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(Click refresh or reload for current message) Friday, October
7, 2022
I was pleased to show Brooksyne
a new stand our neighbor had put up while we were away. We now
have two Amish produce stands on Kraybill Church Road. It was
a beautiful sight to see the family working together in the
harvest but too far out in the field for a suitable photo.
"In
His Right Mind"
Message
summary: Today let's
consider this marvelous deliverance of a formerly
demon-possessed man "dressed and in his right mind". His
upside down world had been turned right-side up!
"When
they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been
possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there,
dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid"
(Mark 5:15).
Since we
first started dating in 1973 Brooksyne has cut my hair.
She studied cosmetology in her junior and senior years
at Vo-tech in high school before getting her license as
hairdresser in the state of Oklahoma. I figure she has
saved our family tens of thousands of dollars in hair
cutting fees, even more if I price it like those fancy
haircuts people pay a fortune for! The other day I
talked to a man whose daughter had some type of hair
treatment that costs $700.00.
Well,
while she was away this past week my hair was getting
pretty wild looking so I scheduled an appointment at
Great Clips, a hair-cutting chain in a neighboring town
where I was going to make a chaplaincy visit.
I walked
in at my appointed time and was greeted by... I'm
really not sure. If you bought a monster Halloween
mask it wouldn't look any more dreadful. The hair on the
sides was shaved and covered with tattoos as was almost
every part of exposed skin (probably unexposed as well).
The face was covered with pins sticking out every which
way.
I am
actually not sure whether it was a man or a woman. My
first inclination was to walk out but I didn't. I
assumed he/she* would be capable of giving me a rather
simple haircut and felt a small wisp of compassion (to
my shame not as much as I should have). As he/she cut my
hair I watched in the mirror and noted not only the
appearance but very sad demeanor and considered the
awful work of our ancient foe. It really seemed demonic.
Later when
Brooksyne and I talked via telephone I told her about it
and she asked me the convicting question, "Did you pray
for that person?"
Musing on
this experience the Bible text that came to mind was the
encounter that Jesus had with the Gaderene demoniac in
Mark 5. Jesus and the disciples had crossed the sea of
Galilee to the region of the Gaderenes (some versions
use Gerasenes).
"When
Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit
came from the tombs to meet him. This man lived in the
tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even
with a chain. For he had often been chained hand and
foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons
on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him.
Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he
would cry out and cut himself with stones" (Mark 5).
What an
incredibly horrible way to live. Studying the account
from a variety of sources one pointed out his likely
hideous appearance, another his separation from family
and friends, a true outcast. In the other parallel
accounts Matthew informs us
there were two men so Mark apparently focuses on the
dominant one. He records "They were so violent that
no one could pass that way" (Matthew 8:28). This
sounds like the violence we are now seeing in so many
cities. Luke specifies that the man was naked, "For
a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in
a house, but had lived in the tombs" (Luke 8:27),
thus the significance of being clothed following the
deliverance.
This
increasingly describes so many in our world, exacerbated
by alcohol, drugs, immorality, pornography and so many
other vices that separate them from God and others. Just
consider the awful plight of so many of the homeless in
major cities. Several years ago we were visiting San
Francisco and saw this up close and just recently
witnessed it in the city park in Portland, Maine.
They are everywhere,
lying beside the road, lying in the middle of an
active parking lot. The photo to the left shows one
lying up against the glass of an outdoor dining area
of a swank restaurant on Fisherman's Wharf with diners
eating at tables on the other side of the glass.
According to authorities the reasons for
those being in this condition vary; alcohol and drug
use and addiction, mental illness, the high cost of
housing. My brother Mike, who has lived in that area
for over 50 years, asserts that there are many young
people who choose to live that way as a lifestyle,
essentially forsaking and being "free" from the
responsibilities of life. I wonder how many of them
are actually demon-possessed.
We wonder
what the disciples thought when they saw this? But the
text doesn't tell us. The focus is merely on Jesus and
the demoniac.
"When
he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his
knees in front of Him. He shouted at the top of his
voice, 'What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the
Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!' For
Jesus had said to him, 'Come out of this man, you
impure spirit!' Then Jesus asked him, 'What is
your name?' 'My name is Legion,' he replied,
'for we are many.' And he begged Jesus again and again
not to send them out of the area. A large herd of pigs
was feeding on the nearby hillside. The demons begged
Jesus, 'Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into
them.' He gave them permission, and the impure spirits
came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two
thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into
the lake and were drowned.
