05/22/11 - Freedom Series PT4 - Pastor Tony Ashmore

Pastor Tony Ashmore continues the series "Freedom" in this Sunday celebration with "Staying Free".

Freedom PT4
Pastor Tony Ashmore
Sunday, May 22, 2011

www.mylifegatechurch.com


Sermon Notes:

Galatians 2:4

Even that question came up only because of some so-called Christians there—false ones, (false brothers) really—who were secretly brought in. They sneaked in to spy on us and take away the freedom we have in Christ Jesus. They wanted to enslave us and force us to follow their Jewish regulations. False ‘brothers’—people who claim a relation or kinship to you.  Just as you have a divine flow, there is a demonic flow—those who share a delight in darkness with you.  “We go way back.  Old buddies, friends forever.”  Reminders of the old way—in this case it is dead religion.  Could be our old world ways before Jesus. 

Luke 8:26-39

26 So they arrived in the region of the Gerasenes, across the lake from Galilee. 27 As Jesus was climbing out of the boat, a man who was possessed by demons came out to meet him. For a long time he had been homeless and naked, living in a cemetery outside the town. 28 As soon as he saw Jesus, he shrieked and fell down in front of him. Then he screamed, “Why are you interfering with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Please, I beg you, don’t torture me!” 29 For Jesus had already commanded the evil spirit to come out of him. This spirit had often taken control of the man. Even when he was placed under guard and put in chains and shackles, he simply broke them and rushed out into the wilderness, completely under the demon’s power.  30 Jesus demanded, “What is your name?”
   “Legion,” he replied, for he was filled with many demons. 31 The demons kept begging Jesus not to send them into the bottomless pit.  32 There happened to be a large herd of pigs feeding on the hillside nearby, and the demons begged him to let them enter into the pigs.  So Jesus gave them permission. 33 Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the entire herd plunged down the steep hillside into the lake and drowned.  34 When the herdsmen saw it, they fled to the nearby town and the surrounding countryside, spreading the news as they ran. 35 People rushed out to see what had happened. A crowd soon gathered around Jesus, and they saw the man who had been freed from the demons. He was sitting at Jesus’ feet, fully clothed and perfectly sane, and they were all afraid. 36 Then those who had seen what happened told the others how the demon-possessed man had been healed. 37 And all the people in the region of the Gerasenes begged Jesus to go away and leave them alone, for a great wave of fear swept over them.  So Jesus returned to the boat and left, crossing back to the other side of the lake. 38 The man who had been freed from the demons begged to go with him. But Jesus sent him home, saying, 39 “No, go back to your family, and tell them everything God has done for you.” So he went all through the town proclaiming the great things Jesus had done for him.


There are 2 men in Matthew’s account of this story.  Mark and Luke both tell the story about 1 man.  Why?  Mark and Luke don’t exclude the other man, they just focus on 1.  The one who does the most talking, has the most demons, and ends up making the biggest difference with his newfound freedom.


Why the pigs?  What’s the significance?

*    Demons didn’t want to go to hell.  They thought it was judgement day since the Messiah was there.
*    Demons need something living to inhabit.
*    Demons are assigned to an area.  (familiar spirits) 
*    Pigs were smart enough to know they didn’t want a life controlled by devils.
*    A pagan, Gentile culture (pork) that celebrated ungodliness and the occult/superstition.  These practices centered around fertility and fruitfulness.  Practices that were supposed to influence their crops and herds, making them more productive—economic influence.  The destruction of the pigs, several thousand, represented a severe blow to the economy.  Jesus’ point: dancing with the devil does not produce fruitfulness, in fact it will destroy it.


How did he end up this way?

*    Living among the dead—an outcast and feared among the living.  The Church must be a place that welcomes anyone—a place where this man could find help.  The Church must also be a place that challenges any lifestyle that is less than God’s best.  The difference in accept and approve.
*    Probably once surrounded by ‘false brothers’ cheering him on.  (like the group cheering on shots at a bar).  He probably was once considered a ‘fun guy’ to be around, the life of the party.  Then he went too far,
*    Once surrounded by voices cheering him on from his ‘band of brothers’, now surrounded by the voices of darkness—voices that hate him and just want to use him
*    He has become a sideshow
*    Begging for help but help is not to be found
*    Still drawn to righteousness—
        -    Did Jesus come across the lake for this purpose?  Was the storm an attempt to turn Him back?
*    Finds real freedom and never wants to lose it. 
*    Jesus doesn’t want him to lose it either.  So He tells him how to keep it.  Go back to your family, you town, your region, and tell everybody what God has done for you. 
        -    Stay free by shouting it from the rooftops
        -    Stay free by leading those you love
        -    Stay free by being a man as defined by God and not by those around you or the culture
*    He didn’t just change his city—he changed an entire region! (Mark 5:20—he went throughout the 10 city region (Decapolis) sharing his story.  He changed this region’s attitude toward Jesus—note Mark 7:31-37—Jesus returns to this area, heals a deaf mute man and the region begins to celebrate His ministry.  Later Paul goes to Damascus, find believers there and starts churches.  One man, being God’s man, changed the atmosphere of an entire region.  Salvation is a 2 step dance: God saves me because He loves me. God saves me to make His name famous.


Jesus’ 4 keys to staying free:

*    Fasting—living a fasted lifestyle—making sure your habits are healthy and nothing controls you but God
*    Giving—living generously—a lifestyle dependent on God.  Larry Burkett and giving away over 2 million before starting his ministry
*    Prayer—living dependent—from saying grace to praying over business deals—reminding yourself you need God involved in every aspect of your life
*    Shout it from the rooftops