I want you to meet a man who, for a long time, had said and done awful things. His story gives hope to many today, because he was wonderfully changed and was given something worth living for.
1*.
This man had often been known to "cry out and cut himself with stones," and had even to be chained and guarded.
2*.
Today you and I can find many people doing much worse than cutting themselves with stones! Some are injecting or dosing themselves with mind altering drugs, or getting themselves "stoned" with alcohol, or deliberately destroying their health by using tobacco. Some destroy their minds and bodies with lusts and by living sinful immoral lives, bringing disease and even death upon themselves and others. Cancers and AIDS are often self-inflicted diseases!
3*.
The awful power and influence of sin and evil is even found in religious practices! Many people are committing spiritual "suicide" - they are cutting themselves off from God by carelessly and deliberately ignoring God's Word.
Surely you know some religious people who ignore such commands as these: God says have no other gods; have no images and statues; and keep His name holy.
4*.
Yet it is easy to find people praying to many others besides the one true and jealous God, and insisting on using images and pictures, and freely taking God's holy name in vain.
5*.
Why do people go on destroying themselves by doing such things?
The apostle Paul had faced this same problem. He said, "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do." Then he discovered the answer, "It is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me." When Paul realised that he went on to find that only God could give him victory.
6*.
You see, "the reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work."
7*.
And when Jesus came to the uncontrollable man in our story He was immediately able to let him have victory over the evil powers that were destroying him.
The local people gathered in amazement to see that wild man now "sitting at Jesus' feet, dressed and in his right mind"! BUT the people then "asked Jesus to leave them … so Jesus got into the boat and left."
8*.
The man whom Jesus had changed "begged to go with Him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, ‘Return home and tell how much God has done for you.'''
9*.
Jesus was giving this man something worth living for. His fellow countrymen were rejecting Jesus - the wonderful Saviour God had sent to them. They didn't want their lives interfered with and changed by Jesus!
But Jesus wanted this man to stay among them showing them and telling them how Jesus could change a life. "So the man went away and told all over the town how much Jesus had done for him."
10*.
Don't you reject the love and power of Jesus to forgive your sin and give you victory over evil in your life. If you put your trust in Jesus as your Priest and Saviour you will surely want to tell your fellow-countrymen about the amazing things that no one but Jesus is able to do for repentant sinners.
Our story today was from Luke chapter 8, verses 26-39.
Bye for now,
John Nixon, Ballincollig, Cork, Ireland. P31HD98. Contact: jnixonj@gmail.com
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