So much
for the demons! But what about the man?
"Those
tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town
and countryside, and the people went out to see what
had happened. When they came to Jesus, they saw the
man who had been possessed by the legion of demons,
sitting there, dressed and in his right mind;
and they were afraid. Those who had seen it told the
people what had happened to the demon-possessed
man—and told about the pigs as well. Then the people
began to plead with Jesus to leave their region."
There's a
lot we can glean from this (see additional notes below)
but today let's just consider this marvelous evidence of
deliverance: The man was with Jesus "dressed and in
his right mind". His upside down world had been
turned right-side up! He could have broken into song
with the following words:
What a
wonderful change in my life has been wrought
Since Jesus came into my heart! Be
encouraged today, (Hebrews 3:13)
Stephen
& Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer: Father,
the evidence is clear and widespread
that this sin sick world is in not in
its right mind. When You are the
supreme authority in our lives our
hearts and our minds are in the right
place. As committed believers we pray
for our upside down world, that we
will use our voice for truth, for
righteousness, and for the spreading
of the gospel. We want You to turn
this world right side up so that
people will be changed for the better
and for all eternity, to live their
temporal existence here on earth in a
positive way so that our journey here
is filled with less strife, hatred,
and only looking after one's own
interests instead that of others.
Being redeemed means our lives are
changed from darkness to light and we
will affect others as we share that
light with them by word and example.
Help us to do so, in Christ's name we
pray. Amen.
Today's
Suggested Music and Supplemental
Resources
"Man Of The Tombs"
Video Bob
Bennett Great teaching and
perspective!
"Since Jesus Came Into My
Heart" Video Collingsworth Family
"The Gadarene Demoniac"
Audio sermon by
RC Sproul
Other thoughts from the
today's text:
1) "Those
tending the pigs ran off and
reported this in the town and
countryside, and the people went out
to see what had happened" Curiosity
can be a good thing and can lead to a
pursuit of truth.
2) "they
were afraid" When things get
turned upside down from the familiar
that can cause fear.
3) "Then
the people began to plead with Jesus
to leave their region." What a
strange reaction. Were they more
concerned for the pigs and the
economic implications or the broken
man? Or did they just reject the truth
that Jesus embodied? Both are still
ways people use to ask Jesus to leave.
* Regarding using
"he/she": I am not inventing
a new gender but merely use this
to express my uncertainty and I really
didn't think it appropriate to ask.
While
visiting Tulsa this past week I met
with several from my childhood years,
people I hadn't spoken to since I was
a young child including this dear
woman, Mary Ragsdale, a former
neighbor to my parents and our
pastor's wife when I was quite small.
Mary is 99 years old and I surprised
her with a visit. When I told her my
name she paused a few moments and then
responded, "You're Brooklyn's
daughter!" She was right and we were
both delighted to reacquaint
ourselves! Mary went on to talk about
my folks, we shared about our mutual
love for the Lord, and ended our visit
with prayer. She will turn 100 next
month.
I
met with childhood friends last week
but also newer friends like
Charlotte Gaunt who lives in
Mannford, OK and works at CTC
(Career Technology Center) in
Drumright, OK. I became acquainted
with her via Daily Encouragement and
we've visited each time I've gone
back to Tulsa the last three years.
She loves the Lord and is active in
Worship ministries, Prison
ministries and Celebrate Recovery.
She also enjoys glamping but
has yet to persuade me to come along
with her, though photos of her glamping
makes camping look appealing even to
one who feels too old to be
comfortable in an overnight outdoor
setting, no matter how glamorous
the tent and furnishings may look.
But one never knows......
Charlotte
asked me a thought provoking
question during our visit, "What do
you think revival would look like if
it took place today?" I thought
about that quite a bit as the world
has become filled with the kind of
evil I never imagined just a few
years ago. But I came across an article that I
forwarded to her because I thought
it really spoke to the very question
that we contemplated about revival.
It reminds me of the Bible message
we shared today about the demon
possessed man whose life was turned
right side up. When it happens you
just can't keep quiet about it and
once you begin to share it turns
other lives around as well. It was
birthed in faithful and steadfast
prayer.
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Stephen & Brooksyne Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version. Personal Mission Statement: "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity." © Copyright 2022 Stephen C. & Brooksyne Weber - All Rights Reserved Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA |