask for to close the day rather than by seeing the liberating peace especially by defying death.
In verse 40-42 and 49-56, we saw the story of Jairus a synagogue ruler again came to Him at His feet to ask for the healing of his own 12year old daughter. Yet after seeing what happened to the bleeding woman and just as they were about to go to Jairus’ house, someone from his house came to report that the girl is already dead and not to bother Jesus anymore. But Jesus started to defy the natural by His supernatural power by saying to Jairus “don’t be afraid, just believe and she will be healed” v50.
On this scenario, we can see that the peace of God was about to be known by liberating the supernatural power of God through the 12 year old girl.
Jesus defies the opposition by:
a. Not accepting negative report – v. 50
b. Touching us personally – He let only His 3 closest disciples and the parents of the girl v.51
c. Being hopeful – v.52 “stop wailing, the girl is only asleep”
d. Letting God be God – v. 54 He has done what only a God can do, bringing back the dead into life again.
In order for us to experience God’s defiance on the natural world we need to remember these things, by allowing His liberating power over us!
The Liberating Peace of God brings us closer to God!
Conclusion:
Jesus is our liberator as He has the ability to liberate us through His peace. John 14:27
27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
When Jesus demanded the peace to be seen by His disciples, it is because He is willing to give it to us. He has delivered this peace to us in order for us to put our faith in Him. But God is asking us right now, where is our faith? The bleeding woman knows the secret to liberate her since God has directed her to do it to release an extra ordinary faith that will result in our peace. God is willing to defy any oppositions or odds in order for His people to experience the liberating power of His peace
Though people knows what is peace especially the most common meaning of the word – without conflict, without war. However this is not the standard of God in terms of its power to liberate lives, liberate our trust and faith to Him. World peace may be temporary but the liberating peace of God is eternal. World peace is limited but God’s peace is limitless, that is why He exhorted us not to be troubled and not to be afraid.
Illustration:
Long ago a man sought the perfect picture of peace. Not finding one that satisfied, he announced a contest to produce this masterpiece. The challenge stirred the imagination of artists everywhere, and paintings arrived from far and wide. Finally the great day of revelation arrived. The judges uncovered one peaceful scene after another, while the viewers clapped and cheered.
The tensions grew. Only two pictures remained veiled.
As a judge pulled the cover from one, a hush fell over the crowd.
A mirror-smooth lake reflected lacy, green birches under the soft blush of the evening sky. Along the grassy shore, a flock of sheep grazed undisturbed. Surely this was the winner.
The man with the vision uncovered the second painting himself, and the crowd gasped in surprise. Could this be peace?
A tumultuous waterfall cascaded down a rocky precipice; the crowd could almost feel its cold, penetrating spray. Stormy-gray clouds threatened to explode with lightning, wind and rain. In the midst of the thundering noises and bitter chill, a spindly tree clung to the rocks at the edge of the falls. One of its branches reached out in front of the torrential waters as if foolishly seeking to experience its full power.
A little bird had built a nest in the elbow of that branch. Content and undisturbed in her stormy surroundings, she rested on her eggs. With her eyes closed and her wings ready to cover her little ones, she manifested peace that transcends all earthly turmoil.
Famous Quotation from a great liberator “I came out of Bataan and I shall return!” – Gen. Douglas MacArthur
28 “You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ – John 14:28
12 “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. – Revelation 22:12
17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life. – Revelation 22:17
Be Still…
You are here in this place…
