From Pastor Larry
November 27, 2024

Though our hearts were heavy with uncertainty and concern, it was moving to see the body of Christ so quickly and so compassionately come together. I was within 5 or 10 minutes from concluding the sermon on Sunday when I heard what you heard–a loud thump coming from the sound booth followed by the rapid movement of several people who were clearly trying to help whoever it was who had fallen. Our dearly loved sound tech, Dwight, had passed out, hitting his head on the way to the sound booth’s floor. He needed help and he needed it quickly. Our CCC response team went into action immediately. (Thank you, team!) The rest of us went to prayer, not even knowing specifically who or what we were praying about. But, we knew our Sovereign Father knew, so we asked for his intervention. The good news is that after some time in a Ft. Wayne hospital, Dwight is home now recovering. Thank you, Lord!

Pastor Marc wisely called an end to our worship service, encouraging on-going prayer and graciously reassuring us with the benediction that we have come to look forward to each Sunday. A number of you asked if there would be some way to hear the conclusion of the sermon on Mark 5:1-20. In conferring with Pastor Marc, we thought a blog post that expresses the application to Sunday’s sermon might serve our church family. If you would like to “hear” the conclusion of the sermon “The Serpent Crusher,” please re-read Mark 5:1-20, followed by reading this:

The main character in this story is not the townspeople; it’s not the demonized man; it’s not the evil spirits. It’s Jesus. May I ask you the question that Jesus would latter ask his disciples? “Who do you say that Jesus is?” What is your response to encountering Jesus? What does your life’s response indicate?

Is your response to Jesus frighteningly like that of the demons?

The demons had a right “knowledge” of Jesus. They knew that Jesus was more than a mere mortal. They called him, “Son of the Most High God.” That’s pretty good theology, isn’t it? But were the demons converted? They had a sort of fear of Jesus. They recognized his infinite superiority, leading them to “beg” him for more time before throwing them into the eternal Lake of Fire.

There’s a hair-raising verse in James 2:19, “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!” Do you relate to that? You know the right facts about Jesus, but remain unchanged, unconverted. Beware of a “Christianity” that is solely an assent to the right facts about Jesus without an accompanying transformation of life that comes from God’s gracious act of spiritual heart-surgery. Right knowledge about Jesus without life-changing repentance and faith does not equal salvation!

Please, today turn from a false hope in mere intellectual assent and trust in Christ alone by grace alone through faith alone in order to be right with God.

Or, is your response to Jesus sadly reminiscent of the townspeople?

Seeing the powerful grace of God in other people’s lives, but not wanting Christ to mess with your own life? Do you like the way things are. You like to feel in control of your own life, and submitting to the Lordship of Christ is not a step you are willing to make.

Oh, you may like the idea of keeping Jesus on the periphery of your life–keeping him in your pocket, as it were–to pull out if you need him in some desperate situation. But, having him as Lord of your life? That might be too costly. You might have to give up your own pursuits in life. “Jesus, how about you just leave me alone? It’s my life, and I want to live it the way I want.” Following you is just too costly.

That response brings to my mind a warning coupled with a gospel promise found in Isaiah 55:6-7: “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” 

Please, don’t beg Jesus to leave you alone. What if he does? Dreadful thought! Turn to him today!

By God’s amazing grace, many of us hear echoes of our own story in the story of this restored man, don’t we?

Oh, maybe we were not possessed by a demon, praise God. But we remember that in our “BC Days”–our Before Christ days–we were controlled by our own sinful taskmasters. We were controlled by porn or drugs or alcohol or maybe our lust for people’s approval or our self-righteous pride. We had our own personal idol that was pulling the strings of our affections and decisions.

But, one day Jesus came, and in his amazing sovereign grace he crushed the hold our idol had on our life. In its place he gave us a new heart–a heart that loves him. A heart that values him above all this world has to offer. That new affection–that greater affection for Christ–pushed out our previous love for our sin. We found ourselves hating what we used to love and loving what we used to hate. Jesus has made all things new!

You are that “liberated soul” today, sitting with amazement and gratitude at the feet of Jesus. What is King Jesus calling you to? “Go home and tell your family, your friends, your classmates, your co-workers, your neighbors how much God has done for you. Live on mission! Live on mission in this holiday season.

Will you do that?